After concluding his deal with Sakura, Rowan Mercer returned to the church.
By the time he arrived, Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka had already handled the rescued children and dealt with Kirei Kotomine.
Rin showed no hesitation.
She had never been an ordinary schoolgirl. As the heir of the Tohsaka family, she had prepared herself for bloodshed long before entering the war. Killing the man who murdered her father brought no internal conflict.
"There's no need to grieve," Rowan said, turning to Illyasviel. "You'll see him again someday."
With the terms already agreed upon, Rowan transferred both Rin's and Illya's Command Seals into his own hand.
Rin barely reacted. She had only known Archer for a single day and had not yet formed any deep attachment.
Illya, however, was different.
She had summoned Heracles long ago.
To her, he had been family.
Rowan's reassurance was not empty comfort.
Originally, he had planned to study the Noble Phantasms of eight Servants, purify the corrupted Grail, and use the completed ritual to force open a path to the Root.
After reviewing Zouken's memories and fully understanding the Third Magic, he realized how unrealistic that approach was.
The Root was protected.
Two immense regulating forces governed the world.
Any attempt to force entry would trigger their opposition.
Even if the Grail were uncorrupted, slipping through alongside summoned heroes would still be impossible.
At best, it would provoke the entire Throne of Heroes.
Rowan had confidence in his strength.
But blind arrogance was not strategy.
For now, the Grail would remain sealed.
Once he mastered the Five True Magics, then he would revisit the idea of reaching the Root.
And even then, there was no reason these Servants had to vanish forever.
Gilgamesh had already proven that existence in the modern world was possible.
If Rowan could replicate or improve upon that process, true resurrection was well within reach.
Eight Command Seals burned faintly as one.
Rowan honored his promise.
He began reconstructing Illya's body.
The process was blunt but precise.
He removed the Lesser Grail from her chest.
With crimson energy, he regenerated a new heart.
He corrected her magical circuits.
He erased the damage caused by years of modification.
In less than ten minutes, Illya was whole.
"Two pieces… perfect for fusion."
Rowan retrieved the false Grail extracted from Sakura.
He placed Illya's former heart within it.
The two artifacts merged, reshaping into a complete vessel.
The Grail's purpose was simple.
To contain the souls of fallen Servants.
Creating one from nothing was difficult.
Combining two incomplete vessels into one functioning whole was not.
The moment the new Grail stabilized, Rowan raised his hand.
"Seal."
Layer upon layer of containment wrapped around the vessel.
If left unsealed, it would immediately connect to the Greater Grail beneath Fuyuki and allow corruption to seep through.
He had no intention of letting that happen.
"All right," Rowan said. "We're done here. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
With that, Rowan vanished.
Eight Servants vanished with him.
Silence returned to the ruined church.
Shirou, Rin, and Illya stood there, each lost in thought.
For Shirou, the past few hours felt denser than his entire life.
Heroes.
Death.
Resurrection.
Summoning.
Losing a Servant.
Watching gods clash.
Then… quiet.
For Rin, it felt surreal.
She had prepared for the Holy Grail War for years.
It ended in a single night.
At least she had avenged her father.
And she had seen just how far she still had to climb.
Illya felt something closer to emptiness.
With the war concluded this way, the Einzbern leadership would shut down their homunculus facilities and place the remaining creations into long-term stasis.
She would not be forced to return.
She was free.
But freedom came with uncertainty.
"What are you going to do now?" Shirou asked as they walked home.
Rin glanced at the stars.
"Compared to Rowan, I'm still far too small. I'm going to London. To study at the Clock Tower. I'll rebuild the Tohsaka name."
Shirou considered it.
"You have talent. I could introduce you if you ever change your mind."
He shook his head.
"I think I'll stay like this. I like my life."
He thought of Sakura.
Of Taiga.
The mage world was cruel.
He had no desire to sink deeper into it.
Shirou turned to Illya.
"And you?"
Illya lowered her gaze.
"I don't know. I can't go back to my family. I don't really have anywhere."
Shirou stopped walking.
"You can come live with me."
Illya looked up.
"That house belonged to my father too," Shirou continued. "So it should be yours as well. I can tell you about him. About the kind of person he was."
Images surfaced in Illya's mind.
Snow.
Laughter.
A man lifting her into the air.
She nodded firmly.
...
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