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The Swirl of the Root—the origin of all things in the Fate universe, the source of all phenomena.
To sentient beings, this was the ultimate knowledge, the cause of all effects.
Haru stood within this swirling vortex of creation. Colorless, yet containing all colors—a world perceived only through the mind's eye.
Time, space, matter, energy—and their derivatives: fate, causality, creation, destruction—all concepts intertwined, their essences laid bare.
Here, knowledge was power. With the right understanding, one could acquire any ability, any power. One could even touch the source of these concepts, gaining knowledge directly from the Root itself.
The only limit—was the mind's capacity to comprehend, to contain such infinite knowledge without being consumed.
There was no turning back. Once one chose to acquire knowledge from the Root, there was no escape. The mind, overwhelmed by infinite information, would shatter, its identity dissolving into the swirling chaos—assimilation.
Greed, in this place, was a death sentence.
But the moment Haru touched the Root, it accepted him, as if he'd always belonged, a foreign entity granted citizenship.
And more importantly, the rules he carried within him, the rules of matter and energy from another world, were recognized, absorbed, integrated into the Fate universe, strengthening its very foundation. And in return, Haru gained control over this world's matter and energy.
In the language of Eastern mythology, he had mastered the Way of Matter and the Way of Energy. And though it was only a fraction of their full potential, the portion he now controlled, it was a foundation upon which he could build, even after leaving the Root, allowing him to comprehend and eventually master the remaining aspects.
As the knowledge he'd brought from other worlds—his cheat codes, so to speak—was depleted, what remained were the rules of this world, the essence of the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel.
The Einzbern's theories on the Third Magic flooded his mind, the knowledge solidifying, taking shape, becoming—a pattern, an image of a grail—the Magic Foundation.
If the world were a computer, its rules the hardware, then the Magic Foundation was the operating system, the software that Magicians used to channel their magical energy, to enact their spells.
This was the root of their secrecy. The more users a program had, the less effective it became. They hoarded their knowledge, their codes, to maintain their power and their status.
Seeing the Magic Foundation, Haru knew, from Gaia's earlier explanation, that this was the crucial moment.
Four intertwined concepts materialized before him—Time, Space, Matter, and Energy.
And upon each of these concepts, Haru saw a pattern, a Magic Foundation. And at the point where these four concepts intersected, another Magic Foundation took root.
These were the foundations of the Five Magics.
With the exception of the First Magic, its pattern dim and faded, the others glowed brightly, indicating their creators—the four remaining True Magic users—were still alive.
—First Magic - Time
—Second Magic - Space
—Third Magic - Energy
—Fourth Magic - Matter
As for the [Fifth Magic], it was a jumbled mess, a mixture of the other four, drawing upon fragments of their power, a pale imitation of true Magic.
"So that's why all the True Magic users who've revealed themselves claim the Fourth Magic exists—they saw it here, in the Root." Haru stared at the Magic Foundation attached to the concept of Matter.
And now, the chains representing Matter and Energy resonated with him, their patterns intertwining with his own—the rules he'd contributed to this world, and the essence of the Third Magic, the soul energy of Heaven's Feel.
Two new Magic Foundations appeared, one linked to Matter, the other to Energy, and Haru felt a surge of power as he gained control over them.
He could now be considered the Sixth True Magic user, a wielder of both the Third and Fourth Magics.
He looked at the chains of Time and Space, then, his mission accomplished, he withdrew from the Root, returning to the world of the living.
He'd lingered long enough. He could feel the seductive pull of those two remaining Magics, the desire to acquire their knowledge, to experience the ecstasy of assimilation. And he knew, his—cheat, the egg, couldn't protect him from the Root's embrace.
He materialized within the Ryūdō Temple cave.
——
The first rays of dawn, a warm, orange glow, streamed through the window of Kiritsugu Emiya's room in the Fuyuki Church.
Kiritsugu stared at his hands, his face a mask of despair. His body was covered in wounds—knife wounds, bullet wounds—and he could feel the lingering effects of poison in his stomach. All self-inflicted, in the hour since he'd regained consciousness.
"W-why can't I die?!" He clutched his hair, his voice filled with anguish.
"You are now the embodiment of All the World's Evil. Until that evil is purged—you cannot die. Be grateful, Kiritsugu Emiya. You have been granted immortality," Kirei Kotomine said, standing by the window, his back to Kiritsugu, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
"W-why did you help me? Why give me these?" Kiritsugu gestured towards the various weapons scattered around the room—knives, guns, swords—provided by Kirei for his suicide attempts.
"I wanted to see your suffering. That is all," Kirei replied, his voice filled with a quiet joy.
"That—God—the one you worship—surely He can destroy me! He's supposed to be omniscient, omnipotent! Why doesn't He just kill me?! Isn't He supposed to be good?" Kiritsugu's voice rose in a desperate cry.
"God only guides us towards self-redemption," Kirei said, turning to face him, his expression serious.
"Then why won't He guide me?!" Kiritsugu roared, his gaze fixed on a painting of Jesus Christ hanging on the wall.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka's Origin is All the World's Wrongs. His magecraft—it guides things towards—error. And the error of evil—is righteousness. Those were God's words," Kirei explained, his voice flat.
"Why are you telling me this? I thought you wanted to see me suffer in my unbelief." Kiritsugu looked at Kirei, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Kirei grinned. "Because I need Tokiomi Tohsaka's purest magical energy. Be grateful, Emiya. My Master—he's quite generous with his affections."
Silence.
Kiritsugu's face paled.
"Whether you choose to abandon your pursuit of redemption, or embrace this opportunity, to worship my Master or seek your own destruction—it will bring me immense joy. Praise be to my Lord. He is omnipotent, omniscient." Kirei knelt before the painting of Jesus Christ, his face alight with a fervent zeal.
Kiritsugu, seeing Kirei's devotion…, believed him. Was this—his only option? To save the world, he had to do this?
Hours later, Kirei, a satisfied smile on his face, exited the room, carrying a file detailing Tokiomi Tohsaka's personality, his likes, his dislikes.
——
In the Einzbern Castle's living room, Haru looked at Gilgamesh, who sat across from him, sipping wine, a look of regret on her face.
"Are you sure you want to return to the Throne of Heroes? It's so boring there. I could make you Human, you know. You could stay here, in this era."
"Haru-chan, you just want to keep me around so you can indulge your desires, don't you?" Gilgamesh's voice dripped with scorn.
"Ha ha ha! Such things are best left unspoken," Haru chuckled, his face flushing slightly.
"This era's amusements—they've grown tiresome. I'd rather return to my throne and sleep," Gilgamesh sighed, taking another sip of wine.
Haru's gaze lingered on her lips as she drank, a subtle smile playing on his face.
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