…Darkness. Everything was pitch-black.

Thrown into this world, he lost his sense of direction as he felt like he was drifting in the water.

He couldn't move his body. He couldn't feel his limbs. He couldn't see, hear, taste, or feel anything

His consciousness was faint. His thoughts were hazy as if they were spilling out of his brain.

Where am I? Who am I? What happened to have caused this? Was all he could think of in this endless world of oppressive darkness.

"I love you"

Even in this darkness, his heart had felt that voice strongly.

Thumping his eardrums that were not there. Throbbing his heart that should not be there. Even touching his soul, of which he was unsure of its existence.

The voice reached out to him directly. His heart was swept away by those crazy emotions and mourned.

The voice sounded lonely, so incredibly lonely. But the affection the voice held for him was seared into his soul despite the heavy sense of loneliness it carried.

Had I hands, I would touch the owner of that voice.

Had I a mouth, I would call out the name of that voice.

Had I arms, I would have held the owner of that voice.

Had I legs, I would have rushed to the side of the owner of that voice.

Had I a body, I would be determined to never leave the owner of that voice alone.

But despite his desire he could not do so for he had no hands to touch the owner of that voice, he had no mouth to call out the name of the owner of that voice, he had no arms to hold the owner of that voice, he had no legs to rush to the side of the owner of the voice, and he did not have a body so he could not stay with the owner of the voice.

These feelings when nurtured grew several times more, his love eventually became sins.

"Sloth," for being unable to wipe away her tears of sorrow.

"Lust," for wanting to reunite and become one with each other.

"Gluttony," for wanting to consume and possess everything.

"Greed," for seeking love, demanding it, and taking it all.

"Wrath," at the unreasonableness and absurdity disallowing it.

"Pride," despising everyone and everything except for her.

"Envy," simply at the world that surrounds the lovely girl

Aware of it, he had overwhelmed the world which was covered in darkness with emotions. It was filled with love.

Suddenly, the space which supposedly had nothing, contorted – time, which was irreversible, had turned back.

He came to an understanding. He understood that it was starting again.

A bright light was born at the end of the darkness, and if he walked towards it, the world would begin once again.

"─I love you."

Turn your back against the voice, and walk. I want to turn around, but I mustn't turn around.

…But someday, I will surely take that hand.

"─I love you."

Natsuki Subaru continued until the end while the loving voice kept calling out to him.

Subaru blinked his weary eyes open. He was still laying down as his limbs felt like lead and there was a deep soreness in his body.

His mind felt like a hazy fog that was missing an important piece. As his mind cleared his grip on the fading memory waned and when he could think clearly, not a remnant of that place remained.

"Where am I?" He asked himself as he slowly sat up, the soreness vanishing from his body as his mind cleared. He gradually turned his head to avoid any cramps and observed his surroundings. He was standing on the side of a building and staring into the bottomless ocean that would catch him if he were to fall.

Subaru immediately lay flat on his back and pushed his feet and hands against the frames of one of the windows of the building he was sat upon. How was this possible? As far as he was aware he had never been on the side of a building even on his time on earth so how was this his savepoint.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice sounded out from behind him. Subaru craned his neck to gaze above himself to try and identify the owner of the voice. There an old man with long chocolate brown hair stood on a flagpole. His cloak billowed in a wind that did not blow.

"Who are you?" Subaru asked the strange man "And what is this place?" Subaru slowly stood up. Seeing as he didn't fall to his death it appeared that the gravity influencing this strange world was tipped to the side as well

"Who am I? What are you talking about?" the man asked in response "It's me -*%!#_" Subaru couldn't hear the man's name, his lips moved but no sound came out.

"Is that so? You still can't hear me" the man contemplated."That's sad, how many times must I repeat myself so you can hear me? And to think I believed that there was no one in this world who knows me better than you."

Subaru did not understand. Who was this strange man? What was this place? Why was that man speaking as if they had known each other all their lives? This man he had never met, why did he feel so close, like he was a part of Subaru.

"I am a manifestation of your strength Subaru. I am the power that is held deep in your soul." the man continued talking to Subaru as though oblivious of Subaru's thoughts.

"H-huh? What do you mean?" Subaru couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could he, who had failed so many times, let so many people die repeatedly, have any power?

"I am a manifestation of the power held by your soul. The power of a Quincy."

"I think you're mistaken, I do not have any power. I'm incredibly weak you see."

"That may be the case now as we speak but the power held by your soul is tremendous Subaru"

"You're mistaken I don't" Subaru did not want to face this reality. That he did have the power to change things, the power to save all those he cared for but he didn't use it because of his rotten nature. This denial was beginning to cast Subaru out of his inner world, the source of his power.

"I'm not mistaken, I am your power"

His words set the damn building in Subaru loose"What power? I have no power! Ever since I've come here all I've done is fail over and over again and let so many people down." Subaru couldn't take it. He had tried so hard and fought with all he had and he was still too powerless. What strength was this man talking about?

"You do. You may not have used it but it's there. All you need to do is reach out. Call my name Subaru"

The old man's words were becoming faint. Subarus's vision was dimming as he was ejected from this world.

"Hey, old man" a double-toned voice sounded out from behind the old man" don't ya dare suppress me ya hear? Th' king has already died several times and I want to keep tha' number from ever increasing again. I may be a hollow but I got the kings best interests at heart so don't hold the king's power down me in the name of that Quincy bullshit"

The old man turned around to gaze at a man who would have looked exactly like Subaru if they were to be viewed without colours. But the one standing there right now had chalk-white skin and hair and had pitch black sclera with golden irises.

"I was not planning on doing so. In a world as harsh as this one he will need every card he has at his disposal. Now, what do you say we do -*%!#_"

"We wait for the king to call on our power,his power of course"