The Prince Of Magic

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Leonardo B. Harwey had been his next opponent at that time, and then the weird fake priest suddenly appeared on the first floor and said to Hadrian that he had adapted to the brutality of the war, that he had evolved from a bumbling innocent lamb to a beautiful, cunning and opportunistic predator.

Hadrian gave him a deadpan look at that time, feeling a bit creeped out by his weird metaphor and description that came out of nowhere.

But, the intention had been clear, and it caused Hadrian to realize that the war had changed him at his core. Whether that was good or not, Hadrian felt that remains to be seen.

Yes, he was no longer as naïve and unprepared as he had been before. Hadrian had learned (the hard way) that being over-prepared in every situation might be too much, but it was never a bad thing, and remaining cautious to every encounter was always a step closer to ensuring his survival.

At the same time though, the brutal event had forced his hand and taught him to kill anyone in his path, no matter who they were, their gender, age, and relation to him.

Shinji Matou was his first opponent, and Hadrian killed him to advance to the next stage, despite their strange friendship.

Dan Blackmore was his second opponent, and Hadrian killed him mercilessly, despite his respect for the old man and his staunch morals and ideals.

Alice was his third opponent, and like with the other two, Hadrian killed her, regardless of her unique circ.u.mstances and age.

From there, Hadrian's morals took a large beating, going down the drain as the grail war continued and he survived to live and fight another enemy Master.

Disgusted as Hadrian was with himself and the Moon Cell's brutal methods, he can't deny that his experience as a Master had benefited him significantly.

If he had been as he was before, Hadrian would have never thought of hurting anyone, much less someone younger like Alive or someone who had earned his respect such as Dan Blackmore.

On a side note, Hadrian might have hurt Shinji Matou, a scuff at the back of the head perhaps, but he would never thought of killing him outright if not for the grail war's rules.

In the Holy Grail War, defeat has the same meaning as being killed.

Hadrian might not be the one to have actually done the deed, literally murdering his opponents, and that it was Moon Cell who had done the dirty work by deleting them from the system, but the fact remains that it was Hadrian who won and defeated them in the Arena.

There was no other way to advance to the next stage, but to kill and abide to the SE.RA.PH's rules. It was to kill or be killed, simple and harsh it may be, but it was just that honest.

Rin had even said to Hadrian that everyone had their reasons for joining the war, and while the rules that the Moon Cell had implemented upon them was harsh and brutal, it was also fair and simple since all of them were fighting for the chance to make their own d.e.s.i.r.es come true.

Kill everyone for the sake of one's wish, that was the rule of the war in its most simplest and common form.

And that was what Hadrian did to survive that brutal event.

Granted, he had saved Rin and Rani along the way, but it had only managed to ease his guilt somewhat.

The rest of the contestants' blood was on his hands, this he can never forget, and it was what caused him to choose to restore the world back into its healthy form instead of being selfish and reviving his father.

Hadrian faced a choice between the two, and he chose the former with a heavy heart.

He loved his father, this was not in question. And as much as he wanted to bring his father back to life, the lives of many people, both young and old, and the world's future had been at stake.

Therefore, Hadrian made the difficult decision of choosing the lives of the masses instead of only one, no matter how much he wanted to choose the latter.

It was why he felt ashamed and feared of going home, returning to his grandfather and mother to see their reactions of what he had to do in order to survive.

Hadrian especially feared seeing his mother's reaction to the choice he made, that he chose the lives of other people instead of reviving his father and her beloved husband.

But contrary to what he expected, Lucia only stared at him when he returned to the castle before running towards him and pulling him into her arms, crying in relief and joy that he was finally home.

In the end, Hadrian had nothing to worry about, except for being scolded by his grandfather, his mother, Lord El-Melloi II and Lady Lorelei for being careless a few times in the war.

Hadrian huffed, feeling strange at the thought of being sentimental.

Walking down a hallway had made him reflect on his memories during the grail war, but it was the damn certain familiarity that was mainly at fault.

The familiarity of stepping into the elevator and being sent into the Arena once more, that is.

Admittedly, while he was feeling calm and composed, there was a small amount of anxiety that was in his c.h.e.s.t, which also felt familiar to him and reminded him of the times he had also felt that way during the grail war.

The emotion was there, but fleeting at the same time.

The pressure and worries of being near to an Ultimate One's nest made him even more aware of it, making him frown.

Fou and Ryu, who both sensed their master's dark mood, cooed in comfort.

With a faint smile, Hadrian gave them a pat on their heads each as his gratitude for their concern for him.

'I just hope that it's not a battle to the death with that thing…' Hadrian sighed.

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