Once upon a time, there was a boy who wanted to be a hero.
He trained his body, used what little magecraft he knew and helped whoever he came across. But he was weak. In a world of magecraft and supernatural elements, he was restricted to helping others in small matters. But one night, everything changed.
A lance. A pair of falchions. A red jewel. Blood, so much blood. The crimson lance approaches him, only to be deflected by a strong blow from an invisible sword. A blonde swordswoman from an ancient legend. His journey begins.
At first, it appears to go well. Working with the girl and her archer to fend off the black giant, confronting the chain-wielding Servant, fighting in the temple against the woman with a purple cloak. He catches the ire of the archer, but his skills improve at an inhuman pace. The girl he works with is kind, and teaches him more about magecraft. And the silver fairy he meets in the park brings joy into his desolate lifestyle. He learns about his lineage, and a sister he never had enters his life. Perhaps, just perhaps, he can become the hero he always wanted to be.
But it is not to be. The golden Servant makes his move early. He approaches the swordswoman with overwhelming force. She is taken from the boy just like that, in exchange for the others’ lives, and he feels an unbearable pain in his chest. He grows to understand that he cannot be the hero he wants to become. As if to make matters worse, the archer defects, deciding to side with the caster and the teacher. And before he knows it, the golden Servant appears again. This time, the sister is his target, but the black giant interferes, and the siblings barely avoid death once again.
Even as they escape, they realise how dire their situation is. Together with the girl, they are three humans in a war meant for monsters.
That night, the boy sits in the dimly-lit park with his sister. They sit unmoving in the darkness, knowing that even if they hide in their houses, they would be killed without any issue. Even so, the boy decides to fight.
And his sister, seeing that there is no way to convince him otherwise, vows to support whatever he does.
Strength returns to his body. He faces a choice that could lead to his ruin.

Is it even a choice? He already knew from their first meeting in the park that he will do whatever he can to protect her. He does not discard his ideal to save people, but he places her safety above everything else. If it comes down to it, he will destroy the entire world to save her. And so he cannot let her die, or let her watch him die. They must survive.
The boy takes the first step. He works with the haughty girl to figure out the archer’s identity. They confirm who he is by confronting him, and the sister speaks up, defending her brother from his future self. His future self, no matter how jaded, is unable to harm a single hair on her head, and gives in. He breaks his contract with the caster, and lays waste to her base in one fell swoop. Then, they confront the golden Servant and the tainted knight of victory. The archer works with his master to bring down what was once his first love, proving that skill can overcome sheer power.
The boy, having received a gift from the girl, brings down the king in a fight within a fake world. His sister faces the priest, and ends that remnant of the past with a silver sword. The archer reminds the boy of what he must not do, and sacrifices himself to take down the corrupted grail.
It is a miracle that they have survived, but as if mocking their measly war, a ritual is completed ahead of schedule. The world dies, and the crystal spider awakens. Mankind begins to die, but some manage to survive the first wave of death. The boy is one of the lucky ones, but his sister isn’t.
She makes him promise, that he will survive no matter what. It is a final request from an older sister to a younger brother. It is a promise he cannot break, even if he has to discard billions of lives. So he does, adapting to the future’s harsh conditions while watching everyone around him dies. He cannot take it anymore. He cannot do anything, but he knows someone who can. So he approaches the girl from the past, the only other surviving member of the war. She agrees, knowing that saving one person from a desolate future is better than none.
And so the hero, who wanted to save everyone, is saved by everyone.
He realises he has reached the other side of his journey when he wakes up on wooden floorboards. He vaguely recognises the place; it was his home before his fate was changed forever. His body feels experienced, and the alien substance of the future is in him. Even so, as he touches his face, he realises it is not the calloused face of a veteran, but the soft cheeks of a child. He walks over to the side of the manor, where a silver moon hangs in the night sky. Two figures sit side by side. One is a man who is about to die. Another is a boy who has taken on his dying wish. There is no hesitation as he kills his other self, but as he notices the wide eyes of the supposedly dead man, he breaks down into tears.
The man says nothing, does nothing. He does not know who this other child is, but he can see his haunted eyes. He knows there is a reason for his vile act, and that reason must be so great that he has to kill an innocent child. He knows all too well.
So, with his dying breath, he commands him.
“Succeed.”
Day 7
Zouken's Feel
Near Side
Brave Shine
There is no other way. You have to agree with her, or you’ll be blown to pieces. And if that happens, you’ll die without winning the war, without being king, and most importantly, without having a harem.
You have to agree for now, and then wait until she drops her guard...
“Fine, Tohsaka,” you growl as your gnash your teeth in frustration. “I’ll agree to your terms.”

“Oh? Looks like you have a brain after all,” Tohsaka says as she beams in fake delight. “Here, catch.”
She throws the geas scroll across the room, and it lands near your feet. And while she does so, she is still on guard, unwilling to give even a single inch to you.

But you’re Matou Shinji, and you’re no ordinary fool. You reach down with your right hand, bending your back slightly, and -



Ziiiiiiip
unleash your secret move.
“…I am the worm of my pit.”
Two screams. One is that of righteous feminine outrage. Another is a “Now, Gil!”, issued with desperation and madness in a single gamble for survival.
Your Servant acts immediately. Twenty golden portals appear.

Though he cannot summon his portals too far away, the blades that shoot out are still capable of reaching her in a second. The first sword that is shot out is a violet broadsword. For a moment, it hangs in the air, as if blocked by something, but there is a sound resembling glass breaking, and it proceeds to blast straight towards Tohsaka-
-and the roof of the basement collapses as a being exuding pure murder drops into the room, right in front of your Servant’s attack. The weapons sent flying towards him are batted away like flies, and for a fraction of a second, everyone is speechless.
Then your Servant speaks up, his voice extremely soft.

“Shinji. We leave. Now.”
Before you can register what is happening, a golden portal appears in front of you, and you are pushed into it.
As you are swallowed by the darkness within it, you can briefly hear a few voices.
“-ight Arm-”
“-et again, mongrels-”
“Anfang-”
And then, pure silence.
When you wake up, it’s nighttime and you’re back at the Matou Manor, and Gilgamesh is nowhere to be seen. You-
1. Wait patiently in the house, he’ll be back soon.
2. Go outside to find him.
Illya best girl |