Fate Stay Night - Medea Caster route

It had been about fifteen minutes since Zolgen and Kirei began fighting. And they found themselves in a stalemate.

Kirei was too fast for Zolgen and his familiars to hit him, but the numerous familiars and Zolgen's suppressive fire kept Kirei at bay, making it nearly impossible for him to attack the undead, save for the occasional black key thrown at him whenever possible.

During those fifteen minutes, Kirei was able to hit Zolgen three times, but he had noticed how the keys, despite their respective rites of Cremation, Internment, and Excarnation, not only

had no effect on him, the keys themself wounded him even less than they originally did during the fourth war.

And what irritated Kirei the most was how Zouken didn't even bother to avoid his attacks, let alone try to block them with a spell.

Zolgen wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was far too confident of himself. And it was something Kirei would take advantage of to put an end to this fight once and for all.

After dodging yet another wave of familiars, Kirei leaped away at one point, exiting the forest where he was fighting in and landing in a grassy plain with a few trees spread around.

At that point, Kirei began to scan his surroundings. But when he noticed the full moon high in the sky and then turned to gaze at his feet, he felt it was the ideal place to end this fight.

Turning around, he awaited the arrival of either Zolgen or his familiar. And not long after that, Kirei witnessed Zolgen emerging from the dense woodland and approaching him in the moonlight.

After a brief exchange of glances, Zolgen called forth yet another wave and then just stood there and watched Kirei fight.

Zolgen had devised a basic strategy. He would strain the priest to his absolute limit. Even though it wasn't the best strategy, it would undoubtedly buy his master the time she needed to carry out her objectives, whichever it was.

And after observing their conflict up to that point, Zolgen decided that further pressure on Kirei was unnecessary. The priest was able to avoid his suppressive fire quite easily, and on repeated occasions, he even used his familiars to cover himself, so it had essentially had no effect.

He also didn't want to waste any more energy when he was confident that his familiars could defeat the priest by themselves.

But at one point, as he watched Kirei slashing through his familiar, he noticed him leap into the air, turn to face him, and throw two black keys in his direction.

At first, Zolgen believed that he had missed him because of the direction in which the keys had been thrown, but...

"Set," Kirei said abruptly.

The black keys then abruptly changed course mid-air as soon as he said those words, and.. they landed right next to him.

Looking at the two black keys that had missed him, Zolgen's face broke into a smile of amusement.

The priest's holy weapons had already been ineffective against him, and it appeared that Kirei was beginning to succumb to exhaustion.

Zolgen estimated that the fatigue had already reached a critical point because the priest's aim was so off. Kire had been unable to hit him despite the fact that he was standing still and not attacking him; he had also attempted to change the direction of his weapons when he realized his error, but had still managed to miss him.

However, as Zolgen wanted to turn around to face Kirei and get ready to call forth the next and last wave of familiars to put an end to him for good, he quickly came to the realization that he was unable to move. He appeared to have been restrained.

He was unable to move this body, for reasons he neither knew nor could explain.

Zolgen had no idea, but Kirei had used one of the black keys' secret rites to seal his movements this time by piercing his shadow. It turned out that he had not missed his target.

And now that he'd destroyed the majority of this wave of familiars, and Zouken hadn't summoned the next one and couldn't defend himself, Kirei was free to act and put an end to this fight.

With his right arm extended in front of him, Kirei dashed toward Zolgen in an instant. And in his haste, he grabbed the fiend's head and slammed it against a tree behind him, nearly obliterating it and turning it into pulp.

Then, Kire started to pray.

"I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and heal. None will escape me. None will escape my sight…"

All the familiars Kirei had not yet destroyed attempted to attack him, but they were all destroyed as they passed through the barrier of holy light that had appeared around him.

Zolgen did not speak as Kirei continued his prayer; instead, he simply looked the priest in the one remaining eye without saying a word.

After the prayer was finished, the barrier had vanished and Zouken had been reduced to dust.

Kirei lowered his hand and checked to see if any other familiars were still present before dusting off both himself and his clothing.

Then Kirei took a moment to feel content with the well-done task after making sure the area was safe. To get rid of such a pest from the world was very satisfying, and once he discovered where the parasite phylactery was, it would be even more satisfying.

He then turned to face the bound field, noting that it was still standing.

'Well, I guess I have to now-' Kirei began to consider something before some applause abruptly stopped him.

"Incredible, really. I'll be honest: I had underestimated you, Kirei. However, looking back, I realize that I should not have had any other expectations of a church executioner like you. You are completely adept at dealing with entities like me..." A voice was heard from Zolgen.

His voice, which echoed all around Kirei, appeared incorporeal.

Kirei gave a stern scowl and kept quiet as he peered around. The monster somehow managed to survive. His work had yet to end.

"...Yes, in order to kill me, you must first destroy my body, then my soul. But tell me, Kirei, who ever told you I could only have one body?"

Kirei's attention was then drawn to the sound of something slithering through the grass and leaves.

He immediately turned toward whatever was rapidly approaching him. And then a worm familiar the size of a snake jumped out of the ground and flew toward him at incredible speed.

Kirei immediately threw one of his black keys at it, mistaking it for a normal familiar, but he was stunned when the familiar revealed a set of enormous jaws, which he used to bite and destroy the holy weapon.

Kirei reinforced his left arm, raised it, and used it as a shield when he realized he had no time to move or leap out of the way due to how quickly the familiar was approaching him. When the vermin reached him, his vest and flesh were easily penetrated by its teeth, but the strengthened bone underneath shattered them.

And before the familiar could start to thresh and cause further damage once it had bit him, without even flinching Kirei ripped it from the flesh of his arm, threw it to the floor, and then stomped on its head with his foot.

He looked at his arm as soon as he got back from making sure he wouldn't be attacked again, and when he did, he noticed a black liquid oozing out of the wound the thing had given him. As he examined the wound, Kirei scowled as the possibility that he might have been poisoned emerged.

"Did you think that after exorcising that body, I'd be too weak to assume form again? I'm sorry, but I believe you were misinformed." Zolgen stated.

"..."

"If we had this fight a few years ago, you might have already won... But I'm now far too powerful for you. This is far from over."

Kirei notices that Zolgen did not appear to be planning an attack as he spoke. It appeared as though he was attempting to buy time. For Kirei, that was essentially proof that his theory—that he had been poisoned—was accurate. At that point, he immediately began casting a spell to rid himself of the poison.

"...I understand your intentions." Zolgen spoke in a composed and assured manner. "But I'm here to tell you that using any kind of magic you may possess to combat toxins is pointless. It simply won't work. But if you want, you can try."

After a short while, Kirei realized that his attempt to cast a spell had been unsuccessful. The poison was strongly magical in nature. He could feel it. It was as ancient as it was powerful.

"As you may have guessed, Kirei, this is no longer a fight and is now a race against time. Will you be able to get rid of the toxin? Or will you-"

Before Zolgen could finish speaking, Kirei used a command seal to heal himself, and then dashed toward the side of the bounded field that had been enclosing him until now, where he used another to breach it and flee.

"…die trying?" Zolgen continued, dumbfounded.

As Kirei ran, Zolgen assumed form once again and watched him go.

"...Huh." Considering that what had occurred was unexpected, that was all he had to say.

Using any means necessary, Zolgen planned to trap Kirei and exhaust him before killing him. Whether it be to poison him or to use his forces to subdue him.

Given that Kirei had proven to be far more dangerous than he had previously thought, Zolgen had chosen to use the second option as well, believing it to be more effective in the long run. He reasoned that if he successfully poisoned Kirei and he was unable to remove the poison, the priest would have to amputate his limb or the part of his body where he had been bitten in order to survive before the poison spreaded. The blood loss and energy required to heal himself would have surely left him spent and greatly weakened.

Nonetheless, it appeared that the priest still possessed the leftover Command Spells from the previous war. Something Zolgen hadn't anticipated.

He was aware that Kirei had been the assassin Servant's Master, but Kirei had unquestionably lost his command seals after the Servant was vanquished.

His Master had also informed him of the priest contract with Archer and its termination once the Servant had reincarnated. Therefore, even if he had acquired the command seals from Tokiomi Tohsaka, they ought to have vanished as well.

That left only one possible explanation for why he still had them: Kirei had inherited the command Seals from his father.

Zolgen wasn't sure of the circumstances surrounding Risei Kotomine's death, but he reasoned that it didn't seem impossible or improbable for Kirei to be able to recover them.

Kirei's possession of the command seals made him far more dangerous than Zolgen had ever anticipated, but it made no difference in the end.

How many of them he had left now? He had surely just used two. One to heal himself and another one to escape the bounded field.

…Oh well, that did not matter. The fate of the man had been sealed.

Because his soul was being protected with the powerful spells of his master, no matter what kind of miracles or attacks Kirei used to destroy his bodies, he would never be able to actually harm him.

At that Zolgen closed his eyes and started to watch through the eyes of his familiars.

Since they were scattered throughout the whole city, there would be no place for Kirei to run or hide. At this very moment his familiars were pursuing and keeping an eye on him. Kirei was just delaying the inevitable.

At that, Zolgen's body fell apart again, and he returned to pursue the priest.

With his back against a tree for support, Kirei was struggling to hold himself up while panting. For the first time in who knows how long, he was able to get some rest.

Currently, Kirei was bleeding profusely not only from all the wounds that covered him from head to toe that the familiars had inflicted on him, but he was also losing blood from his nose and mouth after being poisoned repeatedly. Because of the blood loss, had turned very pale by that point.

Thoughts of how terrible his situation was kept him from fully appreciating that brief moment of respite because, in spite of all of his abilities, he was powerless to change it.

His speed was irrelevant when the entire city was infested with countless familiars. His strength was useless when the insects that attacked him could be easily killed by stepping on them. And, while his spells could kill hundreds of parasites, the never-ending horde persisted, while his mana reserves dwindled with each spell he used.

He had been under constant attack for the previous hours and had to evade and kill every single insect that was thrown at him before he could be overwhelmed, and he had never had the chance to rest until that point. He was so worn out as a result of this.

The worst thing about this situation was that by now he had used all of his command seals.

As time passed, the familiars grew more numerous, powerful, and restless, while he grew more tired and wounded. He had been fatally wounded and poisoned several times before, and he had to use the command seals to save himself before it was too late.

While he had reached his limit, Zouken familiars were like an endless and inexhaustible army.

But in that moment of respite, Kirei couldn't help but to think of something.

If Zolgen's claim that he would have won if they had fought five years earlier was true, Kirei had no choice but to reprimand himself. He had been aware of the threat lurking in the city, but he did nothing to address it. Following the conclusion of the Fourth Holy Grail War, he had become lax and neglected his responsibilities as executioner. And this whole situation was ultimately the result of such a foolish decision.

Kirei then started to scan the area. The only thing he could make out were the thousands of dead familiars he had so far exterminated. But he could hear the buzz of the next wave coming in, so he knew this battle was far from over. If only he had been able to eliminate Zolgen when he had exorcised him…

Speaking of which, not only did Kirei have no idea of why the exorcism did not work, he had not seen or heard from Zouken since he first "killed" him.

The only thing he had seen for the past hours had been the endless insects. He could feel his gaze on him, however. Eagerly anticipating his demise by the 'hand' of his familiars.

Kirei had made attempts to move to a better area, but he had always been completely cut off. Because there were so many of those filthy parasites, he could not even try to push his way through.

He was then startled out of his thoughts by a loud noise.

"…"

No, there had not been a loud noise; rather, there had been a sudden silence. The distant buzz had abruptly died away.

The priest was skeptical that the fiend had given up when he was so close to defeating him. That meant something was going to happen.

And, as if on cue, the sound of someone walking drew Kirei's attention. He turned, and there, in the midst of the darkness and the trees, stood a skeleton.

Kirei initially assumed that the worm had resorted to necromancy to kill him for whatever reason, but as he examined it more closely, he realized that its skull was not human. Consequently, Kirei realized that it was a new summons. Not only that, but that thing was armed with a sword that appeared to be made of bone as well.

More skeletons then started to emerge behind the first one Kirei had noticed as he stood up and prepared to fight this new foe, who he assumed would be much stronger than the literal insect that had been thrown at him up until that point.

He was entirely focused on the new threat when all of a sudden, he heard a whistle coming from his left. It was already too late when he turned toward it to take action. Due to his current state and extreme exhaustion, Kirei's reflexes had slowed down considerably. As a result, when he suddenly felt a pain spike, he was caught off guard and fell.

And it wasn't until he struggled to stand up that he realized an arrow had become lodged in his left knee. Another injury has been added to the list.

Kirei observed it for a moment before he sighed and rose to his feet, despite the new wound, as skeletons appeared all around him. He would not be deterred easily.

However, something caught his attention at that precise moment, and Kirei saw Zolgen off in the distance, concealed behind a tree. Strangely, he was not alone, and it appeared that he was conversing with another individual. From where he was, Kirei was unable to hear them, and he also did not have the time to do so as he needed to begin to fight off the new aggressors.

"I'm sorry, Miss; I didn't think I was taking too long to do what was requested of me." Zouken said as he was taken aback and perplexed by his master's unexpected intervention.

"...There is no need to apologize… I had just finished what I needed to do... so I wanted to complete what I had begun." Medea slowly said as she turned to watch Kirei fight.

For the next ten minutes, the priest fought valiantly with all of his remaining energy. Every skeleton that tried to attack him was crushed and destroyed by his mighty blows. He deflected every attack and object thrown at him, from spears to arrows. But his rampage came to an end when, after avoiding an arrow aimed at his shoulder, he was struck in the right leg by another one.

When Kirei fell, a skeleton threw itself on him and began to wrestle with him in an effort to restrain him. Kirei easily destroyed it using only his hands, but then another one, and another one, and another one arrived.

Only after one of Zouken's parasites intervened and injected a paralyzing agent into Kirei was the priest overwhelmed and subdued.

After some moments he was lying on the ground, his arm held behind his back and his legs pinned to the ground. Something completely unnecessary, as he was not only paralyzed, but he was also too exhausted to fight back at this point.

Nevertheless, despite his predicament and state, Kirei still made some valiant efforts to free himself, when all of a sudden something merely phased in front of him. As he noticed it, slowly, someone materialized in front of Kirei.

Kirei looked up and quickly realized that the person in front of him was a woman. She was dressed in some majestic and ancient-looking black and purple robes, with black stains all over them. He then raised his eyes and peered beneath her hood to see her face, but all he could see were her eyes. They shone in the dark, and it appeared that the person standing in front of him was... hysterical. Her pupils were far too wide and her eyes were quivering.

"Kirei, I have a question for you. Have you ever asked yourself why the serpent is only seen with Mother Mary, and never with Jesus?" The woman asked with a tone far too calm for someone in her current state, Kirei thought.

"..." Kirei did not answer. Not because he didn't have an answer for that, but because he was more focused on trying to recognize the woman's voice to see if he had ever met her before. He did not recognize it. Therefore this had to be the first time they had met.

"It's because only she knows what to do. With her foot she holds him steady on the ground, without the need to crush him. That is what I wanted to do with you… But I'm not Mother Mary, though, and you're a snake too dangerous to be left alive."

As soon as she finished speaking she turned to her right.

"Zolgen, leave us alone for a moment."

Kirei turned his eyes to watch where the woman was watching, and he turned them just in time to see Zolgen disappear.

For some moments, there was only silence.

"…Yes… I'll be honest… I shouldn't have done it… I should not have done any of this… I've allowed myself to get caught up in my emotions once again… they have always been a weakness of mine… " Medea said as she spoke to herself while she kept looking where Zolgen once stood, before she turned to watch Kirei. "...but now my mind is clearer than ever."

She then moved closer to Kirei, so that he could clearly hear everything she said.

"Kirei, you may not realize it, but you've found yourself in an unusual situation. I've always thought of myself as a woman who always kept her promises, as I have always given both my friends and my enemies everything they deserved, albeit in different ways. But this is the first time I've been unsure of what to do."

"…"

"Yes, your assistance, even if not fundamental, had proven to be quite useful to me at the time, and few people have ever 'willingly' helped me. That is not to be taken lightly. You could even say that you are the reason I am here in the first place."

Kirei kept being quiet, as he had no idea of what the woman was talking about.

"I never intended to eliminate you for this reason... but now I must inform you that things have changed."

The woman crouched as the skeletons who were restraining Kirei raised him and placed him on his knees. He and the woman were now face to face.

"I've seen your basement, Kirei, and now I know of the things that you too are capable of."

Kirei looked at her as he wondered who she was and what the basement had to do with their current position. But no matter how hard he tried to think of an explanation, none appeared.

"You are wicked... dangerous... And even though I should be the last person on earth to condemn you, I still can't let you wander the streets of this city freely. And because of this, I must kill you." She spoke before standing up and turning to face the sky.

There was some silence before the woman began to talk again.

"…But…" She then went on. "I must admit that your evil differs greatly from mine. I can feel it. Isn't it true that you were born this way?" She inquired of him.

Upon hearing that question Kirei was… perplexed.

By this point fatigue had caught him. His mind was blurring. And this is not how he imagined things to turn out. But, since he was there, he was intrigued as to where this was going, so he responded.

"…Yes. I was born with the devil in me." Kirei admitted, feeling a hint of relief as he did. "I was born with the evil one standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since. But who exactly are you? And what is the point you're trying to make?"

"...I'm just an inconsequential person, Kirei, that's all you need to know. But what I'm trying to say is that you never had a choice in the matter, isn't that right? Where I did the things I did out of my own free will and spite, Nature itself has been cruel to you. I'm sure that even if you attempted to fight it, your despicable nature would have ended up winning, and would have overwhelmed you… and you would have accepted it and grown fond of it, even if you despised it.

"..."

"You too were nothing but another victim of this world. And there was nothing you could possibly do from the start. So if you still have some kind of conflict within yourself, make peace with it."

Who was this individual? Kirei wondered. What was she referring to? Why was she so knowledgeable about him? Why did she address him in such a manner, as if they were already acquainted? And why did she treat him as if he deserved any sympathy?

"Have we really met before?" He asked.

"Yes, we have… But I doubt you would remember. And before we end this, tell me, Kirei, why did you do it? Why were all of those children there?"

"…"

"…Silence? Do you really have nothing to say? I doubt that it was a simple and heartless act of cruelty without any deeper significance… Was it some kind of dark ritual of some sort or something similar?"

Medea watched his face as she asked him those questions. The man had always been difficult to read. But what could he possibly have to conceal from her? What motivated him to commit such a heinous crime? Even she had a rationale for everything she had done, whether it was good or not.

Time went on, and Kirei was not answering. Medea sighed.

"...Really, it is such a shame you did not let those children go… but now, at last, they have finally found peace… And speaking of peace… Kirei, did you know that in this godless Age when people die, they reincarnate?"

As soon as she said those words, a Dragon warrior grabbed Kirei's hair and drew a knife near throat.

Kire scowled and said nothing in response to the woman's proclamation. His offense at her declaration that this age was absent of gods outweighed any concern he had for the knife that was close to his throat.

Medea wasn't sure if he didn't answer because she had said anything against his own beliefs or view, or because he saw where she was going, but she proceeded.

"Instead of reacting in this manner, you should rejoice and thank me. Think. You will soon get a new chance at life. You should be ecstatic about this finding, right?"

Kirei only continued to glare at her.

"...You know Kirei, bracing for the inevitable provides joy. Therefore you should rejoice now, as these will be the final moments of a dreadful and cursed life. I can assure you that what will come after will be much more vivid than everything you have ever experienced. This is the only way. You will never be able to escape this anguish otherwise…"

The knife near Kirei's throat started to dig into his flesh.

"...Such existence is suffering, Kirei. Enjoy the peace."

And with that, Kirei's throat was sliced open by the Dragon warrior. Yet, the priest kept glaring at Medea.

"…You could also think of this quick death as repayment for your services." She commented after a moment, as Kirei slowly suffocated in his own blood.

At that the Dragon Warriors dropped him, making him fall to the ground, and after some moments, Kirei's sight started to fade.

Kirei couldn't help but reflect on how odd the woman was as he passed away. He had sensed no genuine animosity or hate in her voice, despite her abrupt appearance, actions, and remarks.

He knew that he did not have much time left to sort out all that had transpired that night, and so, he focused his attention on another matter. If what she was saying about the cycle of incarnation was true… Well, he had no choice but to look forward to it.

Some minutes passed since Kirei had died, and seeing that Medea was not moving or doing anything in particular, Zolgen decided to approach her.

"Well, Miss, now that everything is finished, how do you propose we proceed?" As he took shape near her, Zolgen asked.

Medea turned to watch him before she answered.

"...First and foremost, we need to clean up the mess that the two of you made while fighting. I've already cleaned the church. The rest is up to you." Medea said, before she fell into deep thought.

"... Understood. But my question was, "How do you want to proceed with him?"

Medea snapped out of her trance and turned to look at Zolgen. She had no idea what he was referring to. Did he want to do something specific with Kirei's body? Did he required it for a specific experiment?

"Gilgamesh, Miss." Zolgen clarified. "How do you want to deal with him? If he still had any link with the priest, he would have undoubtedly felt his death. If not, it will only be a matter of time before he returns and discovers his disappearance."

"...Oh, him…" Medea just said.

"...Yes. With all due respect, I noted that you were looking into the future previously. Have you seen what's going to happen?"

"...Yes. It seems that Gilgamesh has felt the priest's death through some remnant of their contract, and he will come here next week." Medea answered.

"Then why not use this occasion to kill him?" Zolgen then suddenly suggested.

"...What?" Medea said after a moment.

"As powerful as Gilgamesh may be, he is neither unreachable or invulnerable. Even in life he was known to be an arrogant man, and I've witnessed how he acted throughout the war with my own eyes. A Heroic Spirit of his caliber could have eliminated the majority of the other Servants with ease, yet his pride and sense of superiority got in the way and prevented him from doing so." Zolgen said as he recalled the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War. "Miss, how do you suggest eliminating him? Should we use a powerful poison that will kill him instantly, or a curse that will slowly sap his life from him before he could even notice? I know that the current era has weakened you greatly, preventing you from using the greatest of your spells, but would you be able to do it?"

At that Zolgen turned to watch Medea as he snapped out of his reasoning, but he noticed that she was not giving him any attention.

"...Miss?"

"...Zolgen, I have to remind you that Gilgamesh is now much more powerful than he has ever been in his life. Because of his legend, which states that he had all of the world's treasures, he now boasts in his armory some of the most powerful weapons that have ever existed. Attempting to take his life now would be unwise. And remember, he is superior to us not merely in terms of raw might, but also in terms of foresight. We are fortunate that he is not using his full power because of his arrogance; otherwise, if he began to use it effectively, he would be able to wreck the majority of our plans. You have to accept the fact that the two of us do not have the necessary power to deal with him…" Medea said before she turned to watch Zolgen.

"Besides this, how is it possible that an Archer servant possesses precognition of this caliber while I, a Caster Servant, did not?"

"...Aaah, I'm sorry." Zolgen apologized immediately. "The war was devised from the beginning to favor the three warrior classes, which the three founding families would have summoned."

"...Oh, that explains a lot. There were far too many Servants with high magic resistance…" Medea muttered, before she fell once again into deep thought.

Another long moment of silence passed.

"...Butsomethingmustbedone. Are you not worried about him?" Zolgen asked as he returned to the previous topic.

"No. I'm not preoccupied by him because I've already seen his demise. In the next Holy Grail War, one of the Masters will defeat him with the aid of the Archer Servant."

"I know, you've already told me, but now that we have-"

"And until then, you should know that we have nothing to worry about." Medea cut him off. "Do not be afraid, Zolgen; despite what we accomplished tonight, the future remains unchanged. Phreaps, this is how things were always meant to be… to happen…"

"..." Zolgen remained silent.

"Still, I've already seen the upcoming events. Next week, the King of Heroes will visit the city, search the area in vain, and then depart until the commencement of the Fifth Holy Grail War." The vision of the man walking with a nun with white hair came to Medea's mind as she explained.

"...He will not search for us?"

"He will try, but remember Zolgen, we know everything about him, while he knows absolutely nothing about us. The spells and bounded fields that I have created in the past years appositely work against all of his abilities and will hide all of our traces from him. There will be nothing for him to find or trace back to us. After he comes, in a matter of days he will lose interest and go away."

"That's it? He will not even turn the city into chaos to find us?" Zolgen asked, surprised.

"Zolgen, the King of Heroes is no fool. He knows well the true strength of privacy and secrecy. And he won't put his cover in jeopardy for such 'trivial things'. He has much bigger ambitions." Medea said, before she turned silent again.

"...Miss, are you fine?" Zolgen asked, as he finally noted the odd way Medea was behaving.

"...Yes, I'm fine, and once you will eliminate every proof of our passage and your fight, then you'll be free to go. Thank you for your help tonight, Zolgen. You have helped me greatly. Expect a great reward in the future."

"...Yes… Thank you." Zolgen said as he nodded.

And with that, Medea disappeared.

Following the dematerialization of his master, Zolgen turns to face Kirei's body. He took a time to contemplate it before calling his familiars to dispose of the body and beginning the cleaning of the area.

Medea was transported from the forest where she was standing to her home's backyard in the blink of an eye.

She paused for a moment before turning and walking toward the porch.

As she sat, her blood-stained robes vanished, revealing her civilian clothes underneath.

She sighed tiredly as she stared at the ground, then looked up and began to watch the moon.

Medea observed with great attention the celestial body, and she admired every detail of it, as she was reminded of Hecate and the many lessons that they had together. And even though she was captivated by its greatness and beauty, soon, she started sweating, and her teeth started chattering too.

That was just a desperate and vain attempt to keep herself calm after everything she had discovered and done.

Medea was terrified and on the verge of breaking down at this point.

Now that the deed has been completed, everything that might remind her of her past has been removed.

She was not even sure why she had behaved like that. Especially with Kirei.

The priest had killed all of those children, yet she had shown him mercy by giving him a swift death.

Perhaps, she was a bit too shocked after discovering the bodies and giving them a proper burial? Or maybe, she knew that it would be hypocritical of her to make him suffer for what he had done when she had killed her own sons?

Still, she couldn't let it go unpunished. Just as she had told him, even if she was as horrible as him, It didn't change anything about his actions. She was actually sincere when she said that he was too dangerous to be left alive. He could not be controlled as the King of heroes would undoubtedly notice that he was under the effect of a spell, one that could possibly be traced back to her. And he was too much of a liability to be left on his own devices.

…She was not even sure if those were the only people Kirei had killed in this period of time... and She would never know.

Still, he had been dealt with, and now, the difficult part had started. She had to deal with her memories.

She did not want to remember. She was not supposed to remember, according to her. Not again.

She wished to forget the events of that day. Regarding everything she had done.

She had worked so hard to keep her memories hidden. For the past five years, everything had been going so well. But there she was, haunted by the past once more.

THis had to be her new life. One free of all burdens and negativity. Free of anything that would bind her to the past or force her to reflect on her life and decisions.

It was not fair. It was unjust. It was not-!

Her thoughts were cut off when she felt herself starting to sweat and shudder. Her breath had become shallow, and she felt cold all over.

It was no use. As long as she kept reminding herself how unfair it was, how unfair everything had been, there would be no way out of it. There was absolutely no escape. Why?

She had accepted it that day. She accepted all of the guilt, and the pain, and the loneliness that her actions would cause her as she raised the dagger against her sons. Yet, that darkness had returned, and it was trying to consume her whole until she either died or went mad. She simply could not stand it anymore.

Her hands started shaking.

At that, suddenly she clenched them into fists. Her nails dug into her skin, making cuts on her hand that started bleeding.

She noticed it. She felt it. Yet, she let them bleed.

She let the blood start dripping off her hands and dripping onto the ground below her, and she looked at all of this with a maniacal look. She felt like she was going insane, so she needed to feel pain.

It made her stronger. It made her focus. It gave her determination.

For all of her life she had known only delusion, pain, and disappointment. Peace had been only a fleeting matter. So she was now where she was most used to, where she belonged. This was nothing that she could not get over.

She then took a sharp breath.

Medea closed her eyes tightly for a moment, before she opened them once more to focus her gaze at the moon once more.

This time however, her eyes had gained clarity. No longer were they filled with despair. Instead, they held an intense glow, reflecting the full moon that lit the space around her. That glow helped her see better, but also showed the weakness within her.

She was a monster. She could not hide that fact anymore. She could not deny what she had become. She could not erase it. All that she could do was keep the truth to herself. And keep reminding herself.

'A monster does not feel guilt.' Medea thought.

When she raised her dagger against her own sons she felt neither misery, nor pain, nor regret, and no guilt.

Pure satisfaction was all that she felt when she showed their corpses to Jason.

Sure, she would be in denial if she would ever say that she could forgive herself for what she had done that day, but she could not allow herself to dwell. She had to be strong. Until the end

…

…

…

…How strange. Why was she not feeling the conviction of her words?

"Are you still here? Isn't it quite late? You should go to sleep."

Medea was then startled out of her thoughts as Shirou spoke up as he walked behind her.

"Oh, Shirou, it's you. Gods. You almost scared me." Medea said after she turned. "And you? Why are you awake?"

"...Ehm, while I was sleeping I thought I had felt the bounded field activate, so I came to check." He said as he rubbed his right eye.

'...I see, I must have set them off with my return and subsequent use of magic.' Medea thought, before she quickly turned her hands to hide the blood drooping and using magic to heal her wounds and clean everything.

Shirou did not need to see her in her state.

"...Is there something wrong? I see you are being thoughtful." Shirou said. "...Is that why you are still here?" He then asked.

" …You saw right through me." Medea admitted after a moment.

Even if he did not show it, Shirou had always been very attentive and observant about other people's emotive state. And it seemed that he still had this ability of his.

"So? What is it?"

"You mean what I was thinking about? Well, I was thinking about… my name… yes… I was thinking about its origin…"

"Your name? Is there a story behind it?" Shirou asked as he got closer and sat next to her, clearly curious.

Despite the sheer amount of time he had spent with her, he still knew very little about Medea.

Of course he never asked her because he knew that in doing so he would just renew her sorrow.

Never would he forget the time Medea had told him that now it was just the two of them. Seeing the saddenees in her eyes and hearing it in her voice when she said it, he understood that just like him she had lost almost everything during her life, but unlike him, she still remembered everything she had lost... And it still hurt her.

He had no intention to ever hurt her, even if it meant to remain ignorant about her.

That was why such a thing had piqued his interest. As it had been Medea herself to talk about herself on her own volition. Something that she had never done before.

"Indeed, but it is not the kind of story you may be thinking about. In reality, this name has been given to me in honor of a person that had lived thousands of years ago: the witch

Medea of Colchis, daughter of the King Aetëës, and niece of the demigoddess of magic Circe."

"Oh. I did not know that there was someone named like that."

"...And that is quite a good thing." Medea said. "She and the things she has done are not something adapt to kids."

Shirou frowned at that affirmation.

"I'm not a kid anymore. You know that." He said as he pouted a bit.

"Heh, sure, whatever you say." Medea said as she smiled a little and waved her left hand.

"I do not like it when you make fun of me." Shirou commented. "Anyway, tell me about this story. Perhaps it will make you feel better."

Medea turned to look at him, and Shirou noticed her expression turning sober and surprised at his request.

He then saw Medea thinking about it for some time, before she just… shrugged.

"...Sure, why not. Perhaps, there will be something you will be able to learn from it. But before I start I have to warn you, this is a tragedy about injustice and revenge. It is not a fairytale, and her story does not have a happy ending."

Shirou nodded to make her understand that he had understood.

And from that moment on, Medea started to tell this story that she had "heard".

"Everything began when the young Jason, the goddess Hera's favorite protégé and leader of the Argonauts, saw that land was in sight. He and the Argonauts had arrived on the eastern shores of the Black Sea, where the ancient kingdom of Colchis stood, after many adventures.

Jason looked around at his crew, the Argo's sailors. The Argonauts were among the most valiant heroes in Greek history.

Castor and Pollux, twins, were among them. Heracles, as well as Atalanta. They, like their leader, were both excited and relieved to have arrived at their destination. Their journey had been long and perilous. As they got closer to the shores of Colchis, so did the object of their quest, the fabled Golden Fleece."

"The Golden Fleece? What exactly was it?" Shirou inquired.

"The Golden Fleece was the fleece of a winged ram sacrificed to Zeus, and it was said to be able to heal any wound. If Jason could reclaim it, he would ascend to the throne of his kingdom Iolcos, which is currently held by his uncle, the evil Pelias.

Pelias struck a bargain with his nephew. He admitted that the Throne was his, but he had to first prove his worth by bringing back the golden fleece. Confident of himself, Jason took up the challenge.

Surrounded by his loyal companions, the hero clambered up the dunes, beyond which lay the sacred wood, where the fleece hung from an oak tree. But, before taking it, Jason had to get permission from Aetëës, King of Colchis and guardian of the mythical object.

Aetëës had stationed a fearsome Dragon at the base of the oak to guard the fleece. It could kill anyone who got too close to a cinder with a single burst of flame. Aetëës was a cunning and heartless Soul, and he took gleeful pleasure in killing any strangers who dared to set foot on his land in this manner.

Jason walked into the palace and into his court. An there, Aetëës daughter, the princess Medea, stood beside him.

She was a sorceress. Perhaps the greatest of them all, some say even greater than her aunt Circe, herself an expert in transformations and magic spells. Aetëës listened attentively to the request of his visitor. Then he spoke.

'I'll give you the golden fleece if you can complete three tasks.'

And they were three formidable tasks. He had to yoke two fire breathing oxen with bronze feet and horns to a plow first. Next, clear four arpans of a field and sow the soil with dragon teeth, remembering that once in the Earth, these extraordinary teeth will sprout an army of Warriors that must be defeated.

Jason was stunned; it was impossible to do what was requested. Aside from those tasks, where could he find dragon's teeth? At that, Aetëës smiled, held out his hand, and opened it to reveal monstrous teeth. They were right there. And it was up to him to sow them. Jason left the throne room, his spirit tormented.

The goddesses Hera and Athena, Zeus' wife and daughter, had witnessed the entire scene from Olympus. As Jason left, they excitedly discussed how they could assist him. They then asked Eros, the god of love, to ensure that the King's Daughter Medea was consumed by a burning passion for Jason.

Eros agreed and promised the goddesses that he would prolong Medea's passion.

Because of this, Medea felt completely tormented as she watched Jason leave. She desperately wanted to help Jason because of her newfound love, but she also despised the thought of betraying her father. She even considered suicide to end the internal conflict because she was afraid of dying in disgrace as a foolish woman who gave up everything for a stranger and betrayed her family. But, in the end, she forged ahead and decided to assist Jason.

The task at hand would have been impossible to complete for a normal man lacking any kind of power or divine heritage, such as Jason.

But, as he was about to rejoin his companions, Medea appeared in front of him. The Sorceress announced to him, in a voice quivering with the passion that Eros had filled her heart, that she was willing to assist him in completing his tasks.

She agreed to help him on one condition. Jason had to take her away from her father, whom she resented, and promised to marry her.

Jason thought about her request. Medea was gorgeous, and her proposal exceeded his expectations. He swore by all the gods of Olympus that he would not only marry her, but that he would be faithful to her for the rest of his life. Medea then handed him a flask containing a blood-colored liquid.

She assured him that this ointment would protect him from the fires of the creatures he would face. She then presented him with a rock. What appeared to be an ordinary everyday Rock. She told Jason that once the Dragon's Teeth were sown and transformed into fearsome Warriors, he had to throw the rock among them. Though Mighty, the extremely stupid soldiers born of the Dragon's teeth would fight over the Rock.

Jason took the flask and The Rock, as well as his Spear and shield, and set out to face the fire-breathing Bulls. He yoked them and forced them to furrow the soil. Once the field had been plowed as king Aetëës had demanded, he sowed the Dragon's Teeth, and a horde of armed and helmeted warriors immediately sprang from the Earth.

They were powerful, but extremely stupid, just as Medea had foretold, so Jason acted quickly. He hurled the rock the Sorceress had given him at his enemies, and everything went exactly as she predicted. And Jason took care of the few survivors.

It was time for Jason to return to Aetëës and claim his prize. He and Medea set off for the palace. But she kept her distance, so as not to attract the suspicions of her father.

She knew full well that he would quickly grasp that if Jason had succeeded, somebody must have helped him, and that his assistant had to be gifted in the Arts of magic: his own. Daughter.

'No.' The king's response to Jason was unequivocal. Aetëës had never intended to part with the Golden Fleece, and since he was furious that his scheme to get Jason killed had failed, he threatened to burn the Argo and slaughter its crew.

Distraught, Jason left the palace and Medea was waiting for him.

Jason did not know what to do, but it was then that Medea declared that they had to steal the fleece.

It was guarded by a terrifying dragon. Jason was told not to be afraid by Medea. Jason went to the sacred wood with the Sorceress. The Golden Fleece was indeed suspended. The dragon was close by; it was a terrifying sight, larger than the Argo itself.

Its body was encircled with a thousand rings, and it was invincible and immortal. Medea approached slowly, murmuring enigmatic incantations. She then grabbed the branches of a juniper tree and extracted the sap known for its narcotic effects, spraying it into the Dragon's eyes. The monstrous creature immediately fell asleep, and the path ahead was clear.

Jason took down the Golden Fleece from the oak. And so, it was time to make their escape.And they had to be quick, as Aetëës was on to them and had sent his soldiers with his son Absyrtus, Medea's brother, after them.

After a mad dash they managed to board the Argo and cast off. The ship moved away from the shore, but Aetëës galley had already slipped into its wake.

The Argonauts did their level best to speed up, but the king's crew was rapid and was gaining on them. Medea was thrown into a panic; the prospect of falling back into the clutches of her father was more than she could bear. He would undoubtedly seize Jason, the man she had fallen madly in love with, and execute him. She could not let it happen.

And it was then that Medea finally showed herself for who she really was. So she made a plan.

And after having made her brother get on their ship with the pretext of negotiation, she killed him with the help of Jason.

Then without a moment's hesitation she sliced off his head and cut the rest of his body into pieces, and as the horrified Argonauts looked on, she tossed them overboard one after the other.

Upon seeing the scene Aetees almost fainted with shock as he saw the head of his son floating on the time.

He immediately stopped his pursuit, and ordered his crew to recover the body of his son, so that he could receive a proper burial.

Meanwhile the Argo into the Open Sea the crew was saved. Just then a terrible voice rang out. The king of Gods was appalled by Madea's actions and proclaimed that the two lovers would pay for this frightful murder with their lives unless they managed to cleanse themself from the crime. Madea knew that only one person could carry out this cleansing her, it was the powerful sorceress Circe.

Circe was the subject of a thousand legends, each more terrifying than the last. The argo altered its course. The journey to Circe's island was long and perilous, with a thousand tempests to navigate after 30 days at sea. Jason and Madea arrived at the palace of the great sorceress.

They mixed in with the crowd of supplicants who had come to seek cleansing. In an impressive silence, a woman dressed in a scarlet tunic, Circe, approached the couple and held above them a young ewe. She invoked Zeus by cutting its throat as blood poured onto Jason and Madea's hands.

Circe looked at her niece callously after the ritual was completed. She informed her. 'I have purified you. But know this: I will not contemplate any further misfortune against you. I do not approve of your designs or your heinous actions, so please leave.'

Madea then began to cry, and Jason was becoming increasingly agitated by the young woman's misfortune, and ot caused him and his crew to wonder if they had been cursed.

As the Argo sailed alongside the coast of the island of Corfù, the voyage resumed. But then, one of Aetees powerful and heavily armed ship heaved into view. The Pursuit of the King of Colchis had not been abandoned. Jason realized that whatever it took, Aets would be right on his tail.

There was only one thing to do, marry Madea. Not so much to honor his promise, more because he knew very well that the king would cease trying to recover his daughter once she had lost her virginity. And so-."

"What is a verginity?" Shirou asked, innocently.

Medea paused for a moment, before she turned to look at him and answered.

"...It's something I'll have to discuss with you in a couple of years, when you'll be a little older. Then you will understand."

"...Ah, I see." Shirou nodded.

"As I was saying, Jason ordered the crew toland the ship. The moment they stepped, they were married with the Argonauts acting as witnesses. The Golden Fleece was then laid out as a wedding bed. By the time the pursuers had arrived, it was too late. The marriage had been consumed, and the couple was saved. They were now considered husband and wife under the eyes of the law and the gods."

Medea turned to watch Shirou to see if he was still following, which Shirou nodded. He didn't quite understand what had happened in this last part of the story, but he nodded anyway.

"Once he had returned to Iolcos, terrible news awaited Jason.He discovered that his uncle Pelias, who had promised to relinquish the throne in exchange for the Golden Fleece, had murdered not only his father, but also his entire family.

Pelias had to die, according to Jason and the Argonauts, who were outraged by his heinous actions. But the city was far too well-armed for the few of them to attack. Then, inspired by her overwhelming love for Jason, Medea rose to speak once more. She told the Argonauts to hide on a beach until they saw a torch lit on the palace's roof. That would indicate that the doors were open and that that Pelias had died. They'd be free to take over the city.

Medea set out on her own, like a shadow. She skipped through the city, entering the palace and slipping unnoticed into Pelias's four daughters' bed chamber. She informed them that she was an invoice sent by the goddess Artemis, who had decided to revitalize and rejuvenate their aging father. The girls were incredulous and did not believe a word of it. So, to persuade them, Medea boiled some water in a massive cauldron. She magic herbs in it before she requested that they send for an old Ram. Once it had arrived, she then slit his throat and immersed it in the boiling liquid. A cute little lamb emerged from the concoction a few moments later. Captivated Pelias's daughters immediately decided that their father must be similarly reinvigorated. They pleaded with Madea to give them some of the magic herbs.

The Sorceress willingly complied, and the girls then went to Pelias to tell him of the will of the goddess Artemis, confirmed by the incredible scene they had just witnessed. They tried

to persuade him to submit to the same ritual but Pelias refused. Were they out of their minds?

His daughters insisted on telling him, again and again, how the Ram had rediscovered its youth. With a wave of his hand, Pelias dismissed them. They surrounded their father and shoved him into the cauldron of boiling water, not easily dismissed and with big grins on their faces. However, there was no charm in the magical herbs, and Madea had vanished.

Despite Pelias death, Jason did not ascend to the throne. The people blamed him for the death of their king and hounded him out of the kingdom, and instead crowned the son of Pelias as new king.

King Creon eventually welcomed Jason and Medea to Corinth. And over a period of ten, peaceful and happy years, Madea gave Jason two sons: Mermerus and Phered.

By this point Medea seemed appeased. She imagined herself ending her life beside the man she still loved above all else… for that was all she ever wanted…"

"Well, it wasn't so terrible." Shirou said once Medea had reached that point, thinking the tale to be over.

Sure, he was a little shocked by the amount of violence and death, but it was nothing too overwhelming.

"...Who told you that the story was over?" She then asked him, almost amused, before she continued with her tale.

"But one morning the aging King Creon summoned Jason and confided to him that before he died, he was anxious to find a noble husband for his daughter Glauce, a man who could be an heir to his kingdom.

He remembered Jason, who was already married. But for him the solution was straightforward.

Creon reasoned that he only needed to renounce Medea in any case. After all, Madea was a foreigner, and she was not recognized as Jason's wife under Greek law. Glauce was a beautiful young woman, so Jason didn't need much convincing. The Iolcos throne had eluded him, but now was his chance to become King of Corinth.

Sure, it was a shame about Medea, but never mind…

Despite everything that she had done, up until that point Medea had always been able to live her life at its fullest. The fire that kept her alive was love. Jason's love. Their children's love. …Of course, all of that changed after the betrayal.

Obviously Medea was overwhelmed by grief and rage by Jason unfealty. Medea loved Jason more than anything. She had betrayed and left her family for him. She had even killed her brother for Jason. He knew that, and yet, he still chose to marry a princess in the hope of becoming a king. He did not care about Medea, her love, their marriage, everything she had done for him, their children… His ambition was more important than anything for him.

But in his greed, Jason had forgotten that his patron God, Hera, was the goddess of marriage and family. Jason was not only a murderer and a trickster by that point, but he had also become an adulterer and an oathbreaker, as he was married to Medea in both the eyes of the law and the gods.

As a result, he had lost the favor of the gods, unbeknownst to him.

Creon then decided to exile the Sorceress from his kingdom the same day. King Creon was worried that in her zeal for vengeance, she would do some heinous things. As a result, he decided to exile her and her sons from the kingdome right away.

Madea was stunned. Everything she valued had been abruptly taken from her in so little time. She quickly gathered herself, and she requested that the king grant her one more day in the city.

She begged him to give her just one day to prepare and figure out where she needed to go. And, reluctantly, the king agreed..."

"...And that ended up being the greatest mistake of his life." Medea added.

"Why? What could she do in just one day?" Shirou asked.

Medea smiled a bit at that, before she continued with the tale.

"As I was saying, Creon accepted, not realizing the terrible Revenge the humiliated sorceress was planning to exact.

Her worst nightmare had come true by that point. She was abandoned and betrayed by the man for whom she had given everything.

There was only one thing left for her to do: avenge herself.

Medea conjured up a golden gown, a sublime one, a robe fit for the most beautiful goddesses and noble queens. She sent it to her rival, pretending it was a token of her friendship. Glauce was dazzled and hurriedly tried it on, with terrifying results.

Glauce burst into flames the moment she put on the dress, engulfed in a terrible blaze. She died in agony as she burned to death. Her father then cradled her body, attempting to help her in some way, and then died, just like his daughter.

Meanwhile, Madea was making her way to Hera's Temple. But she was not alone, for her children… Jason's children… accompanied her.

It was very dark. The air was deafeningly quiet. Mermerus and Phere sat by Medea's side. She took them in her arms and held them tenderly against her..."

After that Medea paused for a minute.

"...And? What happens next?" Shirou asked, weirded out by Medea's sudden silence.

"I… shudder just to think about what happens next." Medea said in an emotionless tone. "...Anyone would, once they knew what inhuman thoughts were running through her head... What thoughts of chronic and consistent cruelty. For those are the kinds of incredible feats

that humans are capable of when they abandon their dignity…" Medea's voice wavered ever so slightly at that, as she was trying hard not to show any emotion.

"...why is that? What did she do?" Shirou asked, now genuinely preoccupied as he saw the way Medea's voice turned grim.

Medea turned to watch Shirou, and looked him in his eyes for a long moment before answering.

"She then planned to murder her own sons. As her last act of vengeance to Jason, she would put an end to his line.

"...What?" Shirou said, shocked.

"Yes… Horrifying, isn't it? Despite knowing the gravity of what she was about to do, Medea viewed the planned murder as something she had to bear, even though it would grieve her even more than Jason, as it will have the desired effect upon him."

Shirou remained silent.

" 'Everything is decided.' She thought at the time. She would kill her children and leave the land. She did not wish to linger and abandon her children to other hands, far more hostile than hers. They had to die, and since they had to, it would be her to kill them, the one who brought them into the world…"

Shirou remained silent, as Medea turned to stare into the distance.

"And as she prepared herself to do such a horrible act, she was internally speaking to herself…

'Take courage, my soul, what are you waiting for to make this horrendous and necessary gesture? Take, my poor hand, take the sword, set out on the path of pain, don't be cowardly and try to forget that they are your children and that you love them so much; for this short day, forget about the children; then you will cry. Even if you kill them, you have loved them, unfortunate Medea…" Medea then quoted herself.

Never would she forget the words she had used to convince herself to do what she did.

"She understood the mistake she was about to make, and yet, her passion was stronger than her reason. And it is this passion the greatest cause among the murder of men."

"How… How could she have killed her children? Why?" Shirou asked, perplexed.

"...Because in the end Jason had taken everything away from her, and abandoned her as soon as he could. And just like him, she was a selfish monster, one who cared for no one other than herself, and wished to make him pay, no matter what."

"But her children… They… they were innocent."

"You are correct. They were. However, their father was not." She let out a sigh. "...That was the only way, in her twisted and cruel mind, she could have made Jason understand her pain. She had to show him what it was like to lose everything... and he did."

"…"

"I know. It's perplexing. Some speculate that after Jason's betrayal, she went insane or hysterical... Others, understandably, believe she was simply that cruel. The gods and their descendants, you see, have always been... human in some ways.

"…Human? What do you mean?" Shirou asked as he snapped out of his shock

"...I don't just mean that they were flawed in spite of their incredible power and wisdom. They had feelings, just like us. They can be kind, evil, or petty. Etcetera. But because they were divine and so powerful, everything about them was... amplified..."

"They were human in some ways, but they were also more. They were so human that they could not be defined as such. They had passion and hatred on a completely different scale than humans. Because of their nature, every emotion, every merit and flaw was amplified thousands of times. Their minds and hearts were capable of feeling far more than ordinary humans. You could even argue that the emotional intensity of a single moment of a god's passion is far greater than anything a human has ever felt in his entire life."

"In fact, if you read their legends, you will notice that they were prone to the most extreme of actions. This is due to the fact that they could only experience extreme emotions. From enlightened joy, or in contrast, from deep-seated sorrow."

"Such emotional intensity has always had an impact on them and their decisions. And this would frequently result in great acts of kindness and charity... or in acts that would haunt them until the end of time."

Medea said before she fell silent for a long minute, as she started into the void.

"...That's what I meant. While they are, in some ways, human, they are, and will always be, beyond humanity."

Shirou remained deafeningly silent. Medea decided to end the story after a few minutes of silence.

"Medea looked at her children with no anger, jealousy, or despair in her eyes. She then let out a terrible scream before pulling out a dagger and plunging it into the hearts of her children."

"Meanwhile, Jason had learned what had happened to Creont and Glauce, and he was convinced that Medea was to blame for their deaths, so he sought her out to confront her. Yet, seeing Medea on a golden chariot towed by two dragons given to her by Helios, holding the corpses of his children, was the last thing he expected to see when he found her.He cried and begged her to at least leave the corpses with him so he could bury them, but she refused, making her also guilty of this lack of pity. She then expressed her desire to bury them with her own hands. She would then take them to Hera Akraia's temple so that none of her enemies would offend them by desecrating their tomb. And there, in the land of Sisyphus, she instituted solemn feasts and rites to atone for this impious murder.

There are different versions of what happens to them next.

Jason, the conqueror of the Golden Fleece, had become a mere shadow of himself after losing everything. Nothing was important to him anymore. Neither power nor glory can be found. He lived alone in his memories, unhappy with only the memories of his slaughtered Sons, bygone exploits, and long-lost loves. One day, he was lying eyes closed beneath a tree in the shadow of his old rotting ship, the Argo, when the Stern broke off and crashed into him. Jason was murdered while sleeping. Just as Medea had predicted before she left.

In other versions, instead of living in the past until he died, Jason recognized his mistakes and how his excessive greed had tragically ended the lives of many of those he loved. So, overcome with guilt and the desire to atone for his sin, he committed suicide to demonstrate that he truly regretted what he had done.

His death may be tragic, but he brought it on himself by betraying the only person who ever truly loved him. Medea's sin was her rage, but her rage was caused by Jason's sin, his greed, a greed greater than his love for both his wife and child, a greed that caused him to lose the god's favor…

...What happened to Madea? We don't know what happened to her. According to legend, she fled to Athens and bewitched the old King before being exiled again. Others claim that the Gods took her life and transported her to the Elysian Fields, where she married the hero Achilles after he was killed outside the walls of Troy.

One thing is certain: Medea was an errant woman, willing to go to any length to achieve her goals; she was outrageous and possessive. Her love turned murderous."

"..."

"...So, tell me Shirou, did you like this story?"

"...I did not."

"Good. And I hope that you may have learned something from all of this."

Shirou turned to watch her, wondering what kind of moral he may learn.

"Perhaps in the future you will feel rage and experience something terrible yourself. Medea and Jason are both unreasonable in classic human ways. Jason was destroying everything by attempting to have it all. While Madea's folly was that she was, in fact, the victim of a terrible injustice, instead of making the best of her new situation, she chose to fight to the death and drag everyone down with her. One of the "morals" of this ancient story, I believe, is that life is not fair, and that in order to get the best outcome in life, you must compromise and accept the bad stuff... rather than dying or ruining everything by clinging to unrealistic dreams.

"...Oh… I see…"

Some minutes passed, as they sat in silence. Both of them have different thoughts flowing in their mind. But the silence was broken when Medea spoke.

"...I'm exhausted." As she looked up into the sky, she blurted out.

"Hm?"

"...I'm tired with all of it. Of everything. Telling you this story has reminded me of how tragic and unfair the world has been since the dawn of humanity." Medea said as she turned to face him. "...Not even you could save yourself from all this cruelty. Oh, you poor child. You will never forget that night, will you? You'll never forget the moment the earth trembled, the air caught fire, and then... silence. I'm not sure if you should consider yourself lucky because you lost almost everything and everyone you cared about." Medea lowered her gaze to the ground. "And to think it could all have been avoided…"

Shirou's ears perked up.

"...Who will ever put a stop to the world's madness? Who is going to wake us up from this nightmare? … If only there were a hero who could save us all." Medea pondered this before falling silent.

Then, something dawned on Medea, as Shirou's eyes widened as he felt something inside of him.

This scene felt a little too familiar. This location. Two people conversing. The full moon rising into the sky... She had seen this scene before.

Her eyes widened as she realized where she had previously seen such scenery: Shirou's memories.

The night Kiritsugu Emiya died after Shirou promised him to become a hero.

Shirou was staring at her from the corner of her eye, his eyes filled with childish resolve and determination.

'...Oh no… What have I said?! What did I do?' In complete panic, she thought.

This was not what she had envisioned for him.

She didn't want him to be inspired to become a hero on a mere whim, on the spur of the moment. She needed to shape and educate him on what he would actually oppose.

And most importantly, she wished to give him a genuine choice in the matter, despite already knowing his future and the path he would take.

She didn't want him to turn into that person again. She didn't want him to revert to his old ways. She didn't want him to regard his life as less valuable than the lives of others. He wasn't supposed to-!

"I will." Shirou said, interrupting her thoughts. "I will become the Hero this world needs."

Medea slowly turned to face Shirou, and stared at him for a very long moment.

"…Heh, that's very cute. Thank you Shirou." She then told him with a smile and a tone of voice that made it clear to him that she was not taking him seriously.

"…I'm serious." Shirou told her.

"…Really?" She asked him, her expression turning a bit more serious.

"Yes."

"...I see… but tell me, why?"

Medea had to immediately challenge any kind of ideal he had and shape it into the proper form.

"...I want to help people. "I... I like that idea..." Sirou admitted, almost embarrassed, though he didn't know why.

"Why? What motivates you? "What is the reason?"

"…?"

Shirou said nothing, but he looked at her with a puzzled expression, unable to understand her question.

Why would he need a reason?

"...Shirou, don't be childish. Every day, people put their lives in danger. They betray and murder each other for the most nonsensical and petty of reasons. Every year hundreds of thousands of people die by murder… or even suicide. Why would you ever risk your life for people who... who don't even care? Why would you put your life in danger for someone who will never be grateful for what you did for them?" Medea inquired.

Shirou immediately opened his mouth to answer her question after hearing it, but nothing came. He actually thought about his wish as a result of this.

Before Shirou explained his motivation for ehy he wnated to do it, they sat in silence for nearly five minutes.

"...You are right..." He says. "Many people do not care about human lives, neither their own… nor those of others..."

"…" Medea said nothing and simply listened to him, giving him as much time as he needed to express himself.

"...However, there are still innocent people caught up in conflicts and disasters who wish for someone to help them... someone to save them... Just like me, that night."

"…"

"…I… I want to become a hero because I know the horrors of this world… and I want to ensure that no one will ever have to go through the same terrible things I did." He said, as he turned to look at his savior.

Medea looked at him for a long time before speaking.

"...Yes... that is... that is a good reason..." She said as she closed her eyes, feeling incredibly proud of him.

Shirou smiled, pleased by her approval.

"...Shirou, you're free. You are free to do whatever you want. Are you certain this is the path you want to take?" She asked, her voice delicate and yet tired.

"Yes."

"...Fine, then." Medea nodded. "Shirou, I'll teach you everything. I'll make you a great man... a great hero... I'll make you the heir to a great legacy, but you must promise me one thing. Whatever happens in the future, whatever you see and do, you must always return home... understood?" She requested solemnly.

"…Yes?" Shirou was taken aback by her seriousness.

"Then swear it to me." She told him as she faced him.

"...I swear I'll always return home."

"...Swear it again." Medea then demanded of him after a moment, as she leaned toward him and looked him in the eyes.

"..."

"..."

"...I swear I'll always return home."

"...Good. That's good. Shirou, you swore. Do not dare to break this promise, understood?" She said this as she backed up.

"...Yes."

"I do not know what kind of road you will take, but the journey that you are about to embrace is a dangerous one, so if you should die for whatever reason, all that results in is that you have died. The world will move whether you are there or not. The world is not a fairytale; you must make difficult decisions to obtain what you desire. If necessary, live out of spite spite, but do not die. You must live, and you have to accept responsibility for all of your actions until the very end."

"..." Shirou looked at her, confused.

"...Eh, yeah… I know, I sounded like I was just rambling inconsistently…" Medea said, sheepishly. "Still, what I said was correct. To survive despite everythingthat may happen is just the basis. The rule numer one.

But there are many things you must have, know, and understand in order to become a hero. I'll now go over a few of the most important: The first thing on the list is, of course, power. The second requirement is a strong will. The third requirement is a thorough understanding of the world and of life itself. And the fourth one… is love."

"Love?"

"Yes. It may not seem significant right now, but it is the most important things I've said thus far."

"...So, in order to become a hero, I must first become powerful?" Shirou asked, recalling what Mede had said first.

"Power, indeed, gives you control over almost everything. You cannot protect yourself, let alone the people or things you care about, if you lack strength. If you look back in history, you will notice that the strong always got what they wanted, while the weak suffered, powerless to change anything. This is how the world works. The same holds true for you. You would have no choice but to suffer in the face of a more powerful opponent. That is why it is critical to seek strength at all times. You must inscribe this on your heart."

"...I see... what about the willpower?"

"Well, you will need an unflinching will to overcome all adversaties. The determination to complete the mission and return home will see you through even the most desperate situations. But let us not confine ourselves to that interpretation. A strong will, a strong sense of ambition, and a clear goal in mind will obviously help you achieve almost anything. As an example, consider Rin. Her objective is simple. She wants to get strong so she can defend her family from those who would wrong them, and she certainly will."

"..."

Shirou seemed to have fallen into deep thoughts, and Medea could easily see that he was already "planning his future".

"Of course, you may think that preparing many plans on how to do the things you want to do to be the best choice, but nothing will go exactly as planned in the long run. Changes and interruptions are unavoidable, so be ready to adapt and learn from your errors."

"...Yes, but... do you think I'll be able to do it on my own?"

"That will depend on your strength and level of skill, but it does not change the fact that socializing is still very important. You will, without a doubt, require allies and friends to assist you in your time of need. But keep in mind that you should not avoid solitude. Being alone allows us to achieve inner peace... and is the best way to plan out our future options."

Shirou remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"...But what if I can't do it?"

"...How come? …What makes you suddenly doubt yourself?" Medea asked, turning to face him.

Shirou appeared to be saddened as she observed him.

For in that moment of inspiration, to become the hero Medea desired for the world, he had forgotten... the night of the fire... and everyone he'd left behind.

"…The… the night of the fire." Shirou just said. "They begged to me. They screamed and implored me to save them... But I chose to ignore them... In any case, I couldn't help them… even if I wanted to…" His voice trembled, revealing how much those memories still hurt him.

Medea placed a hand on his back and gently rubbed it.

"Shirou, your past may shape you, but it does not define you. You don't have to hold onto things that troubles you… Recognize what you can learn from them and then... let them go. It will all be for the best…"

Shirou said nothing and simply nodded.

"However, it's okay to be scared and have doubts about yourself. It is normal. It's fine." Medea reassured him. "This is only the beginning of your long journey. You'll have to do things you don't want to do or don't think you can do along the way. But if you can push through that and do what needs to be done, you'll be fine."

"And this is what I meant by comprehending the world and life itself."

Shirou shifted his gaze to her.

"You have witnessed firsthand how often the world is unfair and cruel. It will traumatize you at best, and maim and kill you at worst. And nothing will return things to how they were before you or the people you care about were hurt. Sure, anger can be a great motivator, but it will not get you very far, and it may even lead you down a bad path. All you can do is keep moving forward, with your scars and all. You must strive to be the best version of yourself and to live a good life in the face of adversity. Look after the people you have, take care of them, and cherish every moment you spend with them, because you will lose some of them along the way… But you can always make new connections if you're willing to let people in."

"...OK, I get it... But what about love? "Why would I ever need it?"

When Medea glared at him, Shirou realized he had asked a stupid question.

"Tell me, mister hero, is there nothing else you will do besides help people? No companionship, no peace, no personal life, just constant and never-ending conflict and strife?"

"...Ehmm…"

"Shirou, as you grow older, you will realize that there is much to be skeptical of in this world, especially when one has taken a difficult path like yours. As I said before, you will see and do many things, some of which may be... more difficult... to either do or accept. Some of these things may even cause you to burn out and lose faith in everything you hold dear... And what would be left for you if that happened, after you had dedicated your entire being to that cause? Nothing, I assure you. You'll be alone, desperate, and miserable, only capable of living in the past and fantasizing about how you could have made things better, even if you couldn't realistically. But, if your family, lover, or friends are there for you, to console, comfort, and support you... believe me, everything will be fine."

"...I see, so you'll always be there for me, right?" Shirou asked.

Medea couldn't help but smile and laugh at how adorable Shirou was.

"Of course, but you realize I won't be with you forever, right? You'll need to find someone. You'll have to start your own family." Medea then told him a half-truth before entering deep thought.

She began to consider her own mortality, which was somethingshe rarely ever did. Even though the blood of the gods flowed through her veins, she could still die of old age. But, as one of the greatest sorcerers of all time, she could live indefinitely, unlike the other demigods…

…

But the idea of growing old alongside Shirou, and having his sweet and caring hands taking care of all of her needs, and then burying her when the time came was... so comforting... so peaceful.

Then a new wave of memories came forth.

Suddenly her mind went back thousands of years, and they were there, Mermerus and Phere… right in front of her.

And she was caressing them, wiping their tears from their sweet little eyes, comforting them from their sadness, as she told them how much she would miss them.

She remembered saying similar things to them. Her desire to be cared for by her sons until the end. But that wish would never come true because of what was about to happen next.

And as they cried, they had no idea what those words meant because they assumed their mother would simply leave Chorinth and they would never see her again. But those poor innocent children had no idea what a horrible fate their vile mother had in store for them.

She was overcome by a new wave of pain, anger, disgust, and depression. And her smile gradually faded away.

""Do you believe I'll be able to save everyone?" Shirou then asked after a few quiet minutes after returning from his deep thoughts.

That woken Medea out of her reverie.

"Shirou, you must understand that sometimes you will be too late, and other times there will be nothing you can do. Saving everyone is impossible. You can't be everywhere at the same time. Save who you can."

"...But I want to save everyone..." Shirou grimaced.

"You don't need to pursue such an impossible goal, Shirou. You can't be everywhere at the same time."

"...But I want to be the greatest hero of all time! I want to be perfect! I want to be the fastest and the strongest!" Shirou exclaimed with childish glee.

"Shirou, a "perfect" hero does not have to be the most powerful, fastest, or intelligent. You must understand that these outside traits are only an illusion, and that what truly distinguishes a hero are the virtues that they stand for, their courage, their honor, their loyalty... not their outside traits, but rather their inner ones, are what make a hero perfect."

"...I see…" Shirou agreed with a nod.

"And why would you want to be that way? You are already... That is, for me. You are already the greatest hero in history..."

"…Huh?" Shirou said, turning to look at her, puzzled. He could hear the sincerity in her voice, but he couldn't figure out what she was saying.

"You could say that you, too, saved me... that night... the night of the incident." Medea said before taking him, putting him between her legs, and hugging him.

"A long time ago, after a terrible tragedy, I had lost everything... I was completely alone and left to wander aimlessly. I didn't know what to do with my life until... Your parents found me, offered me assistance, and welcomed me into their home. They introduced me to you and the rest of the family. I felt welcomed. I felt like I had a family again." Medea calmly lied and twisted her story. "But then came that night... and I wasn't there to assist any of you... you who had been so kind to me. I was desperate when I arrived at our old house and discovered it completely destroyed and... no one alive. I thought I'd lost everything yet again. I entered a state of denial. I couldn't believe what had just happened to me. I couldn't just give up. And so, for hours, I looked for anyone who might still be alive... and then… I found you." Medea said before pausing for dramatic effect. "...Someone had actually made it. Gods. Shirou, may you forgive me. But the truth is that when I found you, wounded and half-dead, I was so overjoyed that I still cant put it into words. I knew that I was not alone anymore."

Listening to her as she hugged him closely, Shirou felt warm and happy while listening to her as she hugged him tightly. He was overcome with guilt every time he remembered the night of the incident. He would always believe that he should not have survived. That he should have died alongside them. With all of his family and friends, whoever they were. But when he thought of Medea, the guilt and sadness vanished.

It wasn't right, he argued. He couldn't bear the thought of abandoning her after everything she had gone through and done for him. He didn't want to leave her alone because he knew it would hurt her far more than his guilt would ever hurt him.

It was just the two of them now, but neither of them was alone.

"...And you know what surprised me the most?" Medea asked. "How happy you'd make me... even after everything that's happened. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Shirou. I can't remember what it was like before I met... you.

"I know." Shirou affirmed as he turned to face her. "Even though I've lost everything, just having you beside me makes me very happy."

"...Shirou, don't say things like that while staring at me like that. You're going to make me blush." Medea said this with genuine amazement as she began to pull Shirou's cheeks.

"Aaaaa! It hurts! Stop it!"

'Well, this was not how I wished for things to go… but it is an acceptable outcome… I will definitely be able to prevent him from becoming like his past self…' Medea thought as she was walking behind Shirou while she was walking him to his bedroom

But that conversation, other than being their first lesson, had proved to her that Shirou had alway had a desire to become a hero, or to help people in need of help in general. Even just the mention of the word 'hero' had immediately caused Shirou to say that he wished to become one, whereas with Kiritsugu he had promised to become one for him since he had failed.

Still, the conversation the two of them had that night would not 'mark him for life' as it had been just that, a simple conversation, where the one he had with Kiritsugu had a much stronger emotive attachment to it, as that would have been the last time they spoke and he had promised something to his father and savior.

Still, that night's conversation had also proved to her that no matter what, this child would never live a normal life.

It saddened her. And yes, she had already seen it. She had already seen what kind of road he would take. The things he would do. All the people he would save. All the monsters and people he would slay. But she had nothing to worry, as she saw that he would live a long and happy life.

And she was incredibly happy when in her visions she saw him dying on his home bed, with his wife at his side, and with them being surrounded by their children, their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great- great-grandchildren, and great-great-great-grandchildren.

She was not sure what age he would die, but from what she could see from his very extended family, she was sure he would live well over a hundred years, probably thanks to her help.

Well, this was just the start. Now Shirou was to embark on his road, and soon, he would grow, and he would leave her to live his life…

…

…

"...Nee-san? Is there something wrong?" Shirou asked, noticing that she had suddenly stopped and had assumed a sour expression.

'...Well, it is only natural. It is life after all. He needs to go out, explore the world, grow and mature… I've been selfish enough… I can't have him for myself forever…' Medea thought as she looked at him.

…

…but she didn't want that. She wanted him for herself. For another ten years at least. She knew that it was selfish… but…

'…No.' Medea then thought. 'Do not dare to ruin everything again.' She steeled herself. 'Enjoy your time with him, repay your debt with him, and let him go. He is not yours. He never belonged to you. Do whatever you want to do later, but do not ruin the life of the only person who saw good in you…'

"...Nee-san are you fine? Are you still thoughtful? You can speak with me if you want…" Shirou said.

Medea turned to look at him, and she noticed his concerned expression. At that, she thought that since she still had time, she might as well enjoy it.

"...Well… not really." Medea answered before she looked down at him. "...Shirou… may I ask you something?"

Shirou did not know exactly what time it was, but he knew that it was the middle of the night.

He was not sleeping because he was still a bit concerned by the way Medea was acting. He did not know what may have happened to shake her. Recalling the day, he had not seen anything wrong with her. She was behaving normally, like always, and now she was like that…

Another reason that he was not able to sleep was because Medea was hugging him very tightly, making it a bit difficult to breath, as if she wanted to prevent him from running away.

But not even her was sleeping. Both of them were fully awake. And both of them were thinking.

Shirou was not sure what was afflicting her. Maybe she had lied to him not not make him worry. Maybe she had been thinking about something else other than her name..

Suddenly, her embrace got tighter, and Shirou felt Medea moving her head to look at him.

"…Shirou…" Medea suddenly said. "...you are my only friend… you're everything I have… please… don't ever leave me… I beg you…"

"..."

"Stay with me until the end."

Author's notes:

Damn, a lot of time has passed. It was about time I uploaded the story. Still, sorry for the late update, but many things have happened, and I have not been able to write as much as I wanted to, and I do not think that it will change in the future.

The next chapter will surely not be as long as this, so it will definitely take less time to write.

Let's briefly talk about this chapter.

The first part was to show how the life of many of the main characters had improved and how happy they were. Shirou has someone that cares for him and helps him deal with his trauma and problems. Rin is having the time of her life, with her mother alive and Sakura back to her family. Sakura… well, there is no need for me to say anything. And Illya and Kerry are finally together and Kerry is acting as a good parent. Yey.

About their training and powers I just went with something akin to "Go, random bullshit." As I will not have to deal with whatever I came up with in the future.

The second part, where Medea finds the kids, is officially the start of her "decline".

What I plan for her is a total redemption. Not the one we would want, but the one she deserves. Since for a child murderer there are only a few little ways to actually prove how guilty she feels, and how much penance she is willing to endure and go through.

About Kirei, as I said before the story will end before the start of the Fifth holy grail war, and since I have no intention of writing it, I saw no problems in killing one of the main players such as Kirei this early. And still, even if I wanted to do something else with him, I don see what kind of mental gymnastics Medea would have to go through to spare him after discovering what he had done. As I do believe that she would be very "delicate" on the subject of child murder.

Oh, about the part where he admitted to being who he was, I copied the words of a serial killer, as I found them quite fitting for him. Can you guess who it was?

Zolgen in the next chapter will play a relatively big part.

And I hope you have liked the conversation between Shirou and Caster toward the end.

Some of their converstation was was inpired by the show Invincible. The relationship between Nolan and Mark at the start of the series was almost touching. When I saw Nolan teaching his son, and thinking of this story, I thought of how much Shirou needed someone like him.

I did wish for Shirou to have someone to explain to with care and patience on how to be a hero, what it means, and talk with him about many varied arguments.

A proper parental figure, I mean...

Well, I hope this last part ages well…

…Oh boy, will you like the next chapter?

:)

By the gods, stay safe guys. I wish all of you the best.