"There is no rule that says a fake cannot surpass the original." -Shirou Emiya
A year after the fifth holy grail war, Shirou Emiya, now a student within the magus school known as the clocktower was currently running on the hallway along with the love of his life and partner in crime, Rin Tohsaka. Currently they were lagging behind and classes were to start on four-no, make that three minutes. After considering everything, Rin then says "Shirou! Use reinforcement!"
As she says that, blue circuit-like patterns sprawled across her legs, face and the arm holding Shirou's. She then takes off in a powerful burst of power, dragging the poor Shirou, making him flail in midair like rug until he recovered enough to think straight. He then reinforces his own body with magecraft and then outspeeds her, before carrying her in his arms in a lover's carry.
You know this guy is fast, when he is one of the few people in this world who can match a servant blow for blow which was further proven by the fact that he dealt a critical amount of damage to the King of Heroes himself, Gilgamesh.
He was running so fast now that one could see an air barrier forming around of him. Suddenly, a pack of students appeared. This is bad since if he so much as bumps into one of them, he could kill them, himself and the woman in his arms on accident, or at the very least hurt everyone to the point of critical injury. So he had to think.
"Trace on."
He then forms the Bakuya, a white falchion based off of the myth of of Moye the wife of a chinese blacksmith named Gan Jiang. Why? Well when you throw one and hold one...
He then throws the blade, and projects Kanshou, the black sword that represents Gan Jiang and points it at Bakuya as soon as the white sword stuck into the wall. As soon as he did, he zips upwards and both blades stuck to each other like a couple hugging each other, earning the shocked look of everyone else. He then lets go as he fell to the other side of the crowd harmlessly before continuing on his energy burst
After enough running for about a minute he slips and both tumble before he heaved dryly. His mana circuits just about used up, his circuit atrophy still somewhat present.
Rin then stood above him and said "My turn" before picking him up the same way he did, and bursts into a sprint with albeit less power and speed in her steps.
After a good minute or so, they finally reach the classroom as a black haired man with a stern look and long, black hair tells them "You're late... again" with a disappointed look on his face. He massaged his temples before saying "I would have you punished as usual, yet this time I have a better punishment for you."
Both became uneasy at what he said only for him to worsen the feeling with a pitying smile he had on his face. "Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka... You both were participants of the grail war yes?"
At the mention, both then visibly stiffened as the other students looked at both of them with a mix of curiousity, wonder and, in the case of a few of them, envy.
Shirou, however, then snaps out first, and coughs into his hand to lessen the uneasy atmosphere. He then says "Y-yes we are sir El Melloi. Why?" earning a sigh from the man as he corrects the red haired lad, saying "The second. El Melloi the second. Get it right." He then massages his temple, saying "Anyways, that probably explains it." Rin finally snaps out and then apprehensively asks "W-what do you mean?" fearing the answer and regretting asking the question more and more the longer their teacher stood silent. Said teacher then decides to break the silence by explaining his whole question with a short phrase.
"Wizard Marshall Zeltretch is looking for both of you."
These words sent a chill down both of their backs. The renowned multiversal troll? What does he want? No matter, both of them will just have to talk to him and then leave. Though it carries with it, risks, earning his ire would leave with even more so. Besides, to be a magus is to walk with death after all.
Shirou and Rin then make their way to his office. Shirou notices Rin's hand was slightly trembling despite the brave facade she was putting on. He holds her hand in an attempt to try comfort her. She smiled weakly in response as they face the door.
Rin then sighs deeply, saying "We're going in now Shirou. Together."
Shirou nodded and confirmed her statement. "Together."
They entered and were welcomed with a much less threatening site than what they were expecting. Whereas they were expecting Zeltretch on his desk with a mischievous smile on his face with his hands clasped together under his chin, they were instead greeted by him geniunely smiling while mixing tea. "Ah welcome, sit, sit."
They were still slightly apprehensive but much less so, so they did as the wizard marshall asked and sat down on the chairs in front of his desk. After five seconds of silence, Zeltretch then breaks the silence by saying "Shirou Emiya, son of the renowned magus killer Kiritsugu Emiya, yes?"
Shirou nodded to the statement, and frowned slightly since his father's name will never be remembered as that of a hero of justice, but rather, as a killer of magi that stepped out of bounds.
"And Rin Tohsaka, sixth generation descendant of my dear friend Nagato Tohsaka. Yes?"
Rin nods quickly and beams slightly from being acknowledged by THE wizard marshal himself. "Now you both may be wondering why I called you both here..."
Shirou then nods and replies, "Yes we are." Zeltretch nods and then stands up. He then gestures for them to follow him.
He then leads them into a highly restricted area wing of the clock tower, making the two uneasy once more.
Rin was the one to break the silence this time. "S-sir, w-where are we going?"
Zeltretch merely smiles in return, waving it off as "a research project I need both of your help with" chuckling to himself afterwards.
This statement did not help alleviate the situation. Noticing their distraught faces, Zeltretch then says to them "I don't need guinea pigs or protege, don't worry. It's more along the lines of your history" *points at Rin*, "and your specialization" *points at Shirou* which immediately catches their attention.
He then puts out his right hand and says "We have arrived", stopping both Shirou and Rin in their tracks. He then pulls down on a candelabra like a lever, opening a gate behind an inconspicuous lectern.
It then gives off an ethereal glow. After entering, they then find themselves in a large room which seemed more like a science facility than a magus workshop.
A lab coat wearing orange haired male then nods to Zeltretch which confuses both teens even more. The old man smirks at this and says "Just cause I'm grey haired already, doesn't mean I'm a tradition nut like those stuck ups. I see the potential of the application of science with magecraft. Anyways, here we are."
He then leads them into a lead-lined room covered by a reinforced blast door. Inside was an old, leather bound book with a fae rune around it's book binding. He then calls out to them. "Rin Tohsaka, Shirou Emiya, I am personally tasking you both in the task of researching this book and the magic it holds."
Shirou and Rin blink in shock and confusion. Rin then manages to stutter out "W-wait... W-why us?!"
Zeltretch then says "Have I not told you already? Your history, his specialty."
Shirou then scratches his head and says "Um..."
Zeltretch then facepalms and said "Really? You still don't get it?" in an exasperated voice.
Both then blank mindedly shook their heads making Zeltretch sigh and hang his head down. "Very well... allow me to expound then. Rin... You are a descendant of Nagato Tohsaka, one of my few students to come out unscathed, are you not?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Therefore, due to that, as well as the fact that you were the closest to finishing the task I gave Nagato, my dear jewelled sword, I shall need your magecraft proficiency."
"W-wait, you know about that?!"
"They don't call just anyone a true magician for no reason after all. I have my ways dear girl. And you, Shirou Emiya. Your reputation precedes you. Not only were you able to best a servant, something very few maguses could pull off, but you were able to do it against one of the strongest."
Shirou then scratches the back of his neck and said "C-come on sir... You're blowing my accomplishment out of proportion."
Zeltretch calmly shakes his head in disbelief. Very few maguses were this humble after all. Most, including the Tohsaka heiress at some point, were a bunch of pompous stuckups to proud to say no to being praised.
He then chuckles before his face turns serious. "But that's not why you're here Shirou Emiya. I understand that the sort of magecraft is called "Tracing" right? Tell me about it."
Shirou nods and says "R-right. Tracing is only one part of the magecraft allowed to Shirou Emiya. While Projection magecraft allows me to create nigh perfect copies of even noble phantasms, Tracing allows me to understand them to that point. Think of it as a photocopy machine's scanner. Only this time, instead of merely it's visual look, I can also copy it's material, ability, accumulated experience and etc."
Zeltretch then smiles and said "This is exactly the thing I need then! You see..." He then places his right hand atop the book on display, and said "This here book is somewhat of a mystery. Just yesterday afternoon, according to a fellow Japanese magus, this book apparently glowed when a teen about your age opened it. Then when he got there, all he saw was a faint look of a summoning circle as it disappeared. From what he said, it was big and even as it disappeared, it bellowed with prana. And that's where you both come in. Because of you two being masters in the last Grail war, as well as the prodigious proficiency you two showed, I would like to direct this case to both of you. No tricks, no deceit, not this time. So what do you say?"
He then looks at the two who were now sweating and feeling a plethora of emotions due to having such an important task be delegated to both of them. He then focuses his gaze at Shirou and says "While you're at it, could you try to save the boy as well? He may very well still be alive after all."
Shirou's eyes widen as he balls his fist up instinctively. He then declares out "We'll do i-" before being covered in the mouth by Rin, who then drags Shirou out while nervously saying "We'll... be right back Zeltretch sir... Excuse us."
Zeltretch nods and sits on a chair nearby, awaiting one's arrival.
On the outside of the reinforced room, Rin slams Shirou into a wall, saying "Are you out of your mind?!" in a shouting whisper.
"Yes. Someone is in trouble and we need to help him."
"You're not only putting my credibility at risk here. You're putting our lives at risk here, YOUR life."
"Rin, it's fine if you don't want to do it, I can understand. But I can't stay idly by, knowing someone, somewhere is currently trapped in god knows where."
"Shirou, I thought we talked about this? I thought we already placed a limit to how much you are willing to sacrifice to help."
"Rin..."
"I almost lost you on multiple occasions already."
"Rin."
"First with Lancer, then berserker, then yourself. Then I thought you were going to suicide when you fought Gilgamesh!"
"Rin."
"I don't want that to happen anymore, I can't, I ca-"
"Rin!"
"What?!"
"No one's losing anyone today."
He then holds her into a tight embrace, saying "But if I don't act now, we might possibly lose an innocent life. That's something I won-no I CAN'T live down. Now don't start crying on me you hear? I can't live that down either."
Rin then looks up to Shirou with moist eyes before rubbing her eyes and pushing away, saying "I-idiot...if you're going then I'm coming with you." while crossing her arms together.
Shirou lets out an uneasy laugh before gesturing to follow her, saying "Come on then, we have a person to save."
They then went back and face Zeltretch, saying, "We'll do it." Zeltretch then gave them a giddy smile, saying "I knew you'd come around. Now come on."
He then carries the book into a bigger white room where it was placed into the middle of the room. Amidst it only Zeltretch, Shirou amd Rin stood around it. Shirou then approaches it and says "Well... Here goes nothing..." as he places a hand atop the book, saying his trademark words "Trace... On..."
As he did, Rin held onto his other hand, breaking a gem, as she transfers prana to him in a rather inefficient hand to hand way. As he traces it, it suddenly explodes as a golden portal roars into existence. Both were then dragged in, as Zeltretch tries to chase after them but was blown back, as if the magic was intentionally keeping him at bay. The only thing he was able to do was say "Sit tight, I'll try to find that dimension or universe." before the portal fully engulfs them.
To be continued...
Heads up, this story might get some republished and unpublished out of nowhere, but know that I am only doing that to create a story of utmost quality... Sorry about that in advance BTW.