The story starts with Yuji Sakai having an ordinary life at school in Misaki City, but when he wanders around after school, he finds time suddenly frozen, and only he can move. Two Rinnes appear and start to devour the lives of the humans around him, then attempt to capture Yuji as well. Just when he is about to be devoured, a girl with red flaming hair and blazing eyes appears and destroys the monster. She returns everything to normal and turns to leave, but when Yuji sees blue flames in the bodies of some of the humans and within himself, he demands to know what's just happened. The girl casually explains that the real Yuji Sakai is dead, and he is just a Torch—a temporary replacement that will eventually disappear from existence.