Chapter 3: Investigation, Conflict X

Flashback: With three people fleeing from the battle between two Herrschers:

A redhead still being carried by Siegfried snapped awake with a gasp, starting to flail around in panic as he realized he was being taken away from that which he was supposed to protect. Both Theresa and Siegfried were panting hard, having used all their effort to retreat from Sirin as fast as they could, but they had momentarily paused when explosions had been heard in the distance, somewhat concerned for Welt's safety. Noticing that Shirou was awake and capable of movement, Siegfried set him down on the ground, Theresa approaching the 12-year-old carefully. "Shirou! You passed out while we were in the Void Queen's Imaginary Space all of a sudden! Are you all right? How do you feel now?

"…Theresa? And… Siegfried, right? I'm fine, just had a big headache from… seeing too much at once—wait, where are we now? Where's Sirin?" Wiping some sweat from his brow, the Schicksal Knight answered the boy, not noticing Theresa's sudden gestures for him to shut up, "Oh, the purple-haired girl, the Second Herrscher? We left Welt to deal with her while we got away with you when you passed out—wait, why are you running BACK?!"

Before Siegfried had even finished speaking, Shirou had indeed turned around and turned back the way he came, both Schicksal warriors still staring in shock at his back as the boy ran towards where the explosions were coming from. "That… crazy kid! Theresa, continue on to Babylon Labs and alert Dr Einstein! Let me chase after him… but I haven't caught my breath yet… Give me a minute, then I'll catch up with him… besides, how far can that 12-year-old run?"

Now closer to the battlefield, but still not near the blast area:

As it turned out, Shirou could run quite fast and gain some distance in that one minute… But with Siegfried's longer legs and better adult stamina, the man was quickly catching up with Shirou. "Huff… Huff… Damnit kid, why are you so insistent on going back there?! Your friend is a Herrscher now, a herald of the Honkai! She's chosen to kill Humanity instead of protecting it like Welt! She's a danger to everyone! I'm sorry, but she has to be taken care of NOW, before she gets more powerful!"

"I KNOW! The Honkai… is the Enemy of civilization, of Humanity! I recalled a memory… somehow… when I promised someone close to me to become a Protector of Humanity! I KNOW Sirin is now dangerous, that after she decides to kill all of Schicksal the Honkai will push her to kill the entire world! But… I've made a promise, both to Sirin and Bella! I promised Bella… that I'd take care of Sirin, that she wouldn't be left alone after her best friend—no, her sister, passed on! And I promised Sirin—to be her retainer, her Knight, in her pursuit of Justice against the Overseer for all the experiments he did on her village friends, causing their deaths! I wanted to be at her side, so that while she chased that goal, she wouldn't be alone, and so I could stop her from going too far. The Honkai… has corrupted her desire! She's changed, wanting Vengeance against the entire world! I have to convince her otherwise… or die trying!"

"Because what's the point of being a Protector of Humanity… when you can't protect the ones close to you first?!"

Siegfried slid to a halt, mind whirling at Shirou's words, marveling at this 12-year-old's conviction. "This kid… no, this Shirou… is willing to try and save his friend from the Honkai itself?! It's probably almost impossible, but he's not hesitating at all… just the fact that he immediately ran back when I told him we left the Second Herrscher behind proves to me he's serious about what he says. I would call him foolish… but he knows about the possibility of his own death… but charges on anyway… he's just like…"

"I don't care! My friend is in there! Get out of my way if you aren't helping!"

"Yes. I know getting killed is a possibility, but I'm a Kaslana. And Kaslanas never leave any friend in danger."

"You're like me, huh… Following a promise, an oath, you'll keep at any cost. I act as a Shield for the weak and innocent… and you want to be a Protector. Ha, I can't even call you suicidal… that'll just be calling my whole lineage out as hypocrites."

Siegfried called out to the redhead again, who had also taken the chance to catch his breath when the boy saw the Knight had stopped. "Hey, Shirou! You really think you can convince your friend… Sirin, right, to not kill all of Humanity? It sounds like both of you have a really big axe to grind with Schicksal, so I won't mention that right now. But you're going against the Honkai, something like an evil god that makes endless armies to destroy everything, and your friend is under its control. What makes you think she can even be saved?"

Shirou clenched his fist, emotions flaring. "I know… I'm powerless against her now… not even counting the Will of Honkai itself." Information from the history of a Previous Era Divine Key flowed, letting Shirou know just how vast the distance there was between a mere normal human and the threat of Honkai that spanned millennia. "I'm weak… just like how I wasn't able to protect Bella, I can't be certain that I can succeed… but I have to try, give my best effort, not lose my friend—the one I swore an oath to protect—to this Enemy of Humanity without a fight! I won't let her be manipulated and twisted under my watch! If she does decide to exterminate Humanity… It'll be because I failed, and was killed by her myself."

"So don't try and stop me, because—" At that precise moment, both males noticed something that they missed due to being occupied by their idealistic debate: the distant explosions had stopped, but there was still a sense of danger in the air. In fear for Welt and Sirin, they looked around frantically, before they spotted the SILVER BULLET descending in the distance, still far away enough that Siegfried and Shirou wouldn't be caught in the blast zone.

Nevertheless… the bomb detonated. A titanic cloud of fire, ash and smoke arose.

"WELT/SIRIN, NO!" two voices screamed.

'That thing might have killed Sirin, or Welt, or both… but it's not certain. If they survived, they'll be severely weakened… and one of them might actually kill the other. I can't let that happen!' both Shirou and Siegfried thought.

Unnoticed by both males, wisps of blue energy clung to Shirou's body, remnants of Sirin's Void energy attracted to the boy who had been at her side through her ascension and beyond.

'But I'm not strong enough… not fast enough… to get there in time, it's impossible to protect Sirin from anything with this… but I can't give up.' Another dream memory flashed in Shirou's mind, his own voice resonating again.

"…I'll protect humanity from all the evils of the world, never giving up, even if I stumble and fall along the way, because I can just pick myself back up!"

"I need something, anything, that can save/protect the one I care about!"

Unexpectedly, Shirou's vision returned to the barren plain obscured by dust—but this time… the boy was not alone in the 'land'.

Far away, a figure stood, wearing black armor of some kind and a red shroud. His features were blurred out, both by dust clouds and the distance between him and the boy. Shirou began to run towards him, moving both in his mindscape and the real world, not hearing the distant shouts of Siegfried left behind him. However, no matter how fast the redhead went, the boy could not close the distance.

An unknown voice Shirou had never heard in his memories yet rang out.

"Why do you seek power?"

"I want… to protect someone."

"Even if… that person is a danger to the world?"

"I made a promise, both to her and another. Even if I die in vain, trying to change her mind… I will have no regrets. I just need the strength to challenge her belief."

"Why do you insist on walking this path? You have no clue if she can even be reasoned with."

"She once pleaded to a god in front of me, for the power to pursue Justice for others, yet something evil has twisted her desire. I want to guide her back to her true path, even if others despise me for trying to protect a threat to the world, because I trust her. I know she can be better."

"This power does not belong to this world… that's hell you're walking into. Even so, do you still accept?"

"Yes. To protect the one close to me… that is all that matters."

"Hmph, even without your full memories… you're still a stubborn brat."

Slowly, the dust cleared, revealing a man with steel eyes and white hair, looking over his shoulder, back faced towards the boy trying to reach him.

"Well then… Can you keep up with me?"

Somewhere in the depths of Shirou's soul, something resurfaced at those words.

"It's not 'can you keep up with me'…"

As if something had changed in the land around them, the boy was suddenly able to close the distance between them.

"…it's YOU keep up with ME!"

With those words, Shirou finally reached the man where he stood… and ran right past him.

"Heh… I suppose some things stay the same."

The barren plain faded away again, returning the red-haired boy's vision to the snow, yet this time… Shirou uttered two words.

Trace. On.

In the boy's mind, an image of a sword unsheathed.

"Hurk…!"

It felt like fire and lightning coursing through his nerves, but Shirou persevered through the agony. Across his body, vibrant blue, circuit-like lines appeared, fading to light purple at the very ends.

Reinforcement

Between one moment and the next, the boy's speed suddenly increased, leaving Siegfried far behind in his wake.

"Hang on, Sirin. I'm coming to save you."