"Ghh—haahh—!"
The sound tore from his throat like he'd been suffocating. Pain surged through him — sharp, electric. His nerves screamed, his magic circuits flared in protest, as if his whole body was trying to warn him: you're alive, and it hurts.
"So that's what it feels like…" he muttered, voice strained, "…getting your body sliced clean in half."
He gave a crooked smile, clutching at his chest. His fingers dug into his shirt, trying to hold himself together as the pain slowly began to fade.
He began to look around.
The place he was in now was dark — not pitch black, but shadowed and lifeless. Strange, stone-like structures surrounded him, uneven and jagged. A mountain area? No… it didn't feel like any mountain he knew.
It was hard to explain. The texture, the air, the sheer stillness of it — it was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Alien, almost.
But if there was one thing he could say for certain…
The place felt dull. Lifeless. As if even time had forgotten it.
He began to look around.
The place he was in now was dark — not pitch black, but shadowed and lifeless. Strange, stone-like structures surrounded him, uneven and jagged. A mountain area? No… it didn't feel like any mountain he knew.
It was hard to explain. The texture, the air, the sheer stillness of it — it was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Alien, almost.
But if there was one thing he could say for certain…
The place felt dull. Lifeless. As if even time had forgotten it.
Then he felt something poking the back of his head.
Not painful — more like an annoyed jab, sharp and deliberate.
He slowly turned his gaze.
"Tohsaka…?"
There was a girl behind him. Not exactly Tohsaka, but close enough to make him do a double take. She stared at him like he'd just fallen out of the sky — which, to be fair, wasn't far from the truth.
"Who?" she asked, brow furrowed.
"Ah, sorry. You kinda look like my friend," Shirou said, offering a small, sheepish smile.
He wasn't wrong — the only real difference between her and Tohsaka was the hair. Golden instead of black.
She kept looking at him, eyes curious but guarded.
Shirou who notice they yet introduce their name to each other, slowly extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Shirou Emiya. Nice to meet you."
She hesitated a moment, then smiled faintly and took his hand. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm Ereshkigal. Nice to meet you too."
She tilted her head slightly, then shrugged. "uh shirou,can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
Her expression didn't change, but her next words hit harder than he expected.
"How did a living person manage to get into the underworld?"
"Underworld?"
Shirou blinked, frowning as the word settled in his mind.
"Like… the underworld? Where souls go after death?"
"Yeah. That underworld," the girl said plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"The living shouldn't be able to enter it so easily. This place is meant for the dead."
Shirou let out a small laugh.
"W-why are you laughing? Is my question weird?" she asked, cheeks faintly pink—even the ruler of the underworld could blush.
"Ahah, well…" Shirou grinned, "it depends. If someone gets cut in half, do they still stay alive?"
"huh?" she face filled with surprise.
--
After many hours had passed, the two of them could be seen walking through the underworld. The two chit chatting as if they two were a best friends, which irony as the goddess slowly see them more than a friends. as they continue walked, she explained to him that this place—Kur, the Sumerian underworld—wasn't exactly hell. It was more like a grayer, duller version of Earth. this was surprise to him, because it isn't the same as how underworld depicted in abrahamic and Buddhism.
"Hey, Shirou, are you sure you're really dead?" she asked again.
there is a lot of things that made her do not believe shirou isn't dead.
"Well, based on what happened, yeah, I am. Haven't you already asked me that twice?" he replied, sounding a little amused.
"No, it's just that—"
"It's just that?"
"Mou, okay, I'll say it! Mortal bodies shouldn't survive in the underworld." she said it,
Shirou little bit shock hearing it. "what do you mean by that" said shirou as began touching his body with his hand rapidly
the goddess stopped and began walking in front of him."woah" they seems to be arrived at some places "This place was less dull than before!" said shirou in his mind — blue flames flickered across the ground, casting eerie light while having a road as if it was a bridge.
"You see this?" she pointed at the flames. "This is what souls should look like. Without my authority, humans like you wouldn't have a body here — it would be gone, destroyed." and she didn't use any of her ability on shirou, his body were surviving on his own
"But I have my body, though," Shirou said, frowning in confusion.
They stopped. This place was less dull than before — blue flames flickered across the ground, casting eerie light.
"You see that?" she pointed at the flames. "That's what souls should look like. Without my authority, humans like you wouldn't have a body here — it would be gone, destroyed."
"But I have my body, though," Shirou said, frowning in confusion.
"Which means you're still alive."
"I am? Isn't that a good thing?"
"Ah, well… because of your status, I need to bring you back to the Overworld," she said softly, then let out a small murmur, "Then I'll be alone again…"
Shirou, catching the faint whisper, frowned and asked sharply, "Sorry, did you say something just now?"
She snapped her head up, cheeks flushing. "N-Nothing!"
Shirou just smiled. "Well, seems like you've got a problem sending me back to the living world. How about I stay here with you?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Stay here? You're okay with that?"
"Like I said before, no one survives being cut in half. Might as well call me a dead man," Shirou said, gazing out at the dull, gray landscape.
She hesitated. "No, it's just that—"
"No need to say anything." He smiled warmly. "Well, considering you're alone in this place, I might as well keep you company."
Her face instantly flushed deeper. "wh-what are you s-saying!?Y-you stupid, stupid!"
she began punching him with a light punch rapidly, like a tsundere.
Shirou stood there grinning, listening to her just like she was another Tohsaka.
.
..
Saving...
Complete
First choice "i love you in every possible timeline"