Yuji Sakai discovers he is already dead — a Torch, a temporary replacement left behind after a Crimson Denizen consumed the real Yuji's existence. A red-haired, sword-wielding girl he names Shana, a Flame Haze tasked with hunting Denizens and maintaining the balance of the world, tells him his remaining time will run out when the blue flame in his chest fades. But Yuji carries the Reiji Maigo, a rare treasure that restores his power of existence at midnight, making him a target for the Crimson World organization Bal Masqué and drawing Shana into an extended stay in his city.