It's the first day of December, but snow does not cover the ground nor fall from the sky; in fact, it’s quite warm. For a pce like Fuyuki, where it rarely snows even on the coldest days, it's nothing new to its residents.

  Despite this, the number of people going around was less than usual. Each person walking around or manning shops looked reluctant to do so. A gloomy atmosphere was rich and rampant among the townspeople.

  You couldn't bme them, of course. The tragedy of the Great Fire of Fuyuki was a nightmare that no one could forget. The ground, without warning, suddenly opened up as fmes spilled out and engulfed the entire town in an instant, incinerating hundreds of people to ash and demolishing countless buildings, leaving numerous children orphaned without homes.

  Humanity is on top of the food chain for a reason, as the residents are going through their daily lives as usual almost a month ter. One shining example of this is a young boy walking through the market. He has bright auburn, almost-red hair, and golden-brown eyes. He isn’t an ordinary boy, that's for sure, as the lone survivor of the Fuyuki Fire who came out without a single scratch on his body. It would raise some eyebrows if anyone knew.

  His name is Emiya Shirou. Because of this event, the Fourth Holy Grail War, his life was dramatically changed. In ten years, he would participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War as himself and a variant from a parallel timeline. He will be run through the chest by Lancer, revived by a girl named Rin Tohsaka, summon Saber as his Servant, and win the war with sheer power.

  There are some variations here and there: who he falls in love with, who he fights, who dies, and who lives, but in the end, the result is mostly the same.

  That is how the story goes, or at least how it should. No two worlds are the same in the vast thing that is the multiverse, or in this realm, the Kaleidoscope. Instead of a natural defection occurring, a person not native to these nds will send this world in a direction no one would have thought of.

  (...)

  Shirou walked down the market practically alone. His (self-procimed) older sister, who was supposed to be watching him, seemed everywhere but at his side. It didn't bother him even though he was only seven; he had a list of groceries and knew where to go, and it wouldn't take him long to get it done and go home. His focus was broken when he heard the sound of coughing coming from a nearby alleyway. He followed the sound to its source to find a young-looking man crouched down, clutching his chest.

  The man had white skin and short bck hair combed back. Even though he was sitting, Shirou could tell he was about as tall as a guy in his twenties. "Excuse me, could you help me, young man?" The injured man spoke, breathing loudly with every pause. For Shirou, that was all that needed to be said.

  He rushed over to the man. While he hadn't promised to become a Hero of Justice yet, engraved into his very being was a desire to help others. As he approached the man, something in Shirou's head told him not to.

  To leave, to run. This man was wrong, but he quickly shook off that thought. ‘This man is injured; he needs help as soon as possible. After all, it's not wrong to assist others in their time of need, right?’ "Stay there; I'll help you up," Shirou said, approaching the wounded man.

  Unfortunately, Shirou hadn’t even reached double digits in age, so it was quite a difficult task to help the man stand up. Nonetheless, as a joint effort from both parties, the man was able to stand. They both sighed in relief and looked at each other. When Shirou looked up, he saw something he hadn't noticed before.

  His eyes. They were pure silver. They weren't dull or blurry, but bright and brilliant. They weren't too bck or too white; it was a perfect mix of yin and yang.

  Regardless, Shirou smiled at the man. The man smiled back. For once, the boy felt delighted. But it reminded him of that terrible day. Kiristugu had saved him with tears in his eyes, yet he was so unbelievably happy. Since that day, Shirou wondered: ‘Could I smile like that?’

  Shirou, lost in thought as the pair started to walk out of the alleyway, realized he should probably say something. After thinking about it, he turned his head to face the man.

  When he did, a palm nded on his forehead, and his world went bck.

  (...)

  Taiga Fujimura is a lot of things. Some call her childish, air-headed, and even irresponsible. However, she cares deeply for the people close to her.

  So when Taiga realized that her (self-procimed) younger brother disappeared while she was ???????????? ??????? not looking, she panicked. “Shirou!” she yelled as she scrambled across the market in a panic.

  Her anxiety only rose after running multiple ps around the marketpce, making sure to check every nook and cranny as well as asking every person she came across to no avail.

  Taiga was about to give up until she saw the subject of her worry walk out of the supermarket nonchantly with too many bags. With a casual expression, a wave of relief went through her body as all the tension disappeared.

  "Shirou!" Taiga yelled out with a teary-eyed expression, approaching at rapid speeds that would hurt any poor soul that walked through her path. Thankfully, she slowed down as the distance between them lowered before she rammed into him like a freight train and wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.

  "Hey! What are you doing, idiot!?" Shirou asked as he could feel the air in his lungs getting rapidly squeezed out. Taiga froze and slowly let him out, but she kept her hands on him.

  "Where were you? I was worried sick about you!" She said it with renewed passion.

  "I was at the market shopping for groceries," Shirou gestured to the pstic bags he held. Taiga sighed. ‘How was he so nonchant about this?’

  "Why didn't you wait for me to come back or at least go to a pce where I could easily find you?"

  "I couldn't just wait for you to find me so we could shop together. It's not like it's a big deal or anything."

  "Of course it is! You could have gotten lost or hurt!" She said. The poor girl looked like she was about to cry, which made Shirou pause.

  "Please, Shirou, it doesn't have to be anything drastic or anything. Just tell me when you're hurt or ask for help, okay?" she continues.

  "...okay," Shirou mumbled. He then lifts the bags. "Can you take some of these for me?" Taiga smiled. It isn't much, but Shirou could become something resembling a normal person.

  As Taiga walks forward while keeping her eye on Shirou, the boy's face hardens into something cold.

  'Good. She seems convinced I'm him.' The host of his new body contempted.

  (...)

  I’m sitting on a cushion as I approach the end of all my errands. So far, so good. I managed to buy everything I needed and cook an amazing meal. There have been some issues with doing it in a child's body, but I'll get used to it.

  Taiga was quite impressed with my cooking. While it’s good that she doesn’t seem to suspect anything, it is unusual for someone still in elementary school to have professional-level cooking skills. Or at least it would be if Taiga noticed. I suppose Shirou did learn how to cook at a young age and has been praised for it many times. So that means I can make food as I normally would, but I'll have to be more careful in the future.

  Or do I? Shirou is incredibly young right now. While a drastic change to his personality would be noticed, subtle things here and there spread out due to 'his' growing character.

  That will make things easier and allow me more leeway. Not to mention, all the pyers in this world will be difficult to manage. However, the things you want in life are always challenging to get. If I want to get all the power I can, I must pn effectively.

  Fate is a fickle thing. It can keep people set on a certain path forever, but a small thing can change it dramatically. However, when something truly foreign comes into py, fate cannot be bmed for the result. This is the story of Alexander Periwinkle and his journey to gain absolute power.