Who can admire the thorny path of a hero?

Author note: I will drop the second chapter later today, I wanted to finish the plot with Shiro.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a completely black space, a throne of stone and a wooden chair where placed in front of the other. An orange-haired young man sat on the wooden chair, facing a blue-haired woman who embodied the very concept of beauty.

The man found her to be extremely familiar, yet he was unable to match her face with anyone he knew. Almost instantly he remember the last thing he saw, a blue haired woman more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen, he remember the blood leaving his arm and his hand missing... HIS HAND!

As he moved his eyes away from the blue-haired woman and towards his raised arms, confusion started taking him over. He couldn't understand what was going on, he was sure he lost his hand, the pain felt all too real, he was sure he saw this woman, her face was all too remarkable, but besides that... nothing.

He didn't know where he was nor did he know how he got here, he didn't understand why someone took him and neither did he feel his body appropriately, no... he felt more like a ghost, like someone who is and isn't there at the same time.

"Tell me, Emiya Shirou, what do you know about yourself?"

As soon as he heard the woman address him, he stopped thinking about the situation he was in and started trying to understand the question itself.

"What do you mean? Since you already know who I am do you really need an answer? Moreover, I would like to ask where I am if you don't mind."

"Well, you are dead. Currently you are in my domain, awaiting the next step, I have three choices for you, however your choice will depend on your answer, so tell me, Emiya Shirou, who are you?"

"I see, may I know how I died? As for your question... I don't know how to answer it well, I guess I am myself, nothing more and nothing else."

"Well, you died because I killed you. I need something from you, hence the reason why I am willing to give you three choices, consider it both an apology and payment, for what I have to take from you.

As for my question... well, it is actually pretty simple, are you your dreams? Are you your reality? Or are you perhaps nothing but an empty shell?"

"So... you killed me? What for?"

"Sigh, I need something hidden within you, it will help me protect someone important to me, as well as saving many lives, I am having this conversation with you because I know you will understand my reasons. Now you should be answering my questions instead of asking your own, we don't have all day."

"I see, you are right in that I would understand your reasons, but I cant see something special enough in me to help you. As for your question... I am not sure, I guess... I am all of them."

"I see... let me explain you better then, as well as tell you about your choices.

If you say you are your dreams, then you would be a hero of justice, in which case I will let your soul out of my domain and into Alaya´s, where she will give you the option of becoming a hero of justice, however I can promise you that you will regret this choice.

Should you say that you are your reality, well you would be a student,, a teenager, a senpai, a son, a friend. You would be your current self, nothing more and nothing less. If you answer this, I would bring you back to life, you would continue to life your life however you please and, should your actions and choices remain as they have been until now, you will end up in Alaya´s domain, being offered the choice of becoming a hero of justice. If on the other hand you choose to life for yourself, well I guess I don't know what would happen then, though it is interesting to imagine. You might find someone to love, a nice job, happiness...

Lastly, if you say you are an empty shell, I will send you to heaven, to see if you find some sense of fullness up there."

"I see... those are interesting choices I suppose, but what do you mean I will regret being a hero? Becoming a hero is my purpose."

"Well... it is quite simple, let me answer you with a quote I quite like, ´Who can admire the thorny path of a hero?´, in the end, even the most rightful and purpose-driven of men will regret walking the thorny path, because in the throne path there is nothing other than pain.

A life of pain is a life of misery, and to live in misery might be worse than not living at all."

"Hmm, even then, a hero walks the thorny path so that others don't have to."

"No, a hero walks the thorny path because he can't think of a better way to deal with the thorny path than to paint it red with the blood of his feet. Besides, no one is exempt from thorns is their path."

"So you are saying that being a hero is useless?! That it won't help others?! That i-"

"Do not misunderstand, heroes aren't useless, they are stupid. Walking the thorny path won't make the thorns go away, it won't destroy thorns, it won't destroy the path, and it definitely won't bring you happiness."

"I-I, t-then what am I s-supposed to do?!"

"Whatever you choose to do, we are all slaves to our desires, if your desire is to walk the thorny path then I won't stop you, however there are better ways to deal with thorns than to walk on them. You can cut them, burn them, avoid them, in fact anything is better than walking on them. You don't need to bleed so that others can heal. Your definition of hero doesn't need to be a martyr."

"T-Then... you are saying that I can help others without being a hero? B-But I promised my Kiristugu-"

"Your father walked the thorny path himself, and you saw what was left of him. There are other ways of honouring that promise, in fact the only way to honour your promise to him, is by dealing with thorns on a smart way, to help other not at the cost of yourself. How you do that is up to you.

So... Emiya Shirou, what do you choose?"

"I... I choose to be myself! I choose to be my reality, please take me back, I will make sure to honour my promise to Kiritsugu and without becoming an empty shell!"

"I see... I am happy for you. Now, about what I need from you, please focus on your heart, focus on what is within you and, once you have it, manifest it."

"Okey."

As Shirou closed his eyes, the feeling that something within his chest started growing heavier increased, until finally he grasped it and protected it outwards. Immediately a golden scabbard appeared, it was a beautiful masterpiece that radiated purity and calmness.

"Good job, I will be taking this as my own then. When you wake up I won't be there, yet that doesn't mean this didn't happen. You shouldn't try to look for me either, instead focus on yourself. I wish you the best, Emiya Shirou."

"W-Wait, who are you?"

"Me? I am just the most awesome and gorgeous of all gods!" Exclaimed the blue-haired goddess, with a grin on her face.

Seeing this, Shirou couldn't help but let out a smile, while the mesmerised look on his eyes didn't decrease on bit. ´I see... I suppose it makes sense, for her to be a goddess.´ With those thoughts in mind, Shirou couldn't help but wonder why he felt so relieved, as if something that was keeping him chained to the ground was no longer there.

.

.

.

When Shirou opened his eyes, sunlight was coming in through the window and he was back on his room, however he didn't doubt that what happened was real, after all he couldn't get that smile out of his mind.