Fate/Magus Path

61 Redemption

What does it mean to be alive? What does it truly mean to live?

Emiya Kiritsugu had long since lost the ability to define what it meant to be alive.

Ever since the day he personally killed his father, he had been lost.

In that moment when he was engulfed by the light of an angel, his mind went blank, and everything he had experienced so far played back in his mind like a revolving lantern.

The meaning of life, human will, and everything he had ever hoped for was emptied in that instant, and his soul felt as though it had finally been freed... Peace... everything he had pursued until now was for the sake of finding true peace.

But when he was resurrected, his soul forcibly summoned back to this world by the miracle called the Holy Grail, he was lost, and in pain.

He didn't even know if he was truly alive or dead.

Looking at the perfectly restored city, the bustling streets, and the endless stream of cars, he was overwhelmed by a sense of despair and loneliness that suffocated him.

The city around him, restored to its former state, felt completely foreign.

Everyone had returned, and the life-or-death struggle of the past seven days now seemed like a dream.

The dead had been resurrected and the broken buildings were as good as new, but only his beloved was gone forever.

"Irisiviel!!!"

Emiya Kiritsugu, this pitiful man, knelt on the side of the road, crying out in despair like a child who had lost something precious.

Having experienced loss once again, he had fallen into complete despair, and all he could do was cry out helplessly.

Kiritsugu's wails echoed through the streets, attracting the attention of nearby residents and passersby. They didn't know who Emiya Kiritsugu was or why he was crying. To them, he was just a disheveled man who seemed mentally unstable. No one dared to approach and ask what was wrong; most coldly ignored him and walked away, while a few kind souls dialed the police.

But this situation didn't last long. Just as he had been revived, Maiya Hisau, who had been searching for Kiritsugu, found him, wailing amidst the crowd.

"Kiritsugu..."

Maiya looked at the man who had once saved her from a hellish situation and was filled with hope to save the world. Now, he was reduced to this state.

Despair, sadness, powerlessness... these emotions filled her heart as she watched the man kneel and cry after everything was over.

"I'm sorry, Kiritsugu."

"If I had been more useful, if I could have helped you more, this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry... Kiritsugu, let me take you away from here."

Tears welled up in Maiya's eyes as she knelt down and wrapped her arms around Kiritsugu's neck, resting his head on her shoulder in an attempt to give him the last bit of warmth she could offer.

Though she knew it was futile.

Then, using her slender arms, Maiya supported Kiritsugu and slowly led him away from the crowd. Passersby watched the pair, some offering to help, but Maiya declined them all. In this way, before the police arrived, she led the now hopeless Kiritsugu away.

Until...

A figure appeared before them.

As the sun set, the shadow elongated with the sunlight, and a tall figure extended a hand to greet them.