On the other side, Eri was not, as usual, immersed in her favorite bath routine.
The bathroom was filled with warm steam, the mist condensing into fine droplets on the mirror, slowly sliding down. The bathtub was only half full, the water surface as still as a mirror, reflecting the dim yellow light from the ceiling. Eri's slender body was curled up in the water, her porcelain-white skin faintly visible beneath the surface, like flawless jade.
However, her gaze was fixed firmly on her arm. Beneath the clear water, thin black veins were slowly creeping up from under her skin, winding like vines, leaving ugly lines in their wake.
Eri's pupils narrowed slightly, a shadow of sorrow emerging in her eyes.
You couldn't escape the fate of becoming a monster, could you? Poor thing… You truly wanted to become a hero, swore it in your heart, even worked hard for it—yet things still won't go your way. This world really isn't fair at all, is it?
A low, chilling whisper echoed by her ear, as if from the depths of an abyss.
Eri's body stiffened slightly, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the tub. Slowly, she turned toward the source of the voice, and in the shadows beside the bathtub, a dark figure began to take shape.
This time, its form was clearer than ever.
Its body was shrouded in a thick black aura, as though swallowing all nearby light. Long red hair draped over its shoulders, and it wore a red-and-white miko outfit, the hem swaying despite the still air. Most unsettling of all was its face—it looked somewhat like Eri's own.
Eri quickly raised her arm, attempting to strike down the shadow with her power. But her hand merely swiped through the air; the shadow dispersed like smoke, only to reform immediately, completely unharmed.
It was useless. The shadow seemed to have taken residence in her heart, like an unshakable demonic half of herself.
'Who are you?' Eri's thoughts wavered as she stared at its face.
The other seemed to hear her inner voice. Does it matter who I am? What matters is you. You're about to fall completely into monstrosity, aren't you? In just two days, you won't be able to hide it anymore, and in four… without treatment, you'll be right at the brink of losing control.
'…' Eri stayed silent, the light in her eyes dimming.
She lowered her head, gazing at her reflection in the water, recalling the story Shirou had once told her—the story of Minamoto no Yorimitsu overcoming her monstrous alter ego, Shuten Dōji, to finally become a hero. Whenever she felt low, she would think back on that story.
It was that story that had inspired her to take her first step toward changing herself. But reality was teaching her something else entirely:
A monster will always be a monster. The road to heroism was out of reach. Changing oneself was a castle in the sky. Dreaming might be beautiful, but the fall back to reality was bloody, cruel, and hard to bear.
Her gaze dropped to the reflection of the black lines slowly spreading over her skin, as if announcing an irreversible fate.
Shall we make a deal?
The shadow suddenly spoke.
What? Eri's eyes widened slightly. The shadow's lips curled in a mocking, almost sneering smile.
You want to be a hero, don't you? Look at your hideous state—you don't want people to see you as a monster, right?
Its tone was gentle and caring, as though every word was for her sake. Yet the rasp in its voice was enough to send chills down her spine, like a cold serpent's tongue brushing her ear.
Eri's fingers tightened on the edge of the tub. Her gaze fell again to the black markings on her arm, and visions of herself losing control, transforming into a monster, began to fill her mind.
It's simple. I take a part of your soul, and in exchange, I'll grant your wish.
'Wish?' Eri's lips trembled as she mouthed the word in disbelief. She didn't quite understand what "taking a soul" meant, but she imagined a scene from a fairy tale—a magic lamp like in the story of Aladdin. Could the shadow really grant her wish just like that?
Exactly—just like last time. I can erase those ugly markings from your body, even help you become a hero.
And more than that… I can help your dear Shirou-oniisan too. The shadow's hoarse voice dripped like a demon's whisper.
You heard the conversation outside, didn't you? He's struggling with an investigation that's going nowhere—but I can help. I can instantly locate the entrance to the Mirror Realm for him. He'll be pleased, won't he?
You won't become a monster, and you'll even earn his praise… So? Deal?
The steam still rose in the bathroom.
Amid the swirling mist, Eri's breathing grew slightly rapid, her chest rising and falling with emotion. Her eyes shifted between the shadow and the markings on her arm, as if weighing her options.
Deal?
The shadow's voice came again. Eri hesitated—
Endure a few more days, only to lose her chance at change forever? Or pay the price and keep everything she desired?
By the time the bathwater had noticeably cooled, she could no longer resist. She glanced toward the shadow and gave a small nod.
Seeing this, the shadow's lips curved into a victorious smile.
———
Tokyo Underground Great Cavern.
Fenrir had lost its usual opportunity to secretly watch its beloved little TV shows—its sister no longer allowed it. She suspected it had been slacking off, which had let the White King inside the Greater Grail meddle with the outside ley lines.
So now, Fenrir had to abandon its daily leisure and instead toil as a giant excavation machine, digging deep into the pitch-black lower caves beneath the Great Cavern to investigate the anomaly in the ley lines.
Only faint light filtered down from above, illuminating Fenrir's massive form. Its mountain-like dragon body crouched deep underground, sharp claws tearing through solid rock, carving out massive cavities with ease, digging far faster than Xami could ever hope to.
At the edge of the cavern, Xami stood with arms crossed, watching her foolish brother work while speaking to Norton on the comms:
"Norton, why wasn't this ley line anomaly listed in your Holy Grail War operation precautions?"
Through the curtain of mercury, Norton's figure was hazy, but his expression was clear—full of helpless irritation.
Hearing her words, the corner of his mouth twitched. He almost wanted to slap her through the screen; it was obvious she was trying to shift the blame to him.
"…Do you think I have that much experience? This is the first Holy Grail War we've run—how could it possibly go perfectly?"
His tone sharpened. "And ley lines? I'm no King of Earth and Mountains. At best, I draft the construction plans. The actual execution relies entirely on you siblings."
His voice turned more annoyed. "And what have you done? One of you spends all day pressuring me with demands, and the other just watches TV and slacks off. Now there's a problem, and after checking, we find—oh, surprise!—hundreds of meters beneath the ley lines we set up, there's an even older ley line network…"
"And the two, originally completely unrelated, have been secretly linked together, causing this Holy Grail War anomaly. Then you rush to contact me… What, do you expect me, the King of Bronze and Fire, to give you expert ley line solutions?"
Xami frowned deeply, falling into a silence she couldn't explain. Back during construction, they'd rushed to meet deadlines, failing to investigate the deeper layers carefully. She couldn't deny her share of the blame.
Below, Fenrir kept digging, seemingly unaware of their argument. Only the sound of its claws tearing through stone echoed dully through the cavern.
"Fine! Let's talk about something more practical. For example: the Rider group—the pseudo-Servants we chose—disappeared on the night of the summoning. Lost contact. Seems they were pulled into a sealed Nibelungen."
This time Xami suppressed her temper. "Norton, you must have some idea here, right? Even if the White King's soul fragments could sometimes touch the ley lines, it shouldn't be enough to instantly create a Nibelungen and drag people into it from miles away."
Through the mercury screen, Norton's image wavered. After a few seconds, he finally spoke:
"Without a doubt—since the White King's true soul remains in the Greater Grail, even if she could slip free, only fragments could escape. An incomplete soul couldn't construct a Nibelungen—at most, it could use an existing one to affect reality."
He analyzed steadily. "The deepest ancient ley lines must be maintaining a special Nibelungen. Though sealed, it remains fully open to the White King."
Xami's eyes lit with understanding. "So she only needs to link that ley line to the one running the Holy Grail War to affect the Masters and Servants involved!"
"Exactly. But knowing that isn't enough—you'll have to restore the ley lines, destroy the ones maintaining the Nibelungen, or find the 'tentacles' of her escaped soul fragments… and kill them."
"Then Fenrir will handle clearing the ley line system. I'll search for the Nibelungen's entrance—the White King's escaped fragments are most likely hiding there."
(End of Chapter)
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