Interlude: An Old Ideal

"It's faint, but I can sense mana residue."

I watch my master stare up the closed off building. I was surprised when she told me we would be investigating the strange occurrences around Fuyuki, but I believe it to be a wise decision. During a grail war, any unusual occurrence tended to be connected in some way to mages. You can always discern something of a magus through their use of magecraft, so any information gleaned even after the fact was valuable.

"Meaning the gas leak explosion was no accident," Rin's hand clenches at her side. "I can't believe their involving outsiders."

I hold my tongue from mentioning her actions the previous night. Whether he was a master now or not, the boy had been an outsider when we chased after them. Allowing Lancer to dispatch him would have been preferable. Not that it mattered, as we still managed to lose sight of them.

Rin slips under the yellow tape and into the building with me following close behind. Despite the light streaming in through the windows, the building manages to be dark and oppressive. Paths lined out in the tile floors lead deeper into the building, and Rin begins to walk along them.

"The boy is going to be an issue later," I say as I stretch out my senses throughout the shadowy complex.

"So you keep telling me," Rin says dismissively. "As though I'm not already aware of that fact. The moment he arrived on my doorstep; I knew he would be an issue."

"Yet, you still took him in. We could have removed a dangerous obstacle easily. A Saber can be a most troublesome adversary."

"Are you afraid, Archer?" she asks in a somewhat mocking tone.

"I am simply advising my master on the best course of action," I calmly reply. "Whether or not she acts on it is up to her."

I'm certain it's impossible to raise an eyebrow in spirit form, but I feel I did when she let out a small laugh at my words.

"You sound like him," she says as she begins ascending a set of stairs.

I fall silent as we continue forward, Rin becoming solely focused on investigating the building.

"The flow is towards Ryuudo Temple?"

"Yes," Rin says as she gazes down at the emergency personal. "All that life force is flowing towards the mountains. Caster is most likely behinds all of the comas."

"So, there's a witch at the temple."

We'll have to be more cautious in how we play our hands. If Caster can draw in power from such a distance away, her influence must be spread out across the city.

"Then," I voice aloud. "It's likely she witnessed our battle with Lancer. We are fortunate it ended before we revealed too much."

"It seems Shirou's intervention helped more than we thought," she says thoughtfully as she turns to face me. "You are still able to sense Caster?"

"I am," I say as I narrow my eyes. "But I believe it would be wise to pull away for the moment. If she has already established herself so firmly, it will take more than power to defeat her."

"Maybe you're right," she walks past me. "But I cannot stand by and allow her to do as she wishes. We'll track her down and finish her before she can run back to the temple."

"You won't be satisfied until you pick a fight with her," I stand and face her. "But when a wounded master is at your doorstep, you welcome him in and care for him."

"I will not continue to have this argument with you, Archer," she glances over her shoulder at me. "To defeat him then would have been a poor excuse for victory."

"And had it been Lancer's master or Caster's master, would you have done the same," I retort.

She moves her eyes back over the rooftops.

"You're letting emotion cloud your judgement," I take a few steps closer. "Don't forget that he is just as much an enemy as Caster."

"I know that," her hair waved in the wind. "Which is why I will defeat him on my terms."

I open my mouth to speak further but close it immediately. Now is not the time for this. I walk up beside her and pick her up, leaping from the roof. Rin faces forward as I dutifully follow the trail Caster left leading us toward Ryuudo Temple.

Shirou Kotomine. Such a small change, yet, I can already see the differences for myself. The boy and Rin weren't nearly as close from what little I recall. He didn't even receive the pendant on that night.

I bound across the rooftops and eventually the bridge as the trail of mana leads me onward. As I suspected, we are too late to stop Caster from retreating to safety. However, there is still merit in investigating the temple. Any information we can glean about the witch will be useful.

Imagine my surprise when we find the boy and his servant descending the stairs leading to the temple. Landing on a building a short distance away, I place Rin on the roof.

"Why is he here of all places," she muses aloud.

"Perhaps the same reason as you. Is he capable of sensing the flow of mana as you are?"

"Not to nearly the same degree," she places her hand to her chin. "Something as subtle as Caster's draining should be beyond him."

As she continues watching them make their way to the street, something odd brushes against my senses. An additional presence skulking about the area. They're doing an excellent job at concealing themselves, as I'm barely able to register them. That presence proceeds to be overshadowed by the immense pressure coming from the road.

I direct my eyes toward the source and am suddenly filled with a familiar dread I have not felt in a long time. Seems there are some things not even time can sweep away.

A young girl in purple stands next to what would have been a behemoth of a man. The servant towers over her easily, remaining motionless like a statue save for the wafts of steam curling from its mouth.

Rin takes notice of the new figures as well, but I remain focused on finding our hidden observer. The overwhelming power the new arrival is giving off, though, makes this a near impossibility.

Surrendering to the inevitable, I push that strange feeling from my mind, and the servant that could only be Berserker lets out a bellow as it chargs.

The boy is tossed aside by Saber before she is overtaken by the servant. The shockwaves blast over the distance between us, Rin drawing an arm up to her eyes. Under her arm, she focuses her eyes on the boy, her lips becoming a thin line.

Without a word, I project my bow and draw an arrow back, taking aim at the dueling servants.

"No," Rin lowered her arm, hair still whipping around behind her. "Not yet."

My vision narrows, but my hands let the bowstring return to its starting position, remaining there in anticipation.

The girl is now standing over the boy as the combatants ravage the street around them. She's saying something, but I'm unable to make out anything more than that. The boy's face is calm in spite of his precarious position, and he appears to be holding conversation with her. Rin's neutral expression twitches slightly when the girl appears to let out a laugh.

The warriors rush past them as the boy creates a spear and pulls himself up. Rin appears unsurprised by this, meaning this isn't an unfamiliar sight. He's farther along than I thought.

The boy reaches out his hand to the girl, with her responding in kind. She then finds herself being yanked forward as the boy releases the spear. They spin, the boy wrapping his right arm around her as his other holds a long blade to her neck.

If I didn't know better, I'd think the boy was intentionally trying to mess with me.

Rin stares with unabashed interest at the exchange, her eyes transfixed on the two masters. I have to wonder what's going through her head as she watches.

Then, as quickly as it had occurred, the hold was broken. The girl steps away before turning back to face the boy, exchanging a few more words we are unable to hear.

The servants still battling a distance away ceased as Berserker suddenly turns and rushes over toward his master.

"Archer!" Rin commands, a tremor of worry lining the word.

I bring the bow up and draw the arrow once more. I take quick aim at the servant that stopped in front of his master. My fingers begin to slip from the string before another presence washes over me. I whirl and loose an arrow to my left. The arrow flies through a strange shimmer in the air, and the presence vanishes. It wasn't the same presence as before. How many servants were watching this fight?

"What were you firing at?" caution and annoyance mix in her words as she briefly glances where I had fired.

"We aren't the only observers tonight," I nock another arrow and take aim once more. Both Berserker and his master are walking past the boy and Saber, the latter of which loops her master's arm over her shoulders. I'm tempted to fire but know I can't mask it behind collateral damage.

I release both bow and arrow back into my marble.

"Not that it matters now," Rin turns her attention back to the duo making their way down the road. "Unless you can follow them."

"Whoever they are, they've concealed themselves well," I cast my gaze across the rooftops. "Perhaps Assassin was planning to take advantage of the conflict."

Rin doesn't reply, continuing to watch the two figures walking away. Finally, she speaks.

"Let's go home, Archer."

I open an eye as Rin shuts the door to the sitting room.

"You are far shrewder than I anticipated, Master," I tell her as she walks past. "I did not expect you to lie so directly to him."

"He didn't need to know we were there," she continues toward the stairs. "It would have only made him more cautious of what he shared. Like his father, he seems to enjoy informing others of what they are unaware of and, conversely, concealing what they could be aware of."

I glance at the closed door as I follow Rin to the stairway. Without Kiritsugu, just what had been imparted to that boy?

"I suppose you speak from experience," I keep a few paces behind her. "From what I understand, he raised you as well."

"That man didn't raise me or Shirou," she places her hand on the banister, her tone gaining a slight edge. "He acted as our guardian and played the role accordingly, nothing more. We raised each other."

Her grip tightens slightly before she moves up the stairs.

"Even so, sometimes I see too much of him in Shirou. If it weren't for his heart, I'm not sure they'd be any different."

I remain at the base of the steps as Rin turns at the top toward her room.

"I expect something to be waiting for me when I wake up," the sharp undertone vanishes from her voice. "Don't disappoint me, Archer."

She disappears down the second-floor hallway, leaving me alone once more.

Rin's view of the boy may be skewed, but what she said still intrigued me. The boy seems to take after his father, no matter who they are. Yet, there is still a chance he could walk down the same path and perpetuate the cycle. Perpetuate the suffering. Even knowing that, a part of me falters at the thought, urging me to hold my blade.

I've waited so long, and now, all I want to do is wait longer.

"What a hypocrite."

I stare carefully at the placid looking school. The bounded field is beyond anything a magus could create, barring a select few. The power and intricate weaving of magic flowing through the barrier separating the school from reality could only be the work of a noble phantasm.

I could think of two ways to bypass this issue. Rin could call me into the field with a command spell, however, Saber has already been summoned by her master. It would leave Rin with only one command seal, and it's possible I may be unneeded. Even so, I find I cannot simply stand by and wait while my master remains in danger. That only left one option, but that brought on its own issue. Namely…

"Having trouble, Archer?"

I turn halfway to the origin of the sultry voice. A woman wrapped in deep purple robes that hid her form stands a few meters away, a small smile on the only visible part of her body.

I project the married blades into my hands.

"No need for such unpleasantness, Archer," she coos reassuringly, magic lacing her words. "Not when I've come to offer assistance."

"I have no patience for your tricks, witch," I point Bakuya toward her throat. "Take your aid elsewhere."

"Such hostility," she glides forward and brushes a gloved finger across the sword's length. "Yet, you have the patience to leave your master in danger."

"Be grateful it takes priority over you," I face the school, leaving my back exposed. "Now leave before I'm forced to change that."

I await the attack, already preparing the possible counters I could use. Instead, the servant continues speaking.

"Such a powerful bounded field," the magic faded from her tone. "It's almost a Reality Marble, but its anchor in this world prevents it from reaching such levels. How disappointing."

She silently moves up beside me, running a finger over the unseen barrier surrounding the school.

"If that anchor were to be destroyed, this entire field would collapse. Unfortunately, it lies beyond this boundary line."

I glare at her out the corner of my eye.

"I see you've taken my meaning. It would be quite difficult and time-consuming to break through the field here, but if one were to destroy the anchor…"

"I assume you have more to offer than words," I give the servant a scowl, knowing what was coming next.

Caster flows over to me, drawing her hand over my shoulders.

"It's possible I would be able to deal with your little issue, but…"

Her lips draw closely to my ear.

"I would need something in return."

She moves away, floating along the boundary line.

"It wouldn't be anything inconvenient for you. I simply desire a favor to be redeemed at my discretion. Nothing that would place your master in harm's way, of course."

She stretches out an arm from her robe and, with a minor visual effort, passes it through the barrier.

"Saber is already within the field," I tell her, wanting to see her reaction. "I doubt Rider is capable of defeating such a powerful opponent."

"Perhaps," she replaces her arm in the robe. "But are you aware of what Rider has been up to the last few days? With the mana they have stored up, I worry for the safety of the children within. Will Saber be able to protect them both?"

I fall silent as I consider her words. Her hood peers at the clear sky above the school.

"You had best decide quickly, Archer," the corners of her mouth rose slightly. "I believe something troublesome is about to occur."

The witch has me in a bind. Even if I reject her offer, she will continue to watch me. I can't very well give away such an advantage so easily. Then, there was Rider. Absorbing mana from civilians would certainly boost a servant's power, but would it be enough to engage a Saber in direct combat? No. There are plenty of open spaces within the school for the servant to evade such frontal conflict. This led to the power of Caster's position. Under these circumstances, could Saber protect them both, or would she prioritize her master? More accurately, could I take that chance?

Either choice would be to our disadvantage down the line, but one offered more opportunities than the other.

"I assume you have a favor in mind," I probe the servant.

"Not quite," her body blurres momentarily as she moves past the barrier. "It could be today, could be tomorrow, but soon, I'm sure I'll think of something."

Caster vanishes in a cloud of purple dust.

"I'll be watching, Archer."

A soft laugh fills the air as the dust faded into nothing.

"I'm certain you will be," I can't stop a smirk from lighting on my lips. "But how much will you miss?"

"You want to help me practice?"

"I want to see," I lowered Bakuya. "How far you have to go."

The boy gives me a curious look. I don't expect him to understand what I mean. It wouldn't matter if he did.

"You saw it, didn't you? The history of the weapon."

I watch as the words work through his mind until I see comprehension cross his face. I act in that moment, tossing Bakuya into the air before charging. I wrap his collar in my hand, hurling him back toward where I had been. The boy rolls to a stop under the blade, dodging away as he realizes the danger.

I bound over the distance, slamming my boot into his stomach to send him careening further over the lawn. I retrieve Bakuya from where it had been impaled.

"You claim that I am a failure, but you can't even grasp your own power."

To prove my point for me, he projects more black keys into his hands. Even with it laid out before him, he's unable to grasp the truth.

I cross over and continue my assault, striking faster than he could reasonably be expected to block. I can see the mana pulsing in his arms with every clash, barely allowing him to keep up. The moment it becomes clear how unsuited his weapons are for this battle, I drive the blade in.

"You say you're not a burden," I slam the married swords into his keys, digging them into the steel. "You say you're going to win this war. You say you're going to defeat Rin. How can you do that when you can't even fight back?"

I drive him to his knees before shattering his blades, spinning to bash Bakuya's pommel into his unguarded shoulder and send him tumbling across the grass.

"Weren't you the one who said you can accomplish anything without drive?" I taunt him further. "Then show me!"

No matter his origin, Shirou will always be pushed by his own weakness. The only way he can become stronger is if he's shown how lacking he is. It's the only way he knows how to learn.

Your greatest enemy is yourself. Your only option is to overcome him.

I rush the boy once more, blades gleaming as I bring them down. I know the moment he says the words.

"Trace, On!"

Mirror images of the swords in my hands clash with mine in a barrage of light and sound. Blow for blow, the blades move in tandem with each other, meeting and parting in a deadly dance of steel. His immediate understanding of the blades is proof of his progress, but his eyes would have been enough.

It soon fades back into the cold calculation that pervades his eyes the majority of the time, but I see it. The determination to overcome. The will to reach beyond human limits for a goal. The very thing that would always be the ruin of Shirou.

Even in this cracked mirror, one thing reflects perfectly.

The boy parries a strike and bounces back, throwing his Bakuya whirling past me. Aware of what he's attempting, I slash my Bakuya, causing him to block the attack. I spin with another slash from Kanshou and knock the offending blade from the air before it could find its place in my back. I ready my knee as I turn back and drive it into his chest, forcing him to collapse to his knees.

I look down at the boy, his jaw clenched with pain. I feel it well inside me. Now was the time. Saber couldn't stop me, not before it was too late.

"You're farther along than I thought."

He looks up at me, eyes strangely unconcerned.

"But not far enough," and you'll go no farther.

He starts pushing himself up, but Bakuya is already poised over him

I tighten my grip and prepare to end this cycle, but, for the briefest instant, I hesitate. He stares me down as I act, and the calculation is gone. For a moment, I see something not even the eternity that swallowed me could wipe away.

His eyes are voids, uncaring of life or death, simply consuming anything they could. The will, the essence of he who would become a Hero of Justice, was there, but it was without guidance. It pushed forward, drove him to become better, but had nothing it sought. It continued without purpose, a machine that worked because that's all it knew. A machine that would eventually drive itself into the ground.

Without a dream, Shirou is just a machine. I know that better than anyone.

Then, it's gone, and his eyes tell me he's determining if he can avoid my attack, but he can't. Bakuya plunges toward him, the white blade finally about to find its way into his flesh.

"That's enough, Archer!"

I halt the sword a hair's breadth before it pierces his shoulder. I raise my gaze to Rin a few meters away, glaring coldly in my direction.

"Don't you have chores you should be doing?" she asks as she walked toward us, her words making it clear it wasn't an actual question.

"You won't go farther than this," I dismiss the swords as I speak. "If you don't know what you're fighting for."

I enter spirit form and trail silently off toward the house.

That hesitation was enough. It would be over if I hadn't hesitated. Why does a part of me insist on holding back?

"Dammit."

"How did you know, Archer?"

I consider whether or not to answer his question. By this point, the truth would serve no purpose. Even if he knew, it would be through the looking glass, separate and meaningless. Still, I find myself speaking.

"I knew a boy who was very much like you. A thickheaded and foolish boy who believed that, if he was strong enough, he could use his power to save others."

I tilt my head back, the hazy remnants of memories flitting through my mind.

"However, unlike that boy, I don't believe you have such lofty goals. Your want for power stems from a similar place, and even your reasons for seeking it are closely linked."

I open my eyes and stare at the boy who in turn watched me carefully.

"But where you truly differ is your drive. That boy was chasing after an impossible dream and was driven by his ideals until they broke him. What is it that drives you, Shirou Kotomine?"

I keep his gaze as he considers my words.

"A promise," his eyes aren't looking at me anymore. "That things can be better. That there's something worth fighting for."

I sigh, shaking my head.

"You may be more alike than I thought."

That same childish idealism…

"Well," I rise and move to the door. "If that is what you seek, then you must imagine a world where it is possible and make it reality. That is the only way you can ever hope to reach your goal."

A curious look is fixed on his face, but this is something I can't answer for him.

"I'll be waiting for you outside but be prepared to fight for your life."

I shut the door behind me, walking to the back door.

He won't become a hero. All the groundwork is there, but he's missing the one thing that would set him on that path. Even if I did kill him, nothing would change. I'd still be trapped in this cycle.

How cruel. The only thing I've ever truly wanted for myself dashed against the wall, just as before. That seems to be the fate of EMIYA.

"But what of Kotomine?" I muse to myself.

A promise that things can be better. The part of me that had been so hesitant before speaks aloud for the first time.

"I think I'd like to see that."

"Off to visit Berserker, are we?"

I glance across the roof to the servant that had just appeared. I was sensing someone following me, but it isn't her.

"I hope you're not planning on dying to get out of our agreement," she looks down at the taxi Rin is in. "I may have to take it out on your master if that happens."

The taxi starts moving again, and I begin leaping across buildings to follow.

"Not that I believe it will be an issue," she flies alongside me, her robes billowing through the air. "After all, what self-respecting hero would go back on his word?"

The other presence following me is almost certainly Lancer, as I doubt Assassin would be perceivable. It's impressive one of his class can conceal himself so well.

"However, I believe in protecting my investments."

She moves to hover in front of me, staying an arm's length away as I continue forward.

"Simply ask, and my power could be yours."

"As tempting as that sounds," I land on the roof's edge as the taxi comes to a red light. "This offer I must decline."

"There's no need to be concerned," she orbits around me slowly. "Just a few minor improvements, that's all. I won't even ask for another favor."

"Of course not," I say dryly to the witch. "After all, you'd only be helping yourself."

"You make it sound like such a bad thing," she brushes a finger against my shoulder as she circles, mana rushing through my circuits.

I bat the hand away, glaring at her mildly surprised face.

"I will be the one to kill you."

She lets out a small laugh at my words.

"I'm certain you'll try," she glances down at the taxi. "But that's for another day. Don't disappoint me, Archer."

Purple shards fell through the air, and she was gone.

I'm fairly certain that was enough, and Lancer proves me correct by moving away as well, his vague presence vanishing.

Whether Caster was aware of him as well didn't matter. If Lancer was following her, it meant his master was finally making his moves. If they were acting, the end of this war was near.

I had one more part to play. After that, it'd be up to them.

"Be prepared, Shirou Kotomine," I begin leaping after the car heading towards my second battle of the war.

My world is made out of swords.

A world of rusted and broken steel under an endless white horizon. My Hell between Hells.

Nothing changes in this world set outside of time, tucked away beyond sight. A ruined canvas that forever teeters on the verge of collapse. The only monument to the one called EMIYA.

And yet, this time, something feels different. Neither tangible enough to be seen nor ethereal enough to go unnoticed. A feeling of something new, something small. That's all it is.

It is likely this feeling will either fade away or become routine to the point it once more goes forgotten, but, so long as it remains, I take comfort in the knowledge that there was change in this eternal world.

Then, I feel the familiar pull. The calling that I cannot refuse. The burden I am unable to bear but must. Perhaps, another time will come when I can escape, but, until that day, only one thing is certain.

The cycle turns. Fate repeats. Only I remain stagnant.

What greater hypocrisy is there?