I saw hell.

Every step I took, every breath I took, wracked my body with pain. The fire, the smoke, all of it surrounded me like a bonfire of death that spared no one. The heat had turned into an inferno, swallowing everything within its grasps.

Everywhere I looked, people laid dead. Those that weren't were pinned under several tons of rubble, barely conscious and aware of what was happening around them.

I ignored their silent pleas for help and kept walking. If I kept walking, there would certainly be an end to this hell hole.

Yet... The road never ended. Scorched earth and flaming remains of buildings littered the area, spreading the fire and death as the charred bodies of men and women were sprawled dead across the area. They had all tried to climb the flaming rubble in a desperate attempt to escape the fire, yet none of them had been strong enough to do so.

"H-help..."

I yelped as I tripped over a hand that stuck out from underneath the nearby remains of a house. Whoever the hand belonged to was still alive, but barely. My heart tightened with pity, but my body did not move to help.

There was nothing I could do.

"S-save me..."

I ignored the voice and forced myself to my feet, leaving behind the voice who only wished to be saved.

It hurt...

My bones felt like they were turning to steel. Hot fire burned through my blood, charring my dry throat.

It was only a few more minutes until my legs had collapsed, completely unresponsive to my desire to move. Yet, I didn't stop moving. I used my hands, crawling my way through miles of earth to survive through sheer will and determination.

I wanted to live to see another day. I was still young, but that desire to live burned brightly within me. Even if my bones break, even if I have to sacrifice an arm or leg, I would give anything to survive this hell.

Eventually, though, I no longer could move my arms. My whole body had lost feeling. I could not even feel pain anymore. It didn't matter how strong my will to live was. The human body could only do so much before it begins to wear and tear.

My muscles had torn themselves apart. I could barely stay conscious. The dull feeling within my head wouldn't go away, causing me to black out from time to time in regular intervals.

I laid atop a rock as a useless bag of bone and muscle. The fire within me was going out, and there was nothing I could do about it. I just wanted this nightmare to end. It would not be the exhaustion that kills me, but the cursed fire that ended everyone else. I had heard that being burnt alive was the greatest pain one could feel. Soon, I am going to experience this feeling firsthand.

But then...

"So this is the end result of your determination? Struggling uselessly even in the face of impending death. What was the point of it all?"

With great effort, I lifted my head to see who had spoken. In front of me was an incredibly tall man, wearing some sort of black body armor and pants with a grey cloak that was draped around him. His skin was tan, but it was a darker shade of brown as the light of the fires illuminated him. His face wasn't rugged like a brute, but there was a hard scowl on his face, as if he felt annoyed by me somehow.

"I've replayed this moment countless times, and yet this is the first time I'm seeing it from this point of view." His eyes glanced at the wall of fire which was slowly approaching. "And I can assume that you still wish to live even in your current state?"

More than anything. I want more than anything to survive this nightmare. I try to speak, say anything to confirm his suspicion, but my mouth would not move. It felt dry like the desert, almost like I was eating sandpaper.

Even so... I felt like the man understood what I was trying to convey.

"I see. Then hold on tight."

He dropped to his knee and gently scooped me up, his arms surprisingly careful despite how muscular and well developed he was. Standing back up, he turned towards the ring of fire and took a deep breath.

Then he began running.

It might have been my imagination or my tired mind, but I felt the scenery begin to fly past me like I was traveling in a car. It was barely noticeable at first, but it quickly became obvious the longer the man ran. The passing scene began to blur and the wind began to pick up, giving me the chills. Even amongst all the ruble and the unstable foundation, the man didn't even bother to slow down.

This man could not have been human. If I had been more conscious of what was happening, I would have screamed with delight at how cool he was. I've only heard about people like this in manga, or comic books from America. Embarrassing as it was, I've always dreams of being like those imaginary characters. I would spend hours of my life roleplaying like an idiot in front of the mirror, pretending I was actually a hero who could save everyone. I've always believed that people like that were imaginary and make believe. Now though...

Subconsciously, I held tighter to the man as he ran. The wall of fire was approaching fast, yet he did nothing more than charge straight into it. With a gust of wind and inhuman strength, he burst out of the other side of the fire and continued sprinting.

I lost my consciousness soon after, but a smile wormed its way onto my face. My deepest prayer was answered.

I was saved.

And I met a hero.

EMIYA remained silent as he watched his past self sleep on a nearby couch. In an act that even confused him, he had decided to save the person he hated most in the entire universe. He had planned, colluded, even tried to sneak behind Alaya's back, just to get the chance to enact his plan to kill his past self, cause a paradox, and erase himself from the world altogether.

He hated what he had become. He hated becoming this so-called 'Hero of Justice' who tried to save everyone. The fact that his younger self was naive enough to believe in a world where superheroes existed was what grated on him the most.

Really, there weren't many people who hated themselves to such a degree. Then again, when you were forced to kill people instead of save them for all of eternity, it might have been justified a little.

So when he finally had the chance to kill himself, he quickly grasped it. He was a cleaner who could only act after the disaster was committed, or near completion. The burning of Fuyuki City, caused by the grail at the end of the 4th Holy Grail War, had become much more volatile this time around. If left unchecked, the fire would have spread throughout the entire city and even the entire countryside. It may not have sounded like too big of a deal, but that meant that the Grail would have been able to harvest a large amount of souls without restraint, possibly allowing itself to be born fully even with Kiritsugu's actions of destroying its physical shell.

Kiritsugu...

He winced as he remembered the name of his adoptive father. The man had been crushed by the weight of his ideals at the end of the war, only finding solace in the fact that he had managed to save and adopt Shirou. Now that he has taken him...

EMIYA shook his head. No. It did not matter. No matter what happened from here on out, Kiritsugu was fated to die anyway. Ever since he became a counter guardian, he had lost the privilege of talking with his adoptive father.

He glanced at his younger self as he quietly slept, a peaceful expression on his face. His knuckles tightened. He didn't know what it was, but he just couldn't bring himself to kill him. Even after festering up his hatred for thousands and thousands of years, he had faltered when the time had come.

Perhaps it was because he could see from Kiritsugu's point of view, the determination he had given in a desperate attempt to survive. It was pitiable, even heart wrenching to watch.

He had tried to harden his heart. Hardening the feelings that came with killing was a simple action that he had perfected in order to do his job. Yet, whenever he felt he was close enough to do the deed, he took a step back.

It had felt like he was missing the bigger picture. Some innate feeling in the back of his head was gnawing at him with a silent warning. If he had brought his blade down, killed the kid, it would have been the end of him in a much more crucial aspect.

That's why... He couldn't bring himself to end it. It had been conflicting, but he put his blade down in the end. That action was possibly the hardest thing he has ever done.

So now it came time for him to improvise his plans a little. To do so, he would need the help of someone he had met only once before, yet he was known for being a troublesome character who involved himself too much in the affairs of others when they catch his fancy.

"I had thought I had you all figured out by now, but you always continue to surprise me."

A shape appeared from within the shadows of the dimly lit room. It was an elderly looking man who appeared to be around his mid sixties to early seventies. He had a messy white beard which looked like it hadn't been properly groomed in a while, giving him the impression of a hobo. Yet, the expensive black tailored suit and pants he wore clashed hard with that image. His physique was also unlike a frail old man, having a massive upper body and broad shoulders that made it seem like he was more taller than he actually is. His eyes twinkled with light, not unlike those with their youth. Though that light was far more menacing, resembling those of a prankster who played with lives on a whim.

He was the 4th Dead Apostle Ancestor: Zelretch. A powerful being whose ability was known across the multiverse as the Second Magic that controls parallel worlds. Not someone who most people wanted to run into during their lifetime.

"You, on the other hand, are quite predictable. You're horribly interested in things that don't go how they're supposed to go."

EMIYA shot back with narrowed eyes, earning a small smirk from the vampire.

"True. My desire for entertainment, like the rest of the Ancestors, is endless. I'm just more civil on how I find said entertainment." He glanced at the young Shirou, still sleeping despite their banter. "Things have become quite dull lately. It has become easier for me to predict the outcomes for events. I have longed wish for an event that even I couldn't have predicted."

"Well now you have your wish." EMIYA said sourly.

"Yes, yes... It has been granted." Zelretch nodded in agreement. "Really, I had imagined that you would have gutted yourself without a second thought. I mean, you have become one with the edge for quite a while. It should have been easy for you to kill the kid... yet you didn't." He eyed the counter guardian with narrowed eyes of his own. "What stopped you?"

EMIYA went quiet. The vampire just sighed.

"You don't even know. I can only assume that it was your gut instinct that was responsible."

"You could say that, but I am not here to talk about my life choices." EMIYA declared as he stood up, the atmosphere in the room becoming tense. "I need your help... in accordance with my younger self."

"I kinda figured that out. You would have been surprised to see me otherwise." Zelretch shrugged unflinchingly, staring the counter guardian down. "The only question I have for you is why in the world would you think I would help you?"

EMIYA inwardly groaned. Zelretch may be on the side of humanity, but he never did anything for free. Whether it was for money or amusement, the old bastard wouldn't move an inch unless one of those were offered to him.

So seeing as he had no money on him, being a counter guardian and all, he would have to choose the latter.

"Because this could be the starting point of a new singularity. A new source of amusement for you. That is all I have to offer. It is what you wish for, right? A new source of amusement?"

Zelretch's eyes shifted and a look of consideration passed his face. Now, it was time to up the stakes.

"If you decline, I will kill him. I've had more than enough time to sort my feelings out. I'll kill the boy and sleep like a baby for the rest of my days while you continue to search for a new source of entertainment."

That was a lie of course. He still couldn't go through with killing himself, though he was a master at concealing his true feelings. His poker face was incredible. It didn't even twitch or move as the wizard scanned him for any show of weakness.

After several seconds which felt like eternity, the troll grinned.

"Well then... I accept your terms. What is it that you would like me to do with the boy?"

EMIYA held back a sigh of relief. Straightening himself up, he glanced at his younger self and bit his lip as he saw his face twitch a little. The boy was starting to stir, but they still had time.

"I wish to divert him from the path that he will eventually travel. I do not wish for this world to be plagued with this naive boy who does things in the name of justice."

"So you wish for me to divert his path, eh? Stop him from being a counter guardian." Zelretch summarized with a stroke of his beard.

"I'm willing to wager that nearly all of my parallel selves have become counter guardians at some point or another. For once, I just want one version of me who doesn't end up like a lost cause. If that can't be achieved, then at least save this world from what I will eventually bring."

It was a depressing thought. The human known as Emiya was one of the few points who remained the same throughout nearly all parallel worlds. All possibilities had only reached the singular conclusion of him becoming a Counter Guardian. As of yet, there has only been a handful of worlds where that has never happened.

Zelretch raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Instead, he closed his eyes in concentration.

"To be honest... there doesn't seem to be anything I can do for him. I've observed you for a long time, EMIYA boy. It doesn't matter what type of upbringing you have, be it magical or not. You'll always end up the same either way."

EMIYA was silent, but his knuckles turned white. Seeing this, Zelretch held up his hand.

"However... there is a second option."

He tapped his cane against the ground, suddenly causing the amount of mana in the room to skyrocket as a rainbow vortex appeared in the air next to him.

"In this time, where young boys like you can only dream about the supernatural... I'll send him to a time where the supernatural was common."

"What?" EMIYA frowned before realization dawned on him. "Wait... you mean you plan on sending him into the past?"

"Indeed. A time where mystery is common to be more precise." Zelretch declared with a grin.

"But that's against the rules of the World... Messing with the Quantum Time Locks in any way can possibly-"

"I have the authority to usurp them should I wish to do so. I am the wielder of the Second Magic, after all." The twinkle was lit in the vampire's eyes, bringing out the prankster within. "Besides... what will the world do about it? Kill me? There are an infinite number of me. So long as the Second Magic exists, I will never stay down."

He suddenly became quiet, noticing that the boy was beginning to move around in his sleep. For a second they thought that he would actually wake up, but the young boy still was fast asleep.

"It's quite funny, really. I've always thought you were born in the wrong time. It's hard to be a good person in this day and age. It's also a lot more complicated with having to be so secretive with magecraft. The circumstances were all against you. They always have." He looked at his wrist, checking a small golden watch. "Anyway... we're almost out of time. I'm going to chuck this kid into the past. If you don't like it, try and stop me."

EMIYA frowned at those words. Chuck? It seemed a little bit too violent. Though it wasn't like he had a problem. He was just glad he could coax Zelretch into helping without problem.

"By the way... I have no idea where the kid is going to end up. It'll be like rolling a gacha!"

EMIYA just groaned.

A lone woman drummed her fingers against a stone balcony as she pondered to herself silently in thought. Her clothing was clearly symbolic with royalty, having a golden robe adorned with numerous amounts of jewelry. Her skin, while tan, seemed to glow with a healthy light. It was... divine in a way.

Well it wasn't too big of a surprise. She was a goddess, after all.

"Ninsun."

She turned her head and smiled as she was greeted with the sight of her husband. He wore a simple black tunic which was in contrast to his royal status. He sported a dark beard and had a messy amount of overgrown hair on his head, giving him the appearance of a wild animal if one were to view him from a distance. In his right hand was a large axe, nearly bigger than he was tall.

"My husband, Lugalbanda, how was your hunt?"

"Fresh food for tonight. Plenty of it, too." Lugalbanda laid his axe down and wiped the seat from his forehead before grinning. "So... how is it? You haven't been having any problems while I was away, have you?"

She shook her head and glanced down at her swollen stomach with a smile. "The baby has been silent as of late. It is almost time... I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

Her child... her first male child, was destined to become the keystone of the gods. The declining authority of the gods have started to worry them quite a bit. In order to reestablish their dominance on the world, they wished to create a being who could bind the world of humans to the world of the gods.

In the end, it had been decreed that her child would be that very keystone. It had saddened her greatly, knowing that her future child would only be a tool of her siblings, but what could she do? She was no fighter. It would be foolish of her to rebel. The best she could do would be to look out for her child from the sidelines.

Lugalbanda sighed. He wasn't as sad as she was, but he was far from pleased.

"Let us just be glad that we are having a child. Urk is in desperate need of a new king. It would have been nice if we were allowed to directly guide him, though."

As a fellow minor god and a former king of Urk, he knew just how hard it was being a king. The responsibilities of attending both the needs of the people and the will of the gods were numerous, enough to drive any normal person mad. It took a special mindset to put up with the amount of pressure such a title held.

He gave his wife a comforting pat. "Come. Let us quickly make dinner. I do not wish to let the meat go to waste." He said, earning an exasperated smile from his beloved as she slapped his hand away.

"Do not be saying those things if you aren't the one making the food." Ninsun declared as she began to walk into the palace. Her husband scowled at the jab to his manly pride. Loathe as he was to admit, he never actually learned how to cook for himself. It was the work of the servants to attend to his meals every day. Now that he was no longer king, it was regrettable that he could barely take care of himself without his wife.

Perhaps it was lucky that he had married a goddess who was known for her wisdom.

As he began to lumber after her, he suddenly paused as a strange feeling crept down his spine. "Honey... do you feel that?"

In front of him, his wife had stopped in her tracks as well. It seems like she had noticed as well. "Yes, I do. It's an extreme burst of mana. Something akin to a ma-"

As she turned in his direction, she froze with her mouth agape. Curious as to what she was looking at, he turned around to look behind him and was greeted with an extremely unusual sight. Over the horizon, near a small lake that ran through their backyard, a cascade of colors illuminate the area. It was unlike any natural phenomenon they had seen before. Rainbows weren't an unknown, but this certainly wasn't a rainbow. It was like a cascade of powerful mana, giving it the appearance of a colorful rainbow.

"By the gods..." Ninsun muttered in awe as the light began to die down. "Such a massive flux in power!"

"Do you think that it is one of the major gods, dear? Perhaps Ishtar?" Lugalbanda suggested.

"That child isn't associated with rainbows, husband. I doubt something like this is because of her doing." She glanced at light and frowned. "I cannot think of anyone who could cause something like this. Perhaps it is a new phantasmal creature?"

"Hmph. Whatever the case may be, I shall go and investigate this disturbance. If it turns out to be a threat, I will quickly eliminate it." He grabbed his axe and hefted it over his shoulder before turning to his wife with a smile. "You should stay here, dear. Wouldn't want you to get caught in the crossfire in your condition."

Ninsun just smiled back. "Yes, that is indeed true. Very well. Go and investigate. Dinner should be ready by the time you get back."

"Thanks! Love you!" Lugalband declared as he hopped over the side of the balcony, plummeting towards the ground below without a care in the world.

"By the gods..."

For the second time that day, that phrase had been uttered with total awe and wonderment. Upon arriving at the site near the riverbank, he had noticed that there were no disturbances in the area. No uprooted sections of earth or anything that seemed out of place was not present. There was nothing to indicate that such an awe inspiring event happened here.

However, there was one oddity that had caught his eye. Lying asleep underneath a small tree by the river was a young boy that looked to be younger than ten. His hair had caught his particular fancy, being an unusual shade of red. As far as he knew, there has never been someone with red hair among the population of Uruk. He was also an unusual shade of white, not like the tan men who worked in the sun all day long.

He quietly put his axe down carefully so he wouldn't wake the boy. Creeping closer to him, he noticed that the boy had a small scent of magical energy. However, it was unusually small. Even a regular child of Uruk would have had more magical energy than he did. It was a wonder he had managed to survive out here.

But upon taking a closer look, that might not have been the case.

He gasped as he noticed that the boy's arms and legs looked way too loose for his own good. Stretching down and touching his arms, he could feel practically no resistance.

"This boy... he tore all of his muscles?" He murmured as he felt his legs, only to feel the same feeling as when he touched his arms.

After all the prodding and poking around he was doing, however, the boy began to stir and groan. Opening his eyes to reveal a shade of amber, the boy groggily took in his surroundings.

"Eh? Nandesuka?"

The boy winced as he tried to move his arm, only to have it uselessly twitch. Groaning in annoyance, the boy craned his neck and blinked in surprise as he saw the huge man that loomed over him.

"Er... Hello there, young man." Lugalbanda said with an awkward smile as he extended his hand forward. "What did he just say?"

That language was certainly not sumerian. It wasn't anything he had ever heard before, further proving the fact that he was a foreigner. The only question was: Where was he from?

"Ah! Monsutā!" The boy screamed in fear as he recoiled from Lugalbanda's hand, who froze at the boy's panicked voice. Sighing, he quickly retracted his hand and stood up. He was said to be quite imposing on his subjects when he ruled. Perhaps that never left him even after he had retired. For a young boy who clearly had no idea where he was, he would never open up to him.

"What to do..." He muttered with a pondering look on his face as he contemplated the problem. Suddenly, his eyes brightened up as an idea came to him. Quickly turning around, he began lumbering back towards his house to go and get his wife.

"Where is this boy? Show him to me!"

Lugalbanda sighed as he watched his wife run past him impatiently with her latent motherly instinct kicking in. His wife was a very caring woman. The second she had heard that he had encounter a child who had torn nearly all of the muscles in his body, she had quickly sprung into action. It was like she wasn't pregnant at all.

"He's by tree near the river, honey. Please don't try to move him without warning me."

Ninsun quickly stopped in front of the tree and dropped to her knees in front of the boy, who still had a scared look in his eyes. However, they seemed to have softened at the sight of his wife.

"Oh dear... Can you move? Are you in deep pain?" She asked with a gentle tone, scooting closer to the boy to help.

"Wakarimasen..." The boy mumbled as he stared at her with confused eyes. She blinked upon hearing the foreign language and turned to her husband with a confused look.

"He's a foreigner. I don't know what language he's speaking." He said with a shrug.

"I see..." She murmured as she turned back to the boy with a curious look. "Well, it is a trivial matter." Gently bringing a slender hand up, she placed it on the boy's mouth and muttered something under her breath. After a second, she quickly removed her hand from the slightly terrified boy and gave him a smile. "Now... can you understand me?"

"Um... Yes." The boy answered with a horse voice, looking incredulous at that fact. "W-where exactly am I? And how come I can understand you?"

She quietly regarded him for a moment before answering. "You are on the outskirts of Uruk. Quite a fair distance away from the gates of the city." Her face suddenly had an amused look. "And the reason why you can understand me is because I used a magecraft that instantly allowed you to speak it."

"Magecraft? Um... you mean magic? I thought that wasn't real?"

Now that gave her some pause. Even Lugalbanda looked at the kid like he was insane.

"You didn't know that magecraft was real? Did you hit your head too hard somewhere?" He asked with a frown, which quickly disappeared when Ninsun shot him a glare before turning back to the child.

"Ignore him. Magecraft is certainly real, though I do share his surprise that you do not know of its existence." She shook her head. "But enough about that. We can worry about that later. What is your name?"

The boy paused for a moment before answering.

"Shirou."

"Shirou..." She rolled that name off her tongue. "What a unique name. I can't say that I've ever heard of someone with a name like yours." She smiled. "Well then, Shirou. How about we go and get you all patched up? You can stay with us until we finally manage to find your parents."

She suddenly frowned as the boy's face began to droop like a wilting flower.

"My parents are dead. They died in a fire while trying to protect me."

Oh...

Lugalbanda's eyes softened and Ninsun looked taken aback by that sudden revelation. Granted, she had thought that the boy had gotten separated by his parents on the road, but this was certainly not what she had been expecting.

"I'm sorry..." She quickly apologized, her tone becoming much more softer and comforting. "It wasn't right for me to assume." She closed her eyes as if considering something. "Let us treat your wounds first before we talk about anything else. I'll be right back."

She stood up and gestured for her husband to follow as she went back to the house to retrieve the necessary supplies.

"Ninsun... are you serious about this?"

Ninsun shot her husband a second glare, freezing him in place. In his hands were a couple jars of special ointment and balm that were used for medicinal purpose in conjunction with magecraft for special results.

"I am serious about this. That poor boy just lost his parents. I am not sending him out into the wild just to live by himself. He's a boy for heavens sake!"

"Ok, Ok... I get it. I'm just worried about what the others would think about this." Lugalbanda glanced up at the sky nervously. "You know how angry they get when unknown pieces come into play. They might just blast him into dust without warning."

She just smirked. "No. No they wont. I'll make sure of it."

"Oh? What plan do you have in mind?" He asked with a curious look. Ninsun was known as one of the wisest beings across the land. Whatever plan she came up with was likely to succeed, though he was curious on how she would be able to deal with this problem.

"Our future son will become the next king of Uruk. It is his birthright and his inheritance. However, I still worry about his wellbeing. If the gods truly wish for him to succeed in their plan, he will need to be groomed and protected until he can stand on his own."

Lugalbanda opened his mouth before closing it with a confused look on his face. Ninsun just sighed. Her husband could be quite slow sometimes. It's kind of the reason why they got together.

"That boy-" She continued. "-Will be the perfect lifeline for our child. Think about it for a second. If our child had an older brother, it would no doubt be able to benefit him greatly in the future!"

"A... brother?" Lugalbanda muttered with a thoughtful look on his face as he stroked his beard. "Yes... that does sound good. Though, are you truly sure about this? You'll be giving the boy a huge amount of responsibility. One that no regular person can bear on their own."

"Then you and I will train the boy. Simple as that." She declared with a determined look. "I do not care if the gods will hate this idea or not. If they mess with him, they mess with our child's growth. I will not stand for that."

Lugalbanda just held up his hands in surrender. Clearly, nothing he said or suggested would ever turn his wife's mind around. At the very least, he could only hope that the decision she made was a good one. He didn't want the blood of an innocent boy on his hands. Then again, neither did she.

The pair arrived back at the tree and saw that the boy had managed to somehow prop himself up into a sitting position. It obviously took some effort, if the sweat on his brow was anything to go by.

"We're back." Ninsun announced with a smile as Lugalbanda set the balm and ointment down. "I'm sorry for the wait, but it took a while to find all of the equipment needed to heal you."

"It's fine..." Shirou croaked, his voice still dry. He eyed the jars with a quizzical look. "Will this really help me?"

"It will with the proper ritual." Ninsun said as she opened one of the jars, releasing a fragrant smell into the air that oddly didn't smell as strong as Shirou had been expecting. Dipping a finger into the container, she muttered a few words under her breath and the contents began to glow faintly. Seeing Shirou's curious look, her smile grew. "Hold still, Shirou. This will only take a minute or so."

Seeing the boy nod, she took her hand out of the jar and began slowly spreading the ointment all over his body with a gentle touch. As she did so, Shirou let out a sigh of relief as he felt his muscles suddenly tighten and loosen from the effects.

"Does it feel good?"

Shirou nodded his head and smiled. "Yes, it does."

"Good. That means that the magic is working." She said as she continued spreading the ointment. "Once I'm done, you should be able to stand up and walk around with a little bit of effort."

"Really? That's great!" Shirou grinned before frowning. "Though... I'm not exactly sure about what I'm going to do now. I usually followed my parents around, but I'm at a loss without them..."

He missed the glint in Ninsun's eyes, too focused on the relaxing effects that the balm was giving him. If he had seen it though, it would have given him shivers no matter how blessed her next words were.

"Well... I have a solution for that."

So, if you cannot guess from reading the chapter, this story will begin with the beginning of this Shirou's new journey in the land of Uruk. This was just something I came up with on the eve of the gilgamesh event for NA F/GO, and I just finished it now.

This is just the prologue, though. I'll try to pump through it as fast as I can, but it might take a while with varying gaps in between. Even so, I hope you can enjoy this new story!

I'll see you in the next chapter!