the living [comprehensive]

The lively scene in the village died down as night fell.Right now, Hina Misawa fell into the darkness along with the faint night.The few pedestrians on the road were walking quietly, and even the cicadas stopped singing.

An overly silent night is like a huge tomb, devouring all vitality.Amidst the ominous air of death quietly diffused, the heroic souls belonging to the dead came under the shadow cast by the thick clouds.

The magic power tore a gap in the dead night, and the heroic spirit showed its original shape with the surging magic power, and the flying red robe was like a dancing flame.He didn't hold a weapon, but his whole body was already extremely sharp, like a natural sword bone.His steel-gray eyes scanned the village below, deep and cold.

This village named Hinamizawa will soon fall into a huge disaster of self-destruction.Because of a certain virus unique to this land, people will fall into rage, be suspicious of each other, and eventually, kill each other.

Kill all these people before they go mad and spread the virus to the outside world - this is the task Heroic Spirit received, and he has no right to refuse.

In order to prevent more people from being affected, it is necessary to slaughter this dangerous village.Killing a few people in order to protect the many people is the cruelest reality of the so-called "justice".

Although walking in the endlessly repeated killings, Heroic Spirit still frowned impatiently.The blood on his hands and the feeling of touching the minced meat with his fingertips revived again. The sticky feeling couldn't be more real, making him feel as if he was suffocating while feeling sick.

He can no longer remember what happened when he was a human being, but only remembers the days and nights when he walked in the darkness as a Heroic Spirit.

Redemption and killing, hope and despair, ideals and self-destruction...they always go hand in hand, and the latter can easily deprive the former of its sense of existence.This is his deepest feeling in the short and long days after becoming a heroic spirit.

Once upon a time, he seemed to have such a thing as an "ideal".Although he no longer remembers the idea buried deep in his memory, he is convinced that what he has risked his life to fight for is a vision that can be described as "beautiful".It's just that it has been completely burned by the angry flames of human self-destruction, and buried in the darkest soil.

When vaguely recalling this, Yingling felt his cold blood boil again, and the warm pain exploded from the end of the blood vessel, spreading like an electric current throughout the body.But the grief caused by the disillusionment of his previous ideals did not shake his cold and strong steel-gray pupils in any way.

He has gone to the end of despair, he has forgotten his name and ideal, and he has also forgotten what fragility is.Now, he has nothing to fear.

No one will see him or understand him, and he doesn't need resonance from others.

The world in front of him no longer needs him, and he no longer expects anything from this world.

"Then, just watch them go berserk, and then kill them." Heroic Ling smiled mockingly and jumped down from the height.

When the nameless heroic spirit jumped into the night sky and gradually disappeared in the air, Emiya Shirou, who was sitting by the window in a daze, raised his head with feeling.

Is it your own delusion?

Shirou who stared out the window could only see the vast night, but the figure he caught by chance before was still vividly imprinted in his mind.The dancing figure in the night sky is like some big cat, light and nimble, with a bit of bloodthirsty elegance.

And...very familiar.

Emiya Shirou subconsciously bit his lower lip.

Archer, you will be here, right?What if, this place is really going to destroy itself in the near future?

"What are you thinking about?" Keiichi Maehara, who had already changed into pajamas, went to Shirou and knelt down.

"I was just thinking, it's great that you can take me in." After hesitating for a moment, Shirou tentatively asked, "Speaking of which, did something strange happen in Hinamizawa? Although the people here are very friendly, I always feel that Something's wrong. Everyone doesn't leave here, and outsiders are repelled from entering, it's unavoidable..."

Shirou lowered his voice.He felt a little ashamed to ask such a question in front of Keiichi Maehara, who overcame his guard and took care of himself.

On the other side, the carefree black-haired boy did not express any dissatisfaction, but cautiously lowered his voice and said: "You also think it's strange, actually, there have been very big events here. Everyone keeps silent, so I can only talk about it myself." Tried to investigate."

"What do you mean by 'big event'?"

"It's a matter of life and the law. Small villages like this usually have their own specific sacrificial rituals, and Hinamizawa also has its own 'Cotton Flow Festival'."

"Cotton Flow Festival? Is it a ceremony to put cotton in the river and make it float away?"

"It sounds so, and the villagers also explained it in the same way. But according to rumors, the Mianliu Festival was originally an 'Intestine Flow Festival', a ceremony where the intestines of living people were dug out to sacrifice to the river god."

"Huh?" Startled, Shirou decisively denied Keiichi's statement, "Haven't those cruel superstitious sacrifices in the past been banned? Now it's... 2030, how could such a thing happen? "

"Right? 'It's a modern society, so that kind of thing won't happen', that's what I thought before. However," Keiichi's face became completely serious, "I left Hinamizawa last month and checked outside In the past six years, all the foreign tourists who came to the village before the summer fireworks festival disappeared mysteriously."

"That is to say...the original residents of Hinamizawa may continue such illegal activities in secret?" Shirou lowered his voice as the fleeting cold expression of the girl before came into his mind.He was no longer intimidated by such things, but he had decided to take what Keiichi said seriously.

"It's possible, but I can't be sure. After all, the people here are very nice, especially Reina..." At this point, Keiichi was in a daze for a while, and then shook his head vigorously as if trying to drive something out of his mind, "Gu Ritual sacrifices and murders are taboos in Hinamizawa, and even my friends won't talk about them. However, this year's festival will be in the evening three days later, and the truth will definitely be found out by then!" He suddenly grabbed Shirou He said seriously, "Since you have heard this, you must be my accomplice and investigate with me!"

"Okay, I'm curious too." Shirou smiled and gave a short affirmative answer.In his heart, he was thinking about another thing.

Archer must be here to kill hopeless, insane and vicious people.

Therefore, as long as he saves everyone from self-destruction before then, Archer doesn't have to kill people.That guy's desperate heart in the endless killing must be able to be moved a little bit.

The two teenagers who had reached an agreement went to the couch together and lay down.

"You can lie down a little bit." The black-haired boy who pulled the only quilt over said, "Good night, Anonymous."

Shirou, who was lying on his back in a somewhat restrained posture, smiled and said, "Good night, Keiichi-kun."

This is the first night Emiya Shirou came to Hinamizawa.

***

Shirou originally thought that the "investigation" that Keiichi Maehara said was just casual talk, but the next morning, when he saw the stack of newspaper clippings placed in front of him by the other party, he realized that he was wrong.

"Here is all the information I have collected." Keiichi spread the classified newspaper clippings on the table, "But after thinking about it, the most powerful evidence is probably hidden in the shrine. If there are torture instruments there, then The evidence is conclusive. On the contrary, it shows that the villagers have nothing to do with the murder case. After all, apart from offering sacrifices, they have no reason to kill people on the day of the summer festival! To perform the sacrificial bowel flow, you must have a hidden place and tools. OK!"

Shirou didn't respond.

Maehara Kei blinked, and suddenly showed an awkward look: "What do you see me doing, Anonymous?"

"Considering your real age, you are such a smart and calm kid." Shirou sighed sincerely.

"Huh? Don't make it sound like you're much older than me..." Keiichi's complaint was interrupted by a knock on the door.He jumped up: "Too bad, it's probably Reina! Please help me pack my things, I'll open the door!"

Shirou put away the newspaper clippings and quickly stuffed them into the deepest part of the bookcase, feeling weird in his heart.

Is it Ryugu Rena?So why all the fuss?Aren't you the girl you like?

Just when Shirou was confused, a talking and laughing couple of boys and girls walked into the room.Seeing Shirou, the girl greeted: "Big brother! Reina brought peony cakes, please eat together!"

Shirou, who has learned to hide his true feelings, smiled, as if the doubts and secrets in his heart did not exist: "Thank you."

"It's nothing. Speaking of which, today's atmosphere seems weird?" The girl looked around the room, and then rested her innocent eyes on Keiichi's face, "Could it be that Keiichi-kun is hiding something from me?"

"How could it be? A girl as smart as Reina must be able to quickly see through my disguise."

The girl's cheeks flushed red again after being praised, and her voice was as quiet as a gnat: "So, Keiichi-kun is no longer curious about the previous incident?"

Keiichi smiled: "Of course. Didn't Reina say that it has nothing to do with everyone?"

"you're lying!"

The atmosphere in the room was slightly stagnant, and suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Shirou looked at the girl in surprise.

The petite girl showed cold and sharp eyes, and said softly: "Reina knows. Keiichi-kun was very curious before, but after leaving Hina Mizawa once, he stopped asking. Don't you lose Without trusting us, are you going to figure things out by yourself?"

Keiichi gritted his teeth silently.

"What is it?" Shirou pretended to be curious.

Probably because she finally realized that there was an outsider, Reina put away her arrogance and showed a soft and harmless smile again: "It's nothing. Anyway, whether you are big brother or Keiichi-kun, you can't hide your affairs from me!"

Leaving those words behind, the girl put down the lunch box and left.

Are all your little ones this overly clever?Shirou almost asked, but after seeing Kei's bewildered expression, he decided to forget it.

"Do you know now? Reina always looks like she knows everything, which is really scary. But, she has no malicious intentions." Guiyi smiled twice, and opened the lunch box, "Taste it! Reina's Great workmanship."

"Okay." Looking at the neatly arranged peony cakes, which were comparable in appearance to commercial products, Shirou picked up a piece.The sweet red bean paste wrapped in the rice cake made Ling Shirou's heart, which has been constantly chaotic since arriving here, calm down a little.

Maehara Keiichi also took a big bite expectantly, but soon threw the rest of the pastry on the ground, covered his mouth and stood up: "There is a needle..." he said vaguely.

"What?" Shirou didn't hear clearly.

"There is a needle in the snack!" The black-haired boy yelled out of control, and then rushed to the door.

"Wait, wait..." Shirou stared blankly at the peony cake that fell into a pool on the ground.

In the deep red red bean filling, there is a sudden bright red.

Could it be... blood! ?

Shirou also stood up in panic, but he remained calm as an outsider.He went over to check it first, and then he was relieved: it was just dried chili soaked in oil, probably a prank by the girl.Keiichi Maehara, who was in shock, probably misunderstood the stinging pain caused by the spicy taste as the pain of being pricked by a needle.

Shirou walked out of the room, intending to comfort the frightened Keiichi.However, at this moment, a voice sounded in the empty room behind him.

"Oh, it's really a cruel paranoia. It's this kind of excessive delusional thinking and non-communication with each other that lead to each other drawing their swords at each other."

Because of this voice, Shirou stopped walking.

His brain, which had been chaotic due to time travel against common sense, was completely cooled down, but his eyes were on the contrary hot.Tears of unknown reason accumulated in his eyes and were about to burst out.

—Archer.

Behind the boy who was holding back his tears, the heroic spirit was still talking to himself: "Phobia, paranoia, violent aggressive tendencies... Although it is caused by terminal illness, in the final analysis, it is also the epitome of human inferiority." He paused After a while, he sneered softly, "It seems that human beings are really hopeless creatures."

Shirou barely listened to what the other said.All his attention was attracted by the familiar deep voice.

The red-eyed boy sniffed.With anticipation and fear, he turned away.

That indifferent but determined face belonged to the guy he couldn't be more familiar with.

—Archer!

The author has something to say: Attached is the commentary on the virus carried by the villagers of Chimizawa, excerpted from Encyclopedia.There is a little change: after L4, the virus can infect people outside of Hinamizawa

Hinamisawa Syndrome: It is transmitted by a special pathogen through the mucous membrane of the human body, and it will be infected once it comes into contact with the pathogen.

The disease is divided into 5 levels, marked as L1-L5.Symptoms vary at each level. L1 is the mildest and L5 is the most severe.Each level, the phenomenon in the game is as follows:

L1 Latency period

Once humans enter the range of Hinamizawa and are infected by pathogens, they will automatically enter the L1 state. L1 patients are almost exactly the same as ordinary people, and the disease can be latent for a lifetime.

L2 Early stage

患者一旦离开雏见泽范围，就会进入L2状态。此时患者外表及行为举止与L1患者无异，但已经可以从血液内检测出病原体。大部分L2患者会转至L3，所有L3以上患者如果未死亡的话都会回至L2。

L3 mid-term

If you leave the range of Hinamizawa for too long, the disease will be upgraded to L3.At this time, the patient's consciousness has been affected, and the clinical manifestations include auditory hallucinations and itchy lymph nodes.

L4 late stage (infectious)

If the L3 stage is not treated, the disease will enter the L4 stage.At this stage, patients will become violent due to long-term auditory hallucinations, mistrust people around them, and have obsessive-compulsive disorder.Effective treatment can still be obtained at this stage, but there are also cases of regression from L4 to L2 without treatment.

L5 Late stage (infectious)

At the end of L5, patients will have phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, auditory hallucinations and visual hallucinations, extremely violent consciousness, aggressive tendencies, and will act aggressively at the slightest stimulation.At this time, the lymphatic itching is unbearable, and patients generally die of excessive blood loss due to scratching the carotid artery. At L5, the treatment can only alleviate the condition, and there is no case of regaining consciousness.