Chapter 75: Reversed Circle

I do not own Fate/Stay Night and stuffs.

o. o. o.

Shirou took a deep breath, held it, and slowly let it out.

His tired gaze looked back through the mirror of the bathroom. Each wound and scratch he had, their very histories instantly flooded his brain through his eyes, reinforcing already known facts with renewed clarity.

It was something he had gotten into the habit of doing shortly after he started training with Kiritsugu as a child. At first it was for practice, but now it was a ritual to remind himself to stay on his game and keep himself sharp. To recall what he had been through and what had led up to that moment. Both the good and the bad, and at this point there was no point stating how much of both there was.

The others would probably have chided him for needlessly torturing himself like this.

But he was still stuck in the world of Magi and Apostles. And noticed by many of their major players at that. Until he was somehow out, or more likely dead, he needed to be at least somewhat on his game at all times just in case, whether he liked it or not.

Illya was moving to her new body that afternoon.

And his instincts were screaming at him to not let his guard down. That if something was to go awry after everything he had managed to accomplish so far, it would be then.

Ever since yesterday, Irisviel had been watched by at least two Servants at all times since she was the most likely culprit of any oncoming disaster. She was not allowed anywhere near Sakura, Illya, Touko, or Marjatta. His workshop was also off limits by extension.

The corrupted Servant still gravitated towards certain individuals and places unconsciously ever since she had arrived on occasion, but otherwise she had not broken any rules or gone out of her way to be a threat.

Lancer, Luvia, and surprisingly both Merem and Lorelei in a rare display of agreement, still advocated to kill her as soon as possible regardless of the risks.

It was a decision that nobody could blame them for given their world and situation.

"Shirou. Are you well? You have been in the bathroom for some time." Saber mentally contacted him.

"Just nervous." He allowed himself to relax a little. Saber had been at his side this entire disaster, and just speaking to her allowed him to regain some composure. "I suppose you can consider this akin to exchanging priceless artifacts, after signing a peace deal, after a long war. Something can still go wrong."

"It can." She didn't mince words. "I have experienced it myself on occasion. It is good you are not blinded by your success, but you should not drown yourself in concern either."

"I feel like I'm missing something." He glared at his reflection, as though it was hiding the answer from him. He was usually more composed than this. More sure than this. It was like he was about to meet Altrouge all over again, only he didn't know the personality of the monster he was about to face this time to work a plan around it.

"Calm yourself, Master. Frustration is the enemy," Saber chided, "We will speak to Rin about your suspicions when you are appropriate. Her insight is usually helpful in matters like this."

"... Fine. You're right. No point getting worked up now." He let out a tired sigh and dropped his head. If everyone saw him stressed out like this it would only make the day worse. "I'll finish up and get out… and Saber?"

"Yes?"

"Next time, just tell me that you wanted to use the bathroom in private."

"... I'll get Rin."

He allowed himself to snort in amusement as he felt his Servant walk away from the bathroom door on the other side. It was an unspoken rule that the Masters and Humans in the building had first dibs of the showers and baths for obvious reasons, but it didn't change the fact that the female Servants still enjoyed the amenities when given the opportunity. Saber in particular enjoyed the amenities due to the fact that she couldn't go into spiritual form.

Another glance at the mirror killed off his amusement. A twisted metal arm. Half of his face scaled with sharp teeth. A patchwork of layered plates and silver across his body. Smiling only twisted his image further.

With a heavy sigh, he mentally flexed his body to return to appearing like a normal human again. He still lost focus on occasion and reverted if he wasn't careful. He lost control more than once when he slept, and had torn apart a couple of pillows and sheets when he rested on the wrong side of his body. It was still going to take him a while to get used to doing it unconsciously.

Just another thing to pretend was fine for the time being that he would have to adapt to later. It wasn't important. Just like the headaches he had been having since Archer started staying here.

It wasn't a big deal. He had dealt with the War. He had dealt with the Association. He had dealt with the Vampires.

He could deal with this too.

o. o. o.

"Eeeee! You look so adorable! I'm so excited!"

"Mamaaaaa. Stooop."

Even with Irisviel's gradually failing attempts to hold herself back from hugging her daughter for safety reasons (compounded with Assassin's and Berserker's non-failing backup to ensure said status quo), it didn't stop the women of the Einzbern family from having a rather touching public family moment as Illyasviel was dressed in a customized hybrid dress made earlier. Said gown appeared to be a cross of a hospital gown and a bastardized variant of the Einzbern Dress of Heaven of all things, designed to maximize the efficiency of her transfer to her new body.

Illya wouldn't say how exactly it was made on such short notice, but judging from how she and Luvia tried to deflect the topic, the two clearly worked in tandem while everyone was distracted at some point.

Still, such questions were in the back seat of everyone's minds as Irisviel gushed and swooned over her daughter while the latter seriously debated killing herself on the spot in pure humiliation.

"Heh. It's been a while since I've seen something like this while on the job." Touko smirked as she watched from the gate. "Ironic how a pair of homunculi act more human than the humans in our world."

"Don't sully yourself with such crass humor, Aozaki. Your words are in too poor a taste to even be considered a joke." Lorelei gave the woman a disgusted grimace. It was understandable in retrospect. Touko was considered a Grand class Magus in some circles, and no doubt the most respectable person on the premises as far as the Vice Director was concerned, if one were to ignore the Sealing Designation.

"I've learned to appreciate the smaller things in life Barthomeloi. Life's too short to get worked up on keeping up appearances all the time. You get wrinkles that way, and I'd much rather wait another three or four decades before I start looking like my old teacher." Touko waved off the noblewoman while lighting herself a cigarette.

Shirou, within earshot, tried very hard to pretend he didn't hear the blatant hypocrisy and irony of what was being said. Apostle or not, he valued his life too much to get involved in that particular conversation.

That said, judging by the sparks that were literally starting to go off between the two… ah, nevermind.

"Vice-Director. Nothing appears to be amiss." Bazett came up to report on her patrol of the area. "Neither Caster's bounded fields nor Lancer's runes have shown any signs of irregularities."

"That said, don't think I missed those bounded fields of yours, Red." Lancer appeared, giving Touko an appraising look. "The old drunk is one thing, but I didn't expect to see anyone else with those particular runes in this era. If everyone here didn't all think you were hot shit, I'd be inclined to ask you a few questions about how you came across them."

"I'll take it as a compliment." Touko smiled and waved the lit end of her cancer stick in what looked like a casual wave, but those with sharp eyes noted the tip of her finger trailed in the path of an incomplete rune that was just outside comprehension.

"Tch." Lancer couldn't tell if this woman would get along with his teacher or wind up being at one another's throats if put in the same room and left alone. For some unexplained reason he suspected it was the latter.

"Matou and Rider have taken up supervising the surrounding territory." Bazett pretended to ignore the potential oncoming disaster and maintain her professionalism.

"And you think leaving your task to a child is enough?" Lorelei asked skeptically.

"Rider's the fastest Servant we have, and Matou's peculiar magecraft make her uniquely qualified to deal with most conventional obstacles." Bazett fortunately expected as much. "Combined with Archer's support on the roof and Caster's Bounded Fields, we should be forewarned of any external issues long before they come close."

"Which leaves the internal headaches."

Merem, on the other side of the yard, waved at her cheerfully while the King of Rats smiled next to him in human form.

"Merem's a headache, but he isn't a problem. At least not today." Shirou sighed from where he leaned against the shed that was his workshop. "Neither the risk nor the reward is enough."

"He knows you so well. It's nice to have such a good friend." The Rat nodded to his master. "Especially one that isn't so eager to kill us for once."

"I know. It's rather novel. He's still willing of course, but only if I actually bother to antagonize him any further than I already have."

"Hmm. Indeed. Please hold off on that. I enjoy the accommodations here too, you know."

Shirou ignored the accusing glares that Lorelei was giving him at the fact that Merem and the Rat were treating his home as a local tourist rest stop more than anything. Right in front of her at that.

The little bastard was doing it on purpose.

"Allright, might as well get things started before you lot really start partying." Touko smirked as she watched Lorelei try to kill Merem with her eyes… which may or may not be literal given the rumors that the Vice-Director had some brand of Mystic Eyes. "Munchkin. Hurry up. Caster should have everything up and running in the lab by now."

"She talks as though the short jokes will make me move faster." Illya glared at the woman irritably.

Truthfully, they kinda did. She was rather excited to actually grow up and be in a body that matched her age. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone. And let them live of course.

"But you're so cute the way you are!" Irisviel, completely incapable of reading the room, continued to attempt to nuzzle and hug her adorable daughter in vain in front of everyone, causing Luvia and Rin to snicker in amusement a short distance away.

"I think I've been cute for long enough, Mama." It looked like even Illya had limits on being the center of attention if her exhausted complexion and strained smile was any indication.

"Last chance everyone. Once the doors are closed, nobody comes in or out of the bounded field around the shed until the job's done." Touko warned.

Kiritsugu shook his head. "Berserker and Caster will be enough. I'll be on the outside." Conventionally, it would be best if his position and Berserker's were swapped given that he could snipe targets from inside the barrier, but there were two factors that changed that.

The first was that Heracles still retained some semblance of sanity outside of fighting, and he adored Illya as though the girl was his own child. The monster was a last line of defense in this circumstance if things went wrong.

The second, and more important, reason was that Kiritsugu was still the most reliable overseer of Irisviel. With Caster preoccupied with helping Aozaki with Illya's treatment, it was Assassin that was next in line to keep the erratic and unstable Servant in check.

Illya tried to smile confidently, but failed halfway through. "... I don't know why I'm so nervous. Being worked on by a Grand Mage and someone from the Age of Gods. Time. Resources. People. It's all in my favor…"

"You're right. You are spoiled if you want to ask for more things to go miraculously your way." Rin cut in with a roll of her eyes. "You might as well go for the Grail again if you're that uncertain."

"Hilarious, Tohsaka. Clearly you've proven to be useful for something other than keeping Archer around and managing the city for everyone else." Obviously, Illya wasn't in the mood for sass.

"Pfft." Luvia failed, probably on purpose, to hold back her amusement at the low blow.

Shirou just groaned, knowing he was going to have to deal with this later.

He pretended not to hear Archer groaning at the same exact time.

"Illya!" Irisiviel gasped before glaring at her husband. "She got that from you Kiritsugu!"

"I'd prefer it if we just blamed all her bad habits on Acht." Said husband deflected the blame effortlessly, even if Iri was right. Acht was too highbrow and boring for direct insults that didn't involve one's position in society.

Shirou stepped in with a tired sigh and ignored the black orb hovering his friend's finger. "Rin. Put the Gandr down. She won't be in that body for much longer so there's no point. If you need an excuse later just say you're testing the integrity and development of her new body."

"... That works."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!"

He was on the side that avoided greater problems and collateral damage to his home. "Illya, stop antagonizing Rin. You know how she and Luvia get when they're near one another when the world isn't already at risk of burning down around them."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" This time both Rin and Luvia shouted at him in tandem.

"It means I've already warned the insurance management teams of the Tower about you two for next year," Waver muttered under his breath.

"Merem, stop. I don't know what it is you were going to do or planning on doing, but stop. The Vice-Director's here." Shirou turned to the Apostle Ancestor with a tired and piercing stare. His unspoken "and she'll blame me for whatever you do" was clearly heard by everyone there.

"I somehow feel simultaneously insulted and vindicated." Despite his words, the small member of the Church lazily saluted his friend while his left arm snickered next to him.

"As amusing as this teenage drama is, I meant it when I said we're running out of time. This isn't going to be a quick procedure, and I'm not staying another month for the next suitable moon phase." Touko pointed at everyone with her cigarette.

Illya rolled her eyes and huffed. "Very well. I suppose I've let my nerves get the better of me for long enough." She turned to Shirou, completely serious. "I expect you to avenge me if this doesn't end well."

"Dad has Independent Action. I won't have to do anything." Her brother smirked knowingly.

"Hey. Still here. I can hear you, you know." Touko wasn't amused.

"At least try! What kind of brother are you!?" The girl pouted in frustration.

"Illya. You'll be fine. Aozaki's work was regarded even before I died." Assassin nudged his daughter, getting her to finally move.

That seemed to do the trick as the girl seemed to only hesitate for another second before dropping her shoulders and made her way to the other property. "... Fine. I'll go. See you soon Papa. Mama. Onii-chan."

Nobody bothered to say anything to her as she was soon followed by Aozaki, the gates closing behind them. They didn't want to waste any more time than they already had.

"I'm surprised you didn't join them." Rin glanced at Luvia. "I thought that you'd use Caster as an excuse to watch Aozaki in action."

"Don't put me on your level. I'd only be a distraction, and we all have heard about what happens to those that have earned that woman's ire." Luvia brushed aside Rin's probing with a confident smirk.

"... You're watching through Caster's perspective."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Luvia looked away, but didn't stop smiling… until she twitched and held her head. "Gak?!"

"And now I'm guessing you aren't." This time Rin was smirking. "Thanks for the heads up about her bounded fields Archer."

"She's considered a Grand Magus for a reason. Caster's from the Age of the Gods, but Aozaki's got some nasty tricks of her own." EMIYA wryly chuckled from the roof. "Caster won't risk getting around those fields or breaking them in case it might mess with Illya's procedure."

"Children." One could practically hear Lorelei roll her eyes without actually physically doing so before turning to Bazett. "Enforcer MacRemitz, tell me you have experienced some growth or development in this disaster."

It was as close to a plea anyone had heard from the woman as anything, though it was warranted. With Shirou soon to disappear from the system, and the bulk of the other Masters and Servants belonging to individual families or parties that were difficult to manage, Bazett and Lancer could be considered the only real direct profit the Association had achieved from this mess that required little investment.

"Huh? Oh, er, yes. I have spent some time with Lancer about my runes…"

Desperate for any distraction, Shirou noted the last quarter moon in the night sky from the side of the yard. The procedure would have worked pretty well during a full moon from what he knew, but they'd be waiting for almost a month for the next one to come around and Touko wasn't willing to stay that long.

"Last Quarter Moon." Waver walked towards him. "It symbolizes Reflection, Reassessment, and New Beginnings. Most novices would prefer the Full or New Moon to conduct a ritual like this, but given the peculiarity of transferring young Illyasviel's soul into an identical body rather than regenerating, strengthening, fabricating, or cleansing one, this phase would prove the most effective and efficient for the procedure. The other planets' positions aren't ideal, admittedly from what I can tell, but they aren't adverse to it either. Astromancy isn't my forte, so I might have missed something."

"Small conveniences." Shirou shrugged. He was never particularly skilled or knowledgeable in astronomy or astromancy. Ironic given his newfound future relationship with the Animuspheres.

"I'll be testing you on said conveniences for the foreseeable future to make sure you are at least passible in your future occupancy."

"Tch." Shirou knew that Waver meant well, but he really didn't look forward to it. Outside of his specialties, it really was a trial for him to learn magecraft in general. This wasn't going to be fun or easy.

"You're welcome."

"Don't sound too happy to teach me again."

"You're a bigger magnet for trouble than I am. The rest of my students just cause problems. I'm just happy to have some of the pressure that heads my way go somewhere else for a change." Waver took a hit from his cigar. "Did you know I encountered three portals to the Far Side this past year alone?"

"You're serious." Shirou looked at his teacher skeptically. While it wasn't on par with reaching the ROOT, dealing with the Far Side of the world usually was just as lethal to most magi, if not mentally destabilizing. Definitely not something someone as grounded as Waver would willingly approach carelessly, or at all given a choice.

"I wish I wasn't. Those early notes you shared with me on Avalon came in handy."

"Glad to hear it." He didn't bug Waver for details. The man tended to saturate his more laborious excursions with complaints and focus too much on picking apart all the high concept mysteries involved whenever he got started. Shirou usually only needed to know up to "mid concept" to deal with their equivalent these days. Especially with all the Noble Phantasms he has stocked up.

"... You're nervous." Waver finally got to the point.

"I have that gut feeling." What little mirth Shirou had regained died instantly.

The Lord frowned slightly and looked around briefly. "... It must be contagious then."

They both glanced at where Irisviel was comically trying to hug her daughter, only to be held back by Kiritsugu, who was grasping at the back of her dress with one hand.

The other hand, had anyone bothered to look, was at his side, appearing as though to be moments away from grasping something very solid.

"The rest of the Einzbern?" Waver probed.

"All at the Greater Grail."

"The Church Representative?"

"Their plane is slated to land tomorrow."

"Marjatta?"

"Locked in her room. Only Caster and Luvia can enter."

"Hmmm." Waver pondered. "Tell me, do you think the issue is something you know, or something you don't know?"

"You mean an unexpected third party?"

"Might as well be a seventh party at this point, but yes. Same logic. Is what concerns you known, or unknown?"

It only took Shirou a second to come to his answer. "Known."

It was the confidence of his answer that drove home just how serious he was taking matters. An unknown threat had many variables that could be used to their advantage, but a known threat in their current circumstances meant an issue that had a better grasp of the current situation and thus potentially more dire.

Waver looked up at the sky, "Well then, if we went top down from most disastrous to least as far as individual nightmares go, it would probably be something along the lines of the Grail, Brunestud, Solomon, The Church, Irisviel, Barthomelloi and by extension the Association, then we'd get to the Servants being picked off or…"

A stray thought crossed Waver's mind.

A terrible premonition that made it feel like the world around him froze…

Except, far too late, he realized it wasn't a metaphor. He really couldn't move.

Nobody could.

A potential cataclysm that he had dismissed because he had thought it had been averted like everyone else did.

One whose source had not been on the property, or at the very least, shouldn't have been.

The world didn't go black, but the ground did.

The Servants there tried to react, but far too late they realized they couldn't move on the count of the ebony and crimson ribbons wrapped around their legs.

And before any of the magi there could even attempt a spell-

BOOM!

They all turned to barely catch Rider blur through the night air at supersonic speeds and dropkick their host full force into the reinforced property wall, cratering it.

"SHIROU!"

o. o. o.

In the fraction of instants after Rider's unexpected attack and the property turning black, only he wasn't distracted by the obvious threats.

His mana was drained, his body felt half turned to stone, and his legs were anchored to the ground. However he wasn't a conventional warrior that specialized in martial arts.

Chack chack.

So he could still act with little impedance.

"Ara?" Her surprised gasp would have been more convincing if she wasn't smiling.

BANG!

Irisviel's head exploded not in blood, gore, or mana, but in a corrupted black fluid that matched the unnamed substance that was holding everyone down.

"SOLOMON!" Assassin bellowed as loudly as he could, even as Rider effortlessly wove through her former allies, the only one there not paralyzed or attacked by the new substance or the Gorgon's visible Mystic Eyes.

No questions or explanations were needed.

For once, the ancient vampire did not waste time with idle banter and held up his right hand, his lone command seal shining brightly. "By my order, I order Caster to kill-URK?!"

Unfortunately, at that moment, the seal's brightness amplified exponentially and began to literally burn to the point that it was on fire… soon engulfing his hand. His arm. His-

Merem's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before they narrowed in genuine anger.

Blood flew everywhere as the vampire's shoulder exploded in gore before the mystery could travel any further.

Without any hesitation, the burning limb itself shone blindingly before the space around them warped in on itself before expanding and growing…

Growing…

Growing…

Until a ten meter tall ivory puppet in the form of a masked female literally armed to the teeth with brass and golden armaments on and around its body and limbs stood in the backyard, albeit barely.

One that was just as on fire as it had been when it was Merem's Arm.

"The Fuck?!" Lancer swore, putting more effort into trying to free himself from the gunk, but having absolutely no luck, alongside everyone else.

"SOLOMON!" All eyes turned to Barthomelloi, glaring daggers at the Vampire…

Even while Rider held the woman at her mercy with a nail pricking her neck.

Even with her life on the line, the Vice-Director had her priorities.

"Would you rather all of my limbs be cursed and taken?" For once The Crown was not amused by her distress. Fortunately he managed to return his Left Arm back to his body, where they wouldn't be affected in their inert states.

The problem was which limb in particular this turn of events had affected.

"Uwwwwooooooooo…" The entity regarded as "Lady Windup" groaned in pain as she began to wave her arms, each of which held several metallic extensions on the forearms that doubled their reach. Even the initial half hearted flails clipped the top of the roof and sheared a sizable chunk of it off effortlessly…

"Oh dear. I suppose that's what a plan that works out too well looks like," A voice that sounded far too calm and at ease echoed in the yard, "My apologies child, but we can't have you doing as you want just yet."

As if a trap door was triggered, the giant puppet dropped into the black substance covering the property effortlessly and vanished from sight right in front of everyone, barely causing a ripple in the process.

Seconds later, and far more slowly, a small swell of darkness rose up to defy gravity until it was roughly human shaped, and the corrupted form of Irisviel took from in front of everyone-

"Contender."

BANG!

And would have been subsequently shot by Kiritsugu had a familiar crimson and black ribbon intercepted it.

Not blocked.

Had it merely been an attempt to shield the target, the bullet would have passed through it effortlessly. Rather, the metal slug made of mana was instantly absorbed, or rather consumed, in a bottomless pit and lost its physical form upon contact with the abstract limb.

"Now, now, Kiritsugu, I think we all know that I won't drop my guard around you that easily. There's no need to be that impatient." The woman smiled kindly, as though chiding a child she loved with all her heart.

As if to underscore just how in favor the situation was, a second swell of crimson and ebony rose next to the plagued Servant, this time taking the form of a jellyfish like entity.

"Sakura…" Rin swallowed heavily, knowing exactly what she was seeing just by how closely it matched the description from the "Heaven's Feel" notes Kiritsugu left. "How…?"

"It was an honest and pleasant accident, really. You were all right to keep me away from the Lesser Grail holders. Even Illya…" Irisviel trailed off for a moment, as though distracted before regaining self control. "Ah, but during little Shirou's fight with that Vampire and my momentary slip, you let me have contact with the Matou girl in order to bring me back home. If only briefly. It was more than enough for me to assert my will on her if needed. Don't worry, she's still alive and aware of herself. I'm just using her as a focus and familiar for the time being."

"Then why didn't you act earlier? It's been almost a week since then." Luvia tried to put the pieces together.

"Is she after Illyasviel?" Bazett asked, grasping at straws. The timing would have matched.

"Oh! No no! I would never!" Iri shook her head in denial, looking genuinely affronted by the idea. "Caster's bounded fields and Berserker's power would certainly be a problem. Having them out of the way was certainly a major factor, but I would never get in the way of my girl's chance at breaking free from this nonsense."

This wasn't making sense. It was as if Irisviel was still in control of her mind, but at the same time her betrayal was on full display for everyone to see that something else was heavily influencing her actions.

"You're not a Caster."

Everyone turned to Merem, who had yet to blink as he tried to pick apart the errant Servant while holding his remaining hand over the bleeding wound where his missing arm would have been.

"I'm not a traditional Master, but even I could tell something was amiss when I tried to use my Command Seal. The connection between us was disrupted by more than the curse. There was an incompatibility with my order and comprehension of you. Not interference, but a simple incorrect connection. My authority was impaired at the last moment."

"Fufu." It was a soft and amused laugh, but the pleased and widening smile displayed a madness in Irisviel that was clearly not natural. "I should have suspected you would notice eventually, Merem Solomon. Though fortunately it was too late to do anything about it."

Grabbing the hems of her dress, the woman curtseyed politely. "My apologies everyone. While I did not lie about the Grail failing to manifest me as a Ruler class Servant, I did mislead you about what I truly am. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the Pretender Class Servant Irisviel Angra Mainyu."

"Pretender?" More than a few asked in genuine bewilderment.

"Wonderful. Another abstract class with unknown traits." Waver cursed. "I don't suppose it is anything like the Faker class?"

"Oh? You encountered that rare class? Judging from your tone, you must have had an interesting adventure." Iri looked genuinely surprised and pleased by the revelation.

"It could have been better," The Lord muttered. "Can't say this one is as pleasant."

The insane servant giggled in understanding before donning a thoughtful pose. "Hmm. But to answer your question, no. A Faker class is simply a Heroic Spirit famous for taking the role of someone else. You could consider the Pretender Class an extreme version that takes 'placing what isn't into the role of what is' three steps further. Imagine a notable Heroic Spirit that is forced into the role of another just as significant one if you will. I believe the best comparison is that False Assassin you mentioned from Kiri's dreams, only instead of some nameless vagabond spirit that happened to fulfill the role of Sasaki Kojiro, it would be akin to say, Morgan le Fay playing the role of Arturia Pendragon to the point that every and any action, ability, and word she speaks would be attributed to Arturia's in the end…"

"So you really are Angra Mainyu." Saber cursed, struggling to lift her sword even as her power was quickly being sapped through the bindings around her legs. "Cease with this charade then and stop sullying Irisviel's image."

Their attacker pouted like a child, exactly like Irisviel would have done when alive. "It's not that easy or simple, Saber. Even if I was a conventional Pretender, I'm still stuck in this role whether I want it or not."

"Conventional? So you're a mistake even among mistakes then." Even with her life on the line, you had to hand it to the Vice-Director to not hold her tongue.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it." 'Irisviel' sighed, as though admitting a personal failure. "Most Pretender halves aren't directly related to one another like mine are. While I was supposed to be 'Angra Mainyu' impersonating 'Irisviel von Einzbern', and still am to an extent, what wasn't taken into account was that the original Irisviel was still inside the Grail."

Kiritsugu grit his teeth in anger at the admission that his wife was still trapped in the monster, but kept quiet.

"Multiple spirits in one origin. Compounding lesser Heroic Spirit myths into a single body for greater results. It's been mentioned in previous Wars, but only once. Now twice, and by complete accident at that," Waver muttered, his mind working overtime.

He had more than enough to determine the 'howdunnit' of their current predicament, but what was more important was the 'whydunnit'. The timing. The purpose. The methodology. The execution. It wasn't just rushed. It didn't make sense.

Irisviel Von Einzbern. Kiritsugu Emiya. Angra Mainyu. The Grail. Pretender. Sakura Matou. Shirou Emiya. They were all factors in what was going on and how this joke of a setup was playing out somehow…

Oblivious to Waver's mind running at full throttle, Iri continued, "You could say that my condition is closer to an unintentional reverse possession. The 'shell' that is Irisviel came with its own consciousness by accident because Angra Mainyu still had her, making 'Irisviel' a larger portion of the Servant than anticipated. Between Kiritsugu and everyone being here, and Caster's Bounded Fields, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that the pretend 'Irisviel von Einzbern' became a legitimate personality instead of an imitated one. One that was dominant while within Caster's Bounded fields, if only by a small margin. While it was a fortunate turn of events, I must admit it wasn't particularly comfortable. It's like constantly being forced to decide to wear sets of clothes that almost fit me properly. Just the idea of swapping 'clothes' maybe fitting a little better and relieving the discomfort gets overwhelmingly tempting after enough time."

Clothes. Fitting. Role. Goal…

Wait.

"You're still in control."

All eyes turned to Waver.

The Lord shifted his glasses, but never turned away from his captor. "The Pretender Class is self-explanatory, but that in itself is a clue about your abilities and limits. Exposing yourself like this means you're reaching your limits and are trying to rush to the conclusion of your goals, unlocking and utilizing the powers of Angra Mainyu your way, before your instincts truly take over. You won't, or can't, bring about events to kill yourself, so you are trying to accomplish your task in a way that satisfies Irisviel's innate desires."

It made sense if those trapped looked around. None of the Servants had been absorbed by the black sludge even though it was their antithesis and could dispose of them effortlessly. Illyasviel was left untouched. And Irisviel had yet to kill anyone. Shirou had been blindsided by Rider, but judging from Saber's reaction and acting, he was far from in any immediate danger.

"Iri. You…" Kiritsugu grunted, glaring at his wife with an array of emotions.

"My. You really have grown up, haven't you? Rider would have been proud of how much you've changed." Irisviel applauded Waver's analysis wholeheartedly before turning to her husband with genuine regret. "I told you I couldn't keep this up forever, Kiritsugu. It just unfortunately happened a bit faster than either of us anticipated. Taking all that mana from the Vampire ship expedited things past all of our expectations. The best I could do was spare Illya from seeing what I was going to do."

"And what are you going to do, spirit?" Lorelei all but spat, daring her captor to escalate the situation despite her own dangerous predicament at Rider's hand.

"Why, grant a wish, of course." Iri replied far too cheerfully, as though just saying the words alleviated a strain in her body that felt near orgasmic in the process.

"Grant a wish?" Rin balked. "Why would any of us want to make a wish on that damn thing knowing what it is?"

Pretender's smile widened, as though finding the girl's outburst genuinely funny. "Fufufu. Oh, little Rin. You'd be surprised how often people have desires that they themselves don't realize. Of course last time I didn't properly estimate what some would and wouldn't sacrifice for those desires, but I'm quite certain I got that covered this time around."

Assassin couldn't help but click his teeth at the backhanded jab.

Something wasn't right, and they all knew it.

Only Masters and Servants could make a Wish on the Grail, and even though Irisviel was a Servant herself, odds are she wasn't talking about herself when she was talking about granting the tainted miracle. Probably some factor that prevented herself from doing the deed herself.

Under normal circumstance, Rin was right, none of the Masters or Servants there would be willing to make a wish, even under punishment of death.

But…

Waver frowned. Whydunnit.

Pretender was making a gamble while she was still in control. She wouldn't risk giving the wish to someone She (Angra Mainyu) knew would reject it outright, nor would she risk giving it to someone that she (Irisviel) couldn't trust or had close feelings for.

Kiritsugu had already outright rejected the Grail before.

Shirou had no need for the Grail.

Illya was getting a new body as they spoke.

Saber was too noble to use such a tainted artifact.

Which left nobody else… except…

"No, that doesn't make sense…" Waver's scowl deepened as he reached his outlandish, yet inevitable conclusion…

And he looked up.

Right where Archer was anchored down like the rest of them.

It didn't take long for the others to notice where and who he was looking at.

"You're joking." Ironically, it was Archer who voiced his thoughts first. "I know I'm not the most social or empathetic of everyone here, but you think that I'm the one most willing to use the wish? Even I have my limits on how badly my pride can be hit, Lord El Melloi II."

"But he's right, Shirou. I'm giving the wish to you."

Whatever snark comment or argument anyone could have made died with Irisviel's genuine and innocent statement, as though she was a child.

"... What, on earth, are you talking about?" It just went to show just how out of his depth he was that the Counter Guardian was blatantly the most confused out of everyone there to the point of being insulted and angered. "I don't have a wish. I've never had a wish. And even if I did, I certainly would never have used it on the Corrupted Grail of all things."

Of all the people there, Rin felt it first. Even stuck in the ebony and black ribbons of her sister's magecraft, she could innately sense that if she left the conversation going, something would go horribly wrong. Something that could not be taken back or reversed, miracle or not.

"Archer! Don't talk to her! She's mhmhmhm!" Her warnings were interrupted as a slew of black and red gagged her and enveloped her body to isolate it from the outside world, muting her words and isolating her in a bounded field that cut off their mental connection.

"Rin!"

"It's fine, Shirou. I just put your Master away for a bit so she wouldn't interrupt us. She's perfectly safe and unharmed." Irisviel's slightly unhinged smile didn't change in the slightest. "I just want to help you realize your wish."

"I don't have a wish!" the Red Bowman snapped angrily.

"Don't you want to get out of the Throne of Heroes, though?"

The backyard went ominously quiet. Irisviel touched the one topic that everyone knew that nobody ever dared to bring up, even in jest, in front of the Counter Guardian.

Wrought Iron eyes bore into crimson like daggers. "The completed Greater Grail isn't capable of taking me out of the Throne. Pure or corrupted."

He said it with absolute certainty. He knew it for a fact. Among the nigh infinite miracles that the Einzbern Greater Grail could accomplish, extracting the original Heroic Spirit of Shirou Emiya from the Throne and severing it's contract to the Counter Force was not one of them.

Irisviel nodded in agreement, completely undeterred and unintimidated by the immensely agitated Servant. "Mmm. But why is it that you are so focused on killing your younger self to cause a paradox? It's a gamble among gambles based on the loosest comprehension of temporal theory, and yet you madly chase after it as though it is your only option. For a Servant with such a high ranking in the Eye of the Mind skill, something that reflects the user possessing the accumulation of significant raw experience and insight in combat and tactics, don't you think that being limited to such an extreme means something is amiss?"

"It IS my only…!?" Archer snapped at her, only to cut himself off as though being slapped in the face with a realization.

Was it his only option?

When exactly had he come to that conclusion?

Had he tried another way at some point?

Did he?

Even if he didn't, how could he have-?

Something pushed against his mind.

When… if…

It was hard to think in a certain direction. As though a wall of pressure drowned his consciousness and disoriented him the harder he tried to press against it.

"Oh, shit." Waver swore as he figured out exactly what and where Irisviel was going with this and the unsettled expressions Archer was making. "Someone stop them! NOW!"

Lancer's spear raged with killing intent, but faltered due to lack of mana.

Assassin tried to grab hold of the countless tools under his coat, but was restrained.

Saber's golden blade was unsheathed from the winds around it, but could not be brandished in the mud and ribbons that ensnared its owner.

"Fufu. I'm sorry Waver, but unfortunately none of the Servants or Masters here in my grasp are able to-"

Rattle.

The sound of clinking and snaking metal rattling reached all their ears before the source had materialized.

Irisviel lurched as she found herself ensnared in golden chains from all sides, the links expanding in all directions and embedding themselves into the walls of the property estate itself.

"... Eh?"

"This is?" Lorelei blinked as she heard more rattling right behind her, and noticed that Rider had also been ensnared, as well as the blob that was Sakura Matou.

Nor did Rider's small yet satisfied smirk about her predicament escape the Vice-Director's attention.

A flicker of hope lit up in Luvia's chest as she realized what this could mean and turned to the source. "Shirou!"

Irisviel was right. Everything touching the ground and ensnared in her grasp was at her mercy.

But Rider's attack had embedded the teen in his property wall, and the black familiar that had subdued everyone standing in the yard there had conveniently overlooked the owner.

A silver eye shone from the shadowed cratered wall, the other shut by swollen skin and blood.

A mangled, metallic right arm that had been specifically targeted by Rider hung lifeless at his side and bending the wrong direction, but a very intact left was grasping at the wall to his other.

… No. Not the wall, but the bounded field that surrounded the property.

A property that had been updated and upgraded to deal with not only the Holy Grail War, but Apostle Ancestors as well.

Irisviel's control over Sakura and Rider was strong, but not as absolute as she had believed.

"TRACE (WAKE). ON (UP)."

The raspy and blood soaked two words were not so much as a spell or a mantra as it was an order.

Not to enemies, nor allies, but to himself and the world within.

A world that very much preferred to remain unfettered and at rest.

The yard was not converted into another world, but the barrier between it and Shirou's Reality Marble had minimized to such a thin margin that those present could see past the veil into the other world out of the corners of their eyes.

More haunting than what they saw, was what they heard.

Chills rattled spines, Servant and mortal, as the sound of literal army's worth of armaments, mundane and mystical, simultaneously unsheathed themselves loudly from the earth and coming into this reality in a single motion.

In a single uniform declaration of undesired awakening.

The very gesture seemed to rouse each and every one of the armaments to the point that they all somehow radiated their own murderous intent. Genuine malice and outrage for being stirred from their peace and rest.

"Oh dear." Iri could only blink as her situation finally sunk in.

As if the idea that maybe, just maybe, her son was a bit more dangerous than she had originally assumed and pissing him off in his own territory may not have been the most enlightening of ideas.

"... I should have known he was holding back the good stuff," Lancer muttered under his breath, recalling his "spar" with Shirou just a few days prior in the yard.

And if that wasn't enough…

CLANG!

It was like listening to metal explosively scratch, shear, and rip itself in order to make a crude new form.

The outermost rungs of the golden chain holding Irisveil down and in place erupted in jagged blades. Followed immediately by the next. And the next. And the next.

The manifested swords all pointed to Irisviel.

A third of the golden chains had already warped.

Barthomelloi used what power she had left to rip herself from Rider's grasp while the latter was still ensnared in the trap.

The mud and tendril's grasp had weakened, allowing the Servants to make some progress freeing themselves.

Rin's head was released and was visible again.

Two thirds of the chains were now warped.

Saber had gotten a leg free and was manifesting wind around her legs to address the other.

All the flying swords around Irisviel were less than five meters from her.

Kiritsugu had gotten his hand grasping his Contender up again.

Irisviel's eyes widened, but her twisted far too wide and elated smile remained.

The chains around Irisviel were about to skewer their targ-

The yard exploded.

The area where Irisviel stood erupted in pure chaos as attacks and explosions from all sides and what seemed like four different sources went off all at the same time, obliterating the vast majority of the large back yard instantly. It was only due to the spells that went into reinforcing the house that it didn't suffer any major damages outside of the shattered windows and doors facing the madness.

Truth be told, it could be considered a miracle in itself that none of Irisviel's victims were caught in the bombardment directly. The worst that happened were that Luvia, Waver, and Rin were thrown back to the edges of the property while Bazett skid back while maintaining her footing. All the magi had managed to utilize what meager mana they had left in their systems to protect themselves from the worst of the damage.

That said…

Three seconds after the attack ended, the ringing in Shirou's ears still rendered him for the most part deaf and the cloud of debris blocking his view of what should be Irisviel's corpse.

His lone visible eye dilated, seeing something the others didn't.

The Command Seals on his intact arm shone.

"SABER! KILL-GAH!?"

Before the Magus Killer could get his order out, black tendrils from the floor shot out and impaled the teen's arm, ensnaring his hand, and ripped him to the ground violently.

"Emiya/Kid?!" Masters and Servants gave him a brief double take before a familiar voice sent chills down all their spines.

"Wow. That really was terribly close. If I wasn't so familiar with how decisive your father is, I would not have been able to react to that followup in time. You really do know how to keep a parent on their toes, Shirou."

The cloud of debris faded away quickly, but it felt like an eternity for onlookers, as Irisviel once more came back into view.

But she wasn't alone this time.

"... What is the meaning of this?"

"Ah fuck."

"You've got to be joking. Now?"

The reason why Shirou had immediately decided to use a Command Seal in spite of the onslaught he had just delivered became apparent as Archer, unharmed and unrestrained, came into view next to Irisviel.

Surrounding the pair of them were dozens if not at least a hundred blades sticking out of the ground, and the remains of even more laid about around them, having deflected the ones Shirou had manifested and cut the chains that nearly skewered Irisviel.

"Archer?" Rin looked like she had been shot, not believing what she was witnessing.

The Servant in Red didn't respond physically or mentally to his Master, as another pulse of mana radiated from the property and Shirou started to manifest another barrage of weapons to at least distract the enemy.

"... Fool." Archer snorted, shaking his head. The kid had used his chance to turn this around too late, and drawn up empty.

Before Shirou's projections had solidified, Archer dropped to his knees and stabbed the ground with Rule Breaker.

"HNGH?!" The backlash from having his bounded field break while he was using it was immediate, and Shirou writhed in agony from his mana back lashing through his circuits.

"Servant! Explain yourself!" Lorelei snapped angrily.

"Shirou!" Assassin allowed himself to yell.

"Asshole!" Lancer growled.

"Shero!?" Luvia called, confused.

"Archer!" Saber called out to him, with probably the widest range emotions of them all.

The guilty party in question heard it all, but didn't look up.

His attention was completely on the dagger in his hand, as if really looking at it for the very first time despite owning it for who knows how long.

A dagger he had used on many jobs… but somehow always seemed to forget during the Fifth War unless it was wielded by the Witch of Colchis.

Rule Breaker. A Noble Phantasm that could sever him from his Master at any given time. A Noble Phantasm he could have used to free himself to kill his counterpart before Saber was even summoned.

His grip on the blade tightened to the point the veins on his hand bulged out of his skin.

From the moment he had been summoned…

The veins on his forehead started to swell, reflecting his growing agitation.

THE ENTIRE TIME.

EVERY TIME.

Of all the constant repeated mistakes and oversights he had made in his countless summonings to the Fifth Grail War, of the patched memories and inconsistencies that he could recall with any clarity and point out with certainty, this was by far the most glaring and insulting of them all.

The proof hadn't just been in his hands. It had literally been in his very soul.

It was a dumb, overwhelming, and sickening mistake that even the naive child Shirou Emiya should not have been able to overlook after all this time.

Not naturally.

A line was crossed.

A limit that should never have been tested under normal circumstances had been crossed.

Something vital had snapped.

EMIYA had made his decision.

"-me."

"Hm?" Irisviel blinked as she was the only one close enough to hear him mutter something, though she failed to notice the hand holding the dagger shaking with greater violence with every passing second. "What was that, Shirou?"

The jagged blade doubled in length. Its serrated edge grew cruel, and its rainbow like metal glowed in a wide array of eldritch colors.

Rule Breaker broke.

"Shirou! No!" Rin shouted in alarm, her hand glowing with the power of her Command Spells, but she had been a second too late.

"I. HAD THIS. THE ENTIRE TIME!"

With an infuriated bellow, Archer stabbed himself in the heart.

o. o. o.

The pain penetrated past his body effortlessly.

Deeper.

The connection to his Master(Ȑ̷̨̨̨̢̞̻̜͎͌̕͜͝į̶̳̤̺̜̝͈̦̠̟͎̗̠̻̖̍̍͌̊̓̀͑̔́̊͝͠ͅͅņ̴̫͑͒̃͜) was severed instantly. Along with it that petty command to always tell the truth.

Deeper.

The feeble, fragile knife slid through the folds of his frame and armor made of mana like a hot knife through butter.

Deeper.

As a Servant, the two critical points that he couldn't survive without were his head and heart, both vital to stabilizing his core.

Deeper.

His chest burned. No, his Servant Core burned, protesting against the mystic severing properties of the Noble Phantasm, and thus his entire being burned.

Deeper.

But… it was faint, but something else was protesting too. Something that was neither 'Servant', nor 'EMIYA'. It was a tiny thing, but not part of the original equation either. The best way to put it was an 'addendum' to his very being. An adjustment that made tiny, near pointless changes and alterations when applicable.

And it was deep. Deep enough that to reach it would almost mean certain death to most Servants under conventional circumstances.

Deeper.

He pressed on anyways and pierced through the irregularity without any hesitation.

He didn't have Battle Continuation, but Independant Action would keep him alive long enough to come up with a work around.

He didn't know if his mind going white was from the release of the influence of the irregularity, or simply blinding pain…

But, he could tell after those few instants, that something had changed…

A restraint he had never noticed was gone.

And he couldn't help but laugh.

o. o. o.

"... Ha."

The broken Rule Breaker clattered to the ground and shattered to pieces, its purpose fulfilled.

" ."

It wasn't a grandiose bellow, or an insane cackle that escaped the Counter Guardian's lips, but a dry, tired, and exhausted chuckle.

It was the sort of thing that one would escape the mouth of an old man that had been pushed too far after working for far too long and realizing something infuriatingly simple that he should have discovered years ago.

Those there could see his twisted and outright furious smile for half a minute before anyone could see his eyes as he slowly lifted his head and calmed down.

He dismissed his audience without a second thought, those he had called friends, if not comrades just a few hours earlier, and looked at Irisviel. "Do you need anything else?"

His "Mother" couldn't look more thrilled at his cooperation. "Just the Edelfelt girl, Shirou! Between me, Sakura, and her, the Grail should have enough for your wish! Oh! Wait! You're hurt!"

Archer dismissed her concern and his bleeding chest and turned to where the last task was located. "Independent Action will keep me alive long enough for you to do something once we are somewhere else. Getting out of here takes priority."

"You really do get that pointless stubborn part from your father." Iri sighed. "Don't bother, Shirou, Sakura got her already while everyone was distracted earlier. Most bounded fields are worthless against her unique thaumaturgy. Really that child is a gem in every way possible. Her father was a fool even as a magus for letting her go."

Luvia understandingly paled. "WHAT?!"

"Technically we could grant the wish without the Edelfelt child, but she's really the safest Lesser Grail to use," Irisviel lamented out loud. "I don't want to use Illya, and I'm afraid even you wouldn't agree to help if we tried to use Sakura. True this one has the least odds of surviving the process, but she's the best option I have available. It'll take some time to move all the mana to her in the process as a result though."

"Tell the idiots here everything, why don't you?" Archer gave Irisviel an annoyed glare. "If you're done, let's leave already."

"The idiots are still here and right pissed, asshole." Lancer stood up with a grimace, spear in hand. Nearby, Assassin and Saber also took a stance, ready to strike in spite of being half turned to stone by this point.

The Red Bowman sighed and looked back at Lancer dismissively. "The idiots also can't tell they're outclassed."

Almost on cue, Rider landed next to Archer with nails in hand and fully topped off on Mana. Below them the ground turned a bottomless pitch black once again. A second later, the jellyfish-like entity that represented Sakura swelled from the pitch like water.

"You're really doing this." Assassin rasped, gun in hand despite the warning.

The accused gave a halfhearted smirk. "Yeah. I am."

"At least explain why," Saber pressed, allowing herself to show genuine emotion. "Why now? Why are you doing this?"

To his credit, Archer took a moment to find the right words to say.

And then he turned to Rin.

"Do you remember our conversation about Grand Class Servants? Do you recall how little I could dredge about the Grand Caster?"

"Grand Servants?" Lancer muttered under his breath, confused. And he wasn't the only one.

"What does the elite class of Heroic Spirits have to do with this charade?" Barthomelloi scowled.

"..." Merem and Waver kept quiet, but judging from their expressions they had an idea of where this might be heading.

"Who cares about the Grand Caster!" Luvia snapped before Rin could answer. "Release my sister, Archer, and I'll consider not having my Servant turn you into an example of what happens to traitors!"

"Humph. You have the wrong Medea of Colchis to do that, Edelfelt." Archer dismissed her with a smirk. "Well Rin?"

The now former Master glared at Archer. "I remember, Archer. What about the Grand Caster made him so special to you? Was he another comrade you eventually betrayed or abandoned like the rest of us?"

"Maybe, at some point that I don't recall, but that's not why he's important." Archer's smirk widened. "You see, between Irisviel's probing, Caster's little memory potion, and my latest stunt, I recalled something else very relevant that you might find very interesting. Something that absolutely infuriates me, simply because I had somehow forgotten it in the first place. Care to guess what it is?"

"Stop playing games, Archer!" Bazett snarled, fists clenched tightly. "Get to the point already!"

The accused's smile dropped as he glared at the Enforcer. "What if my question is the point?"

His words caused everyone present to pause in genuine confusion, ally and enemy alike. Even Irisviel was unaware of what he was alluding to…

"... No. No, you couldn't be saying… The Grand Caster." Surprisingly, or maybe not, it was Saber that realized it first.

"That's right." Archer chuckled with genuine anger and a hint of madness. "I still don't remember who he was, but now? Now I remember the one feat that I should never have forgotten, regardless of how many times I've been summoned over and over endlessly across the Kaleidoscope. One way or another, he. Got. Out."

The silence was damning.

Confirmation.

In a world where mysteries and the impossible mix regularly behind the scenes, it was one thing to reach or strive for a goal that seemed outright impossible, even across millenia, to the point that nobody had ever accomplished it before.

It was another to hear of an instance where said impossibility had in fact been accomplished.

It was possible. It was somehow actually possible. To get out of the Throne of Heroes. There was no way that Archer would ever joke or lie about that.

And yet, that alone underscored the bigger problem that Archer had forgotten it in the first place.

For a Heroic Spirit whose very purpose and goal it was to get out of the Throne of Heroes, to forget that it was even possible or that someone else had achieved the feat in the first place seemed extremely unlikely, even after what could only be considered an eternity.

"Haha. Isn't it hilarious? That I couldn't recall someone performing the exact feat I had been after for so long? Something that should by all rights have been etched onto my very soul the moment I learned it and went back to the Throne?" He began laughing now, saturated with an insane fury with himself more than anyone.

Nobody dared to laugh.

"And yet, I don't know how he did it. I've been summoned to multiple Grail Wars, ones where they have never been tainted, and yet the thought of wishing to know all the ways out of the Throne never once crossed my mind. It's always been either do my job or kill the damn fool and hope I get lucky and abort myself from reality like some pathetic gambling addict. It's, it's so infuriating now that I think back about it. This goes so far beyond being a fool that sold his soul to become a Counter Guardian to do a good deed or two that I can't help but laugh at the shallow absurdity I've convinced myself of."

"Archer, you couldn't possibly mean to-" Saber's borderline plea was cutoff instantly with a sudden cold glare from Wrought Iron eyes, devoid of any of the self loathing mirth that their owners had been spewing out until then.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but your fear's right, Saber. Irisviel's right. For the first time, I actually do have a wish for the Grail. One I can't risk another endless number of summonings to hope I'll come up with again. And for once…"

He looked past the King of Knights, to the teenager that at one point he might have eventually turned into had Kiritsugu done things differently, glaring back at him with a lone silver eye.

"... My actions have absolutely nothing to do with Shirou Emiya. Or heroes for that matter."

The world went black, and seconds later, Irisviel, Sakura, Rider, Marjatta, and Archer were nowhere to be found.

o. o. o.

A/N: This is an idea that has been plaguing me since it first popped in my head. It is not confirmed or denied anywhere, but until someone brings hard evidence that says otherwise, I consider it pure head canon in the greater Nasuverse lore. Also, if anyone else has come up with the idea before, I've never seen or heard of it from you guys since I avoid most forums like the plague, but by all means, please let me know if that's the case… if only to point in your direction in case the hardcore fanatics get on my ass for half hearted speculated fanfiction nonsense again.

Omake: Forever Wandering Karma

Shirou, Fujimaru and company could not help but be somewhat awkward as they ate in Camelot Castle, surrounded by knights on all sides. Much less being mere feet at best away from the Lion King and her Knights of the Round Table (though for the meal the table was pointedly rectangular and not round).

Plus a Bedivere at the back corner of said table trying his very hardest to not be noticed at the moment.

On the bright side, Shirou's ability to cook had put everyone present, if only temporarily, in a better mood as they all partook in his culinary skills.

"This is a mistake." Agravain glared at the food porn in front of him as though it was insulting him. "It could be poisoned."

"Even if I had anything that worked on Servants, it wouldn't matter." Shirou dismissively shook his head and pretended to ignore the Lion King elegantly stuff herself stupid. "Your King's stomach is made of lead, and I don't poison the food I make in the first place as a personal rule."

"It's true." Mash nodded next to Fujimaru. "All the other Assassin Servants at Chaldea have accused him of being half hearted at his craft at one point or another."

"He's an Assassin?" Gawainn frowned, unconsciously loading his plate with potatoes without being aware of it.

Shirou grimaced. "I'm an awkward case. I'm not dead, but got pulled to Fujimaru's Chaldea due to certain accidents taking place. Technically I'm a dual summon, with traits of both Caster and Assassin class, but most just consider me an Assassin due to… previous occupations."

It gave him a new perspective on what being a Servant was like when he heard other Heroic Spirits complain about not being able to use some of their locked or restricted abilities. He was notably stronger now than he usually was, but the bulk of his traits from being an Apostle were minimized even more than normal in his current state as a result. Which, normally, wasn't a bad thing, except for the fact that his inhuman regeneration and raw strength took a massive hit as a result.

"If we are going by your supposed previous occupations, then everyone would be calling you "Janitor" or "Dog" all the time." Ritsuka smirked slightly.

"Hah!" Mordred laughed loudly, not at all bothered by the rice stuck to her cheeks.

"Ah. No wonder you are such a difficult individual to deal with." Tristan fingered his harp with one hand while eating some toast. "How sorrowful. How deliciously sorrowful."

Fortunately, while Shirou's eyebrow did twitch, it was Agravain that replied. "What's sorrowful is your inability to prioritize. As usual, Tristan. Invited or not, the enemy is within our territory and none of you seem to be taking it seriously!"

"You want to add some rice to the curry. They work well together." Shirou absently pointed to the dour man loading his plate.

"Thank you." Said dour man reflexively replied before realizing what he had just done.

"Ha!" Mordred laughed again, this time with a mouth full of marinated pork that he had accelerated with the Emiya family Time magic to get properly tenderized in time for the feast.

"Mordred, keep your mouth closed when eating. You are a knight. I expect proper decorum when feasting on a proper meal." The Lion King chided, sending a chill down everyone's spines.

Shirou snuck a glance at what was and yet clearly wasn't Artoria Pendragon. Possessing the Rhongomyniad for so long had transformed the former King of Knights into an entity that even his own matured Saber could not hope to properly reflect.

A genuine human turned God. With Dragon traits at that. Even simple words and requests held overwhelmingly different meanings and weight that did not exist in his world.

It was a genuine miracle and blessing that she was still as much of a glutton for quality food as ever, and he had planned to exploit it as much as possible.

Thank the Types and other cosmic forces that quality food wasn't particularly prevalent in England for the bulk of history, making his services all the more enticing.

"Tch." Mordred clicked her tongue and was about to say something before remembering she still had food in her mouth and swallowed and wiped her cheeks with a napkin. "This is one hell of a feast, but I still don't see what the big deal about these guys are. Chaldea, Singularities. We'll kill anyone that gets in your way Father. Much less that scrawny guy with the pink hair."

"Have you looked in a mirror without your armor recently?" Shirou deadpanned, causing several of the other knights to flinch, knowing just how sensitive Mordred was about her physical appearance.

"What was that, you pushover?!"

"Not again." Ritsuka groaned, her face in her hands.

"Again?" Gawain frowned.

"We encountered Mordred in a previous singularity." Mash grimaced. "Emiya-san doesn't get along with her very well."

"I don't know how, but she's more Lancer than Lancer." Shirou muttered while staring lightning at Mordred, who matched him in kind.

"Feh. I don't know what "Lancer" you're talking about, but he must have been weak as shit." Mordred smirked.

"Come on… come on. I know you have his Luck. Why hasn't it gone off already?" Shirou's gaze turned slightly frantic and hungry.

"Shirou. Mordred. Calm down, the both of you." The holographic projection of another adult Artoria Pendragon in a suit materialized over the table before looking at her Master. "This is the reason why you barely pass as a squire Shirou."

"Mgh."

"Hah!"

"And you're still on probation as far as I'm concerned, Mordred. Heroic spirit or not."

"Oh come on! You're not my dad!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... You know what I mean!"

"Listen to your father Mordred." The Lion King lectured while finishing her third plate of food.

"I! But! You! How?! Why?!"

"I didn't know that Knights of the Round could be on probation in the first place." Ritsuka whispered to Mash, who quietly shushed her before anyone realized what she was saying.

"Saber, be honest with me, was it actually like this when you were alive?" Shirou turned to the image of his Servant.

"On the less stressful days, yes. A baseline of decorum was expected of the Round, though with enough ale, and Merlin about, said baseline was not always maintained." The King of Knights admitted. "Though knowing how cowardly the latter can be at times, it does not surprise me that he did not show himself here."

"I did notice Merlin attempting to observe and communicate with me when I first arrived in this singularity. After I determined that he was not going to offer his services, I put a stop to it." The Lion King stated as though making an idle comment about the weather.

Nobody noticed Bedivere grimace slightly and grab his metallic arm.

"... How convenient." Shirou knew that tone. Saber used it when she was holding back her thoughts and making changes to plans and impressions she had been working with prior.

"Forgive my impertinence, your majesty, but I still do not see the purpose of this… gathering." Agravain looked at his lord with his ever present resting bitch face. "They are Chaldea. You have deemed them an enemy before their arrival in this land. While the boy's skills in cooking is, adequate, and he has some connection to a counterpart of yours, I do not see why this should be of any concern."

"I suppose it shouldn't. However, looking at that boy and my counterpart stirred a rare curiosity. One that I feel should be sated before my plans are brought to fruition."

Shirou held his tongue. This peculiar version of Saber was different, even from the alter he encountered. Her monotonous tone was not a product of one looking down on the world, or rage fueled dismissal, but genuine apathy. It was a conditioned state borne through years of exhaustion that has eroded away her emotions until little was left.

And yet he still had her attention.

"You stated earlier that you don't recall much about your time on the hill." Saber cautiously asked, skirting around their times hunting for the Grail through time and space.

"I do not. However seeing that boy, and hearing the name Emiya, rouses a nostalgia almost on par with my knights. The more I eat this food made by a foreign hand, the more I examine the stubborn man who I can instinctively tell is more prone to rushing towards disaster than Mordred, the more these sensations grow."

"Heh." Mordred smirked at Shirou.

"The fact that you're being used as a low bar of measurement does neither of us favors." Shirou deadpanned at the Knight of Treachery, saying essentially what was on everyone else's minds.

"And you still failed it!" Mordred did not get the hint, which probably was for the best.

"How sorrowful." Tristan plucked at his strings, though what he was lamenting was probably left a mystery.

"Troublesome children aside, out of curiosity, how much do you recall from your time in Fuyuki?" Saber got them back onto less explosive topics, "Due to certain, circumstances, my Master and I are aware of several potential major outcomes that were likely to take place. Given your disposition, I can assume you did not directly encounter the corruption of the Grail."

So long as they didn't discuss the details of Arturia's deal with the world and her hunt for the Grail in front of the other Knights of the Round Table, they were in the clear regarding most details of Fuyuki.

"The corruption? … Ah, yes, I recall that did exist and the reason why that conflict ended with no true victory." Judging from her absent reaction, Shirou and Saber could likely cross off the Lion King going through the "Heaven's Feel" route.

"Did you ever change Masters during the War?" Shirou pressed curiously.

"Heh. I knew you were weak, but enough to even have Father have doubts? Pathetic." Mordred sneered.

"Still your tongue Mordred. The Caster of our war possessed a Noble Phantasm that usurped control of other Servants. In our War, she managed to abscond with almost half the Servants Summoned before she was dealt with." Saber chided.

"Humph. No doubt that stick of yours did nothing but stay in the background while you carried everyone." Mordred snorted.

"Actually, he personally fought Rider and Caster during the final battle while I was holding off Lancer."

The table went quiet as more than a few stared at Shirou as if seeing him for the first time and re-evaluating his threat level. Ritsuka and Mash included.

"Impressive for one from the latter eras of humanity." The Lion King surprisingly gave Shirou the barest of affirmations while savoring what they could only assume was her fourth plate of food.

"Indeed. Among the entire force that came for her that night, Caster was without question most wary not of the Servants, but my Master." Saber nodded proudly. "He has his shortcomings at times, but his tactics are exceptional."

"I still call bullshit." Mordred muttered under her breath.

"You have no reason to doubt the word of my counterpart. If her chef is that capable, then we must expect him to be at least a passable commander." The Lion King had made her judgment, and would not accept any other outcome.

It still didn't stop Shirou from sullenly muttering under his breath about squires.

The host didn't bother to acknowledge his sulking. "As for my history, I do not recall an outcome where I changed Masters."

Fate route it is then.

"Hmmm." It was unnerving how the Lion King remained so eerily impassive, yet was still deeply contemplating a matter. "I do recall frustration with my Master though. As though he was torn between his loyalty to me and his own goals, and could not make up his mind. We achieved victory, yet we could never understand one another in the end."

"Emiya-san? Is something the matter?" Mash was the first to notice Shirou going still as the Lion King went on with her monologue.

"He was too preoccupied with his dream, even when you two tried to talk out your differences and concerns, to the point of being distracted and sidelined by them at times, right?" He asked slowly, with a hard expression that indicated that he didn't want to know the answer.

"Preoccupied… wait. You don't think-?"

Saber's surprise was cut off by the local King's reply. "Yes. That does feel to be the most accurate way to describe what transpired from my recollections."

"Shirou? What's going on? You haven't made a face like that in a while." Ritsuka slowly inched away from the suddenly ominously serious young man at the table.

His change in demeanor was unnerving enough to have more than a few knights in the room reach for their weapons…

"... I believe, that this is a conversation that needs to be conducted in private." He stated quietly and firmly.

"You cannot be serious." Agravain stood up enraged. "You expect us to leave you alone with the King unsupervised?"

"You suspect he is capable of harming me, Agravain?" The Lion King questioned.

There was no wave or pressure of killing intent, but the unspoken insinuation sent chills down all the Knights' spines none the less, and the black Knight dropped to his knees in deference. "Of course not your Majesty, but it would be the height of recklessness to leave you unattended with this unknown factor."

"While I do have arguments for and against your protests Agravain, you need not worry." The King of Knights looked genuinely concerned for once. "What my Master and I need to discuss with the Lion King is of a more personal matter. It has nothing to do with Chaldea, correcting human history, your current domain, or this singularity."

"Personal?" The Lion King blinked, the only indication that she was genuinely curious about this turn of events. "Have we encountered one another prior?"

"We haven't, but… again this is best a topic done privately to avoid any confusion." Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Should I get Rin for this conversation?" Saber inquired. "Suspicion or not, she'll want to know."

"Later. It'll take too long to get her now." He shook his head.

"King of Knights, do you believe this topic is one that would hold my interest? You should be able to tell by now that we are far from the same individual now." The Lance wielding counterpart inquired.

"That may be, but if so then it only adds to the foundation of our suspicions. If you truly are a unique entity in the Kaleidoscope, then… if true, this will be something we are obligated to inform you. Save for perhaps Merlin, I doubt anyone would come to this conclusion naturally, or know of it for that matter."

"Hm. Very well then. Everyone uninvolved in the matter, leave. I desire to hear what they have to say."

"Your Majesty!?"

"My King?!"

"You got to be kidding!"

The room exploded in protests from the knights there.

"Quiet." Again, despite there being no surge of power or difference in volume or tone, all immediately obeyed and fell silent to the King. "Should what they claim fall short of expectations, I will execute the Master as compensation. Should that suffice your concerns?"

A series of uncertain grunts of approval and bows of helmets echoed in the room.

"Guests from Chaldea, do you have second thoughts about this outburst of yours?" The Lion King turned to Shirou.

"Yes, but not out of uncertainty. The topic itself is not one I am particularly elated about." The master replied honestly.

"Not happy about?" Ritsuka frowned in confusion. "But the only things that get under your skin that badly are Apostles, the Vice-Director of the Association, more surprise threats to humanity, and-"

"I will not repeat myself. Everyone save for my other and the boy, leave." The Lion King ordered before the girl could finish speaking.

With some uncertainty and many more stares, the room slowly emptied itself until only Shirou, the King of Camelot, and the image of his Servant Saber remained.

"Well?" Her majesty did not waste any time the moment the doors closed behind them.

Shirou took a moment to look at his Servant before sighing deeply and standing up.

His clothes slowly altered as he used his thaumaturgy to adjust them, all while he reached up with his hands and pushed his hair back and took off his mystic eye killing glasses.

Within moments a near identical copy of Servant EMIYA stood in front of the King, save for the fact that Shirou's hair was pink.

"Look familiar?" He asked with a familiar dry tone and hawk-like gaze.

Once more, the Lion King's expression was virtually blank, save for the slightest glint of recognition and a blink of confusion. It was as though she was slowly dredging up memories that she had to put in an effort to recall. "Yes, I… Archer? You are the Fifth Grail War's Archer?"

"No." The King of Knights replied. "The Shirou Emiya before you has no chance of being or becoming the Counter Guardian EMIYA."

The Lion King blinked again. "Counter Guardian?"

Saber continued.

"However, from what you stated before, the same cannot be said for the Shirou Emiya that had been YOUR Master."

o. o. o.

A/N:

As always, thanks Wayfarer for betaing.

Yup. I'm going there again. Going completely off the rails for this ending and potentially coming up with more nonsense that some people might mistaken for canon when it's pure fanon because it fits and makes sense.

All I gotta do is write and finish the damn story… (insert crying and self loathing). I'm so close. I'm so damn close.

But yes. EMIYA has a legit wish and is the surprise final boss, people. And the results of this turn of events will be glorious and traumatizing. As should most real Type Moon and fan made works be. Or at least, I'll try to make it like that. I can only hope to muster the level of impact and drama that Nasu can whip out effortlessly for this.

But in all honesty, I partially planned this line of ending and the events it holds to wrap up some major in canon plot holes regarding EMIYA and events in the original Fate that most fans have had for a very long time. It certainly won't give anyone warm and fuzzy feelings, but it will make sense in context and fit the overall darker themes of the Nasuverse as a whole aside the usual "betrayal, death, insanity equals absurd powers" schtick.

That said, I have no idea if anyone has ever mentioned or spawned these ideas before, so if someone has, at least in as much depth and detail as I'm going, please let me know so I can give credit given where it's due. I mean, I still came up with it from my side when I write it down, but I won't say that I'm the first to come up with it and firmly make it a point.

In other news, I got a house. Full stop. No mortgage or HOA or crap like that. It wasn't cheap, but I had the cash saved up after working my ass off and didn't feel particularly safe living in Dearborn anymore (it has nothing to do with the demographics there. It's just that the insane drivers and teens getting into accidents and other disasters happening in town have skyrocketed in the past one to two years to the point of being a bad joke or ticktock meme).

Now if only my dryer didn't decide to stop working a week into moving in…

Uh. Let's see. What else? Touching up the house. Went to Costa Rica for vacation. Came back. Got covid that destroyed my labor day weekend. And more writing.

Oh. And I had to upgrade my computer because it couldn't run Black Myth Wukong. Great game, but certified killer of frame rates.

That's about it. Again, go to my Pa-eon account: Third Fang to get early chapters and updates and art commissions. Aaaand, that's about it off the top of my head.

SO REVIEW! WORSHIP THE LOG! NO MATTER HOW BAD EMIYA IS GONNA BE HERE HE STILL ISN'T GONNA BE AS CRINGY AS EDGYMA BECAUSE KIARA ISN'T SHOWING UP FOR THIS STORY! AND REVIEW AGAIN!