Hi all, Spirit of the Aces 57 here with another chapter for Fate-Dovahkiin.

Man did this chapter not want to come out from the idea pool I have in my head. Unfortunately, this is only a filler chapter, so it's not going to be very long. Still, I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Characters from FSN or TESV Skyrim. They belong to Type-moon and Bethesda, respectively.

Now, let the story begin!

Fate-Dovahkiin

Chapter One: Of Dreams, Decisions, and Dovah

Shirou felt the heat from them before he saw them.

Flames.

All-consuming flames were everywhere. They covered the ground, the buildings, and the people caught in their wake. The smoke in the air, darker than the void, was thick and covered the entire city as it poisoned those that breathed the air. As if that weren't enough, there was also the feeling of an overbearing malice exuding from the both the fire and smoke.

The people in front of him were on running for their lives, as the flames consumed them, one by one. Soon enough, he was the only one left for the fire to take.

As the flames slowly inched towards him like some mockery of a predator, Shirou tried to run, but soon found that his feet were bound by the hands of those who had perished in the flames, their grip as strong as steel.

But. Before the flames reached him, a large shadow passed over Shirou as he heard the sound of wings and, with a landing that shook the surroundings, a winged and scaled creature landed in front of the wall of hellfire.

The flames suddenly came to a halt, as though stunned and frightened, by the being shielding Shirou.

The beast then took a deep breath and, with a powerful roar that seemed to shake reality, banished the hell attempting to consume Shirou with a bright golden light…

Shirou's nightmare then changed to a more peaceful dream.

The rest of that night Shirou dreamt of swords and of a young girl with blonde hair and emerald green eyes filled with a fiery drive to succeed…

It was still raining. That was the first thing the red-haired boy noticed as he slowly stirred awake; his amber colored eyes slowly focusing on the roof above him. The sound of the droplets hitting the rooftop was unmistakable to his ears.

"It's just like That day," Shirou remembered bitterly. "The day of the fire…"

The current weather was not helping Shirou's mood. For just like the day he was rescued, Shirou was once again feeling hollow. No, it was better to say he was full of sorrow. For, the man who had rescued Shirou and then had adopted him after the fire orphaned him, Kiritsugu Emiya, was dead after five years of being in the young boy's life. It was a devastating blow to Shirou, who had admired and emulated him, despite them having a somewhat distant relationship due to Kiritsugu's frequent trips.

The funeral had been a small quiet affair; very few people had known Kiritsugu aside from those he interacted with daily in the past five years or the few he had kept in touch with. Meaning very few people aside from the Fujimura family.

That was a few months ago, and Shirou still hadn't gotten over it. Complicating matters even further was the fact that he was starting to have nightmares from the trauma of the Fuyuki fire again, like last night.

It was odd and jarring to say the least, as he couldn't remember much about the dream that chased away the memory of that day, save for perhaps one clear detail. He had remembered seeing a lonely blonde girl with eyes that shone like emerald fire, training relentlessly in the way of the sword, a determined frown upon her visage. Something about her made his heart beat just a bit faster…

Shirou gave his head a small shake, trying to clear out the thoughts about who that girl was. He had to get ready for school after all, or Taiga would beat him senseless in another Kendo practice spar.

Again.

Shirou shivered slightly. He liked Kendo well enough, but the way Fuji-nee did it was absolutely brutal! Although something about that thought was bothering him, but he just couldn't remember…

Then he remembered what was bothering him as he started making breakfast for himself and Fuji-nee. Lately he hadn't been doing any Kendo at all, not since the old-man had died. Shirou just didn't have the motivation or drive to do it anymore now that Kiritsugu was gone, but he had the funny sensation that some part of him was disappointed with himself for that decision.

A few minutes later, Shirou paused on his way out the front door, as the dream about the young girl training with a blade and the sheer determination she showed forced its way to the forefront of his mind. The remembrance of that fact caused a thought to strike him with the weight of a freight train. For he remembered the promise he had made to Kiritsugu, and how he was basically doing nothing to achieve that lofty goal by moping around.

He had promised Kiritsugu to be a Hero of Justice in his place. But how could he become one if he quit doing Kendo practice? It was something that would probably help him achieve that goal, after all.

Something in the back of mind and the depths of his soul growled in agreement to that thought process.

Taiga Fujimura, who had taken up the role as Shirou's guardian after Kiritsugu's death, was already outside. But when she looked around at him over her shoulder, a confused look appeared on her face, an umbrella held over her head.

"Is something wrong Shirou?" she asked him in concern.

"No, I was just thinking about something…" Shirou replied.

"Thinking about what?" Taiga probed further.

"I was thinking about a promise I made to dad, right before he died," came Shirou's response after a short pause. "And how he probably wouldn't want me to mope around because of him. So, I've made a decision."

"Decided about what, Shirou?" asked Taiga Fujimura, a confused frown still marring her face, and there was a hint of concern in her voice as well.

"I've decided to continue practicing Kendo" responded Shirou.

Taiga stood there stunned for a moment, and then she positively beamed at him.

"I'm going to need a sparring partner though." Shirou added sheepishly. "If you don't mind, will you be my opponent after school Fuji-nee?"

The grin that she gave him in response made him gulp. He felt he was about to be on the losing end of a rather one-sided Kendo spar later today.

Later that week…

Shirou let out a low groan in pain. He then stiffly moved to clean the dishes from the dinner that he had had after his kendo spar.

As he had expected, Fuji-nee had been brutal during their Kendo spars, one of which had occurred sometime before dinner. Yet, despite that, he felt as if he were doing something worthwhile, something that he felt would help him achieve his dream.

"Still, she could've gone easier on me…" Shirou grumbled under his breath, as he winced in pain from a light bruise.

As he finished his menial but necessary task, Shirou checked the time. The sun was setting, painting the sky a myriad of colors. There was still some daylight left outside, but not for much longer.

He then sighed as he dried his hands off and muttered, "I'm going to have a long night ahead of me."

The scent of wet grass assaulted his nose as he exited the house to the small backyard. But he wasn't worried about getting wet. After all, it had stopped raining outside during the afternoon.

There was nothing in the yard, save for an ordinary wooden shed and a few trees and sparse patches of grass here and there. But it was towards this lackluster building that Shirou now walked to, as if he had some hidden purpose in the shed.

Shirou then opened the shed door, and stepped inside, turning around only to close the shed door behind him.

The shed was very cluttered, with pieces of machinery here and there on the shelves, and some of them on the floor. Hanging on the back wall of the shed was Magnus, the scabbard glowing softly with a gentle golden light.

As Shirou began to walk forward, a pale blue light shined forth from the runes carved into the the fine leather of the sheathe. It almost looked as if the runes were on fire. This light show, however, did not seem to bother or startle Shirou at all. It was as though it had happened before.

Suddenly, Shirou stopped in the middle of the room and sat down. He then assumed a meditative position and began to practice another skill set. One that he had been practicing for the last three years, ever since he had finally convinced Kiritsugu to teach him. One that he was still struggling with, even after three years of effort and dedication.

For you see, Shirou was a Magus, and as such he kept such information hidden from those he cared about to protect them. For the Moonlit world was full of dangers, beings that had refused to fade away into myth and legend for one, and the ethics of the Magi Associations for another. Something that Kiritsugu had not wanted Shirou to get involved in at that point in time.

Since most traditional Magi were borderline fanatical in trying to keep the existence of Mage Craft a secret, Shiro had to either practice at night or when he was working on repairing equipment and machinery (unbeknownst to the owners of said objects or his boss), lest he bring a reprisal down on Fuyuki.

One of the most notable purges had been Pompeii, which came as a great shock to Shirou, and had also made him feel sick and angry at the same time, even though it had been necessary. But that certain cataclysmic event had not been done by any Magi, no Pompeii had been destroyed by a member of the Counter Force. However, when this Magi had begun to use their mysteries and an ancient tome to meddle with the laws of life and death to save them self from the Counterforce, it created an abomination that started to wreak havoc on nature. You can expect what happened to the arrogant Magi next when Gaia herself decided to intervene.

As for what the Counter Force was, Shirou's had been told it was a force that answered to an aspect of the World. More specifically, it was the side that represented that represented Humanities collective will to survive.

That information, mainly concerning the Magi Associations and the Counter Force, had been told to Shirou by his other teacher. One who was probably older than most civilizations on Gaia and had seen a great many things over his long-life span.

Speaking of which…

The light from the sheathe suddenly bathed the entire interior of the shed/Workshop, and Shirou had to close his eyes. Then, Shirou disappeared from the room with the light, as the teleportation magic imbued into Magnus activated.

When he felt it was safe to open them again, Shirou was met with a sight that was familiar to him after three years of training.

The cavernous ceiling of the ruin of a great city, carved inside a great mountain. It was sad, really to think of how many people once called this place home. Now it had fallen into disrepair, save for the great pillars of carved stone that stretched towards the ceiling.

Shirou then began to walk forward to the center of the city and, consequently, the heart of the mountain. As he passed by the husks of ancient buildings, a tall structure suddenly loomed out at him from the gloom. It was the only building that looked like it had just been finished being carved out of the mountain. This structure had the appearance of being both a place of worship, and a fortress.

Either one would work for describing its purpose. Carved stone sentinels lined the battlements, their details so precise they appeared to be alive. Atop the entrance, was a breath-taking statue of marble, carved into the shape of a massive two-legged dragon; wings spread wide as if in defiance, its eyes not the same white as the freshly fallen snow, as its body was, but a deep electric blue that seemed pierce into the depths of one's heart and soul. The doors of this grand structure were made from a silvery-blue metal, which Shirou opened without hesitation.

As soon as the doors had closed shut behind him, Shirou heard a deep guttural voice speak to him from the shadows opposite of him at the far end of the room.

"Drem Yol Lok, Shirou Emiya," was what the voice said.

Shirou then turned his head slightly upwards and smiled, responding with, "Drem Yol Lok, Sensei."

"How many times have I told you, you can call me by my name, young one," grumbled the voice in equal parts amusement and exasperation.

"Gomen." Shirou apologized. He then repeated the previous phrase once more.

"Drem Yol Lok…" Shirou hesitated for just a few moments before he finished the greeting with the other's name as a White dragon the mirror image of the statue outside, walked into the flickering light of the room.

"…Paarthurnax."

So, there we are. Chapter one of the story is done. Hope you all liked it! Please read and review! Remember, flamers will be Fus Ro Dah'd of the premises.

Well that's that. Time to RTB!