Kischur Zelretch Shcweinorg.
In many timelines, it is a name that many people respect and fear in equal measures. For those who know him personally, this ratio is skewed heavily towards fear, for very valid reasons.
That is why Shirou Emiya felt like he was sitting on pins and needles as Zelretch watched him with a knowing smile.
"Don't be so anxious, Shirou. You know that I am not the kind of guy to play around with stuff like this."
"....Yeah. I know. But, right now, I am having a hard time coming to terms with things."
Shirou sighed heavily before muttering.
"Frankly, I am not even sure where my life is headed right now and feel like it would have been better if I never stumbled upon that Class Card....."
Shirou stopped muttering as his eyes sharpened, zeroing in on the innocent look on the centuries-old Magus's face.
"Don't tell me, you....?"
"Nope. I had nothing to do with that. In fact, you could say that the very presence of the Class Cards in your world is what triggered my arrival here in the first place, not the other way around."
This time, Shirou felt even more confused. Fortunately, Zelretch was someone who always took the time to explain things properly to those he considered valuable enough in his plans.
He leaned forward, with his hands on the desk and his face shadowed behind his intertwined fingers, just like a popular pose in a certain anime that Shirou knew of. The look would have been complete if Zelretch had a pair of glasses as well, but that is neither here nor there.
"Tell me, what is the extent of the knowledge you have on the Class Cards?"
"....Well, I know that they were created by the Ainsworth family in a different reality. Unlike the one we know, this war was designed not to reach the Root but for some unknown purpose. These cards are also only able to harness a fraction of the true power of the Heroic Spirits, so much so that the stats are nearly a whole rank lower than if they would be if they were summoned as proper Servants in the best case. Worst case, they are lower by two whole ranks."
Zelretch showed a surprised look at that before nodding.
"That is honestly more than I expected you to know, and a small correction, it's three whole ranks below in terms of stats compared to proper servants. But, then again, I never expected your unique situation in the first place, so that's par for the course, I guess."
"...About that-"
Zelretch raised his hand with a smile.
"All in good time, Shirou. First, let me explain what I am doing here before we get to the sensitive parts."
"....Fine."
Zelretch leaned back into his chair and spoke with a distant look.
"Originally, your world was not supposed to host these Class Cards, and neither was it supposed to have our brand of Magecraft. Instead, this is a world where the Age of Gods never ended and should have its own way of doing things."
His crimson eyes turned to stare at Shirou with a seriousness that sent chills down the boy's spine.
"You and little Illya were supposed to spend your lives to the end of your natural lifespan, unaware of the supernatural. Sure, there would have been some close calls, especially with your little sister, but she would never know of the supernatural world thanks to your parents and your maids' efforts."
".....Then, what changed? What made the Class Cards arrive here?"
"....I did."
"WHAT-"
Once again, Zelretch raised his hand, stopping Shirou's outrage.
"NOT Intentionally."
Shirou spotted the sadness in the old man's gaze despite the smile.
"....What happened?"
"These cards were originally supposed to stay in a different world, closer to the Proper Human Order, unlike your world, which lies well beyond the reach of such concepts. Things were supposed to go along different paths. But something went wrong, and that world was turned into a deviation far beyond its proper path, but not enough to become a proper parallel world. It became a distortion that triggered the Human Order's natural defences, designating that world as a Dead End."
Chills shot down Shirou's spine as he heard those words, knowing exactly what would happen to a world designated as a Dead End by the Human Order.
Pruning. The complete and utter erasure of those timelines from existence.
What he did not know was that Zelretch was keeping the majority of the details vague on purpose.
The fact that said world had a version of Shirou Emiya who shared similar circumstances as his own, by gaining the Archer Class Card much different from the regular Class Cards. The fact that this version of Shirou gained the acknowledgement of Karna, the Lancer Class servant, gained his powers, and even got a special dagger from Zelretch that functioned similarly to the Kaleidosticks of that world.
However, all of it came to an end when that world was pruned shortly after, and everything became meaningless.
Shirou looked at Zelretch and asked the question that came to his mind.
"How did those cards come to this world then? And why are there two Archer cards?"
"...The situation is far too complicated to explain clearly, but I will tell you the necessary bits. When that world was pruned, the Class Cards somehow escaped into the Kaleidoscope. I felt their escape and followed them across the timelines until finally, they landed here. So, I decided to enter this timeline decades in the past and established a version of the Clock Tower as a force that would allow me to make plans for the arrival of the Class Cards and their retrieval."
"As for why there are two Archer cards, it's because there are two sets of Class Cards here. One of them is the Ainsworth Class Cards. The other has far more sinister origins."
Shirou stared at Zelretch, waiting for him to continue speaking. However, the name that escaped the old man's words made Shirou nearly jump to his feet.
"Angra Mainyu. He is responsible for the existence of the second set. And the Archer card you have is from that second set."
"...What about Miyu?"
Zelretch's eyes lit up at that name.
"See, that's where things get interesting. Originally, she was supposed to be either pruned along with that world or thrown back to her original world, but somehow, her entire existence was reset back to the timeframe before she arrived in the pruned world, as if all those events that she experienced never happened in the first place. Even on the biological level, and even at the level of the soul, she was reverted completely back to the point where her brother wished for her to find a happy life of her own."
"My theory is that she is the catalyst that allowed the Class Cards to escape in the first place. Somehow, her properties of the Holy Grail, and her brother's wish for her to find happiness, combined together to revert things for her and provided the point of entry into the multiverse that the class cards then used to find this world, far away from the Human Order, so that this world would not be pruned as well like the previous one no matter the changes made to its timeline."
The theory nearly flew above Shirou's head, but he stubbornly listened to the old man's rant and memorized it completely, storing that information in his mind for later contemplation.
Shirou sighed and sat back tiredly, a similar sensation to his various other versions that he remembers from across the timelines when they face Zelretch in their lives.
"So, what now? Assuming that Rin and Luvia's actions in Kuoh are your doing, along with those overpowered mystic codes, with the aim of containing and retrieving the Class Cards, why tell me any of this when you already have them doing this task?"
"Because you would not stop investigating and throwing yourself in danger if you don't have these answers."
Those words felt like an arrow straight through his heart, because he could not deny the truth in that statement.
Then, Zelretch's face softened.
"And, because I know you, Shirou. No matter the timeline, the core of what makes you, you, has always remained the same. So, I wish to ask for your help."
"....I'm listening."
"Unlike the Ainsworth Class Cards, which Rin and Luvia have been tasked to retrieve with the Kaleidosticks, it's the name of those mystic codes by the way, The Class Cards created by the real Holy Grail of Fuyuki from the pruned world under Angra Mainyu's control retain the full power of the Heroic Spirits, comparable to when they are summoned as Servants."
Zelretch's serious look made Shirou stiffen up again.
"Even with the Kaleidosticks, I have no confidence in the girls retrieving that set. So, I would ask you to retrieve that set instead. Keeping your identity secret or not is up to you, although I prefer it if you don't reveal yourself. It would also be best for everyone if we could get our hands on those dangerous artifacts as soon as possible. Given the various dangerous individuals in this world, we cannot afford any of them getting their hands on even a single Class Card."
"....And what about Illya? Did you know about whatever is going on between her, Rin, and the Kaleidosticks?"
"I did."
"Then why-"
"Shirou."
Shirou stopped talking at the authoritative tone in the Wizard Marshal's voice.
"I cannot tell you the full reason, but I will tell you this. Illyasveil needs this."
"...Why?"
Zelretch's face softened again.
"Because, unlike how things were supposed to proceed, your sister has already drawn attention from certain individuals, both from this world and from those beyond. That is why she will need this experience to unlock her true potential."
Shirou glared at Zelretch.
"I will trust your words for now, Zelretch, because I don't ever remember you guiding Rin and I down the wrong path, even if your methods always end up amusing you at our expenses while still having the greater good in mind. But hear this-"
Shitou got up from his seat as his Magic Circuits activated fully, all 27 of them, and for a split second, the room was replaced by a landscape so beautiful and awe-inspiring that even the Wizard Marshal could not help but stare with wonder.
"I am not a Hero. I do not care about the greater good. I only care about the safety of my family and my friends. If your actions put them in danger, even if it is for the greater good, you will be my enemy."
"...Noted. Then, shall we get down to business?"
Shirou nodded and sat down, his demeanor becoming extremely cold and his face assuming a neutral look, making him look exactly like his Heroic Spirit counterpart. A scene that made the immortal smile.
"For starters, how about we talk about the level of your general knowledge about your own world?"
"....Go on."
The way Zelretch's grin stretched made Shirou extremely uncomfortable.
"Tell me, Shirou, what do you know about Devils?"
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Author Notes:
For those who don't know, the world that Zelretch is talking about in this chapter, with a Shirou who had a Class Card, is referencing my previous iteration of this story called 'Fate Divergence'. It is still up on my Fanfiction.net page, so you guys can look at it if you want. I thought it would be a neat way to tie up that world this way, with the way multiverse mechanics function in the Fate worlds.
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