Morpheus manipulated his magic, leveling the ground and roughly repairing simpler damages before spreading his hands.
"The rest is up to you, Shirou."
Shirou Emiya nodded reluctantly. "Alright, I'll find someone to fix it tomorrow."
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Can my magecraft be used for repairs?"
He'd only fixed small furniture, never a house.
Morpheus nodded. "Sure, try it. If a whole house feels too big, don't treat it as one unit. A house has layered structures, divisible into thousands of parts."
Shirou nodded. "Got it, I'll try!"
Excited, as if discovering a new use for his magecraft, he climbed to the roof, gathered broken wood and bricks, and, with his deft hands, roughly restored their original shapes.
Then came his signature skill: "Trace, on!" Under his magecraft, the fragments mended significantly. Though cracks remained, they now fit the roof's gaps well.
This was the crucial step.
While manually aligning pieces and tracing, after about twenty attempts, Shirou felt his mana nearly depleted, with only half the roof fixed.
The rest would have to wait until morning.
Forcing more magecraft could endanger his life... a lesson from Rin Tohsaka, a proper magus.
Then Morpheus's voice cut through. "Guess why I summoned those angels?" It was soft but clear to Shirou.
Was this a teaching moment, using the recent battle? Shirou wondered.
Below, Sakura Matou, most familiar with Morpheus, didn't answer. Though self-taught, her insights from observing the Genesis Lightning gave her understanding, so she waited for others.
Illya, highly sensitive to mana, only sensed the initial summoning's leaked power due to the bounded field, missing the details.
Rin Tohsaka, after pondering, answered, "To draw vast mana from the angels?"
"Exactly," Morpheus said, glancing at Shirou. "I've said magicians refine life into magic, affecting the body internally without projecting mana outward. Internal changes can mirror external effects."
He continued, "My elemental control is limited by my skill, so I summoned the angels of the four elements to help manipulate external elements."
Morpheus smiled. "Essentially, it's mana control. With angelic power, I can wield more external mana for stronger magical effects.
"In magecraft terms, it's similar. Angelic power grants more mana, bypassing the issue of Greater Source mana being toxic to humans. My mana comes from angels, not the Greater Source."
At this, Medea and Sakura smiled faintly.
As a Age of Gods magus, Medea knew the Greater Source's power but also that modern magi, unlike ancient humans, risked poisoning or death by absorbing it directly.
Modern magi relied on daily mana accumulation, using it when needed, as she learned from her oil magnate Master.
Sakura smiled, recalling her early thoughts. Taught by her late foster father and Zouken Matou, she sensed her magic differed fundamentally from their magecraft.
The Genesis Lightning Morpheus showed her surpassed the magecraft cherished by magus families.
Hearing Morpheus mock the Greater Source, she recalled her past musings.
She hadn't been wrong!
Sakura puffed out her chest proudly.
She also understood why Morpheus spoke now: to reinforce knowledge through the battle and guide Shirou.
Morpheus-nii is so kind, she thought, smiling.
Rin, pondering, nodded. The battle deepened her understanding of Morpheus's magic. With her moonstone, she could easily summon Gabriel's power.
Morpheus's fight showed her future path: summon archangels, wield vast mana, and overwhelm foes with raw power!
Clutching her jewel, feeling its cold aura, she thought of her father, who died for the Grail.
Knowing more now, she wavered between mourning and hating him.
It ended in a long sigh.
On the roof, Shirou, after hearing Morpheus, fell into thought.
"Right, I could summon angelic power… I can't summon archangels like Morpheus, but a fraction should suffice.
"I can make the summoning circle myself."
Using a knife, Shirou cut his finger, drawing blood. With recent knowledge, he swiftly drew a circle on the roof, inscribing divine symbols.
He began chanting.
Life force converted to mana, circulating in a specific pattern, resonating with the circle.
A gentle, sparse power descended.
Without close attention, it might be overlooked.
Shirou felt it, but the summoning halted.
"You got distracted. Distraction disrupts summoning," Morpheus said, appearing behind him. He critiqued, sensing the surroundings. "You summoned a tiny fraction of Gabriel's power. If I score this, maybe one out of ten. But even failed, the gathered water elemental power is useful."
Morpheus advised, "Use this water elemental power. Instead of angels, try contacting the water elemental lord. With Gabriel's aura, Undine might be cooperative."
Shirou, having studied elementals from Morpheus's extracurricular lessons, was surprised. "It can work like that?!"
"Magic requires creativity," Morpheus said, grinning. "It lets the talentless chase the talented, but without thinking, magic can't bridge that gap. If the strong is hard to summon, isn't aiming lower normal?"
Shirou modified the circle, tweaking details, and summoned Undine.
It was remarkably smooth. Though Undine's form didn't appear, gathering water elemental power confirmed success.
With Gabriel's aura, the water elementals were unusually cooperative, making the process effortless.
With their aid, Shirou drew mana, converting it into his own, channeling it through his Magic Circuits for his unique magecraft.
"Trace, on!"
He resumed repairing the roof.
If Clock Tower magi saw Shirou use precious mana for this, they'd likely rage.
After ten minutes, Shirou finished, jumping down, showing no signs of mana exhaustion, brimming with energy.
Undine's power lingered, restoring life force lost to tracing, ensuring he wouldn't die prematurely, though it didn't extend lifespan.
"All done!" Shirou said cheerfully.
Morpheus clapped. "Great job, saved money and time."
Shirou rubbed his chin. "Maybe I could be a house builder or repairman, now that mana's no issue."
The boy was drifting from his "justice brain" and "self-sacrifice" tendencies.
"Why not? More skills, more paths. Magic isn't secret," Morpheus nodded. "Who's to say science isn't a form of magic?"
Morpheus thought of the Golden Dawn, predecessor to his Dawn-Colored Sunlight, and Aleister Crowley, who sought a science-only world.
But science was magic, or a branch of it.
The others didn't take him seriously, assuming he was joking.
Modern minds struggled to equate science and magic, seeing them as parallel lines.
"Well, the nuisance is gone. Shall we eat or rest?"
"Let's talk," Shirou suggested. "I have questions about the Holy Grail War. I still don't understand much."
No one opposed, so they returned inside, the clean courtyard showing no battle traces.
…
In the church.
Several Servants sat apart, as if incompatible.
Fortunately, the church was large enough for distance.
Kirei Kotomine spoke. "Let's wait. Gilgamesh returns, we can discuss our next steps. Rest assured, you'll all have a chance to fulfill your wishes."
***
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