Pendulum

Ash filled the air, the scent sharp and unmistakable. Flakes of it drifted down, settling on the scorched earth. Smoke choked the sky, casting everything in a dark, oppressive gloom. The landscape was a chaotic mess of craters and ruptures where lava bubbled and oozed to the surface. Buildings lay in ruins as far as the eye could see, from east to west their structures charred and lifeless.

Amidst the devastation, a single sword, a black dagger, stood upright in the center, stark and solitary against the destruction. its other half was destroyed and was lost to time. The figure took in the scene, his breath escaping in a heavy sigh. He scanned the desolate world, his eyes reflecting the burden of the task ahead.

"So much to do, so little time," he murmured.

"It seems my failure to look at the bigger picture led to my loss," he muttered, his purple eyes staring ahead, devoid of emotion.

"You have ended our war," another voice spoke, belonging to a being clothed in brilliant light. "A war that lasted over several Epilogues," the figure, with several wings covering his back, continued. "We don't know how to say thank you."

"Well, I do have a request," the man said with a chuckle.

"A request?" the figure in brilliant light murmured in silence.

"Yes," the man replied as the black dagger glowed purple and reappeared in his hand. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes glowing purple in a narrowed gaze. With a smirk, he added, "A request only you can fulfill for me."

The figure observed the man's actions. "Very well, if it is within my power, I will do everything I can to aid you."

The two stared at each other, the weight of their unspoken histories hanging in the air between them.

....

In a room filled with the hushed stillness of afternoon light, a young girl, no more than seven years old, stood by a window overlooking the distant city skyline. Her voice, soft as a sigh and innocent as a songbird, barely carried her words to the glass pane before her.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately," she murmured, her blue eyes reflecting the vast expanse of the sky, now marred by billowing black smoke that curled upwards, obscuring the sun. "Like... is any of this real?"

Her shoulder-length brown hair danced lightly as she pushed the window open, the cool breeze brushing against her face. "I feel like I've seen this before," she continued, her words trailing into a whisper, tinged with a strange sense of déjà vu.

"How true...."

Before she could ponder further, a new voice pierced the air, causing her heart to leap into her throat. Startled, she whirled around, her magic circuits tingling with nervous energy. "Who's there?" she demanded, her voice trembling.

"I've come through the door to this world," replied the voice calmly beside her.

She gasped in surprise as a hooded figure materialized out of thin air. Her eyes widened in fear as she instinctively conjured multiple gems imbued with magic energy, sending them hurtling toward the intruder.

The hooded figure remained unfazed, effortlessly catching each gem with outstretched hands and crashed it like putting out a night candle. "What was that?, A Bug?" the figure remarked casually, its voice resonating with an unsettling calmness. he looked ahead into the burning city before him and smiled brightly. "Brings back memories, wouldn't you agree?" it spoke with a mocking grin toward the girl, as if it knew something she didn't.

"Who are you?" she managed to ask, her voice wavering. The figure wore black cloth that draped its form, revealing only a single piercing crimson eye and pale sharp hands that pointed towards itself. "I am merely an observer," it replied cryptically, "an architect of sort," the figure replied, its words sending a chill down her spine. As it spoke, she glimpsed rows of sharp teeth like a shark, a face of made out of stone with goldarn cracks all over the right side of its face. glinting in the shadows and pale white and blueish claws ,a creature of legend than reality.

her heart pounding in her chest. Terror gripped her as she realized the true nature of the entity before her. Whatever this "architect" was, it exuded an aura of power and menace that transcended anything she had encountered.

"What do you want?" she managed to stammer, her voice trembling with fear. She took a step back, her words faltering as she struggled to comprehend the immense mana emanating from this being.

Her mind raced with fearful thoughts. It's not human... Could it be a dead apostle? Sweat trickled down her brow as she faced the overwhelming presence that seemed to crush her with its gravity-like weight.

As the pressure intensified, the girl screamed in pain, feeling as though her very bones were being compressed. "Ah," the architect's smile widened, its voice a discordant melody. "Like music to my ears."

It breathed deeply, as if savoring the ambient energy of the room. "Finally, some proper energy," it mused, stretching its muscles with an eerie grace. "The lack of ether this world has was annoying, but that's slowly being corrected. Haha!, The Faker thought he beat us that easily " It cackled, a sound that sent shivers down the girl's spine.

"hmm" came his response as it suddenly, the architect's attention shifted to the girl, its hand extending to shield her protectively. A strange mixture of relief and confusion washed over her as she found herself able to move again, though her body still trembled from the ordeal.

"Please... spare me," she pleaded, believing the sudden pressure had come from this monstrous being.

The architect hummed thoughtfully, shaking its head with an unsettling calmness. "No, no, can't do. Sorry."

"Why?" the girl choked out, tears mingling with her fear.

"Because ending you is the best revenge against Ashborn," the architect replied coldly, its eyes narrowing with a chilling resolve, with a crazed grin, its eyes left eye burning crimson and its right a purplish blue.

"Don't blame me, little one," the figure said calmly, stepping into the dim light. Its presence was that of ice coldness, exuding an otherworldly aura that froze her in place. "Blame the sins of your past." it spoke looking beyond her mortal body, a gaze that seemed to piece the threshold of reality. "isn't that right Cha Hae? In or should i say Ereshkigal"

The girl's heart raced as the figure's words struck a nerve, dredging something deep. "I...I don't know what your talking about?, my name is Rin Tohsaka" Her voice trembled with fear and confusion.

Without warning, a powerful force gripped her neck, its touch cold and suffocating. She gasped, feeling her throat constricting under an unseen pressure. Pain shot through her as she struggled to breathe, panic seizing her.Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fought against the relentless grip, her mind racing with fear and desperation. Trapped in the clutches of this vengeful entity, she could only pray for a miracle to save her from the darkness closing in.

"I've waited so long for this," the figure whispered, its voice laced with a sadistic satisfaction. "To end you, and to see Ashborn's despair." It said with a crazed look but with a sudden scream of pain, the figure began to glow intensely, its roar echoing through the room. Rin collapsed to the ground, barely conscious from the strangulation. The architect writhed in agony, its form flickering like an unstable projection.

"damn!!" it spat out in fury, its voice distorted by pain. It reached out towards the girl, but its hand started to dissolve into particles. "Ah!! Not yet!! Not until the main event!" It cackled maniacally, its laughter filling the air like a chilling echo.

"This world has been reconnected... tied to the other side... soon to be completely eclipsed," the architect declared ominously as the ground trembled beneath them. "You do not know what lies beyond the door.....,Time to watch your world burn, Ashborn!"

With one final laugh, the architect vanished as if it had never existed, leaving behind a lingering sense of dread and the ominous certainty of impending chaos.

Rin fought through the numbness gripping her body, the violent shaking of the ground urging her to move or risk being buried alive. She couldn't afford to die here; she had to survive. With no mana left to summon a barrier, she focused on reinforcing her body as her father had taught her. Pushing herself to the limit, she made a desperate leap through the shattered window.

Outside, she glimpsed a raging fire consuming everything in its path, its malevolent presence palpable even from a distance. But what drew her attention was a massive vortex hovering in the Centre of the fire, resembling a swirling black hole.

The scene before her filled Rin with dread and awe. The vortex seemed to pulse with an ominous energy,like the tear in the reality that had fallen on earth. she wondered just how had the holy grail spiral out of control like this and what of her father."dad." she said quietly hoping that he was fine despite what the feeling deep down knew. his mana was nowhere to be sensed. "sensed?" she furrowed her brows, since when can anyone sense another persons mana? but it felt natural to her like she had done it countless times.

Little did she know, this night would etch itself into the annals of history, a tale whispered in hushed tones for generations to come. something that not even the world had anticipated or could cover up. 

.....

Sparks of fire lit up the hallway as two blades ground against each other. "Tsk," Shirou sneered, struggling with his two swords against a single longsword. His opponent, an armor stand, forced its weight against the younger child.

"Come on," he muttered, closing his eyes, sweat pouring down his forehead as he tried to think of a strategy. Suddenly, his eyes darted to the right, spotting another blade aiming for his neck. He tried his hardest to jump back, but his chest was cut in the process. The armor stand's sword hit the ground with such force that it kicked up a dust cloud, blocking Shirou's view.

He huffed heavily, observing his opponents through the dust cloud. He hissed in pain as the searing heat of the attack sent his nerves into overdrive. His eyes caught the state of his twin blades, cracked and disintegrating into blue particles. He had to do something. These weapons, which he had somehow made from nothing, were, for lack of a better word, trash. Not only that, his movements were sluggish, his tiny frame simple could not keep up with these types of fights that required brute strength. Despite processing things much faster, making everything appear slow to him, his actual body couldn't keep up with the speed of his perception. Who could blame him?,he was but a 6 year old child stuck in whatever this place was.

"Just how am I supposed to defeat these things?" he muttered. They were just too strong for him. He opened his inventory and took out a healing potion and a mana potion. They appeared in the form of bottles—one blue for mana, and the other red for health. He drank both of them while observing the armored figure that stood silently. He noticed more of them beginning to take fighting positions. The thought of battling several of these monsters made his heart leap in fear and anxiety.

"This is unfair," he muttered to himself as his hands glowed blue, and two new blades materialized before him. The armored stone soldier stood tall, unshakable, and imposing. Shirou observed the warrior cautiously, wondering why it didn't attack but just stood there, like a statue.

"What's up with you?" he asked with a huff, but still, the soldier stood motionless. "I'm starting to wonder if you're really alive or if I'm just crazy, and this is all some scary dream ,I would really want to wake up from." he said as he rushed the stone warrior.

The soldier simply swung its sword upwards, glowing with a bluish light. Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh," he said, his mind unable to process what he was witnessing. The stone soldier gazed at the boy ruthlessly. As it swung down, Shirou's eyes widened even further, and every cell in his body screamed to get away. He was going to die; he knew it.

Lines crisscrossed the joint of the soldier's arm, glowing faintly with the flow of life coursing through the armor. Shirou's heart pounded wildly, the urge to strike again overwhelming him. Everything blurred as his blade suddenly thrust toward the soldier's arm.

"If I can just disrupt the flow or cut it off..." His thoughts raced as he fought for survival.

In a flash of brutal speed, the soldier's sword cleaved Shirou from his upper chest to his midsection. Pain seared through him, Through gritted teeth, Shirou glimpsed the blade that had failed him, now lodged deep in the soldier's neck. His strike had missed its intended target, but it had struck true nonetheless. The energy flow was disrupted, triggering an explosion that blasted Shirou backward and obliterated the surrounding stone soldiers.

Shirou hit the ground hard, gasping for breath, his vision swimming as he struggled to breathe, darkness was creeping into the edge of his vision. Dust and debris filled the air, but the immediate threat was gone. Blood dripped from his wounds, but he managed a weak smile.

"At least... I got some of them," he whispered, every breath a struggle.

Shirou muttered to himself, already accustomed to pain after enduring the hellfire not long ago. "What the...?" he whispered, feeling the pain slowly ebb away and his body begin to function again. Lifting his head, he saw countless golden strands weaving within him, stitching his torn flesh back together. They resembled jagged blades but emitted an otherworldly aura that made him stagger.

As the strands worked their mending magic, visions flashed before his eyes. He saw a girl sitting atop a hill in a distant utopia, her golden hair dancing in the wind, and her smile radiant and serene—unlike anything he had ever seen before. The image captivated him, filling him with a strange sense of longing and peace.

Shirou was snapped back to reality by the incessant beeping of the system. The sound cut through the momentary serenity, reminding him of the immediate dangers around him.

[Levele up]

[Levele up]

[Levele up]

[Levele up]

[Levele up]

[Levele up]

[Levele up]

he blinked, momentarily disoriented, as the notifications flooded his vision. Each beep signified a surge of power coursing through his veins, his body mending itself at an accelerated rate. The golden strands continued their work, their glow intensifying with each level gained. Shirou clenched his fists, feeling newfound strength and resilience building within him. He pushed himself up from the ground, his wounds now sealed and his energy replenished. The stone soldiers that had surrounded him were reduced to rubble, their once imposing forms scattered in the aftermath of the explosion. He glanced at his hands, still glowing faintly with the golden light, and flexed his fingers. "Strange," he muttered to himself, determination hardening his gaze. "I don't know what this thing is but I like it," he said with relief and smiled a bit. he eyed the hallway ahead of him and saw only the fallen stone soldiers disintegrating into blue particles.

He wondered why everything in this weird experience of his Disappeared like that and vanished into nothing. He furrowed his brow in day ja vu as he grabbed his head in pain. A terrible headache was trying to consume him, the answer was on the verge of his tongue but like sand through his fingers slipped from his mind. 

the walls began to crack violently which startled him"Huh" he said in shock, the ground started shaking and the dust fell from the roof, ah what did he do?, this place was starting to collapse on itself." What happening" he shouted aloud as he looked around in a panic.

"The world's pendulum has been damaged, the story once thought finished shall turn to a new page," Shirou was started by the whispers that echoed around him. The hair on his head stood as he wondered what they were talking about."Pendulum?" he muttered in shock as he saw a flash and once again the scene changed before him.

"Ruin awaits should you fail, and no one will be there to congratulate you should you succeed, like a Nameless hero forgotten by history so shall you be," The figure said, taking a step forward" Yet you still wish to continue down this path?" Shirou stared ahead in a daze unsure of what he was seeing, or hearing.

The older man in black armor smiled"Yes" this reasoning defied the logic of the figure in white, taking a step forward he spoke" But why?, why go this far" Shirou looked into the sky, A spectator in his own body spoke with a whisper" I want to bring them back. if it means restoring what was lost, if everyone can be happy even without Me..then fading from mankind, from history is a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

"... Once This is done, there's no turning back shadow Monarch"

The man smiled "I know"

"resolving to carry this burden alone "the figure chuckled "is what reminds me of your predecessor Ashborn." The shaking of the walls snapped Shirou out of his daydream, startled by the shaking, he ran as fast as he could before he was crushed or destroyed whatever happens when you fall into the void.

"Stats" he muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with frustration and urgency.

Name: Shirou

Class: Ruler

Titles:

Survivor

Inheritor 

Level: 9

Stats:

Strength: G-

Agility: F-

Vitality: E-

Intelligence: G-

Luck: E

Perception: EX-

Magic circuits: 27 

Circuit Quality: F-

Element: Shadow\Sword

Origin: Shadow\Sword

Shirou sighed in exasperation as he continued to flee. "Come on, it's exactly the same..." Despite being at Level 9, his stats remained stagnant, a source of continual frustration. The urgency of the situation left no time for analysis; survival was his sole focus.

He gritted his teeth, determined to unravel the mysteries of the system later. For now, all that mattered was outrunning the chaos that threatened to consume him, his footsteps echoing through the crumbling corridors as he raced toward uncertain safety.