In the remote mountains, shrouded by ice and snow, stood the ancient, secluded Einzbern Castle—a sanctuary for its inhabitants and their secretive pursuits.
On this rare day, the castle and its surrounding forest were freed from the snowstorm's grip, allowing a brief glimpse of serene beauty.
This was the day when Kiritsugu Emiya, despite his exhaustion, would venture into the forest with his daughter, Illyasviel, to fulfill one of the family's unspoken traditions—a winter stroll outside the castle.
Meanwhile, within the castle, Saber, the summoned Heroic Spirit, was deep in conversation with Irisviel, the nominal master.
Although Kiritsugu couldn't hear the exact words exchanged, he could well imagine the knight's sharp criticisms about his own methods.
Kiritsugu, a pragmatic assassin, inherently clashed with the ideals of such a noble and righteous figure—a tension he had little desire to confront today.
As the father-daughter duo wandered through the snowy forest, their time was marked by innocent contests and laughter.
Illya, delighted by her small victory in spotting the first walnut bud, clasped her father's hand tightly as they strolled back, their footsteps leaving soft imprints on the snow.
"Next time, it'll be after you return from Japan, won't it?" Illya smiled brightly, looking up at her father.
"Yes... Next time, I promise I won't lose," Kiritsugu responded, attempting a calm demeanor while suppressing the heaviness in his heart.
"Hehe, you'd better try harder. Otherwise, I'll be ahead by 100 victories soon!" Her cheerful tease bore no resemblance to the storm brewing inside Kiritsugu, who already knew the likely outcome of the war he was about to face.
But on the rare chance that he survived…
Yet, survival seemed a luxury he couldn't afford.
To save everything, he knew he had to be ready to sacrifice everything.
Such had been his way, driven by a lofty ideal but cursed to endure the inevitable loss of all he held dear.
"Daddy, how long will your and Mommy's work take? When will you both be back?" Illya asked with innocent curiosity.
"Daddy will be back in about two weeks… As for Mommy, it might be much longer…"
"Mm. Mommy told me last night," Illya responded brightly. "She said even if we never see each other again, she'll always be with me. So, I won't feel lonely!"
Her words pierced Kiritsugu's resolve, nearly causing him to falter. Yet, she continued with a smile, "So it's okay! I'll always be with Mommy too!"
"…I see…" Kiritsugu's voice was strained. Every fiber of his being urged him to embrace his daughter, yet he hesitated, haunted by the bloodstained hands he feared would sully her purity.
But if Illya would never again feel her mother's embrace, and if even her father withheld his love… who else would be there to comfort her?
Stopping abruptly, Kiritsugu crouched to her level and softly called her name.
"—Illya."
For the first time in eight years, he embraced his daughter.
"...Daddy?"
"Illya, can you wait for me? Even if it gets lonely, can you endure it until Daddy comes back?"
"Mm! I'll wait! I'll wait with Mommy!"
Her radiant, unaffected cheerfulness threatened to undo Kiritsugu completely. Nevertheless, he vowed, "Then, I promise you. Daddy won't make you wait long. I'll be back soon."
With that, he sealed an impossible promise, holding his daughter tightly, cherishing the fleeting warmth of the moment as though it were the last.
<+>
"Did Kiritsugu survive the war?"
From a distance, watching the filmed scene play out, Latisha, the Lich, couldn't help but ask.
Her curiosity was mirrored by others on set, including the actresses portraying Irisviel and Saber.
Still adjusting the camera to capture the perfect shot, Edward nonchalantly replied, "He survived."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the audience.
The thought of Kiritsugu and Illya reuniting warmed their hearts, filling them with hopeful anticipation.
However…
"But he never returned to her."
The chilling twist in Edward's voice left everyone stunned.
Latisha, in particular, regretted her question, as realization dawned on the true nature of Kiritsugu's fate.
Even the headless knight Belldia, usually unshaken, was taken aback. "Director Durin, didn't you just say Kiritsugu survived?"
"I did," Edward confirmed with a grin. "I just never said he won."
Silence fell over the set, heavy with understanding.
Latisha, now grappling with her growing obsession with Fate Zero, cursed her earlier eagerness for spoilers.
Meanwhile, Edward, engrossed in ensuring the scene's perfection, suddenly remembered something vital.
"Ah, crap! I forgot to reconnect the live broadcast to the capital!"
The realization hit him like a brick.
The audience waiting eagerly back in the city must have assumed he'd dropped off the face of the earth.
What a disaster!
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Post In Patreon: Chapter 158: The Arrival of the Beastkin Oracle![1]
Link to the chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/creating-anime-125562286[2]
https://www.patreon.com/DaryaDmitrieva[3]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/posts/creating-anime-125562286
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/creating-anime-125562286
[3] https://www.patreon.com/DaryaDmitrieva