The heat struck his entire body the moment he stepped forward. His face. His arms. His lungs. Not just heat. It was like a storm of flames mixed with magical power crawling across his skin. Inside Chaldea's magical furnace—the ceiling and walls glowed red, and the metal floor beneath his feet looked like molten lava. His vision blurred. (Is it really this bad?) He looked ahead. Just a few more meters to the reactor core installation point. But his legs felt heavy. The golden protective charm Gilbert had given him was growing warm. It was absorbing the magical power, deflecting the heat. Another crack sounded. *Crack.* One of the protective charms fell to the floor. The metallic clang echoed unnaturally loud through the furnace's roar. (Stay calm. Stay calm. Just a little further.) One step. Another step. His knees were trembling. His pouch caught on something—ah, all his tools scattered across the floor. Worst timing possible. He mentally complained to himself. No time to pick them up. Another protective charm shattered. His feet stopped. He dropped to his knees. His vision was turning white. He couldn't stand. His body wouldn't obey. The reactor core was less than two meters away. But— That's when it happened. The back of his right hand grew hot. Not a Command Spell. Something deeper. That sensation connecting Master and Servant. Slowly, gradually, someone's magical power flowed into him. A voice reached him. "[cold]Stand, Master. I permit it." An arrogant voice. But it had strength. "[serious]Show some backbone. Don't be scared." Rough. But warm. "[gentle]The future is something you create. Probably." Carefree. But certain. It wasn't just them. Other voices mixed in. Dozens of Servants he didn't even know the names of—their magical power flowed through the Command Spells. It felt like all of Chaldea was pushing toward this single point. His body moved. Ritsuka stood up. He shoved his left hand into his pocket. That fragment—the blue stone shard he'd picked up in front of Chaldeas at the beginning. A piece of the old reactor core. That's why Marcelius had asked to see it, checking Ritsuka's pocket. He'd known that by setting it together with the new core, it would function completely. With trembling hands, he gripped the new reactor core and the blue fragment. He walked the last two meters. The depression at the center of the furnace was right in front of him. "—Here I go." He said it to no one in particular. To everyone. He pushed both hands down. A heavy sensation. The next instant— *BOOOOOM!!!* Blue lightning tore across the entire furnace. Light, light, light. So bright his eyes nearly burned. The roar shook the walls. And—the furnace began to hum. The hum grew lower, deeper, more stable. Chaldea's magical furnace restarted. He could see light returning to the entire facility. The hallway lights. The cafeteria lights. Power returned to every section. Chaldeas—*flicker, flicker*—blinked. Then slowly, gently, it regained its blue glow. (Good.) That was all he thought before the pressure inside the furnace released all at once. —*Whoosh!!!* Ritsuka's body was blown toward the work area. Toward the wall. "[cold]No, this way!!" Gilbert ran. His golden hair streaming behind him, at full speed. Just barely, he caught Ritsuka in both arms. With that momentum, he collided with Maurice. *Crash!!* "[angry]Ow! What the hell!!" "[angry]I went to the trouble of running, and you blocked my way!!" "I was just standing here!!" Marcelius had simply dodged to the side. Standing there with a composed expression. "[gentle]...You two really get along." "We do not!!" Gilbert and Maurice harmonized perfectly. In the middle of the three tangled figures, Ritsuka's strength gave out. He crouched down limply. "[crying]...Thank you." Gilbert glanced at Ritsuka. "[sarcastic]Heavy." "[angry]I'm stuck in here too!!" "[gentle]Glad it worked out." Laughter erupted. In the middle of it, a tear rolled down Ritsuka's cheek. He couldn't hold it back at all. The three of them went quiet for a moment. Gilbert turned toward the wall ahead. "[cold]...Don't cry. It's unsightly." But his hand stayed on Ritsuka's back, never leaving. Ritsuka said nothing in response. He just looked at Gilbert for a moment. --- Sunday night. The cafeteria was bright for the first time in a while. The cafeteria—that spacious dining hall in the east wing of the facility's first floor—had several long tables lined up. It was the first night since power had been restored. The lights were on at full brightness. Just that made such a difference, Ritsuka thought. Emiya—a Servant of the Archer class who ran Chaldea's kitchen single-handedly—had been moving constantly in the kitchen. Dishes appeared on the tables one after another. Soup, meat, baked bread, plates of colorful vegetables. The aroma spread throughout the cafeteria. Gilbert pulled a bottle from his treasury space. Deep purple liquid filled it. "[cold]Among my collection, this is something special. I bring it out for today." "What's that, looks like wine?" "[cold]Grape juice." "Not wine?" "[cold]There is no room for cheap alcohol in my treasury. This is made by ancient methods—the finest—" Maurice lifted his chair. For some reason, he lifted his chair. "[excited]Cheers!!" "[surprised]Why are you holding a chair?" "Oh." Maurice put the chair down. His face was red. He'd gotten too excited. Marcelius picked up a glass and said casually. "[gentle]When's the next day off?" "[serious]You're asking that now?" "[gentle]But I'm curious. This grape juice is delicious, and I want to drink it leisurely." The cafeteria filled with laughter. Servants raised their glasses, shared their thoughts on the food, argued about something, and laughed again. The dining table on the night power returned was loud and warm. Ritsuka sat in his usual seat and looked around. It was the same seat from the first night he'd sat here. That night, Chaldeas had been red, no one had noticed, and only Ritsuka had carried the anxiety. Now it was different. Chaldeas was blue. Three people sat beside him. The cafeteria was bright. Holding back tears, Ritsuka smiled. --- When the meal ended and the cafeteria began to be cleaned up, Ritsuka suddenly noticed something. Marcelius was gone. The door leading to the fourth-floor observation corridor—the glass-walled passage along the facility's outer perimeter—was slightly open. When he went to check, Marcelius was standing alone in front of the window. His silver-white hair swayed slightly in the facility's air conditioning. The blue mask on his chin was in its usual position. But his face was different. Not that carefree expression he always wore. His eyes were serious, watching the blizzard outside the window. "[gentle]Marcelius." Marcelius didn't take his eyes off the window. "[serious]Ritsuka." A different tone than usual. Ritsuka stood beside him. Through the glass, the Himalayan blizzard was visible. Pure white darkness. "[serious]The reactor output drop this time—it might not have been a natural failure." Something cold crawled up Ritsuka's spine. "[serious]What do you mean?" "[serious]The pattern was unnatural. The pathway the output dropped through, the timing. There are parts that can't be explained by coincidence. Someone—might have caused it intentionally." Ritsuka opened his mouth, then closed it. "[serious]And." Marcelius paused slightly. "[serious]The Sheba—the future observation lens—picked up a noise for just a moment. A shadow of a new singularity. The next storm is already coming." The blizzard struck the window glass. Their faces reflected thinly in the window. Ritsuka's black hair and Marcelius's silver-white hair stood side by side in the glass. Ritsuka clenched his fist slightly. Marcelius finally looked away from the window. "[gentle]...Well, we'll manage somehow. Probably." His usual light tone. But his left eye—the purple odd eye—wasn't smiling. Ritsuka looked out at the blizzard. He couldn't see anything in the snow. But he looked in the same direction Marcelius had been looking. He knew he wasn't alone this time. But there was an unseen enemy. Somewhere. Someone was reaching into Chaldea from the inside. Ritsuka clenched his fist again. The blizzard continued.