Shinji Matou is quite mad right now. Shinji is an aspiring Magus, and like every other Magus, he desires to reach the Root. Also known as the centre of the world, it is, by no means, an easy task. Many Magi have spent their entire lives trying to get there, but only five people have been able to make it and come back to tell the tale.

  To become one of the few to have done so is something any Magi would kill and have killed to get. However, the rewards are worth the difficulty. There is the prestige and reputation that come with being one of the few to have achieved something practically impossible.

  Regardless, it all pales in comparison to the real reward: True Magic. The ultimate accomplishment of a Magus is only attainable to those who touched the Swirl of the Root.

  Magic and Magecraft are very simir but differ in one major component.

  First, True Magic surpasses all Magecraft and sciences of the era and thus is the highest css of mystery. The second and most important is that the results are impossible to achieve through conventional methods. A spell that can make fire, whether big or small, will always be Magecraft since the same result can be achieved through non-magical means.

  Concepts such as time manipution, teleportation, and the resurrection of the dead are considered miracles that are only possible through True Magic. While it might be possible to achieve such things through conventional methods, it hasn’t been possible since the days of old.

  The Matou family is one of the many families to have this goal. They were one of the founding families of the Holy Grail War. The true objective of the Grail War is to create a path to the Swirl of the Root. Unfortunately, this has not been successful.

  There is also another problem. The Matous have been losing their magic circuits over time. This has come to a point where Shinji has none.

  Because of that, Zouken adopted a girl from the Tohsakas, Sakura. This was in the hope of having an actual heir. That infuriated Shinji. He's better than that twerp, and that's not even the worst of it.

  Sakura has been trying to get closer to him. Why? Some fool told Sakura that an older brother needs to protect their siblings or whatever.

  Why should he protect that girl? She's practically a lifeless doll. Not as much now. That had a big effect on her.

  The fool’s name is Emiya Shirou. Shinji has been trying to find and talk to him face-to-face but to no avail. Apparently, he’s quite famous in the mundane world. Because of that, he hasn't been at school for a while.

  Now, though, he's finally attending csses again. After school will be the perfect chance to give him a piece of his mind. Why is he putting so much effort into this? Honestly, he didn’t know, but there was something in the back of his head telling him to do it.

  It didn't take him too long to find his address; all he had to do was ask a teacher in the pretence of giving him his overdue work. The teacher complied quickly, almost too quickly, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?

  Surprisingly, Emiya has quite a big house. It would be more accurate to call it an estate or mansion. It would be impressive if Shinji were part of the mundane world.

  The door immediately opens.

  Standing in front of him was Emiya Shirou. He was covered in sweat.

  "Oh, sorry about that. I thought you were someone else," Emiya quickly said.

  'That's weird; why did he come out so quickly?' Shinji thought.

  "Why are you here? You aren't someone who found out where I live and wants an autograph or something, are you?"

  "What? No! I'm here to give you the work you missed." Shinji showed a mani folder filled with papers. He then gave it to Shirou, who opened it and checked its contents.

  "Want to come inside?" Emiya offered. Shinji agreed and followed him inside. The interior of the house wasn't terrible, in Shinji's opinion. However, when he stepped inside, the young Magus couldn't shake off the feeling that he had made a mistake. Shirou prepared some tea and disturbed them.

  "So, what did you want to talk about?" Shirou asked.

  "I already told you I'm not interested in an autograph," Shinji said defensively.

  "I'm not talking about that. I've never met you before, and we don't have csses together. Yet you're the one who's giving me my homework," Emiya stated calmly. Shinji flinched. He didn't expect the boy in front of him to get suspicious of him so quickly.

  "I'm here because of my sister, Sakura," he admitted, spitting out the word sister.

  "Oh, how is she doing?"

  "Why do you care? You don't know her."

  "The only time I've seen her, she didn't look affected by injuries that would make others cry, and her eyes were soulless. I'm sure that would be enough cause to be worried."

  "She's just weird. Plus, she’s adopted, so it doesn't matter."

  "So it’s true that Magi don't care about their family."

  "Excuse me?" He couldn’t have said what Shinji thought he said, right?

  “I know you’re a Magus. I am one as well.” Shirou decred it firmly. The conversation changed with the added context.

  “Who else knows?” Shinji immediately asked. It would be bad if his family was the st to know that a mysterious Magus family was living near them under their nose.

  “Nobody besides you. Not even the Tohsakas. I made sure to not use any Magecraft when Sakura was here but she could have figured it out regardless.” That was surprising since the Tohsaka family were the ndowners. While the Magi did many unrespectable things, it was widely accepted that those connected to the Moonlit world made themselves known to their ndholders.

  “It wasn’t my choice; my old man wanted to be left alone.” Shirou answered the unasked question. Shinji understood the reasoning, due to mystery and Thaumaturgy going hand in hand, the less who knew your secrets, the better. However…

  “Old man?” That wasn’t a common term to refer to someone in a Magus family.

  "Well, he isn’t my blood father, but he has been taking care of me.”

  “Why would a Magus adopt someone who isn’t blood-reted into their family?”

  “My family was caught in an accident, and I was the only survivor. My old man was the one who took me to the hospital, so he might have felt responsible for me.” Shirou shrugged as he answered.

  ‘Something doesn’t add up. No Magus worth their salt would adopt a child without good reason.’ Shinji thought. ‘More importantly…’

  "What do you want? There is no other reason you could have for inviting me inside than making a deal," Shinji questioned.

  "I desire access to the knowledge of the Matou magecraft."

  "Are you insane!?" The Matou heir sat up abruptly.

  "I wasn't finished. I understand the ridiculousness of my request. Granting access to all of the wisdom of your family is insane. Therefore, I want a small portion of it that could change into a rger amount over time," Shirou eborated. Slowly, Shinji sat back down.

  "It's a good thing you understand the position you are in. Even if I decided to accept this proposal, what would you offer?"

  "Do you know of Senji Muramasa?"

  "He is quite the famous bcksmith in Japan. Why does that matter?"

  "Would knowledge of the Muramasa craft be acceptable enough?"

  "That family has been dead for centuries! How would you know of their techniques?" He snarled.

  "The Muramasas merely took on a different name and honed their skills. I am proof of that." Shinji paused at the decration. ‘This fool is ciming to be a Muramasa?’ He thought. ‘What a joke’.

  "What makes you think the Matous would be interested in weapon crafting?" he sneered.

  "Any good magus needs a good mystic code, and I assure you, there are more types of weapons that a Muramasa can make than just a cursed bde." The offer was tempting, but Shinji knew he had the upper hand in this exchange.

  “How do I know you aren’t just from some young family pretending to have a legacy?” It would be terrible if he was caught up in the conversation and did not check his bases.

  The supposed Muramasa head rolled up his right arm sleeve. ‘So its on his arm?’ Then he rolled up his left arm sleeve. For a moment, the room was quiet, and then both arms glowed, showing an old family Crest that is very possible to be the Muramasa’s.

  While his arms glowed, Shirou raised his hand and created a fme on his palm. It was a great fire, but it was practical.

  With that information revealed, Shinji could only accept that the boy in front of him was a descendant of Senji Muramasa.

  ‘I still have the upper hand! You are just from a bcksmith family that has been cowering in the shadows like rats!’ Shinji mentally reasoned.

  “The offer does sound tempting, but I’m not so desperate to take such a one-sided offer. Maybe throw in a free weapon whenever I want and might consider it.” He said this while trying to hold back ughter. Shinji stood up and went to leave.

  "Well, if you have no better deals, then I’m going home. This will be quite the thing to tell my grandfather-”

  BAM

  Turning around, the Matou heir saw Shirou standing with a bruised hand and a dark expression.

  “Funny that you say, because from my perspective, you are in desperate need of some help.” Shirou said it with anger.

  “W-w-why do y-you say that?” The blue-haired boy said this, with an unexpected fear coming over him.

  “The Matous adopted someone into their family. A Magus family would never do this because of the desire to continue the bloodline and transfer their family Crest. Since a Crest is akin to an organ, a successful procedure is difficult amongst families. To do it with someone who isn't blood is even harder. Because of that, your family must have found a way to transfer the Magic Crest with greater ease or not have one at all. But a family as old as yours would have one. I mean, that’s as good as saying you can’t do magecraft.” Shirou expined coldly.

  Shinji was terrified as the red-haired boy revealed his family’s greatest secret. His hands started shaking erratically, and no words came out of his mouth, no matter how hard he tried.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted this exchange to be between only you and me. The Magic Crest thing was only an educated guess,” Shirou tried to calm down the other boy, but it seemed fruitless.

  Silence permeated through the room.

  "I’ll prove it,"

  "Huh?"

  "If I want you to accept my deal, then I’ll need to show you my skills, and there’s no better way to do that than to make a Mystic Code.”

  "Very well, take me to your forge then," Shinji requested. Shirou stood up and went to the door.

  "I need to get something. Can you wait by the door for a bit, please?" He asked. Shinji was confused by this but noticed something. While his demeanour during their deal felt almost predatory, now his posture is rexed and friendly.

  Against his better judgment, Shinji decides to wait by the door. Not long after, Shirou arrives wearing a jacket.

  “Let's head out then,” Emiya said. He opens the door and walks forward. The Matou heir expected the mysterious mage's workshop to be in the house. Following Shirou, Shinji looks to his left.

  "Is that your workshop?" He asked, pointing at the shed in the front yard.

  "Nah, it just holds some random junk here and there. Though I am pnning to convert it into something I can do my magecraft in," Emiya revealed calmly.

  "Wait, so you're telling me you don't have a workshop on your premises, if at all?" Shinji stopped and demanded. Shirou turned around and smiled. He then walked out of the gate.

  "Hey! That doesn't answer my question!" Shinji followed Shirou, though for once, he didn't feel afraid of him.

  (...)

  "How much longer do we have to walk?" Shinji asked. His body started to feel heavy after walking for so long. Shirou turned back and looked surprised.

  "Hey! I'm not unathletic if that's what you're thinking," Shirou looked away guiltily.

  "That isn't it. I didn't realize that my body is as capable as it is. Or maybe I'm just too used to pain," he expined. The light in his eyes dulled as he seemed to recall a dangerous memory. Shinji might not be the greatest when reading people, but he can tell when to move away from a topic.

  "How much more do we have to walk?" The boy said to steer away from the awkwardness.

  "Not much more. We will have to do a lot of weaving through the rubble. This confused Shinji, especially with the calm delivery. It was when he looked forward that his confusion was cleared up.

  What stood in front of him was an area covered in malice so thick you could cut it.

  "Huh, some of the debris has been removed," Emiya said, unfazed.

  "Can you not feel that?" Shinji asked.

  "Yeah, I'm sure even non-Magi could feel the raw hatred coming from this pce," Shirou said, becoming serious with the question. "It makes you wonder what kind of spell caused this."

  That comment made Shinji think. Destructive magic that can cause something akin to explosions is unusual due to its ck of use. There is also the high energy cost it would have. So why would someone use a spell that could be spent more effectively?

  It wasn't much longer when the pair reached their destination. Shirou opened a dirty trapdoor and climbed down the dder. Shinji followed suit.

  When his feet hit the ground, Shirou was scrounging for items. Shinji looked over to see what he was pulling out. Wood, wax, brass, a hammer, and other things he didn't know the names of.

  Afterward, Emiya finally took off his jacket. Underneath him was a rusted iron chain wrapped around his body.

  "Where did you get that?" Shinji asked.

  "Well, I know a guy who knows a guy who is in charge of a scrapyard. When I was looking for good scrap metal, I found this. There are only five links, but they are each pretty thick," Shirou answered. He put the top part of the chain on the horn of the anvil.

  Then a knife was pulled out.

  "暑さだ (heat)," With that command, the bde turned orange and emitted high temperatures.

  Emiya pced the cutter on the chain and sawed away. It took a bit of time, but a portion smaller than a centimetre was cut out.

  He then moved down and cut the second link to fit the diameter of the first. Shirou's precision with the bde was incredible. He didn't mark out anything and just did it.

  'He only cut metal. That's nothing to get excited about,' Shinji reassured himself.

  He separated the links and put the rest of the chain aside.

  "I'll only be using this much for the bde. The rest I might use for other projects," Shirou expined while walking to another part of the room.

  Bright green intersecting lines spread across the boy's arm. A magic crest of incredible age was activated. From what Shinji could tell, it was nearly as old as his family. Nearly.

  "暖かくして (stay warm)," An orange aura covered the link.

  The chain part is thrown into a small metal cylinder with an opening on the front and back and a smaller one at the top, then lit up.

  The two side holes are covered, and the heat is increased.

  “This is a furnace. It's used to heat metals. Usually, gas is used to make the fmes, but thanks to the Muramasa Crest, I can use a more cost-effective version,” Shirou abruptly expined.

  Shinji is by no means experienced in the ways of bcksmithing. He does understand the properties of fire.

  “Aren't the two holes you covered there to let air in?” Shinji asked.

  "They are. While the time varies, it takes a long time for metal to get hot enough for it to be worked with. But if I force the heat to only come out one end, then it will be quicker. At least that's the theory." Shirou expined. The st part made the Matou heir pause.

  "What do you mean theory? Haven't you done this before?"

  "Nope. I looked around the workshop to see what I had and read the books to get an understanding of the fundamentals. Aside from that, I have never made a bde before. Even if I did, anything before the fire is moot." Shinji felt his jaw go sck. This was the guy who threatened him with his ck of a Crest?

  As if mentally keeping time, the Muramasa heir removes the covers and pulls out the chain link piece. In contrast to its previous brown coloration, it now has an orange, almost white, glow.

  Looking satisfied, the boy pulled out a hammer with a unique design. One side was round with a ft end. The other was a triangur prism with one of its edges at the end.

  "This is a cross-peen hammer. The ft end is for standard hammering, while the cross peen can be used for stuff like this." Shirou expined again while putting the chain piece on the anvil's horn.

  On the peen side, the young bcksmith hammered open the opening to make it rger. Once the link was sufficiently spread, it and the hammer were flipped onto opposite sides.

  The hammering didn't stop until it became a steel strip measuring roughly 86cm. Shinji noticed that Shirou wasn't hitting the chain piece willy-nilly. Each strike was focused and hard. With each inhale, the hammer was primed. With each exhale, the hammer swung.

  Once the steel was of sufficient size, it was put on a round machine with a rough surface that spun.

  "This is a belt sander. It's used for sanding rough edges and surfaces quickly and easily." Shirou provided another description.

  The belt sander spun at a speed it probably couldn't handle normally. When the bck outer coat was removed, a file was taken and used to get the finishing touches.

  Pulling out the hot knife again, two edges were cut, resembling a bde and handle.

  Using a different tool with a big spinning circle, a bde edge was ground out, which was then sanded with a hand file until it was smooth.

  A new device was taken out. This one looked the smallest, almost fitting entirely within Shirou's two hands. It looked to be a drill of some sort. Instead of drilling in front of it, it drilled around it.

  "Are you making a blood groove?" Shinji asked. He could be more knowledgeable about swords, but a unique part of a katana would be noticed.

  "The proper name is a fuller. It's supposed to lighten and stiffen the bde. If it actually does so, it is debatable,” Shirou answered. The hand file was pulled out once more for the katana shape.

  After Muramasa stopped filing for the umpteenth time, he pulled out a drill.

  "What's that for!?" Shinji shouted as he jumped up in surprise.

  "I'm going to drill a hole into the handle section of the sword." He said this after getting Shinji to calm down a bit.

  True to his word, he drilled a single circur hole into the grip.

  "Time for the hardening," Shirou said to himself. First, he wrapped a bck wire around the katana, starting from the handle hole, to form an X-pattern.

  Second, a special type of cy was coated on the bde while avoiding the edge.

  Then, it was moved to a long brick furnace filled with charcoal.

  "I thought you would use your intense heat for a short time," Shinji wondered aloud.

  "I don't want to chance this," Shirou answered regardless.

  "Didn't you say that you've never made a bde before?"

  "Do those look like bdes to you?" The Muramasa pointed to a part of the room. There was a box that carried tens of imperfect swords of all kinds. Small, big, short, long, eastern, western. Each one was fwed and incomplete.

  They were all almost perfect. It was as if each bde was bound to be a masterpiece, but there was one small imperfection on each that ruined it all. A misalignment in the bde, a dent, impure steel, and many more.

  "It's irritating, but I'm not giving up," Shirou said while watching the burning bde.

  Shinji saw something in the amateur bcksmith as he said that. It was a restless conviction; he knew he could succeed if he tried enough. It reminded Shinji of himself and his desire to learn magecraft.

  Shinji would consider himself a prodigy because of how quickly he understood the principles and theory of his family's magecraft.

  Unfortunately, he has never been able to cast a spell due to the ck of Magic Circuits in his body.

  Shirou's stubbornness made the Matou heir see him as a kindred spirit.

  Maybe this deal will be more beneficial than he first thought.

  After a shorter time than normal because of thaumaturgy assistance, the katana was treated.

  The belt sander was turned on again, and with the help of a file, it turned into a shiny katana.

  While doing this, Shirou chanted something.

  "シャープ(sharper)," he said with each swipe of the file.

  The finished product was a razor-sharp, reflective bde.

  “With that, the bde is finished,” Shirou said.

  “But the sword isn't right?” Shinji responded, learning the other’s tale. A smile was his answer.

  Using the Magic Crest once more, Muramasa slightly heated the bde.

  Pulling out a piece of wax, he stabbed it through the handle. Sliding it out, the wax block held the grip shape.

  With that, he turned it into a mould.

  Using the mould, some brass is melted and poured to create the shape of the Hibaki.

  To make the guard, more brass is cut into a circle.

  Suddenly, Shirou stopped and inspected the item.

  "Did something go wrong?" Shinji asked in genuine concern. The amateur bcksmith turned around slowly.

  "I don't know what to do for the design." Shinji deadpans at this.

  “Just put lines across it or something,” the Matou heir said, frustrated.

  Taking the suggestion to heart, Shirou cut lines and the middle section of the guard.

  After searching around, Shirou eventually found what he was looking for.

  It was a bottle containing a clear and viscous liquid mixed with bck paint. Smearing it on top of the guard and letting it harden, the guard was finished.

  Moving to a corner away from the fire was a box filled with wood. Shirou pulled a piece out.

  The wood piece was cut in half lengthwise. Both parts were carved out for the handle.

  With the belt sander, the wood was sanded down and glued together to become the handle. It was then wrapped around what seemed to be a piece of paper.

  Finally, the bde, Hibaki, guard, spacer, and handle were put together.

  For the finishing touch, soft leather strips were wrapped around the handle.

  A mighty breath came out of the bcksmith, for he had just made his first sword. It was quite an achievement for him.

  Unlike the Matou heir, who, despite everything, hasn't been able to cast a spell,

  “Here,” Shirou said, offering the katana handle first.

  "You want me to have it?" Shinji asked in disbelief.

  "Yeah. As a commemoration of our partnership, if you accept my deal," Shirou expined. Shinji was stunned. The boy in front had just crafted his first bde, and instead of keeping it, he was giving it to someone else.

  Very slowly, the katana was moved into Matou's hand. While he didn't have an eye for weaponry, Shinji thought the bde was beautiful.

  With two hands, the sword swung. It whooshed cleanly as it cut through the air.

  “I'll keep it,” Shinji said before he realized it.

  "Very well then; I look forward to working with you,” Shirou said. With an unsure slowness, he raised his hand for a shake. Shinji returns it.

  "I'll head back home. Let's discuss our deal in more detail another day," he said, making his way to the exit.

  "Of course, you know where to find me," Shirou said while waving goodbye. With that, the Matou heir climbs up the dder, katana in hand, with some difficulty.

  Shinji expected the day would go with him telling off some self-entitled genius for getting close to his "sister." For him to end up with a beneficial business deal, basic Mystic Code and a potential friend were something unexpected but not unwelcome.

  If anything, it made Shinji excited and motivated for the future. But one thought came to his mind as he walked back home.

  'Where am I going to put this?'

  (...)

  Well, that was tougher than I expected. Making business deals will never get easier, no matter how many times you do them.

  I'm thankful that my bcksmithing endeavours finally bore fruit. What the hell was I thinking, though?

  Before that, I only had half-baked attempts to show for my practice, and then I went and risked it all just to prove myself to some kid.

  I have parts of Shirou's spirit dormant within me, so I can pass off as him better. Are his thoughts influencing my actions? I'll have to consider this, so hopefully situations like these won't happen again.

  Ding dong

  Is that Shinji? I'm surprised he's returned so soon. Maybe he wanted to get a sheath? I desired to get him out of my hair asap, but it slipped my mind.

  Ding dong

  "I'm coming," I said loud enough to reach the door. Our conversation ended not too long ago.

  "You could be a bit more patient, Shinji. I'm sorry about not giving you a sheath, though. Making the sword got me so carried away that I forgot about the thing that holds the sword," I expined as I walked to the door.

  Upon opening the door, the person on the other side was not who I expected.

  "It is a good thing you are apologizing as soon as you meet me. But it is shameful that you do not recall the proper reason, mongrel." said the King of Heroes and Uruk, Gilgamesh, standing outside my house.

  Only one thought rang through my mind.

  'Shit.'