Artoria knew what despair was. She knew how Iri felt—at least, she believed she did.
The pain, the fear, and the desperation of losing what one loves could destroy anyone.
Seeing Iri release all the pain consuming her made Artoria remember her own past.
---xXx---
[POV — ARTORIA]
I have observed humanity for countless years.
I have seen kingdoms rise and fall in the blink of an eye.
I have watched hope bloom, only to be crushed beneath the weight of humanity's ambition and ego.
Suffering was not an exception—it was an absolute rule for those who were not born privileged.
And at some point, I stopped seeing them as individuals.
Humanity, to me, became nothing more than a collective.
An imperfect mass, repeating the same mistakes over and over, walking toward annihilation time and time again.
An annihilation brought about by the King of Magecraft.
But it didn't matter who caused it—annihilation was still annihilation.
That was when I made my decision.
If they could not save themselves, then I would save them myself.
Even if it meant denying their will.
Even if it meant stripping away everything that made them human.
Spending so long wandering the world with Rhongominyad changed my entire being.
I abandoned my heart. I abandoned my emotions.
I abandoned everything that could make me hesitate. Everything that could be considered human faded from me.
I became a concept.
A cold, immutable, absolute goddess.
And for a time… that was enough.
Yes, I summoned my knights to achieve that goal. Some died, others did not—but even that did not shake my conviction.
Until… he appeared.
A man with blond hair and eyes as red as blood.
From the very first moment I saw him, I knew he was no ordinary man.
And yet, to me, he should have been nothing more than another insignificant fragment within the vast collective I intended to save.
And still… he was different.
Before I realized it, he had crossed something I believed to be impenetrable.
The hollow shell I called a heart.
And then… something was born.
A fragile, unfamiliar warmth.
A feeling I did not understand.
At least, not at that moment.
But the more he stayed by my side—provoking me with his words and actions, even when it brought him punishment—the more that warmth grew.
Until, finally, I understood what it was.
Something I had completely abandoned.
Something I never thought I would feel again.
He gave back what I had cast aside long ago.
…For a brief moment, I immersed myself in it.
But then, one day, he stood before me and, with the same conviction with which I had chosen to save humanity, declared that he would stand with those I considered my enemies.
That he would fight against me… to save me.
What a cruel irony.
In that instant, something inside me shattered once more.
I was flooded with deep sorrow, hatred, and disgust.
Emotions I had long forgotten surged back into my existence all at once.
And for the first time in so long… I hesitated.
Even so, I chose to fight.
I fought him. I fought Bedivere. I fought those who came from Chaldea.
I chose to oppose the words of the man I loved.
To oppose that warmth that still lingered within me, even after what I had considered betrayal.
To oppose everything our time together had meant.
And in the midst of that battle, he spoke simple, direct words that changed me once again.
Words that carried a weight I could not ignore.
And so… my heart opened to him once more.
I felt an amalgam of emotions take over my being.
I felt everything.
Pain.
Sorrow.
Doubt.
Hope.
Love.
…And it was in that exact moment that I realized it was already too late to stop that battle.
He had made his choice—just as I had made mine.
And yet, he moved forward.
His conviction crushed everything I believed in.
He sacrificed his own life to protect—
Not me.
But the two young girls who had come here to try to save humanity.
Two fragile, yet determined girls.
The weight of humanity's future rested on their shoulders, and even so, they chose a different path—a painful and arduous one, but one that would lead to an inevitable end, whether for good or ill.
I watched in silence… or perhaps I was simply unable to stop them.
Unable to take back my own actions.
And then, I felt the warmth of his blood running down the sacred lance… until it reached my hand.
I had pierced his chest.
Destroyed his heart.
His death was already inevitable.
In that moment, everything I had denied returned once again.
And everything I had built lost all meaning.
I held him in my arms for the last time, tears flowing endlessly from my eyes.
I didn't know what to say.
I didn't know what words to offer.
But one thing was certain—I would regret this for all eternity.
I had killed, with my own hands, the only man I had ever loved.
The one who had loved me in return… and chose to stand against me to save me.
And yet, even at the brink of death… he smiled at me.
That carefree, arrogant smile I loved so much.
His smile carried no regret.
As if nothing had been in vain.
As if there were still a tomorrow.
And then… we made a promise.
An impossible promise.
Something irrational—something that should never even have been considered.
We promised to meet again in the future.
He said he would find me again… though he would likely be a different man by then.
He laughed and said that next time, it would be my turn to steal his heart.
He laughed again, saying it wouldn't be difficult—after all, he had always had a weakness for blonde women.
I laughed with him.
And as I kissed him one last time… I said goodbye to the one I loved.
…And I, who had abandoned everything, came to exist for the sake of that promise.
I even went so far as to interfere in the summoning of a Servant in this Holy Grail War.
That act turned this world into an anomaly.
A true Lostbelt was born because of my interference.
But who cares?
I couldn't care less… if it meant I could meet him once more.
If it meant I could have another chance to meet the man who dared to steal my heart…
---
(End of Chapter)