===DISCLAIMER===
The Highschool DxD series was written by Ichiei Ishibumi and produced by TNK. The Fate series is owned by Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in both series. The only things I own are the ideas that popped into my head for this story and whatever original characters I would create for the story.
This story is meant to be a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, and flames will be ignored. Any references to real-life characters, places, and events are purely coincidental and should not be taken seriously. You have been warned.
I honestly don't know why I wrote this, but here it is. So… enjoy?
"Regular Speech"
"Mental Link/Communication Devices"
'Inner Monologue/Thoughts'
Magecraft Aria
Block Elements:
▔▇▄ ▒▄▂░▄▔ ▋▀▍▆▕▀▆▄ ▎ ▅ ▁▋▎ ▂▊▒ (Basically, unimaginable pain and/or words/language/things beyond Human comprehension.)
===AN===
P.S., I don't know when I'll be posting this, so here:
Time of writing: 12/22/2022 3:12 PM
Time of posting: 3/15/2023 10:30 AM (On Fanfiction.net)
To get a frame of reference.
Chapter 2
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Their smile and confidence vanished when they looked into his eyes, a cold dead void contained within hollow amber orbs.
Whereas they expected fear or maybe even hostility from the red-haired teen, the two only felt cold impassiveness, like they were facing a cold emotionless machine.
And then it came.
"
What… do you want?"
The words that escaped Shirou's lips belied the murderous intent hidden within his form that caused a physical reaction from the two schoolgirls. The pair recoiled from his threatening aura, faces paling, bodies shaking, and cold sweat flowing down their backs. Their facade of confidence and power shattered almost instantly upon contact.
Although one had managed to hide it far better than her companion. Considering what they knew of him, no matter how little that information may be. It still did not give Sona any confidence in her decision to confront Emiya Shirou with only her Queen to accompany her.
'Breath, Sona, breath, It's better you confront him rather than let Rias do so. Satan knows she would not be able to resist trying to persuade him into joining her Peerage.'
"I'm asking you, what do you want?" Shirou said so in a marginally less threatening manner, which thankfully managed to knock them out of their stupor.
Coughing into her hands to regain her cool, Sona began to speak. "Emiya Shirou, I, Sona Sitri, heiress of House Sitri, have come to inform you of your trespassing onto Devil territory. Such actions are a direct violation of the treaty signed by the three factions; Heaven, the Grigori, and the Underworld."
Miyu stiffened at the mention of Heaven and wanted to say something but chose not to, unsure of what to say.
Shirou noted his sister's reaction but thought nothing of it. Instead, he continued to face the two in front of him. "And? What do you intend to do then?"
The firing of a gun's hammer echoed in his head. Glowing blue lines like those found on a circuit board appeared underneath his clothes. He positioned his body to cover Miyu's form entirely, shifting to a ready combat stance, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Noticing his actions, Tsubaki summoned her courage to fight for her King and friend as she flexed her hand, ready to call upon her weapon at a moment's notice.
While Sona did not have as much melee combat experience as the rest of her Peerage, she also noticed Shirou's actions as well. Neither his stance nor a gut feeling gave him away, but instead, she noticed through her advanced perception of Magical Energy.
Surmising that both sides would come to a potential clash, Sona offered an olive branch to disperse the building tension. "Tsubaki, please take out the documents we have prepared."
Hesitantly, Tsubaki nodded as she eased the tension in her body with Shirou following suit, "Yes… Kaichou." She raised her hands as a blue magic circle appeared on top of her palms, producing a stack of documents.
Nervously, she walked towards the Emiya siblings, documents in hand.
Not sensing any hostile intent, Shirou allowed her to get close and receive the documents. "And these are?" he said as he reviewed its contents.
"Those are the bounties posted on the Stray Devils you have killed in the last two months."
'Stray Devils, huh? So that's what they're called.' Shirou stashed the information away as he reviewed the rest of the incredible documents, noting that the stack was missing 18 Stray Devils from the 84 he killed in the past two months and all four vampires he has hunted down as well.
This presented him with three likely scenarios, either the missing 18 didn't have a bounty posted on them, they are being purposefully hidden, or these Devils didn't know about them.
The first and second scenarios were ruled out immediately, as the missing Strays were all quite powerful, violent, brutal, and skilled as well, with some of them even plotting to kill the Devils residing within Kuoh and cause widespread destruction.
With the other two ruled out, it only left the latter of the three.
They didn't know.
Hence, Shirou would opt to keep this knowledge to himself as it presented two pieces of valuable information.
One: They have a city-wide detection system, evidenced by the stack of bounties he has in his hands.
Second: There are holes in said system, holes he can exploit.
'But the question is how did I not notice such a field covering the entire city?' He scoured his mind for anything that could point to such a thing existing but came up blank, hence he had to resort to guesswork and hypothesize the effects of the Bounded Field.
A method he was not very fond of using, Archer's memories on the matter notwithstanding as he was reminded of a similar event happening in one of Archer's memories with one Rin Tohsaka. While he did not meet the Rin of his old world, the impression left by her on Archer was quite significant, to the point that Archer's feelings for her were, to some extent, imprinted onto him.
'The base construction and function of the Bounded Field is most likely similar to our old home back in Fuyuki, coupled with the abundance of Mana in the atmosphere and the mixing scents of Phantasmals, it would make the Field downright impossible to detect unless I could somehow get close to its focal point that is.'
But such a hypothesis left much of the finer details unknown to him, thus presenting opportunities for everything to go wrong with strange and unknown effects to bite him in the ass farther down the road.
Sona adjusted her glasses so that the light of the sun reflected off of them, "
This is the reason I have come to speak with you, Emiya Shirou-san. I, Sona Sitri, overseer of Kuoh Town, would like to invite you for a peaceful discussion on the future of this town."
"Invitation? Discussion?" Miyu said from behind her brother, peeking out from his side.
"Yes," Sona nodded. "As you have no doubt noticed as well, Emiya Shirou-san, the number of Stray Devils entering Kuoh has been steadily increasing lately, yes?"
Shirou eased the tension in his body as he crossed his arms and nodded, seeing where their conversation was going. "Yes, and my guess is you want to hire me to take care of them?" Yet despite his outwardly relaxed appearance, Shirou had over four dozen blueprints with Holy Attributes prepared within his mind, ready to be traced and fired at a moment's notice.
Sona nodded at his words, confident that the two would accept her proposition.
Shirou raised an eyebrow at the overseer's actions, "And what would be our guarantee that we won't be harmed while inside your stronghold?"
While Sona didn't react to his words as she understood where he was coming from, Tsubaki frowned at his words. "We assure you Emiya Shirou, we are not here to fight you. We merely wish to broker a deal, which I believe to be beneficial to both you and your sister, as well as us Devils."
"Y-yes, that may be so," Miyu suddenly spoke up, peeking from behind her brother. "But that still does not discount the fact that we could potentially be led into a trap," she rebutted Tsubaki's words defiantly.
The two schoolgirls were surprised by her sudden interruption. In comparison, Shirou was both proud that Miyu's finally coming out of her shell and incredibly scared, scared that she had gained the attention of two possibly hostile Phantasmal Creatures.
Repositioning himself to cover Miyu once more, "Yes, my sister is right, You could very well lead us to a trap." His mind went a mile a minute to try and salvage their situation.
Sona contemplated the siblings' words, mulling over their situation. Noticing this, Shirou spoke again, thus taking the lead in their conversation by offering her an out. "It seems we are at an impasse, wouldn't you agree, Sona Sitri?"
"Yes, so it would seem, Emiya Shirou-san." She said as she once more readjusted her glasses in an attempt to hide her frown as she realized what he just did. "What do you propose we can do to remedy this then?"
"A Geis Curse Contract." He said in a matter-of-fact tone to the very confused Devils. Capitalizing on the fact that it is a form of Magical Contract native to his old world and simultaneously hoping it did not exist here.
"Geis Curse Contract?" Sona said with a frown as she scoured her memories for any information about such a Magical Contract. "Forgive me, Emiya Shirou-san, but I am afraid I'm not familiar with that type of Magical Contract."
Shirou kept his face blank as he smirked internally. "I see," he said, feigning innocence to the fact that he was leading them to what is essentially a trap. "Well, long story short, it's a type of Curse that enforces all participants to adhere to their respective ends of the bargain. The curse ensures that the chances of backstabbing will be kept to a minimum."
"And how exactly does it stop someone from betraying the other?" Sona asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Threat of having your soul torn apart tends to be a good enough deterrent for some people."
"I'm guessing that the rest that you are referring to are idiots then?" While brutal, Sona could understand the need for such measures, especially when dealing with irrational and frankly idiotic individuals.
"Precisely."
From his explanation alone, Tsubaki could surmise that there was something that he wasn't telling them,
'You are a fool if you think we'd agree to an unknown type of Magical contract, Emiya Shirou.'
Unfortunately, despite her opinion, her King thought otherwise. "Very well, we accept."
Though suffice to say her King and friend's words utterly floored her, "K-Kaichou?!" She managed to screech out, "Why are you agreeing to such a shady deal!?" Tsubaki half asked and half shouted at Sona.
"Tsubaki, I didn't sign off on anything just yet. Remember it's a contract, it needs consent from both parties." Sona chided her friend as she turned her attention back to the red-haired teen. "What exactly do you need to make this contract, Emiya Shirou-san?"
"I already have everything I need to make one right here with me."
Sona blinked owlishly, thinking that he had brought with him parchment or even paper, clearly, she was sorely wrong. "Oh! Going by your words, Emiya Shirou-san, one would be led to belie–" Suddenly, Shirou traced a simple dagger and slit his right wrist horizontally, startling Sona, Miyu, and Tsubaki. "What are you doing!?" They all collectively shrieked, the loudest being Miyu's.
Shirou for his part ignored them, instead pouring all of his concentration on the next step of his task. Letting his right arm dangle for a bit to let his blood gather at the tip of his fingers while remaining careful not letting any of it stain his clothing.
Shirou raised his arm and drew a series of Runes in the air to actualize the Simple Geis Curse Contract. A makeshift contract that his father had taught him back when Kiritsugu Emiya was still active as the Magus Killer back in their original world.
'I just hope this thing is strong enough to bind them successfully.'
Due to the lack of materials, Shirou was forced to rely on this makeshift contract, it wasn't as strong or potent as a normal written contract, but the backlash was still something that would give any Magi pause for concern.
That and leading them to their home just to gather the materials would just be beyond stupid.
Sweat matted his forehead as he struggled to complete the Rune Sequence.
'Damn it, Archer, this is all your fault!' He blamed the Counter Guardian for his struggle in completing this relatively easy rune sequence, where back then it would've only taken him a minute at most to set everything up, now it was taking him several and all of his concentration just to finish this one task.
With the final Rune drawn in the air, Shirou sighed as he inspected his work.
Nodding to himself, he held out his right hand as he began to state the terms and conditions of the contract.
"
Binding Magecraft: Target – Sona Sitri
Shirou of the Emiya family hereby commands: Provided that the following conditions are met, this oath shall become a commandment and bind the target without exception.
Oath:
To the Overseer of Kuoh Town: Regarding both Emiya Shirou and Emiya Miyu, any and all actions to kill and/or harm without provocation from any Devil associated with the House of Sitri shall be forbidden so long as the two are within the grounds of Sona Sitri's territory.
Conditions:
Emiya Shirou and Emiya Miyu are to accompany both Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra to their base of operations."
The three girls watched in equal measure of amazement and disgust as the blood from Shirous's wrist flowed into the Rune sequence, arranging themselves into the exact words spoken by the red-haired teen. As the last of the blood settled, Shirou finished everything off by writing his name in the air, sealing his end of the contract. "Well? Are the terms and conditions satisfactory to you, Sona Sitri?"
"Yes… these conditions are satisfactory, Emiya Shirou-san." Sona said as she tried to keep her face from going green. "I'm guessing that I need to sign my name in blood then?"
With a nod of confirmation, she strode forward to stand in front of the floating blood. Sona gathered Magical Energy on her left index finger and lightly prickled her right index finger. As she finished signing her name on it, Sona shivered slightly as the Curse took hold within her.
'This… is a rather pervasive spell, isn't it?'
"I take it we are done then?"
"Yes," Shirou said as the blood dissipated into dust, surprising his sister, who was watching the entire ordeal go down with muted interest.
"Well then, we best be off now. Come Tsubaki." Sona turned around and began heading off with the Emiya siblings following suit.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The group walked in relative silence, broken only by the two Devils replying to greetings from some townsfolk they passed by.
As the group of two pairs of Humans and Devils walked through the streets of Kuoh Town, Shirou thought back on how they found him.
'How? How did they find me? I made sure to erase all evidence that could lead to me, destroyed any surveillance cameras I came across, and made sure to check for Familiars. So… how?'
Suddenly a strong breeze blew through the street, lifting the skirts of any woman that was unlucky enough to be passing by. Fortunately, Shirou had already positioned himself in between Miyu and the two Devils since the start of their walk, thus had shielded her from the wind.
Unfortunately, though, the wind carried with it the foul scent of fire and brimstone shared by the denizens of the Underworld.
His nose wrinkled from the smell,
'Wait, smell?' His eyes grew in realization,
'So that's how they found me, huh?' He then thought back on their first few weeks living in this world, when he had only begun hunting down those Stray Devils.
He had come across a group of unknown Devils wearing Kuoh Academy's uniform hunting another Stray Devil. Shirou recognized the group as the same ones that came to investigate the sudden release of Magical Energy when the two siblings crossed over to this world, deciding to err on the side of caution, and spied on them.
'Although they never did discover me, I was pretty sure that the small white-haired one could somehow, smell my presence. It is most likely similar to how I detect Magical Signatures.' He recalled his encounter with this second group, and despite being at a relatively safe distance he could smell it, a smell of
nothingness. The smell emanated from the buxom redhead, making him wary of her, not helped by the fact that she was powerful, more so than the rest of the group.
While Shirou was confident that he could take them all down in just his Human Form. The battle would still result in considerable collateral damage that could endanger civilians and reveal the existence of the Moonlit World. Something that he was not willing to risk, so he opted to retreat instead.
'Maybe I should ask Sona about her,' Shirou entertained the idea but ultimately decided to abandon it altogether.
'No, I should just investigate them on my own some other time.' Especially now that he can no longer show any signs of weakness to exploit, primarily as damning as lack of information.
"Here we are." The voice of Sona snapped him out of his musings, he looked to see Kuoh Academy.
Sona entered through the front gate first followed by Tsubaki, "Welcome, Emiya Shirou-san, Emiya Miyu-san, to Kuoh Academy."
"A… school? But why choose a school of all things to use as your base?" Miyu said in disbelief, shocked that a group of supernatural creatures made a school of all places their base of operations.
"Yes, well… to answer your question Emiya Miyu-san, nearly all Devils within Kuoh Town are all under the age of 18 and hence by law, still need to attend a formal educational institution here in the Human World. So it would be much more convenient for us to just build our base here." Sona explained as she walked towards the main school building, ushering them to follow along.
Tentatively Shirou crossed the front gate first, but as he stepped foot upon the school grounds, he felt a Bounded Field suddenly activate and began scanning him. Tensing his body, Shirou looked around the area, his eyes darting from left to right at a fast speed, scanning for any threats.
Eventually, he turned his attention to Sona who was standing in front of him just fine. Surmising that the Field was something along the line of identifying threats, he relaxed his body and motioned for Miyu to step in as well.
"This way everyone," Sona then resumed walking towards the main school building, traversing through the many hallways and stairs of the school and passing by a few students loitering around the building.
A vast majority of them greeted both Sona and Tsubaki, treating them with respect and admiration like how the townsfolk did as well, whereas others were either indifferent or acted with thinly veiled resentment or animosity.
For the most part, the students ignored the siblings, but those that did started whispering amongst themselves, gossiping about Shirou and Miyu walking right behind the two Devils.
"Hey did you notice that guy walking behind Kaichou?"
"Yeah, he's kinda hot don't you think so? Plus that weird burn-like tan really gives off that rogue-ish vibe, y'know?"
"What!? No! He looks more like a criminal if you ask me, and those ratty clothes aren't exactly helping his image here."
Shirou, for the most part, ignored them, only reacting toward the boys who began fantasizing about Miyu in various cosplays, giving them a 'mild' death glare that froze them in place. Of course, there were also some girls gushing about how cute his sister is, imagining her in various clothing as well, but he ignored them.
On the topic of clothing, Shirou took note of his and Miyu's clothes. He considered the girl's words on his choice of clothing did make him look like a thug or a vagrant, whereas Miyu looked like someone from a pretty well-off family or at least one that isn't living nearly paycheck to paycheck.
Meanwhile, Miyu was openly glaring at the girls talking badly about her brother. Mumbling about being 'rude' or something, he didn't bother listening.
"Humph!" Shirou huffed in amusement at his sister for being angry in his stead.
"Onii-chan?" Miyu perked her head up as she noticed the small, almost imperceptible smirk on his face.
"Hm? It's nothing, Miyu." He said as he gestured for her to quicken her pace to get to whatever destination, Sona and Tsubaki were guiding them towards.
The siblings continued to walk and left behind the students, guided by the two Devils. Eventually, the group reached a set of wooden double doors.
Sona stopped in front of the doors and turned around to speak to the red-haired teen, "Now, beyond this door is me and my Peerage's main office, so I would very much appreciate it if you didn't look like you would kill them all. Am I clear on this, Emiya Shirou-san?" She spoke with sternness in her voice that promised pain and retribution should he threaten her loyal friends and subjects.
'Peerage? Is that some sort of Devil term for a comrade?' Shirou pondered briefly over the term as he raised an eyebrow at her words, "So long as they don't try anything stupid then we would have no problem, Sona Sitri."
Sona resisted the urge to sigh at his confrontational attitude,
'I suppose this is about as good as an answer I can get out of him then.' She turned around and opened the doors, motioning the two siblings to enter.
The moment the doors were opened, Shirou was assaulted by the foul smell of the Devils residing within the room. Tentatively, Shirou entered first, followed by Miyu.
"So this is the guy that was huntin' down those Strays, huh, Kaichou?" A feminine voice said as Shirou entered the room.
Immediately, his eyes went towards the source of the voice, coming face-to-face with a fairly tall, blue-haired girl.
Surmising that she isn't a threat, Shirou instead opted to observe the room they found themselves in. Despite Sona, no doubt coming from an extremely wealthy family, the Student Council office was sparsely decorated, but the few pieces that were there exuded a feeling of high-end, first-class products.
Some of the items he could see were equal in quality to those of something that wouldn't be out of place in a house belonging to a Lord of the Clock Tower.
A single-seat red velvet sofa, facing towards Sona's desk and two larger ones capable of seating multiple people comfortably opposite of each other, a long coffee table situated in the middle of the three sofas, several small paintings from different eras hung on the wall, opposite that were large sets of windows that let in a good amount of natural light that gave the room a cozy feel, and a brass chandelier hanging on the ceiling in the center of the room.
But all of this paled in comparison to what is most likely the centerpiece of the room; a massive bookshelf that ran the entire length of the wall behind Sona's desk filled to the brim with rare, old, and expensive books.
There were even some that emanated a Magical Signature,
'Are those Grimoires?!'
This boggled the mind of Shirou, as unless it was something that would not be a detriment to their craft, no sane or insane Magus would let anything related to their research out of their workshop.
"Yes, Tsubasa, he is." Sona's words brought him out of his thoughts.
Shirou looked towards her as she sat herself down on the expensive-looking chair, way above in quality compared to any furniture within the school. "Please, Emiya Shirou-san, Emiya Miyu-san, take a seat."
Obliging to her request, the two siblings made their way towards the sofa facing the wall filled with paintings, opposite the one occupied by the Student Council members.
"So then, I believe introductions are in order," Sona said to get everyone's attention, her eyes turned towards the blue-haired girl that spoke at the start.
"A-ah right, I'm Yura Tsubasa, a first-year student, and Kaichou's Rook, it's a pleasure to meet you!" The now-identified Tsubasa said energetically.
"I guess I'm next then," a girl with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair said. "I'm Meguri Tomoe, a first-year student, and the Knight of the Team."
"I'm Kusaka Reya, currently a first-year student and one of the two Bishops of the group. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." A brown-haired girl with braided twin tails said accompanied by a bow.
"Hanakai Momo, currently first-year, fellow Bishop of Reya-san." The white-haired girl said with no small amount of distrust directed at Shirou.
Shirou, for the most part, ignored the hostility directed towards him by the white-haired girl, while on the other hand, Miyu was glaring fiercely at Momo for her disrespect towards her brother.
"Right then, as you all probably already know, I'm Emiya Shirou."
"I'm Emiya Miyu, it's a pleasure to meet you Yura-san, Meguri-san, and Kusaka-san." Miyu said with a polite bow, intentionally leaving out the white-haired girl in her greeting.
"Ah, can we call you Miyu-chan, Miyu-chan?" Tomoe said to the little girl, while Tsubasa giggled at Momo for being left out.
"... Yes you may," Miyu said awkwardly, weirded out by the strange use of grammar by the reddish-brown-haired girl.
"That's great!" Tomoe exclaimed happily, "And no need to be so stiff around us, Miyu-chan, you can just call us by our names. After all, we'll be comrades soon anyway."
"W-well, if you'll let me," she said flustered, unsure of how to act around such energetic individuals.
"Ah, how about you Emiya Shirou-san?" Reya asked the red-haired teen.
Shirou, for his part simply looked at her, as if assessing her, before saying. "Do as you wish."
"That's great then!" She said excitedly.
Just as the two groups got comfortable with each other, Tsubaki returned with a tray full of light snacks and some high-quality tea if the smell was anything to go by. "Tea, anyone?"
A chorus of yeses and yeah's resounded from the Devils, whereas the Humans remained silent, only Miyu looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to.
Nevertheless, Tsubaki served them all the same, with both skill and grace that showed her martial arts training.
With quick movements, she set up the plate of snacks such as mini cakes, finger sandwiches, and various other pastries, and poured everyone tea, with Sona receiving the very last drop from the teapot.
The snacks, while simple, were something that Miyu had rarely ever tasted, only having the chance when Shirou decided to make some for her. Apparently, according to her brother anyway, some of the ingredients used on the food laid before her were slowly getting harder and harder to come by, and more and more expensive each day as worldwide famines continued and harsh irregular weather patterns started becoming the norm in their old world.
Noticing her look, Tsubaki called out to Miyu, "Please, Miyu-chan, no need to be shy." She said with a reassuring smile.
Tentatively, Miyu tried to reach for a mini cake that she has been eyeing since they were laid on the coffee table, a yellow cake with what looked to be honey sandwiched between two layers of cake and creamy white icing, as well as a small lavender flower to top things off.
Just as she was about to reach her target, Miyu found her brother's arm right in front of her path, stopping her from going forward.
Miyu looked at her brother with a look of betrayal and everyone else frowned at him, Shirou ignored it and pushed on. "I'd very much appreciate it if we can get on with this contract, Sona Sitri. I for one would like to get home before it gets dark." He said as he looked Sona straight in the eyes.
"Heh, what, are you afraid of the dark or something?" Tusbasa asked in a taunting manner as Tomoe and Momo giggled to the side.
Shirou looked at her with his dead cold eyes that made all of the Devils sitting next to her flinch. "No, I'm not." He said in a cold voice, "I just promised my sister that I'd spend the whole day doing what she wants."
"Onii-chan!" Miyu said in embarrassment.
"My, aren't you a spoiled princess, Miyu-chan." Reya said as she sipped on her tea, making Miyu more embarrassed.
"Well, I am a man of my word, Reya-san." Shirou then looked back again to Sona, "So I'd appreciate it if we can get this started, Sona-san."
The bespectacled girl adjusted her glasses as she intertwined her fingers, "Yes, I suppose we've delayed this long enough, Shirou-san."
She then turned towards Tsubaki, who was standing on her left, and with a nod, Tsubaki went and retrieved a document. "Here, Shirou-san, these are the terms and conditions of your contract with Kaichou."
Shirou inspected the document's contents with some subtle use of Structural Grasping, "This is an ordinary piece of paper." He said as he waved the paper around.
"Yes, although there are Magical Contracts that are in a written form, most Devils who want to keep their dealings secret prefer to use Binding Oaths. Of course, we could switch to a document format if you wish." Sona offered the option as she gave him a brief rundown of how they do contracts.
"If we do it by document, how would this work exactly," He asked curiously, as it is typical of Magus nature, even if he considers himself more as a Spellcaster.
"Well, the written form works by having the ink infused with a small bit of blood from both parties and having it registered to the main office of Domestic Affairs in Lilith for validation, where it will also be stored. The document form, as you have probably guessed, Shirou-san, are used by Devils that want some form of legitimacy to their dealings with other races or fellow Devils."
Shirou mulled over the answer he was given, "I'm guessing you want to keep things hush-hush, then?"
Sona hid a faint smile as she received the equivalent of an 'I'm interested' from the red-haired teen. "Precisely." She started, "I had originally wanted you to join my Peerage but thought against it. Seeing as how you hunted the Stray Devils mostly with Holy weapons, I figured you would like to keep your humanity."
Shirou raised an eyebrow at this,
'What does keeping my humanity have anything to do with… joining… a Peerage…' Slowly, everything began to click in place,
'So that's what a Peerage is; someone that has been turned into a Devil using an Evil Piece.' Although he had tried to keep his face neutral, he simply could not stop the oncoming grimace from making itself known.
Sona winced slightly from seeing his reaction, "I figured as much." She said with a slightly resigned expression, like a kid that didn't get what they want but was mature enough so as not to throw a tantrum over it. "Rest assured, I promise not to turn either you or your sister into Devils without your consent and will not do anything to force you to agree to it either."
"Heh," Shirou chuckled slightly at Sona's words, it was a hollow chuckle, he knew it, Miyu knew it, and Sona most likely knew it as well. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he said with a smile, a fake smile, the same fake smile he always wore.
"... That's great then," she said, perturbed by how natural and fake his smile was, the same goes for her Peerage as well.
"So how do we set up this Binding Oath then?" Shirou asked Sona, his voice knocking her out of her stupor.
"Ah, yes, we only need to swear the Oath in the presence of a third party to act as a witness, then we're done." Young Devil Heiress said as she motioned for Tsubaki to get their witness.
Shirou, for his part, raised an eyebrow at the simplicity of it all, "Is that really all of it?" He asked skeptically.
"Sorry if our way of doing things isn't as elaborate, disgusting, pervasive, barbaric, or ruthless as yours, Emiya Shirou-san." Sona said with a rather dark smile that sent chills down the spines of everyone in the room, barring Tsubaki, who shared the same sentiments as her King.
"Psst. Hey Miyu-chan, what the hell did you do to make Kaichou act like that?" Tsubasa whispered over to the little girl sitting in front of her.
Miyu's face began to slightly turn green at the reminder of her brother's casual act of self-harm back at the park.
"I'm sorry… Tsubasa-san, I don't think I can answer that question." She whispered back to the blue-haired girl.
"Oh, okay then," Tsubasa said as she looked at her fellow Devils sitting beside her.
"Well? What did she say?" Momo, Reya, and Tomoe whispered to Tsubasa, to which the girl merely shrugged and made herself comfortable, and watched as her King continued her talk with the red-haired teen.
"Kaichou," Tsubaki then entered the room followed by a brown-haired girl with drill-like ringlets.
"Ah, Tsubaki, perfect timing. I was just discussing with Shirou-san the intricacies of our form of Magical Contract." Sona called out to the two, "Abe Kiyome-san, I'd like for you to meet Emiya Shirou-san; Emiya Shirou-san, Abe Kiyome. Our witness for our deal."
The brown-haired girl stepped forward to properly introduce herself, "It's a pleasure to meet you Emiya Shirou-san." She then extended her left hand for a handshake.
"Likewise, Abe Kiyome-san," Shirou reciprocated by shaking her hand.
"Ah, but I have to say, your work with exterminating those Strays is quite amazing, especially how you took all of them down." She said as she took a seat on the single-seat sofa. "Would it be alright if we could please see the weapons you used for hunting?"
Hearing her words, Shirou's eyes hardened for a split second as his mind analyzed everything she's said so far.
Ultimately, he decided to acquiesce to her request, reasoning that he can be seen as more reasonable and trustworthy, subconsciously making them lower their guard around him.
And that the Black Keys aren't all that special and that he has more powerful ones to draw upon.
"Here, catch." In a flash of blue light, Shirou tossed a weirdly shaped red sword hilt over to the girl.
Kiyome deftly caught the sword hilt and brought it closer to her face to inspect it. "Is this some new type of Light Sword?"
"Light Sword? No, it's called a Black Key, a sort of sacramental weapon." Shirou explained.
He then noticed that all of the Devils in the room backed away ever so slightly from the weapon.
'Well, considering that their primary weakness is Holy-based weapons and attacks, this shouldn't be that surprising.'
"Now can we please get on with the deal, as I have other things to do."
"Well, I suppose it would be impolite to keep you waiting any longer." Sona then stepped towards the open area in the room, just behind the single-seat sofa followed by both Shirou and Kiyome.
"Oh, and here, Shirou-san," Sona handed him another piece of paper. "Please read that when we begin, it has all of your duties listed on your side of the contract."
Shirou took the paper as he used Structural Grasping on it, read it, and analyzed its contents.
Kiyome then stepped in between the two and spread out her hands, "Is everyone ready?" She asked the two participants.
"Yes," Sona said as she adjusted her glasses. Whereas Shirou simply nodded.
"Then let us begin."
"
I, Sona Heiress of House Sitri, hereby swear on my name to ensure the safety of both Emiya Shirou and Emiya Miyu, and conduct fair compensation to any dangerous element within Kuoh Town hunted by Emiya Shirou. This oath shall take effect upon Emiya Shirou's surrender to my authority."
Shirou felt the mana in the room react to Sona's words in a manner that reminded him of that night so long ago when Miyu had stopped the falling roof, and when she made the wish for them to be true siblings. Acting as the start of the bond between the Faker and the last living Child of God.
"
I, Shirou, 6th Head of the House of Emiya, hereby swear to defend and give aid to all creatures associated with House Sitri. I submit myself to the authority of Sona Heiress of House Sitri, provided she ensures her end of the deal and the safety of both myself and my sister, Miyu of the House of Emiya." Shirou intoned, his Prana flaring all around him.
"
I, Abe Kiyome, witness this pact and bind both parties to adhere to their vows till their dying breaths." The brown-haired girl said solemnly, her arms spread wide. "
Alea Jacta Est." She then joined her hands together, producing a weak pulse of Magical Energy that washed over the two.
Feeling the Binding Oath take its effect, Shirou sighed lightly, steam coming out of his mouth. "I take it we are done then?"
"Yes." Sona said as she wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead.
"Miyu c'mon, let's go." He then fixed himself up and waited for Myu by the door.
"Yes." Miyu walked towards her brother and exited the room.
After his sister has left, Shirou turned towards Sona one last time. "Then, we shall be taking our leave, Sona-san."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"They're gone, Kaichou." Tsubaki said as she watched the Emiya siblings exit the school through the front gate.
"Yes, thank you, Tsubaki." Sona replied as she sipped another freshly brewed tea.
"So then, Sona, care to tell us what that was about?" Kiyome asked the Devil heiress as she made herself comfortable on her chair.
Sona tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, "What do you mean, Kiyome?" she said feigning ignorance.
"Oh, you know damn well what I mean! So don't even try it, Sona!" She shouted at the Devil Heiress, anger and worry seeping into her voice.
Sona took a deep breath before her eyes hardened, staring right into Kiyome's own. "Before I answer your question, Kiyome, what can you tell us about the weapon he showed you?"
Kiyome for her part sighed but did as she was asked nonetheless, "Well, I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but it seems that Koneko-chan's report was right."
"... I see," Sona said, concerned.
"What's the problem with it anyway?" Tsubasa asked her King, "I mean, it's a Holy Weapon imbued with hatred, so what? Kiba has one that can destroy Light-based weapons."
"That's not the problem here, Tsubasa. The problem is that the weapon looked to be hand forged before it was recreated by what's most likely Shirou-san's Sacred Gear." Kiyome said to the blue-haired girl.
Sona nodded at her friend's statement, "Yes, for a weapon to be infused by something as volatile and unstable as hatred, much less a Holy Weapon is dangerous and downright impossible."
"Yes, but that still doesn't answer my question, Sona." Kiyome said with a scowl etched into her face, "Why did you swear your name on the Binding Oath?"
At her words, every Devil in the room looked down onto the floor, ashamed they could not aid their King.
"... I had to, I needed the deal to go through."
"Why? What's the point, Sona? He's a Human! You're Devils! The difference couldn't be any clearer! Granted he's an exceptionally strong Human, but a Human nonetheless!"
"Because we are at the precipice of
WAR, Kiyome!" Sona shouted at the brown-haired girl, "And we need every ally we could get."
"Sona…"
"Once the fighting begins in earnest, the number of Stray Devils all over the world will skyrocket; either from desertion, the deaths of their Kings in battle, turned traitors, or any number of reasons. This would further add to the chaos and increase the number of casualties on all sides. That is why we need him, Kiyome, we need his expertise, efficiency, and combat prowess to combat the Strays that find themselves
here." Sona explained to everyone in the room, her form wilting further and further from the weight of the responsibility she shares with Rias.
"Sona… I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Kiyome tried to console her friend.
Sona sighed, "it's… fine, Kiyome, everyone. It is encouraging that you all care for me so deeply." She said with a gentle but tired smile.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Due to the erratic actions of Heaven being perceived as hostile. The armies of every supernatural organization had begun gathering in their borders.
All across the world, everyone aware of the Moonlit part of the world could sense the nearing outbreak of war. From the Olympians all gathering on Mount Olympus, to the reassembly of Valhalla's Valkyries and legions of warriors, the reawakening of the Egyptians and Zoroastrians, the rallying of the armies of the Underworld, and the call for arms of the Fallen Angel of the Stars.
For a thousand years since the end of the Great War, the world will once again be engulfed in conflict. Only this time, everyone will play a grand zero-sum game, where there will be no victors, no losers, and no survivors.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
As Shirou stood on top of a skyscraper just like the night before. He watched as lingering chills of winter clung to the streets like a mist, the road devoid of life, the few drunkards passing through the empty streets, barely able to walk straight.
Gone was the impassable, level-headed, callused man that he was a few hours ago. No – now stands a man at his wit's end, unsure of the future ahead of him.
'Please, as if deluding yourself any further will help your situation, Emiya Shirou.' A voice eerily similar to that of the spirit within the Archer Card spoke with utter contempt.
Shirou stood atop his perch, dead quiet as a deathly chill went up his spine,
'We both know delaying the inevitable is impossible.'
'But even still, I have to try, for Miyu.'
'Hmph, very well, do as you wish, but be warned; to try and have it both ways is a foolhardy task. Something would have to give at one point. The question is though, what are you willing to sacrifice for it.'
"Both ways, huh?" Shirou smiled slightly as an idea began to form in his mind. "It was that simple and I didn't even realize it. Thank you, Archer."
From the corner of his eye, Shirou had finally spotted his target, pushing his conversation with Archer to the back of his mind, thinking that he was just hallucinating due to stress and sleep deprivation.
In a flash of light, he raised his bow and arrow.
Twang.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
In a bleak world of everlasting snow and steel, a hill began to form. Where it was once just a small mound, slowly but surely the mound grew in size as the days passed, eventually becoming a small hill.
On top was an almost invisible outline of a man, standing tall.
There was only one thought going through that man's mind,
'I. Am. Free.'
===AN===
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