Chapter 75: The Cage and the Vibrating Sword
"Shirou... what's wrong?"
Seeing Shirou suddenly stand motionless after touching the Holy Grail, Saber walked over with concern and touched his shoulder.
However, at this moment, Shirou could neither hear Saber's voice nor feel her touch. Under the effect of magecraft, the scenery around Shirou shattered like a bubble, transforming into a void of endless darkness. In this world of absolute gloom, the only sensation was the black mud that submerged half of Shirou's legs.
He felt as though he were standing in a shallow black tide.
"So this is the interior of the Grail."
Shirou surveyed the darkness-filled surroundings, finding that this world of black mud seemed to stretch infinitely without end. Just then, a surprised female voice reached his ears.
"This place... where is it?"
Shirou started and looked at the girl standing beside him, though he hadn't noticed when she arrived.
"Saber? You came in too?"
"Yes, when I touched you, I seemed to be affected by the magecraft as well..." Saber replied.
"I see... then let's go together."
Shirou exchanged an understanding look with her.
"Alright." Saber nodded.
After walking a distance in one direction, a light source began to appear in their originally dim vision. As the light grew larger, the scene around them underwent a massive change.
The sky was covered in pure white. Suddenly feeling a chill on his cheek, Shirou reached out a hand to catch the white objects drifting down.
"This is... snow?"
Shirou lifted his gaze and looked forward, discovering a castle standing in the center of this world surrounded by heavy snow.
.
.
.
Even through the thick glass windows, Irisviel could hear the howling of the cold wind outside. Outside the window, snowflakes fell one after another, blending heaven and earth into one color.
A cold breath seeped through the cracks of the window and spread into the room, followed by a heart-wrenching sound. It was the sound of countless people crying, as if the wails of everyone who had died tragically in the past were preserved in their final moments and funneled into Irisviel's ears.
Disturbed by these sounds, Irisviel, who had been leaning against the bedside, slowly opened her eyes.
"What happened...?"
Her crimson eyes swept across the room, but she found nothing unusual. Therefore, Irisviel naturally dismissed the sounds she had just heard as hallucinations.
"Mama..."
Suddenly, Illya, who was lying on the bed, curled up her body in fear. "Mother, I had a nightmare. A dream where Illya turned into a wine cup." Her small hands gripped her mother's arms tightly, seeking protection.
Seeing her daughter like this, Irisviel quickly pulled her into an embrace. Irisviel asked in a gentle tone while lightly stroking her daughter's cheek. The mother's voice and touch, always present by her side, softened the child's fearful expression.
Then, she told her mother about the nightmare she just had.
"Inside Illya's heart, there were seven large pieces. When Illya felt like she was going to die, when she was so scared but couldn't run away, she heard Justeaze-sama's voice, and a big black hole appeared over her head..."
As Illya said these things, she suddenly realized the nightmare seemed to symbolize something bad, and her tiny body trembled with unease again. Seeing Illya's fear, Irisviel's heart ached as she gently caressed her cheek.
"It's okay, Illya... I will stay here with you forever."
Hearing this, Illya buried her face in her mother's chest. Irisviel also gave a motherly smile, tightly hugging her daughter.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
Shouldn't her daughter, Illya, be far away in Einzbern Castle in Germany? And she, clearly in Fuyuki City—how could she suddenly appear here, embracing her daughter after so long?
The moment she realized this, Irisviel felt a sudden dizziness. Her memories of how she arrived here were a chaotic mess. The sensation was strange; her consciousness was incredibly vivid, yet she couldn't think logically.
What was murky and meaningless was not her own spirit, but the world she was in. Many scenes flashed before her eyes. Looking at these sights only brought up a senseless, unbearable sadness and emptiness.
Everything reflected in her eyes was devoid of joy or happiness. They were a kaleidoscope of disjointed scenes linked only by this commonality: pain, humiliation, regretful resentment, and loss. Blood and scorched earth, betrayal and revenge—exhausting effort resulting in nothing; this was a high-priced chain of futility.
The familiar snowscape cycled repeatedly. Irisviel finally understood: she was currently inside the Holy Grail. Every inch of this place, even the infinite loop of the scenery outside the window, was merely a manifestation of her past memories. She was trapped in a dream from which she would never wake.
The moment Irisviel understood this, the falling snow outside suddenly stopped. Blending into the darkness of the night was a swirling, thick black mud. The mud seeped in from everywhere in the room, dripping from the chimney and slowly spreading toward her.
"..."
A look of panic surfaced on Irisviel's face. She instinctively wanted to take her daughter and leave. But when she tried to pick Illya up, she found that the hands holding her arms were tightening like shackles, binding her.
Then, the young girl who possessed the same face as her daughter Illya looked up at Irisviel with an expressionless face.
"Why run away, Mother? Isn't it good to stay here forever with Illya?"
The girl's dress, which should have been white, now shifted to the same color as the encroaching black mud. Looking at the girl, Irisviel suddenly understood, her pupils shrinking violently.
"You... you aren't Illya!"
Her daughter was in reality, not in this illusory dream!
"Finding out now is already too late~"
The young girl said this with a playful, mocking smile on her face. Being watched like that, Irisviel felt her limbs turn cold as fear spread through her heart.
She immediately struggled. For some reason, the girl suddenly let go of her hands, and Irisviel managed to break free. Not yet understanding why the other had allowed it, she immediately fled the room, running through the long, narrow corridor.
The stairs down were at the very end; if she could reach them, she might be able to escape. Unfortunately, things did not go as Irisviel hoped.
When she was only a step away from the stairs, the black mud spreading from the walls and windows blocked her path. The mud, as hot as lava, stained the hem of her skirt black.
At this moment, Irisviel finally understood why the girl let her run. She could never escape this castle—this cage.
At the thought of her daughter Illya, left alone in the real world and still waiting for her parents' return, Irisviel couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Kiritsugu..."
Shing!
The sound of a blade piercing the air rang out. In front of Irisviel, who had collapsed to the floor, a longsword cut through the heavy barriers of black mud and landed on the ground before her.
The sword, thrust into the floor, vibrated with a sharp hum.
Vrrrrm!
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