So hot.

Amidst the scorching sensation, the consciousness that had fallen into slumber was violently shaken awake. The gentle mother pulled him out of the room, but she remained in the fiery red room. The resolute father carried him and ran through the rumbling corridor, placing him outside the house, which was engulfed in monstrous flames. He left him with a sentence, "Go alone first, go outside, and wait for us." After touching his head, he rushed back to the collapsing house. There... in the scarlet hell that used to be "home," the voices of father and mother could be heard. He nodded, said he understood, and followed his father's last instruction.

But...

Outside, it was no different from the inside at all. Although it was night, the whole street was illuminated by fiery red light, and the blazing light shone on his pajamas—firelight, not sunlight. In the raging flames, the city and the streets were howling, and charred figures were running amidst the fire. From the pitch-black sun, turbulent black waves swept out, and the black curse that fell from the sky mercilessly ignited everything. The night sky was unscrupulously ignited by the grand red lotus fire, and a death banquet full of roars and wailing was staged in this world.

It was so hot.

Why did this happen?

He had already covered himself with a quilt, closed his eyes, and bid his family goodnight. Why did he see such a hellish scene when he opened his eyes?

Because he didn't obey, he was punished.

The scorching hot air smoldered his entire body, and with each breath, scalding heat pierced his esophagus.

It hurts.

The pain was everywhere—his eyes, hands, feet, chest, abdomen, throat, brain. The ubiquitous pain turned into a heavy shackle, entangling his legs and the desire to escape.

Tears evaporated as soon as they fell, but he continued walking forward slowly.

I want to go home.

But he couldn't go home.

Where is home? His sense of self was almost collapsing, and he couldn't figure it out.

The house that could be called home was gone.

The man and woman who were his parents were also lost.

So, where else could he go?

Even so, even if he didn't know where to run, he couldn't stop himself.

It was impossible not to run away, driven by fear. So, even if he couldn't find his way, he had to run away.

The farther away from that dark sun, the better.

It had come to this point—the surrounding flames held no more fear.

It didn't matter if he burned to death.

Compared with being caught by that pitch-black sun, it was easier to accept becoming the same as the people around him.

So he ran away.

If caught by "it," they would be taken to a place more terrifying than this hell on earth.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

Had the nearby oxygen been used up? Or had everything that could burn already been consumed?

When it was close to dawn, the nearby fire gradually diminished.

The dark clouds in the sky were pulled away by the wind, and the dark sun finally disappeared.

Rain was coming soon. He gazed at the rain clouds in the sky and stretched out his hand with the last bit of strength.

That's good. As long as it rains, the fire should end soon.

He took a deep breath and slowly fell down.

...but he couldn't even get air into his lungs.

It's really, really painful.

...

In the dim tent, Elysia sat up suddenly. Her breathing was short, and her head was covered in cold sweat.

Through the fabric of the tent, she could hear nearby voices—larks singing, springs flowing, and branches rustling against one another.

She hurriedly stood up and opened the tent.

The sun rushed in; it was about five o'clock in the morning, and the early summer sun hung high in the sky.

Not far ahead, a boy younger than herself set up a hanging pot on the burning bonfire, and the morning breeze carried the tempting aroma of food toward her face.

"Are you awake?" The boy held a long iron spoon and stirred the fragrant hanging pot. He glanced at the bewildered Elysia with casual eyes and pointed in the direction of the stream, "If you're awake, go wash your face quickly. Breakfast will take a while to cook. After breakfast, you can head towards the city, and then... Huh?" As he spoke, the girl's figure disappeared suddenly.

"Wow!"

The boy instinctively threw away the iron spoon in his hand, stretched out his hands, and caught Elysia, whose body drew a parabola in the air.

But... Shirou Emiya, unable to gather strength in time, was unprepared for the sudden attack. The impact force followed.

Shirou Emiya, who hugged Elysia, was knocked back and forth, rolling on the wet mountain soil for a long time before barely stopping.

Although he looked embarrassed, Shirou Emiya was not harmed at all. As a spirit, any purely physical interference would have little effect on him. Shirou Emiya was lying on the ground, turning into a cushion to help Elysia absorb the impact while protecting her little head with his immature hands. His face was full of anger, and his voice was full of anger and blame for a long time: "What are you doing all of a sudden? Fortunately, there is a flat land nearby. If you fell down the mountain, you could've been seriously hurt."

Although Shirou Emiya scolded her mercilessly, Elysia didn't seem uncomfortable or blame herself at all. She hugged the boy's waist tightly, taking several deep breaths, feeling the warmth of his body, his smell, and his heartbeat unabashedly.

Everything felt so real as if reminding her that everything in her dream was false.

He was her guardian spirit—he had not disappeared or died, and in the days to come, he would always be by her side, just as she saw when she woke up.

Feeling her swaying in his arms and her tight embrace, Shirou Emiya rolled his eyes, moved his hands a little weakly, and lay on his back in the wet soil. The anger in his voice weakened a little: "What's the matter with you? Did you have a nightmare or something? If something is bothering you, just tell me. Don't pounce on me without saying a word, okay..."