NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47: Time travel
On a bench in a park, a middle-aged man was sitting. Kiritsugu Emiya, a man whose entire life was filled with tragedy and pain. He first killed his father, then lost his adoptive mother. After these events, he became obsessed with a pure ideal: saving humanity. Kiritsugu participated in the Holy Grail War, but the end of that war took everything from him. When he woke up, he saw the result of his actions: the entire city of Fuyuki had burned, and only Shirou had survived. Kiritsugu Emiya took Shirou in as his adopted son. But due to a curse that weighed heavily on him, he didn't have much time left to live. If there was one thing Kiritsugu feared, it was Shirou's ideals. He was afraid that Shirou would follow the same path he had. Kiritsugu was staring at the ground when suddenly an elderly priest sat down beside him. Kiritsugu raised his head and stared at the priest.
"Hello, young man. My name is Noboru," the elderly priest said in a calm, aged voice. Kiritsugu and the priest shook hands.
"My name is Kiritsugu Emiya. It's a pleasure to meet you," Kiritsugu replied in a tired voice. The priest smiled, and for a few seconds, both were silent. Kiritsugu stared at the blue sky, as if lost in his thoughts.
"Young man, it seems there is a lot of pain in your eyes. You probably carry many regrets," the priest spoke these words in the same calm, wise tone. Kiritsugu stared into the priest's old, experienced eyes but said nothing. Perhaps he was too exhausted to respond.
"Hmm, let me ask you a question. If you could go back to the past, would you still choose the same path?" the priest suddenly asked, staring at Kiritsugu with curious eyes, as if waiting for his answer.
"Of course not," Kiritsugu replied. Memories of the Holy Grail War resurfaced in his mind. In that war, he had lost Maiya and Irisviel, and thousands of others had died. Kiritsugu's greatest regret was participating in the Holy Grail War.
"Then good luck," the priest said in an amused tone, and suddenly the space around them began to distort. Kiritsugu stared wide-eyed at this change. Before he could react, he was pulled into a broken space and fell into an ocean full of bubbles. His body stretched, and he felt as if he were dispersing. It was as if he could see countless versions of himself. He felt as though he could sense his past and future, but before he could delve deeper into this sensation, the space shattered again and ejected him. Kiritsugu returned to the same park, but now it was night. He looked around in confusion, unsure of what was happening.
"Seems like you're confused, young man. I simply granted your wish. Welcome to the year 1994," the elderly priest suddenly appeared in front of him. Kiritsugu stared wide-eyed at the priest. If his words were true, it meant he had traveled through time. But how was such a thing possible? Did this man truly possess the Second Magic? Cracks appeared on the priest's body, and it shattered like a mirror. Suddenly, a being resembling an angel emerged from within him. This being had three pairs of wings and a face of inhuman beauty, its gender ambiguous. The presence of this being was divine and magnificent, as if it were the center of all creation.
"What am I looking at? What is this thing I can't comprehend? What kind of being is this?" Kiritsugu stared wide-eyed at this being, thinking that his human mind couldn't possibly understand it. Shikama Douji stared at Kiritsugu with amused eyes.
"Who are you?" Kiritsugu asked cautiously, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. His body began to tremble, and his instincts screamed at him to run.
"Hmm, I have many names, but you can call me your benefactor," Shikama Douji smiled softly, and his body transformed into golden light. This light slowly entered Kiritsugu's body. Kiritsugu could only watch as the light merged into him. His body was frozen, and he couldn't move.