It was raining, the clouds a dull grey with arcs of lightning writhing from within.

Like hail, pin-sized droplets of water fell endlessly to the ground, making pitter patter sounds that added to the dreariness of the area. Large puddles formed, rippling with each strike of the rain.

A foot stepped into this puddle, reflecting the image of a desolate looking youth appalled at the site before him. He was in tatters, brown rags that were barely enough to just cover his waist that was too slim for a child of his tender age.

His striking bronze coloured eyes remained unblinking, his damp red hair matted over his forehead.

What lay before him was a ghost town.

Buildings were half destroyed, segments of the walls nowhere to be seen. Bits and pieces of rubble were scattered throughout the streets, thick moss clumps beginning to work their way across the entire town. It was if nature was trying to reclaim that in which man had made.

The youth pursed his lips, his eyes blinking before his body hauled itself forward, one step at a time. Arriving at the heart of the empty street, the youth began looking through the buildings on either side of the road. The youth moved rocks and pieces of broken furniture, rummaging through the homes before finally stumbling upon a rare find.

It was a loaf of molding bread, hardened from its time spent after baking.

Hurriedly dropping to his knees, the youth scarfed the food down while forcibly keeping himself from retching it back out.

Once finished, the youth wiped his mouth clean with a dirty hand before sighing.

What is this place?

Shirou Emiya closed his eyes to think now that his stomach at least had something in it.

He'd been wandering within this land of endless rain for the past week, and still he had no idea how he had gotten here. The last memory he could remember was running away within his school, Homurahara Academy.

Only,

In the end, he had been run through by a red spear before passing out to wherever here was.

He could hardly understand his situation, but at least he wasn't panicking. Kiritsugu had taught him well enough for him to know that panicking doesn't lead to any good results. Instead, he had to think his actions through, starting with why he was brought to wherever here is. And the answer to that was known to him on day one.

He opened his eyes and shifted his gaze up towards the text he could see just off the edge of his vision.

[Main Quest: Become a Legend, an Undefeatable Hero.]

[Time limit: Twenty Years.]

[Failure: Death.]

Honestly, it was like he was in some sort of dream he couldn't wake up from. The rain, and the weakness of his body only made things worse, but then again, it let him know that he was still alive. Compared to how his body was at the beginning, near death's doors, he had recovered through his will alone.

Now scavenging for anything to help give himself more strength, his wandering had him move from destroyed town to destroyed town; a sense of shock taking root from within him as he discovered just how many people must have been killed to reduce so many towns into hollow shells. It was why his sense of appalment only grew day after day. Where were the people protecting the towns? Where was justice?

Just from what he had seen in the past few days, he could deduce that the area he was in wasn't safe with the remains of violent outbreaks everywhere. But at least he wasn't completely defenceless.

[Magic Circuits (27): Damaged.]

[Output reduced to 5%]

He was at a loss when he first saw such a thing, but he could do nothing about it as he still wasn't proficient in his knowledge of what magic circuits were. All he knew was that they were required to enact a Magus's mysteries from Kiritsugu's teachings. Yet, beside the notification of magic circuits was something else.

[False Magic Circuits: Active Skill.]

[A fool's method to a dance with death, yet danger breeds greater gains: 1.0% of body's nerves converted into makeshift magic circuits.]

If he closed his eyes, he could see distinct portions within his body which emitted a dull glow. On top of the radiant twenty-seven, numerous others filled his body, yet their luster was a dull grey compared to those twenty-seven. From each glow, he could feel power running through his veins, prana by what Kiritsugu had called it, yet he didn't know how to use it yet.

Off to the side of the notifications of the magic circuits, were the three main points of his interest.

[Reinforcement: Active Skill.]

[Reinforces body, and any material the user wills.]

[Miracle after miracle of surviving the conversion of nerves to magic circuits has allowed the user the ability to fully grasp the capabilities of the user's body: Able to use the exact amount of prana necessary to drastically improve physical capabilities. Efficiency correlated to constitution.]

It was this first skill that allowed him to move his weakened body when he had woken up in this place, but it was the second skill that let him scavenge for food to restore his strength.

[Structural Grasping: Passive Skill.]

[Allows user to understand the structure and design of objects: Viewed like a blueprint.]

He couldn't describe how useful this had been for him to search through the rubble. Yet his proficiency with it was due to his own efforts. Even before finding himself where he was now, he had already been practicing this skill day in and day out. It was natural then that it came naturally to him.

The last skill though was a mystery to him, though it had definitely helped him.

[Minor Chakra: Passive Skill.]

[Affinities: Unavailable.]

He wasn't sure what Chakra was, but he knew that it circulated within a different system in his body; strengthening it and allowing it to accomplish feats unimaginable for someone of his age. Coupled with Reinforcement, anyone would have had been shocked to see a malnourished and bone-thin child lifting up heavy stones with a single hand.

But that was beside the point. These skills should allow him to deal with any other individual barehanded, but it would be tricky if they were armed.

Luckily, he hadn't run into anyone like that yet.

In fact, in this past week, he had been entirely alone. Looking at the state of this town, it didn't seem like his solitude would be changing anytime soon. Instead, all he could foresee before him was a long and arduous road. He couldn't even think about how he was going to become a legend to prevent himself from dying twenty years later over getting his next meal instead.

He smiled ruefully. If there was a river, at least he could fish, but there wasn't any nearby, and the rest of the land was barren. All he could do now was travel.

And it was because of this action that led him to the next town over.

There, it came off as a bit of a surprise when he noticed something buried beneath the rubble, a child. She wasn't moving, and her skin was a sickly pale colour that stood in contrast with her blue hair. Her eyes were pursed shut, and her lips were quivering from the cold. Even from where he was standing, her panting was obvious; small puffs of vapour escaping from her mouth, the rest of her body covered in torn rags.

His body acted before he even knew it, but from the lack of reaction from his approach, he knew that she had passed out long ago. He cleared the rubble around her, freeing her. Yet this act caused a new development to fall over him. Almost by instinct, the child's arms wrapped around his person, seeking the warmth emitted from his body.

He didn't resist. Instead, hoisting her up onto his back as he began looking for a shelter away from the rain.

He found one eventually, in a house that was just barely holding itself up.

Scavenging around, he found remnants of torn fabric, and used them to cover the girl. Yet a look of distress soon appeared on the girl's expression, a redness in her cheeks that denoted the presence of a fever.

He placed a hand on the bridge of his nose in thought.

The girl had to eat something otherwise she may potentially die, yet there was nothing in the area. Nothing to hunt, and nothing to scavenge. He had already verified this point from the moment his eyes scanned the surroundings.

He didn't have any food on his person either, making him hard pressed to find a solution. But, sometimes good deeds are rewarded.

[User has completed an Act of Kindness: Searching for item most suitable for occasion.]

There was a sort of ringing sound in his head before a bout of dizziness nearly caused him to stumble. However, he regained himself at the last moment.

[Samsara Technique of Life and Death.]

[Error.]

[Required Reputation not met.]

[Troubleshooting.]

[User awarded with special first time reward: Comprehension of Basic Iryō Ninjutsu.]

All of a sudden, knowledge that he didn't have before flooded into his brain, and caused him to shout out in pain. However, when that pain ceased, it was if his understanding of chakra had taken a whole new perspective in regards to its use in healing and other miscellaneous things.

He shook his head to orient himself. He already understood what he had to do.

A green glow hovered over his hands as he knelt beside the girl and directed all of his attention towards her.

Medical Ninjutsu, or Iryō Ninjutsu was the chakra art of healing others, requiring extensive knowledge on herbs, medicines, the human body, and even poisons. Yet that information that would take others an eternity to comprehend was all stored in his mind. He knew exactly what he had to do, and he only became surer of himself when structural analysis not only verified everything, but added on to his knowledge.

It was as if he was staring at a blueprint with the instructions on how to build it already in his mind. Unlike other practitioners of Iryō Ninjutsu, he could instantly verify what it was that was causing the damage and could counter it. If others knew of this, they would be far more than just shocked, but it was only natural because of the active skill of Structural Grasping. As expected, the problem was found instantly.

In this case, it was an infection caused by a wound on the girl's left leg.

Focusing on that point alone, he was quick to deal with the problem by extracting the harmful microbes. He then went on to mend the rest of the injuries on the girl until the distress on her face faded away into a calm tranquil state.

He sighed in relief at this point. Without the fever, he was confident that he would have enough time to scavenge for some food to feed the girl in the other towns over.

[Basic Iryō Ninjutsu upgraded to Advanced Iryō Ninjutsu upon coupling with Structural Grasping: Efficiency now based on competency and understanding of user.]

A bout of dizziness once again struck him, but this time he was prepared for it, only wincing as a result. Thereafter, a buzzing could be heard in his head.

[Congratulations on completing an Act of Kindness.]

[Reputation: + 1.]

Stabilizing himself, he didn't distract himself any further with the notifications; instead, making haste to find something to eat for the girl.

With the rain pouring over his face, he washed away the sweat that had accumulated over his brow before returning to the little shelter he had left the girl in. In his hands, he was carrying a handful of scavenged food. Most were molded and black, but he managed to obtain a rare find within the bunch. Four ripe fruit.

He himself contemplated eating them, but when he considered that the girl probably needed them more, he held himself back.

Once he arrived and entered the small shelter, the acute sound of hitched breathing could be heard, drawing his attention towards the girl who had already woken up.

She had the rolls of fabric he had found covered around her, and was currently scurrying away into a corner of the room. The blue-hair framing her face was now cleanly swept and parted at the center of her forehead. It was only now that he realized just how pretty she looked, but he quickly rid himself of such thoughts. Focusing on her alone and the way her eyes spoke of her caution; yet it was clear that they also contained bewilderment which was understandable. He would be the same if he woke up to find all his injuries healed and himself relocated.

"Here," he said tentatively, laying the four fruit he found on the ground just within reach of the girl who stared at them fixedly. A low growl soon echoed within the room, but the girl hardly even noticed the sound coming from her own stomach.

She seemed to question him with her gaze, but when he only nodded, the four-fruit seemed to just vanish as they were snatched away.

"Careful, you'll choke," he spoke up in warning, watching how ravenously the girl was eating.

Bits and pieces of the fruit stuck to her cheeks, the juices trailing to her chin before dripping to the ground. However, the girl hardly cared as she bit continuously into the fruits, an audible crunch with every bite.

He smiled wryly at the scene, but didn't say anything more before turning to walk away.

He didn't want to risk approaching her lest he scare her, thus he found his own corner of the room and sat down, gnawing on the rest of the food he had found.

Eventually, when the girl finished eating, she once again stared at him blankly, questioningly. He didn't answer right away as he noticed that the girl's attention was still mainly focused on the rest of the food he had brought. He wouldn't fault her though. It was hard to find food, but unlike himself, the girl didn't have a skill to actively search. Thus, he wordlessly placed the rest of the food he had found into his hands.

Skillfully, he separated the molded parts from the more appetizing parts, before placing those appetizing parts in front of the girl.

"Ah?"

The girl let out a surprised gasp before tentatively reaching out for the offered food, her gaze shifting on him from time to time.

He acted as if he didn't notice, biting into the molded food he had saved for himself without retching.

Once the sound of crunching once again echoed within the room, he knew that the girl had already lost her reservations and had begun eating again.

Once the sounds of eating stopped, the room became quiet, the pitter patter of the rain outside the only noise.

Staring at each other, things became awkward when his own stomach began to growl.

"It's alright, I'm fine," he immediately said when he noticed the guilt beginning to appear on the kid's face. "I can always find more."

The girl eventually nodded, but didn't say much else other than her name was Konan. She wasn't a mute, but he knew that it was probably hard to trust anyone with the environment they were in. He hadn't yet to see who it was that was reducing these towns into barren lands, but he didn't have too to know that Konan did. The fact that she probably stayed in this place longer than a week was enough of an indication, yet what was more relevant was that she was a resident of the area. Thus, meaning that one of these towns nearby was probably hers.

An hour passed in silence before he got up from his spot in the corner and began heading out. He couldn't stay here forever, not when there was no food to be had after his last venture into the other destroyed towns.

What was unexpected though, was that Konan wordlessly stood up to follow him without his prompting.

At least it was for the best as he could hardly leave her alone with nothing to keep herself alive.

Walking aimlessly, himself at the front and Konan ten-feet back, they eventually wandered into a town that was less damaged than the rest. Just the fact that the buildings weren't all completely destroyed was an improvement.

While there, Konan's expression shifted for the first time from that blank gaze that was present on her face. After all, she couldn't help but react when she saw him lift a boulder ten times his size with his bare-hands. Even more astonishing was his rate of scavenging food. Because it seemed as if her knew exactly where the food was. But then again, that's because he did. All he needed to do was put in some work to obtain it.

In this case, he was in luck. He found a long loaf of stale black bread with just a bit of mold over the top.

Grabbing it into his two hands, he smiled while waving it in front of Konan to show his find. As he was about to split it between himself and Konan, however, he froze when he heard the sound of voices.

His first instinct was to walk towards the sound, but he was immediately pulled by Konan to hide behind the rubble in the surrounding vicinity.

Moments later, a group of men wearing mismatched attire consisting of animal fur and stitched wool appeared passing through. At the center of the group, there was a cart carrying barrels of food and drink. All of these men were armed with weapons, like axes, swords, and daggers. Scars were apparent on a few of them, and the way they walked was telling.

It was even more so when Konan's face paled considerably as she huddled in on herself to make herself appear smaller.

"Bandits," she whispered lowly. "I saw them once when they were stealing the food from the other villagers."

Hearing what Konan said, his eyes narrowed dangerously. As hard as it was to find food already, there were still those who would steal it away. Just from the amount of food he could see in that carriage already, just how many people did these bandits leave starving to death?

Anger welled up from within him, and when this emotion reached a boiling point, a line of text appeared before him.

[Tracing: Active Skill.]

[Allows for creation of any weapon the user has ever seen along with its history.]

With the use of Structural Grasping, the weapons in the bandit's hand instantly copied into his mind; even the way each individual bandit fought with them was now known to him.

He clenched his fists as the urge to strike out at them compelled him forward. However, he didn't want to kill them either unless he was forced to. He had never killed before, but he knew that it would have to be necessary at times, yet this wasn't one of those times. Staring at those bandits, he absolutely could not tolerate their behaviour.

It was then that he realized that the long loaf of black bread was still in his hands, finger marks etched into it because of his grip.

He stared at it, long and hard under Konan's scrutiny before coming to a decision.

"Trace, on."

He could feel his prana, and even a small portion of his chakra travel into the long loaf of black bread, hardening it. At this point, it was harder than a rock, perhaps even more so.

It would do.

Moving forward, he pulled himself free from Konan's hold and directly appeared in front of the bandits.

Roars of laughter echoed out as the bandits quickly deduced his intentions.

"Kid, you have no idea what you're getting into," one spoke.

"Ya don't even look like you've weaned from yer mother's milk. And what's that in yer hand? Your 'sword?'"

This bandit was clearly referring to the long loaf of black bread in his hands. When others took notice of it, they laughed once again.

However, that laughter quickly died down when the nearest bandit passed out from a heavy impact to the head.

One strike.

One strike from the long loaf of black bread knocked a bandit out.

Konan revealed herself in her daze after seeing such a situation.

For the bandits, it was as if lightning had struck them.

His attack had been too quick, too unexpected. It wasn't something a child could pull off, but his Reinforcement was not something to be scoffed at. Even more so when his Tracing had already revealed the attack patterns and habits of each individual bandit.

As he stepped forward ominously with the long loaf of black bread in hand, the bandits took a step back. But the bandits were grown men and soon afterwards attacked him after collecting themselves.

It was the wrong choice.

That long loaf of black bread was like a grim reaper in the battlefield.

No matter how the bandits moved and attacked, it didn't matter. He knew their habits, and knew their preference in striking. Dodging was as easy as cracking an egg. Landing his own strikes was even simpler.

One strike to the head of a bandit was all it would take to knock them out.

The sight was incredible. A red-haired child beating down an entire group of bandits with a loaf of stale bread. One by one, the bandit's numbers were reduced to almost nothing. At some point, he glanced at Konan's direction, but as he did so, he couldn't even begin to describe the astonishment on her face. It didn't even leave when the last bandit fell unconscious.

In fact, she even gasped out when at the very end, he discarded the loaf of black bread to the ground.

"Y-You're tossing away such a weapon?" Konan couldn't help but ask helplessly.

He stared at her in confusion as a result when he realized that she was cradling the loaf of black bread in her bosom. But Konan couldn't help it. In her eyes, there was no way that he should possess enough skill to defeat an entire group of bandits single-handedly, but he had.

Thinking further back into his actions, Konan had seen quite clearly when he had first Reinforced the black bread. The look of realization on his face when he realized a method to defeat the bandits without killing them. Perhaps it was then that the notion of the black bread being some special weapon emerged from Konan's mind.

He'd have to convince her otherwise, but he knew it would be a difficult endeavor.

He shook his head in exasperation before finally coaxing her to leave the thing on the ground after filling her arms up instead with the food the bandits had taken previously from others; having already decided to return as much of it as he can to its owners as his next course of action.

Dragging away the bandit's cart and leaving, a series of notifications popped up in text before him.

[Begun the path to a Legend.]

[Reputation: + 10.]

[Kanshou and Bakuya: Attained.]

[Book of Knowing: Attained.]

Hours after Shirou had left the area, a figure appeared.

This man wore a flak jacket with combat pants and pouches over his body which carried weapons: Both Kunai and Shuriken with the occasional Shinobi wire.

Just from this man's attire alone, it was clear that the man was a Shinobi who was currently masking his affiliation. Nothing on him signified the place of his origin. But that was almost requirement with the state the land was in.

It was an all-out war.

By not showing his allegiance, although he couldn't stop other Shinobi from apprehending him, at least they wouldn't out right kill him on first sight. This would give him enough time to either escape should he be facing an enemy, or negotiate somehow. In which case, there was nothing to lose in such a situation.

For now though, he wasn't currently here after investigating why the supply lines were late to the battlefront.

The answer was obvious to him, seeing the just then waking up bandits sprawled out over the street.

He cursed internally.

This was why he didn't agree with the plan of having bandits carry out secondary sweeps of food provisions, but he knew that if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to get anymore rations from the populace.

Walking up to a bandit, the shinobi pulled him up by the scruff of the neck.

"What the hell happened here?!" The Shinobi asked.

"Sir, it's just that, well," the bandit appeared flustered after just waking up. After a moment though, he was still unsure of whether or not to answer.

"Spit it out damn it!" The Shinobi demanded, beginning to lose his patience.

"T-There was a kid and, a-a it just makes no sense but-ah!?"

The bandit's eyes widened into saucers, a trembling hand pointed forward in reverence before the man spluttered forward, uncaring of his image.

Taking the holy weapon into his hands, the bandit appeared as if he was holding a treasure able to grant peerless strength. Soon after, a crazed look appeared in the bandit's eyes as he waved the holy weapon dumbly in the air like a sword; he then brandishing it for all to see.

The Shinobi's expression turned increasingly infuriated at that moment, veins bulging over his forehead. It was just a simple mission to secure rations for the war effort, yet it turned into something so ridiculous. "You," the Shinobi rasped out, unable to say anything else in his growing rage. It only became worse when he noticed the looks of envy from the other waking bandits.

After all,

Held in that particular bandit's hands,

Molding, and smelly,

was a Long Loaf of Stale Black Bread.

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