As he slowly opened his eyes, the first thing Shirou felt was the icy touch of concrete against his face. The intense cold gradually pulled him back to reality. Still numb, he stirred from his daze and struggled to sit up.
His thoughts were confused, but one question immediately forced its way into his mind: What had happened, and how long had he been unconscious?
The questions swirling in his head did not remain unanswered for long. As he tried to gather his thoughts, a voice from nowhere echoed in his mind once again, clear and mechanical.
[You have been unconscious for two hours.]
Shirou frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for the source of the voice. Yet despite his efforts, he found no visible origin. The voice did not seem to come from outside, but rather from within him, as if it were resonating directly inside his mind. That realization unsettled him even more, deepening his unease in the face of this strange situation.
As he desperately tried to understand, the voice sounded again, just as monotone and devoid of emotion as before:
[The reason for your loss of consciousness is the sudden awakening of your magical circuits.]
Shirou, still shaken by what he had just heard, felt a flicker of panic rising within him. Unable to contain his thoughts, he murmured aloud, almost instinctively:
"—Who are you?"
His voice trembled slightly, betraying his mixture of confusion and apprehension. But the answer he awaited did not come immediately, leaving an oppressive silence hanging in the air.
[In the absence of terms capable of defining me precisely according to your understanding, I am an artificial intelligence named Raphael.]
The words echoed through Shirou's mind, leaving him completely perplexed. An artificial intelligence? Why would such an entity be speaking inside his head?
Questions crowded his mind, yet none of them seemed to have answers. The situation was too strange, too incomprehensible for him to make sense of it.
However, it seemed his questions would soon find answers, as the voice echoed again inside his mind.
[You have been selected as the most suitable host. My sole purpose is to serve you to the best of my abilities, help you achieve your objectives, and ensure your survival for as long as possible.]
The voice's words resonated in Shirou's mind, heavy with meaning. Each sentence seemed to mark him deeply, intensifying the mystery surrounding this entity that presented itself as a tool at his service, ready to assist him without condition. Yet one question persisted: why him, and why now?
[I am not authorized to disclose the reasons for this selection, and you are also not authorized to reveal my existence to anyone.]
These words left Shirou in an even deeper state of confusion. The reason he had been chosen was kept secret. Why him, among so many others? There was nothing special about him.
[The fact that you are someone special was not part of the selection criteria. The only major condition was to find someone who needed my abilities and was compatible, with no chance of rejection.]
"What would happen if I told someone about your existence?"
[Any attempt to speak about my existence will result in your body entering automatic mode, preventing you from revealing any information.]
Shirou grabbed his head with both hands, trying to push away the flood of thoughts overwhelming him. That meant it could even take control of his body.
He had never asked to become the "host" of such a thing. Nothing in his past life—or in this new existence—had prepared him for something like this. He couldn't tell anyone about it. And even if he could, he would probably end up captured, dissected, studied by ruthless mages eager to uncover the secrets he carried within him.
Yet he had to face the truth: he had no choice but to accept the inexplicable. Refusing this reality would only lead to his downfall. But one thing was certain—he was not ready to let himself be dominated without resistance.
[Please be reassured: automatic mode is only used in cases of extreme emergency. I have no interest in controlling your body outside the scope of your protection.]
"And now?" Shirou murmured, his voice filled with uncertainty. "What do you expect from me?"
[I expect nothing in particular from you. You are free to make your own decisions. However, my role is to guide you in the use of my abilities in order to help you achieve your objectives and meet your needs, such as answering your questions and expanding your possibilities. I may also take certain initiatives if necessary.]
Lost in his thoughts, Shirou finally asked another question that had been lingering on his lips:
"And… what did you say your name was again?"
[Raphael.]
The voice replied simply, as if the name held no particular importance.
"So… what exactly can you do for me?"
He still had trouble understanding the extent of what Raphael could truly do.
[I have several functions that you will be able to learn to use with time and training. Currently, I can teach you the basics of magecraft and guide you in honing your abilities in the most optimal way.]
Raphael's words echoed in Shirou's mind, awakening within him a mixture of intrigue and hope. Teach him magecraft… He had just discovered that he now possessed magical circuits. Perhaps this time he could learn magecraft properly, without the risks of the methods he had used before. The idea that he might finally master this discipline made him hope that all of this was not just some illusion.
Shirou, determination shining in his eyes, took a deep breath before asking the question that had been on his mind.
"Alright then… could you teach me the basics?"
He had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away, especially after everything he had just discovered. The chance to finally learn magecraft correctly filled him with renewed energy.
[Very well. I will begin by transferring the technical basics of magecraft directly into your brain.]
In an instant, a continuous stream of information surged through Shirou's mind, freezing him in place. His brain processed each piece of data one after another with remarkable efficiency, absorbing everything Raphael transmitted with a focus he had never known before. Information he should never have been able to understand without studying for countless hours suddenly became perfectly clear, engraved directly into his cerebral cortex.
What he had just learned went far beyond anything he had ever heard before. Kiritsugu had taught him a few basic notions of magecraft, but they now seemed incomplete compared to what he was discovering. Never had Kiritsugu gone into such depth—and yet, despite the apparent complexity, everything remained perfectly understandable.
The contrast between their approaches was striking. Kiritsugu treated magecraft as a strictly pragmatic tool, barely sufficient to accomplish his work. Raphael, on the other hand, presented it in a radically different light—not merely as a means, but as an art in its own right, structured, developed, almost fascinating.
And deep within himself, Shirou felt something he had not experienced in a long time. It was not exactly joy—rather a new impulse, a sudden and irresistible desire to learn more, to fully understand the world that was now opening before him.
Once the torrent of information finally stopped, Shirou remained stunned, unsure how to react. In just a few moments, he had received an amount of information that a young mage would normally take years to absorb, just to understand the basics. In a matter of seconds, he had learned more than in all the lessons Kiritsugu had ever given him.
However, the backlash quickly caught up with him. A violent migraine shot through his head, and he instinctively grabbed his skull, as if trying to contain the pain.
A few seconds later, it inexplicably subsided.
[This is another one of my functions. I have caused your body to release endorphins to compensate for the pain. I have a certain level of control over your body's functions, allowing accelerated healing and optimization of your natural physical capabilities within the limits of the human body.]
[The assimilation of all the information you have received will still take some time. However, once the process is complete, it will be fully integrated like any other knowledge, and you will be able to access it simply by thinking about it—as naturally as breathing.]
"I see… So you're the one responsible for my recent growth spurt?"
[Yes. I have optimized your physical potential to the maximum possible level, so that in the future you will be able to develop abilities far superior to those of ordinary humans. This potential will reveal itself gradually as you grow, until you reach full maturity.]
Shirou took a deep breath before asking another question.
"So… these magical circuits… I have them now, right?"
Raphael answered immediately, his tone calm and analytical as always.
[Originally, you were born with thirty magical circuits, a number slightly above average. However, the quality of each circuit was relatively ordinary. Following my fusion with you, I have fully optimized their structure, composition, and efficiency, maximizing your potential as a mage. You now possess thirty high-quality magical circuits comparable to those of established mage families. In terms of magical energy production, output, and circuit rank, you have nothing to envy from prestigious bloodlines—except perhaps the oldest families or rare genetic anomalies.]
Shirou was left speechless upon hearing Raphael's answer. Thirty magical circuits?
This revelation far exceeded his expectations. Until now, he had never believed he could rival mages from the great families—those who spent generations perfecting their art. He had always considered his own potential limited. Even Kiritsugu had never allowed him to hope for more.
But now, everything had changed.
"Thirty circuits…" he repeated, almost in a whisper, as if to make sure he had heard correctly. "That's huge… But does that mean I can now use spells without any risks?"
[The quantity and quality of your magical circuits provide great versatility and an extensive mastery of magecraft. This directly influences the maximum rank of spells you can use, as well as their range and the number of times you can execute them before your circuits begin to overheat.]
[However, this does not mean you are capable of casting any spell. A mage's talent is not defined solely by their magical circuits. Your elemental alignment and your origin also play a crucial role, restricting your field of mastery to spells corresponding to those specific affinities.]
[I also recommend caution. Although your capabilities have been greatly increased, improper use could cause injury or lead to a circuit overload—or death in the worst-case scenario.]
Shirou nodded, absorbing the warning. Even with all this potential power, he still had to learn how to control it.
Shirou took a deep breath, processing all the information. But one question kept bothering him—one he had not yet asked.
"Raphael… can you tell me what my elemental alignment and my origin are?"
Raphael's voice echoed once again in his mind, calm and factual.
[Your elemental alignment is Sword, and your origin is also "Sword." This is an exceptionally rare—perhaps even unique—element, far more singular than the ether of the five traditional elements or even Imaginary Numbers. However, this specificity also comes with a significant weakness. The repertoire of spells you can cast with precision is drastically limited, because no mage before you has ever developed spells specifically tied to this element. This will require you to design your own spells.]
[Furthermore, since your origin and element are identical and strongly expressed outwardly, you will be incapable of showing talent in magecraft disciplines unrelated to your element. However, this same uniqueness makes you an extreme specialist, capable of reaching levels that normal mages cannot even imagine within your domain.]
Shirou remained motionless, struck by the revelation.
Sword…
His affinity and origin were tied to that element. He had never imagined such a thing. Yet the image of himself wielding a sword like a hero or a knight suddenly appeared in his mind. For a brief moment, he wondered—slightly amused—whether he would look "cool" with a sword in his hand.
However, he immediately shook the image from his head, his face turning red with embarrassment as he realized he had just imagined himself in such a heroic role.
"So… what kind of spell could I start learning? Do you know any?" Shirou asked.
By now, he had already accepted his situation. The mere fact that he could practice magecraft was more than enough for him. It didn't matter if he didn't have access to most spells. Even if he could only use a single one, he would still train with it as much as possible.