Fate Coiling Sword Chapter 48 (Patreon)

Not fully beta read yet.

Made some changes to the fight scene in chapter 47 along with dialogue rework between Rider and Shirou.

Next update is An Archer's Promise.

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-???-

The first thing to register was the dryness. It was a physical presence, a thirst that permeated the air itself, so absolute it felt like it was draining the moisture from one's very bones.

Before one's eyes, the wasteland stretched endlessly, a canvas of cracked, lifeless earth under a sky choked with thick clouds and smog. There was no sun, only a perpetual, oppressive eerie twilight that offered neither warmth nor hope. This place was a monument to futility, a landscape that held no meaning, served no purpose, other than to be a reminder of what he faced every passing day.

This was made more apparent by the ocean of the dead that covered the ground, bodies stacked upon one another in grotesque piles, thousands of swords piercing their backs like iron markers on a mass grave — a world devoid of all life but one.

He stood amidst the carnage, a figure of stark cloaked in a bellowing white against the grey and brown. With a sword held high, he brought it down, the blade sinking into the body beneath him with a wet thud. It was a motion he had repeated countless times, so many that he had lost count. His expression never changed once, having accepted the outcome. Trudging across the sea of corpses, his boots sinking into the blood-soaked ground, each step as dry and devoid of emotion as the last.

He worked and worked, striving for greatness even though he was ordinary… finally achieving his miracle as he bled.

She wondered what went through his mind, regret? Hatred? Sadness? No, he went through them all countless times. Eclipsing all thoughts with enough emotions and questions that an answer no longer held any meaning.

For a split second, the world of bodies and swords flickered, replaced by the roar of infernos. Buildings were engulfed in flames that seemed to burn with the fires of hell itself, their skeletal frames collapsing into showers of sparks and ash. The air, thick with the stench of death and smoke and just like the wasteland, there was no living soul to be found. A small child, his frame swallowed by an oversized shirt, his form seeming impossibly fragile against the backdrop of apocalyptic ruin.

In this nightmarish vision, he continued to march across the hellscape… that much had not changed.

The past served nothing more than just a reminder just like the wasteland around him as well. Dreams born from despair, in a way, he had achieved that goal. He had to be happy or all of that would have been a lie.

She hated it.

He drove the blade into another fallen form, his voice a hoarse whisper that barely carried over the silent wasteland haunted by the sound of flames bleeding into this reality. Both figures, young and old, stand there aimlessly with their future bleak. Both forms of acceptance and defiance meshing into one another until two distinct phrases were whispered.

"I want to live."

"I am the b̸o̵n̶e̷ ̵o̸f̴ ̴m̴y̴ ̴s̶w̸o̷r̶d̶.̴”

If he could make so many people smile, then would he be able to smile like him?

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“Ah!”

With a sudden gasp, Sakura’s eyes shot open. She was in her room, the familiar sight of her ceiling a stark contrast to the nightmare that had just consumed her. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and a cold sweat clung to her skin. She sat up, pressing a palm to her forehead as she tried to recall the lingering images of death and despair.

Yet nothing came but the constant sound of the clock next to her bedstand ticking by.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood and walked out into the living room, rubbing her temples to ward off the lingering headache.

A plate of toast and a cup of tea sat waiting for her on the low table. "How long was I sleeping?" she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep. Her gaze drifted to the window, where the low position of the sun made it clear it was already late in the afternoon.

"You've been asleep for about half a day," a calm voice stated from beside her. She didn't need to look to know who it was. Archer materialized at her side, his arms crossed as he regarded her with his usual unreadable expression. "You exhausted yourself last night. It was only natural you'd sleep in.”

“I didn't feel like I did a lot…”

Archer watched her, his gaze unwavering. "While one can see progress by constantly pushing themselves," he began with an informative tone that sounded no different to a teacher lecturing his student, "doing so is no different from wielding a double-edged sword. Go beyond your limit, and you'll find it brings more harm than good. Magecraft in itself is no different to a dance with death itself, one wrong step and everything comes apart. Sometimes patience is the key and solution one of them misses. Oh and plenty of rest."

Sakura’s shoulders tensed, and she shook her head, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "I can't stop," she insisted, her voice tight with a trace of desperation. "I can't afford to be as useless as I was before."

"Humph! What a determined Master I have, but you are mistaken. That is highly unlikely to happen with me by your side," he countered smoothly. "And as a Master with an Archer-class Servant, the last thing we need to do is confront an enemy head-on. Strategy, not brute force, will see us through this."

She fell silent at that, a difficult, conflicted expression settling on her face. Her hand rose to her chest, pressing flat against the fabric of her shirt over her heart. "It... it hasn't reacted," she said, her voice barely a whisper, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. She quickly shook her head, as if to physically dislodge the thought. "Anyway, have you done what I asked?"

The Servant gave a slight shrug. "I made sure to perfectly scour the city and the ruins," he reported. "I took care of every last bug to ensure nothing slipped my notice — though it appears someone also went about doing the same thing. Now, eat. We can talk about business later. You need your nutrients, and you cannot protect anyone on an empty stomach."

Sakura gave a tired nod, accepting the logic. She picked up a piece of toast and took a small bite, her eyes following as Archer turned and walked toward the kitchen. "What are you doing?" she called after him.

"Just preparing something extra," his voice floated back. "I fear the food I left on the table will not suffice in quelling your hunger after your training."

For the first time that afternoon, a blush crept up Sakura's neck. "D-do I look like that big of an eater?" she stammered, flustered.

"It's mostly because of your practice," he replied calmly, his back still to her as he began to chop vegetables on a cutting board. The rhythmic thunk of the knife filled the small apartment they had settled in temporarily for now. Sakura watched him from the living room, the steady, confident way he stood, the precise motion of his hands. For a moment, another figure superimposed itself over Archer's form — a younger, red-headed silhouette, one that made her heart ache from being away from him for so long.

'No. Stop it, Sakura. You're getting distracted again.'

She shook her head quickly, giving her cheek a light slap to clear the unwelcome vision. "What about the other task?" she asked, her voice a little too loud in an effort to cover her momentary lapse.

"The boy has been doing mostly well," Archer said, not missing a beat. "He's even formed an alliance with Lancer's Master. They will be preparing to look for you, most likely. Though I will say I was almost caught by Rider, she is quite a perceptive woman." He paused in his chopping. "It's most likely they'll start by dealing with Caster's Master first."

Sakura looked up, surprised. "Why would they go there?"

Archer turned his head slightly, giving her a sidelong glance. "It is nothing more than mere guesswork," he admitted. "A prediction based on you telling me the boy already faced Caster. He might believe the attack on the Matou mansion had something to do with her. After all, that kind of destruction can easily be achieved by either an Archer or a Caster-class Servant."

"It wasn't Caster," Sakura stated firmly.

"And they wouldn't know that," Archer replied, his full attention now on her. He leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. "Whoever that person was might be inside the city at this point. They had a goal, and it wasn't aimed at me or you, but at Zouken. Why, I'm not sure, but it's a possibility you need to keep in mind."

"I... I don't know who it could be," Sakura said, her brow furrowed in worry. "But I remember the face my grandfather made at the end. And the few words he mentioned... about someone being persistently trying to get inside the town. I've never seen him that worried before." She hugged herself. "It must be another dangerous person with a Servant."

"We might find something in the ruins," Archer suggested. "Not all of the mansion was completely burnt down. Some of the areas below are still intact."

"My grandfather has a lot of collections concerning his own magecraft and other mages from around the world," Sakura murmured, "but I never checked them out."

"It would be a good advantage to know more about our enemy," Archer agreed. "But I will leave the final decision to you, Master.”

Sakura nodded, until she looked at one of the rooms near the kitchen to see an empty bedroom without the soul inside. “I wonder how he is doing.” She said, that place originally belonged to none other than her Shinji. Ever since their confrontation against Zouken, The boy had become uncharacteristically silent and barely uttered a word ever since they found this place to reside in temporarily. She suspected something must have happened between him and Archer given how terrified he looked even when she just stood next to him.

Been asking the heroic spirit if he did something, the answer she got was surprisingly simple.

“I merely reminded him that I am your Servant and not anyone else's, any individuals or action I perceive as dangerous to you can and will lead me to erase them as soon as it appears. We wouldn't want him to start ordering me around now, would we? Don't worry, I did not scare him, he's not worth my time.” So he said, but it really felt like there was more to that story than he let on.

Given a few days later, Shinji suddenly slammed his hands on the table and exclaimed that he could not take this any longer before storming out of the house. And when she tried to approach him, he kept screaming at her to stay away and she had no choice but to do so.

Where he went, if he was doing well or not… All of these questions she had no answers to.

“I hope he is okay.” After finishing her food, she stood up. "Alright," she said. "Let's head outside."

With a silent nod, Archer's form dissolved into shimmering particles, vanishing from sight as he entered his spiritual form, Sakura stepped out of the apartment, the cool afternoon air doing a lot to lift up her mood. Pulling her jacket tighter around herself and began the familiar walk toward the outskirts of town, where the skeletal remains of the Matou mansion could be found.

The Church had not touched the place after putting out the fire, so she hoped some belongings would still be there. Her path took her through a shopping district and was just about to turn onto the quieter residential road that would lead her home when a group of familiar figures caught her eye.

“A-Ah, really? That's so awesome! Are you sure I can have it?” They were gathered near a fountain, a handful of girls still wearing their high school uniform around a man who stood with an expression of such absolute, arrogant confidence that bordered on arrogance even.

The first thing Sakura noticed was the blonde hair that seemed to catch the sunlight, and he was dressed in fine, expensive branded clothes that even she recognized from afar.

“But of course, take this as a reward for making me laugh, woman! Not many can claim to have accomplished such a task and thus you should feel honored!”

“Super honored!”

Aside from the tanned girl talking to him energetically, the moment her eyes landed on him, a profound chill swept across Sakura’s body, a cold that had nothing to do with the temperature.

‘Master.’ Archer’s voice was a low whisper in her mind. ‘I'd advise you not to stay around this person for long.’

"Is... is he a Servant?" she asked, her own mental voice trembling slightly.

‘I do not feel the presence of a Servant,’ Archer replied with an uncertain tone. "But he is not a normal human… something about him is off. It would be best for us to leave. Now."

Sakura nodded, already taking a hesitant step back, ready to melt into the crowd and disappear. But just as she was about to turn away, a cheerful voice called out her name. "Eh? Is that you, Sakura!"

“Eh—?”

She froze, her heart sinking.

Turning to see Ayako waving at her, a bright smile on her face. Dressed in casual jeans and a light hoodie, she looked completely at ease — unlike the anxious purple haired girl. The fomer approached, her expression shifting to one of pleasant surprise as she drew closer. "I haven't seen you at school lately! Are you okay? Were you sick?"

"Just some... family matters," she managed to say, forcing a smile that felt brittle and fake. The unease from the blonde man was like a physical weight pressing in on her. She could feel his bored gaze sweeping over her for a brief moment. "H-How have you been, Ayako-senpai?"

"I've been great!" The brunette chirped, oblivious to the tension. "Actually, we've been getting into some supernatural hunting stuff. You know, ghost hunting! We were just about to head out to this old spot. You should join us! It’d be fun!"

Sakura’s polite refusal was on the tip of her tongue. "I can't right now, I'm afraid. I'm a bit busy."

"Oh, that's a shame," Ayako said, her good cheer momentarily deflating. Her expression then soured as she glanced back at her friends. "Kaede! Stop gushing at the guy and making us late! We have to go!" She stomped over to the other group, where Kaede was indeed a blushing, stuttering mess, trying desperately to engage the impassive blonde man.

Now holding a jacket that looked similar to his with a look of pure ecstasy, an item whose worth exceeded that of gold in her eyes. Their other friend who Sakura recalled, Saegusa, stood by looking politely uncomfortable. Ayako grabbed Kaede by the ear, ignoring her yelp of protest. "Come on, we're leaving!"

“Ah shit, that hurts! B-Bye, oh wait, I didn't ask your nam—ouch! Not yet! Ayako~!”

“Shut up!”

As Ayako dragged her flustered friend away, the blonde man simply laughed, a rich, mocking sound. He flicked something golden and card-shaped toward Kaede, who fumbled to catch it even as she was being hauled off. Saegusa gave a quick, apologetic bow to the man before hurrying after the others. But before she completely left the area, the latter stopped in her tracks and looked back at Sakura — much to her confusion.

“Y-Yes?”

“Uh, Matou-san, I didn't know you also had friends interested in cosplaying.”

Everything turned silent, not out of fear but instead even more confusion than before from Sakura who got completely lost from that response. “Cos… play?”

“Eh, you don't know?” Saegusa tilted her head with her innocent eyes staring back, paralleling the reaction. And much to the purple haired woman, turned her attention behind her. “You should tell her more about it, mister! I know someone who also shares a similar interest!”

“Sae!”

“Coming~!”

She quickly left in a matter of seconds, the square was empty, leaving Sakura standing alone completely baffled and even facing the source of her dread. So caught up with the absurdity she just heard from someone who shouldn't have been able to see A Heroic Spirit, she missed the approaching figure of the man from earlier.

He began to walk toward her, muscles tensed, her hand instinctively moving to the hidden Command Seals on her hand. She felt her own magical energy begin to stir, a defensive, fearful reaction. This was it. A battle was about to happen, right here in the middle of the street.

But to her utter shock, he didn't stop. He simply walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers with an icy coldness that made her flinch. He paused for a half-second, his head turned slightly and his following words were laced with nothing but contempt and a chilling curiosity, washed over her. "Hoh. What a tainted little vessel we have here. You reek of curses and filth. I would advise you to kill yourself now, before you lose what little of yourself remains and become a walking calamity fit only to be put down."

“...”

The words struck her like a physical blow, shaking her to her very core. Yet she found herself unable to deny them, for a not so small part of her even agreed to it to some extent. How he could see through her secret, hard to tell but it made him that much more terrifying. Before she could even process them, before she could gasp or question how he knew, a strong arm wrapped around her waist. “Ah!” The world blurred as Archer materialized, yanking her backward with impossible speed. They landed a dozen meters away, and Sakura found herself standing behind him, his red-clad form a solid, protective wall between her and the monster.

The blonde man didn't even turn around.

He simply glanced over his shoulder with his crimson eyes, a look of profound amusement on his face. "Futile," he scoffed, his voice dripping with condescension. "If I so desired to raise a hand, mongrel, your little swords would do nothing to stop me." He sighed dramatically. "But I did not come here to fight. The King is in a generous mood today. I shall spare your insolence. For now." With that, he turned and continued walking, his figure eventually disappearing into the crowd without a backward glance.

Sakura watched him go, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Archer... is he... is he a Servant?" she asked again, her voice a whisper.

"Whether he is a Servant or not is irrelevant," Archer stated. "He is dangerous. That is all you need to know."

They made the rest of the journey to the Matou property in silence. The sight of the burned-out husk of her home brought no comfort, but this place also held no fond memories for the young girl. The two of them began to sift through the charred debris and blackened wreckage of the main hall.

“Hold on,” Archer touched the floor with Sakura feeling a very faint echo of magical energy spreading across the area. "There," he said, pointing to a section of the floor that had collapsed into a dark hole. "The passage to the worm pit should be directly beneath that. The reinforced room is nearby."

She nodded and began to work, only for him to take care of the debris before her hands could even get covered in soot or grime. After several minutes of pulling away burnt beams and shattered floorboards, they found it: a heavy, steel-reinforced door, scorched but miraculously intact. "Step back," Archer commanded. Sakura did as she was told, and with a single, powerful kick, he sent the door flying inward, revealing the darkness beyond.

She emerged a few minutes later, her arms laden with a heavy stack of leather-bound tomes. "These will be useful," she said, setting them down when she noticed Archer’s posture change.

“Hm?”

His head snapped to the side, his entire body going rigid as his gaze fixed on the distant sight of the city. "Archer? What is it? What's going on?"

He didn't look at her, his focus absolute. "I sensed a Servant," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "And they're close."

Sakura’s eyes widened. "You said... you said they were going to investigate Caster's Master right? That they believe Caster might be involved with the attack on the mansion," she recalled, her voice tight. "Is that them?”

"We can't be sure from this distance," Archer said, his gaze still locked on the distant cityscape. "The signature is faint but there is definitely a fight going on there with several mages."

"Then let's go check," she insisted, taking a step forward. "Together—ah!"

"You will stay here," he commanded with his hand grabbing onto her back collar and gently pulling back the girl like a parent restraining their child. “It would not be wise for to be present there in case Caster or worse, another enemy Servant were to be present. I'll be forced to focus on you instead of your little crush, Master. So best you stay underneath where it's safer.”

“....”

Sakura hesitated, her hand clenching at her side, unwilling to be left behind. Archer seemed to sense her defiance.

"You can always look through my eyes like last time. In fact, it's much better this way, you won't get in my way. Don't move." Before she could respond, his form dissolved into the air, vanishing from sight.

An instant later, Sakura’s perspective shifted after she concentrated on their connection as Master and Servant. A new scene appeared before her eyes as the ground fell away, and she was soaring high above the city, the wind whipping past a face that wasn't her own. Standing atop a tall communications tower, the entire sprawl of Fuyuki laid out below Archer like a map. "The commotion seems to be coming from a mansion nearby," Archer’s voice echoed in her mind.

He leaped, and the world blurred again as he landed on the roof of a smaller building, giving them a clear, unobstructed view of the distant estate. Sakura focused, her mind aligning with his enhanced vision. 'How does that count as nearby?' she thought, the mansion looking like a tiny speck from their vantage point.

"Heh, impressed? I never had the opportunity to showcase to you why I'm an Archer class, not that I can blame you. As you may suspect, I have better eyesight than most Servants," Archer replied, a hint of dry amusement. "Now let's focus on what's actually going on."

Sakura followed his gaze and her breath caught. The mansion wasn't just under attack; it was being torn apart from the inside. Explosions bloomed from its windows, sending plumes of smoke and debris into the air. "Are you aware of that place?" he asked.

"No, unfortunately," she answered, her heart starting to pound.

Then, she gasped. Three figures burst from the front doors, sprinting across the manicured lawn. Even from this distance, she recognized them instantly. Shirou. Rin and… another blonde haired beautiful woman who she recognized being a person associated with him. They were chasing after a fourth person, a man in a white suit. "It doesn't seem like this person is Caster's Master," Archer observed with an analytical tone. "Nor does he appear to have a Master himself, or he would have already called his Servant to aid him."

A wave of relief washed over Sakura. "Then... they should be safe," she whispered.

But her relief was short-lived. As she watched, the man they were chasing suddenly stopped. He raised a hand, and a sickening purple light enveloped Rin with her actions becoming extremely worrisome. "Archer!" she cried out. "Can you help them?"

"They are within my range," he stated calmly. "I should be capable."

Raising his hand, his bow came into existence. Sakura watched through his eyes as he pulled back the string, raising his other hand. But then, he stopped, his eyes narrowed, and rather than an arrow like she expected to appear — what came instead turned out to be a new weapon. Materialized above his hand, a spiraling, drill-like sword that had nothing to showcase it could even be fired as an arrow. He placed the sword against the bowstring before pulling it, the sheer strength behind his action making the bow creak ever so slightly.

A thick red miasma surrounded him. "I have a clear shot."

Just as he was about to lose the projectile when something unexpected happened. The green-haired woman who had been by the white suited man's side moved and struck him with a knife. Giving Shirou enough time to intervene.

But before any celebration could begin, Archer’s gaze snapped upward. Above the mansion, where Shirou, Rin, and Luvia were now standing, a massive, complex spell was forming in the air. It was a vortex of pure magical energy, crackling with destructive power. "That's Caster," Archer stated.

"Archer!" Sakura screamed his name, a fresh wave of terror gripping her heart at the enormous amount of energy gathering within that spell.

"I know what to do." He didn't hesitate. Changing his target, he released the string.

Whoosh!

The crimson spiral sword launched from the bow, not as a physical object but as a streak of twisted energy. Crossing the great distance between him and the mansion in less than a second, an attack that didn't aim for Caster for her form had not appeared, but for the spell itself. It struck the vortex just as it began to fire, and the resulting detonation was silent from where he stood until the sound wave finally reached him a less than a dozen of seconds later but lit up the sky with a blinding flash.

Archer watched as the dust and magical energy settled. "That boy is still alive," he scoffed, a mix of annoyance and something else in his voice that resembled disappointment. "I'd best return to you, Master. It's not safe to keep you alone for too long with Caster nearby." He vanished, but not before leaving a few parting words to the empty air. "By the way, Master, it would be best if you avoided that girl from earlier who saw me — if you don't want her to get dragged into this.”

{Break}

The world faded back into existence slowly, the ringing in his ears a painful counterpoint to the spots dancing in his vision. Shirou blinked, the white afterimage of the blast slowly resolving into the smoke-filled courtyard. He was still on his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around the unconscious woman, Reika. His body was a ball of frayed nerves, every muscle screaming in protest, yet he was alive. They were alive.

He let out a shaky sigh of relief that felt like it was dredged up from the bottom of his soul. He looked up at the silent, stoic figure of his Servant who stood before him along with Lancer, both staring up at the sky with a stern look. "Rider…?"

"It wasn't me," stated the Servant. “How are you?”

“Fine, I didn't get injured. The explosion nearly swept me away but I kept myself grounded thankfully enough. But if this wasn't you then…” his gaze snapped past her to where Rin and Luvia were picking themselves up, both looking equally bewildered. "It wasn't us either!" Rin said, brushing dust off her skirt.

Lancer, however, then looked off in a completely different direction, a smirk playing on his lips. "Seems we've got an ally who's too shy to show themselves," he mumbled, mostly to himself and his Master who grew curious at that statement.

"Can you track whoever it was?" Rin demanded.

"Nah, can't do that," Lancer replied with a shrug. "They disappeared at the same time as Caster. Smart move. Also, he was standing very far away, the moment we reached that place, not even a trace would remain for me to use to track him down. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, tracking is not my main strength but I can manage."

“No, it's fine. If it's not an enemy then we shouldn't antagonize them for no reason.”

“You're the boss.”

While those two were talking, Shirou then looked down at the woman in his arms. Reika had fallen completely limp, her head lolling against his shoulder. Rin and Luvia walked to his side, their expressions a mixture of relief and exhaustion. "This night turned out to be quite eventful," Luvia commented, dabbing at her brow with a pristine handkerchief that was now smudged with soot.

"You can say that again," he agreed, his voice rough. "What should we do now?"

"It would be best for us to leave this place first," the blonde said pragmatically. “It's too soon to lower our guards. There's nothing to say that Caster won't shoot another one of those spells again at any time.”

"Fair point. But… uh, what about the children?" Shirou countered immediately, his gaze drifting toward the main building. "I'm not leaving them here."

Rin sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll handle it. I'll get Kotomine to arrange for their care through the Church. It's the best we can do for now."

A wave of pure relief washed over Shirou. "Really? Thank you, Tohsaka." He carefully shifted his hold on Reika and started to walk back inside, only to be stopped by two pairs of hands on his shoulders. He turned to find both Rin and Luvia giving him deeply suspicious looks.

"Where, exactly, are you bringing her?" Rin asked, her voice dangerously low.

"Back to my house?" The redhead answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Both girls suddenly fixed him with a dry, unimpressed stare, looking at each other before sighing in perfect, weary unison. "I'm almost not surprised," Rin murmured to herself.

"Is this a normal thing for him?" Luvia asked curiously, only to get a frustrated nod from her business partner. The latter’s eyebrow twitching along with her forced smile.

"You don't know the rest of it. Bringing home every random girl he saves is not a first for him."

The way they were wording that sounded extremely wrong, looking completely flustered, Shirou shot back, "This is a first! I don't just bring random girls home! I mean, I don't—"

"Sakura," Rin said simply.

The name shut him up completely. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he desperately tried to think of a comeback.

"Gray," Rider added from behind him, her tone completely deadpan.

Rin came with another critical hit and easily tore through any defense or protest he had left by just pointing her finger at herself and saying a single word. “Me.”

Okay, that was just unfair but against these girls ganging up on him, offering any more resistance would not work in his favor and just worsen the situation. Thus, his shoulders slumped in total defeat. "Okay, fine, I get it."

Luvia fanned her face with a dramatic flourish. "My, my. I should have called you the last time I was in trouble. Tell me, Sherou, will you be a good host when bringing me back to your humble abode?"

"Oh, shut up and move," Rin grumbled, though a small blush was creeping up her own neck.

“Look, it's just for a day, until she wakes up. Then we can figure out where to go from there." He paused, then added, "Unless either of us is willing to keep her?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before both Rin and Luvia went silent, suddenly finding the burnt-out scenery intensely fascinating. "It's... a bit hard to have someone else live with us at the moment," Luvia said awkwardly. "Even for a day."

"Right. I also can't bring hers since it is not a place I bring anyone randomly and I can't risk having my workshop infiltrated by a random woman." Rin agreed, clearing her throat. "Problem solved, then. You can keep her."

With that settled, Shirou walked back into the mansion, the two girls and Rider following. They saw the full aftermath of their battle. The bodies of the men who had been guarding the estate were scattered about, but despite his best efforts not to kill them, he expected there would be casualties, especially with two true mages fighting alongside him. "You two went light on them," he noted, looking at the precise, non-lethal wounds on many of the fallen.

"I noticed you specifically tried not to aim for any vital areas," Luvia said with a hint of pride. “So I figured why not do the same myself.”

He looked between them. "I was told that mages are taught not to frown at the concept of death, whether it's their own or when dealing with others. I'm just surprised you held back."

The blonde sighed. "While you're not entirely wrong about our general views, it doesn't mean all mages will just go around wantonly killing every person who inconveniences them."

Rin agreed, crossing her arms. "If that were the case, I would have killed several people at school by now. Shinji, for a start with how many times that idiot keeps flirting with me."

Shirou flinched at that but said nothing.

Luvia continued, her voice more serious. "We are not a different breed of species, Sherou. We are human. We still have morals, though some may be... looser than the average person. But those tend to be rare cases. Most of the time, mages just care about pursuing their own research, not thinking about killing others. Think of us as researchers with powers. It's as simple as that."

"I never thought of it like that," Shirou admitted quietly. "It... does make sense. I feel a little silly now, for treating you like you were as dangerous as actual monsters."

"You're not wrong to be cautious," Rin cautioned. "Everyone is different. There are mages out there who have no heart, who are no different from the most heinous existence you can imagine."

It looked like he still had a lot to learn.

…

After that, the group separated. Shirou made the half-hour walk back to his house, the weight of the unconscious woman in his arms a constant reminder of the night's events. He managed to get her settled in an empty room, laying her gently on the futon before collapsing onto the living room floor with a deep sigh. He stared at the ceiling, his mind a whirlwind of chaos. "That Servant back there... was it Archer?" he asked in the empty room.

"Most likely," Rider’s voice answered from the shadows.

"So Sakura was watching us this entire time? Then why didn't she appear?"

"I do not know," Rider replied. "Sakura must have her own reasons."

The thought made him fall silent, and he lay there, just staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. A shadow suddenly eclipsed the light, and Rider’s face appeared above him, her long hair brushing against his cheeks. He looked up at her, confused. "What's up?"

"Did you forget our little bet?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her hidden eyes.

His own eyes widened. "Oh, right. The bet." He managed a weak smile. "I won, didn't I? I took care of those men without needing your help."

It was hard to hide the smidgen of smugness from his tone. Barely holding back a told you so phrase aimed at her and the opportunity to gloat.

His victory celebration was cut short as Rider placed her palm firmly over his mouth. "We did not agree that the bet only covered those canon fodders," she said, her voice a low, triumphant whisper that made him perspire in cold sweat. "Against Sagara, and against Caster's spell, I did have to appear to help you. If Archer had not intercepted that spell, I would have done so instead. Therefore..."

Shirou’s eyes widened as he realized his fatal oversight. Seeing his reaction, a brilliant, victorious smile bloomed on Rider’s face. She leaned down, her lips brushing against his ear as she delivered the final word.

"I won."