Author's note (10/08/2018): I'm starting afresh and trying my luck on this story again. I will do my best to stay on the roll.

This story includes time/world travel, OCs and various anime/manga/games/books' worlds. I naturally don't own the characters, aside a few selected OCs, and I don't make any profit out of this story.


Prologue : The Darkness within

Nonentity, no ground, no sky, no gravity and no direction that was the first thing a small, undefined being apprehended when it opened its eyes. Still half-conscious, it looked around lost and confused.

'Where am I?" It thought but found itself surprised when it heard its voice being carried away in the void. It seemed strange to the small, undefined being because it never consciously pronounced its thoughts.

Looking down, it shrieked when it finally, fully apprehended that there was, indeed, no ground. Its thoughts twirled around the fact that it should be falling and it flailed around only to turn around in a somersault like way. When it was certain that it would not fall to a non-existent ground, it tried to calm down and stayed floating in the air. Finally calming down, it observed its newest finding.

'Are those mine?' It asked observing its own legs and arms that were coated in a white glow curiously and hearing its thoughts being carried away in the void again. 'What are those curious things?'

"Those are legs and arms, my child." A deep voice boomed out of nowhere and scared the small being. It slung its arms around itself and drew its legs close. Steps could be heard from a far distance and an oppressing atmosphere started to grow slowly with each step.

"Who are you?" whispered the small being. It was frightened and its voice was shaking. The possessor of the deep voice only chuckled lowly.

"Who I am is of no importance. You will find it out soon enough, sooner than you wish, or at least I hope so." The voice, even though it hadn't lost its deepness, softened and even contained a hint of sadness and disappointment. The change of the tone in that deep voice, made the small being somehow forget for a moment the oppressing atmosphere and curiosity about that being's immense sadness overtook it.

"Why do you sound so sad?" The question was innocent. The small being didn't mean any harm with that question. It only had that strange urge to know the cause as if it was involved in all that. However, it was only greeted by a long silence. It leaned forward and listened intensively to the steps to locate the possessor of the voice. After that long silence, the possessor of the voice sighed heavily. A great load seemed to weigh on its heart.

"It's because I lost something very dear to me. I had it but I was unable to protect it. I failed to protect it." The voice was filled with such immense sadness that it pierced right through the small being's heart.

'Why did a being have to bear so much sadness and suffering?' The small being thought only slightly surprised this time when it heard its thoughts being carried away in the void. Little by little the sound of the steps became clearer and a silhouette became visible from afar.

"Even we can't understand the essence of fate. That's how it was meant to be or at least that was what I always told myself before." The voice faded in a whisper even sadder than before.

In front of the small being was now a fully grown being of undetermined gender though judging by its deep soothing voice, it had to be a man. He was clad in pure white traditional robes with very long sleeves and golden cuffs. His silver-white hair was loose and cascaded down to his knees while his face was hidden behind a gold ornate owl mask.

"Fate? What's fate?" asked the small being with the same innocence as before. Big eyes were staring at the spot on the mask where the man's eyes should be.

"Even I don't know, my child. Even I don't know…" The man repeated countless times. Silence reigned through the nonentity. Neither of them spoke up anymore, both reflecting about what had been said although one being's thoughts were constantly carried away in the void.

'Why does he have to suffer this much? The simple thought of what he has to bear is tearing my heart apart. How can he put up with that?' The small beings thoughts were only twirling around the profound sadness that was being emitted by the man. It curled into a ball lost in its thoughts not even caring that its thoughts were being carried away in the void.

"Thank you for worrying about me even though I'm probably a complete stranger to you." His voice had softened as he put one of his pale hands on the small being's shoulder. Timidly, the small being looked up. 'I don't know why but somehow I get the feeling that I know that man. How come?' Without even thinking, the small being reached out its hand to take the man's mask but said man stopped it.

"It's not yet the time, my child." He said guiding the small being's hand back to its owner. "I told you, you will find out soon enough who I am but first you need to find out who you are yourself."

"Who I am myself?" The small being repeated carefully the man's words not really grasping the meaning behind his words. "I don't understand…"

"Do you know where we are, my child?" The man asked with a calm and patient tone. The being only shook its head negatively at his question. "We are within yourself, my child, right here." He said pointing to the small being's heart. "That's why your thoughts and feelings are overflowing even though you don't mean to express them. Within yourself you can't control that."

It sounded strange to the small being but somehow also plausible. It didn't know why but it knew somehow that it could trust that man, that that man actually told the truth no matter how absurd it seemed. "But why is it so dark within myself? Am I a bad being?" It asked innocently looking around the dark world that was apparently its.

"No, you don't have to worry about that. You are not a bad being. This darkness within yourself is actually the reason I came to seek you out. Your existence is in danger." The man explained squatting down in a floating like manner next to the curled up being.

"My existence is in danger." It repeated the words as if it was in a trance.

"Yes, it is. You might not be aware of it because now you are in a life death state that clouded your mind, heart and part of your memories. You don't even remember who you are or what you are, right?" The small being only nodded affirmative at the man's question and the man kept on explaining the situation.

"You have to go on a quest, my child, a quest to find yourself and the essence of your being. Only in that case can you come back out of this undefined existence state and grasp the meaning of your quest." The man stood up again and looked down at the small being that was still curled up.

"What do you mean with the meaning of my quest? Please, keep on explaining. I want to know more. No, I need to know more." The small being tugged on the man's robes and looked up with expecting eyes.

"You will see. The truth will unfold itself as the time comes by." The man answered monotonously. "I'm sorry but I can't tell you more. Here, take this. You will need it." He said putting a small object in the being's frail hands.

The small being wanted to say something but it opened its mouth in vain not knowing what exactly to respond. Seeing its vain attempt, the man placed his index fingers on its lips. "Now is not the time. I shall tell you more when we meet again…"

After withdrawing his finger, he drew a curious sign in the air and everything went black.


The first world we will travel to will be a now quite old visual novel I liked back then : Frozen Essence from VenusEclips (Unbroken Hours).