The world fractured. The rain turned to sparks. For the first time, the fake surpassed the real, not through power, but through the sheer, stubborn will to keep one person safe.
The shift in the music of his soul was violent. The existential dread of "Why I Fight" sharpened into a singular, lethal intent.
Defeat Him. Not because he is evil. Not because he is a tyrant. But because he is the obstacle between her and a tomorrow she deserves.
He wasn't fighting to win. He was fighting to prove that a heart made of glass could still cut like steel if it was tempered by a selfless wish.
He stared at his hands. They were shaking, not from fear, but from the sheer weight of the projection . His circuit burned like molten lead. Why did he do it? Why reach for a sword when every fiber of his being screamed for him to run?
Shirou stepped forward. He didn't look back at Saber, but he felt her presence like a sun at his back. He didn't need to be a hero of justice to save the world. He just needed to be a boy with a sword who refused to let one person suffer. "Trace... on."
The rain in Fuyuki doesn’t just fall; it drowns the memories of the living.