The Holy Man of The Church Creek

3

Shirou swallowed, a faint trace of nervousness flashing across his face as his gaze swept across the unmoving spectators and examinees, even Griselda was included. Her face, although misleadingly blank, revealed her incredulousness. The observation was based on the type of image the woman portrayed to the world: upstanding, orderly, and devote. Up till now, her pacing had never been broken. After ten seconds, she should have called for the next examinee regardless of the result. She had done so for her own daughter, and should have done so for him, but he was apparently different.

Still, the fact that she and most of the other clergy could control their emotions so well was something Xenovia and many other examinees could learn from.
Xenovia was standing there, perhaps unable to realize that her mouth was partially open and no sound was coming out. It was the kind of reaction he couldn't have expected to see on her face, her expression naturally resolute and business like. Which was why when she noticed his gaze, she immediately clamped her mouth shut; her face flushing before she promptly found interest in the craftsmanship of the tiled floors.
Ironically, if she could just display the same bout of emotion on a regular basis, most people would have no problems approaching the 'untouchable' woman. Unbeatable in any duel, straight faced, and unaccustomed to social norms, she was perceived to be at the pinnacle of a 'stand alone complex'. However, the truth of reality was far different.
She wanted to make friends.
She didn't want to be alone.
But she was still a Quarta, a name he had come to realize was just as renowned as the Pope himself. Griselda Quarta was famous. Not only for her phenomenal ability with a sword as mentioned in the rumours, but because of her relations to Heaven and its Angels.
Angels.
It was still a term that was hard to wrap around his mind, but if Devils existed, then Angels must too.
Still though, friends or no friends, it didn't stop Xenovia from performing at her best.
It was only after several days of training with her did he notice any changes in her usual expression. The lightening of her eyes, and the way her lips would unknowingly part into a thin smile whenever she thought he wasn't looking; it was all a far cry from the distant and envious look he had once spotted hidden in her eyes as she stared at the occupied training fields.
Admittedly, she was beautiful when she smiled. It seemed to contain what could only be described as childish glee combined with the refinement of a young woman. Her face lively and a certain aura of playfulness exuding from her, leading many to pause and rub their eyes in disbelief in the previous weeks. Even he was effected by it, but nonetheless, this certainly wasn't the time to ponder on it.
"Pass," Griselda's voice echoed in the silence of the Church's inner chamber before the rest of the clergy soon regained their bearings. "Please join the rest of the examinees lined up on the far wall," she spoke clearly.
Nodding his head, he quickly did as was instructed to avoid all the attention, but contrary to his beliefs, the gazes only followed him even after he made himself as discreet as possible. The hushed whispers couldn't have been anymore obvious either.
Xenovia elbowed him from the side, and nodded in approval as their gazes met. She didn't speak as no words needed to be said to convey her sentiments. A job well done.
There was a brief commotion as the gathered Priests and Nuns fussed over what to do with the broken device before ultimately looking helplessly towards Griselda. It was utterly hopeless, there was nothing they could do despite it being a gathering of some of the Church's most wisest elders. Yet how could they possibly fix something that was so utterly destroyed?
They turned their incredulous gazes on him, which caused him to shy away. Inwardly though, he swore to himself that he would pay them back somehow, or someday. This was solely because it was his fault. He should have known better than to trust his own luck.
Griselda sighed, and gave him an unreadable look, before ultimately suspending the first trial of the Holy Sword Initiation test.
He truly felt sorry for the inconvenience, and could only hope that the device he broke wasn't expensive. In that case, he really wouldn't know what to do to pay them back other than a lifetime of service.
Yet from the strained expressions of the clergy, he could already tell that that hope was just him being far to optimistic.
"Way to go," Xenovia whispered discreetly by his side, praise evident in her tone. "Just from rumours alone, I heard that that light measuring device was the only one of its kind."
He grimaced, and looked reproachfully at what remained of the device. It could be fixed, couldn't it?
"Not only did you break it, but you completely shattered the jewel," Xenovia continued to list her observations, oblivious to the effect it was having on him. It was like Pandora, a woman of Greek legend, attaining hope, only for it to fade quietly within her hands.
"Rumours are that the jewel is ancient. An artifact obtained during the Great War of the Factions granted to the mortal realm by the fourth Angel of God, Phaneul, minister of Truth and judgement."
The necklace around his neck thrummed in response to the words spoken, but he didn't even notice as he was too busy preparing a long list of apologies in his head.
Xenovia nodded after a moment, and turned to face him. "Even I don't know your potential. You broke an artifact of an Angel," she gave him a thumb's up from beneath the white cloak she wore. "Good job," she spoke as a senior congratulating her junior, "but don't think it will be that easy to defeat me." She grinned viciously as she crossed her arms, and tried to loom over him, but then quickly realized that he was too tall. Somewhat aggravated, she poked at his chest and warned, "I have my own tricks up my sleeves young junior. So, don't get cocky."
What are you supposed to be? The Demon King or my Senior? He sighed ruefully, a tad impressed on just how well she was able to maintain a straight face throughout their conversation.
"But aren't you the one who's being cocky?" A voice spoke meekly from their side.
He turned to face a pair of curious violet-coloured eyes on a smooth and pale face with thin peach coloured lips. The girl in front of him wore a similar white cloak as Xenovia, but her hood was down to reveal her chestnut-coloured hair which was tied into two twin-tails held together by a blue scrunchy.
It was Irina Shidou, the first examinee to partake in the first trail, and the first to pass. She had a finger tapping her lower lip, and her posture was partially bent as she leaned her head forward.
"Is that so?" Xenovia uncrossed her arms, and stared at Irina.
He could tell right away that she meant no harm in her response, but the tone in which it was spoken could be perceived as threatening. It didn't help that she gave off the impression that she was glaring.
However, Irina Shidou didn't seem to mind at all, as if completely oblivious to it. Instead, she spoke what was on her mind.
"How can he you call him a junior if he's your age or older? Shouldn't it be more like 'brother' as the Lord says?" Irina spoke, motioning towards him. "We are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of the Lord," she reasoned.
Xenovia was taken aback by the question. He could tell from the minute twitch of her lip, and the slight raise of her brows. "Y-Your right," she admitted after a moment, unable to think of anything to refute Irina's suggestion. She quickly fell into a bout of silence that he could tell was not on purpose. She just didn't have anything else to talk about.
After the last few weeks spent with Xenovia, he quickly realized that she didn't exactly have the best social skills. Then again, neither did he, but he had watched his classmate and resident Magus, Rin, enough times to learn a few things about the particular skill. Plus, judging from the way Irina didn't shy away from Xenovia, perhaps this could be a new friend for her?
But what could he talk about?
Irina Shidou.
He nodded his head before getting Irina's attention. "Your name," he began. "It's Japanese."
Irina's eyes brightened. "Yes, I used to live there along with my best friend, but had to move away because of my dad's job."
"Best friend?" Xenovia asked after noticing him urging her to speak.
"Yeah," Irina spoke. "We used to play a lot, and go around everywhere. It's too bad that I had to leave him be-"
Griselda cleared her throat, gathering all the examinees attention. "After an unforeseen event, it's unfortunate but the first trial can no longer continue. As such, we will move on to the second, and simply allow all those who have not participated in the first test to test their luck should they win the right to wield a fragment."
After the announcement, many of the clergy had begun glaring at him, causing him to bow his head in shame and remorse. He didn't mean too, he really didn't. Besides, wasn't it enough already that he could feel the stares like daggers pointed at his back?
It was even worse when he heard a few asking about what kind of person he was, awed expressions over their faces.
"It's to be expected as an apprentice of my mother," Xenovia spoke proudly in the face of all the attention, subconsciously influenced by her pride in her first friend. "Such a result only proves it."
You're really not helping, Shirou grumbled to himself, the stares increasing ten-fold. It felt as if there was an invisible pressure on his shoulders.
If Griselda disapproved of Xenovia's statement, she didn't show it, and instead motioned for the examinees to enter the next room. They were no exception, and as they passed by, Griselda leaned in and whispered silently into Xenovia's ear, Xenovia's face paling rapidly.
"F-Forgi-"
Xenovia didn't even get to finish before Griselda turned around to join the rest of the clergy in the next room, leaving her behind with an arm outstretched in front of her.
He gave her his condolences as he recalled how harsh Griselda could be during her training regiments.
Entering the next room, they saw that the place was bare except for a large gate at the far wall. The left part of the gate was covered in ivy and other forms of plant growth, while the right side of the gate was coated in gold.
"Welcome the Second Trial of the Holy Sword Initiation," Griselda once again spoke as she moved to stand behind a small podium. "This is the hardest trial, not because of its difficulty to pass, but in what this trial will teach you."
Her words sent the examinees into a quiet murmur, Irina whispering quietly to a despondent and glazed eyed Xenovia.
He elbowed her in the side, knowing that words wouldn't be enough to get her out of such a state induced by her mother.
She blanked for a moment, then shook her head to clear her thoughts before she looked thoughtfully at him. "You'll help me with my mom, won't you?" She asked with a strained smile.
He didn't respond, but he noticed that Irina did. Good lord, she really didn't know what she was getting into. Still, he sighed before facing Xenovia. "I'll help too," he spoke against his better judgement.
Xenovia gave him a thankful nod before she too began to focus on the words Griselda was speaking.
"Like the first test, we will call you all in one by one, and the examinee is to pass through this gate. From there a score will be given by this reader," she pointed at a small dial located at the top of the gate. "A pass will be five-hundred points, but let me remind you all again. This test isn't hard to pass. What's hard is what you all will see within."
"Is there a maximum score?" An examinee called out.
Griselda furrowed her brows before speaking. "Generally," she began. "There should be, but no one has ever been able to reach the measured limit," she spoke.
The hall grew silent as Griselda's eyes trailed over the sheet of names she had in her hands. "Irina Shidou, please step up to the gate," she called.
Getting a nod from the Priest of her Church, Irina stepped up to the front of the gate. She then turned to Griselda, unsure of what to do.
"Simply push the gate open, and walk in," Griselda spoke.
Sucking in a breath of air, Irina laid her hand flat over the gate and pushed, a dull flash of light illuminating her as she disappeared from within the gate.
The room fell into a bout of soft whispers, many speculating about what Griselda had meant by the difficulty of the second trial. How could something be hard, yet be easy to pass?
It was a paradox. No matter how one would think about it, it didn't make sense. Therefore, the only way to understand was to first enter the gate. It was a conclusion that both he and Xenovia quickly arrived at. That, and to simply ask Irina when she got out.
Time slowly passed on, and it was with growing realization that this trail just may take quite a long time.
Finally, after fifteen minutes, the gates shuddered before creaking open to reveal a pale face Irina. Her hands were slightly trembling, but she had yet to realize it. Even the vigour she had had mere moments ago was gone.
The stark difference in her appearance going in, and her appearance going out sent a chill down many people's backs. Yet the score displayed on the screen was a number in the thousand, way past the minimum of five-hundred for a pass.
"Congratulation," Griselda's voice echoed out. "You pass."
Irina gave a dis-spirited nod, and made her way back toward him and Xenovia. The closer she got to them, the more obvious it was that she was clearly shaken about something.
She smiled dimly as she stopped in front of them. "I did it," she spoke quietly before going completely silent.
"Just, what happened in there?" Xenovia couldn't help asking.
Irina only continued to smile, and said nothing, choosing to rest against a wall where she fell into deep thought.
Shirou furrowed his brows as he watched more people being called up to take the test. Something wasn't right about this test. Why did it seem as if the examinees had lost even though they had past?
Almost all of the examinees that had previously taken the test had passed, yet all of them were reduced to a state like Irina.
Suddenly it grew quiet.
The atmosphere in the room could only be described as somber, a permeable heaviness seeming to float within the air that steadily began to affect him. He didn't like it, watching people wallow in such an atmosphere.
"Shirou," Xenovia began, nudging his side. "What do you think is happening in there?" She asked.
"I'm not sure," he frowned. "Just promise you'll be careful in there."
Xenovia pursed her lips, and nodded just before his name was called and then promptly interrupted.
"Shirou Emi-"
"With all do respects Sister Griselda, but may we make a proposition in consideration of what happened during the first trial?" The voice belonged to the head Priest of the Church.
Griselda stopped speaking and motioned for the Priest to continue with a "go ahead."
"On behalf of myself and my fellow clergy, we propose that this examinee go last should anymore unforeseen events occur."
Hearing the words spoken, he coughed into his hands and silently sent a message to Griselda to agree, lest he cause anymore trouble.
"Accepted," Griselda spoke. "Then, I'd like to call upon the next examinee…"
Name after name got called, and more and more examinees exited from the gate pale faced, but resolute. The scores displayed on the counter were relatively high, averaging about seven-hundred points, well within the minimum score of five-hundred to pass.
Soon it was Xenovia's turn, and like Irina when she stepped out from the gate, they didn't speak much about their experience. At least Irina smiled. Xenovia just kept a frown over her face and stood silently by herself in contemplation. Eventually though, both managed to get over their tests, and return to normal just as his name was finally called last.
"Shirou Emiya," Griselda sighed. "In the words of the clergy behind me, please try to keep the trouble to a minimum."
He smiled sheepishly and agreed as he stepped up to the gate which opened of its own accord. He raised a brow as his eyes drifted to the necklace around his neck before he sighed in exasperation. Walking in, there was no flash of light that accompanied his entrance like it had for the other examinees, but rather, he just felt a wave of invisible energy wash through him.
And then, and then it was dark.
Hushed whispers and hurried footsteps echoed around him.
Within the dark, in front of him stood a boy who's features and outlines were obscured by dark shadows. Similarly, across from the boy, was a whole group of people holding in their hands what looked to be a manifestation of primal evil and sin.
The faces on those people were, like the boy, shadowed, but he was still able to make out their expressions of guilt and remorse in their sunken eyes. The whispers he had heard before became clear as the people threw the manifestations they held within their hands at the boy like hard stones.
Evil must be contained.
Only one must bear it all.
Only one must be condemned to save the rest.
They were harsh words whose meanings could not be misinterpreted. He felt a deep loathing swelling from within him, but the feeling quickly vanished as he noticed the tears, like droplets of falling rain, drip down from the faces of the prosecutors.
Images appeared within his mind originating from the memories of the people tossing the representations of evil.
A man stood over his ill and dying daughter.
A mother crying as she stood alone within a deserted town plagued by a vile writhing filth.
When evil runs rampant in the world, what else could we have done?
It was as if the people were staring directly at him, and whispering such a question directly into his ear. He didn't know what to say. In fact, he couldn't even speak at the moment as the boy who had once been obscured in the shadows suddenly appeared before him.
He was a child no older than five, yet he was empty.
Without knowing love.
Without knowing compassion.
A child born for the single purpose of shouldering an insurmountable burden.
Living in pain.
And Living in sorrow.
Without even knowing the meaning of his own existence.
The two stared at each other, and soon everything changed.
He was staring up from a deep well, the only source of light stemming from the distant surface. The sound of trickling water echoing around him, and even then, it only served to amplify the sudden feeling of loneliness from within him. To fuel an ever-growing anger.
A curse to set upon the world.
His curse to bear.
Everyday seemed to pass on in the same way with him staring yearnfully at that distant light. He had grown hollow, as if nothing really mattered anymore except the brewing evil constantly poured down upon him.
It was unfair.
Unjust.
Maddening even, yet he did not so much as even flinch in the face of all the hardship.
After all, he was empty.
The necessary sacrifice.
An individual that couldn't be saved.
He looked down at his hands, and suddenly he realized he was staring at the boy once again. All of the feelings he had felt were gone as he began to understand that those feelings were never his, but those of the child in front of him.
"Hey mister," the boy spoke each word slowly, using what limited knowledge he was able to understand. "Are you empty too?"
Chasing after ideals that aren't even yours, the words Archer had spoken back then echoed within his mind, images of a child walking ceaselessly though an un-Holy fire subsequently surfacing.
He kept quiet, and the boy simply stared at him expressionlessly, neither knowing grief, nor disappointment.
Suddenly he was back on the surface, standing in between the boy and the crowd of people, comprehension dawning over him.
This was his choice to make, his decision alone. To save the boy, and condemn the masses to the manifestations of evil in their hands, or condemn the boy alone.
The manifestation in the hands of the people were their own sins and emotions of greed and hatred, the evil in their hearts. Yet the boy had done nothing to deserve being a scapegoat.
He closed his eyes, and considered everything.
The emotions he had felt.
And the images he had seen.
He opened his eyes, a determined light shining within them as he stepped forward towards the boy with purpose.
As he made his choice, the necklace around his neck began to release its glow, and hidden deep within, a dark energy began to stir, intrigued about the choice to be made.
As Griselda had watched that youth step through the gates of the second trial, she couldn't help but begin to speculate about the result. Not only was his performance during the first test phenomenal, it bordered on impossible. She had heard the rumours concerning the jewel, and admittedly they were true. As a relic of the Great War of the Factions, and a tool used by the angel of judgement himself, it was meant as a gift to the devote to appraise the following generations of Holy Sword Users. For all intents and purposes, it was a relic even used to judge the light capabilities of angels before it was granted to humankind. It shouldn't have broken.
She pondered silently to herself. Although blessed, the boy was still human. So, how was it possible that the ancient relic got destroyed by the amount of light energy contained within a human body? Her brows knit together the longer she thought on the matter before a stunning realization came upon her. Saints were people who contained an abnormally high amount of light energy, but even they should not have been able to shatter an artifact made from the heavens. Therefore, only one exception could exist and that was-
Her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but swallow nervously as a borderline insane trail of thought took root in her mind.
"Sister Quarta?" One of the clergy called her name from behind her.
She turned around to face him, and was met with the numerous stares of other high standing Priests and Nuns. "Is there something you all need?"
"No, but rather there are just a few questions on our mind that we hope that you would answer," the head priest of Irina Shidou's church spoke up. He had admittedly been quite arrogant at the start of the trials, but it was more of a show of the faith he held for Irina. It was only after witnessing the shattering of the Holy relic that he was forced to dampen his mood. He sighed. "Did you really train that child?" He asked.
"Yes," she didn't hesitate to speak the truth and gave her evaluation. "He is," she closed her mouth for a moment, trying to come up with a suitable response. "He is someone that I believe only appearance once in times of salvation, and even I myself do not understand why I feel this way. You haven't sensed it yet, but he also possesses a Holy Aura."
"T-Truly?"
The congression of Priests and Nuns couldn't help but exclaim. It was after all, the correct response. A Holy Aura would not mean much to the younger generation, but rather they could only appreciate it for the warm and tender feeling it exuded. However, for the older generation, the significance was far greater. A Holy Aura signified a Holy man. Such people included individuals such as John, Peter, and Nicholas, all of which had become Saints.
The future a Holy Man had in the Church was truly limitless, but it also scaled in accordance to their rarity. Which was why the Priests and Nuns were so taken aback.
"Where did you find him?" One of the more composed priests asked.
"By the Church creek," she answered.
"Then he's the Holy Man of the Church Creek?" A Nun asked incredulously.
A befuddled look appeared on Griselda's face. It wasn't that the Nun was wrong, but there was just something about the name that implied a childish sense of mischief. Probably because it was just so ridicules that a potential Saint originated from a such an obscure location. Although there was also John the Baptist, but his life did not begin from baptising people with water from the river Jordan.
She shook her head, and reluctantly didn't criticize the name the Nun proposed. There were no flaws in it after all.
"What do you think his performance will be?"
The question was sudden, but she had already been thinking about it.
"It is uncertain," she spoke. "This test doesn't rely on the amount of light energy found in an individual, but rather the mentality of the individual. It would be far too difficult for a selfish person, and even regular examinees to pass. Of the three tests, it is without a doubt, the hardest."
The other Priests and Nuns gave a nod of consent. Everything she had said was true after all.
"Then we can only wait," was the only consensus reached.
It was after over half an hour had gone by that they sensed that something was wrong.
All the other examinees had exited from the gates within fifteen minutes, the maximum being twenty, yet Shirou was still in there.
A worried expression crossed Xenovia's face for the briefest of moments before she quickly hid it behind a frosty exterior.
The same could not be said for Irinia however. She was the type of girl who readily expressed how she felt even without words needing to be conveyed.
All of this was seen by Griselda, and it only served to increase the sense of urgency beginning to take root in her mind. This wasn't normal. Then again, Shirou wasn't normal either, and she didn't mean that in a bad way.
It was when they heard the distinct sound of creaking, that all eyes turned towards the gate expecting Shirou to come out. Far from expectations however, he wasn't there and instead, there was a steady beating thrum originating from the gates of the second trial; the ivy and plant growth covering the left gate withering away, as the gold plated right gate began to lose its luster.
What was happening was truly inconceivable. Even the measuring device that displayed the score of the examinees through brightly lit numbers was spinning completely out of control.
Someone gasped when the first crack appeared.
She herself felt an undeniable sinking feeling in her gut.
"Not another one, please not another one," the head priest of the Church hosting the trials began to pray earnestly. It was not enough that the Holy relic was destroyed while under his possession, but now the Gate of Inner Vision too? How was he supposed to explain this to the Vatican, or even Heaven's representatives?
His face began to lose all colour as he watched more and more cracks appear on the gate. "Griselda?!" He yelled pitifully, the ramblings of a kicked dog.
She sighed. At this point it couldn't be helped. "I will shoulder some responsibility as the fault lies in my student." She would be remembering this for the next training session.
As the cracks spread further, the left gate crashed to the ground, the reverberating sound of metal echoing across the silent room as the right one soon followed.
Even with her promise to shoulder a part of the responsibility, the head priest of the Church held his head between his hands and was muttering quietly to himself. It was conduct inappropriate for the leader of the Church, but she supposed this could be an exception. It wasn't very often that one would find themselves in a situation where they would have to explain just how twoHeaven granted treasures were destroyed.
However, what truly puzzled her was just exactly that, how?
Based on the way the Gate of Inner Vision operated, it wasn't conceivable that it would break. It wasn't like the ancient Relic of the First Trial as there was no way to overload it, let alone destroy it.
The second trial operated on the bases of Integrity. Without integrity, regardless if one possessed enough light energy within their bodies, how could they be trusted not to turn rogue? A brief example would be Freed Sellzen, a Church exorcist that went rogue after losing himself in his own blood-lust and twisted mentality. He had been promising, someone who possessed just as much light attribute as her daughter, but he didn't even hesitate to leave the teachings of the Church. It was fortunate, however, that he was not able enough to obtain a Holy Sword.
After all, he had failed at this very same trial.
The trial was different per examinee as it based the world it created off of something it had glimpsed off of the individual. This was why the gates would release a faint glow after each examinee walked past them, but Shirou was the exception. Not only did it not release a faint glow, but the gates voluntarily opened for him, beckoning him forward.
The question was, what did all that mean? And what sort of world was Shirou present in?
In the second trial, even if each world it created was different, there was always the same fundamental outcome; a choice even the most practical of individuals would find hard to choose. Everything was also made all the more real as the Gate had the properties of complete hypnosis, making the choice that much harder. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if the people who walked in believed that they were transported to the past of their regrets, or into a situation where they could do nothing but decide between what was most important to them. Because, after all, it was a common occurrence.
Often the hardest choices involve the biggest regrets and consequences.
In this way, it could be said that this trial was designed to make examinees fail. Their score was represented by the length of hesitation in their actions, and the remorse they would feel knowing what they had decided to sacrifice. Say, a choice between saving one's lover, or one's family. The integrity of an individual is not solely based on their actions or capabilities, but the motivations and regret driving them forward to their decision.
It was like a choice of killing one for a hundred, all the while mourning the loss of that one.
It really was the worst kind of trial, but in this way, it would allow the examinee to grow from the experience without actually having the situation become reality. This trial should only strengthen their conviction.
The exceptions were people such as Freed Sellzen who held no notions of guilt after deciding his choice.
As the gates began to break into pieces on the ground, she couldn't help but recall some of her past suspicions. There was always something about this trial that bothered her. As a tool created within the Heavens, was its function really only hypnosis?
She snapped out of her musings as the sound of steps began to echo out. Was the trial over?
Not only her gaze, but everyone's turned to face the sound.
As the steady clicks of shoes stepping against the floor grew louder, so too did people realize that it was coming from the direction of the destroyed gate.
One moment he wasn't there, and in the next, Shirou appeared, his arrival signalling the complete evaporation of the gate. All that remained was the steadily deteriorating decorations added after the gate's creation.
Faint traces of black markings could be seen visible beneath his skin before they faded away to be replaced by the familiar Holy Aura. Feelings of veneration were beginning to swell from within her as she was bathed in it, but she quickly gained control of herself. After all, she had already been in the presence of someone with equal, if not a greater Holy Aura: Michael of the Seraphim.
However, others did not have the same opportunity, their expressions frozen in shock. Even Xenovia, for all the training she had given to her to hide her emotions, was unable to hold back the astonishment in her eyes.
And through it all, as if believing the stares directed at him were reprimanding him for destroying yet another artifact, Shirou quietly bowed again and again, his face flushing in embarrassment.
The action only served to bring hers and everyone's attention onto the measuring device that had long ago stopped spinning and displayed a simple figure beneath Shirou's feet.
Near faded completely along with the remains of the gate, it was still possible to see the figure displayed: a horizontal eight, the mark of infinity.
She sucked in a breath, her vision swimming. That sort of score wasn't possible. As such it could only mean one thing, a score that could not be measured.
As Shirou grew uncomfortable in the silence, it was Irina Shidou who involuntarily asked the question on everyone's minds. "W-What happened in there?" She asked. "What choice did you make?" Her voice grew quieter as she thought back to her own experience, her mood growing somber. "Who did you save?"
Yes, it was exactly the question running through Griselda's own mind. Who did Shirou save? Regardless of the world displayed by the artifact, it always presented the decision to save one or another. What was his choice?
She and the procession of Priests and Nuns, listened intently for the answer.
"Well," Shirou scratched his head uncertainly, still flustered that he had broken yet another device.
However, he answered anyway as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I just saved them both."
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