Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

Chapter 84

People were sharing their tales, but few were willing to listen to the stories of others. No one offered a shoulder to lean on, no one was interested in hearing their troubles. The harsh reality had smothered their sorrows, their pain, their hopelessness, and locked it away deep in their hearts, like a cloud of forgotten dust.

Rage, envy, wrath... all the malevolent emotions lingered on. Words became sharp instruments of harm, capable of causing injury even from those with gentle hearts. Good friends could turn into strangers, just as it had happened to Shirou before. But now, he was no longer shrouded in confusion.

The road to freedom had already been laid out, and all that was left was to traverse it. The views along the way were mere fleeting moments, and the people defeated by reality were just passersby in life. However, he was determined to listen to their stories, to their sorrows, with the utmost sincerity.

People were determined to build a brighter future with their own two hands, without relying on gods, immortals, or anything beyond the ordinary. All that was missing was a calm, attentive listener who would take the time to hear their worries.

Shirou confronted the ominous Black Grail, his head tilted back as he gazed at the black mud descending like a waterfall. His reflection was mirrored in the murky water, displaying his twelve-year-old form. However, despite his youthful appearance, his face exuded a sense of maturity, especially in his eyes, which seemed far too mature for a child.

"Splash"

The torrent of black mud flowed towards Shirou, yet as it reached him, it divided and surged to both sides, as if repelled by his presence.

He said, "Please don't do this. I have acknowledged and accepted you, why are you not willing to do the same for me?"

-- You are unable to endure the evil of this world.

"I'm not here to endure it, but to cease denying the truth about myself," declared Shirou. "I acknowledge both you and myself because I, too, possess evil within me. However, I acknowledge both my flaws and virtues. And with that, I will strive toward freedom. My friends, I have taken the first step and I invite you to join me. Let us walk the path towards freedom together, towards a future wider than the sky!"

-- Take heed. Our evil can consume you at any moment.

The waves of mud surged and flowed into the mud behind Shirou.

-- Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! --

-- Go to die, go to die, go to die! --

The echoes of malevolent thoughts resounded in Shirou's ears, yet he smiled and proclaimed, "I will not allow my heart to be clouded any longer, for it is the most valuable thing to me."

"As long as you do not deny yourself, do not reject evil, and do not forsake us, the blessings of evil will always be with you."

"Who are you?" Shirou asked.

"The evil of this world, your evil self."

The massive mud engulfed his form, compacting and converging until it merged with the mud behind him.

The immeasurable, heavy curse swiftly shattered Emiya's Saint Graph, transforming it into fragments of pure magical energy, which were then devoured by the mud.

And so, the fate of Emiya the Heroic Spirit vanished from Shirou's being.

The fate of Fujimaru Shirou was born.

The sky's breach ceased to emit mud, as the mud had become evil for Shirou.

The hole gradually vanished, and the black mist that shrouded the sky started to dissipate slowly.