"... Holy shit."
"Please, close your mouth, Namikaze-sama. It would not be wise to let flies in." Sella advised after glancing at the redhead. Haru closed his open maw as he took in the grand structure before him. After entering the limousine back at the station, Haru and Altera were taken to the massive, white mansion that stood before them. This was where his aunt lived?! How loaded was his grandfather's family?!
"Please come along. Lady Illya is waiting for you." Sella said, snapping Haru out of his stupor. The Master and Servant followed the Maid into the Mansion, taking note that the interior was just as grand and magnificent as the exterior. Along the walls were various paintings and antiques on top of shelves.
The halls were wide and open, and if the height of the ceiling was any indication, then the castle was much bigger than what it appeared on the outside. The walls were pristine white, almost like glass. The paintings held figures, heroic in design. Among them was a woman in blue, golden blade in hand, as she faced off against what appeared to be a giant brute wielding a blade made of earth. Another showed a hero with his back turned, hair fiery red with opposing white and black scimitars in his grasp as he faced down a figure who glared down at him from above a throne, weapons pouring out from golden pools. Haru wasn't sure what the paintings represented, but they were quite beautiful. He felt drawn to the latter, the one with the red-hair, but he wasn't sure why.
After passing through a long hallway, the maid eventually brought him and Altera before a black door. "Lady Illya is waiting for you inside." Sella informed him before she bowed and walked away.
As she left, Haru looked at the door with slight anxiety. The castle alone told him that his aunt was definitely someone who he did not want to piss off. Especially given the antiques and paintings which must have cost a fortune. "Welp," he sighed as he grabbed hold of the handles. "Here goes nothing..."
With a deep breath, he pushed the set of doors forward, the hinges eliciting a soft creak upon movement. The door led into what appeared to be a study, with the room being quite spacious. The walls were high and the walls were wide. Stacked along the walls were a series of bookshelves with various tomes shelved inside of them. Next to them were work tables of some sort with various beakers, test tubes, bunsen burners and unknown substances and samples. Sitting on the far end of the room at one of the desks was a young woman in her mid-twenties with similar physical features as Sella. She had long, pale hair that stopped at her mid-back, alabaster skin, and red irises. She had a voluptuous figure with a sizable bust, shapely curves, and long, slender legs. She was garbed in a long white skirt and a purple blouse.
Haru stared at the woman who in turn stared back at him. Altera looked between the two of them, wondering what was going on before the woman stood up from her position. "... Are you Illyasviel?" the redhead asked, already having an inkling feeling of what to expect. "Um, my name is Namikaze Haru. My grandmother, er… Tohsaka-san gave me a letter. Something about you wanting to tell me the full story about something?"
The woman said nothing. Instead, she stopped in front of him, eyes narrowing in scrutiny. Altera frowned, readying to call upon her sword just in case. She immediately felt the power emanating from the woman, identifying her as a magus. The woman then gently grabbed Haru's chin and turned his face. "Hm," she hummed, ignoring the confused look on his face. "You really do resemble him." She then let go of him before circling around him, inspecting his body. Much to his slight pleasure, the woman was also feeling him up as well, grabbing and squeezing his sides and arms. "A bit on the thin side, though..."
O… kay, not what I was expecting. Haru thought with a sweatdrop. Well, then again I can't really complain. She's really—
*squeeze*
We're sorry. Namikaze Haru is currently not available. Please leave a message after the scream. Aaaaaaaah—
As soon as his brain finally rebooted and understood what happened, Haru's face went scarlet red as he jumped and whirled around on the woman, who grinned as she nodded. "And just as good as a rear. Yep, you're onee-chan's boy!"
"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about?!" Haru stammered as he held his bottom. Did… did she actually just grope his ass?! The hell was going on?! "W-Who the hell are you?!"
The woman giggled. "That hurts, Haru-chan," she said as she wagged a finger. "I thought you would know who I was when you walked in."
Haru gave her a flat stare, one that lasted for several seconds before he finally opened his mouth. "... out of curiosity, is everyone related to ojii-chan look younger than their actual age?"
"Maybe." Illyasviel von Einzbern giggled as she swatted his arm. "It's also impolite to indirectly call a lady old."
The redhead groaned, face-palming while Altera frowned heavily. "Are you here to jest with us?" she questioned. "Or are you going to tell us what you said you would in your letter?"
"Now now, Saber-chan," Illya smirked. "No need to be so rude." She then turned on her heel, walking back over to one of the desks. "Well then, my adorable little nephew… come and sit. We have a lot to discuss."
Reluctantly, Haru pulled up a chair facing his aunt. Altera did the same. The three remained in silence for a few minutes, the redhead taking the time to formulate his questions. Finally, he spoke. "So… just for clarity's sake, you're seriously my ojii-chan's sister?"
Illya grinned. "Not quite." he said, earning a frown. "Onii-chan was adopted by my father, so we're not technically siblings. Now then… what exactly do you want to know?"
"Where do I even start?" Haru sighed, holding his head in his hands. "I've got so many questions, I don't even know where to begin..."
"In that case… why not the Holy Grail War?" his aunt offered. "How much do you know about it?"
"Only the gist. Seven people get chosen by the Holy Grail and duke it out with seven heroes from myth and legends, and the last guy standing has their wish granted. There were five wars before this one, and they were held here in Fuyuki, but from what I heard, the Grail here was dismantled."
Illya smiled. "At least you know your history." she said, pleased with his knowledge. "Of course, there's more to it. You see, the Holy Grail War was, more or less, a failed attempt by three powerful magi families to reach the Root."
"The Root?" Haru frowned. "The root of what?"
"The Root of Everything." Illya answered. "The Root, also known as Akasha, is the force that exists on top of all theories on all dimensions. It is the location of the Akashic Records, also known as the Swirl of the Root. It is the source of all events and phenomena in the Universe. In laymen terms, you could refer to it as the origin of everything. It exists outside of time and stores all information of all possibilities and events that take place in the past, present, and future. And it is here where one can learn and rediscover the lost True Magics."
The explanation seemed to go over his head a bit, but Haru managed to understand the more important parts. "So… the Root is like one giant library?"
"Exactly."
"And these families wanted to get to it?"
"Correct." Illya confirmed. "To reach the Root is the goal of any self-respecting Magi, though only a handful have ever achieved this feat. Going back on topic, these three families—the Tohsaka, Einzbern and Makiri—had created the Holy Grail War as a failed attempt to reach the Root. It was more or less nothing more than a mere skirmish. Sometime afterwards, however, the Einzberns had lost the True Magic known as the Heaven's Feel." There was an unreadable expression on Illya's face as the words passed her lips. "The same magic that became the component for the Holy Grail. The power to revive any soul without a negative consequence."
"Revive any soul? So it's like bringing the dead back to life?" Haru questioned.
"More or less." Illya answered. "The soul of a person contains their memories, mind, and magic circuits. The Heaven's Fell uses the person's body as an anchor for their soul and prevents them from returning to Akasha, which is also the place where all souls are born from and return to after death."
"And… if they don't have a body to anchor to?"
"Then the souls will disperse and return to Akasha." Illya answered.
Well, so much for all-powerful resurrection. the redhead thought with another sweatdrop before he continued to listen.
"Moving on… after the first two wars, the families decided to take the war more seriously. The Einzberns then did something stupid in the Third Grail War. Tired by their loss in the previous wars, they substituted the Berserker-class Servant for another. An Extra-Class."
Haru quirked an eyebrow. "There's more than the standard?"
"Yes, hence the name 'Extra-Class.' The one they summoned was the Avenger. Servants of that class are typically those who have been wronged in some way or another and seek vengeance, or seek retribution for the crimes that have gone unheard of for others. The Servant was killed, in spite of what they hoped… but that would be the start of a horrible problem."
"What happened?" Haru asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"After Avenger's defeat, it became absorbed into the Grail. However, the moment it was absorbed, it took hold of it and corrupted it." Illya answered with a frown.
"Corrupted? How could that happen?"
"The Servant that was Avenger was Angra Mainyu.*
"Angra… Mainyu?" Haru asked, unfamiliar with the name. "Who or what is that?"
"If you believe the legends, he's a god of darkness. In reality, he was little more than a poor child chosen by his village to become the vessel for all the evils in the world."
"What?!" Haru yelled in disbelief. A child had to shoulder the burden of all the evils in the world?! That's just stupid and insane! "Who would do something like that?!"
Illya shrugged. "It is long before there was any sense of order. In those days, superstition was the prevalent religion. People believed that all individuals held some evil in their hearts, so they believed that, by having someone become the host of those evils, they would be cleansed. That someone would become the Servant known as Avenger: Angra Mainyu. When he was defeated in the Third Grail War, he somehow managed to corrupt the Holy Grail. As a result, irregularities in the summoning process occurred: namely, abnormal Servants that were considered 'villains' in history rather than actual heroes. For example: in the Fourth Grail War, the Caster Servant was Gilles de Rais, also known as Bluebeard, an infamous magus during the days of the French Revolution who murdered and raped children while practicing the black arts. In the Fifth Grail War, the Gorgan Medusa was summoned as the Rider-Class, and the Caster Servant of the Fifth War was Medea."
"... That's just… insanely stupid!"
To him, the idea was both sickening and idiotic. They thought that pushing their sins unto one person was salvation?! How idiotic were they?! Worse, that decision caused problems for his family if what his aunt said was true. Because of those idiots, they made someone who would become a Servant, which would then be called on in a war and corrupted the Grail when it got killed. Of course, that was beside the point. He was just outright infuriated and flabbergasted that someone so stupid actually believed any of that superstitious crap!
Illya blinked, surprised by his words before she laughed. "My word," she remarked with amusement. "And here I thought only onii-chan would say something like that. You are definitely his grandson."
"Out of curiosity," Altera spoke. "Master's grandfather… if he is related to you and Tohsaka-san, is he also a magus?"
"Yes, though not a very good one. His only skills were projection and reinforcement, but he was quite capable and adept with only those skillsets. Far more than others. After all, it is not often one encounters a Magus who can trace and replicate a Noble Phantasm." Altera's eyes widened at this. Copying a Noble Phantasm? Such a thing was possible? Naturally, though, their conversation went right over Haru's head as a question mark danced above his head. "Back on topic… my father, Emiya Kiritsugu, was contracted by the Einzbern Family to win the Holy Grail War. He was given the golden sheath Avalon, the same sheath for the legendary sword Excalibur, and became the Master of Saber—King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot."
The homonculus paused briefly, taking a drink from the tea on the table that remained untouched before she continued.
"At the end of the War, however, father discovered what happened to the Grail, and used his last Command Seal to destroy it."
Haru's eyes widened. Immediately, Rias' explanation and brief history of the war came to mind. "You mean… he was the master who won the Fourth War and destroyed the Grail?"
"Yes, though unfortunately it was only half-finished. The vessel was destroyed rather than the whole thing. The contents spilled out, and caused what would come to be known as the Fuyuki Fire."
"Wait, so the end of the war was what caused that incident?!" Haru questioned dumbfounded. The massive fire that swept through the entire city years ago, claiming hundreds of lives, was caused by this supernatural event?!
"Yes. However, my father did not realize such destruction would take place. After learning his folly, he went to search for survivors. Eventually, he came across one… your grandfather."
At this, Haru's eyes widened. Unknowingly, he leaned forward, listening more intently than ever with an unknown glint flashing through his eyes.
"Shirou was an orphan who lost his parents in the fire, and father took him under his care, eventually coming to teach him magecraft." Illya paused again, this time releasing a tired, heavy sigh as she stared down at her cup, sadness reflected in her ruby red eyes. "Sadly, when father destroyed the Grail, the Fuyuki Fire was not the only thing that came of it. Avenger cursed him, and felt his body breaking down with each passing, growing worse and worse by the year before he eventually died. When onii-chan was seventeen, an unexpected event came to pass."
Haru frowned. "Unexpected event?"
"Yes… the Fifth Grail War, ten years after the Fourth."
"Wait, what? B-but I thought the war took place every sixty years?"
"Originally, it was supposed to. However, since the previous war failed to have a victor, the prana back then was stored within the Grail. While a normal Grail War needs 60 years to gather the required amount of prana, the result of the fourth war reduced the wait considerably."
"Onii-chan summoned a Saber-class Servant as well. In fact, he summoned the same Servant father did."
Altera quirked an eyebrow. "How was that possible?"
"Because onii-chan had Avalon placed in his body." she answered, causing the two to look at her with a befuddled expression. "It was done to save his life, and it thankfully worked. By the time onii-chan summoned his Servant, the other six had already been called. As a matter of fact, I was a Master as well." Haru's jaw fell to the floor, staring at her in shock while Illya grinned. "I was the Master of the Berserker, Heracles. Your grandmother was the Master of Archer. Other than us, there was Matou Sakura, the Master of Rider and Kotomine Kirei, the Master of Lancer. I never knew who was Caster's Master, but Caster had managed to summon the Assassin-class Servant and become a Master herself."
"Another effect of the corrupted grail?" Haru guessed, though to his surprise, Illya shook her head.
"Nope. The Assassin she summoned was a bit outside the norm. After Caster and her Servant were defeated, another Master entered the fray." The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously as she spat out the name with venom. "Makiri Zouken. He summoned a true Assassin-class Servant known as Hassan-i-Sabbah, the old hermit of the mountain." Illya took another drink of her tea before she continued. "Zouken was a horrible man who believed that he could obtain immortality if he obtained the Grail. To do so, he violated his own foster daughter Sakura with Worm Crests and embedded in her body the fragments of the Grail from the Fourth Grail War, thus turning her into a Lesser Grail."
The Master of Saber's face paled in horror and disgust upon hearing the actions of Makiri Zouken. He wasn't sure what Worm Crests were, but he had a pretty good idea what his aunt meant when he heard "violated".
"Lesser Grail?" he asked, getting over his shock. "What's that?"
"The Lesser Grail is a vessel to call upon the Greater Grail, the true wish-granting device. It houses the spirits of Fallen Servants as a means of gathering energy to summon it." Another pause, and another sip. "Bottom line is… Sixty years ago, your grandfather, Emiya Shirou… the Master of Saber, alongside two others, destroyed the Holy Grail that was tainted by Avenger."
"Two others? Who were they?"
"Matou Sakura and Tohsaka Rin."
"Eh? Baa-chan was one of them? Wait, who was Matou Sakura? Was she Zouken's relative or something?"
"To be more precise, she was Zouken's adopted grand daughter. But in truth, she was Rin's younger sister. In other words, she is your other aunt."
Haru balked. Another family member? Just how big was his family? Wait… if that was the case, then why hasn't his mother mentioned her? Noticing his confusion, Illya sighed. "Tohsaka Sakura was given to Zouken as part of a deal between the head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi. Around the time Kushina was born, Sakura disappeared. Onii-chan went off looking for her… and neither has been found since."
"Wait, my aunt and grandfather have been missing all that time?!" It's been THAT long since their disappearance? Was that why there weren't any pictures of his grandfather? Because he vanished after his mother was born? The redhead slumped in his seat. He could barely comprehend this. This whole war… it was starting to feel like the reason why his family was so skewed. Just what else was there?
"At any rate," Illya said, finishing her tea and setting it down on the plate. "Now you know the full story. I imagine this must be a lot to take in."
"No shit it's a lot to take in..." Haru shook his head. He was just dropped the bomb as to why his family was incomplete and much more than he ever imagined.
Magus, Wars… why couldn't things have just been more simple? What ever happened to his normal life and trying to become a Harem King? Seriously! This was too much shit for a kid like him! He was utterly normal and now he was in shit so deep he didn't know which way was up. All these reveals and secrets showing up so quickly...
Whatever happened to just worrying about Katase and the girls catching me and the guys peeping on them?
Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair. "Too much crap for me..."
"Well, unfortunately that may be from onii-chan." Illya smirked. "He had just as bad luck. Now, moving on to something more important… your arm." Haru looked up, quirking an eyebrow. "Show it to me."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Confused by her statement, Haru reluctantly raised his left arm and held it out to her. Illya held her nephew's wrist and pulled his sleeve up, examining the limb.
Her delicate, smooth fingers traced along his skin, causing a delightful shiver to run down his spine. His perverse self was most certainly enjoying how the woman was seemingly feeling up his arm. That, and her attractive form was definitely quite the catch. That said, he was beginning to feel a bit creeped out. This, coupled with her action of grabbing his butt before, was not exactly painting a clear image of her right now. "Hm, so its still dormant," Illya hummed thoughtfully as she seemed to focus her efforts around his wrist and the back of his hand. A strange smile soon formed on her lips. "Let's change that."
Strangely, Haru could have sworn he saw green circuits running through her hands and fingers, tracing all the way down to the tips, before he felt his arm burn up. It wasn't a bad sort of burn, but rather a pleasant one. It felt like electricity had started to run up his skin and give him a jolt while the warmth grew.
*babump*
Eh? Haru blinked. He could have sworn he felt a heartbeat just now. It sounded very close too, almost right in his ear. Was that his heart? No, couldn't have been. It was far too loud.
*babump*
Another beat resounded. The next second, Haru felt his entire body burn, especially around his hand, as he was forced to shield his eyes from a sudden burst of green light. The verdant glow intensified for a brief couple seconds before dying down. The redhead teen lowered his right arm from his eyes and gawked at the sight of his left arm.
Or rather, what was ON his left arm.
Encasing his left arm from the forearm up was a bright red gauntlet with a green jewel on the back of the hand and two golden spikes pointing backward, one on either side of the piece of armor.
"Wh-Wh-WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Altera's eyes widened to the point where they threatened to fall, jaw falling to the floor. "T-that's...!"
"THE HELL IS THIS?!" Haru shouted, holding his arm while trying to get the gauntlet off. "THE HELL?! IT WON'T COME OFF! STUPID THING! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS ANYWAY?!"
Illya giggled. "I have to say, it was one thing to see onii-chan create Unlimited Blade Works, but it seems the talent really runs in the family." she remarked, enjoying his outright confusion and shock by what just happened. "Then again, what can you expect from an Emiya and a Tohsaka rolled into one?"
"WOULD YOU MIND EXPLAINING WHAT THE HELL YOU JUST DID?!" Haru shouted as he still tried fruitlessly to remove the gauntlet. Damn thing wouldn't budge. It was like it was permanently stuck to his hand like glue! "MOREOVER, WHAT IS THIS THING?!"
"That, my adorable little nephew Haru-chan," the woman smirked. "Is one of the few things capable of slaying gods and demons. The Boosted Gear, also known as the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet. One of the Thirteen Longinus Sacred Gears."
"Huh? Longinus? The hell is that supposed to be?" Haru asked dumbfoundedly, still trying to pry the damned thing off of him. He stopped, however, when the haunting voice from Raynare echoed in the back of his head.
"Do you know how close I was?! I would have killed that brat and taken his Sacred Gear! I would have earned Azazel-sama's approval! And now all of that's down the FUCKING TOILET! YOU FUCKING WHORE!"
Slowly, he removed his hand from the gauntlet, and stared at it with an unreadable expression. "This… is what Raynare was trying to kill me for?"
"It would appear so, Master." Altera responded as she eyed the gauntlet. Now that she's seen it with her own eyes… she could understand why her master would be deemed dangerous in the eyes of others.
She should know how powerful one could be with it. Power like that… it was far beyond human comprehension. Now, however, she understood how exactly she came to be called into his service. The catalyst alone wouldn't have solidified the contract. Yes, it would have a higher guarantee of summoning that specific Heroic Spirit, but there was still the probable chance of a different Servant being summoned. At the very least, a Servant related to the history of that catalyst.
But this...this gauntlet was what solidified the summoning for her specifically. After all… only someone who inherited the soul of the fearsome Dragon of Domination would call for someone like her.
"As Saber might have already told you, God created a system of miracles known as Sacred Gears," Illya spoke. "But… like any system, there were glitches. Among them were thirteen weapons capable of killing gods and demon kings. They were appropriately named after the general who killed Jesus Christ—the Longinus. Boosted Gear is among them."
"Wait-wait-wait… so you're saying I can kill Gods with this thing?" Haru asked quietly, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. "THIS is what Raynare wanted from me?!"
"I'm afraid so. Now you know why she was so adamant on killing you."
Haru stared at his hand. Memories of Raynare's mocking and enraged face showed in his head. Soon, his eyes bore into the armored limb like it was a disease. "Why?" he found himself asking venomously. "Why me?!"
Taking note of his increase in irritation, Illya grew concerned for her nephew. She didn't blame him. He was dragged into the supernatural against his will after all. And most of it was all because of the Sacred Gear he had in him.
Then again, she thought somberly. Since when has fate ever been kind to the Emiya family or anyone associated with it?