Archive of Our Own

Kiritsugu stumbled aimlessly through the fire. Large pieces of rubble had been flipped haphazardly all around him, but the only people he could find were burning corpses and empty husks that were once human.

This was what he had fought for. A bitter irony if there ever was one.

The crystallization of his path.

The few for the many.

And yet… Here he was, hoping to save even a single life.

How many people had he sacrificed to achieve his goals before? And why was he only doing this now? Maybe, even in their limited interactions, Saber had rubbed off on him a little bit.

Or maybe it was the guilt. Any scraps of hope he had left were quickly being dashed at the thought.

The eerie orange and red hues of the fire suddenly gave way to a shining gold, making his eyes open wide. A small orb of golden water hovered over him before it rippled and moved away, leaving even smaller droplets in its wake.

Kiritsugu wanted to be on his guard against whatever it was, but he couldn’t muster the energy. If he died… so be it. The only thing that was keeping him and what little hope he had left moving was the small thrum he felt from Avalon.

It took him 30 minutes of stumbling, but he eventually saw what the golden light had led him to. It was a mansion, nothing short of opulent, had it not been for the disgusting mud stains along the walls that carried echoes of that dreadful curse. The floors were spotless, except for the occasional scorch marks.

Had it not been obvious before that the house had originally belonged to a magus, the secret staircase that led down stairs that was littered with corrupted and half-working bounded fields, would have given it away rather quickly. Any of the ones on the outside of the house had been thoroughly destroyed, but the ones on the inside had seemingly held enough ground to stop the spreading fire, even if the mud stains on the walls rendered any of that useless. The scorch marks on the ground were proof enough of that.

After quickly dismantling the half-baked bounded fields, Kiritsugu battled against every instinct he had honed in his time as the magus killer and simply barged in through the heavy door into the magus workshop.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

There were burnt corpses. Some of them weren’t even burnt, just empty bodies without a soul. It was obvious that they had tried to make a final stand here, though it was rather obvious what that outcome was. The workshop itself was easily the most elaborate Kiritsugu had ever witnessed, even in its broken state. Test tubes for homunculus, runecraft, alchemy, mystic codes decorating a whole wall, and even more, he simply couldn’t comprehend.

However, none of these things held Kiritsugu Emiya’s attention for long. There was a small boy, maybe 6 or 7 years old, being held by the same golden glowing water, in the vague shape of a woman.

Despite the circumstances, and witnessing a sight that likely hadn’t happened in over a thousand years. Kiritsugu could only look into the dull, almost lifeless eyes of the boy with pale wheat blonde hair…

And cry tears of raw, unfiltered relief.

Kiritsugu had spent the days after the war going between his temporary residence, the hospital, and the magus workshop where he found the boy. He had also tried to contact the Einzbern. Every time he tried to give a report or even simply let them know what had happened, he was firmly rebuffed and turned away.

To take his mind off everything that had happened recently, Kiritsugu dove headfirst into the mysteries surrounding the boy and how he had survived being so close to the epicenter of the “Fire”.

It didn’t take long to come up with answers, no matter how unbelievable those answers were. The boy's family had many names. The more notable of these names included Ramnulfid, Poitiers, and Champagne, however even those names paled in comparison to their most notable. Aquitaine. To call that name “Notable” was the grossest understatement Kiritsugu could come up with. Even he who was definitely lacking as a magus in the area of history knows that name.

Nearly everyone who had bore the name of Aquitaine during the 12th century had left a disgustingly large mark on history. From William IX, to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and her children, Marie de Champagne, John Lackland, and finally Richard the Lionheart. The raw amount of history this family was responsible for is truly immense. The spread of the Arthurian legend can almost be single-handedly attributed to Eleanor and Marie, through the tradition started by William IX. Richard the Lionheart was thought to be the reincarnation of King Arthur when he was alive; his skill and charisma were unmatched, even if he was a fanatic for said once-and-future king. Then there was King John, whose history isn’t nearly as positive, but it was still just as impactful. He was seen as the one responsible for England’s loss of its continental empire. And these were just the ones that he could think of off the top of his head. He distinctly remembered that the family’s history dated back to the 9th century.

Kiritsugu had no doubt that most of the figures mentioned held a place on the throne of heroes. The kid’s  family alone would be considered royalty amongst royalty to the magus’ at the clocktower.

This wasn’t even mentioning “what” the kid was. After a mind-numbing day of scrounging through notes, Kiritsugu managed to find out that the kid wasn’t exactly human. At least not fully. To put it bluntly, the boy was the mimicry of the legend of Mordred, but also incredibly different.

Apparently, William IX possessed a droplet of the lady of the lake. During his travels, he came across “Vivian” and was blessed with a fragment of her, “Nimue,” in exchange for his and his descendants' fulfilling a task. To spread the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This droplet has been passed down through the generations alongside their family crest.

Even though Nimue was merely a fragment, she was still capable of limited fae magic, even in the modern era. However, as technology advanced, the modern Aquitaine grew increasingly desperate to truly delve into the lost mysteries of the fae and came up with a plan. Recreate the Fae’s magic circuits, aka fairy patterns, in a human. The family's main problems started there. Nimue, driven by the singular purpose she was given, was rather uncooperative with the experiments, though that doesn’t mean progress wasn’t made. Already high-quality magic circuits quickly became even stronger, allowing for extremely limited fae magic, but the tradeoff was a shortened lifespan.

It was 7 years ago that their goals crystallized. According to the notes, fae magic held its roots in “fairy tales”. So that is what the Aquitaine did. They enacted the story of Mordred’s conception. With a fragment of the Lady of the Lake, infused into the mother and the homunculus hybrid in her womb, engineered to get some of its nutrients from said fragment, all tied together with the fae magic, baby Shirou was born.

Honestly, Kiritsugu didn’t know whether to be in awe or disgusted. There was no doubt that a lot of human experimentation had to happen in order to achieve their goal, and he was completely disgusted by that, but he couldn’t help the small part in the back of his mind that was in complete awe of what this family had achieved.

The brat was the highest of nobility, even if he didn’t remember it.

It was a sobering thought.

Shirou de Aquitaine was the sole survivor of the area designated as the epicenter of the fire. According to the notes and a couple of pictures, the boy had red hair with blonde streaks occasionally poking through, a pair of golden brown eyes, and a face supposedly the result of the perfect ratio of his parents' genetics, using the properties of homunculus to their advantage.

The boy who stared back at him in the hospital room, however… Was different. ‘Altered’ was likely the better term in this case. The boy had come into direct contact with the mud of the holy grail, and it had burnt away at his very being. The only reason the kid was able to survive is likely because of Nimue’s protection… Either that or maybe it was a combination of Nimue’s protection and an abnormally strong will. Forcefully burning away parts of himself to keep on living.

His hair and eyes seemed to be the only physical changes. Pale, wheat-blond hair with an occasional red streak, and shining golden-yellow eyes made for a unique appearance even amongst the Western world, much less in Japan. It had the unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it) side effect of making the boy the object of significant doting by the nurses and doctors who checked on him.

His mental state, however, was the object of concern. While Kiritsugu had dug through the notes about Shirou, he was only able to pick out small things about his personality. It was simultaneously frustrating and relieving. Shirou was the magnum opus of what the Aquitaine family had been trying to achieve for decades now, and while the family had done a fair bit of physical experimentation to ensure the body’s growth and implant the family crest, they didn’t keep psychological notes to ensure his mental state was proper. Either the parents truly felt that they were doing a proper job of raising their child and didn’t need to keep track of it, or he hadn’t actually found the notes on his mental state yet.

His memories of before the fire had been wiped clean, and he only remembered bits and pieces of the fire itself, but after his quick recovery with the help of Avalon, Shirou was moving around and helping anyone he could with menial tasks. The therapist had called it survivor's guilt, likely because the boy himself couldn’t actually help anyone from the fire, but Kiritsugu didn’t know how much of that to believe.

If the dreams were anything to go by, Kiritsugu hedged his bets that his magical crest was likely the only thing giving him purpose and driving him forward. He himself felt the urge every now and then to advance his understanding of his family’s magecraft and continue their work, and his family had only existed for 4 generations before him. The urges were bound to be stronger in a magic crest as old and storied as the Aquitaine.

The dull, almost lifeless look in the boy’s eyes when he was forced to stay in bed for long periods of time was the only proof anyone had that he had been affected by the fire in the first place.

Honestly, Kiritsugu didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned by that… No, not just that… all of it.

4 years. It had been 4 years since the now-named Fuyuki fire. Kiritsugu had adopted Shirou and promised the boy he would try to find any family he had left, but quickly ran into dead ends, and any distant relatives he found weren’t magi. While Kiritsugu would normally consider that a blessing, it was rather obvious that life as a normal person would not tolerate Shirou de Aquitaine, or rather, Emiya Shirou now. The boy was a prodigy at literally anything he tried: music, sports, academics, and after the incident where Kiritsugu had set the kitchen on fire, Shirou learned to cook, too. Don't even get him started on magecraft…

Kiritsugu had felt an obligation to at least teach the boy the basics of magecraft, and the results were utterly terrifying. To say that he took to magic like a fish to water would be yet another understatement. His circuits or patterns were vastly superior and worked a bit differently, but they still did the job and could perform modern magecraft. It was honestly the first time he had ever seen Shirou struggle with anything, but once he managed to figure it out, everything that came after was smooth sailing.

A basic test revealed that Shirou had a dual affinity. He possessed the Water element, and the sword element… To say that Kiritsugu felt out of his depth was yet another understatement. The water magic Shirou could use was purely instinctive; the luminous golden water was likely the only magic the boy would ever need. He had seen the notes on how the Aquitaine had used it before, and to put it bluntly… it was without a doubt the most versatile ability he had ever witnessed.

Sword, on the other hand, left him completely stumped. He had managed to move anything useful from the old Aquitaine workshop to a makeshift workshop he had set up under the storage shed in his backyard, including the mystic codes, but the only difference he could notice when Shirou held a blade was that it felt sharper somehow.

The boy knew basic magics like the back of his hand: Reinforcement, structural analysis, projection, alteration, bounded fields, basic runecraft, and basic alchemy. That look of pure want in the boy’s eyes could only be interpreted as greed when you take into account that he could punch through a concrete wall… At 11 years old… There was also the fact that his projection magic was much sturdier than regular projections. Oh, and the fact that after learning about bounded fields, Shirou completely overhauled the Emiya estate with them…

It was quickly becoming obvious that Kiritsugu wouldn’t have anything left to teach him pretty soon, and he would have to let the boy know of his “inheritance” so he could continue his studies. It left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth, but he couldn’t place the feeling to any true reason. Maybe it was because he had rejected that way of life for so long, but the bitter taste associated with raising someone bound to be a magus left him feeling guilty over the boy all over again.

That was why Kiritsugu was about to do something a bit reckless. It was very unlike him, but he knew that Shirou would end up in the world of magi whether he liked it or not, and Kiritsugu would rather have a well-prepared son than an underprepared one.

Dressed in his trademark trench coat, with a suitcase trailing behind him, Kiritsugu turned to look at the girl whom he had asked to babysit Shirou while he was gone. “Well then, I’ll be off. Please take care of Shirou while I’m gone, and make sure he doesn’t get in too much trouble.” A slight twitch of his eyebrow at the last part of his sentence was the only thing other than exhaustion that showed on his face.

Fujimura Taiga, a high school 3rd year and next-door neighbor, gave an energetic salute, a rather sharp contrast. “Sure thing, Kiritsugu-san, if Shirou-kun gets into trouble, I’ll make sure to whip him into shape.”

A tired sigh came from around the corner, and the blonde-haired boy appeared, wiping the sleep from his eyes and managing to give Taiga a dry look at the same time. “Don’t worry, Jii-san, I’ll make sure Fuji-nee is well fed and gets plenty of exercise. She might get restless if she-”

*Smack

“Oi oi oi, you shouldn’t hit children, you know! It’s child abuse!”

“Gah! I’m not a dog! And there’s no way I’m going to take something like that lying down!”

Kiritsugu looked on at the scene with a small smile, “Behave, you two. I’ll be gone a bit longer than usual this time, but I still expect the house to be in one piece when I get back.”

Taiga looked away with a pout and a small blush on her cheeks while Shirou snickered and gave his adoptive father a nod of agreement. “See you later, Jii-san.”

Kiritsugu really hoped so. Threatening a lord of the clocktower didn’t normally end well for anyone, no matter how new to the position they were.

Waver Velvet, now known as Lord El-Melloi II, stared blankly at the 9-year-old girl swinging her legs happily as he suffered. He had figured out rather quickly that the primary school student in front of him was a sadist. And what a weird statement that was. Despite being so young, the girl, with her disposition, or maybe because of it, held the reins of her family tightly, even if the other members didn’t truly understand just how tight that hold was.

“Dear brother, if you look at me like that, I might get the wrong idea.”

Waver coughed violently. “W-what?!” As soon as he caught himself, his expression turned into one of disgust. “Where do you even learn these things?”

Reaching into his desk, he pulled out his cigar case and quickly lit it with a match. The mystic code calmed his frayed nerves. The past year was nothing short of mind-numbingly hectic. From taking out a loan to buy the old El-Melloi classroom and slowly building up a reputation, to suddenly being entrusted with the role of lord as a placeholder for the sadist primary schooler…

Truthfully, he still didn’t actually know how to react, and it made his weak stomach churn just thinking about it.

“I learned it from some of those detective novels you like to read, of course.” Reines El-Melloi Archisorte blinked, the picture of innocence.

The devil. That's the only thing this little girl could possibly be. The bane of his existence. Suddenly, he felt that his most prized mystic code wasn’t doing its job properly, and set it in the ashtray while laying his chin on his desk.

What would Rider say if he saw him now? Completely and utterly defeated by a primary school girl. This seemed to be his fate.

A knock on his door knocked him out of his musings and made him straighten his posture in the blink of an eye.

Grabbing his cigar out of habit now, and taking a quick pull, he spoke simply. “Come in.”

It was a maid. A faint flicker of hope started to burn deep in his soul. Maybe this time-

“Lady Reines, I brought the tea you requested.”

The fire of hope turned into a cold block of despair, and the faint giggling he heard in the background was a snowstorm keeping that block from melting.

Arriving back at his messy apartment was like a breath of fresh air. He enjoyed working on his predecessor’s prized mystic code, and he was positively brimming with ideas for it, but being around that devil child for that long frayed his nerves and gave the little devil exactly what she wanted.

Taking off his coat and setting it on the rack next to his door, Waver felt his blood run cold for an entirely different reason. A long, cold barrel against the back of his head.

“Sorry, kid, but this was the only way I could think of so that we could have a civil conversation. I have no doubt that someone as intelligent as you would have managed to call for help by now if I didn’t have a gun to your head.”

Waver could feel his legs shaking a bit, but he hoped his voice wasn’t as shaky as he felt. “Ah… Do I know you? For some reason, you sound familiar.”

The voice behind him gave a bone-deep sigh. Whether it was relief or exhaustion, or a mix of the 2 Waver couldn’t tell. “We talked on the phone once.”

… Waver was running out of metaphors to describe how scared he was at this point. He was certain that his shaky legs were visible now.

Another sigh resounded through the room, and Waver felt the barrel drop from his head. “Let's sit down, kid. As I said earlier, I wanted a civilized conversation without guests. I’m not exactly well-liked around here, and if you saw me before I was able to drive that point home, things could have gotten out of hand rather quickly.”

Waver nodded hesitantly. The man’s honesty had put him slightly on the back foot, so it took him a second longer to find his footing. “What exactly do you want from me, Magus Killer?”

A raspy chuckle escaped the man's lips. “To the point; to explain what happened at the end of the war to someone in the higher-ups at the association, to make a deal, and if you disagree with said deal, to make subtle threats about destroying the El-Melloi family even more than I already have if my continued existence is revealed.”

A flash of anger washed over Waver as he heard that last part, but he held it back, and walked over to his couch and sat down, not looking back at the man who took up leaning against his door. “Does this have anything to do with that cursed fire? I never really believed the official reports that came out about it, but I was already gone when it happened, so I refrained from giving my input.”

A third bone-deep sigh escaped. “To put it bluntly… The grail has been corrupted by an evil deity. ‘The source of all evil in the world,’ it decided that any wish made upon the grail would end up causing as much suffering as possible, along with the wish. A monkey’s paw, if you will. So I ordered Saber to destroy the grail with my remaining command spells.”

“… What?”

Waver took a drag of his cigar with one hand while rubbing his temple red with the other. “Do you really expect me to believe all of this? One of these things happening is already almost unthinkable, but both? That’s not even mentioning that you adopting a kid goes against everything I know about you.”

Kiritsugu, for his part, looked just as exhausted. “Look… Do whatever you want with the information about the grail. It will certainly piss off the Einzbern, but I have been trying to warn them about it since the end of the war, and I can’t even get in contact with them. My son, on the other hand, deserves a proper teacher… I get it if you don’t want to take him yourself, but I ask that you at least consider it. At the very least, come and meet the kid. It will also give you a chance to discern whether I was lying to you about Angra Mainyu.

The small bit of desperation that leaked into Kiritsugu Emiya’s voice caught Waver off guard, but he managed not to show any physical reaction. It was seriously disconcerting to hear desperation in this man’s voice. Someone who had fought as hard and ruthlessly as the magus killer did during the fourth war shouldn’t be heard like this. Waver had to fight down the petty and immature impulse to refuse his request out of sheer spite.

Kiritsugu made a motion and pulled a sealed envelope out of his trench coat, moving for the first time since he had leaned against the door, and set it down on the coffee table in front of Waver. “I’ll give you some time to think. The letter has an address. I have a flight tomorrow morning, and a… stop to make before I get back home. I’ll be there at the end of this week at the latest.” The man turned and walked back to the door. “I don’t have to explain what would happen if word of this gets out, right?”

Waver twitched, but nodded, even if the man couldn’t see the gesture. “Yeah… I got it.”

Shirou d'Aquitaine… His true name. Honestly, he didn’t know what to feel when he read the book underneath the storehouse. It all sounded too unrealistic, even though he was technically the proof. Shirou made sure to learn as much as possible about homunculi from Kiritsugu, because he said the Einzbern were extremely gifted at creating them, but realizing he was technically one himself made his head throb.

He was really starting to understand why Kiritsugu was so hesitant to teach him magecraft. The notes on him were incredibly detailed: trying to counteract certain fae attributes from manifesting; the continuation of the family crest, partially implanted as a fetus to ensure compatibility; and a strict, magically enhanced diet to ensure an enhanced body… Shirou tried to remember anything, he really did, but even with all of the details he learned, he was still drawing a blank.

He didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that.

Shirou had heard that most amnesia patients subconsciously reacted to things associated with the memories they had forgotten, but Shirou was drawing a blank at every turn.

The part about red hair and brownish gold eyes actually managed to catch him off guard, and for a moment, he considered that he wasn’t actually the Shirou the notes mentioned, but as soon as he felt his ‘magic circuits’ again, he banished the thought.

On the bright side, at least he now knew that you could magically enhance your diet. Maybe he should get into botany and dive a bit deeper into alchemy. Homunculi were extremely advanced forms of alchemy; after all, it would kill two birds with one stone.

Shaking his head, Shirou waved his hand, making several golden droplets of water appear and dart out of the workshop, concealing themselves rather easily. Since they were ‘part of him,’ he could perceive the world through them in a limited capacity and scout out the area to make sure that Fuji-nee wasn’t around. He had probably been down here a bit longer than he should have been.

Making sure to send a couple of droplets to the nearby Fujimura compound to make doubly sure that he knew what his older sister figure was up to, so he wasn’t caught off guard when she inevitably came over for dinner.

He was shocked when those few drops zeroed in on her presence and coalesced into an eye to find her actually doing her summer homework like a dutiful student. In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t be so surprised. She had said that she wanted to be a teacher rather recently, and she had a scholarship to the local university. Maybe it was the serious face she had that gave him that reaction.

Shirou blinked as he watched her flip the small desk she had over, almost tripping as he made his way back to the secret entrance of the workshop. “Gah! Why is there so much of this?!”

… He guessed it was rather convenient timing that he sent the droplets out when he did. He had been coming down to the workshop for the better part of the 2 weeks that Kiritsugu had been gone, wasting away his precious summer break reading about himself and his family. He had found out about it when he was fiddling with the bounded fields around the property, and he suspected that Kiritsugu knew that he knew, but he was just too curious to sit back and wait for him to explain things before digging around.

After re-sealing the entrance and placing a small moving blanket over the latch in the floor, Shirou moved inside and started preparing dinner. It wasn’t long before he felt a presence appear through the bounded fields and heard the sliding door open. “Shirou, your super awesome and amazing big sister is here!”

He felt his lips twitch upwards slightly. “Fuji-nee, how was your day?”

A loud groan sounded from around the corner, and Shirou turned around from the pan to take a look at his guest. “It was soooo boring. I’ve been doing homework most of the day.”

Shirou snickered and turned back to the pan. “We are only 2 weeks into summer break. I’m surprised you're taking the homework so seriously already.”

Taiga collapsed on one of the cushions surrounding the table in the center of the room and flipped on the TV to a live kendo match. “And how far along are you, mister?”

Shirou sighed. “About halfway, I did a lot of it in class while the teachers weren’t looking, and I’ve been procrastinating ever since.”

Taiga looked away from the screen and shot Shirou a bland look before switching topics. “Kiritsugu called this morning to tell us that he landed in Germany. He said he’d be another week at most.”

Shirou twitched at the revelation, but carried on regardless. “I wish he’d be a bit more specific. Did he give you a regular time frame?”

It was Taiga’s turn to snicker. “Nope. Just that.”

Shirou sighed again, flicking off the stove, and dipping the servings up into bowls before placing them on a tray, and taking the tray with him to the table. “Well, at least we got that much.”

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair. Taiga had her attention on the kendo match, and Shirou was wrapped up in his own thoughts. It was only when he tried to get another forkful of rice, even though he had already finished it, that Taiga gave him a funny look. “Did something happen between you and Kiritsugu?”

Shirou gave her a funny look back. “Why are you asking?”

It was Taiga’s turn to sigh. “You’ve been pretty quiet these past few weeks, always wrapped up in your own thoughts or reading a book.”

Shirou frowned. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Kiritsugu… It’s… It’s not something I want to talk about, not right now at least.”

Taiga gave Shirou a long look before turning back to the TV. “Alright. Don’t forget that you can talk to me if you need to.”

Shirou smiled softly. “Thanks, Fuji-nee.”

As Shirou lay in bed that night, the weight of all he had learned pressed heavily on his mind. Thoughts faded as exhaustion finally claimed him, and he slipped beneath the surface of sleep. Almost instantly, he found himself plunged into a vivid world that felt both foreign and strangely familiar, as if some ancient door within him had quietly swung open.

It was a scene he immediately recognized as something that had happened long ago, and if the slight twinge on his chest was anything to go by, it was likely a memory of his ancestors.

The room was very well decorated, and every piece of furniture was obviously very expensive, but Shirou couldn’t take his eyes off the 3 people that stood before him. They all had a presence to them that couldn’t be ignored, even the boy around his own age, practically glowing with childlike excitement.

There was a slight tension between the 2 women in the room, but they both seemed to hold at least a mutual respect and love for each other, and didn’t let it bother them. If their looks were anything to go by, they were definitely mother and daughter. The older of the 2 had fiery red hair, sharp red eyes, and a regal bearing. There were signs that she was older than she looked, but her beauty was likely unmatched by anyone but her daughter in that time period. The daughter had dark black hair, but there was an undeniable shade of red in it as well. She looked to be only a couple of years older than Fuji-nee, likely her early 20s, but Shirou was having a hard time looking past their beauty.

The boy was the first to break the silence. “Mother, what did you need? Elder sister was about to tell me about her work with Sir Troyes.”

The mother gave her son a scolding look, but her daughter's soft laughter stayed her tongue.

“Richard, Chretien de Troyes is not a knight. There is no reason to call him Sir Troyes.” Shirou was taken aback by how even the sister’s laughter sounded so regal

The boy, Richard, looked at his sister with an aghast expression. “But if elder sister respects him so much, he should be worthy of such a title, should he not?” Another soft round of laughter, and Richard’s sister reached out and patted his head.

Even the mother’s stern expression softened as she looked at the scene. “You shouldn’t dote on your brother so much, Marie.” The reprimand was half-hearted at best, and everyone knew it, judging by the looks and smiles the siblings gave each other.

“It’s alright, mother, from what I heard, Richard here is already starting to beat the knights around here in spars, consider it a reward from his favorite sister.”

The mother’s eyes sharpened a bit, and a playful smile pulled at her lips. “If Joan were to hear that her dear older brother's favorite sister wasn’t her, she would be completely heartbroken.”

Richard started floundering, waving his hands in front of his face, as the 2 women ganged up on him out of the blue. “Wha- wait a minute! I can’t have a favorite sister! That would mean I loved one of them more than another!” The boy shivered. “And Matilda would find a way to beat me up if that were the case!”

The two women giggled together and gave Richard affectionate looks. Whatever tension was between the 2 of them had disappeared completely.

Shirou couldn’t help the small twinge of envy as he looked at the scene, but it was quickly suppressed as he watched the mother’s expression slowly return to normal. “Richard, Marie. I, Eleanor d'Aquitaine, have called both of you here today to pass on to you the legacy of our family.” There was a gravity to her words that made his heart tremble.

Richard looked at his mother with wide eyes, obviously not fully understanding the implications of his mother's words, but Marie gave her mother a look that truly expressed her bewilderment.

“I know that you two are probably surprised by this, but I have chosen you with good reason.”

“Mother, do you-” Marie tried to interject, but was shot down quickly.

“I know what I am doing, Marie. I have made my decision. Richard will inherit my family’s crest, while you, my daughter, will be given the droplet of the lady of the lake, Nimue.”

Marie’s expression was unreadable. “I understand that Henry already has his father’s crest, but what of Geoffrey and Matilda? This will only cause problems for Richard. Not to mention-”

Eleanor interrupted her daughter once again, with a hardened expression. “I have made my decision, Marie. If our situation were normal, you would have been the one to inherit both the crest and Lady Nimue; however, it is not. I decided Richard would inherit the crest because he is truly the best fit for it. Even now, I can feel the crest aching for adventure, as our founder had originally intended, and it is slowly rejecting me. Neither Geoffrey nor Matilda has the qualities that the crest needs to accept someone as thoroughly as it would with Richard.”

That gave both of the siblings pause. And they looked at their mother with the same hardened expression.

“Marie, your talent in my grandfather's art is unsurpassed, and your recent work with Chretien de Troyes is proof enough of this. I have no doubt that the task Lady Vivian gave us will be fulfilled with your help. Richard, you are a free spirit and have incredible willpower. I have little doubt that you will be a great knight one day, and an even better leader. You have a talent for anything you lay your hands on, and the attitude to get things accomplished. The Aquitaine family crest couldn’t have found a better inheritor.”

The dream shifted, and he was now standing in a tent, surrounded by a strange scene. There was a man on a makeshift bed, sitting up with a strong posture, but it was clear that he was not in good shape. It took Shirou a second to realize that it was Richard. It was clear that he had the same timeless beauty as his mother, and he guessed that their ages in the 2 memories would likely be about the same.

There were 4 other men in the tent as well. Someone standing by Richard's side, dutiful but with a slight slouch that belied his sadness; another was obviously a knight of sorts, and seemingly held a high position if casual anger at the situation was anything to go by. He was standing over another figure that was tied up, and beaten black and blue. There was also a doctor tending to Richard’s injuries, but his presence was ignored by all in the room.

It was only after Shirou took in the room that the tent flap opened, and an older version of Eleanor de Aquitaine walked inside, her bright red eyes sharp but mournful. She brought with her a small harp. “Richard…”

The man smiled bitterly and gestured for her to come and sit by his side, while also telling the doctor to leave. “Mother, I’m afraid this is it for me. I have already given my will.”

The woman sat by his side slowly and pulled him into an embrace. She sighed, and Shirou watched as that same strong woman he saw earlier barely held herself together. “What am I to do with you?”

Richard laughed, slightly protesting his mother's embrace, but soon gave up. He was quiet for a moment before he reached for the harp sitting to his mother's side. “William de Longchamp, Mercadier, Eleanor de Aquitaine, and finally Pierre Basile, I ask you to witness my final moments, not as King, but as simply Richard, a man who enjoys music and adventure. I ask you to witness my final song.

Shirou couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding on the situation, but he also couldn’t look away from the scene in front of him. Pierre Basile was the man who put Richard in this situation. Shirou knew from his research on Richard that he had forgiven his killer, and even rewarded him, but letting the man witness this scene truly put into context the kind of man Richard the Lionheart was.

The moment Richard struck the harp, nearly all thoughts left his mind. There were no words; the once mighty king was too weak for that, but he still managed to hum. The song was bright at times, but ultimately melancholic; it spoke of his life in a way that no words could truly express. His joys and sorrows, his triumph and defeat.

It wasn’t until a wet chuckle escaped Eleanor de Aquitaine’s lips that he realized Richard was already dead. A soft, melancholic smile on his face as he was held in his mother's embrace for the last time. “You were always too talented for your own good.”

Everyone in the room had tears streaming down their faces, including Shirou.

Shirou stared blankly at the ceiling, his tears already dried. He had been awake for the past hour now, but he still hadn’t moved from his bed. His mind was still a mess, from all of the new information and impressions his family crest had given him.

It took him a while, but he finally understood what was happening. To put it simply, a magic crest is like a foreign organ implanted into the body. It won’t be compatible with just anyone. Even with someone in the direct lineage of a mage family. The older a crest gets, the more it accumulates knowledge, and that knowledge can influence a user of said crest. It is nothing too extreme; it is something like how some people who get an organ transplant can speak an entirely new language despite not having learned it, or gain an unconscious tic after the transplant that they had never had before.

The process was more obvious in the older magic crests. According to the book Shirou had found in the workshop, after the crest accumulates a certain amount of experience and has passed through enough hands, you can dream of its past. The crest has its own version of muscle memory, and with a crest that delves into the kind of magic that the Aquitaines did… There was no doubt that the effects would be prominent.

Shirou sighed and looked down at his chest, channeling a small amount of mana through the magic crest resting on top of his heart. A roaring lion’s head, on top of a large harp. The damn thing was telling him what it wanted in its own roundabout way.

How polite.

Enough to bring a man to tears, really.

Shirou's expression soured slightly before finally getting out of bed and heading to the washroom.

The next few days were filled with all sorts of activities to distract him. Sparring with Taiga for an hour or 2 every day, the basics of Botany, and the alchemy needed to infuse plants with magical properties, learning how to use reinforcement on foods, and its effects on said food, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the dream.

Richard the Lionheart. Even a great man like him died with… Regrets wasn't the right word, but the one who played that melancholic song didn’t fully agree with all the decisions he'd made in the past, even if he wouldn't change them.

Honestly, just thinking about the man who lay in his mother's embrace playing that somber song, dredged up emotions he couldn’t comprehend. There was a touch of envy, without a doubt, and sadness, too, as he watched his ancestor pass, but something was missing; he just couldn't understand. It made Shirou want to throw the breakfast table across the room every time he thought of it.

He didn’t know why his reaction was so visceral, either.

Sighing to himself, Shirou closed the sliding door to his house and waved his hand, making a couple of golden droplets appear above his palm. “Keep watch for me, alright?” Watching as the droplets rippled and spread out along the outskirts of the property, Shirou walked out of the bounded fields and started wandering aimlessly.

Letting his mind and body wander aimlessly, Shirou carried on for a couple of hours before ending up at the city’s docks. These specific docks had been mostly abandoned, marked for demolition, and later reconstruction, but the city seemed to have forgotten about them, and its residents now use them for fishing and hosting events.

Luckily, as Shirou looked around, he couldn’t find anyone, and he sat down and simply enjoyed the view over the ocean. It might have been a result of his nature, but simply being in the presence of a large body of water eased his mind.

As he sat and watched the boats and large ships pass by and disappear into the horizon, he felt a small ripple in the water around him. It was only then that he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

Turning his head, Shirou locked eyes with what appeared to be a young boy. He had white hair and strange eyes that were a bit too wide for Shirou's comfort. His clothes were also strange; they were fancy, but didn’t fit modern trends in the slightest. All in all, the boy, or whatever it was, standing in front of him gave Shirou a bad feeling.

Upon locking eyes with him, however, the boy seemed to freeze in place slightly before relaxing about 3 meters away from him. Not close enough to be seen as a threat, but close enough to have a conversation without being rude.

“Aha, I’ve been caught.” It was casual, and the boy looked like someone who had gotten caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar, but something about it felt wrong. “… My apologies, I just got so excited to meet someone who felt so familiar that I forgot my manners. My name is Fancois Prelati. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Francois gave an over-the-top bow, locked eyes with Shirou, and smiled.

Shirou stood up properly and faced the boy, and gave a somewhat shallow bow back. “My name is Shirou… My family name is a bit complicated, especially since I'm adopted.”

He watched as a flash of curiosity flashed on the boy’s face, before being concealed masterfully as surprised amusement. “Well then, Shirou, I won’t pry too much, but I simply have to ask, you see… What exactly are you?”

Shirou tensed up at the question before forcibly relaxing himself, and sighing in exasperation. “That’s the question, isn’t it? I’ve been going over everything I know myself, even the notes my family had gathered, but if I’m being completely honest, I have no clue.” Shirou’s guard was raised to its maximum, and there were a few of his droplets concealed in the air around him by refracting the light, but the boy in front of him gave him a truly ominous feeling.

His response didn’t seem to deter Francois, though. “I see, I see, you don’t seem to be a true fairy, nor do you seem to be fully human either… It’s truly fascinating. Though admittedly, you do seem to be lacking something.” The boy’s head tilted to the side. “How strange.”

Shirou froze. Had he really been so transparent? He had come across a couple of magi by accident once, and he had managed to conceal himself without being noticed; not a single trace of mana was revealed, and he had walked away. But Fancois? This creature was without a doubt something well beyond a mere magus.

Shirou’s right foot slid back slightly, a half-baked defensive stance. He could feel the same childish anger from earlier at the boy's last statement that he lacked something, but his instincts were overpowering it for now. “W-was I really so obvious?”

Francois chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, his head still tilted to the side. “Sorry, sorry, I got a bit ahead of myself. You see, I happened to be taught a bit of magecraft by a couple of lake spirits, and I happened to feel something familiar in the air.” The boy gestured at a couple of the supposedly concealed water droplets. “That’s why I was able to recognize your nature so quickly.”

Ah… This wasn’t good. Shirou could feel his instincts start to contradict each other, telling him to run away and to destroy this thing in front of him at the same time. “What exactly do you want from me?”

Francois’ posture straightened, and he looked at Shirou with wide eyes and a large smile. “You and I are a lot alike, you know? I’d like for you to join me in my mission to cause chaos and have so much fun all over the world!”

Shirou stared at the boy in front of him with wide eyes. It was insanity. He felt a shiver go down his spine at the thought… maybe a bit too close to the truth. “I… think I’ll have to pass on that one… Thanks though?”

Shirou felt something shift, though he didn’t know what.

Francois frowned and sighed sadly. “I guess I came off a bit too strong there. Do keep my offer in mind! I have no doubt we will be meeting again in the future, so I look forward to meeting you again, Shirou!”

Francois had turned around and started walking away, startling Shirou a bit, but he kept his guard up. After a second, Shirou blinked, and all of a sudden, Fancois Prelati had disappeared without a trace. He sat frozen in that same half-baked defensive stance for several minutes after that, not budging until his mind finally caught up with him and he practically collapsed back to the ground.

Thinking back to the conversation, Shirou frowned… There was something about it that the being known as Shirou feel off. For a minute, Shirou thought it was what Francois had said about being similar, but he tossed that aside when it didn’t dredge anything up. Next was the fact that the boy had seemingly been taught by lake spirits, and while that felt a bit odd, it didn’t dredge up that feeling he got.

Finally, the offer… Shirou felt a small twinge and followed it. The offer was to join Francois, cause chaos, and have fun, another twinge. Chaos wasn’t so bad every now and then. Shirou wouldn’t lie to himself and say that it wasn’t fun to get under Fuji-nee’s skin and tease her.

Shirou felt his heart speed up.

Fun was fundamentally a good thing, wasn’t it, so why did he turn down the offer?

Shirou’s heart was practically racing at this point. It took him a moment to piece his thoughts together.

It was because Shirou didn't think his and Francois Prelati’s definitions of chaos and fun didn’t line up. No, not quite. They were fundamentally different. To the point that Shirou felt like Francois Prelati was someone whom the being known as Shirou should oppose on principle.

Shirou felt a ripple around him. His droplets shivered and became partially visible for a split second before refracting the light around them once again. His heart was calm once again, and he took a deep, steadying breath. He had forgotten to breathe.

He had found what he was missing… The thing that had frustrated him so much these past few days. He could finally place the emotions he had felt when he saw Richard’s final moments. There was envy that Richard had people and family who cared so much about him, and he felt sorrowful over his ancestors' passing. The last was the one he had trouble placing. It was envy again, but a disgusting kind that made him refuse to acknowledge it.

Shirou looked out at the sea and sat back down with his feet dangling over the edge of the docks. He was envious because Richard had a purpose. Even as Richard hummed his final song, a weak and dying man expressing his deepest emotions, it had a purpose that froze everything and everyone in the room around him.

He guessed that his meeting with the strange boy or creature known as Francois Prelati had led him to figure out his own purpose. Shirou thought about it for a minute before shaking his head. Sighing, Shirou stood up and looked back over at the sea longingly before looking up at the sun’s position in the sky. It was already afternoon. In the summer, the sun was out longer, so it was likely that it was even later than Shirou thought it was.

On his way back, Shirou felt the droplets he had left back at the house register a new presence. It seemed his father was back. Shirou directed a bit more thought into the droplets and felt them rush through the grounds and gather around Kiritsugu. He didn’t truly push his consciousness through to them, but they still perceived enough on their own that it wasn’t necessary.

It took him a couple of minutes to get back to the house, but when he did, he felt his shoulder relax slightly from the familiar feeling of the bounded field. Even though the only thing of note that took place today was the conversation he had with Fracois, he felt drained of energy. All of the revelations over the past 2 weeks had seemingly taken more out of him than he cared to admit.

Opening the sliding door and taking off his shoes, Shirou walked into the dining room and was greeted by the sight of his adoptive father eating a couple of snacks that Shirou had left in the fridge. “Welcome back, Jii-san.”

Kiritsugu paused and looked up at Shirou. “I should be saying the same.” Kiritsugu resumed eating. “Where did you go?”

Shirou’s expression soured a bit as he sat down across from his father. “I took a walk to clear my head. I… got a bit impatient.”

The admission seemed to catch Kiritsugu off guard, and he raised an eyebrow. “Impatient?”

Shirou looked at Kiritsugu with a deadpan expression and decided to come clean. “I found the workshop beneath the shed when I was working on the bounded fields… I was planning on waiting until you decided to explain it, but I got too curious and decided to go down there myself.”

Kiritsugu looked down at the chip in his hand and slowly put it back into the bag. “I see… Truth be told, the only reason I didn’t tell you about it was that I didn't know how to tell you, so I guess this saves me the trouble. But I should also scold you for getting so curious that you decided to enter a magus workshop that isn’t your own.”

Shirou twitched. He hadn’t thought of that last part, since this was Kiritsugu’s property. Any workshop that wasn’t his on this property had to be Kiritsugu’s, right? It was a bad thought process. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Kiritsugu frowned. “Don’t apologize. If anything, I should be the one to do that. I'm not a proper magus, so I'm not very good at teaching these things, and I should also apologize for keeping the knowledge of your family, and… Body(?) from you.”

Shirou looked awkwardly around the room at the confession, but couldn’t find a way to refute any of it, so he just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. “There was a strange magus who followed me and decided to talk to me while I was on my walk.”

Kiritsugu sighed as he looked down at the table. Francois Prelati. He had heard the name a couple of times, but he had never dug into it. He had remembered hearing the name associated with a couple of American organizations, but there was nothing concrete on it.

It made him all the more nervous. “… Please stay away from troublesome people in the future.” It was an earnest plea, but he knew that it was also a pointless one… Not because Shirou would ignore it (hopefully), but because if his guess was right, trouble would end up finding him regardless.

Shirou gave Kiritsugu the blandest look the poor boy could muster. “… You are acting like I went looking for the wierdo.”

“I felt that it was something I needed to say.” Kiritsgu looked back down at his chips. “Shirou… I have contacted the magus I mentioned at the clock tower, and he should be here soon.”

Shirou looked at him with an incredulous expression. “… Are you serious? And what does this have to do with anything?”

Kiritsugu sighed again, looked at the chips longingly, then picked his head back up and completely ignoring his adoptive son's question. “This man is a rather strange magus. He has little talent for magecraft, and yet his knowledge of it is well known even in the clocktower.”

Shirou raised an eyebrow. “How is that weird?”

Kiritsugu looked at Shirou with a strange expression. “Because, despite not being good at magecraft, he has achieved the position of lord.”

Shirou’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. “Isn’t lord supposed to be a title that belongs to some of the most accomplished mages?”

Kiritsugu nodded. “Something like that. There is a lot of politics involved with the position of lord that I won't even bother trying to explain.” He shook his head. “The poor kid is the definition of failing upwards. I don't really understand it myself, but he seems to have both good and bad luck to an extreme degree.”

Shirou shook his head. “I… See?”

Kiritsugu’s expression hardened. “If he decides to take you as an apprentice, you will be spending quite a bit of time in the clock tower. You can't trust anyone there. To put it bluntly, most true magi are terrible people, with little regard for human life. Not only that, but you will have to conceal your Identity, both as my adoptive son and as an Aquitaine. It will be an extremely dangerous environment, but it should also be to your benefit. It will allow you to make connections with other magi and allow you to learn what I cannot teach you.”

Shirou’s expression was unreadable, but Kiritsugu was able to see the comprehension on the boy’s face.

His expression softened at the slight bitterness he saw. “I don’t have much longer to live, Shirou… I want to make sure you are as prepared as you can be for when I’m no longer around.”

Shirou’s expression crumbled even further, allowing the bitterness to be the prominent emotion. It took him a minute to compose himself, but he did, and he stood up. “I'm going to go to bed early tonight. I need to finish reading all of the notes my family left on me…”

Kiritsugu looked at Shirou with a sad smile. “Rest well. If you want to talk about it, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Shirou didn’t turn around, but he did nod. Kiritsugu guessed that would be the best he would be getting. With a tired sigh, he looked back down at his chips, and his lips turned downward. “I don’t even want these anymore..”

Regardless of Shirou’s own feelings on the matter, Francois was asking the right question. What is Shirou? Honestly, even the notes weren’t completely sure either. Human, Homunculus, and Fairy. The enactment of a fairy tale.

According to the notes, the modern Aquitaine’s ultimate goal was to recreate Divine Patterns, the magical circuits of the Fae, in a human body. However, Pattern was a truly fitting word for the Fae’s circuits. Much like the Fae themselves, Divine patterns are predisposed for a certain kind of mystery. While they are able to perform mage craft, it is simply easier and much, much quicker to perform within their patterns. So, while likely not impossible, it is extremely unlikely for divine patterns to be manifested in a human who doesn’t have that natural predisposition.

So, how was Shirou able to perform the same Fae magic as the lady of the lake?

It was relatively simple, but also extremely complex. The Aquitaine managed to create something akin to a Theomaturgical attribute. A mutation of the human circuits and divine patterns of the Fae. Their quality and quantity are on a level that was unheard of in the modern era. The Aquitaine had strong and adaptable bodies, with powerful magic circuits that reflected their family’s storied history. That, combined with the lady of the lake’s own mystery? The lady of the lake was a Great Mother, a transcendental existence, on par with True Ancestors and Elementals.

It was no exaggeration to say that the circuits Shirou possessed were the sum of its parts. They had decided to simply call them patterns. His patterns were capable of magecraft with theomaturgical foundations on a level surpassing that of any fae by leaps and bounds, and also capable of the mysteries the fae used that modern magecraft simply couldn’t hope to replicate, along with enough raw output to put even a capable magus of the age of gods to shame.

… Enough that he could fly or simply float, and it would not strain him, unless he truly went overboard.

Unfortunately, it seemed like most of the cool things he could do would have to be kept a secret if he went to the clock tower.

Just his luck… After finally getting a true idea of what he was, he was forced to hide it. He was starting to understand why his former family was so adamant about not joining the clock tower. It seemed troublesome, and he hadn’t even been accepted.

Staring at the notes some more, Shirou took a deep breath and rubbed at his temples. If he was being honest, the more he thought about his supposed species, the more outlandish his ideas became. Fairy apostle, Demi-fairy, grandson of the Britons. It didn’t truly mean all that much, but he was still hoping to find an answer to his question somewhere.

Looking to the back wall, Shirou looked at the sword and sheath carefully encased in a glass box. What would his ancestor say?

Shirou stared at the honest-to-God 1-to-1 forgery of Excalibur and Avalon. ‘He’d probably call it cool, because I was created with the legend of Mordred in mind…’

Shirou looked over to a wooden box bound in red cloth. And what about him? Surely someone like him…

Shirou sighed. His family’s collection of mystic codes was a bit over the top. He could ask all of the historical artifacts he wanted what their opinion would be, and their answer would still be silence.

Waver stared at the building in front of him with apprehension. He had been on edge ever since the threat, but learning of the grail’s corruption would interfere with his own selfish desire, so he had to make the trip for at least that much.

This was the only part of his trip he was truly indecisive about. Thinking logically, everything Kiritsugu Emiya said was probably true, however that honesty was what made Waver Velvet so nervous. The Magus Killer wasn’t a household name in the magus community by any stretch, but it was a name spoken of in hushed tones every now and then.

That was why every single word he had spoken felt like a trap waiting to tear him to shreds. It was this man who managed to kill Professor Kayneth after all.

It was this same reasoning that forced Waver to see this situation through to the end, though. Because how could he face that great king again, if he couldn’t even face the man who had killed his predecessor?

“Um, Sir? Do you need Kiritsugu-san for something?”

Waver twitched, but turned to look at the voice with a face devoid of surprise. “Ah, yes. I was invited to see him about a week ago, but there wasn’t any specified date. Is he home?”

The girl was wearing a martial arts gi, a wooden sword, and a backpack. It made his mind work whirl slightly, but he managed to keep his composure and take in the information his mind was feeding him. She was a couple of years younger than he was, likely still in high school with a brash disposition. She was also a girl, at least as far as he could tell, so it was unlikely that this was the boy Kiritsugu had mentioned. She also wasn’t a magus. There were a bit too many incongruities for that to be the case.

“Yeah, probably. He doesn’t leave the house much unless he's on a trip overseas.” The girl walked up to the edge of the bounded field and turned around with a raised eyebrow. “You coming? I’m meeting with Shirou, so I won’t be interfering with whatever business you have with Kiritsugu-san.”

Waver felt his soul being slowly extracted from his body. So much for being indecisive. He probably should have guessed something like this would happen when he decided to scope out the area.

As he walked through the bounded field, he felt his body tense, but stayed in step with the girl. It was likely just a simple presence detection bounded field.

After she knocked, the two stood in an awkward silence, but it was mercifully broken by the door sliding open to reveal Kiritsugu in a casual gray kimono, a stark contrast to Waver’s own image of the man.

After a short pause as the two men met eyes, Kiritsugu looked down at the girl and gave her a short, tired smile. “Shirou was just about to go and get you. He should be changing right now, so you might as well head on to the dojo and start warming up.”

The girl turned and looked at Waver awkwardly for a second before giving the smallest of bows, and presumably heading to the dojo.

Another awkward silence ensued, as Kiritsugu’s eyes darted around, presumably looking for familiars. Before he sighed and let his shoulders slump in a way that Waver felt was distinctly unlike the man, despite having only met him in person once. “Come in, Lord El-Melloi II, I am sorry to have pressured you into this, but I’m afraid I'm running out of options.”

Waver twitched again, but followed the man inside without opening his mouth. He had finally become certain of a couple of hypotheses after walking through ground zero of the Fuyuki fire, and he decided to give voice to one after careful review of his surroundings. “The reason you are running out of options is that you were cursed by either the fire or the grail itself, weren’t you?”

Kiritsugu turned and gave the man a dry look as they walked into a small garden, but didn’t rise to the slight provocation. “I suppose I deserve that… Yes, I was. Your deduction skills are quite impressive.”

Waver’s eye twitched, and he looked down at the ground. “My apologies, I’ve been a bit irritable lately with all of the changes.”

Kiritsugu gave a wistful smile as he took a seat on a bench. “It takes a different kind of strength altogether to come out of a situation like that a better person. It’s one of the many reasons I hope you take Shirou as a disciple.”

Waver gave a conflicted look at the bench before giving in and sitting down with ample space between him and Kiritsugu. “Shirou is your adoptive son?”

“That’s right. After I ordered Saber to destroy the grail, I searched for any survivors I could find near the epicenter… While the circumstances were a bit strange, Shirou was the sole survivor within a mile of the original blast. But even he was burned by the fire. I’m not sure exactly how he did it, but even though he had touched the mud and even been burned by the fire, he managed to come away from it with only memory loss and an injured body. I offered to take him in after that.”

The melancholic tone the man kept speaking with caught him off guard at first, but as the conversation went on, he grew more at ease with it.

“That is… How is the boy not cursed then?”

Kiritsugu sighed. “Shirou is beyond special. I didn’t want to mention this the last time we spoke, but Shirou’s lineage is beyond storied. Even I, who is admittedly lacking in regard to my knowledge of history and mystery, knew exactly who his family was at first glance.”

This got Waver’s attention. “What do you mean- wait, before that, if you know of his lineage, would it cause problems within the clocktower if it were discovered?”

Kiritsugu gave him a surprised look for a second before a genuine smile bloomed on his face. “It shouldn’t. His family was not associated with the clocktower, though they had a few dealings with the church in the distant past. I do want to keep his family name concealed, though, if you don’t mind.”

Waver narrowed his eyes and looked at the ground. “The church, huh… I don't suppose you could just tell me the name?”

Kiritsugu sighed and looked over at Waver out of the corner of his eye for a long moment. “… It’s Aquitaine.”

Waver blinked for a moment, then his eyes went wide. “That means…” There was a long silence before Waver regained his speaking function. “…Did he inherit their crest?”

“From the notes I found, he inherited the entire source crest. Aquitaine created 2 offshoots of the original after it became incompatible with the family, but Shirou is special and managed to inherit the entire thing.”

Waver grabbed a small case out of his pocket. “Do you mind?”

Kiritsugu grabbed a lighter out of his kimono and decided to light up Waver’s cigar himself.

After taking a long pull and exhaling, Waver asked another question. “How old is he?”

“He turned 11 a couple of months ago.”

Waver winced. “Are you confident that he will be able to hold up at the clock tower? Despite being a lord, you should understand that I am not only just a stand-in, but also a 2nd rate magus. If he needs protection, I won't be able to provide that.”

Kiritsugu frowned slightly. “He’ll be fine… The Aquitaine weren’t normal magi. Even the modern Aquitaine didn’t try to reach the root. Honestly, they were more spell casters than magi, and their family crest represents that… If Shirou ever gets into a pinch, I have no doubt that if he uses his crest, he will be able to get out of almost any situation unharmed.”

Waver stared blankly at the ground. “You said Shirou was special?”

Kiritsugu paused. “I will let Shirou tell you himself, but only if you take him as your disciple and promise not to let this information leak.”

Waver paused as well. He had learned a lot about the boy with little prompting. None of them insignificant. For the line to be drawn here…

“This won't affect the El-Melloi faction, will it?”

Kiritsugu gave Waver a long look. “It won't affect anyone but Shirou.”

Waver nodded. But didn’t respond. Going over the information he had, it would likely be in his best interest to take the boy under his wing. If Kiritsugu were to be believed, the Aquitaine family crest was both unique and powerful, making it a mutually beneficial for the apprenticeship. “Just one more question, then. Why me?”

Kiritsugu sighed. “Part of it is because I don't have many other places to turn. Most of the Magi I encounter are other mercenaries not associated with the clock tower. Another is that you went through the 4th grail war and can understand what kind of catastrophe could happen if someone actually went through with a wish. The last is your reputation… Despite not being an exceptional magus, you understand theomaturgy to an extraordinary degree. That is exactly what Shirou needs. His ability in magecraft is prodigious, but he lacks the knowledge to truly advance it without a capable teacher.”

Waver took another long drag on his cigar, then leaned his head back, staring up at the sky. “I see…”

There was another moment of silence.

Just before Kiritsugu decided to speak up, a boy walked around the corner with a frown on his face. Startling both men. “I sent Fuji-nee home, after our spar…” He looked over at their slightly awkward silence with a raised eyebrow, then bowed politely. “My name is Shirou d’Aquitaine, though I use Jii-san’s name most of the time. Are you Lord El-Melloi?”

There was a slight furrow to Waver’s eyebrow as he heard the boy’s introduction. “Lord El-Melloi II please… I can't compare to my predecessor.”

Shirou had a questioning look on his face, but didn’t pry further. “I do not plan on being a traditional magus. My goal isn’t the root, but I do plan on advancing my own knowledge of magecraft because I enjoy it.”

Waver studied Shirou’s face and took another drag on his cigar. “We have a little bit in common then. Magecraft is my own selfish desire, despite the fact that I have no talent for it…” Waver stood up and walked over to the boy. “What do you want to do with your magecraft?”

The boy looked down. “A couple of days ago, I met a wierdo who said they wanted to cause chaos, and have fun…” He shivered. “I could feel that their version of chaos and fun was different from mine, but I want that too. I want to go on an adventure and help people. I want to get in trouble, make a lot of friends, and when I die, I want to leave an irreplaceable mark on this world and be an inspiration to the people who come after me…” Shirou lifted his head with determination in his eyes. “Even if I can't reveal magecraft to the public, I want to be remembered by the masses as a hero and reach the throne like my ancestors did.”

Waver stared at the boy with slightly widened eyes. For a split second, he thought he could hear a bark of laughter from the man he looked up to the most.

As the short silence continued, the boy’s determination waned a bit, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I know it’s a bit childish, but it is my one true wish. Magecraft can help me to achieve my dream so that is why I will learn it.”

Even after that, it took a second for Waver to regain his composure. “I see… And you are okay with me as your teacher?”

Shirou looked surprised for a second before he nodded. “I am.”

Waver walked back to the hotel he was staying at, still slightly dazed from the day’s events. He didn’t know if it was for better or worse that something like this had happened, but it did nonetheless.

Their dreams were so different, but their voices carried that same strange will that all heroic spirits seemed to possess. The dream itself was noble and undeniably kind, but there was also that same insatiable desire to achieve his goals in those unnatural yellow-gold eyes, that same greed to see it through to the end.

The later conversation about the boy being part fairy and homunculus had nearly broken his mind. Seriously? Isn’t this how every protagonist started out in fairy tales and novels? A sad backstory and an unnatural lineage that allows him to do stuff that no one else can?

Walking up to his room, he sighed in exhaustion. While he hadn’t been allowed into the workshop, the casual mention of a library of notes and mystic codes made him green with envy.

As he pushed the door open to his room, a strong scent of tea washed over his senses, and he froze.

“Ah, dear brother, you’re back. I hope you haven’t gotten yourself into any trouble so soon after becoming a lord. I don't know if I can find a worthy replacement for you.”

Waver almost closed the door again out of instinct. This definitely wasn’t planned. His face must have given away his thoughts, because he heard a soft giggle from the girl sitting at the hotel’s dining table.

Reines El-Melloi Archisorte had followed him to Fuyuki.

Shirou looked at the notes with a bit of awe. After only a few seconds of looking at him while he performed reinforcement, his new master had identified several inefficiencies, like how he ended up focusing more mana into the part of the body he was striking with. If he had made a mistake doing that, the spell could cause backlash, harming his body.

It was Shirou’s proof that being Waver Velvet’s apprentice would be worth it.

Walking down to the workshop, Shirou went straight for the mystic codes and grabbed two. One was a long black cloak that was almost too big for him. He might have been a bit tall for his age, but he was still only 11. The cloak, like most of the mystic codes in the Aquitaine collection, was a replica. This specific one was a replica of Robin Hood’s cloak. It granted its wielder a presence concealment spell, and if the hood was on, people had the natural inclination to ignore the user unless they did something truly outlandish or eye-catching.

The second one he grabbed was a small pouch necklace. It was an unassuming mystic code, but it had quite a bit of utility. Inside the pouch was a 9-foot-by-9-foot space to store a couple of items. It was a relatively common occurrence for mages to have something like this, though this specific mystic code was smaller than most and had more space than most, due to it being an artifact from the age of the gods. According to family records, the pouch was said to have once belonged to a wandering cleric during the latter days of the Age of Gods, who used it to smuggle rare relics across the continent while evading detection. It apparently played a crucial role in a ritual that sealed away a low-class Divine Spirit, serving as the container for the spirit's anchor. Now, it had found its way into the Aquitaine collection as a trusted tool. It had its own limits, though… It could carry only 5 items, and the combined weight couldn’t exceed 200 kilograms. It also couldn’t carry any living being.

After he grabbed them, he looked over to the class case with a bland expression. Shirou hoped he didn’t have to use it, but it was without a doubt the strongest set of mystic codes the Aquitaine possessed. The knock off Excalibur, and Avalon. Shirou also looked over to another glass case, and hesitated. Inside it were a few stone blocks. Sighing, Shirou opened the case and grabbed one before setting it next to the replicas of Avalon and Excalibur inside the pouch.

This was what Shirou and Kiritsugu decided he would take with him when he went to the clock tower. Kiritsugu even made him promise to never take off the pouch. He would, of course, take luggage and money with him too, but this pouch was his trump card if he ever got into real trouble.

He would have to ask his master what books he should bring with him to study while he was in the clock tower as well… While he will still be living in Fuyuki, he will be spending 5 months at the clock tower every year, in order to be a student. 2 months and a couple of weeks for every semester. There was probably a lot of free time to do with as he pleased, so taking extra books would be a necessity. A video game console would be nice as well, now that he thought about it.

As Shirou moved back up to the workshop's above-ground section, he felt his bounded fields register 2 presences; one was likely Waver, but the other was unrecognizable. Twitching slightly, Shirou waved his hand, causing multiple large droplets of his glowing water to appear and rush ahead of him towards the source to scout the area.

While it was unlikely for Waver to betray their trust after yesterday, it was not impossible. There could have also been contingencies in place from before he had left the clock tower that were only coming into effect now.

As his droplets reached around the house, he moved a bit faster towards the entrance. It was still early in the morning, so his father was just now coming out of his room after washing up. Since his father wasn’t the creator of this bounded field, he wasn’t connected to it and therefore wasn’t aware of the situation yet.

“There is someone else here other than the lord… It’s…” Shirou tilted his head as his droplets took in the information. “It’s a small girl, but she seems relatively strong, and the mystic code she is carrying in her suitcase is rather powerful.”

Kiritsugu’s eyes narrowed slightly before he sighed and turned back to his room. “I’ll be quick. If you need anything, yell, and get to safety as fast as possible.”

Shirou nodded and carried on to the front door, frowning, and slid it open to reveal the two people standing outside.

“Lord El-Melloi II, and… Who are you?” She had long blonde hair, a couple of shades darker than his own, and pale white skin. She had a high-class appearance; her clothes were impeccably perfect, with no wrinkles, and she wore a black beret, though her eyes were definitely her most defining feature. They were Dark blue with an inner fire that didn’t match her perceived age. She felt almost comically out of place in this traditional Japanese home, and it made him unconsciously raise his guard.

“I am Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. I apologize for coming here uninvited, but when I heard my dearest brother was coming back to Japan, I simply had to make time in my busy schedule to see what he was up to. Then, when he told me he was planning on taking an apprentice, I demanded to meet them so I could make sure they were worthy of the position.”

Her speech was slightly overdramatic, and maybe slightly more amusing to her than it probably should have been, but her eyes felt like they were invading his privacy.

“El-Melloi Archisorte, and brother, huh… I think I get the gist of it. Lord El-Melloi II, I didn’t know you had brought family along on your trip.” Shirou still hadn’t budged from the doorway. It was slightly rude, but this girl had the potential to be a threat, so he wanted to make sure he understood the situation before he invited these people into his home.

After he spoke, Shirou watched as Waver’s eyebrow twitched slightly before he simply closed his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t either…”

The lord’s reaction made the girl next to him giggle. “Ah, I do hope I’m not intruding on anything.”

Her facial expression said the exact opposite, though? Well, it seemed that the lord wasn’t lying at least…

“… Come in. I won't make any promises for my father's reaction to meeting another new person, though.” It was true. Kiritsugu Emiya was not fond of new people, especially magi, and this one was probably related to someone the man had killed in the past.

Waver seemed to have the same impression, if the bitter expression on his face was anything to go by.

As they walked into the Dining room, Shirou found Kiritsugu leaning up against the doorway on the opposite side of the room with a large pistol in his hand. It wasn’t pointed at them, but the dull eyes that followed the 2 guests as they appeared gave the impression that if they made a wrong move, it definitely would be.

Waver’s expression grew even more bitter at the sight of the gun, while Reines’ expression froze before hardening into a glare.

It was Kiritsugu who spoke first. “Lord El-Melloi II, do you still intend to honor our deal, or should I completely destroy the El-Melloi family crest this time, instead of just crippling it?”

Reines’ eyes narrowed. “I thought my brother was lying when he told me you were still alive last night.”

Kiritsugu completely ignored the girl and stared intently at Waver. “It will not. I had no idea she followed me to Fuyuki; if I had, I never would have come to your home in the first place.”

The magus Killer gave Waver a long stare before he looked down at the girl. “How much does she know?”

Waver’s response was short and to the point. “Just who you are, and that I intend to take Shirou as my disciple.”

Kiritsugu closed his eyes for a moment before nodding to the table. “Shirou, you can start breakfast. Some scrambled eggs and toast should be quick and easy to make.”

Shirou gave a lazy salute off to the side and wandered into the kitchen, while his droplets hovered around the dining room, serving as extensions of his senses.

Kiritsugu decided to explain the bare basics of his heritage to the girl, his face an unreadable mask. He said Shirou d’Aquitaine wouldn’t be associated with anything he himself had done in the past. As he laid out the consequences with cold precision—declaring that if any of this were to leak out, she, along with anyone associated with the information, would be killed and their magic crests destroyed completely—there was an unmistakable heaviness in his tone. For a fleeting moment, the steel in his eyes flickered with something like regret, but he forced himself onward, burdened by the necessity of his threat.

Tuning the conversation out, Shirou decided to use reinforcement on the food so that the already nutritious meal would be more nutritious, and have the added benefit of restoring a bit of his guests' Od.

Bringing the meal to the table earned him odd looks from both his teacher and Reines, making him blink in surprise. Waver seemed to get past it quickly enough, and dipped some of the eggs on his plate and grabbed a piece of toast, but Reines still looked at him oddly. “What? Is there something wrong with the food?”

Reines gave Waver an admonishing look before she looked at Shirou with narrowed eyes. “… You don't expect me to eat something you tampered with using magecraft, do you?”

Shirou looked offended. “It’s reinforcement. It makes the meal more nutritious, cleanses a few impurities in your system, and restores a bit of your magical energy.” Shirou made a face. “Please don’t accuse me of poisoning food. I take pride in my work. Plus, if I really wanted to poison your food, I wouldn’t be so blatantly obvious.”

As if to prove his point, Waver gave a happy sigh, and his shoulders sagged in relief. “To think that I thought reinforcing your food was wasteful…”

Shirou looked away from Reines to give Waver a smile. “According to my family’s notes, if reinforcement is used in conjunction wth Botany, some of the foods can directly strengthen your body. I’ve been learning about it over the past few days, but I only learned how to effectively reinforce the food without it spoiling the other day.”

Waver got into a thinking pose. “I think I get it. There is some kind of superstition surrounding different foods in almost every religion and culture I’ve ever heard of. Using botany, you can naturally infuse the foods with magical energy, and even perform a ritual if needed to get the desired effect out of the food. Using reinforcement can help the process in some cases when a ritual isn’t necessary, but using it after the ritual would, to some degree, nullify it… I’m impressed, I thought your family’s magecraft centered around- no, that actually makes sense… The Aquitaine use botany, and rituals like this to help counteract the effects of the family crest, don’t they?”

Shirou and Kiritsugu blinked, both taken aback by Waver’s analysis. Shirou had only given the bare bones basics, and yet the lord had dissected one of his family’s mysteries in the blink of an eye.

“T-that’s right. My family has come across a lot of different kinds of information regarding mysteries. Even though we’ve latched ourselves to the history of King Arthur, the magecraft we practice takes root in all sorts of different places. We also had a complicated relationship with the church, but we have worked with and for them in the past, and gained access to a couple of their rituals to strengthen the body. Though it’s only been used a couple of times in my family’s history due to the drawbacks.”

It was Waver’s and Reines’ turn to blink in surprise, Waver even raising his eyebrows in shock. “You actually have access to the rituals used by the executors of the church?”

“Yeah. My family are wanderers by nature, finding relics and killing dead apostles were hobbies while we searched for mystery. We kept in contact with them until the late 18th century. At that point, we kept more of the artifacts we recovered to ourselves and started a new offshoot of the family crest to achieve a different goal.”

Waver’s expression turned green. “They just… Created a new offshoot of the crest like that?”

Shirou panicked slightly at the change in his new teacher, but nodded nonetheless. “Both of the offshoots were lost in the fire, though. I have the source crest and all the artifacts and knowledge accumulated over the years.”

Waver sighed. “I see…” He shook his head, seemingly trying to clear it.  “What exactly do you want to study while you are in the clock tower? I am the head of the department of modern magecraft. Its field is far broader than the others', so most students supplement the lessons with other classes to gain more specific knowledge.”

Shirou tilted his head. “I was thinking about botany and alchemy. My combat strength is something I can improve on myself.”

Reines scoffed. “You picked the two hardest subjects to get into, without recommendation. My brother here might be knowledgeable about general mysticism and how it can be applied, but the actual intricacies of botany are mostly kept within its specific department, and Alchemy doesn't even have its own department. If you want to learn anything Alchemy-related, you'll have to go to the Department of Zoology. The department of creation and the department of mineralogy fall under the democratic and neutral factions, respectively, and will turn you away now that my brother is associated with the aristocratic faction.”

Shirou hummed to himself. “That’s fine, I think that would have been the one I'd pick anyway.”

Waver nodded. “That much should be fine. Though you should separate your classes over different semesters, and you should definitely wait to take classes from different departments until you have found a solid foothold in the clock tower.”

This made Shirou frown, but he nodded. “I will take some of the notes my family compiled with me then.”

Reines looked at Shirou with a flat expression, before it morphed into a devious smile. “Aquitaine is an eye-catching name… While I’d love to stake a claim on the name, it would put a target on your back, so what name will you go by while you are in the clock tower?”

Kiritsugu and Waver both jerked their heads towards the girl, but Shirou just smiled, obviously not understanding the implications of claiming a name. “Shirou Poiters. It’s a common enough name, and even if someone knows that Shirou is Japanese, they’ll probably just chalk it up to being someone's eccentricity… I don’t look Japanese anyway.”

Rienes’ expression fell slightly, and she sighed. “Alright then, I guess I approve, dear brother. I don't think you could have done much better than finding someone who is literally drenched in the legend of King Arthur.

Adapting to the clock tower took more time than Shirou would willingly admit to anyone. Fuyuki was a mana-rich city compared to most of the world, but the clock tower is on a different level.

Shirou, being part fairy, was connected to the earth in a way most people would never understand. When Shirou first got near the clock tower, he had felt something strange, but he didn’t let it bother him. It was only when they walked through the naturally formed boundary field that separated the mundane from the magical that Shirou froze in his tracks, staring at the ground in abject terror.

He had read about it in his family’s notes, but it was only mentioned as a side point and never went into detail. The clock tower sat atop a dragon’s corpse. As soon as he walked through the bounded field, it felt like the damn thing stopped being dead for a second and looked at him. He had a rough time falling asleep that night… and a few nights after that, too.

The students at the clock tower all had an underlying tension that was rather strange, too. Maybe strange wasn’t the right word, since they were all magi, but a lot of Shirou’s interactions were overly formal and awkward. That was both a blessing and a curse. No one questioned his heritage after learning that Shirou’s family was a small family from southwest France that had been practicing magecraft for a few generations. It was nice, but he couldn’t make any friends this way either.

The only person his age he interacted with regularly was Reines, which was surprisingly fun. They had tea together a couple of times a week, and she even let him take a look at her personal mystic code, Volumen Hydrargyrum. She had a pension for getting on people’s nerves, especially his master’s, but Shirou had quite a bit of fun with their verbal spars every now and then.

His master was thorough. Shirou, with his talent, had managed to coast through most topics relatively easily, but when it came to reinforcement and bodily enhancement, he actually had to take a step back before taking a step forward because of how inefficient he was when using it.

It was only now, after a couple of weeks of being at the clock tower, that Shirou could feel his baseline for reinforcement improving, and now that his inefficiencies were being pruned, he was improving rapidly.

They had also discovered that his affinity to the water element wasn’t the same as another magi’s affinity to water. That much should be obvious at first glance, but when doing a basic element test, his affinity still showed water. It was a bit incongruous, but in their spare time, his master made sure to make him explore what he could do with his element in as much depth as possible.

The results were staggering. The sheer utility provided by Shirou’s element was ridiculous, and it made his master turn green with envy.

His water affinity allowed him to create barriers, surfaces to step on in mid-air, and extremely high-pressure water jets. They also served as an extension of his senses, allowing him to perceive presences, bounded fields, irregular distortions, and so on. Then there was also the fact that the droplets emit light, allowing him to manipulate it to conceal the droplets, illuminate areas, and serve as a kind of flashbang to disorient. Trying to adapt that into regular magecraft was difficult, but it helped him understand just how useful his element can be.

Sword was still proving to be a challenge, though. He seemed to instinctively understand any sword he held and could use the sword to its full potential, no matter how defective. This also seemed to work with other weapons, though? For whatever reason, even when Shirou was using a shield and spear, he could understand and wield them to an unnatural degree.

“… What are you thinking about so hard over there? I can hear those puny gears turning from here.”

Ah, it seemed Reines had made a mistake and got scolded by his master again.

He smiled brightly. “About how awesome and kind you are, of course, Miss Reines.”

Reines gave him as bland a look as she could muster. “Why don’t you ponder my awesomeness and kindness somewhere else?”

Shirou blinked, faking being taken aback. “But… I even brought some super special tea leaves from the botany department that can enhance your focus to help you with your project. You and Master seemed to be working hard, so I didn’t want to interrupt with something like this.”

Reines’ expression immediately shifted, and she smiled. “Then start making your master, and his dearest little sister some tea, would you?”

Shirou sighed dramatically. “I guess I can do that. Don’t be surprised if you taste a bit of spit in your tea, though. I heard it builds character.”

He heard a clap sound accompanied by a groan, and looked over to see his teacher’s hands covering his face. “What kind of dynamic even is this? I would much prefer it if you two just got along like regular people.”

Shirou gave his master an apologetic smile before going to prepare the tea, completely ignoring the ladylike giggles of the blonde.

Walking back into the room a couple of minutes later with a tray, Shirou watched as the adoptive sibling duo worked on the mystic code diligently. It was entertaining until a demanding hand stuck out in his direction, making grabbing motions.

“You know… I might actually spit in this thing if you keep doing that.”

Setting the tray down, Shirou grabbed the kettle and started pouring it into one of the cups.

“If you do, then that cup is yours.”

He grunted, but walked over and diligently gave the lady her tea. He also poured a cup for his teacher and brought it to him.

Reines blinked and looked at the teacup in her hands with a raised eyebrow. “This is really strong.”

Shirou gave her a funny look. “Of course it is… It’s theomaturgically enhanced, remember?”

She shot him a look but didn’t comment further, turning back to the mass of mercury that was becoming increasingly humanoid, her red pupils dilated slightly more than they had been a minute ago. It was then that he felt something odd.

Shirou blinked and looked back over at the Volumen Hydrargyrum. “Reines, do you mind if I take a look at it?”

“Go ahead.”

Shirou didn’t know what he was looking at, but as he looked around at the small sea of mercury, his eyes widened. “Master, there is a trace of fairy magecraft that powered this thing!”

Both Reines and his teacher looked at him, surprised. “You can sense something like that? Are you some kind of dog?”

It was Shirou’s turn to give the girl a bland look before he looked to his master with expectation written on his face. “You’ll have to ask Reines. This is her project.”

He turned his head to Reines with the best pleading expression he could muster. “Can I please help you with your project? I promise to only do what you ask me to. Since our affinities are the same, I can resonate with this thing rather easily.”

Reines’ eye twitched. “Seriously, though, are you a dog?” The look didn’t go away, making her sigh. “What do you think you can do?”

Shirou tilted his head and got into a thinking pose. “If I can connect with it, I can probably make it quicker and more efficient to use. If I can resonate with the fairy mana infused with this thing, though, I can probably infuse my element into it. Sword, since I think if I go beyond the basic infusion of my water element, I’ll nullify the mercury and turn it into an extension of my own element.”

The girl gave him a long look. “Resonate with the fairy mana?”

Shirou felt a pair of eyes boring into his side, and he coughed. “Well… You know… My family has quite a bit of history with the fae, you know?”

After a quick glance, Shirou felt that his teacher was trying to incinerate him with his gaze. It was more effective than it had any right to be, if the sweat that was trailing down the side of his face was anything to go by.

Reines gave him an unimpressed look. “In exchange for letting you help with this project, you have to tell me how you plan on doing that.”

He gaped. “Isn’t that just a blatant abuse of power?! Plus, I’m helping make your mystic code stronger, not the other way around!”

She gave him a smug look. “Then don’t go begging to be a part of this.”

Shirou looked to his master for help, but he was busy staring at the ceiling. “If I tell you, you have to sign a contract that you won't use the information against me in any way or tell anyone that I don't give you explicit permission to tell.”

Reines narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”

“I’m part fairy.”

“…What?”

“I’m part fairy.”

“I heard you the first time! How the hell is that possible?”

“Language.” Waver interjected, far too calm.

Shirou sighed. “It’s complicated. I only understand the basics of what actually happened.”

Reines looked truly disgruntled for the first time since Shirou had met her. “No wonder my eyes acted up when I saw you use magecraft without that cloak on.”

Shirou gave her a bland look. “Let’s just work on this mystic code.”

She glared at him for a second before she nodded and shook her head to clear it. “ Ok… Connect your circuits to mine, and I’ll direct the flow of your Od to the remnant of power.”

Shirou shook his head. “That’s not possible… I don’t have Od; I use mana. It would wreak havoc on your circuits. If you want to do this, you are going to have to either just trust me with the process or connect to my circuits to feel it through me.”

Reines glared harder now. “So that’s why… Whatever, I’ll have to connect to you then. Just don’t try anything funny; a connection between circuits can get personal, so don't go thinking about unnecessary things.”

Shirou scoffed. “I’ll need both hands, so how do you want to connect?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Your center of gravity would be best since it is the most stable point in the body. You’ll have to take off your cloak and shirt.”

Shirou raised an eyebrow. “What was that about unnecessary thoughts?”

Reines took off the gloves she was wearing, and her red eyes began to glow as she looked at him. Shirou sighed and did as he was told. Both of them completely forgetting about the 3rd pressence in the room as he stared blankly at the 2 in front of him.

“I need to channel my Od through you in order to establish the connection between you and Volumen Hydrargyrum. There will be an explosion if I don’t. It is connected through bloodline and crest, so once I make the connection through you, you’ll be fine.”

Shirou nodded as he took off his shirt and folded it neatly next to his cloak. Reines' cold hands on his mid back nearly made him shiver, but he suppressed it and let her Od flow through him. The small gasp he heard when she connected to his patterns was slightly vindicating, but he suppressed that thought too and focused on the mystic code in front of him, placing his hands on it and letting her energy flow through them into it.

“Done.”

Activating his patterns and channeling his mana into the mystic code was an odd experience. It was like a slower and less versatile version of his own magecraft. It took him a second or two to find the trace of fae mana that flowed through this thing, and when he did, he latched on to it, feeding it his own mana and letting it spread throughout the mystic code.

“Stop in 3, 2, 1.”

He did. His mana stopped channeling into it, and he loosened his hold on the code itself, letting Reines’ Od channel through him again, and stretch through the large orb of mercury. What she did next almost surprised him enough to break the connection between them, but he controlled himself. She started messing with the code's programming, compressing it and changing parts to make room for more.

Shirou was aware that her mystic eyes were sensitive to magical energies, allowing her to see them. They specialize in precision, analysis, and control, allowing for precise maneuvering of magecraft. He was aware of it, but being able to ‘see’ that was really cool.

“Get ready to infuse your sword element into the lines of code I’m about to expand.”

Shirou refocused on the task, finding the code easily, and getting ready for her signal.

“Channel it in 3, 2, 1.”

Shirou did, focusing his mana through and engraving it on the code.

“Stop in 3, 2, 1… Now take your hands off.”

Again, he did as instructed, just now noticing how exhausted Reines looked. “Are you alright?”

“Fine… Just tired.”

Shirou huffed, put his shirt back on, and looked at the mystic code. It didn’t look any different, but it felt like an entirely different entity than it did before. “There was still a lot of room for the code to improve. I think I heard you mention something about creating a personality. Is that what you plan on adding in all that space?”

“That was the plan. However, even I can sense that the potential of my predecessor’s mystic code has changed, so we will have to study it some more before Reines adds the personality.” A third voice interupted calmly, making Shirou flinch in surprise, and Reines snicker.

“Did it really change that much?”

Reines spoke up as she sat down in the chair next to the tea and poured herself some more. “The Volumen Hydrargyum’s capacity for magical programming tripled. The density of your mana forcefully expanded it to an outrageous degree.”  She turned another bland gaze on Shirou. “I guess this is what they mean when people talk about fairies being miraculous creatures.”

Shirou smirked. “Calling me a miracle now? I think this means you owe me something nice. After all, it’s not every day a fairy graces you with his presence.”

She scoffed haughtily. “It’s not every day, but it is becoming more frequent recently.”

He huffed and looked over to his master for help, but his master looked like he wanted to melt into a puddle, so he decided to let the conversation drop for now.

“How did that thing even have any fae power in it anyway? I don’t remember hearing about anything relating to fae in the clock tower, other than the witches that founded the botany department, and the rumors surrounding the Spiritual Tomb of Albion.”

Reines sighed in relief as she took another sip of her tea. “It probably has something to do with the magical energy reactors. My dear brother’s predecessor, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, inherited the supreme mystic code of our family, something we found in the spiritual tomb a long time ago. There were 3 magical energy reactors, providing a near-endless supply of high-quality mana. In some of the notes our family had on them, they could have been combined, but that risked the entity becoming self-aware, so they kept them separate. Kayneth created Volumen Hydrargyrum using its energy tuned to him.”

Shirou blinked. “Ah… That’s… A lot. Are the reactors still around?”

This time it was his teacher who shook his head. “… Your father destroyed them… Along with the entire hotel, which they were held in during the grail war.”

“I see…” Shirou looked at his master with a bland expression. “Some new dad lore.”

Shirou’s eyes darted back and forth. 2 opponents. The one on his right was showing more openings, so he would likely be the follow-up if they attacked first.

“3, 2, 1, Begin!”

Shirou dashed to the dark-haired magus on the left with a speed that surpassed everyone in the room. While it was more common to see the magus of the modern era use hand-to-hand combat, that didn’t mean that every modern magus was proficient at it. The punch that came flying at his face, quite possibly the smallest target the boy could have chosen, was proof enough. Shirou’s head tilted to the side, and he slid into his opponent's guard, throwing a hard punch into his stomach, launching him back.

Shirou heard a step behind him and ducked underneath another blow meant for his head. ' At least his head is quick.’ Spinning, Shirou’s leg landed on his other opponent’s exposed side, sending him sliding against the floor, curled up around his side.

The first opponent let out a grunt of exertion as he got in close, forcing Shirou to deflect and block a couple of punches. Shirou’s hand slipped through the boy’s guard and knocked against his chin at the first opening, and Shirou’s extra senses focused on the one with the hurt side, before he pushed his advantage and landed 3 quick blows against his opponent’s sore stomach, left cheek, and a kick to his right side, respectively, sending the boy sprawling against the ground again.

The one with the hurt side was still curled up on the ground.

Shirou dropped his guard and listened as a whistle blew through the large room. “Winner! Poiters.”

Shirou sighed and looked down at the boy clutching his side. “Are you ok?”

“Shut up, Poiters. You hit like a damn truck. Don’t ask stupid questions.”

A loud groan sounded out behind him. “Poiters, you bastard. Did you really have to hit me in the stomach twice? Do you really not know how hard you punch?”

The teacher walked over, separating from the medical specialist on hand, to him. “Good job, Poiters. With this, you should be able to move on to the advanced combat course.” 2 half groans, half cheers sounded out behind the man. “Meet me at the normal time next week, and I’ll get you squared away for the transfer.”

Shirou gave the man a polite smile. “Thank you, sir.”

The man huffed. “Don’t thank me, Poiters. The class was just tired of being your punching bag, so I moved you to somewhere that you might get punched back a time or two.”

Shirou’s polite smile never changed, but the look in his eyes gave the teacher a small shiver. “Thank you, sir.”

The teacher’s eyebrow twitched. “Lord El-Melloi II asked me to tell you to meet him in his office after class today. Since you are moving up anyway, you don’t need to be here for the rest of it. Get a move on.”

Shirou nodded once again and left the arena-style room to get changed out of his gym clothes. Unfortunately, he had to wear his cloak even there. Shirou decided against taking any more hand-to-hand classes until it was required of him, after this one.

Unlike most students, he didn’t start in the department of general fundamentals, skipping the process because he was the disciple of a lord. Since all disciples of magi over a certain rank could do this, Shirou didn’t feel too bad about the nepotism.

Taking a hand-to-hand combat course seemed like a good decision, but it was getting tedious because he was already fighting against people 3 years his senior and wiping the floor with them. Hopefully, the advanced class would be better.

Shirou doubted it. Knocking twice and pushing the door open to his master’s office, he was immediately greeted by the sight of a short blonde girl sitting on top of his master’s desk leisurely while a metallic silver maid poured her tea.

The sight stopped him in his tracks. “Whoa. Rienes, you completed it already?”

“I did.” There was a hint of soft pride in her voice that caught him off guard. It was very different from her usual air that Shirou almost didn’t know what to say. Luckily, Reines decided to speak up in his stead. “Introduce yourself.”

Shirou looked at the Mercury maid with glee. “My name is Trimmau. I am the personal maid of Miss Reines El-Melloi Archisorte.

Shirou looked at the maid with an unmistakable pride and childlike excitement. “My name is Shirou d’Aquitaine, though I go by Shirou Poiters at the moment, so either call me Shirou or Poiters.”

Reines gave him a scolding look. “I gave Trim the personality yesterday. Don’t confuse her. I have to train her into her role properly, and it will take time, but Trimmau is easily on the level of a supreme mystic code.”

Shirou nodded and took off his cloak, taking a look behind Reines and seeing his master with his head in his arms, resting on top of his desk. “What did you do to master this time?”

Reines smiled brightly. “Nothing important.”

Shirou gave her a raised eyebrow but didn’t pry. “Master, would you like me to get your medicine?”

Lord El-Melloi II groaned and sat up in his chair, his face having a slight green tint. He also decided to ignore Shirou's question completely.  “Using the test I managed to get from someone in the department of individual fundamentals, I ran the test on your origin, to see if that was what was influencing your sword element.” His master grabbed a cigar out of his case, cut the tip, and lit it with a match. “To be blunt, it is. I burned the test as soon as I saw it.”

Shirou looked over at Reines and Trimmau. “Master? That’s all well and good, but what about them?”

His master answered the question bluntly. “Trimmau here was infused with your sword element, and alongside that, your origin. Whether you wanted them to know about it or not is no longer up to you.”

Shirou blinked, but nodded slowly.

His master’s posture shifted slightly, and Shirou could tell that he had entered his lecture mode. “One’s origin is the starting point. It defines your existence and influences your actions. It is more of an inherent compulsion than an influence, like a mental hex. Though once you’ve awakened to your origin, it becomes nearly impossible to stray from it. You act on impulse in a way that fits your origin and are unable to stop the impulse.”

Shirou frowned and sat down in one of the chairs. “Are you telling me that my origin is going to influence Trimmau?”

His master frowned. “Not quite. Trimmau’s personality was added after the Origin, erasing the basic influence. However, you are a rare case when it comes to origins. Your origin influenced your alignment. According to the test, your origin is ‘Sword’. Putting it in one word is a bit of a misnomer, though. It might be more accurate to call it ‘Weapon’, or something along those lines; an origin isn’t something that can be summed up in a single word. Like I said earlier, an origin is the starting point and definition of your existence, so it's significantly more complex than a single-word answer.”

Shirou’s brow furrowed. “You said my origin affected my alignment. What exactly does that mean?”

His master gave him a serious look. “It means that you are what’s called an incarnation. As if your birth weren’t reason enough to give you a sealing designation. Incarnations are beings whose origin and affinity are the same. It allows for unique abilities within that element; it normally limits the abilities outside of that element to a level below that of even 3rd-rate magi. However, you also have another affinity… Not only that, but you are also part fae, and it is theorized that true elementals are also incarnations, or at least something similar. To be entirely blunt, there are implications to this, but they are well beyond my understanding, and likely beyond anyone else’s understanding but you. Trimmau has traces of your elements inside her, and therefore a small trace of your origin as well.”

“I don’t understand the implications at all, though?”

His master hesitated. “…That is probably for the best. While you are incredibly talented, putting too much on your plate at once will only hurt your growth in the end. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation. Trimmau’s use of your sword element might also help you to understand your own.”

Shirou paused slightly at that and looked at Trimmau as she stood diligently next to Reines. It had only been a couple of days since he had infused his mana and elements into Volumen Hydrargyrum, and yet it felt like he was looking at an entirely different entity.

Suddenly, a black sailor cap and a head of blonde hair and blue eyes filled his view. This devilish figure had a malicious smile on her face and a look in her eyes that chilled him to the bone.

“Miss Reines, your terrible personality is showing when you make faces like that.”

Her smile widened. “Does it? Oh well, it's only you and brother dearest here, so it doesn’t matter all that much.”

Shirou scooted back. “Don’t forget about poor Trimmau over there! You are going to be a bad influence on her.”

Reines was still smiling. “How could I possibly forget? To repay your kindness for helping in the creation of Trimmau, I started working on getting you a gift, even though it will have to wait until next spring, when you come back. Equivalent exchange and all that.” She made a flippant gesture that was unlike her usual self, so it put Shirou on edge. “So, according to this law, if you want to see dear Trimmau in action, you’ll have to give me something of equal value in return.”

Shirou felt his eye twitch. “No, no, why are you the only one winning in this situation? This isn’t equivalent exchange in the slightest. I helped create the murder weapon of mass destruction over there, which you are using as a maid. I’m pretty sure I should at least be able to see her in action as a basic courtesy.”

“Hmmm, but you begged so nicely to join the project. Even I didn’t expect Trimmau to turn out this well.”

Shirou jutted out his bottom lip and wiped at his eyes, leaving golden teardrops behind. “But, Miss Reines, I didn’t even ask for a gift in return. Isn’t this cheating?”

Reines giggled her usual ladylike giggle, but it quickly turned into genuine laughter as she saw his expression. It made his own expression lighten just a little, into something more playful.

“You know what? You win this time. I’ll come up with something nice for you before next spring. In return, can I see Trimmau in action now?” Shirou couldn’t help but get his hopes up as he asked the question.

“No way!” More laughter came from the girl, and she almost fell off his master’s desk.