Shirou's eyes fluttered open as he stirred awake.
As he regained his bearings he realised he was far more refreshed than he expected to be after such a short nap, especially sleeping on a restaurant bench.
He let out a yawn and stretched his arm over his head as he turned to Rin. She seemed to have gotten a chair and was sitting across the table from him now, seemingly to free up the bench for him to sleep on."Sorry about that Rin. I was more tired than I thought. You didn't need to give up your seat though."
The black haired girl huffed and reached for her drink. "I was hardly about to stay there and let you lay on top of me."
Shirou laughed and shook his head. "That's a good point. I would say leaning on you might have been more comfortable than sleeping on the bench but this thing was surprisingly comfy." As he tapped his hand on the bench and complimented it Shirou remained entirely oblivious to Rin sputtering into her drink.
She recovered before he looked back up and cleared her throat. "Yes well… this is a rather nice restaurant after all. It makes sense that its benches are comfortable. Putting that aside though we should pick up where we left off before your nap. Even if my bounded field will hold, we shouldn't linger here all day."
Shirou nodded and leaned forward against the table. "If we're agreed on attending the academy then the next issue is how much we should try to keep hidden. The fact we both remember being from another earth is a pretty major issue, and hardly something normal based on what we read."
"We definitely don't want that to be brought up. Luckily it seems like the system here has filled in the gaps for us on that front. As far as anyone is concerned we're just a pair of vagrants from the outskirts who made up our own names." Despite her optimistic words Rin's eyebrows furrowed together in thought. "There might be an issue though with the "strange event" that happened during our Nightmares. Even without any memories of what happened, based on the marks on us it seems likely that it had something to do with our magic circuits or even our magecraft in general."
Shirou rolled up his sleeve and looked at the fine black lines that ran over his arm and across his hand. With a thought and small twinge of pain he drew energy into himself and concentrated on his [Reinforcement]. The lines along his arm began to glow a faint blue as he continued to draw energy into himself and the pain he felt became a steady ache. "Its hard to argue that the lines correspond to our circuits. I'm not sure why they look different between us though."
Rin smiled and raised her chin "There's obviously a difference in quality between us Shirou. I come from a magus family that stretches back generations. Careful breeding and cultivation would naturally lead to better quality circuits, and the training of a proper magus family would mean they are properly exercised and acclimated. My circuits simply seemed to have made it through whatever happened to us with less damage."
Despite the dig sent his way Shirou only offered a smile and a shake of his head "I'll be leaning on you for information then Rin. My father's lessons were hardly the most detailed." He dropped the reinforcement from his arm and the glow faded, taking the dull pain along with it. "I do have a feeling something about my magecraft is different from what I remember though. I don't recall ever being able to draw energy inwards like this, or a constant pain from doing it."
Rin paused at Shirou's words and looked at her own arm, crisscrossing lines of darker skin weaving over her like she had gone sun tanning with a bizarre stencil on herself. With a thought her own arm glowed as well, the lights slightly brighter than Shirou's own, but still causing her a slight twinge of pain. "I remember my fundamental lessons in magecraft enough to know that Mages back home could rarely use ambient mana to do much of anything. Home had practically no mana in the air so instead mages fed their own internal Od into their magic circuits to fuel magecraft."
She cut off the flow of energy to her arm and placed it against her chest, "I recall being able to draw energy from inside myself when we first arrived in this world. My memories of our first three months here are still spotty and fractured but I know I used my magecraft normally then. Since I entered my first nightmare though, it's felt as though all the energy inside myself is sealed and locked out of reach. It's a mercy that there was mana in the air to pull from in our nightmares and this world, though it's hardly comfortable."
At Rin's mention of a seal Shirou's mind drifted back to what he had seen at the end of his Nightmare inside his ash-covered Soul Sea. "I saw something at the end of my Nightmare that might be related to that. When I ended up in my Soul Sea there was a burning sphere in the sky wrapped by chains. While the spell was reading off the results of my nightmare the sphere started expanding and doused me with…something. Whatever it was it restored some of my memories, but after that it was sealed in chains again. What's more, my soul Core is still listed in my runes as Sealed."
He concentrated on his runes and manifested them in front of him, the spectral symbols clear in his vision despite Rin clearly being unable to see them. Acting on a bit of instinct Shirou Reached out and gently grabbed Rin's arm while concentrating on his runes and trying to push them to Rin.
Rin's eyes had widened when Shirou first touched her though the snarky retort she prepared died on her lips when she saw Runes creep into her field of view. For a moment they floated before her eyes in their native and untranslated form, looking simply like a foreign language that she had no understanding of. Then, just like when looking at her own, understanding flowed into her mind as all the runes were translated, or at least most of them.
Name: Shirou Emiya
True Name: The Question Asked
Rank: ꌈꃔꅐꁲꃔꋖꑀꀷ
Soul Core: Sealed
Soul Fragments: 0/1000
Gears: 0/∞
Blade Fragments: 648/1000
Magic Circuit Count: 27
Magic Circuit Quality: F-
Memories: [Guardian's Mantle], [Honorguard's Bulwark], [Fragment of Home]
Echoes: —
Skills: [Reinforcement: Rank E++], [Projection: Rank E], [Structural Grasping: Rank E]
Attributes: [Distant], [Third Rate Magus], [Scion of Steel], [?]
Flaw: [Ending of the Dream]
Flaw Description: [Yours is a life that cannot be given away flippantly. You are unable to risk your life to save another.]
Aspect: [Archive of ?????]
Aspect Rank: [ꊿꌈꋖꑀꌅ]
Aspect Description: [Your soul exists as a monument to human endeavors and a temple of heroes. It serves as a resting place, armory, forge, and even foundation for what may one day be.]
Innate Ability: [Unlimited Bladeworks]
Ability Description: [As the armory of your soul grows, the potency of its forge grows as well. With time it may chronicle an entire world]
Aspect Ability: [Spark of Creation]
Ability Description: [Weapons and objects manifested from your soul bear an uncommon weight to them. They are not so easy to erode or dissolve]
"I'm not sure if that worked or not, but if it did you should be able to see what I meant about my Soul Core status."
Rin stared at the runes with wide eyes, caught completely off guard by the completely unexpected reveal. It was a lot to take in and frankly caught her off guard. The trust of showing it was already enough to leave her stuttering but on top of that was the fact that his runes had a lot to them.
Especially when they were considered alongside her own.
As Rin was trying to wrap her head around it all she realised Shirou had just spoken to her and so she peeled her eyes away from the runes to answer him. "I… This is a lot to take in Shirou. You're right about your soul core. Mine also says it's sealed so that is a logical reason for the both of us not being able to draw from any internal energy. Still… showing me your runes like that. Do you realize I was able to read all of them just now? That I read your flaw? Did you accidentally show me all of it?"
Shirou paused for a moment and furrowed his brow in thought, before he looked around them and tilted his head in confusion. "Are you worried someone else will be able to see them Rin? I was focusing on you, not to mention I'm touching you. I don't think someone else will be able to read them."
Rin's eye twitched in irritation and she gripped his hand more tightly. "No you Idiot! I mean why did you show ME all of this? What makes you think it's smart for you to trust me with being able to read all of your runes, to know what your flaw is?"
Shirou's eyes widened at the mention of his flaw and he cast his eyes down to the table. "I understand Rin. I know my flaw is problematic and that you might not feel safe around me with it, but rest assured I won't rest until I find a way to get around it. I understand if you don't want to work together because of it though and I won't hold it against… OW!"
His words were cut off by Rin's grip tightening on his hand to the point that bones started grinding together. Despite her crushing grip and the anger coming off of her Rin's face looked strangely calm, almost sad as she looked at him. "I don't care about your flaw Shirou and don't you ever suggest something that… Idiotic again!"
Her grip loosened though didn't let go and she looked him in the eyes. "I want to know why you trusted me enough to show me all that? Would you have shown that off to anyone? Do you have no understanding of the danger of letting everything about yourself be read like an open book?"
Shirou's eyebrows scrunched up though as he turned back to her. "I didn't let anyone read them, Rin. I let you. I trust you not to use that information to hurt me without good reason."
Rin took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to put together some kind of reply in the face of the trust she was being shown. "I want to know why Shirou. Why do you trust me? All we have are three months of swiss cheese memories and the knowledge that we went to the same grade school. For all we know even those memories are forgeries and fakes! If something wiped our minds whose to say it didn't make up falsehoods as well! In spite of all of that, why the hell do you trust me?"
Shirou went silent at that, now his turn to contemplate and consider. After nearly a minute of tense silence Shirou chuckled to himself and offered Rin a smile. "I guess I don't know why? I feel like I can trust you Rin, somehow even more than I can trust myself. Even if they are still full of holes, all the memories I have of you since we arrived in this world were positive ones. Isn't it only right that I show you trust?"
Rin's face went blank at first, though as Shirou spoke it began to heat up, getting redder and redder as he spoke. By the time he was done talking Rin had turned her face to the side while a manga worthy blush had spread across it.
Neither one of them spoke, Shirou content to wait for Rin while Rin was stuck trying to force her face back into obedience and think up a response.
Rather than words Shirou received a response when Rin tightened her hold of his hand and he saw a series of runes materialize in front of his eyes.
Name: Rin Tohsaka
True Name: The Answer Found
Rank: ꌈꃔꅐꁲꃔꋖꑀꀷ
Soul Core: Sealed
Soul Fragments: 46/1000
Celestial Seeds: 0/∞
Seed Fragments: 46/1000
Magic Circuit Count: 70
Magic Circuit Quality: E--
Memories: [Silent Melody], [Spire Regalia]
Echoes: —
Skills: [Reinforcement: Rank D--],[Jewel Magecraft: Rank D-], [Conversion: Rank D+], [Workshop Creation: Rank E--], [Bounded Field Creation: Rank E--]
Attributes: [Distant], [First Rate Magus], [Average One], [Tohsaka Crest]
Flaw: [Star shrouded by the Moon]
Flaw Description: [Alone your personal efforts will always fall short. When you stand alone you are fated to fail.]
Aspect: [Seed of ????]
Aspect Rank: [ꊿꌈꋖꑀꌅ]
Aspect Description: [A bargain was made in pursuit of an unfathomable dream. Your soul carries the seeds of gods and beasts alike and will serve as the seedbed for a new world.]
Innate Ability: [Thaumatological Framework]
Ability Description: [Your soul serves as the anchor of a transplanted Thaumatological system. As your soul grows stronger, so too will the breadth of mysteries you can enact
Aspect Ability: [Seedling Myths]
Ability Description: [You are able to use portions of your soul to create familars.]
As the runes writhed in front of Shirou's eyes he struggled to unpack all of it, yet still did his best to commit it to memory. As he stared ahead he also struggled to understand why Rin was showing him this. He was given a response by a still red faced Rin as she huffed at him. "There, now we're even."
Shirou frowned and shook his head. "Rin, I didn't show you my runes to get you to show mine. You didn't have to do that."
She slammed a palm on the table, the blush on her face getting even more intense as she shouted. "I KNOW THAT! But I refuse to owe someone or have things be unbalanced. Now we're even and that's the end of it, no need to read into it any further."
She let out a huff and threw a lock of hair over her shoulders. "Besides, I don't want to be the only one who knows about the connection between our runes. Even if I can figure it all out on my own I'd rather have you stuck thinking about it too."
Shirou knew what she meant. It was clear as day that there was a connection between them. Their true names alone were a strangely cryptic pair but it only got more irrefutable when one looked deeper. They both had atypical ranks and strange symbols for their aspects. What's more their aspects were both of the same unreadable ranking and carried a similar phrasing between them.
Shirou still felt like offering some kind of protest to Rin sharing something she clearly felt uncomfortable about. He hadn't at all meant to put her in a tight spot by sharing, but he could also tell that pushing or making a bigger deal out of it wouldn't help. Instead he turned his thoughts to their runes and all the implications they carried. "Its definitely a lot to consider. I think a lot of it has to do with us both coming from another world but even with that in mind there are things in our runes that don't make much sense."
Rin was all too eager to focus on something other than her embarrassment and grabbed onto the topic like a liferaft. "Exactly. I can understand us both having [Distant] or our ranks being as odd as they are. Those are likely artifacts of us both being from another world. The strange descriptions around our aspects and our odd True Names on the other hand are hinting at something else entirely. I had thought my True Name was unusual before but seeing next to yours makes it even more confusing."
Shirou frowned as he considered their aspects and True Names. He didn't have a solid understanding of the implications of those things and what they implied about a person. Not to mention he had no idea how those implications might have changed considering he and Rin were not natives of this place. Did those names mean more because they weren't born here? Less? Did the spell pick them all entirely at random or were they real insights into who he and Rin were as people.
"To be honest Rin I wouldn't even know where to begin digging into those. I at least know I don't have any memories right now of something related to them, but I know that isn't saying much."
Rin let out a sigh and waved her hand Shirou's way. "I didn't expect you to have some secret answer anyway. I doubt we'll have much luck figuring those out until we regain our memories, or at least have the privacy to start experimenting and testing ourselves. Neither of which will be happening until after we get through this academy and our so-called "First Journey to the Dream Realm". Speaking of that though, we need to decide on how to handle ourselves there."
Shirou's eyebrow quirked up at that suggestion. "That much should be obvious right? Keep a low profile and try to learn as much as we can before we get to the dream realm?"
Rin slowly shook her head "It might not be that simple. Like it or not we've already got some eyes on us. If we try to hide or play it meek there's a chance those eyes will pass us over but there's also a chance that they will take it as a chance to push further. If we had any expectation of quickly finding a way back home I would still agree that we should lay low but we might be here for a long time before we figure out a way home, meaning we have to work around the people here. If we establish ourselves as someone powerful then we might be looked at as talent to court rather than test subjects to collect."
Shirou pursed his lips in thought and considered Rin's words. He knew almost nothing about proper magecraft given his fathers limited lessons but he recalled the paramount importance of secrecy. It made sense that in this world such things didn't matter but hearing a First Rate Magus like Rin suggesting they not hide their abilities was odd to him. "How much are you suggesting we reveal? I have a feeling that showing off our runes might get us rounded up and strapped to a lab table, no matter how valuable people might see us as."
Rin let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Things don't have to be binary Shirou. You can easily show your strength without telling everyone your blood type and bank details." She shook her head and held up her palm. "Think of it like this. Famous and powerful magus families had reputations about them. They were known to be strong and demonstrated it when called upon but at the same time all the details behind their magecraft were kept closely guarded. We just need to do the same thing. Show off what we can do when needed and either hide how we do it or make up a reason for it." She shrugged her shoulders and lightly laughed. "I could probably just claim my aspect ability is witchcraft and blame everything on that."
Shirou looked down at his hand and lightly clenched his fingers, the blue light of his reinforcement faintly glowing from the limb. "That will make things easier to manage then. Losing a chance to train with all of this would have been a waste."
Rin smiled and nodded back at Shirou, a flick of her wrist seeing her own limb faintly glow. "Exactly. We need to make the most of this coming month to be as prepared as possible."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Rin and Shirou walked through a sprawling plaza dotted with lush greenery and trees growing out of opulent ivory planter boxes.
Despite still being inside the NQSC central tower, the ceiling above them was dozens of meters high, filled with UV lamps and growth lights to let the plants around them thrive.
The floor beneath them was decorated with accents of metallic gold and sleek white metal which combined with the wide space around them to make the area appear sleek and grandiose. Stepping into the space from the densely packed structures and corridors that filled the rest of the tower felt like stepping into an entirely different world.
One could be forgiven for thinking that the city planners who designed the tower had simply decided to carve a hundred meter wide circle of space through five floors to make a calming open air garden but in reality the space had a purpose.
As the pair slowly made their way through the meandering maze of planters and green they arrived at the center of the plaza. An open space stretched out before them filled with over a hundred people standing in small groups or on their own. At the center of the space was a stout yet well decorated structure built in the same futuristic whites and golds of the floor.
Despite its opulent styling the structure was not tall, and didn't rise up to the ceiling above, instead standing only five meters high and leaving a luxurious amount of open unused space above it. Its front was dominated by a blast door that was decorated with some kind of mural of valiant warriors fighting Nightmare beasts.
While it seemed unassuming to a layman, anyone who read a manga or watched one of the countless televised dramas popular in the NQSC would recognize that structure for what it was, the sole entry point into the Awakened Academy.
While the rest of the central tower could be reached by spiraling roads, hundreds of elevators, and numerous aircraft docks, the lower hundred floors were an isolated environment, cut off from any civilian access ways. Every part of those floors was taken up by the Awakened Academy and its various facilities, all tailored for training, housing, and educating Sleepers, as well as any other Awakened who wished to hone their skills later in life.
The group of people that Shirou and Rin now found themselves standing among were the weekly applicants for the Academy, those unlucky enough to have left their first Nightmare with only a month left to prepare before they would be pulled into the Dream Realm.
The gathered group of Sleepers was varied though there were some patterns that stood out.
First was the fact that everyone appeared to be roughly the same age. The spell could conceivably affect anyone but in practice it seemed to only select those in their teens and early adulthood. As a result the group of people waiting ranged from a young girl of around thirteen up to a man who appeared in his early twenties, with the majority being somewhere around seventeen or eighteen.
The second thing of note was the fact that every single person present seemed to be unusually attractive compared to average people. All the normal plainness or blemishes you would expect to see from a gathering of so many people were absent on those present who each looked like they could have gone into modeling if they weren't on the path of Awakening.
In reality it was the path of Awakening that was the cause of it. Shirou hadn't paid much mind to the process after his nightmare since he hadn't the time to rest and look at himself. He also hardly noticed a change with Rin since she was already incredibly beautiful even before her Nightmare. With such a large group of sleepers to look at though it became impossible to ignore the fact that the process of passing through one's Nightmare had visible positive effects on the body.
The last thing Shirou noticed as he looked out at the assembled group of people was their varied styles of dress and belongings. It was somewhat sad to see that only a small group of five were standing empty handed and wearing police issued jumpsuits. They were likely those who came chrome the lowest of society and yet managed to still make it through their Nightmare. The other hundred plus souls all wore unique outfits and were carrying trunks, backpacks, or duffel bags no doubt loaded with things from their families.
Among those different clothes there was a clear strata of quality present. Many wore simple but clean outfits that likely marked them as members of the mundane middle class. Then there were those dressed in robes and metal armor that looked to be plucked from ancient stories and tales, clear markers that they came from families with a background working with Awakened people and the culture of the Dream Realm.
And then lastly were those whose wealth seemed to have a gravity well of its own. One such girl was wearing an eye wateringly bright yellow robe accented with blood red adornments. Standing behind her on either side were two silent figures wearing black robes and grey bandages over their arms, and legs. Their faces were hidden behind a black wicker hats which all together served to enhance the cold aura they projected. The wealthy girl they were seemingly serving, behaved like their presence was an after thought, laughing and behaving calmly, clearly used to having bodyguards at all times.
A similarly wealthy looking young stood on almost the complete opposite of the gathered mass of Sleepers, though unlike the yellow robed girl, he was wearing a suit of fitted armor styled like the love child between a mecha and a medieval knight. The sight of his suit spoke volumes of its cost. Unlike similar armor worn by those around him, the boy's suit was perfectly crafted and fitted to him, looking like the kind of thing that was made entirely bespoke, rather than simply being bought. It could have been a Memory he gained which had adjusted itself to him but the apparent technologic style of it made that seem unlikely.
Considering the varied outfits and styles of those gathered, it would have been logical for Rin and Shirou not to stand out all that much. They didn't have private guards or glowing armor after all. Unfortunately what they did have were government uniforms, striking marks on their arms and legs, and an air about themselves that made them stand out.
Had the Rin or Shirou been able to read minds they would have realized that many of the gathered Sleepers were wondering if they were Awakened sent by the government to monitor them, while another portion took in the pair's exotic body art and began wondering if they were Idols or actors they'd never heard of.
Regardless of the underlying reason it didn't change the fact that most of the eyes in the plaza turned towards the pair as they walked forward.
Rin let a smirk cross her face as she took in the looks being sent their way. "It seems that lying low would have been off the table even if we wanted it. I didn't think we would stand out this much."
Shirou nodded and looked out at the crowd, taking note of the groups that gathered and to chat with each other. While the groups seemed somewhat divided along class lines each of the gathered groups appeared to be chatting amicably among themselves, even as they sent glances Rin and Shirou's ways. "Whatever the reason, it makes things simpler. We won't have any chance to change our mind."
The pair stood on the outer edge of the gathered group of Sleepers watching as furtive glances continued to be sent their way. It seemed for a moment that things would stay like that until the gates opened only for a group of sleepers to start approaching them.
Each member of the was wearing armor of some sort and all together painted a picture of a crew of medieval re-enactors. The young man at the lead of them all made the idea of sword wielding knights seem far more real and less like a joke.
The blonde haired young man at the head of the group looked like he walked out of a story book. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a square jaw made him appear like the picture of charisma and charm. "Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Caster, of house Arlen. I apologize for asking this but are you two Sleepers correct? I don't think I've ever seen a Sleeper in a government uniform, they usually recruit after one's awakening."
Rin offered a nod in reply as she gestured at herself and Shirou. "The feeling is mutual Caster. I'm Tohsaka Rin, and this is Emiya Shirou. We are indeed Sleepers, but we aren't actually affiliated with the government. These uniforms were simply what we were both provided when we woke up."
That earned some muttering from the other members of Caster's group.
"If that's all they have to wear then they both must be from the outskirts?"
"If they were from the outskirts they wouldn't have proper names fool. They must be scions from a branch legacy clan."
"I've never heard of those names though. Are they new Legacies?"
Caster's voice cut through the chattering of his people as he let out a laugh. "If the government was willing to let you walk around wearing their reputation on your backs you must be of sound character and great skill. My friends and I were just chatting about our Nightmares and the spoils and trials within. Would you care to join us?"
Shirou and Rin shared a glance, considering the request and the risk it posed. At a gentle nod of Rin's head Shirou turned to Caster. "We'd be happy to. There's still time to kill before the gates open after all. Though please don't be offended if there are things we wish to keep close to our chest."
A shared round of laughs answered Shirou's words, with an explanation offered by one of the men in the group. "No one here will be offended if someone wants to keep secrets, especially not if you're honest enough to admit you don't wish to share. That said, don't be surprised if we assume reluctance means it's something embarrassing eh?"
A woman in Casters party laughed and rapped the man on the back. "Bold of you to be joking about embarrassment isn't it? Wasn't your nightmare's challenge killing a single [Unformed Beast]? What does it say that the Spell thought that a challenge for you?"
"It was no simple Beast. It was a wolf and a large one at that! Not to mention the vessel I was in had only a woodcutter's axe. I had to kill that thing with nothing but my bare hands."
"Didn't you drop a tree on it?"
"A tree I chopped down with my bare hands!"
The group settled into another round of laughter and Caster turned back to the pair. "That was a rather roundabout way to say there will be no judgement if you wish to keep things private." He let out a chuckle and shook his head. "I'm quite sure the government would be thrilled for everyone to share all they know once we enter the academy, I think they even offer to pay you if you do. But those with connections to proper Awakened Society know all too well the value of secrets and won't hold it against anyone who wants to keep them."
He smiled brightly enough that Shirou could have sworn he saw a twinkle come from his teeth. "That said, we also know the value of a grand story! Why don't we regale our new friends here with our stories before the gate opens up. Maybe we'll even get to hear what was impressive enough for you two to get the government's tacit blessing?"
A round of cheers and the clinking of armor answered Caster's words while Shirou and Rin offered Shrugs in reply.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
The stories Caster and his fledgeling cohort shared were… far more tame than Shirou had been expecting. The initial story about the wolf had set a tone for what was simple and basic but contrary to his expectation, it actually didn't get much more impressive beyond that.
Most of the group had faced nothing more than [Dormant] Nightmare Creatures ranging from [Beast] up to [Demon]. What's more, in all cases the number of enemies fought was… low? Rarely more than one or two enemies. It was only now that they finally reached Caster's story that the numbers picked up but it was still only 5 [Dormant Monsters]. Beyond just the number of foes, the entire settings of their nightmares seemed to be far more tame and small in scope compared to what Shirou had in mind.
Perhaps Shirou had gotten a wildly skewed understanding of what was typical for first Nightmares? It might not have been typical for one to be plunged into a war out the gate afterall. Looking at Rin though Shirou could pick up the same feelings he had. Just beneath a well crafted facade of interest was a growing look of boredom at hearing their stories.
"And that was when I managed to fell the final Monster. Handling so many at once was difficult but I managed to come through it in the end. I even managed to get an excellent appraisal rating and an Ascended Aspect."
Caster's group offered a round of congratulation and accolades for the man as his story reached its end. Shirou and Rin only offered nods and polite smiles at the story and soon realized that the eyes of the group had turned towards them. "Well then? Would you two care to share any tales from your Nightmares? I know it's hard to match up against Caster's story but don't feel too bad.
Shirou looks down at Rin, and noting the faintest look of apprehension on her face he responds. "I suppose going over my fights wouldn't be too bad, I don't know if I want to share my aspect though if that's all right."
Seeing only nodding heads and interested eyes as a response Shirou dove in. "It started with time rewinding around me as you've all seen. That gave me a chance to see the fight that would have killed my vessel play backwards around me. Thanks to that insight I was able to disarm around a dozen dormant humans who were trying to kill me, along with one that I…later learned had been an Awakened human…"
"Wait!" Shirou's tale was interrupted as Caster spoke up, a hand held in front of him as he looked at Shirou with wide eyes. "Forgive me for interrupting Emiya but you can hardly just breeze past that like it was the opening act to a play! How did you manage to fight so many people at once? Were they civilians? Villagers in some primitive tribe? Did you gain some aspect ability in the dream that let you blast them away?"
Everyone in Caster's group even more shocked expressions than he did, their minds balancing the instinctive desire to refute Shirou's story outright with the nonchalant way he was telling the tale, and the calm air about him.
For his part Shirou weathered their questions with no issue, all too willing to stop and scratch his chin as he recounted it all. "Well, I fought them with the longsword that my vessel had. I managed to fight them without too much issue honestly. I'd had a chance the minute before to watch them all attack my body so I memorized the timing and direction of all the strikes. Then I dodged them until I ruined the script too much but by then more than half were bleeding on the ground."
"They were all armed and armoured, though less like Caster here and more like a Roman legionary might be. I can't be sure none of them were conscripted civilians, but they fought with adequate force and cohesion so I think they were proper soldiers. It may well be that I owed much if it all to the aspect my vessel carried though. I gained an acute sense of my weapon and my motions with it, along with a moderate boost to my speed and strength." That last part was a bit of a lie in truth, but Shirou would rather others consider his [Reinforcement] to be the work of an aspect rather than something entirely unique to him.
Shirou's audience, which had grown as he was speaking, looked on with wide eyes as he finished talking. They started muttering among themselves only to stop when Caster spoke up, "That's certainly impressive Emiya. From the sound of things you were practically fated to die there and you managed to turn it around. That might be one of the most impressive and fastest First Nightmares I've ever heard of!"
The group offered Shirou a round of soft claps and a chorus of compliments. Before Shirou could offer a correction about his Nightmare actually being far far longer, a voice interrupted them all. "Bah, beating some humans and a single Awakened is hardly impressive!"
A dark haired young man in a track suit stepped towards the group radiating an air of pompousness and bravado. He looked far better than he had days ago, though the clear signs of roughness were still there in his ragged hair style and the faint bags under his eyes, clear signs that the boost of becoming a sleeper wasn't enough alone to make him healthy.
Shirou couldn't say he knew the young man across from him, but he did recall seeing him in the Police precinct before, being walked to what must have been his first Nightmare just days ago. The young man looked at the group and proudly jabbed a thumb towards himself, looking like the absolute picture of a spoiled child as he did.
"Afterall I managed to slay an [Awakened Tyrant] in my Nightmare."