Chapter 1

Landfall

It was a peaceful afternoon in Hage village. Sister Lily was washing the children's clothes. The Father was in the little church of Hage, helping clean the house of God with the children. Sister Lily's grimoire floated around her as she manipulated the water in the pail and scrubbed out the grime and sweat from the clothes. Asta and Yuno had gone out into the forest for some kind of silly bet that Asta had made.

An explosion shattered the peace. The ground shook from the force of the impact. Sister Lily stumbled and fell. Her heart hammered in her chest and her mind raced. She scrambled up and ran into the church. The explosion had hit very close to the church. Was this an invasion? Who would want to attack Hage village? Were Father and the children alright?

Relief flooded her when she saw them run out of the church. They looked unharmed but were reasonably in a panic.

"Lily! What happened? Are you hurt?" the Father demanded. The children hugged his legs in fear.

"N-no Father. What's happening? Are we being attacked?"

A moment of hesitation passed over the Father's face. "Lily, take the children and go to the village."

"What about you Father?"

"I'll have a look at what happened there," he said, nodding to the column of billowing smoke rising from the impact site.

"Father, that's too dangerous!" Lily objected. The children objected as well, some of the younger ones pulling on Father's legs in an attempt to pull him away. "If anyone should go it should be me. I have my magic with me and-"

"Lily. Go."

Again, Sister Lily hesitated. She ushered the children towards the village. Villagers rushed towards them, many of them asking what had happened. Some of the more perceptive people asked where Father was. After Sister Lily told them that the Father had decided to investigate the impact sight, some of the braver villagers had gone ahead in a group to help the good Father.

They did not have to wait for long. The group returned, with Father at its head, carrying something with them as they came towards the large group of villagers that had gathered. As they got closer, Lily managed to get a better look at the thing that they were carrying.

It was a young man. His orange hair was wet with blood. His left hand ended in a bloody stump, which one of the villagers had haphazardly tied a cloth around it. A bit of the right part of his face had been destroyed. All over his body were horrific wounds that were slowly bleeding him out.

Sister Lily was in shock. Hage village had never seen war. The most serious injuries were ones caused by wild game. But there were no animals near Hage that could do such damage to a person.

"Lily!" Father's yell jolted her out of her trance. "This man needs healing! Can you do it?"

Sister Lily swallowed her horror and disgust. "I-I can try," she said weakly.

Thirteen-year-old Asta and his brother Yuno ran toward the church. They stopped and stared at the huge crater that had only barely missed the church building. Regardless, the crater had destroyed the garden of the church. Both of them rushed through the church doors and into the small nave.

"Sister Lily! Father! Are you okay?" Asta shouted. Yuno did not shout, but his tight facial features were enough to show his concern and panic.

There was a group of people standing around the center of the nave. Asta pushed past them and broke into the middle of the circle. Immediately, he hoped he did not. There was a man who had been brutalized laying on some mattresses. Sister Lily was kneeling beside the man, trying to heal him, and Father Orsi was with her, helping her with whatever she needed.

Asta's eyes were drawn to the unconscious man. He stumbled back, ran out of the church, and messily threw up on the ground. Yuno shortly joined him.

They later found out from Father Orsi that it was the man who had caused the crater as he shot down from the sky. Over the course of a month, Sister Lily attended to the young man, with Father Orsi helping.

On the second week of the second month, the man woke up.

"Father! Father Orsi! He's awake!" Sister Lily shouted.

"Stop making so much sound, damn it," the man mumbled. He used his intact hand to rub his forehead. His voice was raspy, though it was difficult to tell if it was from disuse or lack of moisture.

"M-my apologies," Lily said. "Do you need anything?"

"Water," the young man rasped. He did not seem to have noticed that one of his hands was missing. Or that one of his eyes was destroyed.

As Sister Lily brought the man a pitcher of water, Father Orsi came into the room.

"Hello there. How are you feeling?" Father asked.

The young man raised an eyebrow. "Like shit." He took a few deep gulps of water. His left eye trailed down to the stump that had once been his hand. "So I lost one of my hands and an eye, huh?"

"I am sorry for your loss," Lily said.

The man dismissively waved his hand. "It's fine."

Father Orsi raised a concerned eyebrow. "You don't seem to care that much about your... disfigurement."

"Considering what I went through, I'm lucky that that's all I lost." the man said to himself, though it was loud enough for both Sister Lily and Father Orsi to overhear.

Sister Lily glanced at Father Orsi. Father gave a small shake of his head, and Sister Lily relented. Even if what he said was concerning, they were in no position to pry into what was possibly a traumatic experience.

"Do you know where I am?" the man asked.

"You are in Hage village, in the Clover Kingdom."

The man frowned. "Which continent am I on?"

"You're on the only continent."

The man blinked, then scowled. "I see. Thanks. For taking care of me. I'll be out of your hair in a bit."

"You are not going anywhere, young man," Father said. There was surprising steel behind his voice. "You haven't recovered from your injuries. As a servant of the Lord, I cannot allow you to leave."

"Look. I really appreciate the help, but I can't ask you for anything more." The young man glared at the Father.

Father Orsi glared back at the man. "You have no say in the matter, young man. You are going to stay here until you fully recover and you are going to enjoy it."

The two men glared at each other. The younger man threw his hands up. "Fine! I'll stay."

Father Orsi smiled. "Good. I am Father Orsi. This is Sister Lily. She was the one who healed you."

The man nodded to Lily. "Thanks. My name's Ichigo Kurosaki. I'll be in your care."