Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness
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-The Capital-
(Two Years Earlier)
It was happening. The reality he'd been fearing would one day come had arrived, and done so much earlier than he anticipated. It was not a mystery, nor an unforeseeable chain of events that came out of nowhere, for the signs were there from the beginning. It was the very reason he always kept a knife on hand and regularly sure both Najenda and her father did the same, at least before the latter became bedridden and now dead. This coupled with the state of affairs of the Empire and the shift within the royal court's perspective of their house was plain to see long before this day.
In other words, they were no longer welcome in the Capital, and with Nagumo's death, they had perhaps just a few weeks — possibly only days — before they would all be declared traitors before being rounded up and executed by Honest.
Even so…
"You are taking a major risk." He had to raise this question once more. Not because he was hoping she would change her mind, but rather to see whether or not the girl was truly ready for this. Both siblings were at the stables, the eldest preparing her horse and the youngest standing in the corner with his arms crossed over his chest. The atmosphere was different on this particular day, no sign of calm or nonchalance was to be found. Things were tense, with not even a single sound coming from outside the stable and the entire manor being empty.
"This is not just a small operation you are planning. We are talking about moving hundreds if not thousands of troops outside the Capital. Someone will find out and they will do their best to stop us before we can make our way to the edge of the capital. They'll never just stand back and allow this many soldiers to just desert, much less defect to the Revolutionaries." There were plenty of loyal soldiers who'd served Najenda and her father for years and were willing to sacrifice themselves, but this situation did not require them to go that far. They'd do plenty to show their loyalty by just staying quiet and keeping their mouths shut.
Najenda's hands came to a halt as she was in the middle of patting her horse, staring at him with an unreadable expression.
Then she smirked. "You worry too much, I've already had this planned out with Father for quite a while. The route we will take has a good chance of keeping us hidden long enough. Those old roads leading to the outside have barely been used by anyone for years, and the only soldiers who are supposed to ever patrol that area are men who answer to me. I doubt the news will be reaching Honest anytime soon, so instead worry more about yourself and get ready. You are supposed to be the main guide, after all. "
It wasn't exactly a role he'd jumped to volunteer for, but in the end, he took up the task of guiding the troops to a safer area with Najenda guarding the rear against any possible attacks. Regardless, he did not like this plan one bit.
"One wrong move and we'll have the entire Capital's army breathing down our necks. And Honest…" He paused, his jaw tightening. "That jovial act he puts on? Don't let it fool you. Behind that facade is nothing but a monster who'd do anything for power." The Prime Minister's public persona — the witty, carefree politician — was just that: an act. Like father like son, both were ruthless to their core. It wasn't lost on anyone how convenient the deaths of the young Emperor's parents had been for Honest's swift rise to power, though such whispers never dared rise above hushed tones within the Capital's walls.
"I do understand what we are trying to accomplish here can be seen as suicide. But if we remain here then we'll end up dying nonetheless. Especially you. Syura has already posted a standing bounty on you, and you can't even retaliate since the little shit went into hiding right after that night."
"I have already disposed of his bounty hunters; he is traumatized enough that he fled the Capital for fear of me because even he knows his assassins are unlikely to succeed. The people he can send after me are far from being the best in the Empire, I'll manage."
Najenda scoffed. "You and Esdeath are the only ones who seem unfazed by frequent assassination attempts. It's concerning how much you two have in common. In any case, the sun will be setting soon, so we should start moving." To attract as little attention as possible, the group had to move under the cover of night. Using the darkness as their ally, they reduce the chances of getting spotted. However, it would still be difficult to move such a large number of people without drawing any attention.
Personally, Emiya would have preferred to divide this group into several smaller ones. To send out perhaps a hundred or so of them each day to minimize the chance of Honest and his cronies noticing anything. Unfortunately, time was not on their side and he had to admit that this left them with very few options.
"You know she's going to get to us before the others, right? " he reminded her, hoping Najenda did not forget about the biggest elephant in the room. Her hands that were brushing the neck of her horse came to a halt, and a somber expression soon filled her face. "I take it that the conversation between you two did not go so well," he said.
"That'd be putting it lightly. She views the idea of leaving the Capital and joining the Revolutionary Army as a cowardly move. No different from running away. She talks about turning the whole place into our own playground if we want. Then again, I should have known that was the kind of answer I would have gotten from her."
"Law of the jungle, where only the strongest survive. In her mind, the Capital is her territory and the idea of running away for any reason is nothing less than a mark of shame in her mind. I told you that you shouldn't have bothered trying to convince her. Now she's most likely suspicious of something." Out of everyone in the Capital, he knew that girl the best and was not surprised by the kind of reaction she showed when Najenda tried to have her join them. To plant the seed of leaving the place and starting a revolution would never have worked with her, as such concepts were the furthest things from her mind.
"Even if she does, it's already too late. So let's focus on ourselves for now and get ready."
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Was this a mistake? This question had been repeating in her mind again and again for the past hour. With the moon absent from the sky above, it made it that much easier for them to blend in with the darkness.
"Take the path northeast from here, I already put several markers we can follow until we are outside. If you see any approaching soldiers or guards, silence them. We cannot afford any mistakes."
She received several whispers of confirmation, these men being none other than the most loyal soldiers who served her family since they were practically kids. They had bled and fought beside her father since before his prime. The area they were in was at the very fringes of the Capital's slums, surrounded by nothing but dilapidated dirt houses and abandoned buildings where not even a single soul would choose to live. Overgrown with vines and roots, this was actually one of the few territories that was still listed under her family's name.
A place that was supposed to be rebuilt in the future as barracks for their soldiers where they could live normally and train. A project that kept getting increasingly delayed in the past due to the meddling of some of the nobles who were close to Honest constantly diverting funds.
"General, what about the young master?"
One of the soldiers who was also close to Emiya wondered where the redhead was. This sentiment was shared by not just him but several other members of the group, who all looked at her with a certain amount of worry.
"Do not worry, he is currently on the other side of town distracting any soldiers. The faster we make our way out of this place the earlier he will be able to join us. So stop talking and keep moving," she instructed them. Truth be told, Najenda understood their concerns and also felt quite worried herself, but she could not show this whilst leading the men.
'He should be safe, that bastard is amongst the best swordsmen in the whole world, and that weird magic of his will help him to get out in any kind of scenario I could think of. He won't do anything stupid and risk his life for no reason.' Her brother always operated with logic at the forefront of his mind, not letting emotions take control of his actions. So at least that was enough to soothe her worries for now.
"General! Enemy spotted ahead!" Suddenly, her heart came to a complete stop when she felt a sensation that made her face go completely pale.
The temperature dropped and in the distance, standing right in the middle of the road all alone was the last person she wanted to see. The smirk that had once been constant with this figure was now completely gone, replaced with a mask devoid of any feelings. All that remained was the face of a stone-cold killer who gazed upon her with disappointment. The eyes that stared at her betrayed no hint of the person she'd once regarded as her friend.
"Shit."
"Going somewhere?" Esdeath's voice cut through the silence like ice, barely above a whisper yet carrying across the entire area. The soldiers froze, white-knuckled hands gripping their sword hilts, but none dared move an inch. "I expected better from you, Najenda. All these years I thought we were of like mind in our pride for our position — you may not be my equal anymore, but you at least deserved some respect. But this?" Her eyes narrowed with cold fury born from disappointment. "The Najenda I knew wouldn't slink away in the dark like a common deserter."
There was fear brewing in the air, several questions stormed her mind including whether or not her brother was safe and what happened to him. Her heart drummed loudly when she saw several stains of blood on her clothes. "Esdeath…"
Those blue eyes narrowed when she called her name. It was hard to understand what could be going on inside that woman's mind, but she could not stop there. "Are you going to follow his orders and kill us all?"
"…"
The blue-haired General did not provide her with a response, continuing to stay silent for the next few seconds until she raised one of her fingers. "One chance, that is all that I will give you. Turn around and go back. Prove to me that your decision today was nothing but just a lapse in judgment, a mistake you made while drunk. I will accept it and forget about it."
"So you say," Najenda sighed, having not expected the woman to give her a chance in the first place. Even though there were many uncertainties going through her being about this path she chose, there was no regret. She had to do it and could not go back no matter what. "You know better than I do how this will end. Honest won't just stay idle and just leave me to do my duty in peace. He has already marked me, my family, and those loyal to us for death."
"If you let him succeed, then that will just show you are weak. But I know you, you are not that pathetic."
"It's not just about me. My men's lives are also in danger." But that was not all, partially a reason but not all of it, not even the biggest one by a long shot. So she took a deep breath and continued, "And I also strongly disagree with Honest's direction on where he is taking this country. There is no future for the Empire with him at its head, people are suffering and something must be done."
"Then go kill him," Esdeath replied instantly, a hint of rage starting to become present in her tone of voice. "Turn around and march right towards the castle on the other side of the Capital. That pig is there gorging himself on more food than even he can actually consume, if you are so dissatisfied with his regime then go kill him and replace it with whatever satisfies you."
"That means going through you."
"Yes." The word cut like a blade, delivered without hesitation. Esdeath's eyes hardened, any trace of their former friendship vanishing. She truly meant to stand against them, to maintain this broken system where the strong crushed the weak underfoot. "Power demands blood. Peace is bought with violence. A strong empire requires sacrifice — that's the natural order of things. You used to understand this."
Najenda's bitter laugh echoed in the darkness. "Life isn't that simple, and it doesn't have to be that way." She straightened her shoulders, resolution settling over her like armor. "I won't waste more breath trying to convince you. I'm sorry, Esdeath, but we're leaving — whether you stand aside or not."
"Is that so…"
Negotiation was no longer an option. She had hoped to avoid this confrontation, but now she had no other choice but to face this person head on. Their former friendship meant nothing in this moment, especially with the intense killing intent emanating from Esdeath.
Enough to make her feel a sense of suffocation in her very soul.
The sinking feeling in her gut was all too familiar when standing before this woman. But this time, the consequences would not be so simple as just a few bruises and cuts. One side faced near-certain death.
"It doesn't have to end this way."
The rapier was slowly drawn out of its sheath, the blade reflecting light from the surrounding torches. Even without the moon illuminating the surroundings, her presence still stood out the most. "You're right, it doesn't. But you let it."
The temperature plummeted further to the point that the vapor coming from their breaths became visible. A thin layer of ice formed around the woman, slowly encroaching everywhere.
"Now!" Najenda wasted no time in ordering her men. The large weight of Pumpkin nestled in her arm with the barrel starting to glow an intense white colour. A substantial amount of energy gathered at one point until it was fired straight at Esdeath.
Boom!
The impact of the beam caused a bright flash of white light to spread around the area. This did not stop the soldiers from advancing head on toward the target's location with their swords and spears ready.
"Pathetic," her disappointed voice came from within the smoke, the latter dispersing and showing Esdeath remained standing in the same spot as she was before with a thick wall of ice formed in between her and Najenda. A large hole in the middle that had melted most of the way through betrayed where the attack landed, but it failed to penetrate.
"Charge!"
"Aaaaahhhh!"
"You fools! Don't attack her directly, focus on getting out of here! I will keep her distracted!"
As she shouted her orders, Najenda fired several more rounds and let them all rush their opponent. Hoping to keep her attention, her Teigu chipped through the wall of ice with a bigger blast that managed to damage the surrounding trees as it ended up passing right next to Esdeath's neck.
Not all of the men heard her voice or were too filled with adrenaline to stop, perhaps even lacking fear and uncertainty altogether. One of the newer recruits who had just joined their circle took it upon himself to face the bluenette head on.
This soldier stood taller than most of them due to his gifted physique inherited from the hunter-tribesmen who resided near the Capital. "There is no need to fear her, General! She is just one person who did not even bother to bring any reinforcements! Who is afraid of just a bit of ice? My ancestors hunted powerful Danger Beasts who could manipulate the elements for ages! I shall put an end to your reign of terror you vile bit—"
Not even a second passed before the young man found his vision filled by a brief flash of light. His eyes widened, and then he tried to let out a war cry again. But no sound came out of his mouth other than a suffocating gurgle as a small red thin line formed along his neck that soon widened to unleash a miniature geyser of blood.
His trachea was completely severed, yet Esdeath's hand and sword continued to blur faster than even Najenda could keep track of it. Many watched in disbelief as their large comrade lost his eyes, voice, and limbs in less than one second.
Blood spraying everywhere, his figure crumbled at Esdeath feet. Throughout her dismembering of the soldier, her eyes had never strayed from staring right back at Najenda.
"Weakling, not even worth my time."
With a wave of her rapier, the air shimmered with several ice constructs taking shape. Shaving from a large boulder-sized piece of frozen crystals to something more streamlined. As if getting compressed and chipped away bit by bit right before their shapes started to become more recognizable.
"Y-You…" She could not believe her eyes, having gone speechless at the sight which was familiar to her, but never had she seen Esdeath display something like this. They were not real swords like his, but the mimicry was eerily similar to the point she absolutely hated it. "Run! All of you! Just keep running and don't look back!"
The sense of urgency grew tremendously. Using more of her energy, Najenda fired several shots with her Teigu, each one of them aimed at the ice swords and spears raining from the sky. She desperately tried to cover her men, but was unable to destroy all of them.
"Argh!"
"H-Help!"
"There's too many of them!"
Chaos soon spread, and casualties started to pile up. The hundreds of her troops she'd brought along with her started to dwindle in number. From a handful of deaths to several dozen in a matter of seconds, the path would have been soaked with blood had most of it not already frozen over. All the while Najenda desperately held out, with her shots continuing to destroy as many of the ice constructs as she could target, but she just wasn't fast enough.
"—!"
Barely spotting motion from the corner of her eyes, she was just able to react in time to see Esdeath's figure heading straight for her. At the very last second she raised Pumpkin to block a direct thrust aim at her head. Sparks flew everywhere from that single clash. Had she blinked then it would have been over in that instant.
"Hn!"
Her knees nearly gave out, there was no holding back from the other side. Using her Teigu in close-quarters combat would only lead to a quick death for her, serving as nothing more than an ineffective shield at best.
With her next plan formed, she dropped the weapon, her action surprising her opponent who expected some kind of retaliation or a couple of shots. Najenda advanced closer, stepping past the edge of Esdeath's rapier until her face was but a few inches away from her opponent's cold eyes. Her hand had already retrieved a dagger hidden behind her back, swiftly plunging it for her neck.
Clang!
Only for the weapon to hit a hard surface of ice, having barely scratched the surface. She watched the thick blue layer grow to cover the lower part of her target's face. Condensing from a white color to pure blue with some spots that resembled glass.
"You really think a blade like that will work against me?" There was no mockery in Esdeath's tone, only cold disappointment. "I thought you were smarter than that Naje—urgh!"
A second sagger was retrieved, this one sheathed near her waist. The edge slashed against the least protected area of her face, easily cutting through the ice.
"—!"
Esdeath's body jerked back, reacting faster than before. She used her knee to strike Najenda's stomach with enough force to send the other woman airborne briefly, followed by her heels digging into the same spot and sending her hurtling backward while she staggered backward.
Fingers slowly touched her cheeks and she felt a warm, wet sensation. The cut had almost sliced through her eyes. Had she been a millisecond slower…
"That dagger…" her eyes narrowed when observing the second weapon held tightly by Najenda. The first one had been discarded, but this one she held firmly with both hands. A handle that looked like it was made out of gold wrapped in black leather, a shimmering surface of the metal having several uniform grooves with the blade itself being one of the darkest colors she had ever seen. "Tch, he gave you one of his toys."
"A small birthday gift," Najenda replied with a smirk, taking a defensive stance with the blade pointed at her opponent. "What, he didn't give you one?"
"…"
"I wonder why."
Even while taunting her, she kept some of her attention focused on her troops and how far they had gotten. Those injured were being carried with the help of others, but they were still not far away enough that Esdeath would not be able to easily catch up with them afterwards.
"You're willing to risk your life just to save a few of your weakling soldiers. Unfortunately, I cannot let my prey run away, that would set a bad example." From her tone, Esdeath remained calm without falling for Najenda's taunts, the ice armor growing to encompass several parts of her body. Her knees bent slightly till she launched herself straight at Najenda.
"Shit!"
The rapier and dagger clashed several times in a single moment, one side going on full offensive with frightening speed while the other was forced to deflect and continuously fall back to avoid further injury to her body.
"Ah!"
Unfortunately, the stalemate barely lasted for more than a couple of exchanges before she felt a piercing pain coarse straight through her thigh. GLansing downward, Najenda spotted an icicle that had shot up from the ground.
Ignoring the pain as much as she could, she tried to use the dagger to break free. But the endeavor proved to be a fruitless one with several roughly made ice spears rained down. The ice quickly surrounded every one of her limbs and made any kind of movement impossible.
None of them had pierced her, weirdly enough.
"This… this is a first," she commented, finding it impossible to even use her strength to break free from her restraints. Despair started to take hold of her heart at first, though the realization that at this point she must have bought enough time for her soldiers to escape gave the woman some peace of mind.
"Are you going to bring me back to Honest? Or maybe take to your favorite torture chamber?"
She did not get an answer. Instead, the point of Esdeath's rapier approached her right eye. Close enough that she could almost feel the tip touch the surface of her cornea. The realization made her go completely still, a good thing too as even the slightest movement from breathing might be enough to scratch her eye out.
"You tried to take my eye, so it's only fair I make the same effort. I gave you a chance and you turned it down."
In a way, she expected this outcome to occur the moment Esdeath appeared. Despite them being something akin to rivals during their academic years, she was rarely her equal when it came to combat. At first, they were roughly at the same level, but as time went on, the gap kept getting bigger and bigger as Esdeath's exceptional talent and growth continued to shine. No matter how much effort she invested into her training and how far she pushed herself to the point of even breaking her body on multiple occasions — Esdeath was just always ahead.
A true prodigy. One that only a single person could ever contend against.
But she refused to let them face one another, for the outcome would result in one side dying, and even now both of them were dear to her. Worst of all, she was not even certain of his victory.
"Just get it over with."
"At the very least, I'll give you the honor of burying your body next to your father's."
She closed her eyes, waiting for it. She was surprised when the pain did not arrive but instead the sound of a musket being fired.
Bang!
"Guh!"
Esdeath recoiled backwards, followed by several more gunshots all fired simultaneously and chipping away at her frozen prison. Shock turned to disbelief and then anger for both women when they saw the source of it.
"General Najenda! Don't worry, you're here to save you!" One of the soldiers shouted with only half of his helmet remaining,destroyed by one of the ice constructs most likely. Despite his clear fear, he continued to shoot.
"What the hell are you doing here, Lubbock!? Why did you bring everyone else back!? Get out of here!"
"We can push her back! Look, she's getting overwhelmed!"
"You idiot!" It was not a matter of overwhelming Esdeath, for none of the bullets managed to penetrate that armor she'd conjured, much less the several walls of ice that immediately appeared all around her. The only thing they would accomplish was just to piss her off even more and send her on a true rampage.
She had to run, get these fools away before it was too la—
"You're all dead."
Those words sounded as though they'd been uttered by the Grim Reaper himself. Not only Najenda, but every soldier who came to help her sensed the change in the air. The area which had once been littered with all manner of blocks and shards of ice and frozen weapons changed in an instant. All of them disappeared into flakes of snow that drifted up in the air, before merging into several dozen massive chunks of ice, some as big as a small house.
One of them already hovered directly above Lubbock, and like a large hammer it came crashing down, barely giving any time for him to dodge. The shockwave alone sent him slamming into the trunk of a tree, and while he survived the collision made him lose consciousness in an instant.
"LUBBOCK!"
Anger surged within Najenda. Crawling towards Pumpkin, she grabbed hold of her Teigu and concentrated as much energy as she could to blast the source of this rain of ice once and for all.
"Too late."
All she saw was a terrifyingly familiar pair of cold blue eyes looking back at her just a few feet away. And while Najenda was aligning Pumpkin, Esdeath was further in swinging a blade of ice straight at her neck.
'Not like this…' The world came to a standstill, and in that stillness her life flashed before her eyes. For a brief moment, she felt true regret. Was all of this the sum total of her life? Was dying like this really worth it in the end?
"Duck, you idiot!"
"—!"
A firm hand grabbed onto her head, pushing it downwards just in time to dodge the attack while a blade clutched in her savior's other hand forced it skyward.
Then her collar was grabbed before she was quite literally thrown backward. "Wah!" A few of her soldiers managed to catch her before she landed on the ground. Many of them cheered for her safety, but were equally worried when everything turned quiet.
"Emiya!" Quickly getting back on her feet, she called his name and felt a terrible sensation course throughout her body at the understanding that these two were in fact going to fight.
They both stared back at one another unflinchingly. He was still looking perfectly fine despite having just gone to the center of the Capital to distract several dangerous individuals.
"Even you…" Esdeath spoke, Her voice sounding like she was in disbelief at seeing him here as well. "…Why?"
Rather than give her an answer, the redhead instead looked at his sister. "Take the soldiers and get out of here as fast as you can. I'll hold her back, just make it quick."
"Wait! Are you crazy!? You are going to take her on all by yourself!?"
"Yes. Who else can?"
That answer struck her core more than she would have liked, wounding her pride at just how true those few words were. She'd barely been able to offer any challenge to the woman when trying to hold her off herself, and if she stayed here she feared she'd only become a burden.
"Don't worry about me. You know I don't take unnecessary risks unless I can handle them. Just trust me."
She trusted him with her life, but that did not stop her from worrying about him, especially in the course of a battle like this one. Her entire being was screaming at her to stay with him, to not leave him behind, and to stay true to her duty as his elder sister. But the logical side of her mind knew that if she squandered this opportunity he gave her not only would more Imperial reinforcements arrive, but she would practically sentence every one of her men to death.
"You think I will let them all escape?" Esdeath warned, her tone and expression that of cold fury.
"I think you don't have any other choice so long as you're busy with me," Emiya retorted.
Clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood, she had no choice but to grab the unconscious Lubbock before shouting out orders to start running.
"B-But General, the young master, he…"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND MOVE!" She momentarily lost control of her rage, not even noticing a few tears streaming down her face. For it was not out of sadness but out of self-hatred that dominated her being at that moment. She had failed as a sister and as a leader, being forced into a situation where he had to remain behind just to save her skin when she couldn't do it on her own.
The sense of hopelessness, and powerlessness she felt, the weight of how useless she would be in the fight about to take place behind her despite having one of the most deadly Teigus in her grasp grew stronger by the second.
"General! Above us!"
She knew it would not be this easy, Esdeath, despite being locked in battle against Emiya, would never let her run away so easily. She watched as an iceberg big enough to crush a castle formed in the sky. Running away would be pointless.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Grabbing onto Pumpkin, she let all of her emotions and sense of dread from her life being in danger flow through the device. The gun itself roared like it never had before, gathering an enormous amount of energy until a dense sphere of energy formed at the tip of the barrel. "Aaaaaahh!"
With a single command, she let it loose, firing the attack which took the shape of a large beam twice her size, flying to the sky and hitting the iceberg with all of Pumpkin's might. The attack persisted, her face going pale with all that she'd put into this shot, and the results started to show as cracks formed all around the descending iceberg till the force of the blast completely carved through it destroying it into millions of pieces.
"Hah… hah… hah… keep running! I'll cover you all!" Despite feeling drained from that last blast, she still had some strength left in her, and continued to protect her troops whenever another iceberg started to form.
The sound of steel clashing and the scraping of metal on ice could be heard even from this distance, dozens of clashes seemingly occurred in a single second, followed by the very earth beneath her feet rumbling ever so slightly. The sound would sometimes draw closer, clear signs of Esdeath trying several times to get closer only to be pushed back.
No one looked behind, all of them kept running.
Her breath haggard, Najenda tried to ignore the sounds of battle as much as she could, hoping that nothing would happen to her brother. This continued on for the next few minutes, the area around them having turned from a dilapidated slum to the outer regions of the forest with more and more trees coming into view.
But it was then she noticed something odd.
"…There's no sound?" The sound of weapons clashing against one another, which had been a constant for these past few minutes, had suddenly vanished. Its absence made her more worried than relieved, and she started to wonder if something had gone wrong.
"General, is something the matter?" After reaching the top of a hill, the entire group stopped; she believed they had gotten far enough from the Capital. Her eyes were glued towards the direction they came from, praying to see some sign of Emiya.
"Why did it go all quiet? Where is my brother?" she whispered to herself, feeling her heart ache with every passing second without seeing any changes until…
"W-What is that?" Every single one of them spotted a white flash of light in the distance. An overwhelming surge of something oppressive gathered at the single point her limbs started to shake, not out of fear but rather at the sensation of the temperature which had suddenly plummeted far colder than anything she had experienced before.
And with the cold, so too came a sense of impending doom.
"Those with shields, in front! Turtle formation!" She quickly gave the order to her men, seeing them hastily follow through and bring out their shields in front just in time for a large dome of white fog to expand from the distance all the way to them in a matter of seconds.
"Hold!"
It hit them harder than a rushing Danger Beast. An immense blast of wind that carried with it a cold that Najenda doubted even Esdeath's home in the far north could match. Everything turned white, from the nearest huddle instantly turning into ice to the trees themselves freezing in place. The grass beneath her feet became brittle and crumbling with every step with some of her soldiers already being on the verge of suffering the first signs of frostbite.
Looking towards the Capital, her jaw hung open as the once beautiful-looking Capital surrounded by lush greenery, had almost completely been turned into a frozen wasteland. Half of it was now encrusted by snow and ice with even the sun disappearing because of dark clouds covering the sky. A snowstorm the likes of which should never have occurred in this region ravaging the very land.
This sensation barely lasted for a terrifying moment… and then the next brought warmth.
"Dear gods above…"
One of the soldiers uttered those words in disbelief, all of them staring at the center of the place they all just ran away from. The location where two monsters continue to fight one another, one of whom was the very source of the all-encompassing chill that had swept through the land.
From that very same place, a pillar of pure fire rose up all the way to the sky, cleaving through the snowstorm and even the clouds above with ease. The energy exuding from it made them feel as if their skin would burn away in seconds if they dared to step any closer, and everyone rushed to cover their eyes.
As if the very sun itself had descended from the sky to burn away anything in its path.
Najenda likewise shielded her face, each breath feeling like fire in her lungs. The sheer magnitude of power before her defied explanation — no Teigu she knew of could produce such a force, far surpassing what even her own was capable of even when its user was faced with certain death. The pillar of flame pushed skyward, burning through the supernatural storm and bathing the capital in light once more as the two forces of nature clashed.
Time seemed to stretch as fire and ice warred against each other, until finally, both energies dissipated into nothing.
Her first instinct was to turn back and go look for her brother. But she knew better — there could be no returning now. Not after that.
"Let's go! Quickly!" Most of her troops were still stunned, trying to comprehend what they had just witnessed and hoping to make sense of it. Even she was unable to completely grasp what happened back there. This went far beyond anything he ever showed in the past, and it once again forced her to wonder, 'Just what are you really, little brother…'
A power like that seemed almost alien to this world, and she could not explain it. But one thing she did know was that, in a way, she feared it just as much as she feared Esdeath.
Even so, that power belonged to a member of her family. Regardless of how weary she was of it, Najenda would do anything for him.
…
(Moments later)
Emiya was forced to wonder if things could get any worse today than they had already.
What horrible luck.
He pushed himself quite a bit today, far beyond anything he had done for the entirety of his life in this world.
"Hn!" A groan of pain escaped his lips when he took a step forward, some areas on his skin showing signs of frostbite. There were several cuts all over his body and layers of ice were still present on his hair and eyebrows. All of which immediately turned to water and even steam as he felt the heat from the weapon in his hand encompass his body once again.
Within his grasp, he held a sleek, symmetrically designed weapon — consisting of a primarily metallic silver and blue color scheme. The blade was straight and tapered into a sharp point, with a central groove running along its length for added detail and structural strength.
The hilt of the sword had an ornate, angular guard that extended slightly outward and downward, matching the blue accents of the blade. With a long, slender grip that terminated in a blue pommel with a diamond-shaped motif. The overall design of the sword gave it an elegant yet functional appearance, suggesting it to be both a ceremonial and combat-functional weapon to the eyes of the masses.
Yet this same weapon held the power of the sun itself, a sword once used by one of the mightiest Knights of the Round Table. Not exactly at the same level as Excalibur, but definitely powerful enough to subjugate an entire kingdom if held in the right hands.
Excalibur Galatine disintegrated into shimmering specks of ethereal blue light, its task complete. Within seconds, it had dissipated completely. In the meantime, he advanced towards the figure sprawled on the ground before him.
Compared to him, her own state was much worse. Covered in burn marks across her body with her ice armor having completely disappeared. She had very little clothes left and only faint signs of life. He would not have suspected that she was alive were it not for the faint signs of her chest moving to indicate labored breathing.
Despite being in such a state where the pain alone could incapacitate even the strongest of men, she instead smiled beautifully.
"…"
Ignoring that, he limped towards her and took a seat on top of her. This made it impossible for the woman to move in any way, Not that she could, given her current state.
Tracing a simple dagger, he held it in both hands and raised it all the way above her head where for a brief moment both of them gazed at each other.
"E… E-Emiya…" Esdeath's voice was faint, barely audible, and hoarse. She did not call out with pity or even pleading for him to spare her — there was none of that.
His mind ached, and the dagger trembled in his hands… For this situation in particular felt oddly familiar.
Yet he was not sure where the sensation came from.
Having killed so many people in the past, there was no way he would be able to recall a singular instance that he felt like this after what felt like eons of doing Ayala's bloody work. Yet they did not stop him from feeling… hesitation? No, it was conflicting emotions within himself.
Memories of the past flooded in, from the first moment he met her, an arrogant child who believed only in the survival of the strongest. Challenging him at every turn, glued to his side like some kind of annoying cat from Hell whenever she got bored, and behaving without shame at any chance she got.
Someone with a twisted mind who found enjoyment in the misery of others. Relishing in torturing those weaker than her or outright killing all she subjugated with her military title without any remorse.
The same person who, despite all her toxic traits, would at times behave like a person her age was meant to. Trying her best to surpass him in the most ridiculous things, but finding it fun just to try them out.
His grip on the dagger tightened despite his face remaining completely neutral. Blood trickled down his forehead onto her face, and his own mind argued furiously with itself.
In the end, he went ahead and plunged the dagger downwards. The blade dug into the ground next to her head, leaving only a slight cut on her temple which she did not even flinch from.
The only reaction she gave was one of pure disbelief at his action.
"…W-Wh… Why…"
"…"
He kept his silence, turning his head to hear the sound of a large number of Imperial soldiers closing in. Honest would never stay quiet after all that kind of display. He must have sent everyone he had on hand to come check this out. Half of the Capital and the surrounding forest had turned to ice, with another chunk of the area now being burned to a crisp.
"Your first and last chance," he said, getting up and readying himself to leave.
Only to feel a slight tug pulling on his sleeves. Looking down, he saw Esdeath using what little strength she had left to grab onto his sleeves. Her unwillingness to accept this was evident in her eyes., he did not need to guess what was going through her mind right now.
"Hah… even now you're being stubborn."
He did not know whether to laugh or cry, pulling his arm away and leaving the premises as fast as he could. He was in no condition to take on an entire army, assassins, and no doubt several individuals wielding powerful Teigus.
"…C…Come… back… finish… i-it…"
All she got in return was a lazy wave, her eyes burning with indignant rage as she watched him disappear into the darkness.
{Break}
(Present)
"Hm," his eyes slowly opened, the rocking sensation of the carriage's motion letting him know that they had yet to reach their destination.
"Well look who woke up. Welcome back to the land of the living, handsome."
At the sound of that voice, Emiya's eyes opened and he scanned the carriage they were in, taking them towards their meeting location. The interior was plain and nondescript, with darkened windows to prevent accidental identification. But what caught his attention more was the figure sitting in front of him, the person who was accompanying him on this journey.
"Beer?"
Extending her arm, Leone offered him an opened bottle. He already felt slightly ill at the strong sense of malt and alcohol coming from it so soon after waking up. "No thanks. I'm not one to drink so early in the morning."
They set up a mode of transportation to leave very early, and an hour or two after midnight so that they could reach their destination within an hour or so of dawn. The cover of night while also using less treaded roads helped to keep them out of sight from as many prying eyes as possible.
"You would have had a better sleep had you taken my offer," Leone said, snapping the lid of the bottle back on with her thumb and stashing it away… in between her cleavage somehow. "Your neck has to be hurting like hell right now."
She was not completely wrong, he did feel some slight stiffness, but nothing that would not disappear in a few minutes.
"While I appreciate you offering me a lap pillow, this journey is only a few hours long and I can manage without." Not to mention the carriage was a bit too tight for someone of his stature to even lie down completely. It would not have worked even if he accepted her offer.
"So, were you having a nightmare?"
"Excuse me? I don't remember having any kind of nightmare." The man wondered if he heard correctly.
She tilted her head, "You, Boss, and Akame don't exactly have a very wide range of expressions. You always seem to frown or have that stoic look on your face ever since we met. Maybe you also smirk once in a blue moon, but that's about it."
"Your point?"
"Well, that's the thing. You had a very different expression when you were asleep. You looked like you were struggling with something… I don't know how to explain it. Like a guy trying to hold in the urge to shit."
"…"
Never once in his life, at least as far as remembered, did anyone ever make this sort of comparison from his expression. Whether he should be offended or just confused was hard to decide, so he settled for just staring back at Leone, wondering if she was going somewhere with all of this.
"Yeah, just like that!" A grin showed on her face as she pointed at him, letting out a laugh when his frown grew more severe. He was starting to believe that she was just messing with him.
"Hahahaha! Alright, alright, no need to look at me like that. I really am curious about what kind of dream you were having that it got you to make such a face. Call it curiosity born out of boredom. Not like there's much else going on right now"
Emiya sighed, wishing she could have just asked that from the beginning.
"It was nothing, just reliving moments from the past."
"Oh?" Rather than being satisfied, her curiosity instead grew stronger. Leone left her spot and took a seat right next to him. Close enough that her breasts were practically smooshed against his shoulders. "Tell me more! The boss barely talks about her own past, let alone yours. The entire team is curious about you and no one knows much. Even Lubbock barely knows anything about you other than your relationship with the boss."
"Why even ask?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "I doubt much will change even if you know about my past. It's nothing exciting or shocking, normal and even boring for the most part."
"As if," she scoffed. "While I can make some pretty good guesses on the kind of life a spoiled rich kid would go through — even one raised by a military family — your story is definitely a lot different from those little shits."
At that, he chuckled. "A rich kid? Me?"
"Obviously." Her expression could not be any more cocksure. "First off, you lived in a huge manor, I saw that place years ago before properly meeting either of you two. Second, you went to the Imperial Military Academy with the boss, which is just a place with rich folks to send their kids to guarantee a well-paying job in the Empire. Finally, I doubt you ever went hungry living as the adopted son of Nagumo. And I am not just talking about the kind of hunger you experience from missing a lunch or two… but genuine hunger where even dirt starts to look appetizing if only because it'll fill your stomach."
Her voice trailed down at the end, perhaps remembering her own past. He did not know much about every member of Night Raid, but his surface knowledge gave him a few ideas on the kind of life some of them lived before joining.
Neither Akame or Leone had anything resembling an easy childhood as far as he knew. Her words now only reinforced that.
"First of all, I never attended the Academy, at best I would head to the dorms or private training grounds from time to time when visiting Najenda. For the other part though, I suppose you are right. Nagumo was many things and a doting father was certainly one of them, something he even extended to a random kid he found in some nameless village far from his home. This alone should tell you enough about the kind of life I had, I barely did anything that people would bother to take note of and I didn't care for hogging credit, so there is a reason why not many know about me."
"Then what about your relationship with Esdeath?" Finally, she asked the question that was definitely what she'd been wanting to know the answer to from the beginning.
Not that he could blame her, it was the elephant in the room for everyone other than Najenda.
"We met one another back when she was still attending the academy with Najenda — she and I crossed paths when I once went to deliver Najenda's lunch after she'd forgotten it. She was… unpredictable."
"That's it?" Leone gave him an incredulous look. "We are talking about a notoriously dangerous general known to have killed thousands and is also a freak of nature who commands winter itself. Surely you have more to say other than her being 'unpredictable'. I can call myself unpredictable, but nothing like whatever she is."
He supposed she had a point. Not to mention they were most definitely going to face her and her forces sooner than later. So knowing more about their enemies would help.
"She lives by one rule: survival of the fittest. Always has, always will. This wasn't something she picked up after arriving in the Capital — it's been drilled into her since birth. The first time we dueled and I beat her, it broke something in her. To Esdeath, losing was synonymous with death. The only way she could be satisfied with herself was if she stood at the top as the apex predator, So she latched onto me and Najenda, using us as stepping stones to grow stronger. In the end though, as much as she respected our martial prowess, our views on the world were too different. Oil and water don't mix."
"Wait, does that means she's this fucking dangerous because of you!?"
He laughed, finding her expression of shock amusing. And if he was being honest, she was not wrong, to say the least. "I suppose you can say that. Even so, I doubt she wouldn't have become a major threat whether I was involved in her life or not. She is naturally someone who tries her best to improve at a constant rate, I merely became a grindstone for an already dangerous weapon."
"Then become our grindstone then."
"Eh?" That caught him off guard, turning his neck to look fully at Leone who was pointing at herself.
"My Teigu is very close combat-oriented, maybe you can show me some tricks to become as dangerous as your ex-girlfriend~!" She teasingly nudged his arms, giving him a sly look. "I can be a very good student, just ask the boss, you won't find anyone more willing to get down and dirty than me!"
He rolled his eyes at the ex-girlfriend part, but gave the rest of her idea some thought.
It was not a bad idea, in all honesty. Despite her flirty character, Najenda had nothing but positive things to say about Leone, and he was starting to understand her as well. Serious when it mattered and able to not let her emotions get the better of her during missions even with her Teigu's bestial nature.
"I wouldn't mind, but bear in mind that I am not a brawler."
"Wait, really?" Evidently the blonde lioness had not been expecting him to actually agree. "You're serious…? Awesome! I'm gonna hold you to that!"
"I mean it is a sensible idea. Just understand that I don't really spar with or even fight against brawlers all that much, so our sessions might be a bit… awkward. But I'm sure I can manage to find som—"
"—YES!"
He didn't even get to finish his words before Leone grabbed his collar and brought him closer to her face. She stared at him intently with a frankly unnerving range of emotions, more than he imagined she would show.
"Who cares if you've ever trained a brawler before or not! I can show you my style and you make sure I can handle people like you in battle! If I can accomplish that, then facing Esdeath and those Jaegers of hers will be a cakewalk compared to before. It'll be fun! With Akame and Bulat doing the same we will be unstoppable! We'll be able to give your former lover some serious trouble in a fight at least."
Well, at least she was enthusiastic about the prospect.
"I think it's best for me to clarify that Esdeath and I were never lovers or in that sort of relationship like you clearly believe." Their moment during the teleportation incident and the hot spring from years ago resurfaced, but he preferred to ignore those for now.
"Seriously? She sounds pretty obsessed with you. Would've expected for you two to have beenfucking each other's brains out years ago."
"I can say with full certainty that nothing of the sort ever happened," Emiya replied, doing his best not to think about what the two of them had come so close to doing on that island.
"…So you're a virgin?" she asked quietly, making him get the urge to sigh as now she was definitely messing with him, though he settled for closing his eyes massaging the bridge of his nose. "I'll take your silence as a yes."
"I will neither confirm nor deny that, but it's frankly not important in the first place." He technically was not one, but if he was only considering this body, then being in a physical relationship was not something he ever dedicated the time to indulging, especially since a certain tundra general had been hunting him for the last two years.
"Sure it ain't~!"
Thankfully she was content with laughing to herself after that, but he did not miss that small shade of red on her face or the excitement twinkling in her eyes.
Fortunately, right as she opened her mouth to say something else, that was the moment their carriage came to a halt.
"Wee, looks like we'll have to cut this conversation short for now," he said while opening the door on his side..
"Oh right, the client! Let's go, I don't want to risk my ears falling off because I had to deal with another lecture about time efficiency from your sister." After saying that, Leone jumped out of the carriage, leaving him behind to adjust his clothes while she gave her gratitude for the ride to the Revolutionary smuggler in the form of a few silver, which he was all too glad to accept.
"So this is the place."
Said place was a small village in the middle of nowhere. Not even any guards or brick walls protecting them from outside dangers like Danger Beasts and bandits.
"The letter said to meet the client inside the house with a red door… There are less than ten buildings here." Leone commented dryly, just looking at the end of the road where a wooden house with a red door was found. On it, all the Night Raid posters were pinned for everyone to see, though no one paid them any attention. Even then, neither of them were on any of the posters, so they didn't concern themselves with hiding their faces.
"The place is so remote I'm amazed these posters are even here. And if any local trouble rears its head, Chouri has a capable bodyguard with him. Not that it matters much, Honest definitely knows of his location at all times." Emiya said, walking forward with Leone curiously following along.
"Are you two friends or something? The way he spoke about you in the letter sounds pretty a lot like what an old friend would say."
His lips twitched, recalling a memory from his time wandering the continent and meeting different people. But his short time encountering Chouri went very… differently.
"Something like that, he is an easygoing person by nature."
"Hard to imagine that given he is the former prime minister."
"Well, you will soon see it for yourself." Reaching the front of the door, he knocked a couple of times and heard footsteps walking closer. The door opened a second later and a young-looking girl with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a winter-themed style of clothing stood ready to greet them.
Leone tried to introduce herself to the young lady with a cheerful smile, only to be thrown off her game when the latter just scoffed and glared daggers at her companion.
"Humph!" That was all she said to Emiya specifically before turning around and stomping away further inside. Both of them were left rooted to the spot with Leone awkwardly halfway into the motion of reaching out her hand for a greeting.
"Uh… what just happened? Do I smell bad or something?" Leone asked in confusion, wondering what they did to piss off the girl before they could even introduce themselves. As she quickly made sure her hair wasn't a mess, Leone discreetly sniffed her shoulders, just to make sure she wasn't the cause of that reaction, while hoping that Emiya didn't notice.
However, her musing was broken by the sound of elderly laughter coming from within. Shortly after, an old bald man with a prominent mustache came into view wearing a jovial expression. "Don't mind my daughter, she is just a bit angry to see the man who declined to marry her here in the company of another beautiful young woman."
"Eh?"
"Hah," sighed Emiya, exasperated. "Nice to see you again too, Chouri."
Leone slowly turned her face to look at Emiya, several questions plastered on her face. "What the fuck does he mean with that talk about marriage?"
Emiya shrugged. "It's nothing. Forget about it."
At that moment, Leone had the urge to force the answer out of him through any means necessary.
Her intentions were seen clearly by the former Counter Guardian, who could already feel a headache coming upon him.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.