The trolley problem.
The man known as Kiritsugu Emiya had made his choice without the slightest hesitation.
Yet after making it, an immeasurable despair settled over his heart.
Powerless rage.
How cruelly ironic that it should befall him.
Like a young beast abandoned by its mother, Kiritsugu collapsed onto the deck of the speedboat, his body trembling uncontrollably. A dull ringing filled his ears.
Then, through the haze, he heard Shirley's bright, familiar voice.
"Kerry, what kind of adult do you want to become?"
"I want to..."
Tears of despair soaked the deck beneath him.
Slowly, Kiritsugu pushed himself to his feet. The tearstains on his face had yet to dry, and his expression had become frighteningly empty.
"I want to..."
"...to become an ally of justice."
The vow he had made as a child had become an inescapable curse, one that would follow him for the rest of his life.
The lonely stars flickered before fading into the night.
Unheard prayers filled heaven and earth.
A boy who sought justice prayed for a miracle.
Yet with those innocent words, he unknowingly sketched the outline of a distorted future.
To create a world where no one would ever cry again—
Even if he had to stain the sky crimson with blood, the boy would still answer that calling.
The countless unheard cries, prayers, and words of comfort...
He abandoned them all, casting everything aside as he continued onward with nothing left.
The beautiful moonlight slowly sank beneath the horizon.
And the castle-in-the-air dream of the young boy drowned beneath the weight of reality.
Now a man, he gazed into the distance and quietly closed his eyes.
No matter how much sorrow he endured...
No matter how much pain he suffered...
He still chose to continue toward that distant goal.
He reached out his hand.
The sighs of those he could not save became the conviction that kept him moving forward.
"Is wishing for world peace really wrong?"
"Why... why am I the only one left?"
...
After that day, Kiritsugu Emiya continued traveling across the world in pursuit of any means that might allow him to fulfill his dream as an ally of justice—the dream of world peace.
No matter how slim the possibility, he was willing to sacrifice everything to chase it.
He continued working as a bounty hunter.
Only...
From then on, he walked alone instead of with Natalia.
Until one day, on a battlefield, Kiritsugu rescued a young woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Natalia.
As repayment, the girl chose to remain by his side.
She became his assistant.
His partner.
And the woman who helped soothe the wounds in his heart.
Two lonely souls, both scarred beyond repair, quietly licked each other's wounds, comforting one another amid lives filled with countless scars.
Her name was Maiya Hisau.
As a child, she had been abducted by a war-torn nation and raised as nothing more than a weapon of war.
That upbringing had forged her into a cold, composed woman with combat abilities capable of keeping pace with Kiritsugu.
Gradually, the two developed a relationship much like the one Kiritsugu had once shared with Natalia.
But he knew she wasn't Natalia.
And Maiya knew she could never replace the woman who lived in his heart.
Even so, she willingly devoted herself to him, content to serve as a substitute for the one he had lost.
Unlike Natalia, who loved joking and teasing him, Maiya rarely smiled.
Only when she was alone with Kiritsugu would she reveal the gentle heart hidden beneath her stoic exterior—the heart of a young woman.
She had long accepted the purpose of her own life.
To become an extension of Kiritsugu Emiya.
To help him realize his dream of world peace.
That became Maiya Hisau's own dream as well.
Their hearts in perfect harmony, they continued their journey together, searching for the salvation called justice.
After countless twists and setbacks...
Just as Kiritsugu was on the verge of falling into despair once more, a prestigious family of magi based in Germany—the Einzbern Family—extended an invitation to the infamous Magus Killer.
Kiritsugu could not refuse.
Because what they offered him...
Was the possibility of achieving world peace.
Never before had he felt so close to realizing his dream.
The Holy Grail War.
A battle fought between seven Masters and seven Servants.
The ultimate victor would obtain the Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish-granting device.
Although it had never been created for the purpose of bringing about world peace, in a world where magecraft and mystery truly existed, sufficient magical power could make nearly any wish a reality.
So...
Kiritsugu had no choice but to accept.
...
Eight years earlier.
Kiritsugu Emiya arrived at Einzbern Castle in Germany and formally signed the contract to represent the Einzbern Family in the Holy Grail War.
At the same time...
To guard against the possibility of failure, the Einzberns extracted his genetic material and, using the current Human Grail Vessel as a template, created another vessel as insurance for the next Holy Grail War.
When Kiritsugu saw the snow-white infant cradled in the arms of the white-haired, crimson-eyed girl...
Two emotions that should never have coexisted washed over him simultaneously.
Absurdity.
And warmth.
By then, the innocence of his youth had long since been crushed.
The brutality of reality had transformed him into a taciturn man whose ideals had already died.
"So adorable..."
"So tiny..."
"So fragile..."
"Look, Kiritsugu."
"The baby's eyes are exactly like yours."
Leaning against the headboard, the white-haired, crimson-eyed girl gazed tenderly at the swaddled infant in her arms.
"I'm truly grateful..."
"...that I was able to have this child."
The homunculus girl, born only as a tool, spoke those words with heartfelt sincerity.
"..."
Standing beside the window, Kiritsugu silently looked out over the beautiful yet frigid landscape of snow.
Without taking his eyes from the scene, he spoke in an emotionless voice, like a machine merely executing its programming.
"Iri."
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing, Kiritsugu?"
"Because..."
"Someday..."
"I will kill you with my own hands."
Kiritsugu turned and looked at the girl named Irisviel von Einzbern, whose fate had been decided from the moment she was born.
Within his hollow eyes...
There was nothing but endless darkness.
That darkness swallowed the reflection of the peaceful, white-haired girl standing before him.
Because...
If the sacrifices already made in the name of justice were to have any meaning...
Then this sacrifice, too, was necessary.
He—
The man named Kiritsugu Emiya—
Had made his choice long ago.
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