Ahead, the silhouette of the church rose like a question. Shirou squared his shoulders. The night wasn’t done deciding their fates. Neither was he.
Heaven’s shadow crawled across the city, not in the form of angels or miracles, but in whispered bargains and the glitter of a power that promised to protect at a cost no heart could willingly pay. Sakura’s name hovered at the edge of his thoughts like a promise and a threat. He pictured her smile, the fragility behind it, and felt the old, stubborn need to fix what the world had broken. Ahead, the silhouette of the church rose like a question
He turned, pushing away from the light. The rain would wash the tracks away, but not the memory. Choices remained, as sharp as blades hidden in velvet. He would step back into the fray—not for glory, but because there were people who could not stand alone. Even if salvation meant walking through fire. Neither was he