Chapter Four: Inner Demons

Two figures ran across a dark corridor, pale lights doing little to light their way. Their ragged breaths echo along their rushed steps. A blade, as dark as any abyss, cracks under the force of a monstrous figure.

"Don't stop running; your life depends on it!" The order is given with the utmost urgency. "I'll get you out of this. Just run and hide!"

The dark blade dematerializes, specks of light falling to the ground. Another appears in its place, this time joined by its white counterpart.

The ginger hero, blood dripping from his brow, gets ready to meet the malicious spirit again. If not for his own sake, for the safety of the one he was protecting now. The same as ever.


Shirou's mind is in overdrive after entering the building. The very cursed building, mind you, he got into what looked like some sort of reality marble, or at least, a very advanced workshop/bounded field. The blackness of the void stared back at him from the outside, and it wasn't an illusion, at least not an obvious one. He had tried to open a window, only to find out that there was an "outside." He could technically jump out the window if he wanted, but he didn't know what would happen if he did.

"Yeah, not even I am that reckless." The air felt different here—cold and damp. No sounds from outside the bounded field could be heard; all he could perceive was screeching from somewhere deeper into the bounded field, reality marble thing... Really, he had to pick a name for it.

"So, this is the kind of thing I can expect from curse energy." What he could tell from the past few hours of walking around town and now in this place is that mystery in this world, the equivalent of it, was at a different stage than the one on his Earth.

The concentration of curse energy around Tokyo and this display of power made it seem like something more potent and prevalent than the modern world should contain, and instead it felt like what he would expect from the late medieval/early Renaissance period.

Logic and technology are starting to take over, but they are still not capable of overtaking the fantastic. These were just musings, of course. Any comparison would be pointless unless he could get more information and further examples.

For all Shirou knew, he could have gotten 'lucky' and met a one-in-a-million situation. It would be perfectly sensible for that to happen to him, if what he learned from his counterguardian self was any indication.

He was quickly disappointed. Or perhaps relieved?

He roamed, corridor to corridor, room to room. For all the power that was on display, creating a whole area of space, there doesn't seem to be all that much in the building. A whole lot of half-empty rooms, sometimes containing a table or a chair, the lights, and the occasional window into the void. Shirou would have been terrified of it by now, if he wasn't a bit bored. It was hard to tell at first, but even the enormity of this place was an illusion.

After opening the 50th door to random empty room 23 and set 7 of old, decrepit furniture, Shirou started leaving nameless blades in the rooms and corridors he visited, and lo and behold, he was walking in some sort of close circuit. There was no rhyme or reason, with the rooms changing positions over time, but there were only a relatively small set of them. With that revelation, part of the terrifying aspect of this place faded. It was still impressive, and the redhead could not grasp how it was done, but it left the realm of sorcery for him.

It didn't detract from the energy and power needed for creating such a place, but it showed either a lack of skill and maturity or that it was somehow without a particular purpose. There were no traps, no specific function to any of the rooms, and no adversary in sight. So perhaps there was another point to all this, and the space itself was a secondary effect, which was kind of scary in itself. But not true ancestor levels of scary.

And as such, he felt emboldened to try something more proactive.

He could feel his circuits burning; this would take a hefty price from his od reserves if it didn't last for more than a moment, but that was all he needed. He reinforced his muscles to their limits, putting his sword in a full draw position and pulling, hitting Kanshou against a nearby wall.

A small explosion rattled the pseudo-dimension as the wall gave in to the force of what was basically a cannonball striking it. Shirou wasn't big on the brute force tactics, but there wasn't much he could attempt that would require this little amount of energy. He wasn't sure it would even do anything, but he had been in this place for close to an hour, and it felt like whatever was here was binding its time and waiting for him to just tire himself. This way, he might get the attention of the owner of this marble and maybe force a confrontation.

As the smoke clears, Shirou can see another, identical room on the other side, but before disappointment could set in, he heard, "Please, please, don't kill me!"

A man in his mid-40s begged; he was wearing a uniform and had a gun in his belt.

A security guard, perhaps? He wasn't sure how different were the rules of gun control in this alternate Japan.

No, it was probably a cop. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." He said, stepping through the hole in the wall he created with a large sword in hand.

The poor guy, to his credit, seemed able to compose himself, despite reasons not to. "You-you are human; w-we need to get out of here right now!"

Shirou sighted; he wasn't expecting anyone to be in here. This would complicate things. He would put this man's life first, but he'd rather not show his skills to a regular person. "I'm trying to find the way out

too, but I was just walking in circles.

"So, you casually decided to punch through a wall?" The said, exasperated.

"Uh... There were some demolition materials, so I tried opening a way out." Shirou countered weakly.

"In a construction site?"

"Look, you are in a closed loop where the outside is a dark void, and the most unbelievable thing for you is that I found a way to go through a wall?"

"Fair enough..." He rubbed his face, looking tired. "I'm Officer Matsuo, by the way." He offered a handshake. Thinking twice, as he ogles the oversized falchion again before retracting his arm, his eyes never leaving Kanshou.

"I'm Shirou. Can you walk? We should keep moving." The hero said, unfazed.

"It's no use. There is no way out, and I doubt we can just keep punching walls indefinitely."

What Shirou didn't want to say is that if he kept damaging this place, it would probably attract whatever built it. That is why it would still be productive. "Still, since we don't know how this place really works, we should take a look around now that there is a hole between our loops."

"Alright. I suppose it is something, at least."

Both men walk around the cursed building, neither feeling particularly talkative. Over the course of the past few minutes, the hero noticed that the sample size for the random rooms increased; both of their loops now join together. "Do you know whether there is anyone else in here with us? I don't think we are alone."

The policeman froze in his tracks, an expression of abject horror in his face. "W-what do you mean?"

"Hm? I don't mean it like a monster." Although he was sure there was one. "I mean another person. You see, there seems to be more variety in the rooms and corridors we are encountering right now, as opposed to before I found you. Maybe if we find another person, this labyrinth will finally be complete."

"I-I don't know; it still feels like you're reaching. Maybe there could be someone from the company; I'm not sure. It just feels…" He begins, taking a deep breath before going on. "But just running around won't help either, so let's try to find them." He starts looking more resolute. "Let's try each going in a different direction while we are at it. It might make things easier."

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?" Shirou questions. "It might just separate us again."

"Maybe, but I'm starting to get tired, and I have a feeling we don't have all the time in the world."

"Alright, just scream if you need me."

"I'm the one with the gun, kid."

"And yet I was not the one who screamed in fear when we met."

He looks embarrassedly at me. "You just caught me by surprise. Now come on, let's get this going."

'I wonder if part of his reason is that he doesn't trust me. Well, at least he is more in control of himself now, so I take this as a plus. I just hope leaving him alone doesn't bite us in the ass.' Shirou nods while turning away.


Shirou doesn't wait much time before choosing a random wall, one he hadn't marked yet, to try and make a repeat of his demolition's expert impression.

Before the said poor wall could be struck, however, the illusion seems to falter. Half of the lights around flicker and die as a red hue paints the corridor near the windows. The walls and floors took on a rusted metallic look, like they were daring him to try and cut through again.

Shirou can see a red moon outside, leaking black mud into the void below. The visage giving him flashbacks of the war. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, the bile threatening to come out, not only from the visage that reminds him so much of the war but from the smell. The moldy smell of cursed energy grew stronger and took on more 'human' characteristics. It felt less like a terrible natural phenomenon and more like deliberate malice.

The thing in here was getting stronger.

Resentment

As he turns to run towards where Matsuo is headed, the sound of claws against metal can be heard.

Disdain

The hero sprints, fully powering himself, no longer caring for being efficient in his energy management.

Ignorance

A tall humanoid figure stands a few meters from the police officer as he shoots, his bullets doing nothing.

Sadism

The creature smiles when it notices Shirou approaching, a large, unnatural smile showing off pointed teeth, its eyes not in their expected locations, instead being located on black appendages on the topside of its head.

Despair

It turned around, facing Matsuo once again; it lunged at him with its long, red fingers outstretched. A black void forms beneath Shirou, threatening to swallow him whole.

As the monster was about to impale the officer, Shirou leaps over the hole and tackles the curse to the ground with force resembling a runaway truck. As both of them roll forward, Shirou trying to end it there, and then the beast instead trashes around, slapping the boy away, its nails, no, its claws cutting deep into his forehead, and throwing the redhead against a wall.


Now that the other man was nowhere to be seen, Shirou can be free to act and pull deeper from his reserves to reinforce himself and properly fight.

The cursed spirit throws wave after wave of destructive energy as Shirou runs around, making good use of the space he now has after so many walls were torn down.

The thing laughed as it continued to alternate between concentrated 'bullets' of cursed energy, which Shirou would dodge, and wide waves that were deflected with Kanshou and Byakuya, almost like in a dance.

'He is strong, good speed and plenty of power, but…'

The boy darted forward, becoming a blur. As the curse throws his hand at him, looking to stab into his face again, Shirou takes a moment more to pull himself up between a step and the next, making the monster's thrust go high and allowing for Byakuya to sever its arm as Shirou spins his body whole for extra power.

The beast screeches and jumps back into a corridor a floor up, spitting balls of energy wide, just throwing enough dust and debris around to allow Shirou to go for cover and get ready for the next clash. The place now looked like buildings that survived air raids and tank attacks, with multiple floors visible through holes.

'It is inexperienced; it's like a kid with power to match a Magus.'

His married blades seemed to be able to cut and damage it just fine. Shirou starts to go around to reach it, jumping into a nearby collapsed corridor, using fallen rock and bent metal as a ramp upwards; however, before he could reach it, the beasts screamed and a wave of energy engulfed its cut-off appendage, regenerating it fully.

'Goddammit, I'll have to be more aggressive.'

The dance continues for more than a few minutes as they make their way up the building, with a large hollow part in the center, working as a hall. That made the inner corridors prime for a dangerous fall, the curse on the backfoot the whole time. Shirou knows not to be careless; a cornered predator is a dangerous one. He just needs to keep going, weakening it until it just dies.

The redhead conjures and throws nameless blades, countering some of the cursed spirit ranged attacks, using his dual blades to continually punish and push his opponent in melee.

The curse makes an attempt against him again, this time using more of a brawler approach, going for a jab that Shirou parries and a hook that he dodges leaning his upper torse back. The monster tries to capitalize on it by kicking the boy, but doesn't notice how overextended he was, allowing Shirou to use his torso swinging back to propel himself behind it, cutting deep into his backs.

The beast screams and throws energy haphazardly, actually injuring Shirou somewhat as he throws the boy to another corridor, making his body fly over the hall. Ironically, the power of the attack pushing him far enough that he doesn't fall back into the ground floor.

Shirou quickly gets up and jumps from the side of the building he was thrown at, back to the other as the cursed spirit rains down projectiles of energy, weaker than before but far, far more numerous. He throws his married blades at the monster, immediately summoning a new pair into his hands.

As the blades fly through the air, it is enough of a distraction that the projectiles stop for enough time for him to get to the next corridor. The blades never manage to reach the spirit, as it is now wary of them but still fulfill their purpose, making the spirit dodge and had further up.

Finally, they reach what seems to be the roof of the bounded field. Shirou kicks a door down and comes out of the halls, blades in hands as the spirit puts its hands in its face, in clear rage and distress as numerous cuts regenerate slowly.

They bask in the red glow of the hollow moon as cracks form in the sky above, the domain threatening to be taken apart.

Shirou takes a moment to breathe, his body aching but strangely still full of energy despite his dwindling reserves, a well of power spewing from inside of him. He smelled terrible.

The spirit screams again, throwing his hands sideways. But it was not in pain; it was elated.

It started to laugh. "This is great! This is the best!"

Alarms flared in Shirou's mind. It was speaking—no longer the guttural sounds it was making earlier, but proper speech. He didn't have time to think; he could see every bit of damage he had done slipping away from the spirit. So, he put all he had into reinforcing himself and his blades, enough to physically hurt him and nearly making the phantasms broken.

The skies were mending, and the red hue grew stronger.

"Now I can do it for real! For real this time!" It put its hands forward.

"Trace, on!"

"Domain Expansion, All of the Worl-"

Shirou didn't let him finish; he plunged his blades in his chest and continued running forward into the hole at the middle of the building, throwing himself and the cursed spirit down the chasm as swords shot from below then, skewing the cursed spirit between the married blades and the torrent of unnamed low-lever noble phantasms.

The domain cracked and shattered like a glass mirror as time came to a standstill, their free fall slowly transitioning to Shirou burrowing through walls as he deaccelerated.

He lay on the ground, several walls later, as he panted heavily. "That was close."

He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he knows to trust his instincts. Whatever the curse was about to do, he might have been dead, or it might have made things much worse if he had let it finish it. It was like an Aria. From a thing that couldn't even talk a few minutes prior.

Then there is the matter of his reserves; right now, he was just about full, which should be impossible, but even stranger, for a moment there, it was like he had his energy, Thosaka's, and more. He felt like he had mana rivaling Saber, even if for just a second.

"Boy! Are you alive in there?" He heard shouting from somewhere beyond the blown-off walls by his descent.

Smiling, he gets up. "Officer Matsuo, am I glad to hear you are fine?"

He finds the officer, supporting himself against a table, the door to the outside just behind him. "And I'm happy that you managed to kill the monster, whatever it was."

Shirou raises his hand abruptly. "It's better if you just forget all about it, trust me."

The officer frowns. "I believe you, but I'm not sure how to explain all this to my superiors. Especially after I found the body of the security guard as I ran."

The would-be hero let a tired sigh out. He couldn't save everyone.

"Look, just don't mention me. And more importantly, don't mention a monster, just… just say you saw some people; you shot your gun trying to get to the man, but it wasn't enough."

"That's a lie and a paper thin one, boy." Matsuo countered. "But I owe you my life, so I won't mention you. You aren't off the hook, though. You bled all over the place and probably touched something."

"That won't be a problem." He retorted, not bothering to explain that a man from another universe wouldn't have his digitals in any databank. "I better leave." A missing officer and sounds of demolition from his last known position are probably enough to get attention. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Go ahead, kid. I'll manage. Physically, at least." He waves Shirou off. "Therapy might be good, but I'm not sure who would even be qualified."


From faraway, a man wearing monk garments watches with undivided attention, a satisfied smile on his face.

So does a beautiful woman from another place. Her motorcycle is turning on with haste.

Both are thinking about how this new arrival could shake things out of the status quo.


"Intermission One: The life of a Sorcerer" Comes next!

Author notes:

Once again, sorry for taking so long. I had half of this chapter written out, as well the chapter the comes after the intermission, but I had trouble deciding how certain elements are going to glue together. Thanks to some time away from this story, some time reading other works and the manga of jujutsu as well as taking a peek at some reviews, I finally decided where I want things to go.

I've always had a point I wanted to get, I have most of the final showdown done in my head since the start, but actually tracing how to get there in a way that makes sense and is satisfactory took some planning. Thank you to you all that have read and even more to those that have written reviews, good or bad, I love reading your opinions on what has happened, your guesses at what might happen and any areas where I might improve.

I'll stop saying that the next chapter will take less time, because I always think that it will. But I hope that now that I have a cleared path, it might actually get me to write faster.

Thanks again and have a great day!