Chapter 1 (Beta read by yours truly MasterofInfinity)

"Shirou" P.O.V

Hell.

Pure chaos and absolute carnage those were the only words that could describe what young Shirou was going through.

All around were the screams of the tormented, cursed smoke rising to the skies as the hell on earth manifested. No matter how high was the screams or how heartfelt were the tears.

It was all meaningless, the fire consumes all.

Except for a red haired boy, walking amongst carnage.

With every step he took a part of him was lost. Memories and everything he ever did was gone with each thud of his foot, his first day of school, gone like it was never there, his seventh birthday, his first crush, his mother telling him stories of heroes long gone, every ounces of self-worth burned to a crisp by the time he reached the center of the once cheerful neighborhood, but even so he refused to die.

He had no memory of what was happening, that was consumed by the fire.

He no longer felt nothing about the hell around him, his emotions were already devoured.

He only had hope left, but soon enough that was also extinguished.

His unwavering will had nothing more to sacrifice to the young boy continue his trek. As he missed a step and fallen on the now barren ground, the rain chose that exact moment to start.

As he gazed to the sky above him, he couldn't fell anything, he couldn't think anything and he couldn't fell anything, but just as his life was about to end, in the place of the sky now was the face of a crying and smiling man. As the young boy stared at over joyful face of the may before him, only one though surfaced.

-"... I wonder if I can be as happy as him someday..."

(Gaia P.O.V)

The world observed the scene with just more enthusiasm than normal. It was drawn to witness the aftermath of the fourth Holy Grail war after said Grail released that unholy blaze upon Fuyuki, after the hatred of Alaya the hatred of humans was a close second.

And even closer to the humans foolish enough to try to recreate a sorcery four times and fail miserably in all of them. Even being as presumptuous enough to bring pale copies of heroes of times immemorial to use as fuel to the wretched ritual.

Humans have grown weak with the passing of the time, feats made by an average human of the past were now impossible to even the most skilled human of the present.

With had a rather boring aftermath, the fire, as unholy as it was, could not even consume a hole city, just a sector of it. Not nearly enough to gather the attention of the Will of the Planet, but something else gained its attention.

A young haired boy that refused to die when everybody around him withered.

It recognized the soul of the boy, being one of the insufferable tools of its human loving counterpart, Alaya. A Counter Guardian, what a pitiful ending to one with such fiber to his being, clearly reminiscent of the humanity of old...

For a single moment the world stopped.

That boy who was so helpless now would become one of the greatest Counter Guardians of Alaya, he certainly was capable enough to become a hero on his own, but that meddling Consciousness of Humanity wouldn't let that happen. Now, giving this, promising and full of steel, young boy a boon just great enough to stray him from the path of a Counter Guardian and reduce the mediocrity of this era was a pleasing thought.

But, what blessing could be bestowed upon him? His memories were now non existent, just like his feelings and pretty much everything else. Not much to work with.

As the world pondered the tired Magus Killer have found the dying boy, and was in process of saving his life.

Gaia searched amongst the rubble for something to give the boy, then it found the unusual way of portraying heroes on this age. It was unusual and most certainly absurd, but it would do.

The Magus Killer was so happy to have saved someone from the cursed fire and running towards the nearest hospital that he failed to noticed the faint glow that the boy emanated for a moment.

The Will of the Planet was pleased with the job, outstanding human who will become Emiya Shirou, you now have within yourself the abilities of The Gamer, may this blessing serve you well.

(Third Person P.O.V.)

Emiya Kiritsugu is a man who dedicated his entire life to saving people, and no mater what sacrifices he had to make, none was unwavering to a path as him.

Always weighting people's lives on a balance, he always saved the heavier side, no matter the cost. His father, his adopted mother figure... his wife.

He was a perfect machine that have the only purpose of saving as many lives as possible, he walked a bloody path no lesser ways would even dare to imagine and yet he still strode forward to save more lives.

He had no greater grief on his life that with the Fourth Grail War.

He sacrificed so much to win the war and it was all meaningless, all sacrifices he had made now only justified the blazing inferno that consumed countless human lives. The mere irony that all he sacrificed to save people only damned an even greater number of people was maddening.

He tried to make it right by destroying the wish granting device that could on grant destructon, but it backfired.

By destroying it, he send half-a-city to hell. And only himself to blame for all the lives that ceased to exist. He was losing himself, he had no other goal that to save someone, anyone, from the cursed flames or he would lose himself forever.

As he saw the young boy, barely hanging on to life, at ground zero of the disaster, Emiya Kiritsugu understood. Saving that boy meant saving himself.

He hurried to boy and saw the empty Golden eyes gazing at him, but they were alive. They have been whipped completely blank and devoid of anything, except a stubborn cling to life.

He felt the tears caressing his face as the boy look almost curiously at him and the rain fell on his back, but he wasted no more time.

He quickly extracted the Hallowed Sheath of Excalibur, The Ever Distant Utopia, Avalon at placed it inside the body of the boy in front of him.

Both consequences were instantaneous, the wounds on the body of the young boy vanished on the blink of an eye and he could see the live returning to his prone form. At the same time, the curse, All The Evils Of The World – Angra Mainyu, was returning with a vengeance to they weary man body, without the Noble Phantasm to counteract the curse Kiritsugu had no chance to withstand the evil.

To him it didn't matter, the boy was saved. And so was himself.

He ran as fast as his weary legs could carry him and the boy on his arms to the nearest hospital he remembered. Even with Avalon, the young boy would need proper care.

(Kiritsugu P.O.V.)

The hospital is in a rush before me. All the medical staff looks frenetic and the movement of heavily burnt people is staggering. I quickly interrupt a doctor and show him the boy on my arms.

"-Doctor! This boy was on the ground zero and he needs immediate help!"

The doctor jumps in surprise and rapidly gaze to the boy to me in quick succession.

"-Oh my! Carry him to the emergency ward!"

The doctor hurry along the way and I follow him on the busy corridors. As we arrive I place the boy on a vacant bed and the staff is fast to check upon him.

"-He looks a bit singed and exhausted, but otherwise all right. He was truly lucky to have such minor wounds on the middle of that hell, something above us must gave favorable to him."

I hold a snort in response to that.

"-How long till he makes full recovery?"

The doctor ponders for a few moments and answer.

"-He must have inhaled a lot of smoke, so it is very likely that he have singed lungs, but he is breathing normally, so we will let him rest for a couple weeks while we do the necessary exams and with luck he will be free to go."

I nod in acknowledgment, but as I make my way out the emergency ward the doctor intercept me.

"-Excuse me, but he was the only one alive you have found?"

My grimace was enough of an answer. The doctor mirrors me with a grimace of his own.

"-...How many orphans will this hell make?"

I honestly didn't know, but I couldn't help but think about my daughter. Knowing Acht (Head of the Einzbern) she may be an orphan of this fire as well.

("Shirou" P.O.V.)

I awake in a bright white room. This is strange, how long was I asleep? I don't hurt anywhere, in fact, I feel better then ever! Then again, my only memory is the fire. If the price was all my memories, I couldn't count this fast healing as a blessing.

I look around my surrounding, and as expected, I'm in a hospital room and not hooked up to anything, not even an IV bag. That's even strange, surely I would need machines to survive after that hell. On the corner of the room the man that found me is sitting in a chair sleeping so I ignore him for now.

I feel thirsty, there is a pitcher of water and some plastic cups on table near the window. I get up and shuffle towards it, but as soon as I move the man's eyes open and they look so cold, it feels like he is staring right though my soul, but almost as quickly as he opened his eyes they soften and I can't help but feel safe now despite the danger I just felt.

"-How are you felling?"

His sudden question makes me stop, and he gets up, guide me back to bed, reach for the pitcher and a cup, pour the cup full of water and bring it to me. I mutter a quick tanks before I drink the water and place the cup on the table.

"-As strange as it seems, I'm very well."

He doesn't look surprised at my answer, but he does smile(?) at me.

"-You are making a rather speedy recovery according to the doctors, but do you have a name?"

I think about it for a while and a name appears on my mind.

"Shirou, my name is Shirou."

I speak certain of myself, but the man looks a bit uncertain.

"-And your family name?"

I ponder about it, but no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot remember. The man takes my silence as an answer.

"-I see."

I hang my head with that.

"-Well, without your last name, the chances that somebody is going to find you are mote at the best."

I know that, my family is probably dead and no one would come for me.

"-What happens now?"

The man sits on the bed and look at my eyes.

"-You can go to an orphanage, most certainly one is being organized for the incident right now..."

I clench my hands, even being uncomfortable with the truth that's to be expected.

"-... or you can come with me."

I turn my head so fast I can feel my neck scream in protest. As I look confused at him he just smiles back.

He saved me, I can't remember a lot, but he is without doubt the one that rescued me from that hell. As I stare into him he asks me once again.

"-Would you rather come with a complete stranger than go to an orphanage Shirou?"

I can only nod in response. He chuckles and starts to get up.

"Well, then I should go and the adoption papers ready, also my name is Emiya, Emiya Kiritsugu. And you now are Emiya Shirou."

I can only smile in response to that. As he reaches the door he looks outside, scouting for someone, then he address me again.

"-There is something else you should know Shirou. I'm a magus."

As he said these words I instantly accepted them as truth, after all I have no reason to doubt him.

(Time skip: 2 years)

I now live my life on a traditional Japanese house that father owns. As heretic as it is I wouldn't trade these years for nothing.

After moving in with Kiritsugu he told me everything about magecraft about what a magus is. He told me that Being a magus is walking with death and almost the next day I started to beg him to teach me magic, the dangers it meant were meaningless on my mind. He reluctantly agreed.

After two weeks of takeout I realized Kiritsugu could not cook if his life depended on it, so I took it upon myself to learn how to cook and it turns out I was an adept at it and weeks later, your neighbor Fujimura Taiga, not that she lets me call her anything other that Fuji-nee, started apearing everyday to mooch out my cooking, I don't mind it really, seeing her so happy after eating a meal makes me happy too.

Now to my magecraft studies my father said to me:

"-Shirou, the first thing you need to learn about magecraft is that you have inside yourself conduits of magical energy called circuits, these circuits convert Od, which is your body magical energy, to Prana, which is useable magical energy, but your circuits need to be activated for you to use them. The activation of the circuits is done my imagining a mental trigger and activating that trigger with an aria. An aria is a sort of command in order to activate magic, and every magus have his own aria."

Now I should have waited for further instructions, but as a nine year old it was rather hard to not a least try as I heard that. So I thought about the clash of steel and whispered what felt right.

Trace on.

Then I concentrated fully on creating a circuit near my right hand and I felt pain almost as if someone was pushing a molten iron rod into my hand and then I passed out.

I woke up in my bed and as I opened my eyes I see a blue screen that says:

Your MP and HP have fully restored

(And chapter one is officially beta-ed)