CHAPTER 4.4 - CUT OFF

As the school year was starting soon, the shopping center of Fuyuki city was bustling with people. Some were there to get various school supplies, while others were just enjoying their last remaining break.

"So there is a kid servant too," said Shirou as he picked a children's storybook about heroes from around the world.

After his practice with Scathach, Shirou was reminded by Tamamo that he needed to prepare everything he needed for school. So now, he was in a bookstore that seemed to be full of many other people. He would be transferring to Homuraha Elementary School the day after tomorrow, and he was now shopping for any necessary supplies. School bag, several notebooks, various pencils, erasers, and more.

Accompanying him was a young blonde-haired boy with striking red eyes. "You're not wrong, but that's not entirely accurate either," the boy replied.

"Like, for example, I might look like an ordinary kid, but I would eventually grow up to become Gilgamesh, The King of Uruk. You just summoned me, Gilgamesh, in my young self-state."

"Wait, does that mean I could summon more than one servant that shares the same identity, Gil?" Shirou asked curiously.

Young Gilgamesh, Gil, chuckled. "To put it more simply, yes."

"Can I meet your uhh older self then?" Shirou inquired.

"Well, you actually can," Gil answered with a grin. "But I doubt you would get along with my older self."

"Why?" Shirou asked, tilting his head.

"Let's just say my older self is kind of a jerk and leave it at that," Gil replied.

The two of them continued walking around the bookstore. As they walked, Shirou would occasionally pick up books about various heroes. Whether it was a children's storybook, a book about myths and legends from various places, a biography, and more.

"Trying to get to know your servants?" Gil inquired.

"Yes, they have helped me so much, and the least I could do is to know at least something about them," Shirou replied as he picked a book about the Greek hero Heracles.

Gil hummed before smiling. "I think most of them would appreciate that, but getting to know them personally is still the better choice."

Shirou pouted. "I know, but they always look so busy, though. Well, when they aren't busy anymore, I would do that."

"Hahaha, you do know that you're our master, right?" Gil asked amusingly. "You just need to ask us to spend time with you, and we will just do that."

Shirou narrowed his eyes. "...will they, though?"

Gil stopped laughing, thinking for a moment. "Huh, you have some point. But still, at least most of them would be okay with that."

"Figures."

After spending some time with many servants, Shirou noticed something early on. Not every servant was...honorable, to say the least. The saying "every person is the hero in their own story" was apparently more accurate than he thought.

Sure, there were many benevolent and kind servants typical of hero's fairytales, but there were also numerous more neutral, sometimes chaotic-prone ones. Of course, there would always be a story behind why they became like that.

Come to think of it, Shirou realized that Eliza's full name was Elizabeth Bathory, the same name as the notorious Blood Countess who murdered many young girls and drained their blood. So does that mean Eliza was the young version of her who still hadn't committed the murders?

Shirou shuddered. How could someone go from being crazy about being an idol to that was lost to him.

"So where's Kiyohime?" Shirou decided to change the unpleasant topic.

Kiyohime was supposed to be the one who accompanied him for this day, after all. But when they were about to go out, Da Vinci called her. Shirou swore he saw Kiyohime ready to slaughter someone as she came back. She then, with teary eyes, said she couldn't be with him for the day.

Shirou, of course, said he would be fine alone by himself, but every single servant within earshot unanimously said no and insisted he had someone with him at all times. Then Gil came, ball in his hand. Apparently, he was back from playing with the local kids and didn't mind covering for Kiyohime.

A young kid as servant? That was new to Shirou.

After that, Shirou and Gil went on their way, leaving Kiyohime with very dark and murderous intentions in her eyes.

"Well, she's doing stuff," Gil answered nonchalantly. "There is an...infested swarm problem, and we need her specialty of dealing a wide area of damage to deal with it."

"I see," Shirou nodded. "I wonder where she is right now..."

...

Meanwhile, in the mountain range of southeastern Hokkaido, an overwhelming horde of thousands, perhaps even more, formless shadows and beast-like creatures surged forward, their malicious intent palpable. With a fierce scowl, Kiyohime stood her ground, her delicate hands clenching a folding fan, while the air around her crackled with rising heat. In the blink of an eye, an inferno of dancing flames surrounded her.

"Because of you!" she seethed.

WHOOOOOOSH!

BOOOOOM!

With a swift flick of her fan, a torrent of scorching flames shot forth, engulfing the charging shadows. Their anguished cries echoed through the mountain as most of them were obliterated by the intense blaze. Undeterred, Kiyohime's eyes blazed with fury.

"Because of you, I can't be with my Anchin-sama! Ah, sad, sad, sad!"

From below her, an ethereal flame began to enshroud her body. "I will exterminate all of the liars who ran from me!"

Her fiery hair swirled upward, adding to her fearsome appearance. "I will burn those who dare to separate me from my love!"

The heat intensified, and the flames spread, consuming everything in their path. "Transforming, Flame-Emitting Meditation!" Kiyohime chanted, her voice echoing with power.

In a breathtaking transformation, what was once Kiyohime now stood a majestic serpent-like dragon. With a deafening roar, the dragon surged forward, charging headlong into the relentless shadows. The earth trembled beneath the might of her wrath.

Unknown to both Kiyohime and the shadows, an unfortunate local hunter had unwittingly stumbled upon the supernatural spectacle. Terrified, he took shelter, observing the awe-inspiring sight of Kiyohime battling the shadows.

When he finally returned to his village, his rambling tale was transformed into a captivating local legend. A shrine was eventually erected on the very mountain to honor and seek protection from the fierce and kind-hearted Goddess who had valiantly defended their land.

Little did the villagers know that the Goddess, Kiyohime, would have much preferred to spend her time with one particular red-haired boy if she could.

...

Tohsaka Rin felt her head throbbing, again!

She seriously contemplated whether this was some sort of bad karma or a curse sent upon her. The serial murders happening around her city were bad enough, but now the fake priest also told her that there might be some hidden powers in the city. According to what she was told, these powers were apparently the ones dealing with the serial murders.

That sounds good, she thought before realizing the dire situation she was in as the Second Owner.

There were someone or even a group of people, most likely magi, living in her city without even notifying her, the Second Owner. This was bad news. If the Clocktower found out about this, the best-case scenario would be a reprimand to her family and questioning their ability to act as the Second Owner. The worst-case scenario could be them stripping her family of their position as the Second Owner.

"Hm, hey Rin!" someone called out to her.

She turned her head to the voice and saw a familiar red-haired boy.

"Hello to you too, Emi— I mean Shirou," she greeted Shirou.

Shirou walked towards her, followed by a young blonde-haired boy who seemed to be their age. "What a coincidence to meet you here. Are you here for shopping too?" Shirou chuckled before asking her.

She noticed several plastic bags filled with books in Shirou's hand. Huh? So he was the studious type?

"Not exactly," she answered. "I'm just strolling around, sightseeing, and observing what's happening here."

It wasn't exactly a lie; she was indeed in the middle of patrolling the city. Her being in the shopping center was just part of her patrol.

"I see," Shirou nodded. "But please take care of yourself, okay? You look a bit tired right now."

She raised a brow. Well, he wasn't exactly wrong; she was tired at the moment. Taking care of her sick mother, coupled with her duty as Second Owner and the upcoming school year, was taking its toll on her mental health.

She gave Shirou a small smile. "You don't need to worry, Shirou," she assured him. "I know my limits best."

She couldn't help but be a bit amused by Shirou. His kindness and selfless attitude were a bit...concerning, to say the least. Don't get her wrong, she appreciated it, but if this continued, she could see how he might walk the path of self-destruction.

She hoped she was wrong. "Well, if you don't mind, I still want to continue my walk."

"Well, uhh, I hope I'm not holding you here," Shirou smiled. "Bye, Rin. See you later."

She nodded and waved her goodbye back. As she walked, she then realized something. The blonde-haired boy with Shirou back then. She felt a sense of déjà vu; she was pretty sure she had seen him before.

But where was it?

...

As he and Gil were walking home, Shirou stumbled upon a tense situation. Shirou was many things, but someone who couldn't read the room he was not. As soon as he spotted his two friends, Matou Sakura and her brother Shinji, wearing backpacks, their uneven breathing and fearful expressions were clear signs that something was amiss. He knew he had to be cautious.

Not far from them, a slightly hunched old man stood, staring silently at him. This old man felt...wrong. Shirou couldn't put it into words, but his instincts were instantly on alert. Sakura and Shinji seemed outright scared of him.

"Hmm, are you a friend of my grandchildren?" the old man spoke.

"...You could say that," Shirou cautiously replied, this man was their grandfather? He internally questioned.

The old man chuckled to himself, "I see. I hope they didn't inconvenience you. After all, they are a bit... naughty kids."

Tension began to rise.

'Master, he is someone dangerous,' a voice whispered to Shirou.

"...I figured that much at least, Asako. Do you know something about him?" Shirou whispered back.

Asako, who was hiding her presence, paused before answering her master, 'Yes.'

"Did he do something to Shinji or Sakura?"

'...yes.'

Shirou now visibly frowned, "How bad?"

'Unspeakable, it was horrible.'

Shirou knew he couldn't wait any longer. Shinji and Sakura clearly needed help, and there was nothing wrong with helping others.

"Prepare to take us away and contact anyone nearby who is available," Shirou instructed Asako.

Him, Shinji, and Sakura needed to leave as soon as possible. This old man was way out of their league.

'As you wish. If you want, we can also hold him from chasing,' Asako offered.

Shirou nodded firmly, determination etched on his face. "Please do." He then turned to Gil, "Could you hold him off for some time too, Gil?"

Gil hummed with a touch of reluctance, but his gaze turned ice-cold as he glared at the old man. "Well, I could do that, but..." His voice dripped with disdain. "Don't get mad if I accidentally kill this worm, though."

The young boy's words sent a shiver down Shinji and Sakura's spines. To them, Gil was just a boy, but seeing him nonchalantly threaten their grandfather was both shocking and unsettling. However, what surprised them most was how Gil casually called their grandfather a worm.

The old man chuckled, his voice filled with a sense of wicked amusement. "Hahaha... It's been a long time since anyone dared to say that to my face directly."

Gil's face contorted with visible scowl and disgust. "Be glad that I'm not my older self; your mere existence is enough sin worth capital punishment."

Shirou had reached his limit. "Asako, now!"

In an instant, several figures cloaked in black robes and wearing white skull masks materialized near the old man. They moved with uncanny swiftness, brandishing daggers, swords, and claws. The air filled with sickening sounds of butchering as they lunged at the old man. However, something unexpected happened.

From the old man's body, a thick, dark-red substance emerged, attaching to his separated body parts. It formed a grotesque whip-like appendage that lashed out at the attackers. Some of the black-clad figures were caught off guard and met a gruesome fate as the red whip sliced through them.

The dark-red whip then gruesomely snapped everything back together, reattaching the old man's body parts. The old man chuckled malevolently, his eyes fixed on his own hands as though he was savoring this newfound power.

"So that's how it feels," the old man muttered, relishing in his unnatural abilities. He waved his hand, and swarms of massive insects came rushing out of his sleeves, heading straight for them.

"Asako!" Shirou's voice echoed with urgency.

Asako appeared next to him, and two other black-clad figures emerged near Shinji and Sakura. The three of them were swiftly picked up and carried away from the impending danger. The insects attempted to give chase.

CRRRIIIIINNNGGGG

SWOOOOSHHHH

Suddenly, chains emerged from golden ripples in the air behind Gil, lashing at the insects and killing them instantly. Gil's expression turned fierce, his eyes locking onto the old man with disgusted stares.

"Rejoice, worm, for this king will grace you with the honor of being killed by me," he declared, his voice laced with authority and anger. The atmosphere around Gil crackled with intense energy.

"Hoo..." The old man mused.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Shirou, Shinji, and Sakura were running away with the help of Asako and her other personas, jumping from building to building.

"W-What the hell are you, Shirou?!" Shinji screamed as he was being carried off on the shoulder of a weird man in black who moved at breakneck speed.

Sakura, also being carried, was beside him with a clear confusion on her face, "..senpai?"

Shirou, currently on the back of Asako, replied with firmness, "I'll explain later."

Shinji and Sakura wanted to ask for more details, but clearly, this was not the time. The three of them continued to make their way towards the Emiya residence. However, their escape was suddenly interrupted.

CAAAAAWWWKKK

A human-sized black bird came swooping down at Shirou. Asako tried to dodge, but she was a step too late.

SLAAASHH

The black bird slashed through Asako's body, forcing her to release her hold on Shirou. Not even a second later, the bird turned its body and charged at Sakura. Just like with Shirou, the bird managed to separate Sakura from the one who carried her.

Then, the scene that followed happened in slow motion to Shirou's eyes. He watched in horror as the bird contorted its body to become a dense black ball, and shadowy dark-red hands emerged from it. The hands grabbed Shirou and Sakura and in a fraction of a second, pulled them towards the black ball, swallowing them whole before it disappeared.

"S-Sakura!"

"Master!"

Both Asako and Shinji screamed as Shirou and Sakura were taken away before their eyes. As this happened, the servants Shirou had summoned felt their connection with him being abruptly cut off.

...

Shirou felt his body being pulled over and unceremoniously thrown off, slamming into a muddy, thick ground. Gritting his teeth, he tried to hold back the pain and pulled himself up, taking in the strange surroundings covered in a muddy dark-red substance as far as the eye could see.

His eyes widened as he saw Sakura lying on the ground not far from him. Rushing towards her, he pulled her up. "Sakura?! Sakura! Are you okay?"

She groaned in pain, slowly opening her eyes. "...senpai?"

"Y-Yes, it's me. Thank God you're fine."

To be quite honest, Sakura didn't feel "fine" as Shirou put it. But waking up with her senpai's hands around her... was not a bad thing; she actually liked it. Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly, finding it strange how the weird feeling inside her started to subside a bit. Shaking her head, she knew she needed to focus because from a glance she immediately knew they were in a strange place.

Shirou helped Sakura to her feet and then attempted to communicate with his servants. Tamamo had told him that he could always talk to them through his connection as their master, and she explained how to do so. First, he needed to focus on whom he wanted to contact, then he needed to find the "string" that connected them. By using these "strings," he could contact his servants no matter how far apart they were.

However, there was a problem - he couldn't feel any "strings". Not Tamamo's, Medea's, or even Cu's. It was as if something deliberately blocked his connection with the servants. He tried again, this time harder, and to his relief, he felt some connections, but they were incredibly weak.

"Someone, anyone, can you hear me?" he tried to talk through, unsure if his words came through.

Frowning, he heard a jumble of unintelligible voices trying to speak with him. Although he couldn't understand the words, he caught the urgency behind the voices.

"S-Senpai, look!" Sakura tapped his shoulder.

He turned towards the direction Sakura pointed, and fear began to creep in. Countless beings rose from the ground. Some looked humanoid, others resembled beast-like animals, and the rest were formless blobs. The only common feature was their dark-red and pulsating bodies.

Shirou grabbed Sakura's hand. "Sakura, run..."

Both of them immediately bolted and ran away as far as possible from the swarms of monsters chasing them. The creatures rushed, howling, growling, and splattering as they chased after the two.

Shirou and Sakura tried their best to run, but the muddy ground made it hard for them to move their legs. Then, to his horror, something suddenly appeared below him and grabbed his leg.

SPLAT!

Shirou was thrown to the ground as something held his legs. Fortunately, he managed to release his hold on Sakura's hand before stumbling to the ground, avoiding pulling her down with him.

"Senpai, watch out!"

He watched as a dark-red humanoid creature resembling a skeleton held his leg, opening its jaw wide. In a rush of panic, Shirou quickly activated his Magic Circuit.

"Trace On!"

Skipping many steps, he managed to use Projection and create a rudimentary, badly-shaped steel sword. Though the sword's quality was poor, Shirou didn't have any other choice.

STAABB!

He lunged the sword towards the creature's head, twisting it afterward. Survival instinct kicked in, and he did everything to release its hold on his leg. Somehow, he managed to break free, scrambling away and standing back up. He then ran towards Sakura, who was a bit shocked.

Sakura's jaw slightly opened as she saw Shirou create a sword out of thin air. Was her senpai a magus too?

Shirou's breathing became haggard as he was about to grab Sakura's hand and run again, but he halted mid-move. Countless similar dark-red creatures rose from their surroundings, trapping them and preventing any escape.

Gritting his teeth, Shirou looked around. "Trace...on." He then used Projection to create another sword. "Sakura, stay behind me..."

His hands trembled in fear, but he needed to stay strong. Sakura seemed to notice his distress and wanted to help, but she had nothing to offer. Her "education" under the Matou family had been lackluster, with her grandfather more focused on "converting" her body to become a proper Matou first.

The creatures drew closer, some cackling and smirking at them. Shirou readied his sword, refusing to back down. He tightened his grip around the handle and took a deep breath to calm himself.

'Tch, what are you trying to do, kid?'

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise as he heard a servant manage to properly contact him. But then he frowned as the servant sounded grumpy.

'Are you trying to be a hero?' the servant questioned.

Shirou's eyes twitched at the belittlement and scoff he heard in the servant's tone. "Yeah, and?" He snapped back.

'...It isn't worth it. That's Hell you're walking into.'

"Maybe...."

'And yet, despite knowing this, you will still walk on this path?' the servant inquired.

Shirou was quiet for a moment, thinking about his father who saved him from the fire, his mother who promised to save his sister, the servants who shared their stories, and Sakura, currently holding tight to his back.

"To protect and save those who are precious to me, then why not?" he replied.

'What a fool,' the servant sighed in defeat. 'Fine, just this once. I will help you, kid. After that, until you prove yourself to me, consider us as strangers.'

Shirou furrowed his brows. "Okay...?"

So this servant would help him, but at the same time, wanted to stay away from him? Weird, but he understood. Shirou felt he couldn't stand this guy if they met face-to-face.

"So are you going to come here?" Shirou asked.

'No, you idiot,' the servant retorted.

Wow, this guy was an ass.

"So what will you do then?!" Shirou was a bit frustrated.

'I, and all the other servants, can't enter nor be summoned in wherever you are right now. Use your brain for once! It was only a matter of circumstance that allowed me to contact you in the first place.'

"...screw you too," Shirou muttered. Tamamo said he couldn't cuss at anybody, but dealing with this mysterious servant made him make an exception.

'Whatever, now I want you to calm yourself.'

"Okay..."

'And repeat after me.'

Shirou closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly to calm his mind. Though the creatures surrounding him were approaching fast, he needed to focus.

He then snapped his eyes open and slowly chanted, following the servant's voice.

'I am the bone of my sword'

"I am the bone of my sword"