In a distant dream, he saw the world burn.
He trudged across the scorched earth, the rancid stench of death and violence following in his wake. He walked past mountains of rotting corpses, their lifeless eyes staring into something he could not see. He dragged himself across oceans of blood, but even then there was no end in sight.
There was no meaning in his actions, and there was no gratitude expressed for his deeds. All he ever did, and all he would ever continue doing, was killing for the ‘greater good’. Whatever that was.
The familiar sensation of releasing an arrow. The lingering weight of swords in his hands. The pathetic stubbornness of a man refusing to believe in reality. Those were the things that he had thought could some day save the world. Those were the things he had believed would make him into a Hero of Justice.
Those were the things that had driven him to despair.
With every arrow released, a life was taken. With every sword produced, blood was spilled. The very objects that had given him strength and allowed him to fight were now destroying the very world he wished to save.
In a way, he was saving the world. In a way, he was a hero. But to the man once known as Emiya Shirou, he had set the world aflame with his own two hands.
He walked across the barren landscape, past the countless swords he had created. The weapons, mere replicas of extolled originals, stood lifelessly upon the earth, erect like tombstones in a world devoid of hope. A world befitting a man like him.
The footsteps stopped echoing in his ears as his body gave up, unable to continue its pointless quest. A part of him berated himself for that weakness, for stopping in his desperate search, but the rest of him understood; somewhere deep down, he had already realized that there was no salvation to be found here.
And so, upon the vast graveyard of swords, stood a man with a body made of blades.
-
When he opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar castle. He did not know how he knew it was a castle, but he did not question it; after all, he had long since stopped caring about the tiny details after becoming a Counter Guardian. He merely needed one thing, and that was the presence of the ‘evil’ he was here to defeat.
If he had been summoned here, then it meant that the world was on the verge of destruction. He was nothing more than someone who cleaned up after humanity’s mistakes, preventing their extinction before it could actually happen. If this era needed him, then it simply meant that there was another ‘error’ to eradicate.
If one looked at it objectively, his actions were tantamount to saving humanity. If one considered the results of said actions, he would undoubtedly be worshipped as a hero. However, in actuality, he was not here to ‘save’; he was here to ‘kill’.
Preventing the world’s destruction after a mistake has been made simply meant to get rid of that mistake. Rather than protecting everyone, he was eliminating the few who were responsible for the sake of the majority. It sounded heroic – justified, even – but there was no sugarcoating the fact that it was still manslaughter.
“Is… someone… there?”
A terribly weak voice attracted his attention. It was a powerless voice, one belonging to someone surely on the verge of death, but it made him seek out the speaker regardless.
“Who’s there?” he asked.
“You’re… not with the Ainsworth…”
From behind the bars of what appeared to be a jail cell, the dying man uttered an unfamiliar name.
“Do you…” the man coughed, the strain in his voice becoming more apparent. “Do you… know… Miyu?”
“… Unfortunately, those names don’t ring a bell,” the Counter Guardian replied. The lack of information about his immediate situation was baffling enough, and this man’s rambling was making it worse.
“I see…” the dying man wheezed. For a moment, the Counter Guardian thought he sounded relieved. “Then… maybe she hasn’t been captured…”
“Do you know where I can find the owner of this castle?” the Counter Guardian asked. Under normal circumstances, he would have tried to help the man – an act almost like a reflex to him – but something was holding him back. Even though this man was definitely not the ‘evil’ he had to vanquish, something about him told the Guardian that he was not a man who should be saved.
“You want Julian…” the dying man made an odd sound which might have been a chuckle. “Do you mean to oppose him…?”
“If killing him means this world can be saved, then yes,” the Counter Guardian replied. It was a cliché line almost befitting a comic book hero, but he had spoken those words with much resolve. It almost sounded like he actually believed he could save the world.
No reply came from the other side. Just as the Counter Guardian thought he had died, the man spoke up:
“If you plan to fight him,” he said, his voice now carrying a strange hint of hope. “Can you please… save Miyu…?”
“… I do not know of a ‘Miyu’,” the Counter Guardian repeated. “Is she a loved one to you?”
“She is my sister,” the dying man replied.
“My apologies, but I don’t have the time to save one person,” the Counter Guardian answered. It was a callous reply, but it was true; compared to the countless lives he could possibly save, one single girl was not worth the effort. It was only the logical conclusion. It was logical, and yet…
“If you want to save her,”
A sharp, screeching sound of metal on metal grated his ears, and in one swift motion the door to the cell was in pieces on the floor.
“Then do it yourself,” he finished. Even if he had long since thrown aside the childish belief that everyone could be saved, there was a part of him that still wanted to believe that impossible dream. A part of him that still admired the happiness he had seen that day. “You-”
The rest of his sentence died in his throat. Any and all thoughts froze in that instance, all at the mere sight of the man before him. At the dying man, bound by chains and covered in hideous wounds, staring back into his eyes.
That day, inside an unknown castle with an unknown enemy, Emiya Shirou came face-to-face with himself.
-
So I should probably explain this a little bit. The writing was something I did on the spur of the moment, so I admit it needs a lot of work. But the idea was fun, so I decided why not.
So what’s it about? Archer is summoned as a Counter Guardian, but somehow ends up in the Miyuverse (Prisma Illya for those who aren’t familiar with it) and encounters… well, Shirou. Oh, and I’m thinking of including Archerko as well. Hence the title. Wait; people still remember Archerko, right? Right??
It’s a weird thing, I know, but let me know what you think of it!
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Originally Posted by Glow
And I keep reminding myself to get off my ass and do that Sayaka oneshot...
