"Forget everything; before you is only the enemy." The Phoenix's voice flowed through the air, leaving no chance to miss a sound. "In your hands is a blade." The primarch's strike let him feel the weapon even better. "It and you exist to bring death to the foe."
Under the evening sun, whose rays pierced the windows, two men faced each other. Both were focused. One, seasoned by experience, passed it to the young warrior. No other term fit the youth, for sparks of resolve smoldered in his eyes, ready to ignite at any moment.
"But remember one thing forever." The primarch's dark eyes pierced the space; it seemed they knew all they beheld. "You bring death only so that those dear to you won't end up in your place. You are a protector, and by spilling blood on the battlefield, you keep it from spilling on peaceful soil."
Shirou watched. Shirou felt. His very nature whispered to him. "You are a sword. You were made to kill. You were made to destroy. You were not made to create." But these thoughts from the depths beyond consciousness were refuted by the words of one who bore death for the sake of life. Even destruction could create, if indirectly. The magical circuits burned as always when used. However, now the molten metal coursing through his veins brought no pain. It only inflamed the heart. The doubts tormenting the youth receded to the background. His dream of bringing peace was unattainable. He had always known it, not being a fool despite others' opinions.
And yet, now those fears and thoughts—the sticky rot left after a cruel fire—didn't poison the soul. No, they elicited laughter. Cold reason saw no threat in them. If the goal was clear, no doubts could arise. And now Shirou clearly saw what he needed to do. Become a true hero who pressed on despite the endless road. He would choose the right path. It might lead to ruin or something worse, but Emiya would see it through. Whatever the cost.
"Look." The Phoenician extended a hand, pointing to Vergil standing aside. "If you can see a weapon's history, you'll see my son's history too."
The youth's amber eyes, now shimmering like molten gold, fixed on the halberd. Its mighty blade gleamed in the sunlight, forged with great skill and even greater deadliness. Threads of origin extended outward, revealing the weapon's memory. From the moment of forging in the legion's forges to its death on the planet called Tarsus. The grandeur of the Emperor's Children. Their mastery and resolve permeated the images rising in the youth's mind. Years of furious wars, invariably ending in victory. Years of striving for perfection in art and battle alike. And Shirou saw how mighty mankind had become. Too much to put into words.
Shirou's thoughts of his dream—to bring peace to the world—seemed a joke. He had wanted to be humanity's savior, but now beheld what humanity could do. And he understood why the primarch had laughed mockingly at him. A foolish boy fancying himself a messiah. Uncomprehending that the fire of human souls swept away all obstacles, through pain and blood, forging the road to the future.
And now a road appeared for Emiya to follow. For humanity's sake, he would exert all his strength and do everything possible to make his home even remotely like the Phoenix's home. Like the Imperium of Man.
His hands rose into the air as if of their own accord. Light gathered in them, emanating from the magical circuits. Flames scorched his body but didn't burn; they only forged the soul. The image of the mighty warrior's weapon began flowing into reality. A moment later, his palms felt the weight. Focusing his gaze, Shirou recognized a copy of the Phoenix's halberd. Still warm, the shaft trembled slightly with impatience. Even recreated from memory—not a true copy—it yearned for battle, for that was its purpose. The blade's will pulsed in his heart, and the young warrior couldn't contain it—nor did he want to.
Cleaving the air, Shirou attacked the primarch. His body was effortlessly enhanced by the spell. At consciousness's edge flickered surprise. Never had it been so easy... or so powerful. Even Fulgrim was momentarily taken aback by Emiya's onslaught. Now, his physical might scarcely lagged behind a Space Marine's. And without power armor. The primarch's magic knowledge refuted such a feat, but his eyes said otherwise. Rin had been right; the Origin could grant unimaginable power in brief moments. In just days, a merely trained youth had elevated his body several levels higher. Somehow, but it was so.
Fighting a wooden sword against a power weapon, Fulgrim held his own. His precise movements and maneuvers left not a mark on him. But notably, Shirou seemed transformed into the Phoenix Guard's commander. Every thrust superimposed an Astartes figure over Emiya.
"Enough for today." With the words, the blunt tip halted at the youth's throat. "You'll hurt yourself if you continue."
"Yeah... I suppose." With a raspy exhale, air left his lungs, letting him feel the body's tension. "Why the halberd? You could have shown me Firebrand."
"You'd see nothing in it to help now. Maybe in the future, to avoid my mistakes, but not today." The primarch said, setting the wooden sword on the rack. "So even while I fight, don't look into my blade's history. It holds too much pain." With resolve in his eyes, the man said.
Shirou, though not the most perceptive, understood that Fulgrim harbored regrets in his heart, but now they held no sway over him. Like that moment with the girl. A sight diametrically opposite the usual—that was what the Phoenician had shown then. But now, it seemed everything had changed. Though nothing surprising there. Shirou now knew full well who this war's Archer was. It didn't surprise him that the Master of Mankind's son had overcome his heart's burden. And Emiya dreaded to imagine what had caused such a shift. The proud Third primarch had undoubtedly become humbler.
"Is it connected to the Laeran Sword?" Vergil had still been alive when the primarch acquired it, so Shirou knew of it.
"Precisely. You're not ready to see the consequences of that... find." The Phoenician replied with undisguised distaste. After a moment's thought, the youth nodded. He harbored no illusions of surpassing Fulgrim in foresight. If he said not ready, then not ready. "Dinner's on you." And now Shirou grinned widely. He saw the challenge in the primarch's eyes. And Emiya would meet it.
****
When the young man left for the estate, only Fulgrim, Vergil, and Artoria remained in the dojo. The latter sat quietly with a thermos in her hands, showing no signs of presence. The Phoenician watched with a slight smirk in the direction where Shirou had gone. The boy's determination commanded respect, as it was genuine. Without it, the Primarch wouldn't have considered teaching him seriously. Though he had taken up teaching at the academy, it was out of boredom. At that moment, he himself didn't know what he wanted, even if he didn't show it outwardly. But since he had promised to make them perfect, he would keep his word—he would no longer allow himself to break oaths. Vergil interrupted the man's brief reverie. The latter was shifting from foot to foot, barely noticeably of course, which meant...
"Ask, my son, don't hold back," the Primarch prompted with an approving smile. At times, his Legionary was as indecisive as a child.
"My lord, don't think I'm questioning your decision, but..."
"Why am I doing this?" The Guardsman nodded. "Shirou... is broken. I saw uncertainty in his eyes. But at the same time, will. It's as if he wants to find somewhere to direct his strength. And I helped him find the path."
"So... can I consider him a brother in arms?" Vergil had already taken a liking to the boy. After all, he wasn't lacking in single-mindedness. And such a thought didn't seem repelling.
"Ha-ha-ha, why not? From today, he is a warrior of humanity. Isn't that a brother?"
"Though he still has to earn that title." Vergil certainly wouldn't call Shirou brother—not yet.
"Naturally, no other way."
At that moment, the Primarch's hearing picked up heavy breathing. It was coming from the estate's workshop, which Rin had set up for plasma magic training. She had reinforced the wall and put up wards against interference. She didn't want to incinerate someone with thermonuclear fire. Noticing something amiss, Fulgrim rushed to his summoner. In moments, he covered the distance, flung open the doors, and saw what was happening.
The girl lay on the ground, barely able to breathe. Her body was covered in cold sweat and shaking. Her face was frozen in a grimace of fear. Her lips whispered soundlessly, and the words could be read on them. Fulgrim immediately understood what was happening and rushed to the young girl, who shouldn't be seeing what she was seeing now. Kneeling, the man took the girl's hand and turned her onto her back. His warm palm rested on her cold nape, right on the soaked hair.
"I'm here, Rin." The words calmed the girl for a moment, but not for long. All that remained for the Primarch was to grip her hand tighter, hoping to help. Though Tohsaka had often complained that Fulgrim was her personal headache, right now, he was truly to blame for what the magus was experiencing.
After an intense training session to hone her new powerful magic, Rin had dozed off unnoticed. Fatigue had overtaken her body, and the need to share energy with the Phoenician had left no chance to stay conscious. Now she was in the world of dreams, which usually brought rest and recovery. However, the girl had completely forgotten one crucial fact. Dreams would now turn into nightmares. Nightmares that had become the life of her Servant.
No precise images appeared before her eyes, only blurred visions of events after the Purging of Laer. There was nothing horrifying in them, unlike what accompanied them. An unclear presence on the edge of the mind. A quiet whisper enveloping thoughts. Tohsaka felt how the pure stream flowing in the mighty mind of the Primarch was filling with dark miasmas. An unnatural, ancient, and repulsive influence was remaking Fulgrim's essence. Even in sleep, the girl gained understanding. If she were in the place of the lord of the Third Legion, she would go mad in an instant. The Phoenix himself didn't feel the internal struggle, due to ignorance. And even unknowing of the enemy, the shining soul of the son of the Lord of Mankind didn't surrender without a fight.
But despite that, in the finally emerging memories, the Primarch's behavior began to change inexorably. Strange decisions, strange desires. With each moment, they grew, threatening to spill into something irreversible. Rin, though unaware of it, shuddered with her whole body. The fear of the future, even through the haze of dreams, shook the inner foundations of the young magus. Her spirit, which until now had not seen true horrors, could hardly resist this, threatening to turn her mind into a pile of shattered shards. And only a warm presence, appearing from nowhere, helped her find the strength to continue watching. Watching what the proud servant of the Emperor was turning into.
Beautiful worlds filling the Pardus Anomaly appeared before her gaze. Like with her own skin, she felt the streaming tears coming from the Phoenician's eyes. Each time he set foot on untouched planets, he admired their splendor. And each time, he left them untouched. Thereby breaking the oath given to his father. To bring all stars, all worlds under the sway of the Imperium. But the Primarch no longer saw anything wrong with doing so, for something so perfect should remain untouched.
Then, a xenos race made contact. Eldrad Ulthran, leader of these aliens, wished to hold negotiations. And now, Rin guessed how it would all end. The Farseer told of how the great Warmaster, Horus Lupercal, had fallen into the embrace of certain forces from the Immaterium. Fulgrim's attempt to quell the anger and sort out the situation was cut short by the voice in his head, no longer hiding.
"Lies! Lies! Lies! Don't believe him, he just wants to turn you against your brother. Kill him! This filthy xenos must be punished for deceit!"
The otherworldly voice caused a real storm of fear in the girl's heart. For a moment, it seemed to her that it sounded not in the dream, but in her head. This being, this creature poisoning the Primarch's mind, seemed to have entered the labyrinths of the magus's mind. Rin's very nature curled into a ball, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears. Just to not hear that voice.
And yet, the whisper worked. The Phoenix attacked with his silver sword. Seeing it, the Eldar was horrified. He realized he was too late. Rin didn't fully understand what had happened, but it was clear enough that certain Warp entities were playing their game. Then came a furious battle, at the end of which the Primarch fought a giant seemingly made of molten metal. A risky and unwise bare-handed attack nearly cost Fulgrim his life, but brought results. The enemy was defeated, but in the last moment, it allowed the Primarch to glimpse scenes from the past. The ancient will of a fading race seemed to come alive in the body of this mighty being, and at the moment of its death, it overwhelmed the opponent. A galaxy appeared before his eyes, in its inconceivable majesty and immutability. But then, the scattering of stars was covered by an alien force. A scream drowning out all existence announced that something had been born. As if in this way, wanting to notify all living and non-living of its arrival, storms of raging energy from the Great Ocean of Souls tore the galaxy apart. Like incurable wounds, the extended storms of dark energy laid the foundation for what Fulgrim had spoken of not long ago. The Long Night, the Age of Strife.
From such horrific images, Rin's mind ceased to show signs of life, sinking not into sleep, but into dreamless oblivion. And the last thing the girl heard was the voice of the memory of the departed race. Just one word, but the feelings of bitterness and pain invested in it finally deprived the weakened mind of strength. The name of the newborn. The name that brought great fear to Fulgrim's soul, and great hatred even mightier than the first. Just one word, but how much it carried.
Slaanesh.
Opening her eyes, the girl saw the ceiling of her room. Contrary to her usual lack of awareness upon waking, what she had seen was seared into her memory. A strong shiver ran through her body again. Fear—of the demon from the blade, and of the dark entity whose name was terrifying even to recall—enveloped Rin. The new panic attack would have continued to shatter her consciousness, but a hand on her head stopped it. Her shifted gaze showed the perfect face of the Primarch. He said nothing, but his face made it clear: the Phoenician perfectly understood what the magus felt.
"Ful... grim..." Her parched lips could barely move, but the warm palm helped her calm down.
"Don't speak, you need to come to your senses."
"How can you... be so calm?" Rin said slowly, almost letter by letter. "That... demon..."
"I know." The Primarch noted that lately he had been patting people on the head quite often. But now, he needed to calm the child. This fragile girl could be nothing else in the man's eyes.
"What will... happen next?"
"It will get even worse."
For several minutes, Rin couldn't gather her thoughts. It was terrifying to imagine what a Primarch immersed in darkness could do. And he himself looked with regret at what was essentially a child, who would still have to experience the darkest chapters of his life on herself. In one moment, the girl's eyes darted frantically. Realization hit her, making her shudder even more.
"That woman. It's... Slaanesh, isn't it?" Rin asked cautiously, as if trying to dip into ice water.
"Correct." It seemed the summoner had seen the first "acquaintance" with the Dark Prince. At that moment, Fulgrim's distorted consciousness had been enraptured by it, but now...
"But... we're... she... What do we do?!" Hysterical notes were clear in her voice. She jumped up from the futon, forgetting her weakness, and began pacing the room nervously.
"Calm down, Rin."
"How can I calm down?! That thing tore the galaxy apart with one scream! Compared to her, Gaia and Alaya are like children! And you hope to fight her?!" The girl screamed, nearly fainting. For the first time in her life, she was so afraid. And the worst part: She had come for her Primarch in another world. A being of such power wanted to reclaim her "prince." Tohsaka, until this moment, hadn't realized how dangerous the enemy was. She thought the Grail would help deal with her, but now...
"Rin." The Primarch, who had also stood, made the girl fall silent and look into the Phoenician's face with a stern voice. "We know no fear..."
"...For we are His Children." One of the many battle cries of the Third Legion strangely restored calm to the girl.
"Ha, you're even closer in spirit to my sons than I thought." Fulgrim smiled, even feeling a slight pride in his cheeky master. "Now you realize how dangerous the enemy is, and why we need the Grail."
"It's the only thing that can give a chance... No, the Grail is powerful, but not that much!"
"Slaanesh also doesn't have her full power; she said it was hard to get into this world. We have hope, at least for banishing the Dark Prince." Seeing that his words had calmed the girl, but not completely, the Primarch continued. "Judging by the scorch marks on the walls, you've mastered plasma."
"Uh... yeah, that's why I passed out." Rin didn't understand why he changed the subject.
"That means, from this moment, we can fight shoulder to shoulder." Fulgrim stepped closer. His shimmering eyes pierced into Rin's very soul. Until now, the irritating Servant hadn't evoked such a feeling, but now, the girl finally sensed how majestic the son of the Emperor of Mankind was.
"Are you asking me to join your legion?" Her natural sarcasm prevented the magus from taking the Primarch's words seriously. The situation was nerve-wracking anyway. However, the equally sarcastic Phoenician didn't leave it unanswered. He pondered for a moment, then smirked. Demons danced in his purple pupils.
"Hm, why not? I haven't had daughters yet." Outraged, Rin couldn't even open her mouth... for the first couple of seconds. Then she continued the exchange of barbs.
"I won't call you father."
"Ha-ha-ha, that's not required." Pondering again, the Primarch nodded satisfied with his thoughts. Then he looked at the girl without laughter. "Tohsaka Rin. Do you swear to be a servant of the Emperor of Mankind beloved by all, a servant of my father? To become part of the Legio Astartes, the Emperor's Children?"
The magus gazed at the Primarch in amazement. She thought he was joking, but Fulgrim had seriously decided to make her a Legionary. It... threw her off. The Phoenician deemed her worthy. Unclear why—maybe to calm her, maybe... who knows this perfectionist?! Rin thought hard about her answer. She had seen much, seen what it meant to be Astartes. It was a great honor to serve the Emperor. But Tohsaka was proud by nature. She was proud of her talent, her single-mindedness, her lineage, of which she was the heiress. And to acknowledge someone above her...
However, she immediately recalled the golden light enveloping the Lord of Mankind's figure. Firm certainty had accompanied her since she saw him. Tohsaka would never forget that glow, the glow of hope. The pride of the heiress of an ancient mage family... didn't protest. Serving such a man was far more honorable than anything. To carry the light of truth into the darkness of ignorance, as Vergil had said. The Imperial Truths, ideals of science and enlightenment, quite appealed to Rin. She already admitted to herself that she couldn't hold back from following the Revelation. And at this moment... it remained unchanged.
"I... swear." The girl said somewhat hesitantly. This thought was clearly readable on the Primarch's face. "I swear! Satisfied?"
"What's that got to do with it? I just offered; you chose the answer yourself." The Primarch spread his arms. Her Primarch. "That means from now on, you've stood with me under one banner... Though it's a bit far from here." Fulgrim finished with a cheerful smile, causing the girl to exhale long.
"...Fine. Let's say I've calmed down." Rin's blue eyes, despite her words, still held traces of worry. "And still, what do we do?"
"Fight. To the very end, whatever it may be..."
And so, the first female Space Marine appeared in the world... small, but with the firepower potential of a plasma blaster. And poor Vergil, who was nearby and had heard the whole conversation, thought doomedly that he would never be able to put the cheeky girl in her place. "I definitely won't call her sister... unless my Primarch gives a direct order."
The black-haired beauty paced nervously back and forth; she could hardly wait to meet Fulgrim, but he hadn't arrived yet. She was waiting for the one she had arranged to meet, but regretted not setting an exact time. And the location was unclear too, which was why the Primarch had asked Tacitus where their temporary ally was. The silent Medusa looked impassively at her next master. Finally, she decided to speak, despite never liking it. The Gorgon, from the moment they met, had simply carried out orders and couldn't even understand what this being wanted, so she attempted to start a conversation.
"Maybe we should have set an exact time..." Her entire body froze under an otherworldly pressure. Threat emerged in Tsurukawa Hinako's glowing eyes.
"Don't open your mouth without reason. I let you live only out of necessity, but I can do without you." She hissed in an icy voice. But only to immediately don the mask of a polite and meek girl. The Primarch was nearby.
Landing on the rooftop of a high-rise, the Phoenician looked at the master and Servant. As always, the frankly dressed Rider and modest Hinako. It seemed she would no longer pretend to be an experienced magess. And rightly so.
"Let's begin the hunt."
***
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