Clang clang clang the sound of metal striking echoed, and his consciousness stirred slightly.
"Shirou, don't give up. You must defeat that golden bastard…"
Whose… voice is that?
"Shirou, I was really happy when you stopped me that day."
Stopped… who?
"Emiya Shirou! Since you've taken her hand then don't let go! Live on! And defeat that guy!"
Whose hand… did I hold?
"I ask you… are you my Master?"
Master? Who? Me?
Countless voices rang through his mind, followed by flashes of scenes.
A blonde knight in blue and silver armor wielding a golden sword.
A white-haired man in a red coat holding black-and-white twin blades.
A pale little girl with white hair and crimson eyes, like a snow spirit.
A black-haired girl with twin tails,
And a beautiful purple-haired girl.
The images kept coming, but he couldn't remember their names.
"Shirou, what's for dinner tonight?"
A brown-haired woman lay by the table as she asked.
"Senpai, you'll catch a cold sleeping here."
A purple-haired girl said softly.
"You really go too far… at this rate, you'll break."
A boy with glasses warned him.
"Congratulations. You are the winner of this Holy Grail War. What you do with the Grail is entirely up to you."
A blood-covered priest who looked utterly despicable declared his victory.
The Holy Grail War…?
Ah… right. The Grail must be destroyed. Otherwise, it will grant that golden bastard's wish…
No… that's not right. The Grail has already been destroyed using that arm to project Saber's golden sword, at the cost of his own life.
Then… I can rest now, right?
He was so tired. His whole body ached, as if pierced through by countless blades. His head throbbed; his memories were fragmented.
Pain. Cold. Dizziness. Suffocation.
Thump thump thump yet he could still feel his heartbeat.
His consciousness slowly returned… and more visions followed.
"Saber, fulfill your duty."
Facing the Grail overflowing with black mud, he chose to let Saber finish it.
"I want to become a hero of justice."
He declared, pointing his blade at Archer.
"I want to become… a hero of justice just for Sakura alone."
In the rain, he held the crying girl close as he swore it.
"I hope you can find happiness."
He clasped Miyu's hand on the altar, offering a quiet prayer.
All of them were Emiya Shirou… yet none of them were him.
But their memories kept flooding in.
Where were these memories coming from?
He didn't know. He couldn't think.
As more fragments poured in, he forgot even the pain. It felt like countless ants crawling through his brain itching, burning, hurting unbearable.
"If by doing this… no one has to cry…"
Dressed in combat gear, he murmured to a blue sphere of light.
"Did you escape? Did you run to hell?! Kiara Sessyoin!"
Pinned down by others, he roared at the corpse of a woman lying before him.
The scenes flickered rapidly.
One version of him calmly faced death, stepping onto the execution platform without hesitation.
Thunk scene change.
Another stood upon the gallows, glanced at the crowd, seemed to understand something… then smiled mockingly before stepping forward.
Thunk the scene flickered again.
This time, it was like static snowy interference. After a few seconds, one final image appeared:
A red guardian wielding a bow…
And a black guardian holding twin guns.
His consciousness faded into haze.
Then came a terrifying sensation of falling.
And everything went dark.
---------------------------------------
Across the wasteland, a van sped forward at high speed.
Inside sat four women. Though their faces were dusty and worn, their moods were surprisingly good.
"Once this delivery's done, we can finally rest for a while, no more long-distance runs."
The red-haired woman in the passenger seat stretched lazily, her figure on full display thankfully, everyone present was female.
Though… the halo above her head was rather bright.
"Ah! I'm so jealous of you, Exusiai. I still have several performances lined up…"
The blonde woman in the backseat twitched her ears, looking utterly exhausted as she replied.
Exusiai turned around with a grin.
"Well, you are an idol, Sora. Don't worry, Texas Croissant and I will come cheer you on, right, Texas?"
"…Yeah."
Driving the vehicle, the black-haired, animal-eared woman Texas nodded, a Pocky stick hanging from her mouth.
"I've got business these next few days. A shipment to sell."
Croissant, sporting a pair of horns, shrugged.
"Croissant, what did you buy this time to resell?"
"Hehe trade secret! But this time I really found something good!"
She puffed her chest proudly, practically snorting with confidence.
The others… only half believed her.
Well half out of a hundred.
Croissant often bought strange junk, though occasionally she did find something worthwhile. Rarely.
"Just don't set up a stall at Sora's concert again. Last time, you were only let off because she spoke for you."
Texas flicked her Pocky stick, issuing a warning.
"Relax, I'll set up outside this time."
Croissant showed zero remorse.
"Sora, remember to bail Croissant out afterward."
Exusiai had already imagined the security dragging Croissant away.
"Of course. I'll make sure she gets out safely."
Sora clasped her hands like she was praying for forgiveness on Croissant's behalf.
"Why are you assuming I'll get caught?!"
Croissant pointed accusingly.
"Maybe you should not causing trouble instead."
Texas swapped in a fresh Pocky.
BOOM
Before Texas could take a bite, a massive explosion shook everything.
The van lurched violently, almost airborne.
"Hold on!"
Texas gripped the wheel tightly. Her Pocky dropped to the floor as the others clung to whatever they could.
The vehicle slammed back down, skidded in circles… and finally stopped.
Exusiai raised her gun, furious.
"Praise Laterano, what the hell was that? Did we just get bombed?!"
"Prepare for combat."
Texas glanced outside, then picked up her sword hilt.
Croissant grabbed her shield and stepped out, scanning the area before signaling the others.
They gathered behind her, awaiting orders.
Texas checked a device.
"Originium levels are stable. Still within safe limits. Not a Catastrophe or an Originium bomb."
"So… just a meteor? Damn, that's one accurate hit."
Now relieved, Exusiai could joke again.
An ambush? Unlikely. The open plains had no cover, no signs of traps.
"Should we go check it out?"
Exusiai kept her gun raised.
"Yeah. I just lost my last pack of Pocky."
Texas activated her blade with a sharp shing.
She was in a very bad mood.
"Uh… Sora, do you have any Pocky?"
Exusiai quietly edged closer.
"I think so… I'll check later."
"Please let there be some… or we're boarding the express train to death."
Exusiai sincerely hoped so.
Last time Texas drove without Pocky, she got irritable and drove much faster.
Exusiai trusted her driving skills but she had no desire to meet her god that way again.
As the group approached, Croissant, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and said to Texas "Texas, the impact site is just ahead."
Texas nodded, gripping the lightsword in her hand as she moved forward.
Smoke still lingered around the crater. As Texas carefully approached, she finally saw what was inside or rather a person.
Probably a man. He had red hair, wore a black-and-white jacket, dark blue pants, and black-and-white shoes. His outfit was plain and common, something many people in Lungmen would wear.
The question was: how did someone dressed so ordinarily end up crashing here?
Texas might not understand physics very well, but she knew one thing under that kind of impact, a normal person would have been completely mangled.
"What's wrong, Texas? Why do you look like someone just put pineapple on your pizza?"
Seeing Texas standing at the edge of the crater with a strange expression, Exusiai stepped forward in concern.
Then she saw the man in the crater and joined the "apple pie without apples" club.
Sora and Croissant followed, quietly staring at the man below.
The man lay face-down, his left arm stretched forward strangely picturesque.
After a moment, Croissant spoke up:
"Lungmen profanity What the hell is this?!"
"It's a person," Texas said, biting her thumb since she had nothing else to chew on.
"Yeah… it's a person," Exusiai agreed, staring.
"Looks like a person," Sora added.
"I KNOW it's a person! I'm not blind!" Croissant felt like her teammates were underestimating her.
"Enough. What do we do? Leave or help?"
Texas hesitated, then decided to ask for opinions. If this were during a mission, she wouldn't bother but now, helping was an option.
Still… she leaned toward not helping.
Not because this guy cost her Pocky.
But because on this land, not everyone repaid kindness with gratitude.
And they had just finished a mission no need to take unnecessary risks.
"Well, since we've already seen him… let's save him," Exusiai said and jumped into the crater.
"…If Exusiai's already in, then I guess we're saving him," Croissant sighed, jumping in after her.
"…Sigh. Sora, do you have a first aid kit?" Texas asked.
"Y-yes!"
Sora hurriedly pulled out bandages and medicine from her pouch.
Texas nodded, then jumped into the crater. Sora followed.
By the time they regrouped, Exusiai had already flipped the man over and was checking for injuries.
"Texas, help I don't see any obvious wounds."
There was no visible blood on him. Even his clothes weren't torn, just dirty from the ground.
Texas set aside her lightsword and began checking from the legs upward while Exusiai examined the upper body.
"No injuries in the legs or torso… arms… the right arm seems wrapped?"
She didn't feel any fractures or swelling. But the right arm was clearly bound.
She had noticed earlier that a red cloth was tied around his hand but now it seemed to extend all the way to his shoulder.
"Could be an Infected. Be careful," Texas warned, removing his jacket and lifting his right arm.
The red cloth was indeed tightly wrapped around it.
Texas examined it briefly, then decided to remove it to check for injuries.
As long as you were careful, Infected weren't that dangerous.
She gently loosened it from the shoulder and thought she heard a faint buzzing sound.
She paused, ears twitching, scanning the surroundings.
"What's wrong?" Exusiai asked.
"…Nothing. Must've imagined it."
Seeing no one else react, Texas shook her head and pulled harder, loosening the shoulder section.
The cloth seemed anchored at the wrist, so it could only be removed that far.
"There's nothing here… so why wrap it?" Exusiai turned the arm over, finding no wounds or Originium.
"Uh… maybe it's just a fashion thing?" Sora tilted her head.
"Whatever. He seems fine. Tie him up and put him in the back seat."
Texas clicked her tongue, then used the red cloth to bind his hands, and took Sora's bandages to tie his legs.
Not too tightly he could probably break free with some effort.
Then she and Croissant carried him out of the crater and placed him in the van's back seat.
"Phew… are we taking him back to Lungmen?" Croissant asked, wiping sweat.
"Yeah. The boss will probably be interested."
Texas accepted a Pocky from Sora and immediately looked at peace with life again.
"True. Someone who fell from the sky and is totally fine? Boss will definitely be curious," Exusiai said, stroking her chin.
Their boss had recently been into "interesting people."
He changed hobbies almost daily.
"…Let's hide him a bit," Sora said, shifting cargo to make the man less visible.
"…What if he wakes up during inspection?" Croissant asked.
"Then the Guard Department takes him. Bad luck for him," Exusiai shrugged, closing the door.
The engine started, and they resumed their journey.
If anyone saw them now
Four armed individuals, and one unconscious, tied-up man in the back
…it looked extremely criminal.
They entered Lungmen smoothly.
They were regulars with the Guard Department, and today's inspection officer was familiar so after a brief check, they were let through.
Exusiai sighed in relief. "Didn't expect it to go this smoothly. Lucky."
"Croissant, call the boss. Tell him to prepare a room," Texas said, chewing her last Pocky.
"Hehe, and maybe extort a dinner out of him," Croissant grinned, dialing.
"Boss! We're in Lungmen cargo's safe… yeah, yeah oh! Could you prepare a room? We picked up someone interesting… you'll like this… what? Busy tonight?! Damn it!"
Her expression went from professional to pleading to scheming to furious.
"Alright, it's just one missed meal. Calm down," Sora comforted her effectively.
Croissant pocketed her phone. "Boss said the room downstairs is ready. He's busy and won't check on him until tomorrow night. No doctor for now unless urgent."
"Nice! If boss is busy, we get a real break!" Exusiai cheered.
Normally, days off still meant being on standby.
But if the boss was unavailable there would be no surprise jobs.
"Don't celebrate too early. We still have to take care of him," Texas said, ears flicking.
"Should we take turns?" Sora asked, rubbing her face tiredly.
"You're exempt. The three of us will handle it," Croissant said, knowing Sora had work.
"Then I'll take tonight! Croissant, grab me two apple pies and apple juice you know the place!"
Even though she was tired, Exusiai volunteered.
They didn't refuse.
Croissant just held out her hand.
"Money."
"I'll pay later! Don't have any on me!"
"Yeah right you'll grab the food and run!"
"Do I look like that kind of person?!"
"No you are that kind of person!"
Amid their bickering, the van pulled into a building.
Texas parked near the entrance and had Exusiai and Croissant carry the man upstairs while Sora went to rest.
They carried him one holding his shoulders, the other his legs.
His face showed discomfort.
Noticing this, they hurried.
They placed him on a bed in the cleared room.
Looking around
"Yep. Only the bed's clean. Boss really is busy," Exusiai joked, grabbing a broom to clear space nearby.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'll shower, then get your apple pie. Ask Texas to cover you later."
Croissant left, closing the door.
Now, only Exusiai and the unconscious man remained.