Chapter 2: The Power of the Heroic Spirit
The blurred consciousness gradually became clear, and Shirou once again felt the existence of his body.
"Ugh..."
Opening his eyes, the dim room illuminated by moonlight and the gray-white ceiling came into view.
Shirou found himself still lying in bed, covered by the familiar blanket.
Fragments of his memory right before his death flashed through his mind, instantly dispelling all sleepiness.
Shirou sat up from the bed and then glanced at the calendar.
It was confirmed: he had returned to one week ago.
Shirou got out of bed, walked out of the room, and entered the bathroom.
He turned on the faucet at the sink, cupped the transparent, colorless water, and splashed it onto his face.
The stinging coldness made Shirou calm.
"The Holy Grail War, huh..."
It must have been because he had entered a brand new world line that Shirou's memory of his previous deaths was crystal clear this time.
"If the Holy Grail War has already begun, no matter how much I try to escape, I will ultimately face destruction when the Evil of the World descends."
Heroic Spirit summoning, the Holy Grail War, All the World's Evil... Shirou connected all the related events.
"Should I run away?"
However, when this thought arose in his heart, Shirou always had a premonition.
No matter how he tried to escape, all of this would likely come crashing down on him like the wheels of fate.
A strong sense of urgency struck, causing Shirou's heart to race and his body to tense up.
Shirou, who was concentrating fully on thinking of countermeasures, suddenly felt himself being embraced.
A warm and familiar feeling enveloped his body, and soft red hair fell onto his cheek.
"Shirou, you seem very nervous. Has something happened?"
His mother's gentle voice entered his ears, instantly relaxing Shirou's tense body and mind.
Suddenly, Shirou understood the reason why the him in those memory fragments had to repeat the same path, dying countless times.
It was right next to him, wasn't it?
Looking at the two similar faces reflected in the mirror embedded in the wall above the sink, Shirou's eyes trembled slightly.
An inexplicable yearning ignited in his heart.
Unconsciously, his mouth opened and words came out.
"I... I want to become a Hero of Justice."
Hearing the sudden utterance from Shirou, Mrs. Orihara was stunned for a moment, then let out a light laugh and stroked her child's head.
"Silly boy, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Mrs. Orihara simply assumed her child was being confused, and after cuddling him for a little while longer, she returned to her own bedroom.
Shirou, meanwhile, returned to his room, and in the privacy of his own space, he calmly spoke.
"System, is this still the original world line?"
[The world line has been reset.]
He received this answer.
Previously, various death memories had also flashed through Shirou's mind from time to time.
And the last death was likely a world line that had never been activated in any of the previous memories.
Now, with the last death, the world line had been reset, and everything started over.
"What should I do..."
Shirou pondered, resting his chin on his hand.
Suddenly, the system's voice came through.
[You have gained one opportunity to open the Dimensional Roulette. Do you wish to use it?]
"Dimensional Roulette? What is that?"
Shirou asked, feeling a little confused.
[Through the Dimensional Roulette, you can randomly obtain an ability, bloodline, or item...]
[Complete the main quest 'Win the Holy Grail War' to gain another opportunity to open the Dimensional Roulette.]
Shirou's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this.
"Is that so... Then, open it!"
Following Shirou's words, the familiar semi-transparent panel reappeared before his eyes.
A roulette wheel was displayed on the panel, showing abilities, items, and bloodlines from various worlds.
"Come on, let's see what you can bring me..."
As Shirou murmured this, the continuously spinning roulette was reflected in his eyes.
[You have obtained: Blank Class Card!]
"This is...?"
Shirou, slightly confused, clicked on the item description.
[Blank Class Card: Capable of connecting to the Throne of Heroes to acquire the power of a compatible Heroic Spirit.]
"I see... although the description is a bit vague, won't I know if I just try it?"
There was no turning back.
With a thought, a card appeared in Shirou's hand.
The card had a golden luster, with a special pattern on the back that resembled a cloaked mage, while the front was completely blank, without any design.
"Connect..."
Shirou's voice transcended the limitations of time and space, turning into an invisible thread that established a connection between him and the Throne of Heroes.
An unprecedented experience, like his soul leaving his body, as countless images appeared before Shirou's eyes.
The figures of various Heroic Spirits flashed before him, but none were willing to establish a connection with him.
However, there was one exception among them.
It was a blurry, red figure.
His voice appeared right by Shirou's ear.
"It would be you... How incredible..."
The person's voice instantly created a sense of familiarity for Shirou just by hearing it.
This was the Heroic Spirit EMIYA from a future timeline.
"Then... if I pass this power on to you, what do you intend to do?"
"Protect!"
Hearing the question, Shirou answered without hesitation.
"I want to become a Hero of Justice who protects his family!"
The word "family" made the voice from the Throne of Heroes abruptly pause.
After a brief moment of silence, a burst of wild laughter erupted.
His words were mixed with this seemingly self-mocking laughter.
"If you can truly change all of this, if you can protect all of this... Then take it! Take all of it!"
Instantly----
The Heroic Spirit's power passed through the invisible "thread" and transferred onto Shirou.
Blue magical energy rampaged across his body like lightning.
The dim room flickered with light, alternating between bright and dark.
The magical energy surged at an unimaginable speed, and the dormant Magic Circuits within Shirou's body continuously opened.
1 circuit...
2 circuits...
10 circuits...
17 circuits...
27 circuits...
The pain, like being electrocuted in his blood vessels, made him clench his jaw.
In his nearly blurred consciousness, Shirou experienced a hallucination.
It was a boundless wasteland.
Countless swords were thrust into the endless wilderness. The gentle breeze that blew stirred Shirou's red hair, yet no dust flew up because of it.
The clouds in the sky continuously shifted, as if time was rapidly passing. The orange sunlight illuminated the obscuring clouds, making them translucent, and light particles seemed to float within the beams of light that pierced through the clouds.
Standing in this world, Shirou felt incredibly warm and comfortable, serene and relaxed, as if immersed in a hot spring.
The hallucination did not last long. As his consciousness gradually returned, the wasteland slowly disappeared, returning to the scene of the dim and silent room.
At the same time, the Blank Class Card clutched in Shirou's hand had already dissolved into golden fragments, dissipating in his grip.
Once everything subsided into silence, Orihara Shirou's seven-year-old body had miraculously acquired the power of the Heroic Spirit.