A heartbeat that lasts for eternity...
Lives consumed in soundless balls of fire.
No one can tell when the world is displaced...
...and the flames of the Crimson World sweep over all.
And so, as I dye this sky red
I proceed through time yet to arrive with this body of mine
Shakugan no Shana
The "people" who we walk past, and undistinguished "things"...
...are all memories that will disappear
"Strengths" swaying with devotion and "weaknesses" swaying in vain...
...are all part of the same future
Such a world, melting away the red haze of daily life as the sun sets
Let the wind determine where to draw the line...
...spear the enemy with the flowing hair tip
As I shake off my thoughts, while dreams overflow
All that's required is for me to complete my mission with my own hands
I gave the girl who is only a Flame Haze the name "Shana".
It was the most I could do to retaliate against the fact...
...that I would eventually vanish.
The Torch and the Flame Haze
He named me without my permission...
He's so insolent for a torch.
A name, eh?
I don't need such a thing.
Names are unnecessary for Flame Hazes, who exist only to complete missions.
You're right.
Sha... na...
That really is a strange torch.
Hmm...
Sakai
Until now, every time I explained what happened to a torch...
...it would either cry out loud or escape from reality.
Some would even commit suicide.
But...
That one's different.
Why? Because he's a M ystes?
No.
The characteristics of a torch are inhereited from the original person.
Even though that is a M ystes, it doesn't change the fact that it's a torch.
I wonder what's inside it.
I don't know yet.
But the problem isn't what's inside it.
The problem is the Denizens who will come after the treasure.
M m-hm. It doesn't matter what kind of torch that is.
Besides, it'll vanish soon anyway.
The remaining scum will eventually burn out.
Nobody remembers it existed, and nothing remains.
I will not forget. No matter what.
She said she'll be keeping an eye on me, but I don't see Shana anywhere.
Morning.
Sakai! What happened to you yesterday?
You ran out of the game center so abruptly!
Ah, right.
You said you'd go look for Hirai-san, and never returned.
Huh? I ke! Do you remember Hirai-san?
Huh?
I'm talking about Hirai-san!
Why should I forget?
She's right there.
Wha...!
Why?!
Sakai...
I ke, do me a favor. Show me the answers to our homework.
No problem.
You might wanna wash your face with cold water.
What are you doing?
I told you. I'm keeping an eye on you.
That's no reason to follow me here.
And you're sitting at Hirai-san's desk.
I'm Yukari Hirai.
I worked myself into Yukari Hirai's existence.
Huh?
Y-You worked yourself into...?
I used some of the remains from yesterday.
So right now, I am Yukari Hirai.
But you look nothing like her.
Hirai-san! Here's the notebook I borrowed from you the other day.
Thanks. It really came in handy.
She didn't notice. Why?
To work oneself into someone else's existence...
...isn't about trying to look like that person.
It's about taking the existence acknowledged as Yukari Hirai...
...and replacing it with me.
No way...
I'm doing this so that I can use the Destruction Attack on the Denizens.
You just find this peculiar because we've filled you in about the whole picture.
Don't let it bother you.
Of course it bothers me.
Hirai-san just vanished yesterday...
...and you've already taken over her place!
Taken over?
The real Yukari Hirai was eaten and died long ago.
I'm just utilizing her place in the world that was going to disappear anyway.
What's so inconvenient about that?!
It's not about what's convenient or not!
Sakai?!
How can you say such things so casually?!
To talk about another person in that way!
I can't comprehend it!
You're the worst!
You're going to call her "the worst" just because you can't understand her?
Is that one of the benefits of being an honor student?
Besides, I find it pathetic of you to be yelling at a girl.
M m-hm.
What's going on?
To me, this is truly incomprehensible.
Hey...
What are you doing?! Hurry and sit down!
First Year, Class 2
Well, I'm taking attendance now.
- Abe. - Here.
- I ke. - Here.
- Ishii. - Here.
- Ueda. - Here.
- Uehara. - Here.
- Ohbayashi. - Here.
It's not Shana's fault that Hirai-san vanished.
And Shana took over her identity...
...so that she could defeat the enemy.
I'm sure Shana has experienced similar things in the past.
I' II crush youl
Like Sato said, just because I can't understand her...
But I couldn't just let it go.
Hey! Hirai!
What do you think you're doing with your notebook and textbook closed!
Hirai! Can't you hear what I, your teacher, am saying?!
You!
We're to fill in the blank, but the part you left blank makes no sense.
This isn't a guessing quiz.
We should be able to determine the answer...
...from the words before and after.
The correct answer is...
..."That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."
But unless we'd memorized the original text word for word...
...there's no way we could answer that.
And looking at the whole paragraph...
...it's clear you've missed two more words.
H-How dare you talk back to the teacher.
Besides, you're lousy at explaining this.
You continue talking without getting to the point.
What?!
If you really wanna teach me...
...please come to the classroom after you've studied the topic properly.
Hirai-kun!
What part of my chemical formula a-are you suggesting is i-incorrect?!
Want some money? Don't count on me!
You're being too hard on me!
What part of my explanation are you calling "talking in my sleep"?
Th-That's too cruel.
The bell at the Gion Temple rings!
All that live must die!
Hey. Was Hirai always like that?
Not sure. She's really hard to approach now.
School Store
I could hardly breathe.
I was more nervous than when taking a test.
But Sakai-kun had some strong words to say to Hirai-san earlier, didn't he?
Yeah. He seems so innocent...
...but maybe he's the Jekyll and Hyde type.
That's scary.
Sakai.
I've got a student council meeting now.
Don't worry about me. I'll eat alone.
I'll try to smooth things out with everyone later...
...but you know, you're acting strange today.
Yeah. Sorry.
Later.
Oh, boy.
How unusual for you to be in such a good mood.
The crust of the melon bread that they sell at this school...
...is just crispy enough to make it delicious!
Hmm...
Just like I thought, a torch is nothing but a torch.
To fuss and get mad over inexplicable things...
He's the same as the others until now.
Nothing's different at all.
Hmm...
We'll quickly use the Destruction Attack on the Denizen...
...and say goodbye to that torch.
Like always!
Are you really going, Marianne?
Yes.
Please allow me to hunt down that M ystes for you.
I cannot live with that failure from the other day.
If that's what this is about, I'm not at all upset about it.
But... I...
I don't want to merely receive the kindness of your heart, Master.
Please accept the feelings of my heart as well.
Oh, my adorable Marianne.
You're the one with all the kindness.
I understand. You may go.
Thank you.
But there is that Flame Haze protecting the M ystes.
Take this with you.
I feel exactly like a torch about to burn out.
Even if I vanish, no one will find anything unusual.
Not one person will remember that I was ever here.
That might be more painful to accept than the fact that I will vanish.
What kind of guidance are you giving your students, M r. Ohmine?!
That student, Yukari Hirai, is a major problem child!
Yes... Right...
I don't believe she was always like that.
Your students are looking down on you.
You just have to teach them a lesson...
...if you know what I mean.
Right...
She was harsh in the afternoon classes, too.
Makes you wonder who Hirai-san thinks she is.
Bye-bye, Yukari-chan.
Bye-bye.
You're being annoying.
S-Sorry.
Sakai. I have some time before prep school.
Wanna go and get a bite?
Are you going out of your way to be nice?
Huh? That's not it.
They're here.
It's the same as the other day!
They've sealed this spot!
Wait a minute! Not at school?!
The location doesn't matter to them, as long as you're there.
It's something you should have expected.
Wait! Everyone's still here!
The enemy's the one who sealed this spot.
Why not tell them?
At this rate, everyone'll be drawn into this.
I've gotta do something.
This is all my fault.
Excuse me.
Shana!
Being casual with me?!
Never mind that! What's going to happen?!
This is easier to figure out than a parlor trick.
I ke!
You're the same Rinne from the other day.
What's the name of your Master?
Do you really think... I'd tell... you?
No, but I thought I'd ask anyway.
From the way he makes inefficient use of measly pawns like you...
...he must be pretty stupid.
How dare you.
Hello, little one.
What an appropriate time for an encounter like this.
I can tell. He's a Denizen of the Crimson World.
I mpressive.
You've decimated my treasure "Regular Sharp", with a single sword.
Master. I'm very sorry.
Please do not apologize, Marianne.
I'm sorry that I gave you a treasure that you're not accustomed to using.
You're the Master?
Yes. Hunter Friagne. That's my name.
Hunter?
I see. You're a Flame Haze-killer.
I don't like being referred to in that way.
M y purpose is to collect treasures scattered throughout this world.
That's why I'm called Hunter.
You must be Alastor, the Flame of the Heavens...
...well known across the Crimson World.
I believe we're meeting for the first time.
Though I had heard that you're on this side.
Don't let his appearance fool you.
He's a powerful Lord of Crimson World...
...who commands numerous treasures...
...and has buried many Flame Hazes in the past.
M m-hm.
So that must be your contractor...
...the Flame Haze of the Nietono no Shana.
She's as beautiful as rumored.
Although I understand she can't even produce her own flames.
What did you say?
You are merely relying on that sword's power to call out the flames within you.
Am I wrong?
Flame of the Heavens.
With such a weak contractor...
...your powers as a Crimson Lord are put to waste.
Wanna see whether they're put to waste?!
I've seen this so many times. A Flame Haze will get angry...
...attack recklessly, and die in an explosion.
I can't have that happen and risk that M ystes over there getting blown apart.
It would make the whole thing pointless.
I'll be back another time.
I wonder what's inside it.
I can't wait to see.
As I feared, he's not just any Denizen.
I need to fix what was broken.
Move over. I'm gonna use that guy.
Huh? Use him?
I'll use the power of his existence to fix the places that got damaged.
Use I ke? You're gonna use I ke?
That's right.
Since we have no torches left over from what the Denizen ate...
...we have no choice but to use those who are about to die.
One human, even if close to dying, is more than enough.
We'll just replace him with a torch. Then there'll be no problem, right?
Stop right there!
You're saying I ke will die like me, right?!
It can't be helped.
We need a power source to fix everything.
We could use someone else, like that one.
No way!
You can't use anyone who's still alive!
Then what do you suggest we do?
If we undo the seal in this state, it'll be chaos.
And he's gonna die anyway.
But...
There's no way... I can let that happen...
Then you want to use yourself?
The remaining flame within you should be enough to fix this.
However, it'll mean you, as a torch, will burn out that much quicker.
There's no way it's gonna agree to that.
It's just like any other torch.
It'll pathetically cling to what little of its existence remains.
You're right. There's that option.
M y existence will be used to help I ke and the others.
It'll be proof that I was here.
What a strange...
...no, peculiar...
...no! Disgusting... that's it, disgusting guy!
You didn't hold back when using his power of existence.
I had no choice!
He offered to have me use his existence.
He's lucky I didn't use up all of his flame.
I thought you might be up here.
Anything wrong with that?
How did you know we'd be here?
I felt something... like a smaller version of that sealed zone today.
I see.
When facing the release of such power, I guess you begin to feel it.
Um. I've been wondering, is that a transmitter?
Similar, but different.
M y consciousness lives within this girl, and it is manifested through this pendant.
It is called the Cocytus.
Let's see. I sorta understand... I think...
Is that all you wanted to ask?
No. I wanted to apologize and thank you for today.
Apologize and thank me?
I don't remember doing anything to warrant that.
Apologize for lashing out at you about Hirai-san...
...and thank you for not using I ke.
I don't even remember you lashing out at me...
...and I simply used your existence instead of that I ke guy.
Your flame is much smaller now. It's just a matter of time until it goes out.
But it's still better than living as a torch and being completely forgotten.
I have a feeling that my existence...
...that my memory will now remain with I ke and the others.
But it'll be no different from any other memory.
It'll just get buried under the many other incidents that follow.
But it'll still remain, right?
That's good enough for me.
Here. For you.
It's bitter!
But I added sugar.
Spoon!
Oh, I forgot. I'll go and get one.
Darn it. Why does he irritate me so much?
Did you see that?
Hmm...
The treasure within that M ystes might just be...
I knew nothing at the time...
...about what was inside me.
Neither did I know about the people who had just arrived in M isaki City.
What a dull-looking place.
You said the same thing about many of the European towns we visited.
Isn't it your eyes that are dull?
M y dearly beloved Goblet, Margery Daw?!
Let's see.
We know for a fact that this is where it fled.
But I'm getting other scents too.
Yeah. Something sure stinks here.
Your breath stinks of alcohol!
Quiet, Stupid-Marco.
This could get quite interesting.
We've got interlopers.
The one who will be born at dawn
Do not lose sight, no matter what happens
You are you, girl, now is the time
Untie all, and stand strong!
As you tear through the winds while you hide the scars of your heart
There is no way to just watch over you
Are those eyes of yours looking for the you in the far future?
But I can hear it
The heartbeat of deep sadness is calling out!
I'm just... the darkness before dawn decides one's fate for one's life
It's all right, girl, now is the time
There's no reason to regret or be ashamed
Far away...
While carrying a cross
Risk your life as you run through the flames!
Shana's impatience and hesitation was forcing her into a corner.
While this was happening, a battle between Flame Hazes began.
Next episode, "The Confused Flame Haze".