Heaven's Feel (route)


 * This page is about a Fate/stay night route. For other uses, see Heaven's Feel.

Heaven's Feel is one of the routes in Fate/stay night.

The heroine of this route is Sakura Matou. Heaven's Feel is the third and final route the player will be able to play through in Fate/stay night. It can be accessed after the first two routes, Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, have been completed.

Heaven's Feel is the longest and most complex route of the visual novel and the one which covers most of the lore and backstory behind the war, revealing lot of vital and important information which was absent in the previous routes. This route is more focused on the Masters: Shirou, Rin, Sakura and Illya, and how they relate to the previous Holy Grail War and the true nature of the Grail itself. It is also considered the "black side" of the storyline of Fate/stay night due the hints of suspense and horror of the plot. Its main theme is "the friction with real and ideal".1

Plot
Shirou has started to realize that his friend Sakura is growing into a beautiful woman, and he starts to feel attracted to her. He also meets Zouken Matou, Sakura's grandfather, for the first time. Zouken greets him warmly at the Matou house and thanks him for being a friend to his grandchildren. Rin also appears at the beginning, and is more hostile towards Shirou than in the Fate route.

While patrolling at night with Saber, Shirou encounters Shinji and Rider. A fight breaks out between them, which Rider quickly loses. Though she has been defeated, Shinji abuses her as he orders her to get up despite her inability to, an act which even Saber condemns him for. Before she can act further, Zouken appears and tells Shinji to run away, calling him a failure. With nothing more to do at the scene, Shirou and Saber leave. Unknown to them, however, Shinji is somehow able to revive Rider.

In the meantime, Sakura seems to have come down with a fever, but insists that she is fine. The following night, a mysterious assailant attacks, kills, and uses Assassin's body as a catalyst to create something. When Shirou and Saber arrive to Ryuudou Temple, they find Caster gravely wounded and her Master Soichiro Kuzuki dead. Saber deals the finishing blow and leaves, but unknown to them, the mysterious assailant also consumed Caster. Lancer, who arrives on a scouting mission at the Ryuudou Temple, is later attacked by the True Assassin, who emerges from the false Assassin's body. Although Lancer puts up a good fight, he is ambushed by a mysterious shadow and is slain. Around this time, Sakura begins having nightmares.

Shirou later encounters Rin and Archer. Before a fight can break out, Zouken appears, along with Caster's reanimated corpse. Saber dispatches her, while Archer kills Zouken. They sense a strange shadow lurking nearby the whole time. During the day, Shirou encounters Ilya and a friendship begins to develop between them. However, unknown to them, Zouken has resurrected, after using his worms to devour a woman, and forming a contract with the True Assassin.

The next night, Shirou and Saber decide to investigate the Ryuudou Temple further, but they are separated. Saber fights the True Assassin, but is also ambushed by the mysterious shadow and perishes. Enraged, Shiro tries to attack Zouken, only to be repelled by the True Assassin. Before the True Assassin can kill him, Rider suddenly appears and drives him away, displaying an enhanced level of strength and ability that surprises Shirou. When Shirou asks her about her motives, Rider reveals that she was ordered to keep Shirou alive before leaving the scene.

Shinji later comes to the Emiya household and orders Sakura to come home. Shirou protects her and drives Shinji away, but he vows he is not done with her yet. Later, at the Emiya residence, Shirou is discussing Sakura's condition with Rin when they are suddenly interrupted by a phone call. The caller is Shinji, who says he has taken Sakura hostage and demands that Shirou come to the school alone. Rin decides to follow him in secret.

At the school, Shinji orders Rider to physically assault Shirou, but not kill him. While Shirou endures her brutal attacks, Rin arrives with Archer, which allows Shirou to rescue Sakura. When Shinji tries to order Rider with his false Command Spell in the form of a book, it burns away. Rider reveals that he could not command her with that spellbook when he lacked Magic Circuits. Instead of protecting him, she protects Sakura, prompting Rin to reveal that Rider's true Master is Sakura and that the Matou family planted a crest worm in her body which will consume her unless she keeps fighting as a Master. Shinji flees, but not before pouring a substance on Sakura that causes her to lose control and a boundary field to activate. Archer opts to kill Sakura before she can use the boundary field to cause any harm, but Rider is determined to protect her Master. As a fight breaks out, Rider is forced to use her Mystic Eyes, revealing her identity as Medusa, and begins to petrify Archer. Shirou manages to protect Rin, but is badly wounded in the act. Seeing Shirou hurt, Sakura manages to take control long enough direct her magic attacks onto herself, incapacitating her.

Later taken to the Kotomine Church, Shirou finds out that Kirei is performing surgery to prolong Sakura's life. When he leaves the church, he finds Archer, who presents him with the question of whether he wants to cling to his ideals or discard them. After consulting with Ilya, Shirou decides that he wants to protect Sakura. Thus, when Rin, who is adamant about killing Sakura before she causes any more harm, tries to visit Sakura, he stops her. She then reveals that Sakura is her sister. Before either can do anything further, they learn that Sakura has fled, and both pursue her. Shirou finds her first and embraces her, then takes her back to his house. Rin arrives soon after and declares their temporary alliance annulled, but Sakura surprisingly vows to fight back against her sister.

Sakura and Rider are now living alongside Shirou at the Emiya residence. During this time, Sakura grows increasingly lustful and often asks Shirou to have sex with her. They later decide that they should warn Ilya about the impending danger from Zouken and from the mysterious shadow, which has begun to become more active at night. Shirou goes alone while Rider stays to guard Sakura, but Sakura later orders Rider to assist Shirou. In the forest, Shirou encounters Rin, but they are kept from engaging each other when they hear Berserker's roar. Zouken has attacked Ilya and Berserker with the True Assassin and Saber Alter, causing them to flee the castle. Berserker eventually falls, and the group escapes. However, the mysterious shadow attacks again, targeting Ilya. Shirou defends her, but their defense severs his left arm and mortally wounds Archer. Rider arrives too late to save him, but Archer tells her to transfer his left arm to Shirou.

Shirou awakes in the Kotomine church, and later realizes that Archer's arm has been grafted to his body with Kirei's assistance. Archer warns Shirou that using the arm could kill him. Without Archer, Rin allies with Shirou again, and works to image the Gem Sword of Zelretch together with Shirou in order to take on Zouken. As the days pass, the mysterious shadow continues to terrorize the city at night, consuming even Gilgamesh after he recklessly attacks it.

Zouken summons Shirou to him and reveals that Sakura is one of the gates of the Great Holy Grail, and that many more people will die if she is allowed to live. Shirou is once again confronted with a decision that his father Kiritsugu had to make: save the lives of many by killing the person he loves, or save his beloved and let innocent people die. After a period of difficult consideration, Shirou eventually decides to betray his own ideals, forget about becoming an ally of justice, and live to protect Sakura. Sakura, however, realizes what is happening and resolves to stop Zouken herself. She commands Rider to protect Shirou, and tells her that she may contract with a new Master if something bad were to happen to Sakura. She then flees the house after having Rider lie down in her bed and pretend to be her asleep, where Rin later discovers her. Sakura has also ordered Rider not to let Rin out of the house before Shirou comes back home from the Kotomine church, where he was headed. After figuring out what happened, Shirou heads to the Matou house, only to find Shinji there dead.

Flashbacks reveal that Shinji ambushed Sakura while she was searching the house for Zouken, then blackmailed her into obeying him unquestioningly or else having all her secrets, particularly her past of sexual abuse at her family's hands, revealed to Shirou. A distraught Sakura murders Shinji, after which she realizes that up until now she has been miserable and had nobody who cared for her. She also finally understands that she is the shadow that has been terrorizing the city every night. She gives in to her internal malice and shapeshifts into something frightening, leaving the house. After a verbal confrontation with Zouken, Shirou leaves the house, only to find Sakura already attacking Rin while on her way to capture Ilya. Shirou too is defeated by Sakura, but she is unable to kill him due to Rider's interference, indirectly caused by her last sane command. Ilya, however, agrees to come along with Sakura in exchange for her allowing the others to go free, on the condition that they be allowed to stop at the Einzbern Castle first.

Rider takes Shirou and Rin to the Kotomine Church. After Shirou explains everything to Kirei, he starts out for the Einzbern castle alone, but Kirei decides to come along with him. They manage to rescue Ilya, but are confronted by with both the True Assassin and Dark Berserker. Kirei stalls the True Assassin and defeats him using the information he gained from observing Lancer's final battle against him. When the fight is over, Sakura arrives and stops his artificial black heart, giving him only a few hours to live.

Shirou and Ilya are still trying to escape Dark Berserker when, in desperation, Shirou removes the seal on Archer's arm, granting him immense projection power, and uses it to project Berserker's weapon Nine Lives, defeating him. Arriving home, he finds out that his sense of time has distorted. After hearing the history of the Great Holy Grail and the Servant Avenger from Ilya, Rin and Ilya then help him to prepare for the Gem Sword of Zelretch, their only hope to stand a chance to fight against Zouken, and Shirou is finally able to project the Gem Sword successfully. Shortly after, Rider makes another attempt to kill Shirou, as her order not to harm Shirou and her mission to protect Sakura are now in conflict and she has decided to prioritize Sakura. Shirou, however, reaffirms his will to protect Sakura, which makes Rider agree to form an alliance with him.

On the final night, Shirou, Rin and Rider enter the cave where the ritual to materialize the Holy Grail takes place. At the same time, however, Sakura suddenly betrays Zouken, destroying the core worm that he used to control her and killing the True Assassin as well. Saber Alter guards Sakura, but lets Rin pass for the sisters' final confrontation. Shirou fights Saber Alter, and ends up using Archer's arm to project Rho Aias, supporting Rider's Bellerophon to break through Saber Alter's Excalibur. Newly resolved, Shirou kills Saber Alter with the Dagger of Azoth, freeing her from her wretched existence. He moves further into the cave, leaving the wounded Rider behind to heal.

In the meantime, Rin has been fighting Sakura and her army of shadows using the Gem Sword of Zelretch. During the course of the battle, Sakura continuously curses her sister, telling her of the suffering she endured while everyone turned a blind eye to her, even her own sister. Rin initially brushes it off, but eventually lets herself be struck while she apologizes, hugs Sakura and expresses her true sisterly love. Realizing that her weakness allowed her to be consumed by her own darkness, Sakura goes berserk and loses control of her powers. Shirou arrives and attempts to save her. Despite Sakura's pleas to let her die, Shirou projects and stabs Sakura with Caster's Rule Breaker, severing Sakura's link to the unborn Servant within the Holy Grail, Avenger. A recovered Rider appears and escorts Rin and Sakura to safety as Shirou prepares to destroy the Great Holy Grail.

Kirei suddenly appears, intending to stop Shirou from destroying that which he long desired to witness, a being of destruction that could validate his own existence. They engage in hand-to-hand combat, and although Kirei gets the upper hand, he succumbs to the wounds inflicted to him by Sakura earlier. At this point the story diverges, based on whether the player headed to the Normal or True ending. On the Normal route, the story ends with Shirou destroying the Great Holy Grail with a projected Excalibur and dying, but on the True route path, Zouken, his consciousness still remaining in the last surviving worm, continues to struggle towards the grail. Before he can reach it, however, Ilya appears wearing the Dress of Heaven, which reminds Zouken of her ancestor, Justicia, who he loves, and he finally dies with satisfaction. The Great Holy Grail is destroyed.

Resolutions
Heaven's Feel has two endings:


 * The "Normal" ending depicts an epilogue after Shirou has sacrificed himself to destroy the Great Holy Grail. Sakura vows to wait for his return, because they promised to watch the cherry blossoms bloom together in the spring. Years pass while Sakura grows into an old woman, still waiting faithfully. In the end, Sakura has passed away, seeing an image of Shirou waving to her on a familiar road covered with cherry blossoms.

Sakura Matou is the de facto winner of the 5th Holy Grail War in this route, as all other Masters were incapacitated, lost their servants or dead, and all the other Servants were defeated and dead, with exception of Rider. However, in his final moments Kirei Kotomine declares Shirou Emiya to be the winner of the war at the very end.
 * The "True" ending depicts an epilogue in which Ilya sacrifices herself, the embodiment of the Holy Grail, in order to save Shirou and close the gate. Shirou is able to gain a new body from a puppet master (implied to be Aozaki Touko, a character from TYPE-MOON's earlier work Kara no Kyoukai) and live a normal life with Sakura and Rider while Rin is called to a trial in London over having opened and then closed the gateway. A high ranking mage intervenes, however, and the trial is swiftly ended. She spends 2 years in London before returning to Japan, when she reunites with Sakura and Shirou and asks her sister if she is happy, to which she responds yes with a smile.

Bad Endings

 * Ocean Depths: If Shirou does not earn the required points for Sakura, he gets captured by the shadow and absorbed by the mud.
 * Battle of the Holy Grail: If Shirou does not earn the required points for Illya, his body gets destroyed inside the Emiya Residence by Illya and his consciousness.
 * Die Together: On Day 8, if Shirou decides to attack Zouken, his weapon rots from Zouken.  Shirou then stomps down on the bugs and tries to escape to the lake.  As he tries to escape from the mud he realizes that his feet are missing due to stomping the bugs and finally gets eaten by the worms.
 * Miserable Lone Force: On Day 9, if Shirou decides not to ask help from Tohsaka, he goes back to class and then home afterwards. After realizing that Sakura is gone, he is called by Shinji at his phone to come to school alone, not knowing that Saber is gone. Shirou hurriedly run to school to face Shinji.  Since he cannot face a servant yet, he gets binded on the neck with Rider's chain and she snaps Shirou's neck.
 * Geas: On Day 9, if Shirou decides to say Yes in giving Tohsaka total obedience, his body does not move to prevent Tohsaka in killing Sakura inside the church.
 * Stone Coffin: On Day 9, if Shirou decides close his eyes and attack Rider, he gets petrified by looking at Rider's eyes in his imagination and his stone body falls, leading it to break into pieces.
 * Superhero: On Day, 9 if Shirou decides to not let go of his ideals as an Ally of Justice, he gains resolve to killing Sakura in order to save more lives that would be killed by the Shadow. Rin performs the execution as her "duty", while Shirou only waits. Kotomine and Ilya believe that Shirou is just like Kiritsugu in his prime, and that Shirou will win the Holy Grail War without doubt. With a mind of steel, he will destroy the Holy Grail at any cost, killing every Master in his way, Rin and Ilya included.
 * Layered Curse of the Womb Realm Mandala: On Day 10, if Shirou decides to stay at the forest, he gets devoured by the darkness but he does not realize it.
 * World Purge, Meltdown:  On Day 10, if Shirou decides to bring bang Tohsaka, he rans over to her but is too late as the shadow explodes and devours Shirou, Illya, Tohsaka and Archer.
 * Sparks Liner High is bad ending thirty-eight. Unlike regular bad endings, it simply says "End." It follows Shirou and Rin after failing to form a partnership with Rider. Shirou is forced to engage Saber Alter alone while Rin proceeds on to face Sakura. They duel in close combat, and after digging deep into Archer's memories, Shirou manages to win with Kanshou and Bakuya's Triple-Linked Crane Wings. Although Saber is left too wounded to put up any resistance, the constant projections cause Shirou's mind to finally overload. Though still alive, his mind is no longer able to function, leaving Rin only ten minutes to deal with Sakura before Saber is fully healed. Saber does not care about the outcome of the battle, having lost what little will to live she had, and only displays a measure of pity for whoever lives, as the one who would bless them no longer exists in the world.