Fate Stay Night - Medea Caster route

"...Y You're right," Shirou admitted. "but what should we do? The magus will understand that you are a Servant if he doesn't know already." 

"You don't have to worry, when coming from the temple I kept my profile low and I made sure to appear like a normal woman, even now no one should be able to understand that I'm a Servant..." 

'So why is this person here?' Caster thought suspiciously. 

"The only thing that remains is to see what this person wants... maybe-" Shirou started to say. 

At that moment Medea suddenly got up and walked towards him, she got closer and posed her index finger on Shirou's forehead, which felt a little sting, then after a moment she turned around and sat in her place. 

(Can you hear me?) Caster asked. 

(...Wait, did you just-) 

(Exactly, I connected our minds, this way we should be able to talk without getting heard).. 

(...Wow, your magic is really amazing... walt, is this permanent7) 

(No, and also no, I cannot read your mind. This magic's just like a switch, you have to desire to talk to me, then you will be able to, if you don't I will not be able to hear your thoughts.) 

In that moment Caster saw Taiga entering the room, and with her she saw the mage she had sensed. 

"Good morning Senpal. Sakura said, then she froze in place for a moment after she saw Caster. 

"Just like I was saying, this is the woman that Shirou helped last night. Said Taiga to Sakura as she indicated Caster. 

"Good morning Sakura, as you can see now I have a guest. Sakura she is Caster, Caster she is Sakura, she is a friend of mine." Shirou said calmy but in reality... 

(Caster, why did you said that Sakura is a magus?! It's Impossible!) 

(Unfortunately, she is a magus, and a talented one it seems...) 

(Sakura... It cannot be...) Shirou thought as he gritted his teeth.. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sakura-san." Caster said as she bowed her head a little. 

"Ah, It's my pleasure too." Sakura sald as she did the same. 

"Sakura, I'm sorry but today Fuji nee was hungrier than usual so I had to cook earller, if you want you to help me you can bring the plates to the table." 

"Sure Senpal." Said Sakura with a nod, then she started to go toward to the kitchen. 

(Caster don't do anything! Sakura is a friend that from time to time comes here, she is not dangerous, I swear!) 

(If you say so...) 

'But I'll keep an eye on her, better safe than sorry, no? Caster thought.

(Thanks.) 

Sakura then helped Shirou to bring the plates to the table and after that they all started to eat. 

Only now Shirou noted how fast and graceful was Caster while cating, but for now he had more important things to think. 

(Caster, do you think she knows about you?) 

(No, and I doubt that she know that you too are a magus.) 

(...Caster, tell me, if she is a magus... could it be that she is involved in the Grail war too?) 

(Even if she were she does not yet have the commands seals, but maybe she will in the future...) 

Their conversation then was interrupted by Talga that suddenly said: "Oh, by the way Shirou, Caster san can remain here for all the time she needs. She does not seem a bad person so I have no problem with her staying here for a while." 

No one noted Sakura flinching at laiga's words except Caster. In fact, in the corner of her eyes she could see the young girl watching her, but she was not shooting her some kind of glance or was studying her, In the girl's eyes she could uld see only of fear, shame, and envy... what a strange combination. traces of fear, 

"Thank you Fujimura-san." Said then Caster with a nod. 

After lunch, both Taiga and Sakura went away, leaving Shirou and Caster alone. 

"So Caster, now could you tell me what really happened with your ex-master?" Shirou asked after he had cleaned the plates. 

"...Right. My master's name was Alrum Galliasta, he was a magus supported by the Clock Tower... the mage association. I don't know how to describe him if not as an extremly evil man, he was a person that sacrificed innocent lives daily just to achieve his goals, and sometimes just for fun. I could not accept his actions so I freed all his child prisoners, destroyed his base, and then I killed him. After that I teleported away, and that's when you found me." Caster lied calmly. If she wanted the boy to collaborate with her she had to convince him that she was a good person and that the rest of the participants of the war were some kind of ruthless monsters. 

"He... he killed children and he was even supported by the mage association71 Are all the mages that participate in the war like this?" Shirou asked clearly shocked, Caster could also note a bit of anger in his voice. 

Shirou almost could not believe Caster's words. He knew that mages had some very strict rules, to the point where if a normal person discovered that you were a mage you should've killed them, but mages would not exploit their power against normal people... right? 

"Modern mages are willing to sacrifice and killing others for their objectives, Innocents or not, women or children, for them there is no difference, they see the normal people around them just as cannon fodder or objects. And I'm sure that something like the Grail, that can fulfill any wish, will just attract the worst of the worst, if you understand what I mean..." She said as she watched him in the eyes. 

'After this he should think that I am a good person that wants to help him. For now I don't know what else to say, I don't want to control or force him, but I really need him as an ally right now-

"Caster, please let me fight with you!" Shirou asked almost pleading as he bowed his head. 

"Yey, I did it!' Caster cheered a bit. 

"I would be more than happy to do it, but boy, do you remember our talk about the war earlier this morning?" Caster asked calmly. 

"Yes, why?"

"This is a war between powerful mages and their heroic spirits, so our first objective should be to kill the other Masters and Servants." Caster said. She knew that the boy wanted to protect those who were not involved with the war, so she was going to exploit this in her favor. 

"Caster-san, you have to know that I don't care about the reward of this war, I only want to save and protect those who are not involve-" 

"That's exactly it boy! Just let me ask you a thing, if there is another person like Atnum what will you do? I'm more than sure that while we are talking at least one of the other Master is killing many innocents just to harvest more power, how will you stop him? Do you think that talking with him will make him change his mind and erase all the crimes that he commited and the lives he has token? You cannot change those monsters boy, you make sure that they will not harm others by killing them. Now you are weak and.... you don't think much before putting yourself in danger, so the first thing that we should do is to train you and reinforce our base." have to 

"..." Shirou remained speechless. As much he hated to admit it, Caster was right. 

"Boy, if you charge head on towards the enemies in the state that you are now, like you did earlier, you will be killed and you will never be able to save anyone. You should also start to think it like this: the sooner the war ends, the fewer people are put in danger." 

"...You're right... I'm sorry." Shirou said as he looked down. 

'If I want to save others I have to become stronger, and then I'll have to kill. Shirou thought as he watched his clenched fists. He did not like the idea of killing, but Caster was right, he could not let people like Atrum roam freely. 

"You don't have to worry, I understand you, in this war we will try to save many people as possible... Caster calmly lied again with a litle smile. 

"But... If Sakura will become a Master what should I do? There is no way that she is evil, and I cannot bring myself even to Imagine to fight her..." 

"Just like I said before you don't have to worry, I have an ability that severe contracts between Masters and Servants, this way if your friend will become a Master she will not be harmed and she will be out of the war. Do you like the idea?" She asked with a sympathetic tone. 

'If the girl becomes a Master I'll steal her command seals, that would leave her half dead bul I don't car Caster thought then got interrupted by Shirou. 

"Thank you, Caster." Shirou said as once again he deeply bowed his head as it almost touched the table. 

"..." Caster remained silent... and she started to feel bad. 

And now I feel bad for lying to him... wait, why I do feel bad? He is just the boy who saved me... oh... that's it.' She realized pretty quickly. 

"Caster, since you are remaining here you should have your own room, and there are plenty to choose." Shirou said to change the subject, he had to think of it better. 

"Thank you boy, but I would prefer the room closer to yours." 

"...Walt what? Why?" Shirou asked embarrassed as he blushed a bit. 

Caster stared at him confused for a moment before she frowned. 

"Don't get any weird ideas boy, I just want to make sure I stay close to you if anything should happen." She said with an indignant tone. 

"...Right, s-sorry." Shirou said as he got up. Medea did the same and started to follow him, she noted that Shirou was very ashamed. 

Only now while walking in the corridors she felt how empty the house was, well, the boy did say that he was living all alone in this household, she could not expect something else.

Shirou then showed her his room and the one close to his... and they were litteraly empty. But for her they were too empty, this house was empty on too many levels. Caster could not understand him, he seemed like a normal boy, but there was something strange with him. Now Caster started to ask herself even more questions. Why he has this desire to save others to the point he would take part in a war he was not prepared for and where he could lose his life? Why was he an Incarnation? Why was his soul is younger than his hody? How did he obtain the relic of the Fae? How did he obtain a Reality marble? 

Well, with someone like him she should start just by asking. 

"Boy, may I ask you a question7" 

"Sure." Shirou said as he started to prepare and clean her room. 

"Why do you desire soo much to save other people?" 

Shirou stopped and stood silent for a moment, then he said: "Well, 10 years ago there has been a big fire..." 

10 years ago?" Caster thought. 'If I remember correctly Atrum said that the last war happened around that time.' 

"I was saved by my father, Emiya Kiritsugu, and I still remember that when he saved me he was so happy that he started crying. I always wondered why he was the one to cry after he saved me... I always wondered if I too could be that happy by saving others..." Shirou said with a little smile. 

'That could explain a lot... She thought. 

Now she knew some of the things that she needed to know. His father had probably used the Fae artifact to save him, but he didn't really save him, he just saved the body, a hollow husk, the real boy died that day. She could easily tell that his soul was somehow younger or newer, she din't know how to describe it, so this was the theory that made the most sense. 

But there was something strange, what killed the boy's original soul? It was clear that the real or original soul of the boy was not in the body anymore... 

'Some kind of powerful curse? Did this incident occur at the same time as the last war? Maybe the boy has been struck by some kind of powerful curse during a fight and then the man tried to save him by implanting the artifact In his without knowing that the boy's soul already left the body. So, the artifact 'simply' created a new soul so that the body could live... yea, and since the artifact is some kind of Sheath I guess that it gave the form of the [Sword] to both his Element and Origin, and in that moment he became an incarnation. Still, the event may have been so shucking that it distorted his vision of the world so much that he obtain a Reality Marble... what did il really happened 10 years ago?" 

What happened? What kind of magic could destroy the soul of a person before his body? What event could have given the boy a Reality Marble? That was not a normal incident. 

She returned then her attention to the boy and said: "I'm sorry for asking." 

"No, you don't have to worry... and now that I think of it, I should thank you." Shirou said with a bit of embarrassment. 

"...Why you should thank me?" Caster asked surprised. 

"You know..." He turned his back to her and started to watch out of a window. "One day I promised to my father that I would become a hero and save everyone. Until yesterday I was never able to do it... but then I saved you, and I felt really happy. For me it was a dream that became truth, and now you are even willing to let me fight with you despite the fact that I'm weak... now I will be able to save even more people from this war." 

'He felt happy by saving me? It was like a dream for him?' Medea was confused by the boy's statement, not much by the fact he was happy of having saved someone, but by the fact he was happy of having saved her. 

"Boy, may I ask you another question?"

Yes." 

"You just said that you wanted to save everyone, right? If I tell you that I am a bad person would you still be happy of having saved me? Do you have any idea of who you saved?" 

"..."Shirou remained silent. 

At that moment Caster asked herself why she asked that question. 

'Damn it! What did I just ask?! I MAY JUST RUINED EVERYTHING! Now if I will not be careful with my next words I will have to use magic on hi-

"Yes, even If you were a bad person I will always be happy to have saved you. The boy then told her calmly. 

Caster stood silent, she sensed that the boy was telling her the truth... then she felt her anger rising. 

"You are a fool." She told him bluntly. "You don't even know who you just saved, you have no idea of who I-

"That's where you are wrong." Shirou interrupted her. "I know your story Medea... and I'm sorry." 

'So he knows! She thought. 

"I'm sorry that from that day on, when you were forced by the gods to fall in love with that man, no one really tried to save you. No one ever asked if you were forced to do the things that you did, and even those that knew did nothing to help you..." Caster could hear anger and sadness tising in his voice. "From then you tried to return to a normal life but you were never able to, and at one point you made the mistake of giving up. And then... whal did you become? You became the very witch that everyone feared. You went from victim... to executioner." 

Caster frowned at the boy's words. 

"I don't see your point, could you tell me what do you intend to do to the witch, 'hero"?" She asked with cold anger. 

"Nothing. He turned around and watched her into her eyes. "Because there is no witch here." 

What? She thought confused. 

"You told me that you are a heroic spirit, so you're just a copy coming from the throne of heroes, and you are just someone who happens to be Medea copy, who died thousands of years ago. Caster, you have to realize that the two of you are completely different people, and you don't have to feel sadness for the things that happened to her, nor for the things that she did to others... you should just let go your rancor and quilt, they don't really belong to you. Also, I can Imagine your wish, and I want to tell you that is pointless. All of you have already suffered enough, and if you go back and erase everything then why you had to suffer all of that in the first place? You would have suffered for nothing, and it would not change the fact that you did the things you did... for your own good, and to make sure that you do not repeal, your mistakes, you should just give up and start a new life." 

Medea stood silent for almost a minute as she looked incredulous at the boy, and then she asked confused: "You know that I'm the Witch Of Betrayal and what I did... so why do you want to help me hoy?" 

"I want to save everyone, so I'm going to save you too." He said as he watched her in the eyes. 

Medea didn't know what to think and stood silent, and while she stood there the boy turned around started to prepare her room. 

After preparing her room he left her alone, he knew she had a lot to think about. 

He went into the living room, turned on the television and started to watch it while waiting for her return.

Caster was alone in her new room and... she was angry... and confused? 

'D Damn you Boy! She cursed mentally. 

In the end the boy knew who she was! And not only that, he managed to guess her desire and he even criticized it! 

'Save me?! How?! You could never understand my pain! I was forced to become like this! And after that I did unspeakable things of my own will! And you think that you can save me like this?! How dare you boy'?! It's easy for you to speak since you But then it struck her. 

They were similar in a certain way... a bit too similar... 

Just like her now he too was a copy or a substitute... No, not even that, he was a mere substitute done on the fly to save a still-living corpse, he was someone that was never intended to exist in the first place. 

They hoth were victims of something that made them lose everything, and both were profoundly changed by the experience. 

She was forced to betray her family and her country for a man she never loved... and then after he betrayed her she became a witch that was even capable of killing her own children. 

While the boy went through something that may have killed him by destroying his very soul and distorted his vision of the world to the point he obtained a Reality Marble... But he still wanted to help others and to do good. 

She could not understand him... Why were they so diverse? they had lost everything, but why they had so different views? Something was missing. She started to think of his words.... 

'I always wondered if I too could be happy by saving others... 

'I made him the promise that I would become a hero and save everyone. 

...no one really tried to save you.' 

...I'm going to save you too." 

'Salvation? She then thought. 

They were so diverse because the boy, in the end, was saved? Did he know that he was never saved? Did he know that the original owner of the body died that day? Or could it be that just the idea of being saved could leave such a mark on a person? 

The fact that he was saved shaped him into the hoy that he was now... It shaped him the hoy that saved her, the Witch Of Betrayal, 

...Could she really be saved? Did she really deserve it despite all the things she had done? Despite the fact she had her hands stained by the blood of her own children? 

...He knew the things she had did... and yet he thinked that he could save her...? 

She didn't know what to think anymore, and she just stared at the wall in front of her... 

*30 minutes later 

Caster had finally managed to calm herself down, she could think later about the words that the boy told her, now she had to think about the plans for the war. 

She didn't exactly know when it would start, she estimated around 1-2 months, and it was a good thing since she had to train the boy. If someone had to participate in the Holy Grail War they should start to train from the day when they were born, but there were 2 unique things that she and the hoy had that the others didn't:

1) She was one of the best mages from the Age of Gods, even a little advice from her will be able to make miraculous progress for a mage of this Fra, she would be a good teacher. 

2) The boy was an Incarnation of Sword and he also had a Reality Marble. 

Well, even if he had a Reality Marble she was sure that the boy could not use it in any possible form, the boy didn't know of its existence and he, from the point of view of a magus, was almost crippled. If trained well she would make him at a good front liner, but she still didn't know how. Yes, the boy surely had something to do with the swords, but in what sense? He was good at using them? Forging them? Projecting them? Analyzing them? All of these options? 

'Wait... if he should ever see a Noble Phantasm, he should be able to analyze it, and since he has such affinity with blades he should be even able to see the weapon abilities, and that could give us some advantages in the future... 

She needed to study the boy and his abilities. 

He could reveal himself a better ally than she first thought, and even if they would not get perfectly along she still needed an ally, so she had to prepare him by telling him almost all the details about the war. 

She exited her room and went to the living room, she opened the door and said: "Let me tell you all the details about the war." 

The boy simply nodded. 

*4 hours later" 

"...and now that you know everything we need to start to decide your training schedule. But first I should start to put some traps around the house and create a bounded field that erases all traces of mana. She told him. 

"Sure, go ahead." 

She got up, but before she left the room she stopped. 

"By the way boy, what do you intend to do with... Sakura?" She asked. She now wanted to know what the boy would do about his friend. 

"...Nothing. We know that she is a magus, even if she should be involved with the war you said that it started 50 years too early, no one should have expected it and since she is still young we should suppose that her training is still incomplete." 

"Good observation, but still, she is a talented magus, you should not underestimate her." Caster sald before she exited the room. 

As she walked Caster too started to think about the girl, there was something off with her, she acted strange around the boy, and the way she watched her was also strange. She needed to observe her better if she ever had the possibility... 

For leylines passed over the house. They could sustain her a bit, enough that she could use some simple spells. 

now, she should concentrate on putting some traps around the house and a bounded Ifield that could merge with the other one already present, and luckily she won't have to worry about consuming mana since a pair of 

When she got out in the backyard she for a moment felt something faint coming from the edifice near the house. Something reacted to her presence... oh well, this was the house of a magus, she should not be surprised if there was some magical object. She would investigate later. 

Some hours have passed and now it was dark outside. It was almost time for dinner and Shirou had almost finished cooking. 

'Soon Fuji-nee should arrive, I have to call Caster and tell her to come in.' He then thought.

He took off his apron and went on finding Caster. As he walked he was sure that she was a bit angry with him for the things he said, but there was something strange... how did he know her story? He never studied Greek mythology before, so how did he know who she was and what she had done? While thinking he got out and saw her. 

He saw Caster crouched figure Illuminated by the moonlight, she was engraving something on the ground, and he noted that both her eyes and her hairs shone in the dark 

"Caster, dinner is almost ready. Shirou said after he watched her finishing to engrave a symbol. 

Caster got up and looked at the moon without saying anything. 

"Caster... Il before I said something wrong, I'm sor 

"Boy, just to make things clear: You will not be able to save everyone." She turned around and looked at him with her luminescent and hypnotic eyes. "Not everyone deserves salvation, and not everyone can be saved just by helping them. I don't know what you will do in the future, but if you want to save others sooner or later you will be forced to kill..." 

She started to approach him. 

"You will have to take a life to save another one. Maybe you will have to kill an evil person, maybe you will have to kill someone you considered an ally... or maybe you will have to kill someone that you considered a friend." 

And now she was beside him and she was watching him intensely in the eyes. 

"You have to accept this, or you will get yourself killed... and many people will suffer because of that." 

She then turned her head around and started to go toward the living-room, 

"It's clear that you are a good person, someone who can be trusted... but you have to remember that we live in a merciless world." Caster sald with a calm and satisfied tone. She did not like the idea of hypnotizing him, so she just used some of her magic to Implant those suggestions into his mind, with that she sure that he would be mature to the idea of killing his enemies no matter who they were... even the girl if needed. 

Shirou stood still and watched the now hollow place where Caster once stood, alter a moment he blinked and turned to watch the moon. 

Somehow he knew who she was and what she went through... and somehow he also knew that those words that she spoke were not a bit of advice... but a warning, a prediction, something that sooner or later will happen.... those words were not something he could take lightly. 

He turned around and started to head towards the kitchen. 

Shirou was now in his bed, watching the ceiling. 

Not much happened during and after dinner, Fuji-nee arrived, ate another free meal as she spoke with Caster, and then went away Just like every other day. 

He cleaned the plates, and then after saying good night to Caster he went to his room. 

He now was thinking about this day, about the War, about Caster, and about the words she told him. 

He knew deep inside that soon he will have to kill... and he had to be ready to do it, without any hesitation. 

His eyes felt heavy and his consciousness started to fell into the world of dreams, into that world full of swords. 

But before falling asleep Shirou could swear that he saw two beautiful eyes watching him.....