In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

Who am I?

Where do I come from?

How old am I?

What is my real name?

I can't remember, I can't remember at all.

Her real name has long been worn away by the ravages of time, and her memories are blurred. Her original self has long since disappeared. Now, she only has a name that is feared by the Celtic heroes.

—Scáthach.

Even she herself didn't know when this name was given to her, or who gave it to her.

When she looked back at the road behind her, she realized that the path she had come from was now completely dark, and what awaited her ahead was still a deep and endless abyss, unchanged ever since.

Do you regret it?

do not know.

Regretful?

Perhaps some.

In the midst of endless battles, upon reaching the point where it once was, I realized that it wasn't so joyful after all; instead, I felt even more lost. But now there was no turning back.

Her immortality and the curse from the gods constantly plagued her.

Because of her disrespect in killing the god, the gods would not allow her to die easily; only a fair and square battle could grant her her destined death.

This caused her immense pain.

Tormented by suffering, in the years that followed, she became a symbol of cruelty and the Queen of Death, feared by all.

She no longer looked forward to endless battles, but hoped that the right person would kill her, hoping to meet the prophesied warrior, a warrior like Finn, the strongest warrior who could even kill gods.

Therefore, she voluntarily became the hero's teacher, and also became the hero killer who killed the student.

She nurtures heroes, seeks out heroes, kills heroes, or rather, she yearns to be killed by a hero.

But no matter what rumors circulate, the world's turmoil is no longer relevant to her. All she needs to do is continue repeating her work and searching for a hero who can kill the monster.

It was also her motivation to continue living, and her obsession with liberation.

only……

Every time she recalls the countless battles she's fought over the years, and how she ended up alone, she feels a sense of loneliness, or rather—

Feeling lonely.

It was only at this moment that the man entered her world.

"Hey, Master, I don't know how you got here, but you don't have to be so reserved."

"Others think the Queen of the Dead Kingdom is cruel and terrifying. And because they are afraid of death, they dare not approach you. But I will not do that, because I can see that Master is a very good person and a trustworthy partner."

"Are you embracing death? And you seem to know me quite well, Master. You're quite interesting. Interested in becoming my disciple? I'll train you to be the strongest hero!"

"Hero... no thanks, after all, such a noble word is obviously not related to me."

"Besides, if that really happens, I'll definitely have to kill you in the end, right? Whether as a partner or a student, it will be very difficult for me to do it."

"Hmph, you're really confident, aren't you? You actually think you can kill me before you've even started? You think you can?"

"It will definitely happen, because I can't see any desire for life in your eyes, isn't that what you desire too?"

"..."

"Sorry, sorry, I've said too much. Anyway, just focus on living well, Master. Death isn't the only end of life; you just lack a goal."

"Target? Do you know what that is?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's very far away, even as far as the future, or maybe it's very, very close, close enough to think about what to eat today. Anyway, if I had to make a suggestion, I would suggest that you go and have some fun. Don't always have such a serious face. Take a look at some modern magazines, buy whatever you like, and enjoy your vacation before the battle begins."

"No, you expect me to stay by your side to protect you, but instead allow your servants to act freely? You are indeed very peculiar, my Master."

"Actually, there's nothing special about it. It's just that I consider you a partner, so naturally I hope you can become better."

"Hmph, Master, your mouth is more magical than a bard's. If you lived in my time, you would definitely achieve great things."

-

-

No matter how you look at it, he was very strange. He was not afraid of himself at all, and he did not maliciously speculate about her because of the legend. He actually believed in her and gave her his trust.

This is truly a novel experience. How long has it been since I've had one?

No.

Perhaps he was only after his runes, but that doesn't matter anymore.

Because he understood her pain, he truly respected himself, and he truly entered her heart.

That's probably why she became so gentle.

She even kept thinking, if she had met him sooner, perhaps she wouldn't have become like this? He was an understanding person…

Similarly, he was also a fraud.

Finally, even though he had promised to use the Holy Grail to summon his true form and then give him a death, that guy broke his promise. He deceived him; he never intended to kill him.

The so-called "giving death" was actually just destroying her spirit origin and giving the Servant a death.

But she didn't hold a grudge.

After all, that experience did bring a rare bit of joy to her long life.

She could have endured the darkness if she had never seen the light, but after that experience, she grew weary of the Land of Shadows.

So she chased after that figure, leaving her own world for another, searching all the way.

Finally, after a pursuit that took only a few months or years for Luo Wei, but hundreds or thousands of years for her, she finally found the figure she was looking for.

Surprisingly, this long pursuit brought her a rare moment of tranquility.

This also made her realize that what she lacked in her life was indeed just a goal.

Now, she has found it—

Sitting on the throne of the Land of Shadows, she slowly lowered her head, opened her wine-red eyes, and a smile finally appeared on her face, which had remained unchanged for a long time.

She watched as someone walked in, the figure exactly the same as the one in her memory, the very person she was searching for.

"You've finally come..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the throne of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach, who had just opened her eyes, looked at the figure who had come alone with some surprise. Then, a demonic smile appeared on her face, and she said, "It really has been a long time since we last met, my dear Master. I've been looking for you for ages."

"I think we haven't been separated for very long... but a lot has indeed happened since then."

Looking at that smiling face, Luo Wei also smiled.

"Yes, it's just a few years for you, but for me it's a span of thousands of years."

Scáthach spoke slowly, then gracefully descended from the throne and began to approach Rowe below.

"So, how do you think I should punish you?"

She asked Luo Wei with a dangerous smile.

"Ah, but wasn't it you who wanted to leave that time?"

Luo Wei had intended to answer that way, but looking into those smiling eyes, he could only sigh helplessly and say, "So, what do you want to solve?"

"How do we solve this...? Let me think about it."

Scáthach pondered for a moment, then looked at the ten glittering gold rings on Rovi's finger and sighed, "It seems you've suffered a lot on your journey to this point. To be honest, I regret not being more decisive back then and abandoning the Land of Shadows to stay by your side. If I had done that, I would be the only person by your side, and you wouldn't be in this situation."

Scáthach felt guilty.

She once fought alongside her Master as a partner and a queen, and was finally satisfied, but lost a rare opportunity because of her sense of responsibility.

It wasn't until her time in the Land of Shadows that she truly understood how precious that period was.

So much so that she even traveled across the world to catch up with him, thinking that this reunion would be romantic, as if it were destined.

But upon seeing the black-clad knight king and a woman she didn't recognize, she realized she had returned too late.

This also made her feel somewhat frustrated, after all, she was the one who started first, but now even the King of Knights was ahead of her, it was really embarrassing.

Although she, as the Warrior Queen, didn't care much about who went first or last, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable when she saw that her treasures had been shared by others.

And more importantly—

'Sure enough, this kind of romance is completely out of my league.'

Looking at this scene that should have been romantic, but instead seemed somewhat speechless, Scáthach realized that she was indeed never suited for such sentiments.

Therefore, rather than trying to describe the changes over such a long period of time in words, she prefers to convey the situation in the most straightforward way, just like when they first met.

"Come, Master, now that I've found you, the battle that started strong but ended weakly, and the peace you promised me, can be fulfilled once again."

Feeling that the time was about right, Scáthach extended an invitation to Rowe.

"what do you mean……"

Upon hearing Scáthach's words, Rowe understood something. He looked into those long-unseen wine-red eyes and realized that this kind of communication was indeed a bit awkward for Scáthach.

"Of course, it's about fighting! I'm also considered a goddess now, the guardian deity of Celtic warriors, and the queen of the underworld in the land of the dead. That's why I was able to come here. Since warriors have met me, we should speak in the Celtic way. I won't help others for no reason."

"So, let's fight! If I am defeated, then it is only right that I submit to you and become your power. Similarly, if you are defeated, this time I will take you away and make you my own."

Scáthach licked her lips as she spoke, her words carrying an undeniable air of authority.

As a warrior, she has her own aesthetics, and she is also extremely selfish. If it is something she wants, then in the style of a Celtic warrior, she will naturally think about how to conquer it and take it for herself.

Now is the perfect time to demonstrate this principle.

If she loses, then everything she has rightfully belongs to Luo Wei, and he will remain her "Servant." Similarly, if she wins, then everything Luo Wei has will belong to her.

This is a classic example of robbery logic; it seems fair, but only she knows whether it's truly fair. However, she believes that Luo Wei will definitely satisfy her; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to establish that kind of relationship with him.

"Oh, I see. There's really nothing we can do about it."

Upon hearing this, Rowe sighed, then looked at Scáthach, who was already ready, with a serious expression.