In a pitch-black space, Shirou stood alone.
"...I really did not expect this. I can actually come back here... although why is everything completely dark? It would have been nice if Exusiai were here."
Despite his current situation, Shirou was not particularly alarmed. He quickly adjusted to his surroundings.
What was that saying again? Something about becoming thoroughly familiar with a place?
After being dragged here so many times, he had already grown accustomed to it.
To be honest, Shirou still felt a trace of anticipation. The last time, that other version of himself had guided him for a while before saying a few words and leaving, claiming that he would never appear again.
As for whether that person had truly disappeared... Shirou did not know.
Still, if possible, he hoped that the other him had remained.
At first, he had been wary because of that person's demeanor and appearance, but that same person had helped him again and again.
No, that made it sound as though he had a split personality.
In the end, they were both the same individual. Their relationship was not like the one he shared with Archer, Nameless, or the other Emiya Shirou from his memories. They were truly one and the same person.
The difference was that he carried the memories of an ordinary person, while the other him had those heavy memories and the corruption of the black mud.
And yet, it was precisely because of the Holy Grail's black mud that the other him had come into existence.
Now, however, his memories had returned. The existence known as Emiya Shirou had also taken upon his shoulders the weight carried by the name "Emiya."
Perhaps Archer had seen through everything more clearly than anyone else.
That ideal of becoming an Ally of Justice was like a curse, forever binding Shirou.
He was no longer the reckless fool from the Holy Grail War who charged forward without thinking. With even a little reflection, many things could be understood from entirely different perspectives.
This was probably what people called growth.
Perhaps it had come a little late...
Then again, maybe it was not too late at all.
As Nameless had once said, the difference between him and them at this very moment was—
He was still alive.
He still had a future.
He could choose a different path, a different direction, and continue moving forward.
That was what they and she had wished for.
Not to live upon this land under the name "Emiya" but as "Emiya Shirou."
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Shirou vaguely saw two silhouettes.
One red.
One black.
The two Guardians stood in the distance, and all Shirou could see were their backs.
He reached out, wanting to call after them, but no sound came from his mouth.
At the same time, he noticed that his clothes had changed.
He was wearing that red-and-black Mystic Code. Only the red-and-black sleeves covered his upper body, leaving much of his torso exposed, while a pair of black trousers covered his lower half.
Realizing that he could neither move nor speak, Shirou decided to observe his surroundings instead.
The two Guardians, and himself...
The scene felt strangely familiar.
Turning around, he found no trace of the black mud.
The last thing he remembered from before was being overtaken by that black mud from behind and swallowed by it.
"Ah... so that was the past?"
After thinking for a moment, Shirou suddenly understood.
The two Guardians symbolized Emiya Shirou's future.
He himself represented the present.
And the black mud that had chased him down and devoured him represented something else entirely.
Was this a sign?
Or merely a fantasy born from his subconscious, perhaps a dream?
The more he thought about it, the more strange it all seemed.
Ever since arriving in this land, it felt as though an unseen hand had been constantly adjusting the direction in which he moved.
The memories of other Emiya Shirous.
The strange dreams that appeared from time to time.
And most importantly...
This world did not even possess the concept of magecraft, so why was he still able to use it?
There was also the peculiar reaction between his blood, his magical energy, and Originium.
There were simply too many suspicious things.
The only reason he had never paid them much attention before was because he had not considered them worth worrying about.
"Well, whatever. So far, none of it seems to be a bad thing."
These were still only suspicions.
Shirou had no evidence, nor any useful information, to prove his theories.
And if there was no proof, then there was no point dwelling on it. It would only create unnecessary worries.
As things currently stood, most of these phenomena had benefited him.
His only concern was that whoever was behind them seemed to want him to develop in a specific direction.
Even so, he was not particularly worried.
At least for now, his life had not been excessively interfered with. He had not felt any discomfort from it.
If it was harmless, then uncovering the truth was hardly a priority.
Rather than wasting energy worrying about it, he would rather figure out a way to stew that black snake that kept staring at him.
If he did not deal with that black snake soon, Shirou had a feeling that his future life would be filled with endless trouble.
Remembering all the "surprises" that Kashchey had brought him, Shirou now especially wanted to have a nice conversation with the man while holding Chixiao in his hand.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
As long as the other party refused to show himself, there was not much Shirou could do.
"Anyway, I should leave this place and get some proper rest. The next few days are going to be very busy."
Having already begun mentally rehearsing all the different ways he could cook a certain snake, Shirou suddenly realized that what he should really be doing right now was getting proper rest and preparing for what lay ahead.
A lot had happened over the past few days.
So much, in fact, that even his thoughts had become somewhat tangled.
The moment Shirou thought about leaving, his figure gradually began to turn transparent.
Looking down at his fading hands, he knew it was time to return.
He looked toward the two figures ahead of him. After opening his mouth and hesitating for a moment, he finally said:
"I will keep working hard... I will not betray the trust placed in this power."
Just before disappearing, Shirou felt as though the two of them turned to look at him.
Unlike the expressions he remembered, one always looking annoyed, the other cold and detached, the red-clad and black-clad Guardians simply gazed at him calmly.
Before he could even begin to wonder what that gesture meant, his consciousness vanished from the black space.
"..."
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was how dry his throat felt.
Spending an entire night sleeping in such extreme cold was a considerable challenge for any ordinary person's nose and throat.
For Shirou, it was not particularly painful, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable.
Fortunately, a cup of hot water was enough to solve the problem.
Breathing in the steam rising from the freshly boiled water, Shirou mixed in a little cold water until it reached a comfortable temperature and drank it down.
Only then did he begin to feel fully awake again.
The sun had not risen yet, but traces of blue had already appeared in the sky. There were not many clouds either, giving Shirou the feeling that today's weather would be quite pleasant.
At the moment, he was sitting beside the campfire in the refugee camp.
Several operators were gathered nearby, either finishing their night watch or having just woken up. Some were warming themselves by the fire, while others were cooking or boiling water.
The hot water in Shirou's hands had been given to him by a medical operator. A small amount of medicine had been added to help soothe his throat while also keeping him alert.
"How did you sleep?"
As Shirou stared blankly into the campfire, someone suddenly sat down across from him and handed him a bowl of hot soup.
"Nearl? Thanks. I slept fairly well. The only problem was that the ground was a bit hard."
Coming back to his senses, Shirou instinctively accepted the soup before realizing who had arrived.
Operator Nearl was one of the first people Shirou had met after joining Rhodes Island. Her brilliant golden hair often reminded him of certain other individuals, and that feeling only grew stronger whenever she spoke.
Combined with the fact that she came from Kazimierz and carried the title of a knight, all these coincidences made him feel unusually comfortable around her.
They also got along well whenever certain topics came up, so Shirou did not feel the need to be overly formal with her.
"The biggest issue was the ground rather than the freezing temperature? That sounds exactly like you."
Knowing that Shirou was joking, Nearl played along.
"Thank you for the compliment. By the way, have you not slept yet, or did you just wake up?"
Shirou chuckled as he responded and took a spoonful of soup.
"I just finished relieving the night watch. Rhodes Island's reinforcements should be arriving soon, and I will be responsible for meeting them."
Nearl answered honestly while also informing him that support forces were on the way.
"Reinforcements? That fast?"
Shirou was genuinely surprised.
Although nearly two days had passed since the Catastrophe struck Chernobog, Rhodes Island's response was still much faster than he had expected.
After all, the reinforcements consisted of more than just personnel.
There were also large quantities of supplies.
Preparing medicine, food, and all the other necessities in such a short period of time while simultaneously organizing manpower was no easy task. Rhodes Island's efficiency was truly impressive.
Since the supplies had to be transported as well, the reinforcements were almost certainly traveling by land vehicle, meaning Rhodes Island's actual preparation time was probably less than a single day.
Perhaps emergency relief supplies were always kept ready, waiting to be dispatched the moment news of a disaster arrived.
"Yes. We could have arrived even sooner, but considering how dangerous things are here, Rhodes Island decided to send additional combat operators."
Nearl had no intention of keeping secrets.
From conversations with Amiya, Doctor, and several elite operators, she knew that Shirou would be one of the key combat personnel overseeing the camp in the days ahead.
That was why she was willing to explain so much.
If it had been anyone else, Nearl probably would have exchanged a few casual words, told them to finish their soup and gone back to patrol duty.
Now, however...
One could almost consider this a work briefing.
As long as Shirou asked about something she knew and was allowed to discuss, she answered honestly.
Through their back-and-forth conversation, Shirou quickly gained a clear understanding of the camp's current situation.
Overall, everything was moving in a positive direction.
Once the reinforcements and supplies arrived, the refugees would receive better medical care, while some combat operators would be freed up to focus on security and defense.
As for the armed groups and military forces approaching the area, Talulah had already come to speak with Doctor and the others. The current situation had been explained and a cooperative relationship had been formally established.
At the same time, Talulah shared her own suspicions with Rhodes Island, including with Shirou himself.
Black Snake, Kashchey, had likely orchestrated this entire chain of events not only to reactivate Ursus as a war machine but also to find a new host.
Talulah herself had once been chosen by Black Snake.
As a Draco, she possessed tremendous combat potential, and her status made her an exceptionally powerful political asset if used correctly.
Unfortunately for Kashchey, his plans were interrupted before they could fully mature.
Talulah seized the opportunity, devoured the power and influence Black Snake had painstakingly cultivated, and used all of it to strengthen Reunion instead.
The only thing Talulah had not anticipated was that he had never given up. He was still fixated on both her and Reunion.
However, after Shirou appeared, Black Snake seemed to have changed his target.
In the face of absolute power, whether it was the status of a Victorian Draco, the identity of a Yan noble or the title of an Ursus duke's daughter, all of those had to take a back seat.
Those identities could certainly help Kashchey stir chaos across the land and make the Ursus war machine roll forward more efficiently.
But with absolute power at his disposal, he could simply conquer the land alongside Ursus himself, without needing to spend so much time and effort plotting behind the scenes.
Of course, all of this was merely Talulah's personal speculation.
Still, the theory was quite logical and at least explained why Black Snake had continually sent people to cause trouble in Lungmen.
Aside from probing the situation there, he had also wanted to assess the strength of Shirou, a man suspected of being Archer.
In fact, ever since Shirou had accompanied Penguin Logistics on that mail delivery mission to Ursus, he had already fallen under Black Snake's gaze.
And Shirou's performance had unfolded exactly as Kashchey had expected, perhaps even exceeding his expectations.
After all, unlike Archer...
Shirou had a physical living body.
"Knowing all of this really makes it feel like someone is watching me no matter where I go. It is incredibly uncomfortable."
Thinking about it, Shirou silently complained to himself.
If possible, he would rather not know so much.
Then he could have continued being the carefree young man he had always been.
Now, however...
He felt as though a snake would wrap itself around him the moment he stepped outside.
No matter how he thought about it, the feeling was deeply unpleasant.
Nearl, seeing Shirou suddenly sigh, tilted her head.
"...?"
"What's wrong? Is the soup not good?"
Since Shirou had sighed immediately after taking a sip of soup, Nearl naturally assumed the problem lay with the bowl in his hands.
Given their limited ingredients and rough conditions, the soup was already quite decent.
That said, compared to the meals Shirou usually prepared in Rhodes Island's cafeteria, it was admittedly lacking.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about some annoying matters... By the way, when you head out to meet the reinforcements later, I will come with you. If I remember correctly, Ace, Scout, Blaze, Doctor, and Amiya were all busy until very late last night. Let them get some proper rest."
Hearing Nearl's question, Shirou quickly finished the soup and changed the subject.
The explanation would be far too complicated.
After all, he could hardly tell her that someone was after his body.
Without the full context, that sort of statement was very easy to misunderstand.
"That is not a problem. Would you like another bowl?"
Nearl did not press the issue. She simply glanced at the empty bowl in his hands.
"...No. Give it to the children in the camp instead. One bowl is enough for me."
Looking at the empty bowl, Shirou fell silent for a moment before answering.
"I see. Then should I get you some rations to keep with you?"
To Nearl, Shirou's response only reinforced how considerate he was.
Even in situations like this, his first thought was for other people.
Still, she did not think it was a good idea for him to start the day with only a small bowl of soup.
He needed something more substantial.
Once the day became busy, he might not have another chance to eat.
"In that case, I will trouble you to bring me some energy bars."
The mention of rations reminded Shirou of yesterday's meal.
In his opinion, most emergency rations tasted more or less the same anyway, so he might as well ask Nearl for energy bars.
They were easy to carry and contained the highest nutritional value and energy content among the available field rations.
Their only drawback...
Was that they supposedly tasted terrible and were incredibly hard. Without water, swallowing them was practically impossible.
Shirou did not mind.
After all, the situation was urgent.
As for what the members of Penguin Logistics were doing while Shirou was busy?
They were playing cards beneath a tree...
Ahem.
No, that was incorrect.
They were faithfully standing guard beneath the tree where Shirou was resting.