Click—
As night fell, Emiya Shirou dragged his weary body to the door of his room and slowly pushed it open, stepping inside.
Since night was the most active time for the Holy Grail War, Shirou hadn't completely exhausted himself during the daytime training. Just a short rest would be enough for him to regain his strength.
However, the instant he stepped into his room, Shirou immediately sensed something wrong.
Rather than sensing it directly, it was the atmosphere itself that set him on high alert.
All the lights were off, and the curtains fluttered ominously in the wind, repeatedly hitting the wall. Only faint moonlight illuminated the bed through the open window.
Before Shirou could even project a weapon, a gentle, youthful voice sounded from within the darkness.
"My apologies for intruding."
A figure stepped forward from the shadowed depths of the room—a young priest, turning to face Shirou with a warm, gentle smile.
"Kotomine Shirou, Executor of the Eighth Sacrament Assembly of the Holy Church," the youth introduced himself calmly. "Forgive my unannounced arrival."
Kotomine Shirou politely explained his identity and apologized, yet Shirou couldn't sense even a trace of hostility from him. It was almost as if they weren't members of opposing factions at all.
Ever since Emiya Shirou had lost his Servant, the King of Knights, Yggdmillennia had ceased their surveillance on him, hoping to earn his trust. Darnic had always known Shirou was aware of the surveillance; both had simply chosen to remain silent about it. Now, hoping to win Shirou fully over as an ally, all forms of monitoring had naturally been withdrawn.
"Kotomine...?"
Upon hearing the surname, Shirou paused thoughtfully.
He recalled that back in his hometown of Fuyuki, there had been a church whose priest bore that same surname—Kotomine.
If parallel worlds had consistent counterparts, that priest from his own city was likely also a member of this so-called Holy Church.
Yet—"Shirou"?
When combined, the name sounded as if it had been given to him after being adopted by Father Kotomine.
"So...what brings you to the Black faction's headquarters to see me?"
From the start, Shirou had learned from Darnic that the Holy Church belonged to the Red faction. There was also a Master on the Red side aligned with the Church. That Master, presumably, was this Kotomine Shirou standing before him.
"I have two reasons. First, I wanted to see for myself just what sort of person could defeat Archer head-on. And second—I want to invite you to join the Red faction."
Kotomine Shirou spoke with utmost sincerity. Shirou couldn't sense even a hint of deception or hidden agenda. Every word and gesture seemed genuine, naturally putting Shirou at ease.
Even Shirou found himself affected by the priest's comforting presence.
"But...why?"
Shirou was confused—not only by Kotomine Shirou's attempt to extend this offer, but also by his seemingly fearless decision to appear openly within the heart of enemy territory.
"To have come here to meet you must surely have been the correct choice."
Kotomine nodded gently, his lips curling into a gentle smile. He stepped forward, extending his hand warmly toward Shirou, eyes filled with sincerity.
"The moment I laid eyes upon you, I knew—you and I, we're kindred spirits."
"Kindred spirits...?"
Shirou's gaze turned uncertain as he looked at the priest's gentle yet somewhat shadowed expression. Without thinking, he reached out and took Kotomine's hand.
At that instant, red magical light sparked between their grasped hands, merging their magical energies.
As Shirou held Kotomine's hand, an image suddenly flashed vividly in his mind—visions of the past, visions of the man whose hand he now held.
He saw a young general clutching tightly to a banner driven into the earth, kneeling desperately in prayer before the gods. His expression was filled with immeasurable despair and heartbreaking sorrow.
The white-haired youth knelt beneath the blood-soaked banner, whispering desperately amidst the sea of blood:
"O my banner, hear me."
"If they bear any sin, it is only that they trusted me and followed me."
"I gladly offer my life."
"So please, tell me how to grant them salvation."
"But—if salvation is impossible..."
"If, at the end of this battle, their lives must be sacrificed..."
"Then I shall forsake merely saving these people—"
"I shall save all mankind."
"Good or evil, weak or strong—I will save everyone."
The boy reached out a slender, trembling hand toward his banner, pleading, offering everything he had. The depth of emotion in his voice—a blend of anguish, desperation, and resolve—was unbearably complex.
To save all humanity—a wish so grand, so crushingly difficult.
In that moment, Shirou felt the weight of that wish, fully understanding just how heavy, how impossible it truly was.
Then, with a flash of silver, the young man's head fell onto the bloody earth. Yet even in death, the boy's eyes held boundless compassion.
The vision shattered into fragments, scattering into the darkness before Shirou.
This brief vision showed him the life of a certain Heroic Spirit.
Shirou was no stranger to experiences like these dreamlike visions; after forming his contract with Arthur, he'd dreamt vividly about Arthur's past. Upon waking, he'd discussed the vision openly with Arthur, who, having long accepted his past, explained everything clearly, deepening Shirou's understanding of the legendary King of Knights.
"A Guardian…?"
Kotomine Shirou stared at Emiya Shirou blankly, the word slipping unconsciously from his lips.
Magical energy flowed both ways—just as Emiya Shirou had glimpsed Kotomine's past, so too had Kotomine detected something strange within Shirou's magic.
Normally, when "it" forged a contract, the being would grant some measure of power. It wasn't merely signing a document without offering any tangible assistance. Such energy manifested in multiple forms—increased physical strength, refined magical control—but while Emiya Shirou's contract seemed to grant him nothing obvious, it had left a mark upon him.
It was as if to signal clearly that he was already claimed by a contract, and no other entity could take him.
Kotomine Shirou sensed those lingering traces within Emiya's magic, regarding the boy with renewed intrigue as he clutched his head in pain.
Having once borne the duty of a Ruler, Kotomine had received extensive knowledge from the Holy Grail, including insight into the mysterious beings known as Guardians.
Yet the boy before him had no Saint Graph; he couldn't possibly be a Heroic Spirit or a Guardian sent by "it."
Then suddenly, Kotomine Shirou considered another possibility, his gaze shifting subtly.
Perhaps the youth standing before him had already signed a contract with "it," yet was still alive—merely not yet having died and fully assumed the role of a Guardian.
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