Far into the horizon, behind the sea of clouds, the sun set, leaving behind a darkening radiance.
How many times had he seen this same sunset?
How many times had he contemplated the words that this world kept repeating — over and over?!
Feeling like a puppet of his own visions, a broken Shirou Emiya climbed the hill, a sword slipping out of his grip.
With a sandy thud, it planted itself into the earth.
With another thud, Shirou's knees landed next to the sword, his eyes never refusing to look away from the sunset.
He couldn't help it.
He couldn't control it.
It had started some tens of thousands of years ago, it seemed.
When the wind had begun whispering to him. When the earth had begun singing to him. When the sky had begun roaring at him.
He couldn't do anything but listen to those words, each letter becoming the strike of a sword on his flesh, leaving him scarred.
Finally, somehow, he had understood some meaning behind those words.
He could — feel them now.
He could — sing along…
"I am the bone of my sword…" Emiya sang with the wind, clouds, earth, and sky. "Steel is my body, and fire is my blood. I have created over a thousand blades. Unknown to Death, nor known to Life."
A mystical transformation was taking place about him — within him.
Every strand of muscle fiber in Shirou's body in this vision could feel it.
It was like his entire body had become a vast field — laden with steel and blood.
And, from every dust and blood particle on this battlefield, he could cultivate swords — the swords with which he had lived for thousands of years. Perhaps more.
Shirou got up and dragged his body up toward the hilltop.
When he was there, he could see it better than ever, the sunset washing his pain away.
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons," Emiya continued to sing, but with a small smile on his face this time. "Yet, those hands will never hold anything. So as I pray —"
Emiya looked up and found a blurry ring of blue fire, containing blackness within it, staring back at him.
His eyes let out a cyan glow, magic itself editing his body, lifting some unknown restraints.
Emiya realized, without anyone telling him so, that his time — of a vastly unknown length — had somehow come to an end.
So, as he sang those last words, he didn't mumble anymore.
Shirou Emiya roared, swords exploding out of his body — worshiping him.
"UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!!!"
…
"Have you gone insane?! You would waste another Command Spell on something like this, Rin?!!"
Was that Archer's voice?
Shirou could hear them through the darkness, a hotness slithering on his back.
"Archer…" This voice was low, of a woman's, and holding a chill within it. "I demand an answer. Or, I shall avenge my Master right here and now."
Saber?!
"Answer her, Archer." This was Rin, Shirou knew. "How long have you been planning this for?"
"Tch!" Archer tsked, annoyed. "You've chosen the worst possible partner you could, Rin. This boy is clearly not a winner. If you must ally with someone, even Caster's Master would be better."
That stung more than the hotness on his back.
Shirou wanted to open his eyes, but it felt like someone was holding his eyelids down.
"You dare consider that monster over Shirou?" Saber asked, stunned.
"Don't be absurd, Archer!" Rin fumed as well. "I agree Shirou is no good when it comes to fighting, but I trust him as an ally. You will keep this in mind from now on before acting out without my orders. Got it?!"
Even half-awake, Shirou could hear the Archer grinding his teeth.
"Like you have left me a choice," Archer grumbled. "This is the second Command Spell you have wasted needlessly…"
"Since you are my Servant," Rin cut Archer off, "bear in mind I will do what I think is right. For now, apologize to Saber."
"… What?!" Archer asked.
"Apologize." Rin's voice had gone low. "Do not make me use the last Command Spell, Archer."
The silence lingered between the three of them for a while.
Then, Archer sighed. "… Alright," he said. "It's a vassal's duty to support his lord when she's out of sorts, I guess… Sigh… I am sorry, Sa…"
BOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!
The explosion was so loud, deafening, and unbelievably powerful that not only did it shock the living breath out of Archer, Rin, and Saber, but it also lifted the restraints keeping Shirou in a half-asleep state.
With a jerk, Shirou sat up, pain shooting off his back, making him wince.
"Shirou!" Rin and Saber cried, their eyes widening at his sudden gain of consciousness.
On the other side, Archer, who had been staring wide-eyed outside, brought his gaze back toward Shirou, his eyes widening as well.
But, unlike Rin and Shirou, his eyes hadn't widened because of Shirou waking up.
They had widened because he had felt something different and heard something absurd — the strike of swords — millions of them.
As if sensing and hearing the absurdness as well, Shirou looked over his shoulder.
Archer and Shirou's gazes met and, at that moment, both knew they weren't looking at a man, but a bloodied battlefield of swords — full of regrets.
"Archer!" Rin hissed. "Snap out of it! What's going on?!!"
The Heroic Servant kept looking at the boy with a stunned fascination for a moment before looking at his Master. "Noble Phantasms…"
Saber nodded. "… Incredibly powerful."
"I will go and check it out," Archer said, trying not to look at Shirou. "Saber… Keep an eye on Rin."
Then, without saying any more words, the Servant vanished from sight, going toward the source of the massive, magical explosion.
In the grand hall, Rin and Saber looked at each other, both sensing the Archer's awkwardness at the end.
A pailful grunt caught their attention.
"Shirou…" Saber put a hand on the boy's shoulders. "Don't get up. You will open the wound."
Rin nodded, looking at him worriedly. "… I am sorry. Archer will never attack you again. Mmm… How are you feeling?"
Shirou looked at his bandaged upper body and then at the two women leaning over his face.
"… As if I have been dreaming for tens of thousands of years," he said, carrying an ancient tiredness in his voice.
Rin and Saber looked at each other, their worries increasing.
"But…"
"But?" Saber asked.
Shirou suddenly smiled, clenching his fists. "… I feel good."
*****************
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