Inside the tent, everyone gathered around the bed as Amiya slowly placed the magical energy crystal and the card onto Shirou's body.
Then nothing happened.
"Did we guess wrong?"
After waiting about five seconds with no reaction, Exusiai finally lowered the hand covering her eyes a little. She had been worried that something even more shocking might happen.
Though, to begin with, the gaps between her fingers had been large enough to see through.
"No. The magical energy crystal is reacting. Amiya's hypothesis was correct. It is just that we do not know the proper way to use these two things."
Texas voiced her opinion, and only then did everyone notice that the red magical energy crystal had indeed changed slightly.
The change was extremely subtle. Without looking closely, nobody would have noticed it.
"Stack them together? No response. Put the card first and then the stone? Still nothing... Could it be the other way around?"
After countless attempts, Amiya stared at the card and the magical energy crystal piled atop Shirou's chest and sank into confusion.
No matter how she arranged them, nothing happened.
If Shirou himself had to activate them...
That would be difficult.
According to the medical operators, Shirou had already fallen into a coma and barely reacted to the outside world.
"Red... I have got it! Amiya, how about putting the crystal in his right hand and the card in his left? I remember that earlier his clothes were red on the right side and black on the left."
Although Amiya was puzzled, she continued trying various methods while everyone behind her offered suggestions.
After pondering for quite some time, Talulah remembered watching Shirou's battle against the Imperial Guards from afar. At that time, his attire had indeed been red on the right and black on the left.
Furthermore, when they first met, Shirou had worn a red sleeve over his right arm.
Talulah felt that this might be a useful clue.
They could only continue trying. If this failed, they would simply have to think of another solution.
"Understood."
After hearing Talulah's explanation, Amiya nodded and arranged the items accordingly.
The moment the bright red magical energy crystal touched Shirou's right hand, a faint glow of magical energy began to emerge from it.
Amiya had seen this phenomenon before.
Only, it was nowhere near as violent as it had been then.
If Shirou's contact with the black magical energy crystal in the Lungmen Guard Department conference room had produced a reaction of rejection, then the red crystal seemed to be gradually merging into his body.
Having confirmed that they were on the right track, Amiya placed the card onto Shirou's left hand.
The golden outline of the Archer depicted on the card glowed briefly.
In the next instant, the card disappeared from his hand.
In its place appeared the red-and-black Mystic Code.
"This... there is hope!?"
Croissant widened her eyes.
It was even more miraculous than Originium Arts.
And then there was the change in Shirou himself. Although it seemed inappropriate to mention at a time like this, he had clearly become much more muscular.
Not to mention the bizarre outfit.
Why was it split into one red side and one black side?
These thoughts briefly crossed everyone's minds before concern for Shirou's condition quickly pushed them aside.
"The metallic crystals have not disappeared, but Shirou's condition has stabilized."
Blaze frowned slightly as she looked at the "swords" protruding from Shirou's body. They had neither vanished nor shown signs of improvement.
Then she checked the nearby instruments and confirmed that some of Shirou's readings were beginning to improve.
At least that was good news.
But nobody's attention was focused on that.
Instead, everyone stared at the red magical energy crystal in Shirou's right hand.
Unlike before, when it had gradually fused with him, it now seemed to be showing signs of being pushed away.
Seeing this, Rosmontis, who stood closest to Shirou's right hand, stepped forward decisively and folded his fingers around the crystal, keeping his hand clenched around it.
Light began overflowing from between his fingers.
After about ten seconds, it stopped.
Then a "sword" burst out from Shirou's chest and transformed into red-and-black magical lightning.
It first wrapped around his torso, arms, and legs before exploding outward in every direction.
Though it looked like an explosion, it was merely visual.
At least Rosmontis and Amiya, who were closest and holding onto Shirou, felt almost nothing.
Or perhaps Blaze and Texas had shielded them the instant the explosion occurred.
Whether the two of them were hurt or not, nobody had time to find out.
Because the magical energy erupting from Shirou's right hand immediately made everyone inside the tent feel drowsy.
Their battle-hardened instincts kicked in.
Everyone quickly lowered themselves and sat down in relatively comfortable positions.
The unconsciousness came gradually.
Amiya felt as though the oxygen around her was slowly being drained away.
Of course, it was only an illusion.
In reality, something was tugging at their consciousness.
Perhaps because her Originium Arts were connected to the mind, Amiya was the last one still conscious.
Looking around at everyone who had already collapsed, there was only one thing she could do.
With the last remnants of her awareness, she pressed the emergency call button beside her.
Then she collapsed onto Blaze together with Rosmontis.
Crackle—crackle—
The sound of burning flames echoed through the air.
Hearing it, Amiya opened her eyes.
What entered her sight was a world of fire.
And beyond the flames, suspended high above the sky—
A massive black hole.
"Where is this?"
The sudden change in scenery left Amiya confused about the current situation.
The only thing she could confirm was that this was part of some city. The twisted steel bars and chunks of concrete burning on the ground were impossible to miss.
And she could not feel any pain.
To be more precise, she was standing in the middle of a sea of flames.
No, she was practically inside the fire itself.
"For now, I should find everyone else."
After coming to a rough understanding of the situation, Amiya decided to explore and see whether she could find the others.
Even if she could not find anyone, understanding this place would still be useful.
At the very least, she needed a basic understanding of the terrain and the situation before making any plans.
After confirming that the flames could not burn her, Amiya began walking through the inferno.
Along the way, she saw many people.
None of them showed any signs of life.
At the same time, she confirmed something else.
This was neither Chernobog nor Lungmen.
Or rather, this place was probably not even on Terra.
The people here lacked any obvious racial characteristics.
One or two examples could have been dismissed as exceptions, but after seeing hundreds of people with no racial features whatsoever, that explanation no longer held.
Amiya also ruled out Aegir, because the architectural style here looked nothing like anything found there.
Instead, it resembled major cities such as Chernobog, Lungmen, or Columbia.
And in those cities, the vast majority of people possessed distinct racial traits.
The decisive evidence that convinced Amiya this was not Terra was the burning street sign in front of her.
Three characters were engraved upon it.
Fuyuki City.
She remembered the name.
Both Shirou and Nameless had mentioned this place before, though only casually.
It was a place filled with unforgettable memories for the two of them.
"Hah... hah..."
As Amiya immersed herself in her thoughts, the sound of heavy breathing and footsteps came from nearby.
Without hesitation, she immediately ran toward the sound.
Passing through countless flames and stepping over countless bodies, she finally found its owner.
It was a child.
But she was certain that it was Shirou.
Although much smaller, the distinctive red hair allowed her to recognize him instantly.
Everything matched.
"This is Shirou's memory?"
Since this was not her first experience with such things, Amiya remained calm.
Compared to the last time, the scene was much clearer.
Perhaps because they had been inside a cave last time, where there was little light.
Here, however, the blazing fire illuminated everything.
"Little Rabbit!"
Just as Amiya was piecing things together, Blaze's voice rang out.
Turning around, Amiya saw Blaze carrying Rosmontis on her back, along with the others behind her.
Everyone had been drawn here by the sounds.
Aside from Alina, who seemed relatively composed, everyone else was extremely curious about this place.
However, after noticing the lone figure moving through the flames in the distance, their curiosity disappeared and they followed after it.
At the same time, Amiya explained the situation to everyone.
"So you are saying that all of this actually happened?"
After hearing Amiya's explanation, Exusiai asked.
"It really happened."
Before Amiya could answer, Alina spoke first.
Then she continued,
"He was the only survivor of this great fire. This nightmare has haunted him ever since."
As she watched the child Shirou stumble and fall to the ground, Alina instinctively reached out to help him.
But her hand passed straight through him.
They were outsiders.
They could not touch anything in this dream.
Even so, no matter how many times she saw him fall, she would still reach out her hand.
Watching the fallen child stretch his hand toward the pitch-black hole overhead, everyone felt their hearts grow heavy.
A flash of fire passed before their eyes, and the scene changed.
A man grasped young Shirou's hand.
Tears streamed endlessly down his face, but he wore a smile.
"The deer lady over there is right. This fire changed the life of the person known as Emiya Shirou. One could even say that without this fire, there would never have been an Emiya Shirou at all."
A young girl's voice, sounding very childish, continued where Alina had left off.
"And who are you?"
Everyone turned around and saw a little girl with snow-white hair and crimson eyes. She wore an elegant dress that looked ceremonial in nature.
Even though it was a dress, it did not seem out of place on her at all.
It was as though it had been tailored specifically for her.
"My name is Illya! I am one of the consciousnesses that remain within these memories."
Placing her hands at her sides, Illya made a small curtsy and introduced herself with a gentle smile. After finishing, she blinked playfully.
"Shirou's sister?"
The moment Croissant heard that name, she immediately recalled who the girl was.
The others had thought of the same thing, but it was difficult to associate someone like her with the title of "big sister."
"That is right. But you can let Shirou explain all of that later. I do not have much time."
Illya nodded, acknowledging Croissant's words. However, she had no intention of dwelling on the topic and simply raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
The instant the snap sounded, the sea of flames around them vanished without a trace.
In its place appeared a peaceful garden beneath a night sky filled with countless stars.
"There is only one moon."
Looking up at the night sky, Frostnova's attention was immediately drawn to the lone moon shining brightly above.
It was truly beautiful.
"I will carry on your dream, old man..."
The voice of a young child came from behind them.
Young Shirou looked at the exhausted man beside him and declared that he would inherit his dream.
"Is that so?"
The man looked at the young Shirou with an exceptionally gentle gaze.
"Then I can rest easy."
After saying those words, he closed his eyes.
A faint smile remained on his face.
The young Shirou seemed to realize something. His eyes shifted from the man's face to the bright moon hanging high above.
"Emiya Kiritsugu rescued Shirou from the fire and became his adoptive father. It was also because of this night that Shirou's ideals became firmly established."
Looking at Kiritsugu, who rested with his eyes closed and a faint smile on his face, Illya briefly introduced him and explained the situation.
Her tone, however, lacked the liveliness from before.
Yet when she turned back toward the group, there was no trace of sorrow on her face.
She wore the same smile as before.
Everyone could roughly guess the relationship between the two, and with unspoken understanding, they all chose to remain silent.
Seeing this, Illya said nothing further.
She simply snapped her fingers again.
As the sound echoed, the scene changed once more.
Shirou attending school.
Shirou training his magecraft.
Shirou stepping forward whenever someone asked for help.
Viewed individually, these scenes might have made one think that Shirou was simply an exceptionally kind person, the type who never refused anyone's requests.
But having witnessed him just moments ago, when he had given everything he had for the sake of others, everyone present understood the meaning behind those two earlier scenes.
And little by little, they began to understand the things Alina and Illya had said.