Fate Stay Night - Medea Caster route

Shirou at the moment was looking outside the window of the car he was now in, and he was either watching the trees that went by or the birds that flew in the sky.

Sometimes he would turn to his left, and there Medea, who was always watching him, would kindly smile at him.

It had been over two weeks since he had first woken up in the hospital. Ten days from when he had first 'met' Medea.

And three days have passed since she asked him if she could adopt him.

Medea, just like she had promised him, came to visit him every day, but three days before when she arrived Shirou could see that there was something that bothered her since she seemed quite preoccupied.

At the time he asked her if there was something wrong, and the woman said that it was nothing and that everything was fine, but after he insisted a bit, Medea confessed to him that soon he would have been released from the hospital... and that she wanted to ask him to come with her.

But, even though she had come to see him for over a week, Shirou still didn't remember her, and Medea was unsure of what his answer to her proposal would have been. She even admitted that she really feared with all of herself that he would say no to her request and find another family who would adopt him…

And by doing so, he would leave her all alone.

But at that moment knowing that Medea, his savior and the only family he had left, wanted to adopt him, Shirou's heart skipped a beat from the joy, and of course, to reassure her, he immediately told her that he would have been more than happy to come with her.

Immediately after he said those words Medea jumped to hug him, cover him with kisses, and thank him.

And now that he had been released from the hospital, Medea was taking him to their new home.

After that moment of reflection, Shirou turned to watch the driver who had come to pick them up at the hospital, who until now had been very quiet. Shirou didn't know why, but the man gave him a strange feeling. From when he had entered the car the man didn't pronounce even a single word, and the way he behaved, how he moved, and that bland look... felt wrong… everything about the man felt unnatural, but he couldn't exactly understand what.

"Shirou, is there a problem?" Medea asked him.

"...no, nothing." Shirou simply replied before he turned to watch her, and then turned to look out of the window.

He now had returned to watch the green trees.

During the stay at the hospital, Shirou had noted that looking at the vegetation calmed him down. Observing the local flora always gave him a sense of peace. Maybe it was so because the calm forest was the complete opposite of the hellish sight he witnessed that night...

Anyway, around 15 minutes later the car stopped in front of a big property, one that had its gates open.

"We have arrived." Medea said before she got out of the car and went to open the door for Shirou.

After he too got out of the vehicle, the driver left without saying anything.

Medea then took him by the hand and started to walk inside the property with him, and in the meantime, Shirou was looking around, amazed to see such a beautiful and well-maintained property that seemed almost new, but at one point he felt a strange sensation, as he for a moment walked right through water.

At that point, Medea stopped walking and turned her head to watch him.

"You see this, Shirou? This is our new home." She said before she kneeled at his side and she kept holding his hand.

Shirou turned his head and just silently watched her. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to feel.

"...I… I know that you may feel strange." Medea sighed. "...Starting to live in a new house with someone you do not even have memories about could be very confusing and perplexing… but I swear to you Shirou, that until you will start to remember, we will make many new memories together. Do you like this idea?" Medea asked with a kind tone.

Shirou simply nodded after a moment.

"...Good, I'm happy that you like it." She said with a little smile.

"..."

"Is there something you have to ask me?" Medea then asked.

"...The house seems very big… will we be the only one living in it?" Shirou asked as he turned his head toward the entrance of the house.

"Oh, about this," Medea said as she got up. "We are not the only ones. For some months there will also be an acquaintance of mine to live with us." She continued.

"I see." Shirou simply said.

"Now, why don't we go in and see how the house is made?" Medea asked, to which Shirou simply nodded in reply.

After that, the two of them walked into the house, and after they took off their shoes they started to walk around.

"To start, Shirou, this is the living room, and as you can see further down, here there is also the kitchen…" Medea said as she opened the door and walked in, before noticing Kiristugu sitting at the table in the living room.

"...Is he the person you talked about?" Shirou asked her after a moment, as he watched the man who wore a kimono and had an unhealthy look.

"Yes, he is the person I spoke to you about. Shirou, he is Kiritsugu Emiya, an old friend of mine." Medea said before she turned to watch Kiristugu. "And Kiritsugu, as you know he is Shirou, the child I've adopted."

"...Hello Shirou." The man said with a hoarse tone of voice after a moment.

"Hello." Shirou simply replied.

As he watched the kid and seeing that he was fine, a little smile appeared on Kiritsugu's lips.

Even if he had not been the one to save him he was both relieved and happy to see that the child's conditions had drastically improved since he had last seen him...

But as he smiled something caught his eye, and he moved his attention from the child to the woman next to him, only to note that Medea was smiling as well as she watched him… but her smile was one that he didn't like at all.

"...You know Shirou, I have forgotten to tell you, but this person helped me to save you." Medea said as he looked down to watch him.

"Really?" Shirou asked as he raised his head to watch her.

"Indeed. After I saved you I entrusted you to Kiristugu to take you to the ambulance so that I could go to look if there was someone else who had survived the fire. So be polite, and go to thank him." Medea said as she released Shirou's hand.

Shirou simply nodded before he walked in front of Kiristugu.

"Ehm... thank you very much for helping me." Shirou said with a little bow, as he looked at the man with a little look of admiration and respect.

"...You're welcome." Kiritsugu replied after a very long moment with a tired tone and look before he turned to look aside.

"Good boy. Now, as you can see Kiristugu is tired and doesn't feel very well. During that fire, he too got wounded, and a week ago he had an operation, so it is better if we leave him alone to rest. In the meantime, come with me, and let's go to see the rest of the house." Medea said, as she leaned a hand forward.

Shirou walked to her, took her hand again, and got out of the room, leaving Kiristugu alone in the living room.

And after the two of them got out Kiristugu sighed, and he started to reflect on the events of that early morning…

That morning Kiristugu had woken up in pain, something not unusual for him from the day he had undergone the transplant of magic circuits, but he could say that that day he felt better than he ever did in the past week.

Caster, in that operation that lasted for over 9 hours, had implanted in him 30 Magic circuits. He would say that a transplant of such a quantity in his grave conditions should have been impossible, but the one that operated on him had been a Magus coming from the Age Of The Gods, so there was nothing to be surprised about.

As he laid on his bed while he started to recover his senses and strength, Kiritsugu could feel all of his new circuits, and feeling them felt incredibly strange. The sensation was difficult, if not almost impossible, to describe.

Some people after being involved in an incident and losing a limb would suffer from a condition called phantom pain, where they would somehow still 'feel' their missing limb as if it was still there. But now Kiritsugu had the opposite problem, as inside of himself he felt the presence of something new, something real.

He could feel a myriad of things that were not his, in places they had never been, places they weren't meant to be. The discomfort this caused him was incredible…

Not to mention the memories that those circuits brought with them.

Sometimes when he slept, Kiristugu would dream of a family that was not his.

He would dream of two little girls and a woman that always welcomed him with a smile whenever he returned home.

He could see their happiness. Hear their laugh. Feel their joy.

Everything was perfect for them. Everyone in his family was happy. There were no problems, no kind of conflicts, nothing that could harm them in any way.

No one could ask for a life better than that.

...But at one point a very questionable choice had been made, and then one of the girls suddenly went missing from their lives.

From that moment on, things started to change.

The house he would live in had started to get colder.

The only one that greeted him was the remaining girl, who despite the things he did, still looked up to him.

While the woman would be slowly getting farther and farther away from him as time went on...

...But if these miserable annoyances were the only things that he had to endure along with the pain, then for him there would be no problems.

Kiristugu would endure any kind of torture and agony if it meant to save Illya.

After some minutes and several efforts, Kiristugu had been able to get up from his bed. After he got up he took his walking stick, and slowly went to the living room, where he found Caster, who hummed as she was preparing herself to go out.

"…Oh. Good morning Emiya. How do you feel today?" Caster asked after having noticed him, as she was putting two bottles of water into her purse.

"...Better. Definitely better." Kiristugu slowly replied with a hoarse tone of voice. "...The pain has decreased dramatically, and today I was able to get up in less than ten minutes."

The woman turned to watch him before she sharpened her eyes and carefully observed him.

Kiristugu said nothing, but he could feel magic being used on him even by that distance.

"...Yes… perfect. Looks like your body has finally started to permanently integrate the new circuits in your system… and I must add that it did without any kind of violent reaction. I did a really good job." She commented before she silently observed him for another pair of seconds. "...At the moment I can't give you a precise estimate, but I think that it will take less than 2 months for you to start to use your new magic circuits. But I can't tell you how long it will take you to master them since that will be up to you." Caster said before she turned and took from the table a plastic bag that had some kid's clothes in it.

"...Today you will go to take the child, right?" He asked.

"Yes…" Caster said before she turned to watch him. "...and I do think that it is now time to reveal to you who I am." She then continued.

"...May I ask you why?" Kiristugu asked, a bit surprised.

There was no reason for Caster to reveal her identity. So, what could be the motive for this sudden decision? Could it be that she would just lie about her identity for some specific reason?

"Because Shirou already knows me by my name, so it would be just a matter of time before you would hear it and discover who I am. Also, I do think that it would be better to tell you now, so that its discovery may have a greater effect." Caster said, before she walked toward the man, got right in front of him, and firmly looked him in the eyes.

"I'm Medea, princess of Colchis, and the Witch of Betrayal."

Kiristugu said nothing, but his eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"From your reaction, it seems that you know me. What is it, are you scared now? Are you regretting having allied with me? ...I am not worthy of your trust anymore?" She asked as she leaned closer to him.

Kiritsugu frowned at the woman's words.

"I've collaborated with people that were less reasonable and reliable than you, Medea." Kiritsugu replied.

"...Hmmm, I don't know if it's wise to think that I'm a reasonable and reliable person, if you know the things I did and their reason…" Medea remarked. "...Anyway, now that you know who I am, do you still trust me?" She then asked with a little smile.

"Of course I do. You are still the only hope I have to save Illya." Kiritsugu firmly said.

Medea blinked at the man's words... and she remained speechless.

She did so not because she was surprised by what he said, she had already guessed that he would have said something like this, but for some reason the sincerity and abrupt way Kiristugu said them reminded her of Shirou, and that made her heart ache incredibly.

...She now had to go. She had to go to the hospital and get him as soon as possible.

"...Is there a problem?" Kiritsugu asked as he watched Medea, who had suddenly assumed a thoughtful expression.

"...No. You just surprised me with that statement… You reminded me of someone I once knew." Medea answered before she turned around.

Well, it seemed that the man's desire to save his daughter was so strong that he would even collaborate with someone like her...

"...Ok then, now that we have cleared ourselves… where did I put the snacks I made?" Medea then asked herself, as she started to look around the kitchen.

The first day had passed rather quickly.

During the morning Medea had shown Shirou the home and how to get around. Then after lunch, in the afternoon, she went out with him, so that she could both meet and introduce himself to the neighbors, and to start to get more familiar with the area around the house.

Now it was already evening, and Medea had prepared dinner for everyone.

After they dined Kiristugu thanked her for the meal and left for his bedroom since he was quite tired and he had to rest, not because the way Shirou looked at him annoyed and tormented him.

Shirou and Medea then were with each other for a while.

She didn't want to bother him too much, since Shirou was starting to get used to everything, but Medea needed to know what he thought about his current situation, and for this reason, she asked him some questions, like if he liked the new home, the food she had made, if he wanted to know something about her, or if he had some question in general.

Shirou had never been the kind of person who talked a lot, but she did want him to open up a little, even from the very start.

But at one point as they spoke Medea noticed that Shirou had started to look tired, and so she decided that it was time for him to go to sleep, so she accompanied him in his room after he had cleaned himself in the bathroom.

Now Medea was in her room, thinking about what to do next.

Now that Shirou was with her she had nothing to fear. She could finally start with her plans without fearing that something could happen to him.

Both Kirei and Gilgamesh had left the city a pair of days before, and her familiars have verified that there was no other mage in the city, so now there was no one that could stop her.

She had already set her eyes on Zouken's territory for a good while, and now that everything was in place she would use the opportunity to attack him.

She had studied all of his traps and defenses, and she had already prepared different attack plans, with some contingency ones, just to be safe in case her attacks failed for some reason.

Anyway, Medea had estimated that if everything went according to her plans in less than five minutes she should already have captured Sakura, and therefore, the worm's soul.

Then victory would be assured.

At one point she turned her head and watched the clock that was on her wall, and she decided that she would attack the Matou mansion after midnight since by that time Shirou would already be asleep and there would have been no witnesses, but right at that moment, she heard someone knocking at the door.

She turned and went to open it, and saw no one, but after lowering her eyes she saw Shirou in his pajamas standing in front of her.

"Oh, Shirou, what is it?" Medea asked him, a bit surprised.

It was already late, so what could Shirou want from her at such an hour?

"...I… I can't sleep." Shirou told her.

Medea watched him for a long moment before she suddenly remembered that Shirou suffered from terrible nightmares.

While he was in the hospital through her familiars she had seen him wake up screaming each and every night. She knew that he suffered from them even when he was seventeen, so just how terrifying could they be for him right now? And what kind of discomfort could a child like him suffer from sleeping all alone in a place still unknown to him? ...How could she have not thought about all of these things until now?

...Well, it seemed that she had to postpone her other plans for a bit.

"...Right. The doctors have told me that you have some terrible nightmares, and they scare you, isn't that right?" She asked with a sympathetic tone as she leaned toward him.

Shirou nodded.

"Poor thing. You don't know how sorry I am that you have to suffer from those terrible nightmares... but you don't have to worry, I'm here for you. Do you want me to sleep with you so you can feel safer?" She then asked.

Shirou watched her for a long moment before he nodded again.

"Ok then, but just wait a bit, I have to change." Medea said with a smile, before she turned around, changed her clothes, took a futon from her room, and went into Shirou's room with him.

There she laid the futon next to his, and after they got into their respective bed and she bid Shirou good night, Medea closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Around 5 minutes later Shirou had fallen asleep.

Medea from her bed was now watching him sleeping, and as she watched him she couldn't help but smile a little.

Finally, she had him again.

She had been able to save him, and now she could finally start to repay her debt.

And as she thought about it, Medea started to think of what Shirou's future would be.

She had already decided that for the next few months she would let Shirou live a normal life, but of course, at one point she would reveal to him that the two of them were mages. This way she could start to educate him correctly on his magecraft and make sure that in the future he would have some excellent bases and an unrivaled formation on magic in general.

And then, after having made sure of figuring out what kind of mindset Shirou had acquired after being saved by her, in a few years she would push him toward the idea of becoming a hero...

But that of course could cause some repercussions.

Shirou, from any point of view, already suffered from a myriad of problems, and on top of them discovering of being a mage and having to keep it a secret from everyone could cause him to further isolate himself and feel lonely since few were the people that could actually understand him. This could cause Shirou to not open up and not make friends, something bad for a child of his age, especially for someone like him, but Medea had already thought about two playmates and friends Shirou could have.

...Two friends that knew about magic and had their own different traumas.

Excellent elements that could help them form a strong bond and a long friendship.

And about the idea of being a hero, she was almost sure that if not carefully checked it could have resulted in the 'old' suicidal behavior. But Medea had to admit that that behavior had been caused by a terrible combination of neglect, trauma, guilt, incredibly low self-esteem, an intense desire to save others, and misleading. She was sure that if she would manage to improve Shirou's mental health he wouldn't ever develop such a problem in the first place.

But at one point as she watched him, around two hours from when he had fallen asleep, Medea noted that Shirou had started to sweat, move, and lament in his sleep. In fact, not long after, he woke up screaming.

Scared, terrorized, and confused, in a frenzied way Shirou started to look at his surroundings as he breathed heavily, but at one point he turned to look at Medea, hoping that she was awake...

But after he turned around he saw Medea's eyes shining in the dark, and that she was kindly smiling at him, as she had her arms spread open and her sheets raised.

"Come here." She softly told him.

Almost immediately Shirou desperately crawled in her bed and clung to her. After he did, Medea put the blanket over him, and after that, she started to cuddle him.

"Shhhhhh. Don't worry Shirou. It's all over. Everything is fine. It was just a nightmare." She gently whispered to him.

Shirou said nothing, he just trembled, and as he did Medea could even hear his teeth chattering for how much he was scared.

Seeing the child in her arms being so terrorized broke Medea's heart…

That, for many different reasons…

...But at the moment there was no need to think about the past.

"I'm here Shirou. You don't have to worry. Nothing that happened was your fault. It's all over. You're now safe." Medea then continued to whisper.

They laid there for around 10 minutes, and after a while, Medea managed to calm Shirou down.

At one point Shirou looked up to watch her for a long moment before he said: "I'm very sorry..."

"Shirou, you don't have to worry, it's fine." She told him with a reassuring tone. "After all the things you've been through it is normal and healthy for you to show your emotions. You don't have to apologize."

"...Ehm… thank you." Shirou then simply said after a moment.

"You're welcome." Medea said as she found Shirou's blank expression being incredibly cute. "...You know, Shirou, in these past weeks I missed you a lot." She then continued after a moment.

"...Really?" He asked with a surprised tone of voice.

"Of course, after all, you are everything I have left… and I really wanted to see you again... I really wanted to apologize to you for leaving you alone." Medea said before she hugged him more tightly. "I'll never lose you again. I swear." She said with a smile.

As he watched her, Shirou said nothing, but Medea managed to see beyond his emotionless expression, and she could see him being happy.

She could see how appreciated and loved he felt.

'...Excellent.' She thought after a moment.

This was just the first step to make sure that Shirou in the future would have a healthy mind. Sure, Shirou's traumas would never leave him, but she would never permit them to shape and define him ever again.

"...Now that you have calmed yourself, do you want to go back to your bed?" She then calmly asked.

"...Can I remain here?" He asked.

"Of course Shirou. But why are you even asking? You have to know I would do everything for you." Medea then said as she held him even closer.

Shirou could feel the sincerity with which Medea spoke those words, and he felt incredibly reassured and safe. After that Shirou bid Medea good night, and he closed his eyes and relaxed. After he fell asleep, Medea just kept watching him closely all night long.

During the night as she watched him Medea did start to take into consideration the idea of using magic to make sure that Shirou would never suffer from the nightmares ever again, but then she decided against it, since to do it she should use magic on his mind, and she was sure that like always she would end up causing more harm than good… that, and the fact that he found comfort in her would surely bring him to be closer to her.

Something that needed to happen for her plans to work.

*A week later*

It was morning, Medea at the moment was sitting on a bench in a park, and right next to her there was Shirou, who was eating a sandwich she had made for him.

Whenever she turned and watched him she couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of him enjoying his food without any worry or pressure because he was somehow 'happy' with how things were going. He looked like he had almost forgotten all about his worries and troubles as he enjoyed his food, it was incredibly cute.

The reason Medea had taken him to the park that day was that she just didn't want him to always stay at home. She wanted him to go out and take some fresh air, and if possible, make some friends on his own.

But there were some problems.

It was clear that if she didn't push him Shirou on his own wouldn't be friends with other kids of his age, and since he was still in his 'hollow' state and was yet not good with understanding and showing emotions, even if he managed to make some friends his stiffness would cause some problems to socialize, so for now observing how other kids behaved would be more than enough for him...

But the greatest problem was that there were not many kids in the park, to begin with.

Medea did remember seeing other kids in the hospital, but she had never seen any of them again. She couldn't help but wonder if they had died or had been transferred to other cities to be adopted.

But as she thought, in the corner of her eye, Medea noticed Shirou watching something in the distance.

"What is it?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"…Why does that girl look so sad?" He asked while he kept looking straight.

Medea turned her head to watch in the same direction as Shirou, just to note a little girl with short purple hair who was watching some flowers…

"...Nee-san?" Shirou then said, as he immediately noticed the way Medea was watching the girl.

"...No. It's nothing." Medea said before she sighed and started to look around. "...I just wondered why she was all alone. I don't see anyone with her... could it be that she is lost?" Medea then wondered aloud.

"Then why don't we go and ask her?" Shirou then immediately proposed.

"...Heh, what a good boy that you are. Always worrying about others..." Medea said with a kind smile as she turned to watch him and patted his head.

After she did all of that she noted a little glint in Shirou's eyes. Her approval and praise had made him quite happy.

Medea had to yet understand what kind of mindset Shirou had acquired, but from what she had seen in this past week whenever she, Kiristugu, or even the young Taiga, who had started to occasionally come by to visit and assist Kiritsugu, had a thoughtful expression Shirou always asked them if there was a problem.

This was a confirmation that Shirou wanted to be useful and somehow help others, but it was still not enough to understand how his mind worked.

"Now, why don't we go there and ask her if she is alright?" Medea asked.

Shirou simply nodded and started to eat his sandwich quickly, but immediately after he started Medea started to pull his cheek and told him to not eat fast since he could end up choking himself. Shirou apologized and finished his sandwich calmly.

After he finished both he and Medea got up from the bench and started to approach the girl.

As they walked to her Medea was thinking. In the past week, she couldn't attack Zouken since during the night she was occupied with taking care of Shirou.

Sure, she could have made an image of herself that would stay next to him, but she really couldn't, and didn't want, to leave him alone in such a moment of weakness where he needed genuine care and attention. In fact, just last night, she had taken into consideration the idea to use an incredibly tiny quantity of magic to make sure that for just one single night Shirou wouldn't suffer from any nightmare so that she could be free to go and attack Zouken.

But it turned out that there was no need for it. Zoukne's phylactery had shown up just in time.

That morning, as she was taking Shirou to the park, her familiars spotted the little girl. After almost an entire month Sakura had finally shown herself and she had gone outside the Matou property.

As soon as that information arrived at her Medea started to think about how to act. She just couldn't let that opportunity go to waste since she could directly take Zouken's crest worm without even the need to attack him, so she at first had decided that as soon Shirou would have distracted himself with something she would have created an image of herself, and after that, she would have sent it to kidnap Sakura and take her to her workshop. But in the end, there was no need for that either.

Sakura, after wandering for a while, arrived at their same park, and Medea decided to wait until they clearly saw her before she would come up with an excuse to approach her, but in the end, Shirou ended up noticing the girl on his own.

That day Medea would consider herself lucky... but she did not, since she was now forced to approach Sakura.

She didn't know exactly why, but the more that girl came closer to her, the more she felt strange…

No. She felt a visceral uneasiness.

For some reason, she feared that when she would approach Sakura the young child would gradually turn her head to gaze at her, and afterward, she would abruptly begin to judge her, reminding her once again of every horrendous mistake she had made, uncovering each and every sin and transgression she had committed…

But Medea knew that it wouldn't happen. This was just a figment of her foolish and irrational imagination, that for some reason ran wild.

But as they walked toward her Medea noticed Shirou suddenly quickening his pace and reaching Sakura before her. The girl turned to watch him, and the two of them stared at each other for a while.

"...Shirou? ...Is everything alright?" Medea asked after she had reached them, as she noted Shirou's behavior.

Shirou turned to look at her, and Medea noted his strange expression. Instead of the usual blank expression, he now seemed to be... scared? Confused? Concerned? Bothered? Irritated?

His expression was difficult to describe since Shirou himself didn't know what and how to feel, let alone express it.

"...T-This isn't right." He said. "We… we have to do something. We have to help her."

'...Have you seen right through her, Shirou? Impressive.' Medea thought, very impressed.

"You say that we have to help her?" Medea then asked, to which Shirou just nodded in reply.

After that Medea turned and got in front of Sakura, she then crouched to look directly at her hollow, dead, eyes.

"...Hello little girl... is everything alright?" Medea asked with a gentle tone.

Sakura just watched her before she simply gave her a shallow nod.

"No, it can't be. You're not fine." Shirou suddenly said as he turned to watch Sakura. "Nee-san, please, we have to help her. She is suffering." Shirou then begged her as he turned and grabbed Medea's arm.

Medea turned to watch Shirou, and she saw how concerned he was for the girl despite not being able to properly show it.

Shirou, despite his age and conditions, knew that he had to do something for her.

Medea at that moment started to think. Maybe observing and studying how Shirou would behave around Sakura could give her some great clues of how his mind worked, and seeing what he would do to help her could make her understand what his main objective was. It was already an impressive feat that he had been able to see that she was suffering…

At that moment Medea thought that maybe the theory that Shirou didn't want others to be sad, or suffer, as Sakura's case proved, was not that far-fetched.

"Tell me, do you need help?" She then asked.

Sakura just stared at her, without saying anything.

"Maybe she is too scared to answer..." Medea thought aloud. "Are you lost?" She then asked.

After asking that question Medea turned her head to watch her left side, just to note her purse was missing. It seemed that she had 'forgotten' it on the bench

She turned to watch Shirou and asked: "Shirou, could you kindly go and take my purse I've left behind?"

"Yes." Shirou just said, before he turned and went to take the purse.

Medea watched him walk away, and when she was sure that he was distant enough, she immediately created a little bounded field around herself and Sakura.

"...Now," Medea said as she turned to watch the child. "Sakura, I know who you are and in what kind of situation you find yourself in. But you don't have to worry, you have to know that I'm your friend and that I can help you." She said with a kind smile and a reassuring tone.

Sakura said nothing, but she just widened her eyes in surprise.

"...Yes, I know that Zouken may terrify you, but if you accept my help I assure you that the vile monster will disappear from your life, and that never again will he hurt you or your family." Medea then swore.

Sakura remained silent and still. She didn't have a single idea of what was going on, let alone what to do.

After a long time, her grandfather had finally given her permission to go out, and now, after being approached by a very strange kid who somehow understood that she needed help, she was in front of this woman who knew so many things about her...

But Sakura at the moment just knew that she didn't really have a choice, she could only accept the woman's proposal.

She didn't exactly know how or why, maybe it was because she had spent a lot of time with Zouken and for this reason, she had got familiar with his 'kind', but she could tell that the person that was standing in front of her could be more terrifying than her grandfather… something that until now she had never thought to be possible. Something that she didn't want to see. Ever.

As she watched her Medea could feel the unease and the fear the girl was now feeling. It seemed that Sakura had seen right through her... not that she was trying very hard to seem friendly and hide what kind of person she really was, but still, this feat was impressive as well.

Some children could really understand the kind of person they were dealing with.

In the meantime, Shirou had just reached the bench and taken Medea's purse, but when he turned around he saw just in time the girl giving her hand to Medea and then walking toward him.

"Shirou, you were right. Sakura really needs our help." Medea said after she had reached him with Sakura.

Shirou at the moment was sitting at the table in the living room of his home, and next to him there was the girl that he had met in the park, while in the meantime Medea was preparing some tea for the two of them.

As he watched the other silent child Shirou was thinking.

When he saw her from afar the girl had caught his attention since he did note that she was kind of sad, but he didn't think that she would have been… like that.

He didn't know why, but after he had reached her and had looked her in the eyes he had stopped breathing. He couldn't understand, but the look that girl was giving him terrified him.

He was not good at understanding his emotions, let alone those of others, but he knew when things weren't right. That girl, who Medea had told him is named Sakura, needed to be helped.

...Just what did happen to her? ...What could turn a person like... that? ...Could it be that she too had been a victim of the incident? ...Or she had been a victim of something far worse?

"Here is your tea." Medea suddenly said as she gave the two of them two cups, making Shirou snap out of his thoughts.

"Thank you." Both Sakura and Shirou said at the same moment.

"Shirou, I'll have to talk with Kiristugu about Sakura's situation. So be a good boy and keep her company until I return, okay?" Medea then asked.

Shirou just nodded in reply.

He may have 'known' Medea for just around two weeks, but he was sure that she knew what she was doing. She didn't tell him exactly what was Sakura's problem and what she was going to do, but If she was able to help him with his little problems, then she could surely also help Sakura.

Medea walked out of the living room, closed the door, and then started to think as she walked the corridor.

Taking Sakura from the park and bringing her to her home had been extremely easy. Thanks to the magic of presence concealment she had earlier used on both herself and Shirou before they went out she had hidden their presence to the point where even mages would have difficulty at noticing them, for this reason, Zouken thought that there would have been no problem in letting the girl get out.

She later used this same magic on Sakura so that she could take her without alarming the worm and letting him know where she was… that, and it would have looked incredibly bad if someone saw a woman of her age approach a lonely child in the park and then take it away.

Anyway, now that she had her, she could start with her plans.

"...That girl... is she the one who you were looking for?" Kiritsugu, who had just gotten out of his room, asked with a low tone.

"Indeed. And now that we have her I'll be able to take care of Zouken." Medea said.

"...I've managed to hear that you wanted to speak with me. So, what do you need?" He asked.

"Don't worry, it's nothing in particular. I'll have to operate on the girl to remove the Crest worm from her body, and after that, I'll go to attack Zouken. In the meantime, you'll just have to keep an eye on Shirou. That's it."

"...Understood." Kiristugu said with a nod. "...Anyway, how do you want to deal with Zouken?" He then asked after a moment.

Medea had told him many times that Zouken would become a useful asset in the future, so he was sure that she had some kind of plan for him.

"...Well, he is going to help us in the future, so hear me out…" Medea then started to say.

Around 10 minutes later Medea returned to the living room and said that later she would have gone to the police station with Sakura so that she could file a loss report and help her to return back to her family.

After Medea finished speaking Shirou turned around to watch Sakura and asked: "So, are you lost?"

Sakura turned and watched Shirou for a long moment as she was unsure of what to say, but when she saw from the corner of her eyes the woman watching her, she nodded.

"...You see Shirou, Sakura has been separated from her family, and as you can see she seems quite shocked and scared." Medea said as she got closer to them. "...Maybe it is better if you don't ask any questions about it…"

"...You're right. I'm sorry." Shirou said before he apologized to Sakura.

"You don't have to worry Shirou, it is normal to be worried about others in cases like this. Anyway, before we go to the police station, Sakura, why don't you have lunch with us? I think that you may be very hungry right now."

Sakura turned to watch the woman, and after a long moment, she simply nodded.

"Very well, just wait a bit." Medea said with a smile before she turned and headed toward the kitchen.

There she put on her apron and took all the ingredients that she needed, and after that, she started to cook. As she did, she could feel the gaze of both Sakura and Shirou on her, and she started to feel some performance anxiety.

She did so because she knew that now she couldn't mess up.

Despite the fact that she still remembered all the cooking lessons she had had with Shirou, and that she had taken an intensive cooking course before adopting him, Medea still felt a bit insecure about her skill, and now that she had to look like a responsible adult she knew that she could not make any error, or that may start to ruin her image.

But despite all the worries, Medea didn't make even a single mistake, and around an hour later the lunch for Shirou and Sakura had been served.

Medea watched the two children silently eating, and after they had finished she let them rest for a while.

"...Now, Sakura, I think that it is time for us to go." She said at one point as she got up from the table.

"Can I come too?" Shirou then asked.

"Shirou, I'm sorry, but I think that it is better if you remain here. There is no need for you to come with us, and you've already done enough by making me notice that Sakura needed help. Just let me take care of the rest, okay?" Medea asked.

After a moment Shirou simply nodded in reply without protesting.

"Good boy." She said with a smile.

After some minutes Medea and Sakura were in front of the entrance, and after they said their goodbye to Shirou and Kiristugu, who was carefully watching Sakura, they went out.

After closing the door Medea gave her hand to Sakura, which after a moment she took.

As they walked, Sakura watched Medea as she kept wondering just who this person was and what she wanted to do with her, but at one point, after they had gone out of the property, she blinked, and she noticed something strange...

They were not outside anymore. Instead, they were now inside of a room.

At that moment Medea let go of Sakura's hand before she transformed her clothes into her robes and turned to face the child.

Sakura, now even more confused than before, simply took a step back from the hooded woman who was giving her a bad feeling.

Medea watched the child for a long moment before she sighed and took off her hood.

"Look Sakura..." Medea started to say, as she kneeled to watch her right in the eyes. "I know that you have all the reason in the world to not trust me and even be scared of me... but you don't have to. As I said before, I am your friend, and I want to help you, really."

"...Why do you want to help me?" Sakura asked.

"...You were very little the last time you saw me, so you do not remember, but I was a good friend of your family. In the past they've helped me, so it is time for me to repay the favor."

"...You are a friend?"

"Yes. I've known your mother and your father for a long time… but lately, I've come to know that something strange happened to them."

"...Something strange?"

"Yes. Your mother and your father were good people, Sakura. People who would never give away their daughter for any reason in the world." Medea said with a serious tone.

Sakura, after hearing those words, remained dazed, and Medea remained silent as she watched Sakura process the lie she had just told her. She could see the doubt and confusion in Sakura's eyes,

"...Then why did they give me away?" She then asked after some very long moments.

"Your parents never gave you away, Sakura. Zouken had been the one to take you away from them." Medea said as she put both of her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "He may seem like an old man, but as you've seen he is an ancient and powerful monster. This is just a hypothesis since I'm a bit unsure of why he did it, but I believe that because of your special Origin you had caught his attention and he desired you for his plans. For this reason, he used magic on your parents and took you away." Medea said before she started to pat Sakura's head. "Your mom and your dad loved you a lot, Sakura. No parents would willingly ever abandon their child, let alone give them to a monster like Zouken."

"...Mom and dad were forced to give me away?…What happened to them? ...Are they fine?" Sakura then asked, as she now felt a myriad of confusing emotions inside of her.

Medea watched her for a long moment before sighing, lowering her eyes, and saying: "...I'm sorry, but your father has died, and your mother… Aoi is still alive, but it is better if you don't see her for a while."

Sakura watched her for a long moment, and she could tell that the woman was not lying. She was just telling her the cruel truth.

"...How do you want to help me?"

"Your body is infested by Zouken's worms, and to start to save you, I have to remove them."

"...Will it hurt?" Sakura asked.

Sakura was not afraid of pain, at least, not anymore, but she could still remember how painful it had been when the worms first violated her. She now just wondered if she had to suffer all over again to take them out.

"No Sakura, It will not hurt. And not only that, I'll make sure that you will not suffer ever again." Medea told her with a reassuring tone.

Sakura said nothing, but she felt somehow relieved.

Yes, she still had no reason to believe any of the words the woman had said, but at the moment she could only hope and believe her.

She knew that it could have been all lies and that this could have been just an umpteenth disappointment… but she really wanted to believe that she was being saved. She really wanted to believe that her parents would have never abandoned her. She really wanted to believe that soon all of her torments would have ended.

"Now, why don't you come to sit here?" Medea asked before she got up and placed a hand on a table that was behind her.

Sakura just nodded and walked to her, after that, Medea lifted her and made Sakura sit on the table.

"Now, do you want to know what I will do to take those bad worms out?" Medea asked with a gentle tone.

Sakura nodded.

"Well, first of all, I'll use some magic to put you to sleep, then I'll use an anesthetizing spell to make sure that you won't feel a thing during the operation. After that, I'll use a spell to paralyze and control the worms, and then I'll use another spell to kill them and immediately remove them from your body. Then I'll use some potions and some magic to cure you of everything they did to you. It will be very simple and quick." Medea said with a smile.

...Yes, she had omitted the part where she would open her chest and her heart to take out the Crest worm, and then open the rest of her body to recreate the parts they had devoured, but Sakura didn't need to know any of that.

Sakura just nodded as she now felt a bit more secure.

"Now, I'll start to take the things I'll need for the little operation. You in the meantime remain here, ok?"

Once again, Sakura just nodded.

"...You are a very good girl, aren't you Sakura?" Medea asked as she patted her on the head before she turned and walked to a shelf and started to look for the things she would need.

As she did, Medea started to think. While holding Sakura's hand she had analyzed her and she had seen her current situation. She estimated that this time the operation would take way less time since she already knew what to do, the number of worms present in her body was incredibly low compared to when she had operated on her the first time, and there were no corrupted Grail shards in her, which at the times had been the greater threat to Sakura's life.

In around 3-4 hours the operation would have already been completed…

And then, once she would have the Crest Worm, retribution would be in her hands.

It was late afternoon, Zouken was now in his basement, and at the moment he was quite confused.

He didn't know how, but after Sakura had left the home in the morning, at one point he had ended up losing track of her.

Zouken wasn't sure of what had happened to the girl. If she had been attacked, killed, or kidnapped, he would have felt it, and if she had wandered a bit too far his familiars would have already found her… but nothing, there was not a single trace about her or her body.

And at the moment Zouken couldn't even feel the current position of his phylactery, where his very soul resided, which was something incredibly strange.

At one point, after having sent his familiar to carefully sift in another part of the forest near the city, he closed his eyes to once again concentrate on the position of his Crest Worm, but after he did, he started to feel something strange…

First, the bounded field that he had around his house had disappeared.

Second, there was a presence... and it was behind him.

Zouken immediately opened his eyes and started to slowly turn around his decaying body.

And there, in the darker side of the basement, Zouken couldn't see anything other than a single human shape standing far in front of him.

In a moment the figure started to grow and become more clear as it walked toward him.

"...You know, I've been in dark places before… but this is something else." The hooded witch commented as she revealed herself.

Zouken frowned at the sight.

...He didn't know how or why, but now a Servant was suddenly standing in front of him.

At the moment a myriad of questions and theories about how and why this being was there invaded his mind, but in such a short period of time, he knew that none of them would ever have a clear answer.

"May I ask you why a Servant like you has come here in my territory? ...Perhaps, you've come here to see me?" He asked as he got defensive and ready to attack.

But after he asked those questions, Zouken started to think. First, Sakura had disappeared… and now this Servant was here.

In that instant, as a shiver went down his spine, he realized that these two events couldn't be a coincidence.

The witch remained sient, and she just stretched out her right arm in front of herself.

After a moment on her hand, a bubble of energy appeared, and in it, Zouken saw his Crest Worm wiggle inside.

"That is-!" He started to exclaim.

"I have your soul, Zouken. Do you know what this means?" The witch asked before she squeezed her hand a bit, which caused the bubble to shrink considerably and started to crush the Crest Worm.

At that moment Zouken put a hand on his chest as he felt his very soul being crushed.

So intense the pain was, that all of his familiars felt it. In fact, some of the worms that made his body at one point shrieked and died, making him lose equilibrium and fall on the ground.

There he breathed heavily as he tried to recover from the intense pain, and in the meantime, the woman walked up to him. After she stopped walking Zouken raised his gaze, and he watched the woman with a look fuelled only by anger and hatred.

"...I have your life in my hands, and yet, you look like someone who is swearing vengeance. Do you really think that there is something that you can do to get you out of this deplorable situation?" The woman asked, as she carefully watched him.

Zouken said nothing, and he just kept watching her.

Just what was happening?! Why was this Servant here?! And why was she there for him?! Just what had he done in the past to attract her attention?! And how did she even know about the location of his soul?!

But at the moment none of that mattered. Now he had to do something to save himself! Anything!

As he started to look around in the hope of something happening, Zouken thought about how could not die right now. Not now that he had started to get close to his objective.

...But what could he do?!

"...This… this can't be real." He then started to mutter.

"I assure you, it is." The witch told him.

Zouken frowned and returned to watch with evil eyes the one who was responsible for this terrible pain.

"...I don't like that look you have, Zouken. You've yet to learn your place. We have to do something about it." Medea said as she looked down on him before squeezed her hand again.

Zouken grunted and cried in pain as he felt both his soul being crushed and other familiars die because of the pain.

As she watched the old man on the ground, Medea noted a single filthy worm detaching from the body and slowly crawling away from it. The sight of the worm didn't disgust her much… but at that moment an idea came to her mind.

With a wave of her hand the bubble where the Crest worm was disappeared, and she walked right to the single little worm.

There, she stretched her right arm in front of her, and on her index finger, which was right above the worm, a drop of a liquid fire started to accumulate.

Zouken raised his head just in time to see the drop fall right on the single worm and engulf it. At that moment, as he watched the worm shriek as it was being burned alive, he started to feel hot… incredibly hot.

Zouken immediately realized that there was something wrong.

Yes, he was connected to his familiars, but there were thousands of them, so their connection to him was so thin that even if hundreds of them died at the same time he wouldn't feel anything…

So why was he now feeling that suffocating heat?

...Could it be that the witch had made his connection to his familiar way stronger since she now had control over his soul? If yes, why? What were her intentions?

"...It may not seem so, but this flame is a very special one. Zouken, have you ever heard of Greek fire?" The witch asked as she watched the charred worm at her feet.

"...Eh?"

"Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. As a weapon, it was so effective on both ground and naval battles that it's rumored that its presence alone was able to turn the outcoming of said battles, and for this reason, its recipe was a state secret. It is said that this fire would cling to flesh and that not only it was impossible to extinguish with water, like the modern napalm, it would float on it. It also said that this deadly concoction was created by a family of chemists and engineers from Constantinople, and the secret recipe died with them…" Medea said before she turned her head to watch Zouken and smiled. "But luckily, we can say that I know how to reproduce a flame somehow similar to that... but since it is made with my magic it is a more powerful version." She continued before she turned and started to walk toward the worm pit. "As long as there is a 'living fuel', this flame of mine will keep on spreading and burning on and on... and I do think that it can become so hot that it is capable of evaporating metals like steel. You could say that I've wrenched it from the ninth circle of hell itself…"

"...No... wait… what are you doing?" Zouken asked as he started to panic.

After she arrived at the edge of the pit, Medea slowly turned to watch him.

"Now we got ourselves a game, you and me." The witch said with a tone that was cold as ice. "We'll see how much time will have to pass before this magic fire will have 'purified' you enough... and maybe, this will make you understand the kind of hell you made that poor girl suffer."

"...No. Don't do it. Please..." Zouken started to beg, as he now understood the witch's intention.

Medea just laughed at the worm's pleas, and as she did she stretched her arm over the worm pit.

Zouken started to watch with a terrified expression the droplet of fire that was forming under the woman's finger.

He was now trying to order his worm to both attack her and run away, but he couldn't. He had no control over them.

"...What are you trying to do, Zouken? You should have realized that you do not have any kind of power anymore. I have control of your soul, so matter what you try to do, It won't save you now." The witch told him.

As he heard those words, hopelessness started to invade Zouken.

Just what could he do in this situation? He was not a being powerful enough that could fight Servants, at least not anymore, so just what could he do? Not only was he now completely powerless, but he also couldn't even try to escape as the woman had his very soul in her hands...

That was it. It was his end.

Unable to move, unable to act, Zouken had started to accept his end, and Medea clearly noticed it.

"Don't worry, you won't die... but you'll wish you could." She then told him, before the droplet of fire fell, and immediately started to engulf all the worms present in the pit.

Hundreds of monstrous screams imploded at that moment.

Medea remained still as she watched Zouken screaming while he tossed and turned himself onto the ground, as he desperately tried to put out a fire that wasn't even on him, while the familiars that formed his body started to die one by one.

"...I'll come back in around half an hour." She said before she started to dematerialize.

After having left the basement, Medea's copy went to the Matou house… if it could be called a house. The building was just a decadent shack that stank of old.

Anyway, just like the 'last time' her Dragon warriors were now pillaging the house, but this time they were taking only the useful materials and objects she would need in the next future. But at one point, as she watched her skeletons working, she heard something strange...

"Please, I beg you, let me go!" A man screamed.

Medea turned around and saw two of her Dragon warriors dragging a person toward her. The lights were turned off and outside was already quite dark, so Medea could just see that the person who was being thrown in front at her feet had blue hair.

The man raised his head and watched her with a scared expression.

"P-P-Please, don't hurt me." The man stammered as he trembled.

"...Shinji?" Medea said with a surprised tone before she started to think.

'Damn, I had completely forgotten about this other parasite… oh well, just what can he do? He serves me no purpose.' Medea thought, before she pointed to his forehead her right index finger, on which a small projectile of magic started to take form.

"I have no plans for you Shinji, and you are no use for me. This means you must die." Medea said as the projectile charged.

"...W-W-Wait, what? H-How do you know my son's name? W-Why do you want to kill him?!" The man asked, now even more confused and scared.

After hearing those words Medea frowned and stopped doing anything. She lowered her hand and leaned toward the man to watch him better, and only then she saw that 'Shinji' looked a bit too different, bearded, and old…

After a long moment, she softly slapped her forehead.

'...Just what was I even thinking? Of course he can't be Shinji. I've traveled back in time, so at this point he's still a child.' She thought.

"...You're not Shinji… so, who are you?" She then asked after she snapped out of her thoughts.

The man kept watching her with his scared and confused expression for a long moment, before he gulped and asked again: "...Why do you… Why do you want to kill my son?"

"...What?"

"Please! I beg you! Leave him alone! He is just a child!" The man then suddenly started to beg as he started to cry.

"...Ehm… look-" Medea started to say.

"I-I-I don't know what we did to you, but what do I have to do in order for you to spare us?!"

"..."

"Anything is acceptable! Anything apart from death!" The man exclaimed. "Please! Please! I beg you! Spare the life of my son and mine! He is the only family I've left! And you wouldn't be able to kill a child, wouldn't you?!"

Medea remained silent for a very long moment as she watched him.

"...just don't kill him please… if you have to take it with someone... take it with me…" The man said before he started sobbing.

After she heard those words Medea raised her hood a little so that she could look the man in the eyes, and after she did, she simply ordered him: "Silence."

The man's eyes became hollow and he immediately calmed down.

Medea lowered back her hood, took a deep breath, and sighed. There was not even the need to ask him, this man was Shinji's father… but where was Shiji?

"Who are you?" She asked after a moment.

"I'm Byakuya Matou." The man calmly and politely answered.

"Where's Shinji?"

"Before the start of the Holy Grail war we sent him aboard in the name of studying, but he should return home in around a week"

"So, he is not even here right now…" Medea thought aloud, this explained why she had never seen him in the last period of time…

But why was the man pleading to spare his son when he was not even at home? Was he trying to have her spare him out of pity?

But as she thought about it, Medea at the moment didn't know what to do. She had completely forgotten about Shinji, and despite the fact she had kept an eye on the Matou mansion all this time long, this was the first time she had ever seen this man, so she had no plans for the two of them...

But even if Shinji had been present here, what would she have done? She still clearly remembered all the things his 'older self' did… but what should she do? Kill a child because his older self was a megalomaniac rapist?

...Could she really kill an innocent child for things he didn't do?

...

...

...

...Could she do such a thing again?

...And what about his father? He was of no use to her, but she couldn't just kill him and then leave that child alone...

But the presence of Shinji and his father in her new territory not only was unnecessary, but it could also become a possible nuisance for her in the future...

While she was starting to get a headache as she thought about it, Medea made up her mind and made her decision. It was better to resolve this problem from the root, like everything else.

"Byakuya Matou, come closer." Medea ordered him.

Byakuya did as she said, and he got up to get closer. After he did, Medea grabbed his head and started to use magic on the man's mind.

"When Shinji will return, take him, and leave this town forever. Discipline and raise him correctly, and make sure that he will become a humble man in the future, this way, even when he will grow old, he will not depart from your teachings. If he ever shows interest in magic, inform and remind him of how it had been the undoing of his family, and that if he ever tries to learn it, he would find only death and disgrace. Make sure to not fail Shinji as a parent, Byakuya, because this is the only chance you have. Now, forget about me, forget all the events that happened today, prepare yourself to do what you must, and disappear from my sight." Medea said before she freed the man's head from her grip.

The man silently stood up and went to do whatever she had told him to do.

Medea remained silent as she watched the man leave. She didn't completely brainwash the man so that she would not leave any trace of her magic behind, but what she did was to implant those orders in the man's mind, in a similar way she had done to Shirou, but this time the implant had been stronger since it had been direct.

And with this Medea not only had got 'rid' of the Matou family but there was also a good chance that their last heir, Shinji, will become a decent human being...

At that moment Medea also started to take into consideration the idea of using some magic on Shinji when he would return, this way she would make sure that he would not become a degenerate in the future.

Anyway, around 15 minutes later her Dragon warriors had brought all the objects and materials she would need in the future at the entrance of the house, and Medea used some magic to teleport all the material in her workshop.

Now that she was done with that, she could return to Zouken.

Medea's copy teleported back to the basement, and she watched the sight that was in front of her.

The basement was filled with smoke and the smell of burned meat, the edges of the worm pit had been completely melted by the fire, and everything was dead.

The majority of all the living things present there had been turned into a fine dust by the fire, while the rest had died from the unbearable pain.

Medea this time had been crueler with Zouken since it was necessary for her plans.

She had to weaken him, and destroy both him and his spirit.

After she had captured his soul she had strengthened the bond between Zouken and his familiar as much as possible, and because of it, after she had set on fire the worm's pit, Zouken had felt all the pain of all his familiars. The old worm had proved the sensation of burning alive thousands of times at the same moment for who knows how long.

And speaking of which, Medea turned her head to watch what remained of Zouken, and other than his clothes and a pile of dead insects on the ground, there was not even a trace of him.

She closed her eyes and started to connect herself to her familiars, which all informed her of how all of Zouken's familiars that were all around the territory had died as well.

After she opened her eyes she walked to where his 'body' once laid, and she said: "I'm back, Zouken. I'm here to claim what's left of you."

…

…

…

Nothing.

As she expected, there was no kind of answer.

At that moment she summoned once again Zouken's Crest Worm, and when she watched the bubble she could see that the worm this time was completely still… but alive.

Until his phylactery would not get destroyed, no matter what happened to Zouken, he would still live.

Now she could work on his soul.

Sure, the conditions of his soul were not excellent from the beginning. Because of the unnatural stretching of his life, Zouken's soul had been decaying and being corrupted by evil, and with her 'purification' its conditions had not been improved… but she could tell that the holy fire had 'purified' the soul from a good part of the wickedness that resided in it.

"...Now, let's see how I can put you back together…"

Darkness.

Zouken was now in a sea of darkness. As he floated in that abyss, he wasn't sure what was happening.

He was there, floating, waiting for something to happen. He wasn't even sure for how much time he had been in there.

Maybe, he had been born there, and he had always spent his time there.

He wasn't sure.

He didn't know.

But at one point, after what it felt to be an eternity, something started to happen.

He started to hear the voice of someone. It was calling him.

It was distant, so he couldn't clearly hear it very well, but as time passed the voice started to become more loud and clear.

And at one point, he clearly heard what it said.

"Open your eyes, Zolgen. It is time to witness your rebirth."

Zouken suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for air.

He was lying on the cold floor as he breathed heavily, but after a moment he started to sit up.

Confused about his current situation he started to look around, but the only things he saw were all of his dead familiars on the ground and giant piles of ash...

...Just what had happened? Why were his familiars all dead?

He then started to watch himself, just to remain incredibly confused.

He was now naked, but he saw how his body was no longer old, weak, and decrepit. Now it was young, strong, and full of vitality.

He could now move, breathe and think properly with no problems.

Living didn't hurt anymore.

"...What is going on?" He asked himself.

"What is it? Don't you like this new and improved form, Zolgen Makiri?"

Zouken stopped watching his hands and raised his head to watch the person that was now standing in front of him. A hooded woman was now looking down on him.

"I know that you have a lot of questions," The woman said as she threw his clothes to cover his shame. "but long story short, with my magic I've made you some new familiars, which are those who are currently forming your bodies, and I also improved as much as I could the conditions of your soul. You know, with my magic that comes directly from the Ages Of The Gods, extending one's life span and improving the conditions of an already damaged soul without any consequences is easy."

"...What?"

"Yes, it will take time to replace all the familiars you have lost, but I assure you that the ones I gave you are on an entirely different plane compared to your old ones. They have been made with ancient magecraft after all..."

"What are you talking about? ...Why have you done it?"

"Because it is my offer for you."

"...Offer?" He asked, confused.

"Yes. Isn't this what you always wished for, Zolgen? To extend your life until you could keep living forever?" The woman asked.

"...Yes. Yes It is." Zolgen said, a bit surprised, as a slight headache came to his head. "...How do you know it? ...And who are you?"

"...Have you already forgotten me? Was the shock of the fire so strong?" The woman asked.

Zolgen was confused by the woman's words, but the more he looked at her, the more he got a terrible sensation.

He silently stared at her for over a minute as he tried real hard to remember who she was... but when he did, he paled as he remembered the terrible pain.

The woman that was standing in front of him was the mysterious Servant who had come out of nowhere and made him experience the worst agony he had ever felt in his 500 years of life.

Despite the fact that the fire managed to damage his very soul to the point it also 'burned' his most recent memories, Zolgen could still vividly remember the sensation of burning alive thousands of times for over 10 minutes. Such exprerience had been imprinted into his memory.

Just the mere thought of having to revive that hell again filled him with dread and made him tremble with fear.

"You don't have to worry Zolgen, I'm not going to kill you. You're too useful." The witch said with a smile.

"...Am I too useful?"

"Yes. You know how it works, sometimes you let people live when they deserve to die… but I decided to give you a second chance."

"..."

Zolgen said nothing as he kept watching the woman. He was too confused. He had no idea of what was going on.

"...This is a separate matter, but you know, I've met many people in life who sought youth and immortality… but none of them were as stubborn, or mad, as you. To live for over 500 years in constant decay and agony, while your soul got twisted and corrupted as time went on, is proof of it… and this makes me think that behind that desire for immortality, you might be hiding something. Perhaps it's possible that there's another reason for your desire for eternal life. Maybe it's something from your past? Something that you never wished you did? Maybe... you committed a terrible mistake? Or something worse… like a Sin?"

Once again he said nothing, but after hearing the woman's words Zolgen started to have a terrible headache.

After a moment he too started to wonder for what reason he wanted to achieve eternal life.

...Why did he want to become immortal? ...What was the reason that pushed him so far for all this time long? ...Why couldn't he remember?

Right at that moment, Zolgen started to carve for an answer.

"...Well, it doesn't matter. The only thing that does is what we can do together." The woman suddenly said as she watched the thoughtful Zolgen.

"...what we can do together?" He repeated as he returned to look at the woman.

"Zolgen, now I'll explain who I am, and what I want. I'm the Servant Caster, Medea of Colchis, the Witch of Betrayal. Fuyuki City is now under my control, and this means that I have ears and eyes everywhere. No one can move even a finger in this city without me knowing. No one." Medea remarked. "Look, I desire a quiet life, and just like you, I'm willing to kill anyone who gets in my way… if necessary, I'll burn the world down to obtain what I want."

"...May I ask you what you desire from me?" Zolgen then asked.

"I desire your servitude and loyalty." Medea simply said. "Not only can you be considered a 'powerful and ancient being' by this time standards, I couldn't help but note your masterwork. Let me tell you, Zolgen, you are a genius. Despite being someone who was born in an era where magic is dying, you have been able to create both the Command Seals and the Master and Servant system, excellent works which are proof of your high intellect. It would be a shame to kill someone talented like you, now that I can make you my follower..."

"Your follower? …Is this what you want me to do? Become some kind of acolyte?"

"You see? You are one who understands quickly." Medea said with a satisfied tone before she assumed a serious expression under her hood. "Now, Zolgen, you have two possible paths. You can either accept my offer and all the numerous benefits that come with it... or, if you refuse, pay the consequences. Servitude or death. The choice is yours."

After hearing her words, Zolgen watched Medea as he started to think.

Since she had revealed to him who she was, he knew her legend, and he could guess what the woman was capable of.

Medea, a direct descendant of the god Helios, was a great magus from the age of the gods whose tradition describes her as a sorceress with divine powers.

The woman for years had studied arcane arts under the Goddess of magic Hecate, and the demi-god of witchcraft Circe...

Yes.

Definitely.

Medea was a being who could surely help him achieve what he had been desperately seeking for over 500 years…

And maybe, she could also help him remember why he had been desperately seeking it all this time long.

All he had to do was to swear loyalty to her.

...Never before had he been so close to his objective.

"...If you can help me realize my dream, I am willing to offer you everything I have. Please, bestow more of your miracles upon me." Zolgen humbly asked as he lowered his head.

"...Very well, come forth then." Medea said with a smile.

Zolgen got up and walked to her.

His boy was young and strong, but he had yet to adapt to it, and for this reason, after he almost arrived in front of her he tripped and fell on his knees.

After he fell, Medea placed her left hand on his forehead. Slowly, she started to use magic.

"This, Zolgen, is my arcane mark. It will be proof of your loyalty and servitude to me." Medea said, as she was implanting said mark on Zouken.

As Medea spoke those words Zouken started to lament and scream in pain as felt the witch's mark being impressed in both his body, mind, and soul.

At the beginning the sensation of the mark was incredibly painful, comparable to being branded with numerous scorching irons... but after she removed her hand from his head, Zolgen felt an incredible bliss.

...Only now could he feel it.

The mark had granted him the knowledge he wanted.

The mark had granted him the power he needed.

The mark had granted him everything he could ever ask for.

"Rise, Zolgen. Rise." Medea said after a moment.

"Mmmmm. Yes." Zolgen said with a pleased smirk, as he got up.

"...I now expect many things from you." Medea said with a satisfactory smile as she watched Zolgen's eyes, who now had a shade of purple in them, and then saw her mark briefly appear on the man's forehead.

The mark she had used on the man was a very special one. It was somehow similar to a contract made between a Master and a Servant, but this mark couldn't be imposed on beings who were unwilling to accept it, but those who were willing would become connected and loyal to their master, until the very end of their life.

The mark was so strong that not only automatically made the 'servant' more powerful, thanks to their connection she could also share knowledge with him, control him, and if for some reason the mark would disappear, be removed, or destroyed, all of its effects would still remain, and the subject would still serve their master to the end.

And now that Zouken had accepted her mark, Medea would never have the need to doubt his loyalty to her, but she would still keep his soul, just to make sure that if something happened to him he wouldn't die.

Anyway...

"From this moment on, Zolgen Makiri, you will be my eyes, my hands, and my anger. You will be the very extension of my will." Medea declared.

Zolgen nodded before he asked: "Mistress, what are our future goals?"

"Well, now that we have formed our alliance I will inform you about our enemies, our allies, my objectives, and your future task... But before I start with any of that, I have to ask you, do you still have memories about the command seals?"

After hearing the question Zolgen assumed a thoughtful expression before he nodded and said: "My memories are still vague, but I do still remember some information about them that could be useful."

"Tell me then, if I should obtain a set command seal and improve them with my Magecraft, would I be able to achieve True Incarnation by using all three of them on myself?" Medea then asked.

"...Mother, before I go, do you need anything else?" Tohsaka Rin asked.

"No, Rin, I'm fine. I don't need anything else." Aoi calmly said from her bed, as she watched Rin who was at her side.

"...Are you really sure?"

"...Well, now that you make me think of it, you have just bid goodnight to Sakura for me." Aoi said with a smile.

"...Mother, Sakura doesn't live with us anymore." Rin said after a long moment.

"Oh my, how careless I am, I almost forgot it." Aoi said before she laughed a bit.

Rin said nothing, but she turned around and started to leave her mother's bedroom.

"Good night dear. Good night Rin. Good night Sakura." Aoi then said aloud.

Rin, after she had reached the door, slowly raised her pained arm and grabbed the doorknob. As she did, she was thinking.

This last period had been incredibly trying for her.

Almost every part of her body now hurt. It had been both because of the Magic Crest, and because of the physical exertion she had undergone in the last period.

Now that her mother was in those conditions Rin in the past weeks had to take care of everything.

She was just a young girl, but now cleaning the house, cooking, doing the shopping, taking care of her mother… it was all up to her.

Father had died, mother had become brain-damaged, and Sakura was not part of her family anymore…

At that moment Rin felt so alone.

Rin really wanted to say that all of this was too much for her.

She wanted to cry and lament how everything was so difficult, unjust, and cruel… but she didn't.

She now was alone, and she knew very well that even if she did all of those things nothing would have changed about her situation.

...And she couldn't lower herself to that point.

After all, she was now the head of the Tohsaka family.

As the only heir of the Tohsaka, she had to be strong.

She had to bear everything.

She had to make her father proud of her.

Failing and surrendering were not possible options for her. They had never been.

She was now alone, and she had to keep going on, no matter what...

"Good night mother." Rin then said before she started to close the door.

"Yes, good night Rin. Good night dear. Good night… Sakura?" Aoi said as she watched the back of the door that was slowly being closed.

Aoi could say that before Rin closed the door for an instant she had seen someone behind it.

But now that the door had been closed, except for the window which let in some light, the room was dark, and Aoi was quite tired, so she decided that she would go to sleep… but after her eyes had adapted to the dark, she saw the shape of someone standing in front of her bed.

"...Sakura, is that you? Why aren't you going to sleep? You know that if you go to sleep late your father may scold you." Aoi said.

But the person didn't answer, instead, it turned and walked to her side of the bed.

Aoi said nothing, and she just watched the person approaching her.

"...Sakura, you know, I didn't notice it, but lately you've grown incredibly fast. I'm so happy that you're eating a lot." Aoi happily said with a smile, as she watched Medea looking down on her.

But Medea just kept staring at her without telling her anything.

Just by looking at her, Medea could see how the woman's conditions were worse than she first thought, so much, that she almost felt pity for the woman who had given away Sakura to Zolgen.

Yes. Medea was in no place to judge Aoi after the things she had willingly done to her sons, but the more she thought about all the things that Sakura had suffered, the more the abhorrent and disgusting idea that what she had done had not been that terrible in the end, since she had given her sons a quick death, started to take form in her mind…

Whenever that sick thought started to appear, Medea immediately shook her head to expel it.

After she calmed herself down and cleared her mind, Medea returned her attention to Aoi.

Now that she had finished dealing with Zoulgen, she had now come here for this woman.

The reason was because she had to heal the her so that Sakura and Rin could reunite as a family and have their mother take care of them.

This way she could consider her 'debt' toward the two girls repayed.

For this reason, Medea suddenly grabbed Aoi's head and started to analyze her.

"Oh my, what a funny feeling." Aoi simply commented as she posed no resistance.

After a minute Medea removed her hand from the woman's head, and she came to the conclusion that making the woman sane again would be difficult, but not impossible.

Despite having treated the madness of people like Heracles in the past, Medea considered Aoi's case to be a bit more complex. That was because in Heracles' case she had to just remove the curse of madness from his mind, but in this case, it seemed that someone had already treated the woman's wounds, although they had been treated in a horrible manner. The more she analyzed the woman's mind, the more it seemed that whoever had operated on her had done it on purpose...

Oh well, it didn't matter in the end. If she had been able to cure Heracles of his madness, after he had been cursed by the Gods themself, then she would have no problem fixing the broken mind of the woman who was in front of her... But Medea at that moment decided that she would take more sessions to heal the woman, so that her 'miraculous' recovery may not bring too many suspects.

After all, they lived in a world where magic was possible, so why should someone ever doubt the natural, if not miraculous, recovery of one person's mind?