Chapter 70: Episode 67

Words Count: 4952

Here's my usual spiel:

You can read 27 Episodes in advanced.

p a tr e on . com (/) LiamThePoor

A/N: The words won’t come, and the voices are so silent… Oh-Hey! Sorry about that, I didn’t see you there!

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I had used [Blink] a few times since my return, but that alone had clearly failed to portray how terribly difficult it was to actively perform Elder Blood-Spells in Nasuverse. It’s like I was trying to row against the currents… It’s entirely possible, yes. But, to say it was incredibly Mana-consuming and headaches-inducing would be quite the underestimation. Simply by freezing the plum-haired girl in that exact Moment caused my nose to bleed profusely,

And Shiro shouting at me was not helping, who would have thought, right?

“Explain!” The smol Heroine of Justice stared at me with a… Steely-glint that made me flinch and sent coldness down my spine. It was kind of hurtful to have her staring at me like that, if I were to be honest. Really, really fucking hurtful actually. “Well, Shiro–”

I started, sighing and reaching to pat her soft, fiery hair in order to calm my nerves, only to be batted away as she resumed her steely-glare, like a blade honing in and penetrating my Soul. What should I say? Should I tell her all about the Matou girl’s struggles, about the things done to her by the likes of Shinji and fucking Zouken? Was being truthful really the solution here? “Sakura’s- She’s sick, someone seems to have… Implanted cursed objects into her body–”

Her womb to be precise, remained unspoken.

This is not my story to tell, I decided.

Whatever, let Sakura explain to her all the grisly details, I refused to touch on that subject.

I hadn’t noticed before, but Sakura’s presence was making me very, very on edge. I could sense not just the Crest Worms, but Ahriman’s Mana pulsating within her, likely due to the makeshift Lesser Grail the old Worm had created. If I my memories served me right, this version was fashioned from the remains of the Fourth War’s Grail, the same one that was spilling practically bubbling with what I could only describe as… Liquefied Curses. “If we do not take those out of her, I’m afraid Sakura will–”

Trailing off, I allowed Shiro’s hyperactive imagination to fill in the blanks.

Telling her what would happen to Sakura would have been much easier, but one thing I had learnt was that nothing you ever said could equal and rival the horrors the minds were capable of conjuring up. Beside, with her rudimentary knowledge on Magecraft, it’s not like Shiro could even understand half of the professional terms that one explanation would require anyway.

“Sakura’s not… Gone.” I said lamely. “She’s simply frozen in the split second that I hit her with my Spell.”

And speaking of Spell,

[Skill: Acceleration/Deceleration(Active) – Master: 1/10]

Thanks for the idea, Kiritsugu. Or I supposed I should his old man for creating the Spells? The guy did destroy an entire Island and turn all the inhabitants into mindless Ghouls, so maybe not…?

“I had to do it, otherwise Zolgen– I meant, Matou Zouken would be notified of my every moves, and I can’t have that.” The Little Ember’s eyes widened at the name. “Sakura- Sakura’s grandfather?!”

I snorted. “That thing is no grandfather of hers. Matou Sakura’s real name, the one given by her parents is Tohsaka Sakura–”

Gently, I cradled the plum-haired girl in my arms. Currently, Gil was still hanging around, meaning the procedure would best be done in the Church, being safest place in Fuyuki and all. I could perform the Witcher Trials on Sakura’s broken form, but that’s just too risky, Zouken could realize something was off midway and attack with his army of Worms, which would put us in a tough spot. The old Worm was a bad match-up for the Little Ember since she excelled more at 1v1,

And with me being too busy with Sakura’s condition and the Witcher Trials to fight back, we would be left utterly exposed… Plans made, I continued with the explanation for Shiro, who was visibly confused. “Each Magus House has one Magic Crest, so they will usually only have one child to inherit it. In the case they are more than one, some barbaric House will make the potential Heirs and Heiresses fight to the death to claim the Title.

Between Rin and Sakura, the first’s the older, hence why she’s chosen to be the Heiress. Their parents, or father to be precise, didn’t want to waste Sakura’s magical talents, so he decided to pawn her off to the Matou. He thought he was doing her a favor, he was wrong. Dead-wrong in fact.”

The plum-haired girl in arms, I opened a portal to my Workshop, gesturing at Shiro to come along. “But- But doesn’t House Matou have Shinji already?”

“Shinji? Matou Shinji?” I nearly choked on my saliva, holding back the laughter bubbling up my throat, sneering. “That useless bastard is a squib, a dud. He doesn’t even have Magic Circuits to use, it’s why the old Worm agreed to take Sakura in in the first place. Zouken’s three, almost four hundreds years old at this point, in order to survive, he has to absorb and drain Mana from his descendants. But thanks to his sick and twisted experiments, his line has degraded too much, I doubt–”

We entered the portal, welcomed by the sight of my dusty Workshop. “– There will even be any Magus in the later generations.”

If I had known I’d be meeting Sakura so soon, I’d have cleaned the place up at least. Oh-Well, no point worrying over spilt-milks. “Please prepare the operation-table for me, Shiro.”

“What do you plan to do?” I had agonized over this matter a long, long time. Zouken might be excessively cruel, but he was not stupid. His Crest Worms doubtlessly had a few… Hidden features inside, I wouldn’t be surprised if he put a kill-switch in just to spite anyone who wanted to save Sakura. It’s why I did not want to kill Kotomine Kirei initially. But then I realized, I had the Elder Blood and the Witcher Trials, plus Shiro who had Avalon! Why would I need the Priest’s assistance?

Shiro did as I asked, while I set the frozen plum-haired girl to the side, searching for all the necessary components to perform the Trials.

The reason I settled on a risky method like the Trials was very simple, Sakura’s lifespan had been cut incredibly short. The experiments done on her were not as excessive, nor deadly as the ones the Einzbern did to Illyasviel, but they were infinitely close. Even if she never used Magecraft again, the girl would have three, maybe four decades of life left at best, and that, in my expert opinions, was still a rather… Optimistic estimation. “I’m going to perform a Ritual on Sakura to fix and cleanse what was done to her.”

“Is it dangerous?”

I turned to her, a toothy smile on my face. “Very.”

“Then you can’t perform it! What if it fails and hurts Sakura in the process?!” Shiro shouted, that steely expression crept slowly on her visage once more, disbelief coloring her tone as she asked. “How sure are you that this, this Ritual of yours will even work?”

“Uhmmm… About–”

‘What are the chances of this working out the way I want?’

69.84%

“– About seventy percent, which I must remind you is higher than most new Rituals, Spells and experiments usually have in the Moonlit World.” Pretty sure the fact that Sakura was a woman affected the results too. While I had changed the Trials, its core principals remained the same as the one invented by the Witcher-Verse Sorcerer and Sorceress. It was not at all suitable for women. Thankfully, Sakura was not a woman yet.

Her body was much more capable of accepting changes now than it would have another decade or two. “That’s- That’s not enough, Leo-sensei! Sakura, she–!”

I hushed her into silence. “Be quiet, Shiro. I know you don’t trust me right now, but this is for Sakura’s sake. Her fate, without this, will be absolutely miserable, it is a fate worse than Death. Do you understand?”

The smol Heroine of Justice looked at the operating tools she was preparing. She no longer protested my decisions, but I could tell she was still miffed about it. “Fine, how about this, we let Sakura herself decide? I can release the Spell. Gil’s in the Church, so Zouken wouldn’t dare come. What do you say?”

There was no way in Hell I’d allow Sakura to make this decision, she either agreed or I knocked both of them out to perform the operation. This was already my bottom-line, between being despised by Shiro and Rin, and having to look over my shoulder every day for the rest of my life in fear of some bugs or Crest Worms would crawl up my arse, I’d choose the first option every time. Not to mention, the longer Shinji and Zouken remained, the more worried I was for the two girls.

Gil was perfectly fine without my protection, she was a big girl, but both Shiro and Rin were surprisingly naïve at the most inopportune moments.

It’s why I kept saying these two were unfit to become Mages.

They were too kind, too naïve. I’d argue that Sakura would make a better Magus, her traumatic childhood had caused her lots of pains, yet at the same time, it had also given her more perspective into Mages’ matters and thought-processes.

Unlike these two Sakura, if given the chance and opportunities and without Shiro’s presence in her life, would have made for a ruthless Magi Heiress.

“That’s okay, as long as Sakura gets a say in this…” Shiro replied meekly as a mixture of concern and relief painted over her expression. “Alright, let me wake her up.”

I searched for the knot that represented the [Deceleration] Spell from within, dissolving it with a thought, and moments later, Sakura stirred awake. “What- Where- Where am I?”

She clutched her shirt, staring owlishly at Shiro and I, yet that plain, expressionless look sat still on her face, refusing to leave. “Shiro-senpai, Leonis Magnum… Why did you two–?”

“You don’t have to pretend.” I flicked her forehead. “We- Well, I know everything, Shiro’s only aware of the basics, I thought you would rather tell her yourself.”

There was a sudden change in her eyes,

Fear, I realized.

But, it was gone as quickly as it came.

‘See, I told you she’s the perfect candidate for a Magi Heiress.’

‘Who are you talking to…?’

‘The voices in my head.’

‘Leo-tan, as far ad I’m aware, I’m the only voice in your head.’

The plum-haired girl seemingly sunk in her seat, cold-sweats dripping from her cheeks as she muttered lowly, fearfully. “What- What do you know?”

“Everything, from how Zouken treats you on the daily, to what his Crest Worms did to your…” I trailed off, not wanting to embarrasses the girl further in front of her crush. Shiro was oblivious as always, but even she could tell the atmosphere was really fucking tense at the moment. “Speak, what does that old Worm tell you about me? Why are you so scared when we first meet?”

I settled down on the table before her, patting on the spot next to me to gesture for Shiro to come, and come she did. “That- That is… Shiro-senpai, I- I’m sorry.”

Rather than answering my question, Sakura looked at the Little Ember tearfully, hands bunching up her skirt. “I- I know you like Leonis-senpai, but- but grandfather said I- I have to–”

For the slightest second, I caught a glimpse of a blush rushing up Shiro’s head, but it instantly disappeared when she took in Sakura’s state. The plum-haired girl was sobbing hysterically, tears and snots staining her emotionless face. She tried, tried so hard to contain her sadness, yet the more she tried, the worse I felt for her. Grabbing the Little Ember’s hand, I blinked forth along with her, pushing her lightly on the back. Sakura hadn’t finished her explanation yet, but it was more than likely that Zouken had asked her to assassinate me.

It's not that hard to guess.

“Go on, hug her.” I hissed at Shiro.

I’d do it myself, I would.

Unfortunately, with how shitty most of her experiences with the opposite sex had been, I doubted she would have appreciated it. Carefully, I patted both of the girls’ heads. “It has been hard for you both…”

I allowed them to cry in each other’s arms for nearly an hour, only able to offer the two trauma-stricken girls my consolations, which were worth basically nothing. I could have stopped them, fact of the matter was, saving Sakura’s life was more important, but I wasn’t that big of a dick. Let them cry out their sorrows before it ate them alive. It’s also a way for me to repent, for even as I looked at Shiro and Sakura with gentle eyes, my brain could not stop mentally preparing myself to dispatch the plum-haired girl should she turn out to be a problem.

The chances of that were slight, but with how Zouken was, it’s nevertheless a possibility. After a while, their cries eventually subsided.

“Sakura, since knowing of your circumstance, I’ve been thinking, finding a method to safely extract the corrupted Lesser Grail and the Crest Worms from your body. I have a way now, I think…” If my hypothesis was correct, the Witcher Trials would not only extend her lifespan, fix everything that was wrong with her body, but also let destroyed the Lesser Grail and the Crest Worms, breaking them down to the particles.

It would give her some of their Traits too,

Magic Circuits from the Worms,

While the corruptive nature of the Lesser Grail would grant the plum-haired girl something akin to what future Dark Sakura would possess. “But, it’s dangerous. There’s a thirty percent chance of this going horribly wrong and you dying in the process.”

I stared her straight in the eyes, uncharacteristically serious. “What do you say, we doing it or not?”

The look on her gentle, demure features spoke of hopelessness and despair as a self-deprecating smile danced on her lips. There was not even a glint of expectation in the dark depths of her eyes. I couldn’t quite say why, but that look pissed me off something fierce. I supposed I had Matou Kariya to thank for that. “Leonis-senpai, what do I still have to lose? If I die, then maybe it’s fated. A dirty thing like me–!”

She yelped, feeling Shiro’s fingers stretching her cheeks. Sakura whined. “Shi- Shiooo-shempai.”

“Don’t say that, you’re beautiful, Sakura. More than beautiful! You’re not dirty, or filthy! Never say that again, do you understand?!” Steel in her voice, determination in her body language, Shiro leaned in, face inches apart from Sakura’s. “Do. You. Understand?!”

She repeated angrily… Was Shiro always this aggressive? Wasn’t he/she a walking cinnamon-roll? Meanwhile, Angra was screeching inside my head, chanting. ‘Kiss. Kiss. Kiss!’

‘Bro, shut the fuck up! I’m trying to think here, you’re drowning out my thoughts!’ Bastard had the nerves to huff and acted like a scorned wife. ‘Humph, see if you care about your matters anymore!’

Lips twitching annoyance, I groaned internally. ‘What are you, my wife?’

‘I could be!’

‘Gay, bro. That’s fucking gay as fuck. Shut up, be better!’

“Leonis-senpai, I’ve decided–” I snapped out of my thoughts, focusing all my attention on the pair who had just released one another from the dead-grip they called a hug. “I- I want to go through this procedure… If it fails, I swear I won’t hold any resentment towards you, but if it succeeds, my life is yours–”

Sakura barely finished when I flicked her forehead again, this time strong enough to make her teary-eyed. “I don’t need your life, just live happily. That’s all I ask of you.”

She offered me a weak, fragile smile, seemingly not quite believing my words, but couldn’t find a proper response. “The- Then, I… I can’t thank you enough, Leonis-senpai.”

“It’s settled! The ingredients for the Ritual’s all done, but first–” I clapped my hands, happy that I did not need to force the cure down her throat. Would have been terrible if that were the case. I blinked in front of the smol Heroine of Justice, smirking as she jumped back, startled from my sudden invasion of her space. “– In order for this to work, I need King Arthur’s sheath which is in your possession.”

“The- The what?” Shiro tilted her head cutely,

I leaned in, index finger poking at her chest.

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“”Leo-sensei?!/Leonis-senpai, what are you doing?!”” Both girls screeched, blushing brightly at my sudden action, but immediately paused when a golden glow shone where my finger was pressed against her chest. Slowly, I started to pull the Conceptual Sheath out, it was as beautiful as I had previously imagined. In fact, it was beyond beautiful. The decoration and craftsmanship alone made my throat squeeze in anticipation, even though I had only seen the lower-end of the sheath. “What is–?/That is–!”

“A Noble Phantasm, one of the few that have not been lost to time and history. It was once wielded by the Legendary King Arthur, and is said that for as long as she holds the sheath, nothing short of a complete decapitation can kill her… It is the key to Avalon– The Everdistant Utopia.” It felt so pure, like I was basking in gentle sunlight. It was odd, since I inherited those nocturnal traits from him, having always disliked bright and sunny places. Yet, all the sheath offered me was a feeling of peace and stillness.

“I had that in me all this time… How?”

“Kiritsugu implanted it into you, to save your life.” I turned to the awe-struck girls, smirking lightly. “With this, the chances of Sakura surviving the Ritual is far higher, but Shiro–”

The smol Heroine of Justice snapped her head towards me. “Avalon requires King Arthur’s Mana to operate at full capacity. Unfortunately, she’s not here right now, so we’ll have to use your Mana instead.”

“Will that work? I don’t think–” I brought my hand up, covering her lips. “You’re the only one who can use Avalon beside Artoria. The Fuyuki Fire didn’t just erase your memories, it erased your sense of self. Later on, when Kiritsugu implanted Avalon into you, you were molded by it. I once said you’re a Sword Incarnation for this exact reason, you’re the Sword, and Avalon is your Sheath.”

Shiro’s mouth gaped,

Opening and closing as the girl searched for words,

Before settling on a determined smile. “I’ll do it, I’ll save Sakura-chan!”

“That’s my girl.” I ruffled her hair, before offering her a bowl. “Here, you can bleed into this.”

“”WHAT?!”” Again, both girls shrieked.

My face was impassive as ever, but inside I was cackling like a moustache-twirling, C-Tier villain. This was just too fucking fun for me to resist. Ahhh… My sadism was rising again.

‘Leo-tan, if I didn’t know any better, I might have thought you’re purposefully messing with them!’ Angra exclaimed exaggeratedly.

I smirked. ‘You understand me well, Angra.’

‘A little too well, I’m afraid…’ Our conversation ended at that, before I ordered the girls to prepare everything and pressing Avalon into Sakura’s chest. ‘Once this is done, that old Worm is a fucking dead man walking.’

‘Hasn’t he been that for over three centuries?’ Angra chuckled villainously.

I couldn’t quite describe what I was feeling.

Was I excited?

No, that’s not quite right.

Was I nervous?

Nope, that’s not it either.

Regardless, there’s no turning back now. Cracking my knuckles, I smiled evilly. “Alright, Sakura! Take of your shirt!”

“”Leo-sensei!/Leonis-senpai!”

“Stop saying such misleading things!”

“Ye- Yes. It- It’s embarrassing, Leonis-senpai…”

“Not like there’s anything to see under there.” That’s the only response they got from me, coupled with manic cackles, their glares served only to heighten my amusement further, their anxiety seeming to have disappeared completely. “Alright, alright. I’m not going to mess with you two anymore, but seriously Sakura–”

A righteous expression crept on my face, gigantic syringes in my hands, I ordered. “– Take off your shirt.”

“”Eh?!/Do- Do I really have to…””

—— [Fate: DML] ——

Zouken sat in his office, stack of books piling up by his side.

The old Worm was trying to research on the new interesting boy he had found. Whatever Sorcery Traits coursing through Leonis Magnum’s veins, it must have been recorded somewhere by someone. There’s no way a Trait that rivalled the Barthomeloi’s Blue Blood could remain hidden for so long!

Unless…

No, but that couldn’t be. Since the weakening of Magecraft centuries ago, it had become practically impossible to create that kind of Sorcery Traits. Even the vaunted Barthomeloi, for all their influence, connection and knowledge could not create something so utterly impossible, not without the help of a Ritual similar to the Holy Grail War, and that should have- would undoubtedly have made major headlines in the Association. As reclusive as House Makiri had become, Zouken wouldn’t have missed such a thing!

The old Worm flipped another page on the book, hoping to find something, anything!

That’s when he felt it.

A Storm of Mana converging on top the Fuyuki Church, thunders and rainstorms crashing above like the ambient roars of Gods and Demons, signifying the creation of something.

Next came pain, sufferings in ways only the destruction of his main Crest Worms could ever cause the old monster.

‘Sakura, you dare?!’ The old Worm realized almost instantly.

Instantly, Matou Zouken moved his consciousness to the Crest Worms he had stationed outside the Church, yet the moment they came near, rains of weapons– Swords, maces, halberds,…etc. shot down, crushing them to meaty pastes. On the Church’s roof sat a woman in casual clothes, behind her golden portals pulsing with Mana. Her crimson, catlike eyes sweeping past the insects squirming about on and under the ground.

“Do you think I won’t kill you, simply because I’ve spared you for this long?” The Heroic Spirit snorted, a deprecating smile dancing on her lips. “Know your place, mongrel.”

Then, she paused, correcting. “No, no. Calling you a mongrel would be an insult to the actual mongrels, you’re even lower than those.”

Rows upon rows of weapons fixated on the Crest Worms, but Zouken couldn’t back down. If something happened to that girl, all his plans would have been for naught. He couldn’t allow this to happen, he could not! Thus, the old Worm could only fight. Suddenly, the Crest Worms began to twist, morphing under the Golden Queen’s piercing gaze. She did not attempt to stop them, simply laughing at the disturbing sight.

It was a beautiful thing, and if Leonis had been here, he would have likely fallen in love with her all over again. To so confidently stand against hordes of monsters with laughter in her lips, she was truly worthy of a Queen. Even in his delirious state, Zouken– The inhuman old Worm could not deny this.

“’KILL HER!’” He screamed, both in his mind and out, voice hoarse with anger and desperation. “’KiLL hEr, KillHer, KILL HER!’”

The Crest Worms transformed into all manners of insects,

Some sprouted spider-legs and skittered,

Some grew meaty wings and took flight,

Quite a few even formed several layers of exoskeletons, wet and slick with a foul-scented slime.

Together, they blotted out the Sky, charging at the Golden Queen with reckless abandon, screeching to high Heavens to reflect the pain and anger their True Self was experiencing. Thankfully, it was dark, most of Fuyuki had turned in for the night thanks to the sudden Storm, not to mention the place in which the Church was located, else the inhabitants would have gotten quite a fright from the thick waves of insects crawling.

“You dare look upon me with those disgusting eyes…? Begone!”

—— [Fate: DML] ——

After seeing Leonis again, the Tohsaka Heiress was on cloud-nine, and with the news of Kotomine Kirei’s demise, while the twin-tailed tsundere would never admit it, she did feel relieved since the financial drain on her inheritance was bound to decrease.

She was one happy girl indeed, but it would appear Life always had a way to dampen your mood.

Having just finished transferring her Mana into a Gem, Rin was about to call it a night and retire to bed, only to have her attention captured by the Storm of Mana rolling above Fuyuki’s Sky. Immediately, every little trace of sleepiness was wiped clean from her face as she shot up. This event was even worse than yesterday, when Leonis had returned through his Star-Gate. She wouldn’t be surprised if someone told her the sheer amount of Mana converging was enough to summon a Heroic Spirit without the aid of the Holy Grail.

“What’s going on?!” She ran into her Workshop, grabbing the Communication Gem given to her by the young Lion and dialed, yet even after several minutes, nobody responded, leaving the Tohsaka Heiress to pace around her room, fear clouding her judgement. Any sane Magus would have said ‘fuck it’ and remained in-doors, unless there was a reason to believe the event would benefit their Magecraft in some ways.

Rin was neither sane, still fearful that her friend would suddenly disappear on her again,

Nor was she a Magus in the truest sense, being too kind and compassionate to compare to her peers.

Thus, left with no other choice, the last of the Tohsaka Bloodline could only get dressed, running towards the source of the disturbance once more, all while feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. ‘Hold on, idiot. I’m coming!’

Poor girl never realized the battlefield she was running into, and being who she was, Rin likely wouldn’t have cared regardless.

—— [Fate: DML] ——

Screams,

All she could hear was screams as she forcefully squeezed out blood from the cut on her wrist, her kouhai’s to be precise.

Shiro knew this was not a good idea, she had known since she saw the look on Leonis’ face,

He was hopeful of the operation, the Ritual,

But not entirely sure.

That should have been enough for her to reject, yet how could she? Ultimately, it was Sakura’s decision, it was her body, her life. How could Shiro Emiya object her decision?

Yet, as she looked at her usually gentle and kind kouhai, a girl who had never expressed pain, nor anger beyond a small exclamation or a grunt, she couldn’t help doubting everything.

Sakura was strapped to the operating table, her body covered by a thin sheet of gown, those you would only find inside a hospital. Her smooth, white skin was cracked open, spilling blood and toxic-green liquids all over the place.

Liquids that burnt holes into the marbled-floor.

Was it the correct decision, to let Sakura proceed with this? She didn’t know, all she could do was try to squeeze out more blood, hoping the Noble Phantasm that had accompanied her for years could- would save her kouhai’s life.

“Shit… This is bad, the Worms’ reactions are too intense, it’s outside my expectations. If this continues–” The Magus trailed off, mixing and grinding herbs that he too bled into. Gingerly, he fed the concoction to the convulsing Sakura, eyebrows knitted in a tight frown. Shiro wanted to scream, to blame it all on him for causing this, but deep down, she knew this was not his fault. Not entirely at least.

Whenever he talked about Zouken, Sakura’s ‘grandfather’, there would also be disgust, loathing that bubbled to the surface, no matter how hard he tried. Yet she could tell, underneath all that was fear. It was odd, since she had never seen Leonis afraid of anything, though to be fair, she had barely got a few months of interactions, so maybe she just had not seen him in that state yet?

Still, she could tell, both Sakura and Leonis were genuinely fearful of the man known as Matou Zouken. Even she was, having met him once or twice thanks to her friendship with Sakura.

He always gave her a bad-feeling, even worse than the rude blonde woman she had met over two years back. The Spirits weren’t loud when she was near him either, instead opting to desperately hide themselves or avoid him altogether. She knew something was wrong with the man, yet she had never brought the matter up, thinking if it was important, her kouhai would have told her. In hindsight, it was a pretty dumb decision.

Sakura was the same as her,

Much like how Shiro refused to elaborate on the Vengeful Spirits haunting her days and nights so as to not worry others,

Sakura too didn’t want to drag her into her mess.

‘I should have realized sooner…’, she told herself.

‘I should have seen the signs…’, her Inner-Voice was thick with guilt and blame.

‘I’m sorry, Sakura. I’m- I’m not worthy to be a Hero.’ It felt like fragments of her were falling apart by simply admitting that fact, yet Shiro couldn’t break down.

Her kouhai still needed her.

While Leonis fretted over the screaming girl, Shiro could only offer mental support, hoping it was enough.

She felt so useless.

Her thoughts turned to the beautiful golden Sheath that once resided inside her, molding her to become what she now was.

‘Please- Please… If you can hear me, help her. I’m willing to give my life for Sakura.’ Shiro begged, biting back sobs and tears,

And the Sheath– Avalon perhaps capable of hearing her prayer, answered in kind.

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