QUEST III

[thecanopycrew]

Adventurers, join to free the Servant of the Tree.
Six of the Night.
Six of the Day.
Six of Twilight.
Gather your party and venture forwards.
The wagons will guide you there.

A treat will be given for each secret shared. 卌卌 II

Those that serve have earned the right of a name. Make them known. Confirm names.
[The words are gone, instead showing a crystal sword being broken into three pieces and reassembled again over and over.]

Comments

[steelmyself]

[ He falls silent and starts to walk. He's almost moved past her, in fact, when he speaks again. ]

The existence of Shirou Emiya is a scar upon the world--something that should be cleared up and erased.

It's better if no one knows that I'm a part of that.

[2wei]

A scar..? [ There's bafflement in her tone as her red eyes widen. But it's only for the shortest of seconds as she whips her head furiously, shaking her fists as well. ]

You're wrong! Shirou-san... onii-chan, and you too, there's no need to erase them! People would miss them if they were gone, and-- and--

[ Her voice cracks. He's past her, so he can't see her face. There's frustration mixed with angry tears before she turns on her heel, grabbing onto Ruby tightly as she aims it directly in Archer's direction, one of the Class Cards already placed near Ruby, ready to Install it. ]

They couldn't have possibly done anything wrong, so-- why do you hate yourself so much, Archer-san?!

[ She knows what it feels to have self-hatred. She really does. But she doesn't understand why Archer feels that same thing, when the Shirou she's met here, along with her brother, along with Miyu's brother-- they're all good people. So she doesn't get him at all... Why would you hate something that's so good natured? ]

[steelmyself]

[ He stops, finally, near the end of the branch, his back turned to her. He hasn't turned his gem to face his skin yet, so his wings are nowhere to be seen. ]

You're mistaken, Illyasviel.

[ His voice is soft and toneless. ]

It isn't anything like "hating myself."

[ It is, of course. It really is. ]

It's merely a wish I had to clean up the world and stop existing.

[2wei]

Eh?

[ She can't hold back the confused expression in her eyes, the bafflement in her tone. It's just his words are plain stupid. ]

Why do you want to... stop existing...?

[ Empty and hollow. That's how Illya's words come out of her throat, as if they barely belonged to her in the first place. Her mind reels a bit, recalling a memory. Of how someone wanted to kill her, to stop the normal Illyasviel von Einzbern from living because she denied her past- because she wanted to selflishly live her life as a normal girl. ]

You can't just do that, Archer-san..! You can't just stop existing!

[steelmyself]

[ The emptiness of Illya's words tears at him. She shouldn't sound like that. She should be happy--especially if she comes from another world, a world where she isn't the grail, doesn't have to fade and die. She should live as happy a life as her absurd magical circumstances allow her to.

With what's left of his own heart squeezed tightly by her words, he responds with raw honesty, his voice still low but suddenly savage and bitter. ]

Yeah, that's right.

[ He laughs softly, coldly. ]

I can't stop existing. I'm bound to my world. I'm a tool it will use forever.

So, honor my one foolish desire, even if I've since accepted that it's impossible.

[2wei]

[ If only Archer knew that even in her world, she was meant to be the Grail. And that not one Grail is enough to save the world of her friend, a world that is breaking and literally dying.

She feels sorry for him. She feels sorry for him, so she doesn't say anything.

Instead, she just puts the Class Card back into her pocket and allows Ruby to float on its own before she lifts her feet off the ground, just a little so she can fly as closely up to him as possible and attempt to wrap her arms around his waist. Attempt being the key word here. ]

You've... had it hard too, haven't you, Shirou?

[ She decides that this is the right way to do say things. To not call him by his Class name, but by his actual name. There's tears that start to trickle from the edges of her eyes, and her voice sounds pitiful, upset.

She's not upset for herself, though.

Illya is upset for him. "A tool it will use forever"? What kind of things is he saying? She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand, but-- she wants to. She wants to understand him. ]

You're an idiot. You shouldn't want to disappear. I can't honor something like that. Not when it's something that will make people sad.

[steelmyself]

[ He doesn't know why she's approaching. He considers, briefly, turning over his gem and flying away into the night, but he dismisses the thought. She isn't a threat, and--

--perhaps he feels he owes her something. As she's still some version of the girl he couldn't save so long ago, he owes her something.

Still, he's completely stunned when she puts her arms around him. ]

Illy...asviel...

[ He speaks her name haltingly, sounding more like Shirou than ever in that moment.

His eyes don't burn--he's not really capable of tears, hasn't been for a long time. But his throat feels a little dry, like there's a lump in it somehow.

And then she's using that name. ]

That's not my name. I cast it aside a long time ago. I'm only the hero Emiya now. That's all I am...

And how could my disappearance make anyone sad? I'm the one who brings them to tears.

[2wei]

Because if you're the hero Emiya like you say you are and you know you've helped people-- then the people would be sad that you're gone!

[ There's a pause as her arms squeeze tighter, as she places her forehead on his back. ]

And it's Illya. Illyasviel is too long of a name, right? I don't really like it that much, really, ahaha. But even if it makes me sad, even if it makes other people sad-- why would you throw your life away like that?

It's not fair to anyone.