Hopeful Dreams in a Dark World

by TheArrowblackcabary

In a world without hope, in an age of dying dreams, some people will still find enough hope inside themselves to strive for the impossible. Shirou will attempt to bring light to his dark world, even if it is a fool's errand. (FSNxChangeling the Dreaming/WoD)

7. Ch7CDSTD :)

Shirou began to become aware as his consciousness returned. A pleasant smell filled the air, and his sense of touch told him he was lying on a form-conforming mattress. It was perfectly silent, no stupid alarm clock yelling at him to wake up.

He could sleep in, and nobody was around to stop him.

The fairy shook his head slightly, attempting to shake off the sinful call of the sandman.

His eyes gradually opened, meeting pitch-black darkness instead of light. The memories of where he was and what had happened returned as he inadvertently began slowly stretching. Nothing really crossed his mind despite his blurry memories.

He yawned as he tried to focus on his near-drowning and all the other stuff. He tensed a little, thinking about the water assailing him again, but he was reassured by the feeling of the all-encompassing safety. Nothing was wrong…

He could feel something soft and plantlike bed cradling his body in a warm cacoon. When he looked into the darkness, he could see energy all around him. It was vibrant and green, softly flowing in undecipherable patterns around him.

Shirou tried to set up, only to hit his head a bit before he was all the way up. It didn't hurt. It was like running your head into a soft pillow, if anything. His hands gently grabbed the bottom of his makeshift bed and found what felt like vines.

Before he almost… drowned, the light had been up, right? But where'd these vines come from?

Shirou lowered his head slightly, his hands tightened around the vines.

The memory of the water entering his lungs but being unable to do anything about it wasn't pleasant. Safety never grew closer, no matter how hard he tried. He was helpless to do anything… no, wait…

He remembered struggling and grabbing the warmth inside him, trying to survive, struggling in vain.

Had he somehow made all of this?

The thought made Shirou pause. He'd never had the power to do something like this before. It was sobering yet exciting. Finally, see a display of power, enough to be a hero.

To the twelve-year-old, it was like the opening issue of a Seinen Jump Manga, where the protagonist uses their special powers to defeat the bad guys. Only, less murder and more protection. He hated the part where Menma killed his teacher and bullied his teammate.

Shirou searched around him, passing his hands over everything until he felt his snorkel. He picked it up and put it in his lap before reaching up. He found the vines above him and slowly pulled them apart in case the water awaited him.

The foliage quickly parted despite being strong enough to support his body weight. He let out a breath of relief when the water didn't assault him. He couldn't deal with that again.

He wasn't even sure about taking another bath.

Shirou slowly began to climb up the vines. He put the snorkel in his mouth in case of water and wanted to free both hands. He needed to do that if he wanted to create enough room for him to go up, especially with how big his wings were.

It was hard to know how long the journey took. He was climbing for an eternity, but eventually, Shirou made it far enough for light to seep through. The bright gold was nowhere near as vibrant as the green warmth against the darkness. Its warmth was less nurturing, too… but it was more intense.

The fairy had to cover his eyes as he breached the foliage to reach the outside. The full power of the sun burned his eyes as they adjusted to the light. A weight in his stomach dropped like lead as he was finally in a place that wasn't small and restricting.

He'd never take being on dry land for granted again.

The area around him was filled with green and red vines, mixing with dozens of other plants to form a large circle around him. They spread out to the size of a small lake.

The sight made Shirou pause as he wondered. Did he do that?

Shirou reached toward his back and removed some of the vines caught on his wings.

He didn't know what he did to unleash this much power to survive, but he wondered what the cost was. Something so powerful had to have some drawback or negative effect; he'd be stupid to think otherwise, but he felt completely fine.

He looked up toward the sky; it was waxing – on no wait, one part of it had just gotten lost. It was floating off north. Another portion of it was caught by an abnormally tall tree far off in the distance. There were other normal trees and bushes around Shirou's circles. Their leaves were autumn color and covered the ground despite the trees being fully dressed.

Shirou fluttered his wings, clapping them before taking flight. He rose up a few feet above his circle before lowering himself back down on top of the foliage. He gracefully walked on top of it, moving in the direction he'd already been facing.

He could hear the sounds of birds filling the air. Some were deeper than any voice Shirou had heard before, while others were high enough to break glass. The sounds were echoing off the air.

Shirou took stock of his clothing as he was walking. Hundreds of tiny bite marks littered his clothing, yet there were no bloodstains. His clothing would still function as clothing, but he desperately needed a new outfit.

Especially shoes. He didn't want to catch something from walking around barefooted. That'd be non-heroic and uncool.

Shirou stopped walking at the edge of his circle. The green and red plants gave way to a purple shoreline. Trees filled the space, with tall bushes between them.

The fairy glanced back at their wings. Sunlight gleamed off them, causing them to glisten. Perhaps he could fly over them and get a better idea of where he was.

Shirou turned his attention toward one of the nearby bushes as he heard it rustle. His body tensed, wings drawn back, prepared to take flight at the first sign of trouble. He was not going to deal with any more deadly problems right now.

He relaxed once a dark brown tanuki with black eyes hopped out of the bush. It wasn't a threat, just a normal tanuki. His eyes focused on the small mammal, really looking at it. The tanuki was made up of the same energy as himself and those delicious fishes.

Shirou heard his stomach growl. The tankui looked delicious; indeed it would be alright to kill and eat it. It wasn't a conscious being, so it wasn't someone he shouldn't harm. He'd probably needed to cook it first. He could eat that type of fish whole and without preparation because of a unique trait of the fish itself that let him do so. Tearing into a raw animal without that was just asking to get sick.

The tanuki's deep black eyes looked up into Shirou's bright blue. The opposing colors clashed momentarily before the tanuki looked back down, digging its head into its overly fluffy fur. It was cute, Shirou would admit, but that wasn't enough to stop him from eating it.

Shirou blinked as the tanuki pulled its head from its fur. It was holding something small in its mouth. It took the fae a few moments to process what he was seeing.

The tanuki had a tiny switchblade in its mouth. It jerked its head forward, causing the black blade to emerge with a sound that Shirou thought was oddly satisfying. The miniature sword, known as a knife, was stained with some red that dripped off the blade. The blade's quality looked a little below average from what Shirou had seen of them, and it was nowhere near something he couldn't quite remember, but the fairy was still intrigued by where the tanuki got such a small thing. Maybe it's a pet that someone taught to carry a blade for them or something, but if that was the case, why did it pull it out now?

Even if that isn't the case, why did it pull it out?

Shirou blinked. The tanuki didn't.

"What the hell!" Shirou shouted as the tanuki jumped at him and tried to cut him. The overgrown trash panda moved fast enough to slash at Shirou's throat, sending the fairy falling backward. The pain of the blade trying to cut through his skin was still sufficient to cause him to instinctively reach for his throat to try and stop the nonexistent bleeding.

As soon as he hit the ground, the tanuki jumped on him and kept trying to slash him to pieces. The snorkel he was still holding fell out of his hand, rolling away from him.

Shirou quickly recovered and tried to grab the nimble tanuki as it danced all over him, stabbing him repeatedly. The fairy tried with all his might to catch the bastard. After everything he'd been through the last few days, he refused to let himself lose a fight to a tiny furball. His pride couldn't survive it.

Shirou swung at the tanuki and managed to hit it off of him. Moving as fast as he could, he used this chance to roll to the side and grab his snorkel before jumping up just in time to see the tanuki use its mouth to pick up its knife off the ground – it must have lost it when it was in the air.

The fairy did their best to hold the snorkel like a sword. His eyes locked onto the evil eyes of the devil. It snarled at him, and Shirou glared in turn.

The pair got ready for round 2. Each one waited for the other to make the first move.

However, it never happened as they both heard the sound of something else rustling in the woods. Both turned half their senses toward it.

Shirou scowled at the gibberish coming from the others. He had no idea what they were saying, but they were still people talking. He needed to finish off this creature before they got here and caught up in this epic battle.

He turned his full focus back on the tanuki, their eyes meeting. The small mammal growled – somehow Shirou thought it was saying they would finish this later – before turning and running. It placed its knife in its fur as it fleed.

Shirou didn't shout as it fled. He silently watched the monster leave, his hands tightening around the snorkel. Did this count as his victory or not?

That he was wondering made him slump, it was a tanuki. If you have to wonder if you won a fight with one or not, you lost. He'd need to grow stronger – strong enough to defeat that tanuki – if he wanted to be a hero.

Shirou turned his focus back to the direction of the voices just in time to see four people emerge from the bushes. Two of them seemed to be fighting with each other while the oldest was watching the two of them. The last member was standing quietly to the side.

The two people fighting drew Shirou's eye not only because of how loud they were but also because of how utterly different the pair was from each other. The only thing they had in common was that they were young. One was probably a year or two younger than Shirou, but the other looked like they were three or four years younger. Weirdly enough, she was taller than the guy she was arguing with but not as tall as the oldest.

The girl was large, taller than the boy she was arguing with, and arguably closer to adult size despite Shirou being able to tell that she was several years younger than him. She was brutish and looked almost like an orc or something.

The boy was closer to Shirou in that they both had pointed ears and looked primarily human. Shirou's ears were far longer than the boy's, which were medium-sized. The boy didn't have Shirou's wings, but there was almost an air of perfection around him. His clothing was also by far the best among them, a bright gold.

The oldest was a few years older than Shirou. He was dressed in a dark green shirt and purple jeans, both a size off. He wore charcoal-colored sneakers and had an old-looking backpack over one shoulder. The guy was normal-looking. That was the best way to describe him. Everything about him was normal; that was all Shirou could think while looking at him. His short hair was brown, which matched his brown eyes. His pointed ears were far less pointy than Shirou's or the boy's. They were short enough to be small bumps rather than long ears.

The last member was a girl around his age. She was shorter than him by a few inches. Her black hair was long, the color contrasting with her deathly pale skin. Something about her movements was slightly off as well; it was almost as if she was missing some of her bones but could somehow still move. Her clothing was pure black.

The four of them eventually stopped once they noticed him. He turned his snorkel toward them, attempting a neutral expression. "What do you want?"

The group of people didn't immediately respond. The two who were arguing turned to the older guy while the girl in black glanced to the side. He watched three of them talk amongst themselves, but each one was speaking a different language.

He probably should have expected that since they don't look Japanese, but it was still annoying. Especially since they had to know multiple languages in order to speak to each other.

Shirou watched as the oldest guy pulled something from his pocket – yellow and orange leaves – and then crushed them. Shirou flinched as he felt the teen do something to him or on him.

The fairy didn't have the time or knowledge to stop whatever the guy was doing. The few seconds of the spell were unpleasant. Shirou couldn't put it into words. It just felt wrong.

"Can you understand me?" the oldest guy asked. There was a bad disconnect between his words and his lips, like an uncanny dub of an English movie. The Japanese words simply didn't fit his mouth.

"Yes," Shirou answered. He glanced at the other three people. Did this guy know some magic that lets people talk with each other? Could the other three understand him, too? If he was hearing non-Japanese as Japanese, then would they hear Japanese in their native tongue? How'd it deal with the nuances?

"That cantrip is splendid. You must teach it to me," the boy with medium-length ears spoke to the older teen. His attention focused solely on him rather than Shirou. The girl next to him growled at the boy, while the girl in black just looked uncomfortable.

"Maybe once you're sainted and able to learn it," the guy responded before turning to Shirou. "How's it going?"

Shirou frowned at the guy's straightforwardness. He also made a mental note about the mention of being sainted, whatever that is. He'd look into it later. First, he'd have to answer the utterly mundane question he was asked. "What do you think?"

"Ha, things must be going pretty good for ya," the orcish girl said. She was chewing on something. "You're still breathing."

Shirou resisted the urge to say something sarcastic back.

"She's right, you know," The guy spoke. "Ah, I'm Rene Lucette, and you are?"

"Shirou Emiya," the fairy told Rene, looking over at the other people for them to introduce themselves.

"That's Vaiva Lukne," Rene said, pointing over at the orcish girl. She looked annoyed at the guy introducing her. The older teen then pointed over at the dark girl. "And that is Viktoria Lachesis."

She awkwardly did a small wave, looking like she was seconds away from going into hiding. Her eyes glanced away from everyone as her shoulders crumpled together.

"You may call me Goffred Angela," the medium-lengthed ear boy introduced himself after a few moments of silence. The other boy's eyes lingered on Shirou's wings for too long. A barely disguised fake smile on his face.

"Why'd he get to introduce himself!" Vaiva complained, glaring at the boy she'd just been arguing with.

"Because it is only proper," Goffred said, with more than a little bit of annoyance in his voice. "You know not the proper way to introduce yourself, nor will you listen to my guidance."

"Introducing you and Viktoria seemed like the best way to move things along," Rene responded to Vaiva. His eyes were focused on her rather than Goffred's. "It didn't seem like something you'd care about. It is an unimportant thing, after all."

Shirou glanced between the members of the group, trying to get a sense of their relationship. Goffred and Vaiva didn't get along with each other; that was obvious. Rene was the oldest, biggest, and had that repugnant magic. He was probably the boss, but his words weren't helping with group unity, not that he seemed to care. Vaiva clearly struggled with Rene's justification, and Goffred looked insulted at being told introductions were unimportant. And Viktoria still looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.

Shirou decided to lower his snorkel. It wasn't necessary to defend himself against them. For the moment, they weren't trying to kill him.

"What happened there?" Rene asked, pointing at the circle of foliage behind Shirou while interrupting the two impending arguments between members of his group.

Shirou considered whether he should lie but decided against it. If he wanted to have a good relationship with these people, it was best not to risk being caught in a pointless lie. "I was drowning, then I did something… and this is the result."

"You unleashed?" Rene asked him. His eyes focused on the foliage as if studying it. Shirou could vaguely see a hint of displeasure on his face. "What kind?"

"Unleashed?" Shirou repeated, with no idea what that meant. Was it how he managed to survive? He noticed that all the other pre-teens and down didn't know what Rene was talking about.

"Nothing," Rene's eyes stayed on the foliage while placing his hands in his pockets. Did he not want to tell them? It clearly wasn't nothing if the look on his face was anything to go on. "You need help?"

Shirou was caught off guard by the sudden change of topic and offer. He wanted to push for more information about the magic, but the guy was avoiding the topic. "What do you want in exchange?"

The fairy didn't expect people to help him without something in exchange. Especially not someone who so obviously avoids his question about magic. On top of that, the guy felt too normal for someone who should be unusual.

He had to have some angle.

"Nothing, I just want to help," Rene told him, obviously lying. There were no signs that he was lying, nor was there any proof. It was just obvious. Everyone has a reason for doing something; that is just the way the world works.

"We should leave him," Goffred interjected. His eyes looked up at Rene, and his arms crossed over his chest. "Our destination is still far. We shouldn't waste our time with unimportant people."

That was a little rude. Goffred acted like Shirou couldn't hear him and insulted him, but at least he was honest. Honest dislike is better than fake kindness. Besides, he couldn't say Goffred was particularly off the mark.

"How noble of you," Vaiva sarcastically told the boy. Shirou was slightly impressed that she could talk clearly and get her emotions across despite having huge tusks. "What's next? You gonna try'n steal candy from a baby cuz you need it more? Grow up; a real noble would lend a hand to someone in need."

"Wha – You?! I've done nothing that goes against the honor of the nobility! Don't place your foul desires upon me either! You're the half-beast who would steal from an infant to satiate their hunger! If not the infant itself!" Goffred completely lost his cool after a single round of light mocking.

"What would you know?!"

Shirou looked between the two and wondered how this group had managed not to fall apart already. The look on Vaiva's face was that of someone moments away from trying to rip out his throat. Not that it intimidated Goffred, who simply stared back defiantly.

"Don't you think you should back off," Shirou decided to say toward Goffred. It wasn't any of his business or anything. He knew that and knew that meant he probably shouldn't interfere. But he didn't like bullies. The younger kid was getting close to that line for Shirou's taste.

Rather than looking relieved at Shirou's support, Vaiva's expression twisted as she turned toward him. Her anger was briefly directed at him before being redirected back at Goffred.

"Stay out of this," Goffred shot back. He looked more startled than angry. As if he didn't expect anyone to side with Vaiva or something. "Why are we even standing around here anyway?! We should depart immediately."

"You got slightly off track," Rene spoke with a smile, finally speaking again. "We need to see if little Shirou wants to come with us."

"And you never answered my question – what do you want in exchange? Why are you helping me?" Shirou repeated, barely holding back his annoyance before continuing in a quieter voice. "I'm not little either."

"Why do you think there must be a why?!" Goffred said. "Rene's obviously a pleasant person attempting to do a great deed. There is nothing else about it."

Shirou stopped himself from glaring at the boy. What kind of life has he led to be so naïve? He has to be blind to suffering or utterly sheltered from the world around him to think there wasn't a why behind every good deed.

Rene placed his hand firmly on Goffred's head. His eyes glanced down at the boy. "Let me handle the talking."

"Apologies," Goffred said, looking down at the group. Vaiva seemed to take pleasure in that expression.

"Why do you think people help others?" Rene asked after removing his hand from Rene's head. The guy moved over and leaned against a tree. "You sided with Vaiva just now. Is that any different than me wanting to help you?"

"I want to help people for my own reasons," Shirou answered. He wanted to be a hero and had his own reasons to help people. He couldn't say he was selfless. "I don't expect other people to help without reason. Humans don't work like that."

"Is anyone here human?" Rene asked, looking around. He glanced at the other people, as did Shirou. "There aren't any humans around here. Only fellows you can trust."

He couldn't deny that truth, but it felt utterly odd. He was used to being around humans, so being amongst a group of people who weren't was weird. But that feeling of what was normal and what was strange quickly faded like so many other things he'd taken for granted.

Shirou glanced around the group, considering the fact that the people were the same as him. He could tell that they belonged here by really looking at them, unlike Kyifuu. They were fairies like him, even if Rene had traces of slightly darker energy in his makeup. They were the first ones he'd met.

This was a chance to interact with his kind and learn more about himself. Plus, it gave him a temporary group to help, at least until he leaves them behind.

Helping them…

The fairy could feel the urge to go with them while they were growing. He knew it was the right path to take, and it let him help people!

Why would he say no?

Well, there was the cost…

Rene may have been right about there being no humans among them, but that didn't change Shirou's point of view. Becoming a fairy didn't turn him into any less of a selfish person. He still had reasons to want to be a hero and help people. If he could be selfish, why not them? They'd done nothing to make him think they were selfless.

He would have understood if Rene had been willing to give Shirou a seemingly unsatisfying answer or no answer at all. He would never look down on any reason to do good and accepted them. Nor did he expect a stranger to reveal their life secrets and motivations to someone they had just met. But saying he didn't have any reason behind his actions only made it seem like he was trying to cover something up. Whatever the secret is, it would come with a risk he would have to deal with.

Were the benefits worth the risk that came with them?

Was his desire to help them stronger than his cynical view of their motives?

"No… maybe going with you would be for the best," Shirou spoke after considering his opinions, crossing his arms over his chest. He barely restrained himself from shifting from foot to foot.

"See, was that so hard?" Rene said, pushing off the tree he had been leaning against. "I guess humans really got you good to be so concerned about them. They are such selfish beings."

Shirou shook his head but didn't say anything, holding back a sigh. His emotions went back down to normal.

The guy failed to understand why Shirou agreed to go with him. Rene seemed to think he now trusted him and believed the teen to be selfless, unlike humans. As if.

Shirou didn't see much point in fixing the misunderstanding. Misunderstanding someone's motive can get you killed or ruin your plans. His old man taught him that. The darker part of his mind was telling him to follow his father's teachings and keep this advantage.

It might get Rene to drop his guard and accidentally reveal his motives.

Shirou looked at the other three kids in the group.

Goffred's eyes were pointed at him, looking over his entire body. The younger boy's gaze had returned to Shirou's face and wings when he wasn't paying attention. The way he stared at his wings was uncomfortable. Goffred eventually looked away, one of his hands reaching up to rub his less pointy ears.

Vaiva was staring at Rene with an emotionless expression, but Shirou could see her hands gripping her black and red shorts.

Shirou still couldn't get much of a read on Viktoria.

"Now that's settled, let's get going," Rene said, keeping control of the conversation. "Any other questions you have can be dealt with once we make camp."

"Where are we going?" Shirou had to ask. He was going to travel with the group for a bit, but he wanted to know where they were going.

"Why don't you try to guess?" Rene asked with a bit of irritation that quickly turned into teasing. "Think of it as a game or challenge. If you get it right before we get there, I'll tell you – even throw in a prize."

"I see," the blue-eyed fairy spoke while fluttering his wings, a frown forming on his face. The boundless energy he'd had since his pleasant sleep seemed to surge at the challenge. "Fine, but I will win."

He noticed Viktoria visibly tilting her head for some reason. The action was kinda creepy since she moved like she didn't have any neckbones, but whatever.

"Really? That was easy," Rene commented, the teasing turning to surprise. "Why'd you agree?"

"It was a challenge, and I don't like losing," Shirou explained his irrational decision. He knew Kiritsugu would be disappointed in him for not being rational, but trying to coerce Rene into an answer would be the same as giving up or proclaiming he couldn't figure out where they were going. He refused either and both of those.

Shirou would figure it out on his own. Plain and simple. He'd beat his ignorance and prove he could do it.

The snorkel-holding fairy felt strangely actualized in his decision, but he brushed it off as the group began to leave.

---

Shirou walked behind Rene, Vaiva, and Goffred. Rene walked further ahead of the other two. The three of them were quiet. Viktoria was walking a little away from him.

They were walking through an inverted forest. The roots of trees were growing up into the sky while the truck barreled into the ground. The mud they walked on was hard despite being wet. The cool rays of sunlight shined down on them.

It was hard to tell how long ago the environment changed into this, but it was at least an hour or two ago. The change wasn't weird, so he didn't pay it much attention.

Viktoria still hadn't said anything to him. Shirou didn't know if she was shy or something, but trying to talk to her should be fine.

Shirou moved a little closer to her so they were next to each other. His steps against the mud ground didn't get him dirty. It was like the mud was sliding off of his body. It actually felt kind of nice, rather than like walking through mud.

Viktoria took a small step away from him, keeping the distance between them. Shirou didn't get why but didn't push it. If she didn't want to walk next to him, it'd be wrong to force her to.

"Do you know where we're going?" Shirou asked her, keeping his voice a bit lower than normal. The chimes of birds in the wind softly filled the air like white noise. Some of them had tried to attack them earlier but stopped after Vaiva quickly caught them and started eating them. The sounds of the probably terrified shouldn't be enough to stop Viktoria from hearing him, but the others ahead of them probably wouldn't.

Viktoria glanced toward the ground, carefully watching her step on the uneven ground. It was slowly going up like they were climbing a hill. Shirou could see the hesitance on her face even if she wasn't looking at him.

"Somewhere where a knife may never find its place and the bread always stands firm," she eventually responded, her voice unnaturally quiet. It was nearly impossible to hear her. Shirou wondered if his hearing was better in his fairy form since it gave him long ears. "A place without egg water and where you can always brush your hair."

That narrowed it down to anywhere between here and somewhere else.

Shirou couldn't help but pout and cross his arms at her answer. He was careful to make sure he didn't hit himself with his snorkel as he did so. "You didn't have to answer if you didn't have to."

"But I wished too," Viktoria continued to speak quietly, but her tone felt hurt. She moved a little more away from Shirou.

Shirou flenched, and his ears twitched as his emotions flip-flopped. He didn't mean to hurt her. He didn't know what he'd done to hurt her, but he'd have to make it up to her somehow.

Awkward silence built between the two as they continued to walk up the incline mud pathway. Climbing up the path wasn't hard for Shirou or, seemingly, for Vaiva. The others were having a little bit of trouble as the incline became murkier and the ground more uneven. One moment, the mud was less than a centimeter deep; the next, it went up to their ankle.

"How long ago was your chrysalis?" Viktoria asked in a whispered tone, thankfully breaking the silence. Her voice was calm and quiet as if already moving on from their previous exchange.

"Chrysalis?" Shirou repeated.

"When did you emerge from the sleep of rebirth?" Viktoria revised her question, which was still annoyingly cryptic. "Freeing yourself of the bindings of… humanity."

Shirou paused for a moment as he realized what she was talking about. The dream in which he lost his humanity and became a fairy.

Blue eyes blinked as he realized his already hazy memory of the dream was growing even more faded. The garden… he could still feel the emotions and remember his impression of it, but would he lose that in time?

"A few days ago, maybe a week," Shirou did his best to answer. His sense of time felt a little off, but it was something like that.

"A week?" Viktoria sounded shocked. Her voice almost reached above a whisper. "Have… has anything been explained to you?"

Shirou glanced away, his wings pulled back together while his ears drooped, "no."

The blue-eyed fairy turned back towards the girl after a few moments of silence. He was surprised to find her smiling. It was small, nowhere near a huge smile like Tai- other women he knows, but it felt on par with them. Equivalent.

There was a light in her eyes that wasn't there before. She took a small step closer to him.

"If I may, my chrysalis was 8 months ago. Thus, I have learned small fragments of countless things," Victora said, still talking slowly and quietly but now with a little bit of excitement. "I can explain much if you would allow me."

Shirou did his best to handle her sudden willingness to talk. The light in her eyes was something he could understand. He could feel how much she wanted to explain things.

The winged fairy nodded in agreement with the other fairy's wish.

He wanted to help people and make them happy. If this made her happy, he'd do it. He wanted to do it, even disregarding the important information she was willing to share with him.

"Very well," Viktoria whispered. "Before I speak, what do you remember of the Kithain?"

"Kithain?" Shirou said the word slowly. The word wasn't one he'd ever heard before, nor was its meaning translated by whatever magic Rene used to let them talk to each other. The word wasn't Japanese or from any language close to it. It sounded more English. "I haven't heard of them before."

"Do you truly claim to be that ignorant?" Goffred asked incredulously from in front of them, loud enough for Shirou to immediately look over at him. The younger boy had turned to look at him, stopping in his tracks. Rene and Vaiva stopped as well, looking at him.

"You were listening to us?" Shirou asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Viktoria took a step away from Shirou, reverting to her more subdued self.

"Only to you," Goffred told him. He tilted his head to the side while leaning forward slightly. "Viktoria numbers amongst the sluagh. Their frailty prevents them from speaking above a whisper. Thus, I can barely hear her while being next to her, much less from afar. Your voice carries enough for me to hear."

Shirou frowned, but he felt like he wasn't talking loudly. He was quiet, if anything. Especially given the ambient noise around them. How was it possible his voice carried enough for Goffred to hear it? And possibly Vaiva as well, given the look she was giving him.

"It is for the best I heard you. If you really went through the dream dance a week ago, you must know nothing," Goffred said.

"As if ya know a lot," Vaiva jeered, spitting out the head of a bird she'd be chewing on. She stomped her foot, the mud splashing around her. "Rene is the only one to tell me anything."

"Only because you don't listen," Goffred shot back. He leaned forward, pouting.

"How would ya know anything anyway? You're just as young as the rest of us, only twice as stupid."

"So, what if we're the same age? I am a Sidhe – a noble – it is only natural that I know more."

"Then why do so many things ya say contradict what Rene told us?"

Shirou watched, forgotten, as the two fought. Goffred's hands were trembling, barely repressed rage threatening to burst forward. It made sense. Vaiva was calling out Goffred in front of others and basically saying he knew nothing. Most people wouldn't handle that well, much less someone as pride as Goffred seemed to be.

Shirou glanced to the side and saw Viktoria looking further away from the pair. One of her hands gripping her arm tightly. It only grew tighter as she glanced back at the pair and saw the barely visible cruelty in Vaiva's smile that no one could miss.

Shirou turned back over at the pair, getting ready to try and stop the fighting. Unlike last time, he would side with Goffred. Vaiva was taking too much pleasure in her words and was obviously trying to hurt Goffred.

Inwardly, the blue-eyed fairy felt energized at being given the opportunity to help people. It made him almost feel bubbly. His wings moved back and forth.

"Vaiva, you should stop it," Shirou told her, unthinkingly flying slightly off the ground and toward the pair.

"Shut up! I've barely done nothing! Goffred's the one who keeps lying and making stuff up," Vaiva turned toward Shirou with a fire in her eyes. "And it's cause he thinks he's better or something. So stop trying to butt in cuz you want to look cool or whatever."

Shirou floated a little bit away from Vaiva. He'd been trying to help not look cool. How would stopping younger kids from fighting look cool anyway?

"Nothing I say is a lie or false," Goffred rebuked Vaiva. "Since I claimed this shell, a majority of my memories have been obscured by its frail human mind, but I still remember many facts."

"Then why do they contradict Rene?" Vaiva asked.

"He may be forgetting things, or the mist may be clouding Goffred's memories." Rene finally stepped into the conversation. His hand was gripping into his side. "Why don't we test it? I was gonna wait until we reach camp for questions, but let's do it now. Shirou, since you're incredibly ignorant of everything, ask Goffred and me three questions. You will judge which of us feels more right."

Shirou stopped flying, setting back down on the mud ground.

Vaiva was glaring at him, an undercurrent of hostility in her eyes. Meanwhile, Goffred was looking at him with a mixture of hesitation, expectation, and hope. Was Goffred hoping – or believing – he would side with him?

"Fine," Shirou agreed to ask the three questions. He wouldn't side with Goffred; there would be no point in a contest if he did that. He would judge what they said impartially, even if this whole thing worried Shirou.

Goffred's worldview and Rene's apparently contradicting each other wasn't a good sign. Nor did this contest make much sense. He couldn't judge which was right based on feelings. They could both be wrong, and Shirou wouldn't know.

"Good," Rene said, obviously ready for the questions. A determined look formed on Goffred's face. "I will let Goffred answer each question first."

Shirou considered what he should ask them. He only had three questions to get information from them. He didn't really have any guarantee that anyone here would answer his questions later, so he couldn't waste these three chances.

"Goffred mentioned claiming a shell and forgetting stuff. What is that about?"

Rene frowned at the question, looking clearly displeased. Goffred was the opposite, smiling at the question.

"When I arrived back on Earth, the Autumn World assaulted me as it does all fae. I don't remember much of that short period, but I needed a shell to shield myself from the banality. Fortunately, humanity has bred many times over between the departure and return of my kith. Replacing the human soul is a thankfully easy process; otherwise, the Sidhe might have died out. Gaining this skin amongst the billions of empty vessels was random, but I quite enjoy it," Goffred explained, never stuttering even once. Shirou didn't notice him stopping for breath until he paused to consider what to say next.

The blue-eyed fairy felt a growing pit in his stomach, and chills ran down his back. There were things that Goffred said he didn't understand or have the context for, but he did get one thing.

Goffred was admitting to stealing some kid's body to protect himself. It was such an awful violation that Shirou was left dumbstruck. The lack of remorse or guilt for the action was bone-chilling.

Neither Viktoria nor Rene seemed perturbed by it, while Vaiva was glaring at Goffred. The anger was different than it was before. More personal and intense.

The worst part for Shirou was his own reaction to it. As the dumbstruck left him, he felt gear turning in his mind. The Sidhe – Goffred's kith, whatever that means – returned to Earth and found the very world deadly to them. The only way they could survive was by stealing a body, killing someone at random in exchange for their own survival.

Shirou couldn't blame Goffred for choosing his life over a random stranger. During the fire, he fled from countless calls for help – begging for it – and he didn't heed them. He chose his own life over trying to save others and ran. He killed hundreds for his own survival. Far more than the single boy whose body Goffred stole.

It would be hypocritical for Shriou to call him out or get angry on behalf of the person whose body was stolen. Or would that be more self-righteous? Judging people for things you're guilty of is the height of self-righteousness…

Instead of turning his eyes towards Goffred for doing what he had to in order to survive. Perhaps he should be focused on fixing what forced the younger boy to do that in the first place.

That would alleviate the pain of everyone to come and probably make life better for a lot of people. It was probably the option since killing Goffred and others like him wouldn't solve anything. It wouldn't satisfy the dead or the living.

Shirou closed his eyes for a moment, making a mental note to look more into the situation later before opening them again.

"As for my memories, it is no different than commoner changelings. The limitations imposed by banal flesh and the mists clouding our memories from before our reincarnation or incarnation. It's why we forget ourselves and our true names – our names as fairies," Goffred huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "But some of us remember more, while others remember none. Those poor changelings become too human, having forgotten their place among our people. If only they'd listen to the Sidhe."

"I see," Shirou muttered. He was slightly surprised someone who could remorselessly steal the body of a child could have so much concern for those around him, or perhaps it was just his pride as a 'Sidhe.' Whatever that is.

The Mist, was that what made Taiga forget him as well? If it's… affecting him too, is that why he felt like he remembered things he never learned? Like with his magic? They were things he'd forgotten but knew.

"All ya have to say is 'I see?!'" Vaiva harshly repeated Shirou. "He's obviously wrong. Stealing body and stuff isn't how any of this works. I've always been me."

"You misun-"

"It looks like it's time for me to go more in-depth and explain the errors in his answer," Rene interrupted Goffred, claiming dominion over the conversation. "The Sidhe only became changelings in mass a couple of decades ago when they were ejected from Arcadia, though they didn't all arrive at once. Unlike the rest of your kind, they replaced the soul of the human. All the other Kithain merge with the human soul before birth – their birth. They only emerge after birth but are forced into slumber again by banality smothering their selves. That's why you kids should forsake the waking world before it destroys your dreams."

Dreaming? Was that another word for Xi Wang Chi? Or a literal translation of it he could understand? It could also be somewhere else entirely.

The magic Rene used to let them communicate made figuring out which one impossible. It created a barrier between them that prevented them from understanding each other.

The answer Rene had some parts that made sense… and one that was comforting for both Shirou and Vaiva. When Rene talked about the souls of most fairies, the brief flash of joy on her face told Shirou that much.

Shirou Emiya was still Shirou Emiya. He was who he'd always been.

He didn't steal his body a few days ago. His experiences and emotions were real. The pain he experienced was no one else's but his own. His ideals were passed down to him.

Knowing all that was… nice.

But it left him with more questions and thoughts he'd have to deal with – later.

Perhaps when he returned to the human world, as he was going to, regardless of what Rene said.

"Re – Rene is misinformed," Goffred struggled to say, stuttering for the first time. He had a serious look on his face, even as he looked nervous. "As changelings, we have responsibilities and duties in the Autumn World. I may have temporarily separated from my mother and father to accompany Rene, but I will return to them as is owed by their position above me. We also have to maintain the dreams of the Autumn World before it completely rejects us. Bedl–"

Shirou couldn't help but glance away from Goffred. The picture of his sister and home filled his mind before he got the chance to suppress it.

Was he worse than Goffred for not intending to return to his family?

"Your mother and father?! They're not your parents, and ya ain't their son! You're just wearing his skin! Ya don't care about them, so just leave them alone before ya hurt them anymore!" Vaiva snapped at Goffred. Her voice breaks into a full yell.

"His human parents will hurt him more," Viktoria said quietly from next to Shirou, loud enough for only him to hear her. She was gripping her arm tightly. Her eyes purposely avoid everyone else.

Shirou knew exactly what she was talking about, even if it was his sister rather than his parents.

Was she so quiet because she went through something similar to him?

He'd talk to her about it when they were alone, not here in the middle of this fight.

Goffred took several step-backs at the sheer intensity of the yell. He nearly tripped on the muddy floor. A mixture of hurt and subtly anger highlighted his expression, but the main feature was confusion. Complete confusion at being yelled at. Rene glaring at him didn't help.

"How dare you accuse me of hurting them. Mother and Father are my parents, for I claimed this shell and everything attached to it. The memories, emotions, possessions, mortal name – everything – of Goffred Angela are my property. They are my humans, my kin, and thus I love them and would never bring them harm," Goffred passionately defended himself. Despite being a small boy, he projected a charisma that made people want to agree with him.

Shirou didn't know how he should feel about Goffred's words, so he felt nothing at all. It would have been rage if Goffred had purposely taken that body and everything associated with it, but he didn't. It was a random chance gamble that was forced upon him, and he was doing his best with the results. Insinuating that the connection he held to his parents was fake didn't seem right. It was real but utterly twisted by human standards.

"We have the relationships all humans and fae should have. They adore and love me, and I both return it in kind and inspire them to greater heights," Goffred continued, but his voice began to get lower as he spoke. A look of disgust formed on his face before he spoke the next part. "But such a relationship is beyond the understanding of a Redcap who devoured her terrified father to satiate her hunger."

Ate her father?!

Everyone froze and turned to look at Vaiva. Even the angry Rene was caught off guard.

Vaiva grew quiet, her entire expression turning cold as steel. The massive younger girl suddenly made herself as small as someone who was under 10 but taller than some small adults could. She asked a single word in a tone that didn't match her appearance as a massive orc but fit her human half. "How?"

"Seering into an object or person's past is an easy feat with the Chronos art, though I am only skilled enough to cast it on commoner Kithain. While you were sleeping, I cast it upon you," Goffred explained. "I know not to trust Redcaps without checking on them first. Eating him may have been dishonorable and repugnant, but it wasn't a matter that warranted further attention under Fae law, but I wouldn't allow you to hypocritically insult me."

"What was it like, devouring your sire?" Viktoria asked Vaiva, loudly by her standards. In the near silence, besides the ambient noise, the slightly above a whisper question was heard by everyone.

Shirou looked back at her, partially hoping he had misheard her. He had trouble comprehending that question being asked now.

Vaiva looked down at the ground, biting her lip. Shirou could sense a sudden dark feeling from her, surging and barely being held back.

"Really good, Papa tasted really good," Vaiva admitted, shaking slightly both in voice and body. Her eyes never left the ground. "We were camping with some family. There was this cabin in the mountains where we stayed, far away from any folks. My dad said there was something he wanted to show me… Papa trusted me to be good while they went out to get it. It was scary. Mama or Papa never left me alone before, but I was no scaredy cat. They didn't leave anything to eat."

Shirou couldn't understand why her voice could switch between joy and disgust. The repeated switches in tones made it worse than if she sounded only gleeful. He could just view her as a psychopath then, but she could tell right from wrong.

She knew eating your father was wrong, but she chose to ignore that.

"I got hungerer and hungerer and hungerer. I was starving. I had to eat. When I realized Papa wasn't coming back, something broke. My hunger grew a bajillion times worse, and my body changed. My hunger…" Vaiva said slowly, simultaneously hating and loving every word. "It grew badder. I could barely not eat everything. I'd promised My papa to be a good girl while he was gone. Eating the cabin woulda made me a bad girl. I thought about searching around for food, but I promised to stay in till he got back."

"You kept your promise despite being abandoned?" Viktoria asked another question, moving a single step toward Vaiva.

"Duh," Vaiva answered with a bit of a bite in his. "I done nothing till Papa proved me wrong and came back. It'd taken a while since somethin happened to the car… he was injured pretty badly, too, walken alone through the woods to get back. The scent of his blood was mouth-watering."

Shirou only realized he'd taken a step back from Vaiva after he'd done it. The smile on her face didn't match any part of what she was talking about. It was too gleeful and almost intimate.

He shouldn't be seeing it.

He'd just joined this group, which seems like it was formed not long ago. No one in this group seemed close enough to hear about this, except maybe Rene, who seemed to have some sway over the others.

It was awkward.

"He was back, letting me finally go outside. I could've eaten the ground, trees, anything, but Papa had to come first," Vaiva explained, crossing her arms over her chest. "He was gonna die. I had no way to save him, but I couldn't lose him. I needed to eat somethin…"

Shirou's attention and focus doubled as Vaiva was about to reach her story's climax. Beneath the repulsion and awkwardness, there was an emerging want to see how this story ends.

"What I needed to do was obvious after thinking about it. If I ate him, I wouldn't be hungry, and Papa would live on inside me – and it stopped his pain," Vaiva continued, saying the last reason a few seconds after the other two.

If those were the reasons…

Shirou tried to take a moment to consider them. He did his best to try and ignore his gut reaction. He couldn't fully do it, but he could do it enough. When he first heard it, he assumed it was a violent or criminal act, but things weren't that simple. He'd have to think about it…

However, before he had time to start considering it, Rene spoke.

"Neat, but not surprising. Redcaps devouring everything is what they are designed for. There's no shame in that," Rene told them, seeming disinterested. His words managed to annoy both Vaiva and Goffred at the same time. He also destroyed the entire atmosphere that'd formed around them. "So, Shirou, who answered the first question better?"

Shirou glared at the older teen, his hand tigned around the snorkel he was carrying. "Not now. I don't feel like playing the game anymore. We can finish it later."

"I agree our contest may continue later," Goffred surprisingly agreed without a fight. Vaiva did as well, while Viktoria didn't really have an opinion.

"Fine, as long as we can conclude it," Rene answered without any visible emotions like anger or sadness. Yet, Shirou could have sworn he could see flickers of it around the older teen. "Let's get going."

Rene began to walk again, and the others followed behind. Shirou purposely did his best to ignore everyone as he thought about everything he'd learned about two of his new companions.

Goffred was a Sidhe, some kind of fairy that fully stole bodies to become changelings – another term for what they are. He'd taken some kid's body and life, but only because he had to do it to survive… possibly.

He still doesn't seem to care about humans besides those related to 'Goffred.' And that was after he stole a body, lost most of his memories, and took on the life of Goffred. Who knows what he was like before his current incarnation.

Human bodies feel the entire universe differently, after all.

Shirou shivered as he felt a ghost sensation. An echo of something he once felt. It was like leaving a boiling hot spring to be hit with a cold winter wind while nude.

Meanwhile, Vaiva was herself from birth. She was Vaiva, but she still chose to eat her father.

Nothing in the world could get Shirou to eat a family member. It was fundamentally disgusting and repugnant to him.

Still, she didn't just decide to eat him, nor did she do it because she simply wanted to taste human. If she was really starving and she thought it'd keep her father with her…

But Goffred said he was terrified. Was he conscious enough to know what had happened? Did that matter?

If he was conscious or unconscious, eating him while he was alive and could still be saved was wrong. Vaiva would know that, too.

She had to make the choice to eat her father and then eat him while he was probably screaming or trying to get away. And she did have a choice; evil was a part of everyone. Choosing to do the right thing despite one's selfish desires gives meaning to the 'good' within.

Shirou briefly closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

He didn't know how long he would be traveling with Vaiva, but he wondered if he'd be able to help her make the right choice in the future.

That would be a good step towards his dream of being a hero, wouldn't it?

---

Shirou glanced around at the other members of his group. Once the sky was turning to night, Rene decided they would stop for the night. Vaiva was sitting on the ground under a tree, chewing on bark she'd broken off the tree. Goffred was reading a large book he'd pulled from his backpack. Viktoria was lying on the ground, sleeping. Her figure was hard to make out in the darkness, only barely outlined by the fire Rene was tending to.

Shirou decided to make his spot one of the exceedingly broad tree roots at the outer edge of the clearing they were using for camp. It was several meters off the ground and covered in thick purple moss as soft as a bunny.

The fairy let his feet dangle in the air as he looked up into the night sky, his wings moving in time with his swaying legs.

The twilight sky was filled with countless stars, but they differed from those he knew. He tried to find any of the constellations he used to watch with Kiritsugu. No matter how much he looked, he found nothing but alien stars.

Were the stars he is looking at now the same as those from Earth, but from a different perspective? Or was the universe of this world completely different but just as infinite as the human world?

If Kiritsugu was here, could the two of them have a fun time making shapes out of these stars? Like watching clouds on a nice spring day?

Shirou sighed and looked back down at the darkness surrounding the camp. It was like someone had combined the conception of 'sunlight' and 'darkness,' making the shadows an active force rather than the mere absence of light.

"Shirou," Rene called from below. Shirou glanced back at the scowling teen, who'd moved to the bottom of his root tree. "Get down here."

Shirou didn't like the aggression in Rene's command, but he listened. The changeling fell forward off the skyward roots, using his wings to slow down his fall, so he landed gently in front of the older boy.

"What do you need?" Shirou asked, privately hoping this wasn't about the questions.

"I don't need anything. I want to get to know you better," Rene told him, the scowling disappearing from his face as the taller teen looked down upon him.

"I guess that's fine. What do you want to know?" Shirou gave the ok for whatever questions Rene wanted, though he withheld the right not to answer them either.

"The magic you used, what was it?"

Shirou tilted his head, briefly thinking about how much he should say. He already remembered his magic, but not that unleashing thing. He used it to heal and could do the same for others. There should be no harm in telling him about the healing. If anything, it'd be really helpful since it meant Rene knew how he could help. "Spring. It lets me heal people."

"The Art of Spring. I've never heard of that," Rene's look soured when he spoke the name of Shirou's magic. He spoke slowly and leaned a little forward. "You can heal injuries. Is that what you want to do?"

"I want to help people. Healing people helps them," Shirou answered, clarifying. His wings fluttered several times as if to accentuate the point.

"I get it," Rene said after returning his expression to normal. Shirou watched him glance back at the others. Goffred was still reading while Vaiva had fallen asleep. The older teen turned back toward him and spoke only loud enough for him to hear. "So, you want to help Vaiva? She's pretty hated… umh… pitiable – that's the word."

Shirou nodded in agreement, wanting to help. He wasn't sure about pitiable, but he could see it.

"That's good. Redcaps are pretty hated by the Kithain for their ravenous hunger and ability to devour anything. Most can't look past that. When push comes to shove, they'd rather get themselves killed than have anything to do with them."

Shirou held in a sigh as he was introduced to this information. He wished he had more info on what was going on there and on the Kithain, but he couldn't ask Rene. Asking him any important questions until they finished the contest would be unfair and not right.

Shirou rubbed his eyes before glancing past Rene to see a figure approaching. Goffred was walking toward them from behind. His book was nowhere to be seen.

Rene must have heard his steps as he turned to look at Goffred.

"What are the two of you conversing about?" Goffred asked, not at all caring they may have been in a private conversation.

"I was just about to try and figure out what Shirou's kith is," Rene answered, changing the conversation completely. Shirou couldn't say he blamed him; Goffred and Vaiva mixed like oil and water. He only wished he knew more about what a kith was.

"I can be of service," Goffred said. Shirou felt the younger boy prepare magic, looking and watching it unfold in seconds. He was caught off guard by the other boy suddenly reaching out and touching him. His hand felt like time until the clock suddenly broke. "Shirou is undoubtedly a commoner Kithain, not Gallain."

Gallain? There are other groups now?

"What do you mean?" Rene asked, looking just as confused as Shirou but probably for different reasons. He took a step away from Goffred.

"My limited skills in the Fae Realm means I can only use an Art on commoner Kithain. The cantrip would have failed before I attempted to apply it to Shirou if he hadn't been anything but one. The only reason it failed in the end was my decision against using a bunk. I would have succeeded otherwise."

It failed? Shirou didn't realize that. Was that why the clock in his touch broke?

"Very clever, Goffred," Rene said before crossing his arms and glaring at Goffred. His tone had a hint of hostility. "But you shouldn't cast an Art on someone without their permission. Understood."

Shirou watched as Goffred flenched like he'd been struck, but he nodded in agreement.

It was wrong to randomly cast magic on someone without permission, but Rene was a complete hypocrite. The older teen had previously used his language spell – cantrip – on him without permission. He only stopped from pointing that out since it seemed like a bad idea.

Rene accepted the nod and turned toward Shirou. "At least that narrows down what Shirou could be by a lot. Around a dozen possibilities at most? We can rule out Redcap, Sluagh, Sidhe, Satyr, and Selkie right off the bat."

Sidhe was Goffred, and Redcap was Vaiva. Satyrs were half-goat people or something, so that clearly didn't fit him. He didn't know anything about the other two or why they could be thrown out.

"Even with his wings, I don't believe he is a Pooka. Nor does he have the horns of a Troll," Goffred added. Shirou caught the surprise in Rene's expression at that last tidbit. Looks like he doesn't know everything about these kiths either. "Shirou, would you prefer helping the needy or traveling?"

It took Shirou a few seconds to comprehend the question. The question made it seem like he could have one or the other when that wasn't true. "I would help people while traveling."

Isn't that the obvious answer? If you stay in one place, you can't help everyone. A hero needs to travel around to where you're needed. That was why Kiritsugu was always gone.

"Do you care about being comfortable while traveling?" Goffred asked another question.

"Not really, I don't need much," Shirou answered, suddenly reminded of his torn-up clothing. "I do want my clothing to be in good condition and not look uncool. If I were to stay in a castle or something, I'd want to be comfortable too and have a nice room."

Goffred nodded, seemingly thinking things over in his head. "Are you reckless?"

"What do you by reckless?" Shirou asked defensively. He could imagine his older sister or maybe even Kiritsugu saying he was, but he wasn't. He may act on impulse and without thinking sometimes, but that wasn't reckless. It was doing the right thing.

"He's an Eshu," Goffred instantly declared. "I was stuck between an Eshu and a boggan, but he looks more like a member of the former. Besides, only an Eshu would reply to a quarry about recklessness in such a manner."

"I see," Shirou said, unsure if he should be insulted or not.

He also questioned Goffred's methods of determining a kith. They sound like important things that shouldn't be guessed with less effort than it takes to determine your blood type.

"Having an Eshu would be useful," Rene said, looking toward Shirou. "I heard they're great at travel. If we get lost, he could be used to get back on track."

"I'm not sure what you think I could do about that," Shirou said. What did they expect him to do? Somehow know where to go?

"I don't know how it works – don't you feel where you need to go or always know where you are? Something like that?"

Shirou paused. He guessed it was possible. He was lucky to be able to escape the monster. He also managed to escape the island by blindly reaching the cave and going through it. But he wasn't using magic to do it. He'd just gone with what path felt best unless that was what they were talking about?

"The Eshu aren't the most forthcoming with explaining their birthrights in exact terms," Goffred added. "However, they tend to use their storytelling abilities to venerate their natural birthrights, preventing them from ever being treated as banal."

"That mostly makes sense to me," Shirou reluctantly admitted. A hero should make their powers seem heroic and cool. Blow too much steam, and you'll become a self-absorbed bastard like that blond guy, though. "I have gotten lucky in following which path seems right."

"Do you need to specifically know where you're going, or can it be vague?" Rene asked for details while taking a step toward Shirou.

"Rene! You shouldn't ask such a thing of him," Goffred interrupted, nearly jumping up to try and cover Rene's mouth. "The kiths have their own secrets that shouldn't be shared with outsiders. Using Shirou's condition as a fledge to gain such information would be exploitative! The older Sidhe would try to execute you if they heard you asking the same question to a Sidhe gosling."

Shirou leaned back a little.

Goffred was trying to help both of them, stopping Shirou from giving information he shouldn't and Rene from asking questions he shouldn't be asking. After the last few days, Shirou was caught off guard by someone being even partially on his side.

It felt awkward, in a good way.

"Got it, I got too into it," Rene acknowledged after a few heartbeats, taking a step back. "Let's continue this talk another time."

"My intent wasn't to silence you," Goffred quickly said to Rene, not making eye contact with the older teen. "I only wished to stop you from accidentally making a mistake."

"I get that, but someone's got to watch the bed, and you two should get some sleep," Rene responded, turning away from the pair and walking to the fire.

"I understand," Goffred muttered. Shirou couldn't see his expression until the younger boy turned back toward him, revealing a slight pout. "Have a wonderful night's sleep. May you rise with your right side."

"… You too," Shirou responded, slightly confused. Was that last part some changeling goodnight he didn't know? He'd have to add it to the pile of terms he didn't know.

Shirou slowly fluttered his wings, going up and sitting down on a root. It was another from the one he'd been sitting on before. Closer to the ground and thick enough to sleep on.

He looked down at the group.

Rene was tending the fire while Goffred was attempting to go to sleep. The last two members of their groups had already gone to sleep.

Shirou placed his hand over his mouth as he yawned. He probably should get some sleep as well. He'd trust Rene to keep watch and wake him – or someone else – up if they needed to sleep.

The fairy lay down on the root, facing the inverted dark forest. Shirou closed his blue eyes and drifted off to sleep.

---

The sleeping fairy felt something poking him. And then doing it again and again. The jabbing didn't hurt much, but it was enough to wake him up.

"What?!" Shirou groggily muttered as he opened his eyes. He was met with light and a knife coming down on his eye. He felt the knife tried to pierce his eye, pain filling it. He rolled on his side and felt himself falling down.

Oh… he was sleeping on a root, wasn't he? High in the air, even higher than when he fell asleep on it.

He looked up at the root from which he was falling. It was the tanuki.

Shirou fluttered his wings, slowly himself down. He landed on his feet far more gracefully than his last fall… where he didn't fall on his feet at all. The other members of his group were awake, cooking food on the fire.

"Yo, Shirou, want some?" Rene asked, pulling what looked like a cube on a stick from the fire. A pleasant aroma fills the air, kind of like well-cooked beef.

"Not right now," Shirou said, looking up at the roots. They had grown while Shirou had been sleeping, almost doubling in size. The roots intertwine and intersect when they are perpendicular. "Did you guys see where that rodent went?"

He tried to find it amongst the wooden lines but found nothing.

"That critter ran away," Vaiva was the one to answer. "I'll take a bite of it if it comes back round, so come get some."

Shirou kept his eyes on the rootlines for a moment before relenting. He would keep his eye out for one of the many mortal enemies he's made.

"Why didn't any of you wake me?" Shirou asked them while walking toward the fire. Goffred and Vaiva were on opposite sides of the fire. Rene was by himself on the far side, while Viktoria was on his side of the fire.

"It would've been rude," Rene said, pulling one of the cubes from the fire. There were six of them in total, meaning one person would get two. "I wouldn't do it unless you grant me permission."

Part of Shirou wanted to glare at Rene until the musician's lyre broke, but a more reasonable part of himself took charge. Getting mad at them for not waking him up was unreasonable. Being woken up sucked. People should be allowed to wake up when they wake up.

It wasn't like it mattered how long they slept for. They'd always wake up in the blink of an eye, even a sleep of 1000 x 1000 moments.

Shirou sat down next to Viktoria, keeping enough distance to not make her uncomfortable.

Being forced to wake up in time for school was the worst, especially by an alarm clock. But it was important for people to wake up others when there is danger. It was also common sense that didn't need permission. Was it just Rene being weird or something?

"If you need to wake me up, wake me up," Shirou gave permission to Rene and the rest of the group.

"Good," Rene said, taking a bite out of his meat cube. "I'll keep that in mind."

Shirou almost nodded but paused. "Wait, the langauga magic hasn't worn off…."

"All magic must have a start and end," Viktoria answered quietly from beside him. The younger fairy was staring at the meat in the fire, never taking her eyes off it. "Some can be reborn after the end through time–"

"It fades at sunrise," Rene interrupted Viktoria, though Shirou couldn't tell if it was on purpose or if he didn't realize she was talking. "I reapplied it afterward to everyone at once."

Goffred frowned but didn't say anything. He picked one of the meat skewers from the fire, his nose crinkling.

"I never noticed," Vaiva muttered. She was already halfway through one of the meat cubes. What were they?

Shirou looked into the fire and decided to pull out the meat cube meant for him. He hated that he didn't help make the meal, but he'd make sure to do so in the future. He didn't want to be a freeloader.

The meat cube tasted okay, but his sense of taste might be off. He was getting used to the rich taste of this place. He took a few more bites of the large cube, only half listening to the conversation around him.

"Shirou," Rene called his name. The older teen paused until Shirou looked up and met his gaze. "Will you ask another question?"

"If Rene is asking to continue, then I would like to make it known that I agree," Goffred added, having only taken a few nibbles out of his meat cube.

They already wanted to keep going. Well, Shirou did agree to do it….

"Sure," Shirou agreed but took a moment to consider what he should ask. There is one broad question he would like an answer to. One important to know for the future. "How are the minds of changelings and humans different?"

Rene crossed his arms and leaned back, looking over at Goffred. He silently prompted the youngest boy to go first.

"That is a very, very complex question," Goffred started, thinking it over several times before continuing. "Humans are closed-minded and reject things that go against their convenient lives. The eyes of mortals see 'evil' in the world despite no such thing existing. They are beings with minds full of infinite possibilities while embracing only one. They're the children of order."

Shirou withheld his disagreement about evil's existence in their world for now. Perhaps Goffred thought that because he hadn't encountered true evil since taking his body or because of the mind of a fairy, but he could figure that out later.

The only other member of the group to take issue with Goffred's words was Vaiva, but she was too busy eating to say anything.

"Changelings are children of The Dreaming. Our minds are open and wild, taking in and understanding concepts beyond mortal comprehension. Yet, we are limited by our mother, The Dreaming. Every fae has their mind defined by the dream that birthed them and the twin legacies encompassing their mind. The Seelie and Unseelie legacies direct personality and actions more than any other, with one being dominant at any given time. It is nearly impossible for a changeling to defy the quest or ban of their primary legacy unless they can justify it through their repressed legacy," Goffred lectured, only pausing to take a few breaths.

Seelie and Unseelie? Quests and bans?

Shirou didn't need Goffred to explain them. He could feel his mind putting together the pieces he'd been given and the names that gave their meaning.

Seelie and Unseelie… Those were the light and dark parts of his mind or something like that. A human is simply themselves mentally. Shirou could still remember that, but Changelings were split between two forces.

A quest. Something he wanted – needed – to do.

He wanted to help people, protect them from harm, and stop their suffering. That was what motivated him and defined his actions. It was his quest.

Ban. Something he couldn't do?

Kill people? … Hurt them…

That was what came to mind. It was something he had to mentally justify despite Kiritsugu's training. Just thinking about hurting others was sending shivers down Shirou's spine…

"Thus, it could be said that the human mind can be anything but is too closed off to fulfill its potential. A changeling's mind is limited, but only in a way that helps us fulfill our dreams."

"Humankind's closed-mindedness is the only reason we exist," Viktoria said before anyone else could speak. "They're sadistic in that way. They create the mist upon the lake that is us, only to simultaneously use and abuse us for being what they made us to be. Never truly caring what we think."

Shirou felt a chill run down his spine. The hatred in her voice wasn't even directed at him, but he could still feel it in her voice.

"No, they aren't and don't," Vaiva denied the other girl's words, glaring at Viktoria. "My mama and papa would always support me. If ya ain't being treated right, just tell'em that. They'll treat you well then."

"I agree," Goffred reluctantly sided with Vaiva. He'd taken a few nibbles of his meat cube but still hadn't made much progress. "Humans aren't sadistic. They just need us to open their minds a little to The Dreaming, and they'll understand."

Shirou didn't agree with Vaiva or Goffred. He couldn't. He didn't know if he could call all humans sadistic, but they were all selfish. They only cared about themselves and what they wanted, consuming everything to get it.

"You assume people want to understand, or if they do, they'll agree with you," Shirou said, his wings drawn back together. "That delusion. Most people would still reject you even if you were purely good."

He could see a flash of joy in Viktoria's eyes for his support against the other two. Shirou shifted awkwardly.

"You're all too focused on human morality," Rene said. He'd finished eating and was leaning forward. "Human minds are somehow monstrous and totally boring. They can think us to death but don't have a purpose. It's not that they have infinite purpose or they can be anything; they aren't anything. Human minds are empty things trying to be filled. They have no place for proper morality, only random make-believe justifications."

Everyone was looking at Rene.

Something about what he said got under the skin of the younger changelings. Shirou could see it in the movements of the other three. There was something wrong with being told that humans aren't anything. It was fundamentally different from anything else they'd said.

How could he think humans aren't anything when he is half-human?

"Goffred said they are beings of order, but that's wrong, too. They're creatures of corruption and destruction. Their minds are toxic enough to be polluting and degrading the very Dreaming with their banality. That's why you must avoid them at all costs," Rene continued, unbothered by the other's reactions.

He grabbed a second stick from the fire and began to eat it.

Shirou looked down at his own and tuned out whatever was said next.

The blue-eyed fairy was starting to dislike Rene. His beliefs about humans weren't something he could ever accept. They were utterly detestable.

Denying the goodness of humanity was far worse than denying its evils.

---

Shirou was sitting away from the group. They'd been walking for hours and were taking a break next to a small pond that could be miles deep. The dusty clouds covered the sun, keeping the area cool.

They had to stop to get lunch and recuperate after a few setbacks. Vaiva sunk into a sinkhole and had to be pulled out. Viktoria got hit in the stomach by a winding tree. Goffred tripped and knocked himself out, trying to prove he wouldn't fall into a sinkhole even if he was walking with his eyes closed. After that, Rene decided to change course… several times over. Once he saw the pond, he ordered a break, then dropped the still-unconscious Goffred beside it.

Shirou was sitting next to the now reverted trees. Rene had ordered him to get kindling while he went to find stuff to eat. It was up to them since they were the only ones not to have an accident.

He put the pile of kindling he'd gathered on his left while his snorkel was on his right. It was ready for Rene whenever he got back. However, he wasn't the one to approach him first. It was Viktoria.

"Shirou," she said once she was close enough for him to hear her whisper. "…"

His name was all she could manage before going quiet.

"Are you still hurt from being whacked? Do you need help?" Shirou asked her, looking up at her from his seat position on the ground. He fluttered his wings, floating up to his feet. "I can heal you. Or are you being shy again?"

Viktoria took a step away from him. "I'm fine. The tree's bark was tough, but its bite wasn't dangerous."

"That's good," Shirou curtly responded. He was glad she wasn't too hurt, even if he wanted a chance to help. "Is there something you want?"

"Nothing in particular," she answered softly. "I simply wished to converse. If you would allow me."

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Shirou asked. She probably had something specific she wanted to talk about.

"You're in that contest with Rene. It wouldn't be treacherous to tell you the truth, but hints should be legal," Viktoria explained, making herself smaller as she did so. "But only if you agree."

"I forgot about that," Shirou admitted, blushing slightly. It completely slipped from his mind. "I would appreciate a few hints, as long as they aren't overt."

"You wish for them to be hard to decrypt?" the darkly dressed girl asked, stepping closer to Shirou. She smiled when Shirou nodded in agreement with her words. Shirou could see the light in the girl's eyes glowing. The feeling was almost infectious. The smell of excitement in the air.

"Where does one go to…" Viktoria stopped partway through, considering something. Her expression souring, she began to use one of her hands to clench her arm. "Your current self is still unaware of the world, are you not? In your state, riddling the destination would be pointless. You don't have the knowledge to solve them unless I reveal the information you need, which would be the same as granting you the answer."

Shirou frowned. He wasn't in any position to contradict her, but wasn't she basically saying he didn't know enough to win? Well, it's not like he can disagree. He doesn't know enough to know if he could disagree.

"I understand," Shirou said, rubbing the back of his head. "Not that I'm going to give up, but I get it."

"Sorry," she muttered awkwardly, looking embarrassed. She really shouldn't have been. It was no different than how he acted when there was a chance to help. "How about we play a game instead? If that is all right with you…"

"… If you want to, but we have to stay near the other two," Shirou spoke after a moment. He couldn't remember the last time he played a game with someone his age.

"Abandoning them would be as abandoning ourselves," Viktoria said, her eyes half closed. "I don't enjoy physical games like tag."

"We don't have any game boards," Shirou pointed out, not really sure of what games they could play. HE shifted from foot to foot.

"True, it also must be a game that can be played by two sets of hands," Viktoria quietly muttered, looking to the side. "We could always go dream exploring for an object to play with."

"Dream exploring?" Shirou asked. The words didn't even trigger a vague recollection. The idea of exploring dreams, however, sounded fun. He could save people from nightmares and the like.

"The Dreaming is made up of the dreams of all which dreams," Viktoria explained, leaning in to make it easier for Shirou to hear her. "It isn't composed of the individual dreams, but it is possible to interact with the sleeping dreams of any beings. Sometimes, there are entire areas where we can enter individual dreams after individual dreams; other times, there may be none. We can claim things from dreams and take them with us back to The Dreaming."

"Like a game board?" Shirou questioned while fluttering his wings.

"Correct, and my gaze saw a dream residing within the bark," Viktoria shyly pointed at a tree a ways away, one shorter than those around. Now that Shirou looked at it, he noticed how it stood out from the others. Being the only one to seem new and young. When he looked at it, he noticed the energy flow moving toward the city of the tree, flowing inward.

"Am I oblivious or something?" Shirou muttered more to himself than Viktoria. "Can we watch the other two from within it?"

"No. One of us needs to stay outside to observe the others," Viktoria said simply. "It would be best for me to search the dream while you linger in The Dreaming."

Shirou considered it before nodding in agreement. She was obviously more knowledgeable about this stuff. He'd trust her opinion.

"Very well," Viktoria said before walking to the tree. Shirou watched her walk through it and enter the dream. It was like she walked through an invisible doorway or something.

Shirou waited, keeping his eyes on the other two from a distance. It took a bit, but eventually, Viktoria walked out of the tree. She had three colorful boxes in her hand. Her hair was disheveled, and dirt had gotten on her clothing.

"Viktoria?!" Shirou exclaimed, running over to her. She glanced up at him right as he started to grimace. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Viktoria said weakly. She leaned against a different tree than the one she exited. "They fought viciously, but no changeling would lose against a sleeping mortal… that it only took a few words to get them to conjure up chimera for us to play with cast an illusion of a will as weak as a sick horse… Avarice, not weakness, was their motivation. Terrible, terrible avarice…"

"You did good," Shirou told her. That seemed like the only thing he could say. "Do you want me to heal you?"

"No… save your glamour," She answered, barely managing to stand up. She thrust the packages at him. "Here."

Shirou blinked as he took hold of the three large boxes. He nearly dropped them once Viktoria stopped supporting them. Their weight was way higher than Shirou expected. How could Viktoria hold them so easily?

He tried to read the labeling, finding it to be weirdly understandable gibberish. The markings were completely random, but reading something like 'Pocket Beast.'

Wasn't that a popular card game or anime? The box art was warped, but it was familiar. The giant blue dragon thing tearing a yellow rat in two was something he'd seen before.

Maybe he'd seen some of the other students play it? Yeah, that was what they were doing.

The pair walked back to the snorkel and pile of kindling. They sat across from each other.

"How did you get this?" Shirou asked, glancing between the boxes and the girl in front of him. He placed the boxes on the ground between them. "Were they already dreaming of… card games?"

"No, I spoke to them within their dream. I sought to influence them into dreaming up some form of game for us through the meaning of my language. The question in particular was about what games did he desire," Viktoria explained. "A fight then broke out to claim the creations. They may have been full size, but it mattered not."

"And you won," Shirou acknowledged. It was impressive. She looked small and didn't have much of a presence. It gave off the feeling that she was weak. "Do you know how to play this?"

"Yes, I do, but guidance should be found within the box beyond the clear veil of separation," she said, grabbing the top box. "Normally, I would peer into the tapestry of the Dán to select a pack, but now we claim entire boxes."

The glare Viktoria was giving the box sent a chill down Shirou's spine. The blue-eyed boy had to let out a sigh of relief when she looked away from it and toward the pair, his gaze following hers.

He was surprised to see Goffred sitting up and looking around.

"One of the lost pairs has returned. Should we check on them?" Viktoria asked in a way that sounded more like 'do we have to' than anything else.

"Yeah," Shirou answered without a thought. He glanced at the water behind the youngest fairy boy. "Goffred! Over here!"

"What's gonna on?!" Vaiva shouted, jumping straight up. Goffred ignored her and instead looked toward Shirou.

"Now they're both up," Viktoria glanced at her box and then at the other two. "I guess that's swell."

Shirou nodded in agreement. He didn't mean to wake Vaiva, but at least that meant she wasn't too worn out. "If they're up, we can all play together."

The blue-eyed boy watched as Goffred stood up, stumbling a bit before wandering over to them. Vaiva wasn't too far behind.

"What happened?" Goffred asked in utter confusion.

"You fell and hit your head," Shirou answered with a small smile forming on his face. He didn't know why. He couldn't help it. The dark Unseelie part of his mind bubbled up slightly. "I told you not to try and walk around with your eyes closed, but you wouldn't listen."

"Please, just be silent," Goffred said, sounding slightly upset. He sat down next to Viktora and Shirou.

"Stop telling others what to do," Vaiva muttered as she walked past Goffred and sat across from him. She completed the square of the four. "Where'd you get this stuff."

"From a dream and a fight," Viktoria said, making herself smaller now that multiple people were around here.

"Pocket Beast? I love these!" Goffred cheered, picking up one of the boxes and examining it. "My mother and Father get me these all the time."

Vaiva scoffed but didn't say anything as she took the last box. She flipped it around in her hands.

Shirou noticed Viktoria looking at the now empty space between them and then glancing up at him. A small scowl highlighted her expression. Shirou shrugged it off. He'd just use the cards the others didn't need.

"The art is incredibly marvelous," Goffred said, looking at the top of his box.

"It's kinda cool, but what's it about?" Vaiva asked. She flipped the box several times around in her hand, reading the text on the box.

"You haven't heard of it? It's a game about collecting beasts. 'Don't Let 'Em Get Away!'" Goffred babbled. "You then engage in honorable combat."

"Sure," Vaiva rolled her eyes while removing the plastic wrapping around the box. "Don't leave your trash lying around, I'll eat it later."

"Thanks," Viktoria quietly thanked her as she opened her box.

Shirou watched the three gleefully open their card boxes. There was a surprising amount of plastic and cardboard waste. The box contained several more smaller boxes that held booster packs, which were wrapped in clear plastic.

Even in dreams, humans are so wasteful.

Shirou fluttered his wings and took flight.

"What are ya doing?" Vaiva asked as he flew over her.

"Just watching you guys opening the packs," Shirou shrugged. His wings continued to flap behind him, their ethereal design completely at odds with the everyday scene of four kids opening packs of cards.

"It's weird having someone flying around," she muttered, looking up at him. Goffred and Viktoria stopped, too, right before they opened a pack of cards.

"Really? Are wings rare?" Shirou asked. The picture he'd seen on fairies had them all have wings. He'd think they would be common, but looking closely, none of the others had wings.

"Very," Goffred answered, pouting slightly as he looked up at Shirou's wings. "Most are held within the pooka or winged gallain. It is unfair for a commoner to have such pretty wings and eyes."

Pretty? Eyes? Wings?

He wasn't pretty. He was cool and manly. Fairies were super manly, too. Goffred knew that, too, probably. He must've only heard the word pretty because of an issue with the translation spell or something…

But after dealing with people constantly being disgusted or repulsed by his eyes, it wasn't unpleasant to hear someone compliment them.

Shirou blinked as he looked into the eyes of the others and realized another obvious thing.

"You guys have human eyes," Shirou said, moving a little higher in the air as he leaned forward. His body instinctively adapted to the change in the position of his wings.

"Sadly," Goffred muttered, a distraught look forming on his face. "I remember having such beautiful eyes… but what they actually looked like eludes me. I wish I still had them…"

Shirou could almost feel a mixture of sorrow, nostalgia, and possibly anger radiating from Goffred.

"No, the eyes of humans are necessary for us to live," Viktoria quietly said, picking at one of the card pacts. "Our lives would be culled if they weren't ours."

"By who?" Goffred asked, tilting his head.

Humans? The parents of changelings?

Shirou could think of several different answers, especially given his experience. He'd seen how people reacted to his eyes in the modern world; he was pretty sure they'd try to kill him. There were probably a lot of people who would still try to kill him, though Goffred wouldn't think that.

Not opening this can of worms again would be for the best.

"Shouldn't you guys be looking at the cards," Shirou attempted to change the subject.

"He got it right," Vaiva – thankfully – agreed. She began to open the pack of cards in her hands. Viktoria quickly followed suit, but Goffred only did so after looking at Shirou's eyes and wings one last time.

Shirou quietly floated behind the three, watching them go through the cards. His mood changed as he looked at the distorted artwork and text of the cards, though distorted might not have been the right word. Distorted implied it was messed up, but in this case, it was natural for dream things to be like this.

Shirou chose not to really take part or comment as the other three went through their cards. They seemed so happy and were having a good time.

He had a chance here to grow closer to the group, but he wouldn't take it further than this. He wouldn't intrude where he didn't belong.

So, he'd just fly a little bit behind them and use the leftover cards if any of them specifically asked to play a game with him.

This way was better for everyone.

---

AN:

Hello, welcome to the end of another chapter.

Hope you like it.

Some fun things to talk about:

A funny scene from F/HA is the one where Shirou is staying at Illya's castle, and Sella throws Shirou into a storage room with a single sleeping bag since she thinks humans are useless. One of his reactions goes off, saying that if he stayed in that castle for a single night, he would be staying in a nice room. It's like… he's willing to sleep in his shed and keep his room empty – and room with someone that ate their siblings while giving cooking lessons to someone who tried killing him a half dozen times over, but even he got limits… lol.

Also, sainting is where a changeling relearns their true name and other things, but that's what is important. An older effect mentioned once in an old book is that changelings can't grow if they haven't gone through it, but it was later said to be important to stop bedlam. I decided to go with the first one since it was more interesting for the story and world-building, even if it was never mentioned again.

Also, the cost of unleashing is it drives you crazy. (Bedlam). Also, it can go out of control and be super disastrous. That's why I tried to show the power by having Shirou's usage destroy an entire lake and make him a little crazier. However, Bedlam and nightmare aren't just craziness. It involves becoming more and more fae logic and stuff till you don't think like no sane human no more. It don't matter for now either.

And know some of the characters in this chapter are lying, giving partial truths, and/or other stuff. Just know that.

I hope people will like this chapter, as I feel very unsure about it. But I hope it meets your expectations! So, bye! Have a great day!