Fuyuki City
[—Destined to step into that abyss.]
Freedom and joy—broad, universal concepts.
All humans feel emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, delight—whether elderly or young.
Everyone knows this, but what does it truly feel like?
Kirei Kotomine didn't know.
From birth, he was different, unlike his peers. While others found joy in praise, gifts, or encouragement, Kirei, receiving the same, stood silently, expressionless.
Why did others smile over trifles? What was their inner world like, so different from his own empty heart?
This question haunted him.
He lived by the doctrines of sacred texts, playing his role on the world's stage. As a priest, he was to be just and righteous; as a husband, he loved his wife until her death; as a student, he respected his professor, aiding him fully.
These weren't his desires, just obligations from books—things he should do.
But after years of this, even he, indifferent to all, began to waver.
What do I truly want?
He felt neither joy nor pain, enduring nothing. His actions were mere imitation.
Like students cramming every subject, hoping it might matter someday, he lived in perpetual confusion.
Few saw this. His father and professor viewed him as a saint, worthy of trust.
At the Church, a colleague who debated over dinner choices once asked, "Kirei, don't you have something you want?"
His excellence, second only to hers, drew her attention. He didn't know why.
"I want to inherit my father's role in the Eighth Sacrament," He replied, rehearsed and sincere. A child following a parent's path, serving the divine—what could be wrong?
But the blue-haired girl, sensitive to malice from her tragic past, sensed his answer wasn't true. This kouhai wasn't as pure as he seemed.
Even Merem Solomon, seasoned by centuries among humans and Dead Apostles, remarked privately, "This kouhai is no saint—he's a demon."
Merem, a non-human, sensed Kirei's latent darkness more keenly than Ciel. To him, such malice was natural. Why guide it? Perhaps he was curious about what Kirei might become.
Ciel, consumed by rage and pain, couldn't guide him either, trapped in her own heart.
So they watched, aware he might be an unawakened demon, but took no action. Ciel prayed for him; Merem didn't worry.
In this mystical wasteland, no one could guide his darkness.
Perhaps Kirei would live quietly as a priest, or remain lost until death—a fitting life.
They didn't interfere.
As predicted, Kirei lived correctly, confused, for years. Without disruption, he might have stayed that way.
But fate intervened. The Holy Grail War drew him in, where someone saw his darkness, nurtured it, and let it bloom.
Now, it overflowed from his shell.
The longer suppressed, the fiercer its release; the deeper the craving, the sweeter its fulfillment.
Kirei's empty heart, filled with fragments of pleasure, drowned in it.
"This is pleasure… a fine emotion," He murmured, a warped smile creeping onto his stoic face.
"I'm truly fulfilled."
He understood.
"Hmph, he's dead, as expected," Gilgamesh scoffed, sensing his contract with Tokiomi sever. Sitting alone in a park, he hadn't expected his pawn to act so swiftly.
The youth who claimed to want nothing harbored a darkness far greater, more intriguing, than imagined.
He's unleashed a monster.
Gilgamesh smirked.
Tokiomi's death freed him from schemers. He'd planned to execute the clown himself to open the bloodbath, but Kirei stole the stage.
Master and student clash… a fine tragedy. Pity I missed Tokiomi's dying face—surely despairing yet sweet.
Footsteps approached in the misty night. A bloodstained youth drew near.
Gilgamesh glanced over, smiling. "You've come, Kirei."
Unsurprised, he spoke casually. "I didn't expect you to kill Tokiomi so easily. That fool was even more useless than I thought."
"Or rather, he trusted you deeply, Kirei."
Mentioning Tokiomi brought scorn to Gilgamesh's voice. The mage's death was trivial—replaceable, forgettable.
"No choice. My professor was a theorist, not a fighter. Without a Servant, even the weakest Assassin clone could kill him," Kirei replied calmly, his smile pure, demonic.
"He was the least suited for this War."
"Oh? Mocking your freshly killed professor already? You've grown fast, Kirei," Gilgamesh clapped, delighted.
"So, you've come to me with resolve?"
"Of course. After killing him, it's time for a new contract. The banquet's over; the others are eager. Let's seal the bond, prepare to crush all foes, and watch you slay Lancer, Saber, Rider, Caster, and Berserker single-handedly."
"Conquer the War alone!" Kirei spread his arms, facing Gilgamesh.
One against the entire War?
"Ha! Excellent, Kirei. You don't disappoint. You're far more entertaining than that useless Tokiomi. I'll back you. This War's pleasure is indescribable."
Gilgamesh laughed, thrilled. Strong foes and unclaimed treasures made this War exhilarating.
"Let it begin."
"Thy body obeys, thy name bound to my contract. Answer the Grail's call, Gilgamesh," Kirei said, revealing the two bloodied Command Seals taken from Tokiomi.
"I swear, thy fate becomes my blood. Kirei Kotomine, my new Master, be grateful," Gilgamesh replied, touching Kirei's Command Seals.
A red flash erupted, mana surging, sealing their contract.
"Good. The clowns are gone. Now it's my time. I'll unleash my full power, crushing all who covet the Grail. Kirei, just watch."
"As a reward, when it's done, I'll graciously grant you the Grail."
Feeling the contract's mana flood him, Gilgamesh embraced the sky, laughing wildly.
"No objections, King of Heroes. Rampage to your heart's content. Fill my void with more pleasure. I'll play the clown for your amusement," Kirei said, smiling.
The fallen priest and mocking king drew closer.
No one cared for Tokiomi, burned to ash in betrayal's flames, dead with eyes unclosed.
The war had begun.
Tohsaka Residence
In the burning mansion, two figures fled the inferno, carrying something.
The black-armored Berserker, Lancelot, carried Tokiomi, sprinting through the streets. Kariya Matou, sensing Tokiomi's fading breath, slapped his face, trying to rouse him from blood loss.
Slap, slap, slap!
The crisp sound echoed. After a dozen slaps, Kariya's hand ached.
It briefly worked. Tokiomi, perhaps in a final surge, opened his eyes, seeing Kariya and mistaking him for a hallucination.
"It's really you… Kariya. Didn't expect to see you at the end…"
Delirious, he gripped Kariya's hand, voice trembling. "Be… careful of Kirei… Help… take care of Aoi, Rin…"
His last words spilled out, blood seeping from his mouth. His breath faltered. Kariya, panicked, slapped again, hoping to repeat the miracle. But his slaps weren't Fionn's waters of life—they couldn't pull Tokiomi back.
"Damn it, Tokiomi! You're always so smug, so tough-talking! Get up! Dying like this? What about Aoi and Rin? How will they survive? You promised Aoi happiness! What are you doing now? Taking care of your family is your job! I came to beat you fair and square, not watch you slip away! I won't allow it!"
Kariya's heart churned. Tokiomi was his enemy, the man who ruined his life, unforgivable.
Yet, seeing him die brought no satisfaction—only sorrow and rage.
This bastard…
If he died, Kariya could never surpass him, confront him, or correct his twisted views with a fist.
He loathed Tokiomi, even cursed his death, but imagining Sakura fatherless and Aoi widowed filled him with dread.
He joined the War to punish Tokiomi and demand answers for Sakura—not to watch him die.
"You bastard, thinking you can die so easily? Not a chance!"
Fury burning, Kariya and Lancelot raced with the dying man, but reaching a hospital in time was impossible.
Desperate, Kariya scanned for help.
"There!" His eyes locked on a pet hospital.
"Berserker! To that place!"
"—Arrrrrrrrrr!!" Lancelot smashed through the glass like a cannonball.
Matou Residence
Unable to reach Kariya, Zouken Matou fumed.
"Where's that fool? Skipping the banquet?!" Zouken had learned from Roy that Kariya and Lancelot hadn't attended, vanishing instead.
The thought of his useless heir defying him at this critical moment fueled his rage.
As he prepared to send familiars to drag Kariya back, a news report about a gas explosion fire stopped him.
Zouken stared at the screen, a wild possibility dawning.
That idiot Kariya… did he take Berserker to attack the Tohsaka residence?!
His withered eyes widened.
***
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