Is pursuing the Root truly so important?
For the first time, Aoi questioned the thoughts she had always held dear. She had not been such a woman once. But when she came to understand the true nature of Tokiomi Tohsaka—the elegant, composed man who exuded an air of mysterious charm—she had convinced herself to play the role of the dutiful wife.
"He must have his reasons for everything he does… Surely, he's acting for the family's greatest good…"
Yet when Kariya Matou returned from Fuyuki with Sakura, when Aoi saw her daughter's pure, radiant smile, all those carefully constructed rationalizations vanished completely.
What could be more fulfilling than having her daughters gathered joyfully around her?
"Mom, why do you look sad?"
Sakura's small hand brushed softly against Aoi's cheek. Kneeling to meet her daughter's gaze, Aoi smiled gently and shook her head.
"For the past year, there hasn't been a single moment when I've felt happier than now."
...
The Zenjou residence was an old, long-abandoned house. But since Aoi had moved in, she had kept it immaculate.
And now, within its narrow living room, two men who could not be more opposed stood facing each other.
"You came here—and even brought Sakura. What is your purpose? And what do you mean about the Matou family withdrawing from the Holy Grail War?"
Tokiomi's opening words held no surprise. Each sentence was exactly as Kariya had expected.
If anything, they only made Kariya pity him—and see how completely he had brought this upon himself.
"Even now, are you still dreaming about reaching the Root?" Kariya's words, spoken from across the room, were sharp as a blade. "Tokiomi Tohsaka, I'll ask you one question—why did you give Sakura to Zouken Matou?"
"What?"
Tokiomi frowned.
"You should know the answer already. I only wanted my beloved daughter to have a happy future."
"What…?"
The absurdity of that response left Kariya momentarily speechless. While he stood frozen, Tokiomi continued in a calm, detached tone.
"When a magus bears twin children, there arises a problem—the family's secrets can only be passed to one. No matter the choice, one child is destined to be ordinary."
Ordinary—
The word echoed hollowly in Kariya's mind. Sakura's face without a smile… her days playing with Rin and Aoi… all of it.
This man—did he abandon his own daughter with just that one word?
"Especially my wife—she possesses excellent magical potential. Both Rin and Sakura were born with rare and equal talent. They needed the protection of magi lineages. For one to prosper at the cost of the other's potential—that would be a tragedy no father could wish for."
Tokiomi's reasoning flowed smoothly, but to Kariya, it was incomprehensible—no, it was revolting. Even grasping the smallest fragment of this twisted magus logic made him want to vomit.
"To preserve the talent of both sisters, the only choice was to send one away as an adopted daughter. Thus, the old Matou's request was a gift from heaven. As a family aware of the Holy Grail's existence, our chance to reach the Root grows higher. If I fail, Rin will inherit the wish. If Rin fails, Sakura will continue it. Someone will carry on the Tohsaka destiny."
How could he speak such despair so calmly?
If both daughters were to walk the path toward the Root… that could only mean—
"…They would fight each other? Sisters—forced to fight?"
Tokiomi nodded slightly, his face still calm.
"Even if it comes to that, for the heirs of my family, it is happiness. Should they win, glory will be their own. Should they fall, the honor will return to our ancestors. A battle without regret—that is the ideal."
Kariya fell silent.
For the first time, he realized just how alike this man before him was to that loathsome old magus, Zouken Matou.
Their minds were equally twisted—willing to abandon everything that made them human for the sake of some distant, hollow dream.
In their pursuit of an illusion, they would sacrifice anything, anyone, without hesitation.
So this was what it meant to be a magus. This was the so-called path of magecraft.
What a cruel aberration! What a selfish existence!
And Aoi—she had lived for so many years with such a monster, and yet had accepted it all willingly.
"Ha~ hahaha—hahahahaha!"
From Kariya Matou's throat burst a laugh both pained and deranged, filled with bitterness and despair.
Tokiomi merely gave him a cold glance, his voice dripping with disdain. "It's useless to explain this to you. You're someone who strayed from the true path, incapable of understanding the nobility of magecraft."
"Yes, and I've never been so grateful to be a heretic!"
Yet the rage boiling within Kariya did not shatter his reason. After receiving Satsuki's guidance and treatment—and now seeing the true face of Tokiomi Tohsaka—the feelings of inferiority and jealousy that had once tormented him completely vanished.
He thought more clearly than ever. He knew that the Crest Worms no longer dwelled in his body.
Thus, in a direct confrontation, he stood no chance against Tokiomi.
But he possessed another weapon.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka, do you know why I brought Sakura back?"
"Oh? That's exactly what I intended to ask. If my information is correct, your family was to produce a Master to participate in this war."
Tokiomi's tone was calm—until he suddenly sensed something strange in the atmosphere.
—Worms.
Like a surging tide, they crawled out from every shadow, swarming and converging into a single mass. The revolting creatures, resembling overgrown maggots, writhed and squealed as they advanced.
This was a weapon Kariya had once received from Zouken Matou—a countermeasure for situations of extreme peril.
"The Matou family's magecraft specializes in controlling insects. To learn such dark arts, the practitioner's body must first be altered to suit it. I underwent that very transformation myself."
Kariya's voice was calm as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his body before Tokiomi.
Even this orthodox magus, so composed and rational, could not suppress a flicker of shock at what he saw—not merely at Kariya's disfigurement, but at the horrifying implication it carried.
"The nerves on my left side are mostly paralyzed—I can barely move my left arm or leg. My left eye is completely blind, the muscles around it dead, and my skin's lost all color—ashen like a ghost. If not for someone's help, I would've died within days."
"Sakura… she possesses an innate affinity with imaginary numbers—an extraordinary gift. But it's wholly incompatible with the Matou family's magic. And so, she endured an even more brutal transformation than I did.
"At the time—she was only five years old."
At those words, Tokiomi's face drained of all color. His mind reeled as if struck by a hammer, as though a red-hot iron rod were being twisted inside his skull.
Pain. Pressure.
The gem atop his cane flickered unsteadily, while the self-discipline and family doctrine he had always prided himself on could no longer offer any comfort.
No. Impossible. That couldn't be true!
"...How could the old Matou do such a thing?"
"Because he's the same kind of scum as you. To achieve his so-called immortality, he'll sacrifice and exploit everything around him."
Kariya stepped closer, one deliberate stride after another. His presence was monstrous, like a demon crawling from the depths of hell. Every word that fell from his lips struck Tokiomi like a blade to the heart.
"You! Tokiomi Tohsaka! It was you—out of selfish ambition—you personally cast your own daughter into hell!"
It was you—who cast your own daughter into hell with your own hands!
That sentence echoed endlessly within the room, its impact shattering the calm, refined composure that Tokiomi Tohsaka had always maintained.
Clatter...
The cane of civilization slipped from his powerless grasp, striking the floor. His eyes widened as he stared at his trembling hands.
These hands—once those of a proud magus.
They had channeled mana, shaping radiant gemstones into any form he desired…
They had inscribed formulas, summoning forth flames from the void to vanquish his enemies…
They had borne the Command Seals of the Holy Grail War, calling forth the ancient King, Gilgamesh, from myth itself…
And yet—these very same hands had condemned his daughter to hell.
...
"Aoi… does she know?"
The moment he regained awareness, that was the first question he asked—and for a fleeting instant, the fury within Kariya Matou faded.
He shook his head, dispersing the swarm of worms with a wave. "Aoi will never know. As for Sakura—her body's been healed by that person. All memories connected to it have been completely erased."
"That person?"
Exhaling softly, Tokiomi's tone steadied again. "Then, Kariya Matou… can you tell me the identity of this 'person'? I wish to thank them personally."
"You're calmer than I expected, Tokiomi. Don't you doubt whether my words are even true?"
Kariya fastened his shirt and walked to the window. Not far away, Aoi was smiling faintly as she watched Rin and Sakura playing together.
Tokiomi retrieved the fallen cane, but this time he sheathed it at his side.
He stepped toward the window, gazing absently at his wife and daughters in the distance.
"You've shown me enough proof already…"
His voice was low, but resolute. Kariya, expressionless, turned to leave.
He had glanced outside moments ago—just in time to meet Aoi's gaze from the window. The woman he loved so deeply still, even now, chose to remain by Tokiomi's side.
And Tokiomi, in turn, saw much within his wife's eyes.
Thus, he made a decision.
"Kariya Matou, would you stay a while longer? I have a request to make."
"If it's about magecraft," Kariya stopped without turning back, "then find someone else."
"Of course not."
Tokiomi answered softly, then turned toward the window. "Aoi, Rin, Sakura—come inside for a moment."
"Hm?"
Aoi entered with their daughters, a trace of tension and unease on her face.
"Tokiomi, what is it?"
Her gentle voice caused his heart to tremble violently. For an instant, he thought he saw doubt flicker within her eyes.
It only strengthened his resolve.
He knelt before his daughters, resting a hand on each of their heads.
Rin allowed him to stroke her hair silently, her dark eyes fixed on his face—calm, unflinching, unafraid.
Sakura, on the other hand, reacted differently. Though she loved her father, the way he looked at her stirred a strange, unexplainable fear within her. (The last time she had been stared at that way… she was sent to the Matou family.)
Tokiomi studied his long-lost daughter carefully. Moisture welled in his eyes.
"Father?"
He had wanted to be a man she could proudly look up to—but now, he knew he had forever lost that right.
The book of magecraft he had prepared remained unopened.
Instead, he said gently, "I've been busy lately. So, I've asked Uncle Kariya to stay here with you and Rin for a while. When the Holy Grail War is over—if all goes well—I'll come back to spend time with you all."
A faint, tender smile appeared on his once-stern face. "When that time comes, Sakura, Rin—whatever you want to eat, wherever you want to go, father will take you. All right?"
...
Satsuki lifted her gaze toward the not-yet-fully-risen crescent moon. She and Iphis sat side by side atop a high observation platform.
The golden Tenseigan constantly observed all happenings within Fuyuki City.
Thus, she was fully aware of the confrontation between Kariya Matou and Tokiomi Tohsaka.
But regrettably—she simply didn't care.
Beside her, Iphis's demeanor had been strange lately. And now, she leaned lightly against Satsuki's shoulder.
Satsuki turned her head, her eyes resting on the delicate Master.
"Do you have nothing you want to ask me?"
"Ask?" Iphis blinked in confusion, looking up at Satsuki. "Ask about what?"
"About the plans I've made for you. Don't you want to know anything?"
Shaking her head, Angra Mainyu shifted her gaze toward the horizon. The last traces of sunset dyed the sky a deep crimson, spreading like ink in water until the entire world seemed bathed in red.
"Because I don't understand enough to even know where to start asking. I'm not exactly the sharpest person around."
"It's fine. Even your unreliability was part of my calculations."
"Pfft~~"
A fleeting smile appeared on Iphis's face, quickly replaced by a mock pout. "You really are something, you know that? For a Saver, you could at least try talking nicely for once."
"And what about you?"
Satsuki's calm eyes turned toward her, making Angra Mainyu freeze momentarily in confusion. Eventually, Satsuki sighed and let the matter drop.
"Forget it. Do whatever you want when the time comes."
"No, wait. Since you asked if I had any questions, I actually do have one."
Turning her head, Iphis's ruby-red eyes focused on the starlit sky. "You once said you've been to more than one world. Could you tell me what those worlds were like?"
"That question, huh?" Satsuki thought for a moment. "Strictly speaking… I'd say there were three worlds, more or less."
"Can you tell me about them? I'm really curious about Saver's experiences."
"There's nothing special to tell. Just stories of an ordinary person struggling to survive."
As the faint scent of lotus drifted from the serene girl beside her and the cool night breeze brushed past her ears, Iphis felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and in the quiet between them, she whispered softly:
"Saver... you really are cunning."