Fate Coiling Sword

Chapter 4: Pursuit

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

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His eyes opened to a rather dark space. 

Shirou Emiya didn't dream much in the first place unless something really special and memorable happened that day. He always seemed to have one of the two same dreams.

He dreamed about swords.

Lots of swords.

A field of endless swords as giant gears rotate in the sky.

The reason behind such a recurring vision remained unknown to him, though for the last few years, ever since he was saved by Kiritsugu, this was the only thing that came into his dreams.

There laid no meaning or reason to it. Just another piece that may just be one of the many aspects making up his mind. 

Though as soon as he saw glimpses of swords, they would immediately disappear and be replaced by something else. He would only recall a few things when he woke up after such a dream.

What he was taught a long time ago.

For example, magi and magecraft in general.

The sole reason magi existed was to understand the world and its mysteries. To use what they have found and understood to pave a road towards a gateway leading to the Akashic Records, the Root or Heaven to some. It was the culmination of their ancestors' hard work and aimed at a single goal. Reaching such a point would garner the desire for immortality, to learn true magic, or become all-knowing.

That's what it meant to be considered a true magus.

Frankly speaking, a magus was an exception who deviated from modern society—but even exceptions must band together to survive.

His father told him that the group of magi was called the “Mage Association”. He also repeated many times over to never associate himself with them. Shirou heard many stories of certain experiments conducted by these people, some of which made him gasp in horror. Human value did not exist in their eyes. The lives of the common folks mattered less than a piece of paper. 

To them, they were just a number.

The group called the Magus Association hid magecraft and organized magi. They basically kept watch to see that the magi population did not affect society with their magecraft, but the strange part was that they did not prohibit misuse of magecraft, to certain levels at least.

According to Kiritsugu, the Magus Association was only interested in the concealment of magecraft. Even if a magus carried out his research at the expense of the lives of many ordinary people, the Magus Association would not punish them as long as they did not expose the secret of magic. In some cases, if the research bore fruits for the Association's benefit, they might even get rewarded.

Nevertheless, there were limits. 

Their main priority was that magecraft should not become public, so they did not ban magecraft outright. 

Arrogant and crazy were what Shirou regularly associated these people with. Granted, it didn't mean everyone was evil. Some magi never went so far with human lives.

Anyway, the surveillance of the Magic Association was thorough and nearly omniscient, according to Kiritsugu. They worked alongside other magical institutes and even freelance magecraft practitioners.