Kischur Zelretch Shcweinorg.
In many timelines, it is a name that many people respect and fear in equal measures. For those who know him personally, this ratio is skewed heavily towards fear, for very valid reasons.
That is why Shirou Emiya felt like he was sitting on pins and needles as Zelretch watched him with a knowing smile.
"Don't be so anxious, Shirou. You know that I am not the kind of guy to play around with stuff like this."
"....Yeah. I know. But, right now, I am having a hard time coming to terms with things."
Shirou sighed heavily before muttering.
"Frankly, I am not even sure where my life is headed right now and feel like it would have been better if I never stumbled upon that Class Card....."
Shirou stopped muttering as his eyes sharpened, zeroing in on the innocent look on the centuries-old Magus's face.
"Don't tell me, you....?"
"Nope. I had nothing to do with that. In fact, you could say that the very presence of the Class Cards in your world is what triggered my arrival here in the first place, not the other way around."
This time, Shirou felt even more confused. Fortunately, Zelretch was someone who always took the time to explain things properly to those he considered valuable enough in his plans.
He leaned forward, with his hands on the desk and his face shadowed behind his intertwined fingers, just like a popular pose in a certain anime that Shirou knew of. The look would have been complete if Zelretch had a pair of glasses as well, but that is neither here nor there.
"Tell me, what is the extent of the knowledge you have on the Class Cards?"
"....Well, I know that they were created by the Ainsworth family in a different reality. Unlike the one we know, this war was designed not to reach the Root but for some unknown purpose. These cards are also only able to harness a fraction of the true power of the Heroic Spirits, so much so that the stats are nearly a whole rank lower than if they would be if they were summoned as proper Servants in the best case. Worst case, they are lower by two whole ranks."
Zelretch showed a surprised look at that before nodding.
"That is honestly more than I expected you to know, and a small correction, it's three whole ranks below in terms of stats compared to proper servants. But, then again, I never expected your unique situation in the first place, so that's par for the course, I guess."
"...About that-"
Zelretch raised his hand with a smile.
"All in good time, Shirou. First, let me explain what I am doing here before we get to the sensitive parts."
"....Fine."
Zelretch leaned back into his chair and spoke with a distant look.
"Originally, your world was not supposed to host these Class Cards, and neither was it supposed to have our brand of Magecraft. Instead, this is a world where the Age of Gods never ended and should have its own way of doing things."
His crimson eyes turned to stare at Shirou with a seriousness that sent chills down the boy's spine.
"You and little Illya were supposed to spend your lives to the end of your natural lifespan, unaware of the supernatural. Sure, there would have been some close calls, especially with your little sister, but she would never know of the supernatural world thanks to your parents and your maids' efforts."
".....Then, what changed? What made the Class Cards arrive here?"
"....I did."
"WHAT-"
Once again, Zelretch raised his hand, stopping Shirou's outrage.
"NOT Intentionally."
Shirou spotted the sadness in the old man's gaze despite the smile.
"....What happened?"
"These cards were originally supposed to stay in a different world, closer to the Proper Human Order, unlike your world, which lies well beyond the reach of such concepts. Things were supposed to go along different paths. But something went wrong, and that world was turned into a deviation far beyond its proper path, but not enough to become a proper parallel world. It became a distortion that triggered the Human Order's natural defences, designating that world as a Dead End."
Chills shot down Shirou's spine as he heard those words, knowing exactly what would happen to a world designated as a Dead End by the Human Order.
Pruning. The complete and utter erasure of those timelines from existence.
What he did not know was that Zelretch was keeping the majority of the details vague on purpose.
The fact that said world had a version of Shirou Emiya who shared similar circumstances as his own, by gaining the Archer Class Card much different from the regular Class Cards. The fact that this version of Shirou gained the acknowledgement of Karna, the Lancer Class servant, gained his powers, and even got a special dagger from Zelretch that functioned similarly to the Kaleidosticks of that world.
However, all of it came to an end when that world was pruned shortly after, and everything became meaningless.
Shirou looked at Zelretch and asked the question that came to his mind.
"How did those cards come to this world then? And why are there two Archer cards?"
"...The situation is far too complicated to explain clearly, but I will tell you the necessary bits. When that world was pruned, the Class Cards somehow escaped into the Kaleidoscope. I felt their escape and followed them across the timelines until finally, they landed here. So, I decided to enter this timeline decades in the past and established a version of the Clock Tower as a force that would allow me to make plans for the arrival of the Class Cards and their retrieval."
"As for why there are two Archer cards, it's because there are two sets of Class Cards here. One of them is the Ainsworth Class Cards. The other has far more sinister origins."
Shirou stared at Zelretch, waiting for him to continue speaking. However, the name that escaped the old man's words made Shirou nearly jump to his feet.
"Angra Mainyu. He is responsible for the existence of the second set. And the Archer card you have is from that second set."
"...What about Miyu?"
Zelretch's eyes lit up at that name.
"See, that's where things get interesting. Originally, she was supposed to be either pruned along with that world or thrown back to her original world, but somehow, her entire existence was reset back to the timeframe before she arrived in the pruned world, as if all those events that she experienced never happened in the first place. Even on the biological level, and even at the level of the soul, she was reverted completely back to the point where her brother wished for her to find a happy life of her own."
"My theory is that she is the catalyst that allowed the Class Cards to escape in the first place. Somehow, her properties of the Holy Grail, and her brother's wish for her to find happiness, combined together to revert things for her and provided the point of entry into the multiverse that the class cards then used to find this world, far away from the Human Order, so that this world would not be pruned as well like the previous one no matter the changes made to its timeline."
The theory nearly flew above Shirou's head, but he stubbornly listened to the old man's rant and memorized it completely, storing that information in his mind for later contemplation.
Shirou sighed and sat back tiredly, a similar sensation to his various other versions that he remembers from across the timelines when they face Zelretch in their lives.
"So, what now? Assuming that Rin and Luvia's actions in Kuoh are your doing, along with those overpowered mystic codes, with the aim of containing and retrieving the Class Cards, why tell me any of this when you already have them doing this task?"
"Because you would not stop investigating and throwing yourself in danger if you don't have these answers."
Those words felt like an arrow straight through his heart, because he could not deny the truth in that statement.
Then, Zelretch's face softened.
"And, because I know you, Shirou. No matter the timeline, the core of what makes you, you, has always remained the same. So, I wish to ask for your help."
"....I'm listening."
"Unlike the Ainsworth Class Cards, which Rin and Luvia have been tasked to retrieve with the Kaleidosticks, it's the name of those mystic codes by the way, The Class Cards created by the real Holy Grail of Fuyuki from the pruned world under Angra Mainyu's control retain the full power of the Heroic Spirits, comparable to when they are summoned as Servants."
Zelretch's serious look made Shirou stiffen up again.
"Even with the Kaleidosticks, I have no confidence in the girls retrieving that set. So, I would ask you to retrieve that set instead. Keeping your identity secret or not is up to you, although I prefer it if you don't reveal yourself. It would also be best for everyone if we could get our hands on those dangerous artifacts as soon as possible. Given the various dangerous individuals in this world, we cannot afford any of them getting their hands on even a single Class Card."
"....And what about Illya? Did you know about whatever is going on between her, Rin, and the Kaleidosticks?"
"I did."
"Then why-"
"Shirou."
Shirou stopped talking at the authoritative tone in the Wizard Marshal's voice.
"I cannot tell you the full reason, but I will tell you this. Illyasveil needs this."
"...Why?"
Zelretch's face softened again.
"Because, unlike how things were supposed to proceed, your sister has already drawn attention from certain individuals, both from this world and from those beyond. That is why she will need this experience to unlock her true potential."
Shirou glared at Zelretch.
"I will trust your words for now, Zelretch, because I don't ever remember you guiding Rin and I down the wrong path, even if your methods always end up amusing you at our expenses while still having the greater good in mind. But hear this-"
Shitou got up from his seat as his Magic Circuits activated fully, all 27 of them, and for a split second, the room was replaced by a landscape so beautiful and awe-inspiring that even the Wizard Marshal could not help but stare with wonder.
"I am not a Hero. I do not care about the greater good. I only care about the safety of my family and my friends. If your actions put them in danger, even if it is for the greater good, you will be my enemy."
"...Noted. Then, shall we get down to business?"
Shirou nodded and sat down, his demeanor becoming extremely cold and his face assuming a neutral look, making him look exactly like his Heroic Spirit counterpart. A scene that made the immortal smile.
"For starters, how about we talk about the level of your general knowledge about your own world?"
"....Go on."
The way Zelretch's grin stretched made Shirou extremely uncomfortable.
"Tell me, Shirou, what do you know about Devils?"
Author Notes: For those who don't know, the world that Zelretch is talking about in this chapter, with a Shirou who had a Class Card, is referencing my previous iteration of this story called 'Fate Divergence'. It is still up on my Fanfiction.net page, so you guys can look at it if you want. I thought it would be a neat way to tie up that world this way, with the way multiverse mechanics function in the Fate worlds.
Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1 Like ReplyReport Reactions:brandeau, Kaine941, LOWER_CASE_DUDE and 195 othersRuijardDec 17, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 13 New View contentRuijardKnow what you're doing yet?Dec 18, 2025NewAdd bookmark#201Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory frowned heavily as they stared at the document sent to them directly from the underworld.
Normally, they would not be all too concerned about documents coming from their homeland. Most of the time, this was the method used by those old timers down there to inform them of a new Stray Devil spotted in their territory, as well as to inform them of the statistics of their territory as a whole every month through an independent survey.
However, this time, this document did not come to them with that purpose.
Instead, it was direct orders sent to them straight from the four Satans.
That alone sent alarm bells ringing through their minds.
Their siblings never used official seals when sending documents to them or talking to them through magic circles, mainly because they loved them too much to do something like that.
However, this time, the documents contained the official seals of both Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan, which showed how serious this business was.
The contents of the document were just as bizarre.
It talked about two new humans joining their school who should be left to their own devices and not to be meddled with.
Sirzechs even went as far as to warn Rias not to try and recruit them into her peerage, a warning that Serafall sent Sona as well, stoking the curiosity of both teenage devils.
All this happened a day before.
"....So, did you find anything?"
Rias's words made Sona nod seriously.
"I did. I contacted some of the mages under my contracts to investigate the two, and what I found is a intruiging and disturbing in equal amounts."
Sona took out a stack of documents and placed them down in front of Rias, with a familiar girl's photo included in the documents.
"Rin Tohsaka. Daughter of Tokiomi Tohsaka, the famous mage of Grauzauberer, before he defected to the Clock Tower under Zelretch's direction. She is also a promising member of the Clock Tower and specializes in Jewel magic, just like her father."
Rias raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Jewel magic, a relatively new field of magic introduced by Zelretch and the main catalyst which allowed the enigmatic wizard to establish own force in the supernatural world, is considered an extremely difficult form of magic to master.
The entry point for this magic is very low. However, the mastery curve is so high that most practitioners are stuck in the initial stages most of their lives.
It is because of this difficulty that Tokiomi Tohsaka made such a name for himself as one of the few humans who managed to attain a great level of mastery in this branch of magic.
So, it was expected that Rin would also inherit the talents of her father and his sharp tongue, if the way she ruthlessly pressed them for advantages in the negotiations yesterday was anything to go by.
Sona continued speaking as she went through the documents.
"Luviagelita Edelfelt of the Edelfelt family, preferring to go by Luvia Edelfelt, is also a Jewel magic user, but her family mainly uses Jewel magic to circumvent the catalyst and regent issues that arise with using Runes, so they can't be called true practitioners of Jewel magic like the Tohsakas and should be called Rune practitioners, but they are no less dangerous than the Tohsaka."
Rias knew that her best friend spoke the truth.
After all, there are very few human mage families that have earned the respect of the Devils, even if reluctantly. And among these families, the Edelfelts hold a different kind of respect altogether due to their mercenary like tendancies and battle-crazed nature.
It was this nature of theirs that allowed them to kill a High-Class devil and his entire peerage despite being numerically and magically outclassed.
For a moment, Rias was truly tempted to try and recruite these two promising human girls into her peerage. Her greed and desperation stoked at the sight of such power.
Yet, the seals of the Satans on the document poured cold water over her ambitions, reminding her that even her brother would not stand by her side if shit hits the fan due to her actions in this matter.
Not to mention that the master of the Clock Tower is a truly enigmatic being that nobody wants to cross.
What happened to Rizevim Livan Lucifer was proof enough that Zelretch is not someone to be messed with.
"Damnit! Such promising Peerage member candidates, and I have to sit on my thumbs without even trying."
"As if you were going to try anything. Don't you always just wait for your 'luck' to drop your peerage members into your lap?"
"Hey!"
At Sona's flat stare, Rias at least had the decency to blush in embarrassment and look away, unable to refute her friend's words.
"Tell me, Rias. When was the last time you actually trained? And I am not talking about that stupid thing where you exercise a little and play around with the Power of Destruction and call it training. I mean actual training."
"....."
"That's answer enough."
Sona sighed before leaning back into her seat.
Sona loved her friend, there was no doubt about it. However, she also hated how Rias lamented about her situation yet did nothing to change it.
A child of the Gremory clan, sister of the strongest devil in recorded history, cousin of the monster of effort known as Sairaorg Bael, related by blood to two of the oldest devils to ever exist in the form of Zekram Bael and Runeas Gremory, the only two surviving original devils in modern times.
Even one of these inheritances would be enough for a devil from lesser clans to celebrate and work their ass off to maximize their power. Yet, here she was, wasting away all that potential.
In fact, it was not just Rias who did things like this. Most of the devils of their generation from the pillar families wasted their potential just like her, something that Sona refused to do, even though she did not have as impressive a bloodline as her sister, with the Sitri family not having many noteworthy members in the past, with her sister being the anomaly instead of the norm, unlike Rias's family.
Watching the depressed look on Rias's face, Sona sighed again, her hard gaze softening considerably.
"....Anyways, speaking of Peerage members, I think I've finally found who has been going around killing Stray Devils around here."
Finally, Rias turned up from her self-pity and looked at Sona, who turned around her laptop to show footage recorded through one of the many magically enhanced cameras across the school.
"Last night, the cameras around the track recorded this."
"Hold on! Weren't we supposed to keep out of the Clock Tower business yesterday, according to the deal we had with Tohsaka?"
Sona's serious persona finally cracked, showing a rare grin on the Sitri girl's face.
"The deal said that we will keep out of Clock Tower business and turn off all our magical surveillance systems around the track, but it did not say anything about mundane cameras that are slightly enhanced with magic."
"...Devious. I like it! So, what did you find?"
"See for yourself."
The video played, showing Rin and Illyasviel von Einzbern, much to Rias's surprise, before they disappeared through some kind of teleportation magic.
However, what caught Rias's attention was what happened afterwards.
Shadows twisted before falling away, revealing a man wearing black body armor, a crimson shroud with a hood that hid his features completely, and black combat boots.
The way he held himself showed that he is a combat veteran despite the countless gaps in his guard.
Then, suddenly, a strange ceremonial dagger manifested in his hand, and the shadows surged again, allowing the man to disappear before two figures ran in.
Matching the photo in the documents, Rias realized that this was Luvia Edelfelt, while the black-haired girl by her side was unknown to them.
Then, they too disappeared from the area when the shadows once again twisted, and the man appeared again, this time trying to follow Luvia and her companion at blinding speeds, yet failed.
What happened afterward sent a chill down Rias's spine.
An old man with white hair, beard, and crimson eyes appeared and took the unknown man away.
However, before he left, his crimson eyes stared straight into the cameras with a mischievous grin.
"....is that...?"
"Zeretch. There is no doubt about it. I have cross-referenced that face with the few images we have of him."
Sona's serious stare fell on Rias.
"While his presence here raises several worrying questions, what is more important is the identity of our mysterious man."
Sona typed in a few commands, reversing the footage to the timestamp where the cameras caught the front profile of the man.
"I have gone through the wards around the school to find out who he is. Since none of the supernatural species detectors were tripped, he is a pure human. Since the age restrictions were not activated, he is not someone above the age of forty, and neither is he a member of the staff, since the D.N.A recognition wards did not detect him. That means we are looking at a man who is under the age of forty, not a part of the staff, but knows the school so perfectly that he was able to go from the gates to the track through the most efficient route that only those who have spent at least a whole semester here would know."
Rias nodded her head at that.
"A student then?"
"Yes. And given that the male population in the school is very low, I have managed to narrow down the suspects to a handful of people. But my money is on two people in particular."
Sona showed the profiles of the two boys, making Rias's eyes widen considerably.
"Issei Hyoudou, and Shirou Emiya?"
Sona nodded.
"Issei Hyoudou is someone who knows the school like the back of his hand, even more than us, which is quite embarrassing for us to admit, thanks to his usual activities. Not to mention that his build is similar to what is shown in the video."
"As for Shirou Emiya, the reasons are the same as Hyoudou, but more importantly, for some reason, my instincts are screaming that he is that man in crimson."
"Hm. What do we do?"
".... Well, I was planning on inviting them individually to my office and see if I can't squeeze some clues out of them. If my guess is right, I might extend an invitation-"
"I call dibs on Hyoudou."
Sona sighed exasperatedly at Rias's words.
"Rias-"
"Look, Sona, you have your gut feeling, and I have mine. And right now, my gut is telling me that Issei Hyoudou is someone worth keeping an eye on."
".....Fine. But fair warning, he is a rather, unpleasent, boy."
"If it is about his perversion, don't worry about it."
Rias smiled amusedly.
"I think it's kind of cute that he expresses himself so openly like that."
This time, Sona really frowned heavily at Rias's hypocrisy.
She hated Riser Phenex, calling him a leech and perverted bastard, yet, when Issei Hyoudou expressed similar characteristics, she called him cute.
What was her criterion for differentiating the two? What made one unappealing, and the other tolerable? Sona did not know and could not be bothered to investigate lest she lose even more brain cells, given how many nonsensical actions Rias has taken in the long years Sona has known her.
Rias finally came back to reality from whatever fantasy she was imagining while Sona sighed exasperatedly.
"So, we have a deal then?"
"Whatever. But, if you are going after Hyoudou, you should know that he is already marked by other parties, right?"
Rias face tightened up as she glared at the laptop.
"...Yeah. I know. I've had Koneko follow that bitch yesterday, but she got away somehow. Those damned crows are really brazen, barging into our territory like this and even trying to ensnare one of the students from the school."
"Hm. I'll send out my familiars as well. The sooner we find that Fallen and whoever else is with her, the better. We can't have them show up on the next month's evaluation report lest our reputations go down the drain."
"Fine. I guess I'll go home and rest for a bit."
Watching her friend leave, Sona sighed again and shook her head, going back to reading up on Shirou Emiya's file.
A file that had conspicuous gaps before he was seven years old, when he was adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern from the local orphanage. An orphanage that was created a year before Shirou's admittance and was dismantled a year after he was adopted, with its founders disappearing into thin air as if they and the orphanage never existed to begin with.
His DNA did not match any known records in the Japanese registry, indicating that either his birth family did not have any records themselves, or they did not exist in Japan at all. And neither did this town of Kuoh have any records of his birth family ever existing, either, raising several questions on how the boy even arrived here in the first place.
It was as if he suddenly appeared out of thin air one day and ended up at the orphanage. Then, adopted by one of the most dangerous humans on Earth and his homunculus wife, a short two months after appearing in the orphanage.
No matter how Sona looked at it, his circumstances were extremely mysterious and suspicious.
"....Just who are you? Shirou Emiya?"
With those thoughts dominating her mind, Sona left the school and headed back home.
Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1 Like ReplyReport Reactions:Kaine941, LOWER_CASE_DUDE, PlainSoul and 179 othersRuijardDec 18, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 14 New View contentRuijardKnow what you're doing yet?Dec 19, 2025NewAdd bookmark#219Shirou Emiya, the third-year student of Kuoh High, the man who is unknowingly ranked at the top of Kuoh High's most desired men alongside Yuuto Kiba by the female population, and secretly, a Magus, did not know whether to laugh or cry as he stared at the phone shoved into his face.
"You see this!? Are you jealous yet? Senpai? Are you? Because Motohama and Matsuda were really jealous for sure."
Shirou turned at the mention of those names, spotting said duo squatting at the back of the club room, where they glared daggers with curses on their lips despite being glared at by the female population around them.
'How did I end up in this situation?'
It was supposed to be an ordinary day after the groundbreaking crash course on supernatural history he had with Zelretch last night. A much needed peace of daily routine to take his mind off the colossal headache shoved on him abruptly by the immortal magus.
However, somehow, the moment he walked into the archery club room after classes were over, Issei Hyoudou darted over like a man possessed and shoved his phone into his face.
It was only the fact that Shirou was subtly signalling the others that kept Issei from being pounded into the ground by the group of girls for trying to taint their 'innocent' senpai.
The glares alone would be enough for most men to cover and run with their tails between their legs. Unfortunately, the perverted trio had long since developed a thick skin and ignored those glares with practiced ease.
Shirou looked at the photo in the phone, spotting the girl who looked just like any other Japanese beauty. With long black hair and violet eyes similar to Akeno Himejima.
Shirou smiled wryly and placed a hand on Issei's shoulder.
"Issei. While I am glad that you are not spending time on something as scandalous as peeping on the girls, I must remind you."
Shirou's eyes became half-lidded as his expression became neutral, followed by the pressure on Issei's shoulder increasing severalfold while Shirou's hand dug into his body.
"Taking pictures of girls without their permission is wrong. If you go down this route, I assure you, you will find truly unpleasant retribution coming for you-"
Issei Hyoudou's panic went into full blown histeria under the scary gaze of his senior.
"Wait! Wait! Its not what you think! This is my girlfriend! Amano Yuuma-chan! I took her picture after she gave me permission, I swear!!"
That finally broke Shirou out of his anger and made him stare at the boy with a dumbfounded look, a look shared by the rest of the club members who stared at Issei as if they saw a ghost in broad daylight.
Shirou's face morphed to one of concern as he placed his palm on Issei's forehead.
"I don't feel any temperature. Maybe a concussion? Did you hit your head or something?"
Shirou held up two fingers in front of Issei's eyes.
"How many fingers am I holding up? Do you feel anything strange? Are you seeing things where there shouldn't be anything?'
Somehow, Issei felt at a loss at Shirou's concerned look, a feeling that increased several-fold when he spotted the pitying and worried looks on the faces of the girls around them.
Finally, his brain caught up with what was happening, and he finally exploded.
"Fuck you! Emiya! Yuuma-chan really is my girlfriend! And we really are going on a date this week! You are just jealous that I have a girlfriend and you don't, despite being a handsome bastard!"
Issei ran out of the club without turning back while Motohama and Matsuda took the chance to escape as well, intending to spread some 'good' rumors about their bestie for this 'betrayal'.
However, Shirou still felt very confused about this situation.
'Now that I think about it, why did he even come to me to speak about his girlfriend? Is it really just to show off? And Amano? Isn't that the same name as Yae?'
Shirou turned to stare at Amano Yae, the president of the archery club, and tried to compare her face with this Yuuma that Issei showed him.
The facial features, the eye color, and the general demeanor, it all felt similar to the photo.
"Hey, Amano"
"Yeah!? What is it, President ~?"
At Shirou's annoyed look, she giggled a bit before walking towards him.
"Fine, fine. What is it? Shirou-kun?"
"Do you have a sister or relative called Amano Yuuma?"
Yae shook her head.
"Nope. I am an only child, and so was my dad. The Amano family only consisted of me, my parents, and my grandparents on my dad's side before they passed away long ago."
She gained a thoughtful look.
"Is this about that girl that Hyoudou claims to be his girlfriend?"
"Yeah. She looks eerily similar to you and has the same family name. I thought you would know something about it."
Yae shrugged her.
"It could be a coincidence. I mean, Amano is not exactly a common name, but it is still not that rare a family name, right?"
"...True. Anyways, thanks for the info."
"Anytime ~"
With that, the girl went back to her friends and rejoined whatever gossip they were discussing, while Shirou stared at the entrance of the club, lost in thought.
'I don't think I have ever heard of anyone called Amano Yuuma in the neighborhood. Based on her apparent age and interest in Hyoudou, I guess she should be a high school student as well. And given that there are only two High Schools in this town and that Yae has not heard about her, which is literally impossible given that girl's nature as a gossip queen, she must be from my old school.'
'Looks like I need to reach out to some old friends from Homurahara to look into this girl.'
Truthfully, Shirou could not care less about who dates whom and who shares what relationship.
However, when it comes to Issei Hyoudou, Shirou always paid some special attention to the boy ever since he enrolled in this school.
For some reason, Shirou always felt that something was wrong with the boy.
He did not feel any different from any other human, so he could not be a phantasmal in hiding, like the girls in his class and a few other students in the building. (and wasn't that a surprise for him, to find out that he was sharing a school with literal Devils hiding within humanity).
Issei Hyoudou did not feel any different from any regular human.
And yet, Shirou's instincts screamed at him to be cautious of the boy. A feeling that a few weapons within his reality marble agreed with, if the way some of them reacted to Issei's presence was anything to go by.
That was why Shirou was so invested in looking into this Amano Yuuma person.
If Issei Hyoudou had some kind of potential hidden within him, something that even he, as a third-rate Magus, felt. Then there was no doubt that the phantasmals of this world, which were still in the Age of Gods, would have also sensed this wrongness.
And given what he knew about the alien thought process of most phantasmals, Issei Hyoudou, and by extension, the school and its students, which included Shirou, could be in danger. This, by extension, meant that this whole incident could be a threat to his family through him.
Shirou sighed and shook his head before heading out, not even bothering to join the club activities for the day, and heading towards the Junior High section to pick up Illya.
The thought of his little sister and the shenanigans that she got caught up with recently once again made Shirou sigh heavily in exhaustion.
'Seriously, I think we need to invent a new rank below the E rank, because clearly, my luck has long since surpassed the E rank and fallen even lower with the way things are going right now.'
Of course, Shirou's bad luck streak kept up as he was told that his sister had already left to chase after a new transfer student called Miyu. A name that made Shirou sigh for the hundredth time that day.
As for said girls, they were having a rather interesting conversation in the park near the Junior High division.
Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1Last edited: Dec 19, 2025 Like ReplyReport Reactions:MatMuraGarcia, Kaine941, LOWER_CASE_DUDE and 152 othersRuijardDec 19, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 15 New View contentRuijardKnow what you're doing yet?Dec 19, 2025NewAdd bookmark#221I took a deep breath and kept the fake smile on my face. A smile so realistic that it even fooled my beloved little sister.
"Dinner is ready!"
"Wah! Looks so good!"
The way I could see stars in Illya's eyes at the sight of the large spread of hamburger steak, potato wedges, leek, broccoli, and some other condiments made my heart swell with pride and happiness.
Yet, it was only a small part of me.
The majority of my mind was far more focused on something else.
Namely, the fact that I was forced not to confront my little sister, or rather, the damned Kaleidostick that dragged her into the supernatural world and forced the attention of certain parties on her.
Zelretch may have said that Illya needs this because of some events that only Zelretch can foresee in this world, and I might trust his judgment in most scenarios, but it was still extremely hard for me to stand by and do nothing as my sister dives headfirst into danger.
Not to mention how blatantly the damned mystic code-correction, magical artifact, was floating around Illya while concealing itself with magecraft-magic.
'....This is going to take a while to get used to. It was hard enough getting the terminology of magecraft memorized. Now I have to memorize the differences between that and this world's native system.'
Anyways, while the stick's illusions probably worked on everyone in the house since there is no such thing as innate magic resistance due to the nonexistence of magic circuits within the soul, it did nothing to hide the thing from my eyes.
That is why it is so hard not to look at it directly when it is floating around so brazenly lest I draw suspicions and expose myself.
Something that I don't want to do unless absolutely necessary.
I knew better than anyone how important it is to have some sense of normalcy to cling to in times of madness, so I don't want Illya to lose that by exposing what I know about the situation.
As I sat down opposite to Illya and ate while listening to Illya talk about her day, I could not help but keep thinking back to the various anomalous incidents that happened today.
First, it was the sudden transfer of Rin and Luvia into Kuoh High, in my class, no less.
Then there was how the Phantasmanls-Devils, in my class, reacted to their transfer. The cautious looks, the unspoken conversations that happened between the devils and the girls, the way it felt like the class would explode at any moment with the tension.
And then, there was the news that Miyu Emiya, the same girl from that day, the girl from another world who jump-started this whole scenario thanks to a mix of her power, her brother's wish, and an evil god's curse, had transferred into Illya's class.
And finally, there was the blatant way Luvia erected an entire mansion that looked like it belonged in the Victorian era directly in front of my home.
Seriously, the sheer magical energy-mana rolling off of whatever bounded fields-barriers she erected around her home was enough to attract the attention of any supernatural creature in a ten-kilometer radius.
.....Maybe that was the plan all along?
Anyways, today was charged with too much stuff for me to keep up, and the day hasn't even ended yet for me since there is something else that I need to do tonight. Thankfully, tomorrow is Saturday, so I don't have much to do.
Aside from following Hyoudou on his date with that unknown girl that reeks of tainted energy, I plan to continue my training and investigate the 'mana' of this world that I've discovered within my soul, along with the concept of 'Touki' that Zelretch introduced to me.
It was after we were done with our dinner and I left enough food for Sella and Liz to eat after they returned from whatever errand they were doing, that I headed out. Making sure that Illya was already asleep and the stick was not keeping tabs on me.
'Time to work'
Taking out the dagger given to me by Zelretch, I jumped across rooftops, using its reaction to spatial distortions as a GPS.
In form, the dagger looked no different from the Jeweled Sword that Zelretch himself used. However, unlike that conceptual weapon that even my Reality Marble cannot recreate, this dagger is designed to work similarly to the Kaleidosticks but modified to work with the rules of this universe, just like he recreated the Kaleidosticks to work with the rules of this universe.
It draws power from the Dimensional Gap and converts it into whatever form of magical energy I desire, bolstering my reserves significantly. It also has the same property as the sticks to detect spatial anomalies and open ways into these pocket dimensions where the Class Cards are supposed to reside.
The only drawback is that this dagger cannot shape mana directly like the sticks can, which means that I can't pull off the impressive feats of magical beams, barriers, and other such things that the girls can do.
The main reason behind this drawback is that to achieve such a result, the dagger would have to understand the context, necessity, idea, and execution behind such attacks. Things that it cannot do unless it has the same kind of sapience as the sticks.
A valid tradeoff in my opinion, since I cannot imagine having the dagger behave like the Kaleidosticks based on the short amount of time I've seen them in action.
As I continued running across the rooftops, the dagger suddenly tugged me towards the central park.
At this hour, it was a given that there would not be any people present here.
That is why I was able to walk into the place brazenly while dressed in my suspicious clothing.
A crimson jacket, a white shirt that hid my body armor underneath, black pants, and shoes. Mystic Codes, all of them, crafted through a combination of magecraft, ancient rituals, and runes.
Originally, my jacket was also supposed to have a hood, but I decided to remove it since it would look far too suspicious.
Instead, I opted to use a simple blank mask and the holy shroud to hide my face. As for my hair, it turns completely white when I use Install on my class card, so there is no need to worry about anyone recognizing the color.
'This is it. My first battle against a proper Servant. No room for hesitation anymore.'
Taking a deep breath, I took out the dagger and stabbed it into the ground. Initiating the transportation function.
Instantly, it felt like the very ground opened up as kaleidoscopic energies engulfed me.
Then, within a single instant, I was gone from the real world and transported to the exact replica of the park.
The Mirror World. The domain of the Class Cards created through the malice of Angra Mainyu.
And as if it were waiting for my arrival, the servant showed itself.
Trees were uprooted, the ground cracked, while its roars shook the very air.
Its colossal serpentine form blotting out the entire miniature forest that encompassed the park, while its glowing golden eyes glared down at me.
There was no animalistic rage or beast-like intelligence in those orbs.
Instead, it regarded me with a clarity that belongs to a higher being. Its eyes analyzing me in an instant and decided that I was a threat to its existence.
Its draconic presence stirring many swords within my inner world, while I felt like the very world was pressing down on me.
It recognized me, just like I recognized it, recognized her.
I could not help the wry smile that formed on my face as she roared to the heavens and started radiating with blinding light.
"Well, who would have thought I would find you like this....?"
"EMIYA!!!"
That hateful roar, so unlike her, yet so suited to her personality.
I did not waste a single moment and pulled out my full power. I will need it if I am to slay this Rakshasa-Dragon.
"Install"
Instantly, my power swelled as I became one with my Archer self, just in time for my adversary to complete her transformation.
Gone was the colossal serpentine dragon that once imprisoned the waters of the entire world in the Hindu myths, needing Indra himself to descend, wielding his Vajra, to defeat it.
Now, in its place stood an unearthly beauty with long blond hair, golden eyes, and a perfect facial shape that would attract anyone regardless of gender.
Her dark skin gleamed in the light of the fake moon as the draconic scales that blended perfectly with her skin reflected light like diamonds, while her long black dress swayed in the wind generated by her sheer power.
The golden Vajra in her hands, the weapon she wielded in her Lancer form, aimed straight at my heart as her beautiful visage snarled.
"EMIYA! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN!!"
"....Hello, Vritra. Before we begin, I must inform you that I am not Counter Guardian EMIYA-"
"DIE!!!"
And so began the fight against my very first Class Card, manifested by the evil god.