Chapter 1: Dreams

Night had fallen long since this moment on the quiet village to which our story begins. In an area surrounded by tall trees whose leaves have begun to change color to deep crimson or burnt orange, a small home is nestled in obscurity. In such home, a male's voice called out to another person's, "Good night, Father." which was followed immediately by the sound of a door being opened. A male, the one who had previously spoken, enters the room and walked toward a somewhat large mirror he had placed on the far wall to the right of the entrance to the room, looking at his reflection from the glass. With each step he took to the mirror the wooden floor creaked and groaned beneath his weight, coming to an end and followed shortly by a yawn as he scratches his head.

His arm had extended to block his left eye's view, his right eye instead took in the view the mirror reflected; Brown hair between his fingers, a single blue eye gazing back at his own. He wore a black, long sleeved shirt with thick stitches at the shoulders and wrists, similarly colored pants that reached down to his ankles. These dark colored pants contrasted to his light colored skin, a healthy shade darker yet still white. Another yawn escaped his lips before he turned around and walked to a bed on the opposite side of the room. Directly next to it was the moon, risen to such a point to fit perfectly inside of the window which it glowed behind. It's pale, silver light shone into the room, the moon itself at its quarter phase. A simple wooden desk sat under the window directly, nothing resting upon it until the male discarded his black shirt onto it and crawled into his bed.

Quietly, and gently, his azure eyes came to a close and sleep followed him shortly after. Though, on this night, his sleep would be far from welcoming.

His eyes opened abruptly, a scenery of stark blackness before him. He still laid on his back as though he was still in bed so he slowly sat up and took in the view before him, which was admittedly nothing to behold. He looked at his hands, which he could see without any trouble, as if he himself gave off light. Reflection of such light around him was nonexistent, the landscape devouring all signs of it should it actually be real. The first thought that came into his mind as he stood on his feet was a simple one.

"Am I dead...?"

He shook his head at such a thought. He was perfectly fine before he fell asleep, so death wasn't a good deduction. The only other solution which crossed his mind was if this was a dream, which he began to think about as he advanced "further" into the seemingly endless black expanse he found himself in. Traversing the void for what felt like an endless amount of time he stumbled upon a figure of something in the distance, just ahead of him. Breaking out into a sprint, he closed the distance between him and the figure; a person, though his features were strange.

The person had many of the same basic figures as him, though his skin right up to his neck was completely black. On his chest and the backs of his hands were four-pointed stars which were dark crimson in color, a color that was shared by his half-lidded eyes. His hair was the same length, though the style seemed a bit less clean, and was colored white like snow. The male knelt down to examine this unconscious person closer, his hand touching the person's shoulder to try to awaken him.

At this moment he felt a brief sort of disconnect, a pause, before taking note of the same scenery as when he awoke the first time. Perplexed, he sat up again and examined himself- to find his body had changed drastically to match the person who was laying here. In fact... It was as if he himself became the person. The dark crimson symbols on his hands were brighter, almost glowing, and the larger symbol on his chest did the same.

"What the hell?!" He shouted out loud, leaping up to his feet as he examined himself. He felt up and down his new body frantically, the darkened skin and hair which was now snow white. The pulsating glowing that the four pointed star shaped symbols had done when he awoke had slowed down to become solid, yet just slightly dimmer than before. As his examination continued, a sudden feeling in his chest pulled his attention. A strange, tugging feeling that forced his instinct into action, turning him around to face whatever it was which kick-started this odd feeling.

A woman stood in his view amongst the scenery of emptiness. Confusion and a pang of nostalgia hit him like a rushing wave as he took slow steps forward to this next being who infiltrated this space with him. She was just slightly shorter than him, he realized as the gap between them shortened. Her hair was as black as the land around them, yet had a radiant sheen that emboldened it in the darkness. The color of her eyes were purple, better described as a slightly darkened shade of lavender. She wore a black night gown with crimson trim and lace; a distinct contrast to her smooth, pale skin.

"Who... Who are you?" The male asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did you bring me here?" These words spoken did not receive a verbal reply, as the only response the woman in front of the male could manage was to close the gap between them suddenly, embracing him in a warm hug.

The male struggled awkwardly for a few moments until his body moved on it's own once again, his arms wrapping around the woman as he returned her hug. As his body shared her embrace, a pang of pain surged through his head for a moment; Images of something he didn't recognize, yet felt nostalgia for.

"Its okay... This is a dream. Your mind may wander for once, my child." The woman had said, having pulled from his arms for a moment to speak. "Your soul still remembers what your mind has lost, Shirou... I cannot stay here with you for too much longer but..."

As she said this she pushed herself off of the male, Shirou, and continued, "-I am very pleased to see you have been well!"

With a teary-eyed smile on her face, her form began to break down as light poured into the blackened world and gradually shifted it, the black fading to white. Shirou had reached out for the woman as she began to fade, but the pulsating light of this world's transformation stole away his attention.

When his eyes looked forward at the next instant, the woman that once stood before him was gone. His blackened body was returned to normal once again, his skin it's normal tone and without glowing symbols. Though, his having returned to normal was the least of his concerns at the moment. He stood still for another moment, his hand outstretched to the distance of the now blank, white world, as a single word escaped his lips

"-Mother...?"

Shirou's eyes opened abruptly, staring blankly at the wooden ceiling of his home. After a few moments pass, his hand rose to his eyes and wiped away tears that began their descent to his cheeks. "Why am... I crying?" Shirou thought to himself, sitting up in his bed before grabbing the black shirt from his nightstand beside the bed and sliding it on. He paused at the edge of his bed and thought more, grasping at the vague portions of his dream that he could recall. Like a stone, it struck him suddenly and painfully, enough so that more tears fell down his cheeks on instinct.

"I dreamt... about mother?"

The sudden recollection brought him to his feet as he threw his door open, rushing down the short all and taking a hard right to the staircase that to which he practically flew down in his haste. The sight of Shirou's descent shocked the only other resident of the home, his father, who paused in confusion as he was just about to bring a fork full of food to his mouth. "Whoa, whoa there son... What the hell's gotten into you?!"

Shirou slammed his hands on the wooden table as he brought his gaze sharply to his father's, shouting out his reply, "Father! I have to tell you something about last night!"