Morpheus glanced at the doorway, seeing the crowd watching him, and smiled. "I'm fine, no need to worry."
His words eased the tension in the room.
It wasn't just concern among friends... purely from a combat perspective, Morpheus was the strongest here and the most knowledgeable about the Holy Grail. If something as strange as that sludge could ambush him, they'd need to consider minimizing the fallout.
If even Morpheus could be caught off guard, how terrifying was this thing?!
"What happened?" Rin Tohsaka stepped in, dressed anew, accompanied by Sakura Matou. Morpheus could sense their bond had grown closer.
"Looks like locking them in a room together worked, breaking down their emotional barriers," Morpheus thought, smiling at the group. "Nothing major. Just got invited for a chat by the Grail's resident."
"The Grail's resident?"
His words puzzled the group, unable to grasp his meaning. Morpheus explained simply, "This ties back to the Third Holy Grail War."
Rin laughed. "You're saying you know what happened in the Third War?"
Morpheus nodded. "Not everything, but I know some details... especially the parts relevant to the Grail's current state!"
He paused, then continued, "The old man from the Matou family, a participant in that war, likely knows some of this too, though I'm not sure how much."
"He knows the Grail has issues and probably suspects it started in the Third War, but he doesn't know the specifics," Sakura said, her curiosity evident. "So, what exactly happened back then?"
"The Einzberns' doing," Morpheus said, spreading his hands and glancing at Illya, the only Einzbern present.
Illya crossed her arms, huffing. "I don't have much to do with them!"
"True, it's not really about you. The Einzberns harmed you, believing Kiritsugu Emiya betrayed them. But his choice stemmed from their own actions.
"In a way, they brought this calamity on themselves. You don't need to feel guilty in the future... they bear their own mistakes."
Illya pouted. "I don't feel guilty. Not dismantling their homunculi and factories is already me being generous."
After a few days here, the girl had placed herself in a saintly position, radiating a "I'm a saint" vibe.
Morpheus could tell Illya wanted to lash out at the Einzberns but knew it would be futile.
The Einzberns were already withdrawn. After this failure, they'd enter dormancy, ignoring everything.
But Morpheus smiled.
"If you told them the Fourth Holy Grail War could've succeeded, but Kiritsugu's betrayal was due to their cheating in the Third War, wouldn't that make them suffer more?"
Illya blinked, nodding eagerly. "Absolutely!"
The idea of rubbing salt in their wounds, mocking them outright, sparked her enthusiasm.
She wouldn't even need to fight... just tear into their pain!
"I'll bring Heracles and make them see they've always been the ones in the wrong!"
Seeing her excitement, Morpheus nodded. Going with Heracles was wise... there could be dangers, or the Einzberns might lash out in shame.
They might claim homunculi lack emotions, but they were just dolls prone to breaking down, driven by negative feelings.
The others were more intrigued by Morpheus's earlier comment.
"The Einzberns cheated in the Third War?"
"They planned to summon a decisive Servant, using their role as Grail creators to exploit a bug in the system, summoning an extra-class Servant: Avenger."
Morpheus's lips curled slightly.
"The Avenger they summoned was named Angra Mainyu."
His soft words rippled through the room like a stone hitting a calm lake, stirring shock.
"Angra Mainyu?!" Rin exclaimed. As a trained magus, she knew world mythologies well. Seeking confirmation, she asked, "The one from Zoroastrianism?!"
"Yes, they aimed to summon that Angra Mainyu," Morpheus nodded.
Rin shook her head. "Were they insane? Summoning such a being without considering it could spiral out of control?!"
"Angra Mainyu? What's that?" Shirou Emiya asked, confused.
Morpheus glanced at him. "Shirou, you need to study harder. Not knowing such a famous myth and deity? That's failing as a magus."
Shirou fell silent, sensing his next few days would be miserable, likely without games.
Sakura spoke softly. "Angra Mainyu, the dark god in Zoroastrian mythology, the evil god in their dualism, said to be the source of all sin and darkness, opposing the good god Ahura Mazda.
"In religious terms, both are top-tier deities."
With this explanation, Shirou grasped what the Einzberns aimed for in the Third War.
"They tried to summon a true god in the Holy Grail War?!" he said, stunned, glancing at Morpheus. "But you've summoned gods too, so maybe it's not that bad…"
His words earned nods from the group.
Summoning gods was daunting, but someone here had done it multiple times!
Morpheus protested. "I summoned them with my own skill, no cheating. I can control that power. The Einzberns tried and failed. They summoned Angra Mainyu, but it was just a sacrificial figure labeled as such."
"Sacrificial figure?"
Seeing their confusion, Morpheus offered a relatable analogy. "Like a ritual where someone plays the role of an evil spirit, then gets driven out."
Shirou understood. "So, they pick someone to act as the evil god, then expel them?"
"Exactly, but unlike a voluntary ritual where the 'spirit' enjoys it, this Angra Mainyu likely wasn't willing and had to endure a destructive expulsion."
"That's…"
"Crowned as All the World's Evil, bearing the name Angra Mainyu, this weak figure had no power. Their only trait was being a Heroic Spirit specialized in killing humans, useless otherwise."
Morpheus sighed, shaking his head. "The Einzberns thought summoning a god would win, but they got a frail impostor who was eliminated quickly. Yet, the concept of All the World's Evil was realized through the ritual.
"The Grail's creation involves prayers and human will, making it akin to Angra Mainyu. Their shared nature polluted the Grail, turning a mostly normal system into a blackened one.
"If Kiritsugu got a normal Grail and wished for 'world peace,' it would twist the wish but not too disastrously.
"But with the Black Grail, it offered the simplest, most feasible solution: eliminate all humans. No humans, no conflict."
Morpheus scoffed. "The Black Grail didn't even twist the wish much. Kiritsugu himself considered that idea, which is why he had Artoria destroy it without hesitation."
The group finally understood what Morpheus meant by meeting the Grail's resident.
Rin asked, "You met Angra Mainyu?"
"Yeah, not a bad sort, aside from a sharp tongue," Morpheus shrugged. "It doesn't lie. It met Kiritsugu, explaining how the Grail would grant his wish, and Illya, telling her Kiritsugu betrayed the Einzberns, killed her mother, and that she'd face Shirou in a deadly clash."
Illya's expression darkened. She muttered, "That was the one who spoke to me as a child, using Mom's body?"
"Yes, it used that form since it lacks its own," Morpheus said, glancing at Illya and Shirou, who seemed at a loss.
"The Grail can predict or prophesy the future, not always accurately, but it sees possibilities. Shirou becoming a Master this time... I suspect Angra Mainyu's choice played a role."
Seeing Illya's low mood, Morpheus smiled. "After talking with it, I'm confident about something. Shirou might soon gain a mother."
"Huh?!" Shirou's jaw dropped, baffled.
Illya's head shot up, eyes wide with shock. "You mean…?"
"Your father was Kiritsugu Emiya. Shirou's his adopted son. So, Kiritsugu's wife being Shirou's mother isn't an issue, right?"
Shirou remained confused, but Illya reacted intensely. "Mom… Mom's personality was completely erased, wasn't it?"
Morpheus shook his head. "Completing the Lesser Grail halts the vessel's functions and erases their personality, but only the personality.
"The Grail acts as a safehouse, preserving the soul's integrity until used. Angra Mainyu, acting as Irisviel, absorbed everything... her speech, mannerisms, even memories.
"This connection proves Irisviel's soul remains intact within the Grail, just without self. If we awaken her soul and restore her self, even with blank memories, it's fine.
"Angra Mainyu holds all of Irisviel's memories as a backup. Extracting and injecting them into her blank soul is feasible, with Angra Mainyu's help.
"Most importantly, Angra Mainyu absorbed all of Irisviel's life memories!"
Morpheus declared, "So, your mom's coming back soon!"
Shirou didn't know how to respond. Illya, overwhelmed, couldn't speak, her mind flooded with thoughts but unable to form words.
Her mind was consumed by one idea.
"Mom's coming back?!"
***
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