"Yhwach.

Fear certainly would not have existed in the world you wish for.

But…

In a world without the fear of death, people will not search for hope.

People will persist simply by being alive.

But persistence while fending off fear is something entirely different.

That is why people have a special name for it.

They call it courage."

His eyes clearly focused on the ground. Full of regret. If he had any genuine desire right now, it would be to do it all over again. His sole purpose was not to let anyone control him. Finding that one opponent who could give him a battle was the worst of his plans, but also the best of all. He broke through the barrier and transcended everything. They had defeated the Soul King thanks to his help. But Ichigo was the one who struck his last blow. It was all over for him. Even when Shunsui offered him a place back in Got 13 when his sentence was over, Aizen never gave him his answer. Now he had unfortunately taken the wrong path. But what if he could do it all over again? Start from scratch. Could he? The Hōgyoku inside him heard his wish. However, even with the power of the Soul King's Nail within him, he still could not escape this prison. And no matter where he went, there was no one stronger other than Aizen himself.

And so, his destiny was decided for him.

...

Prologue

A New Beginning

Middle of May

Thursday 2:23 AM

It was a beautiful night as any other over the skies of Karakura Town, yet a storm was coming. A storm that was neither physical nor spiritual. A silent storm. It was going to change everything in the world you thought you knew; the disaster was going to be so great that not even the Soul King and his son could see it coming. The storm would soon rest, but not for long. He had just gone to sleep like any other night. In the deep darkness. Just him again, standing there in a dark void and the ground covered with water like a mirror reflecting the moon. He was alone. There was no one. It had been so long since he had seen Kyōka Suigetsu. But his inner spirit no longer spoke to him. It had disappeared the moment he fused with his zanpakutō. And now he stood alone in his inner world. The only place where he could move at will. Then the storm passed.

Opening his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the roof above him. He was lying down. How was that possible? They had condemned him to a chair for years without end. To a living hell. Yet now he was sitting on a bed that was not his own. The black seals no longer covered his hands. No. They were out in the open. Human rags covered his body, and he was bare-foot. Next to him was a window. As he opened it, he noticed the unique buildings in the distance. He was in the human world. But more importantly, he noticed as he closed his fist, that there was not a drop of spiritual energy in it. Someone had taken away everything from him.

Fearing the worst because of the buildings of the area, he went to the mirror in the room. And there it cleared his suspicions up. The orange hair distinguished him more than all his other physical descriptions. He raised the palm of his hand and looked at himself once more. Was he in a nightmare? How was he seeing Kurosaki Ichigo in front of the mirror? It was impossible. Was he using Kyōka Suigetsu on himself through the mirror? But the buildings outside. No. It was a dream. He headed for the door. There was no one in the hallway, and so he headed down the stairs. Nothing. There was no one. Well, given the time on the clock beside the bed, if this was Kurosaki's house the others should be sleeping. He opened the front door and bare-foot stepped outside.

The cool breeze of the early morning air rustled his skin. Was it possible that he had really arrived in another world? Was this the cycle of reincarnation? Had he wished for the Hōgyoku to take his life? No. Impossible. He always kept himself busy within his inner world. Creating clones of himself and practicing to increase his power. So why was this time different? Then it came to his mind. One of his clones was clearly using Kyōka Suigetsu against him. Was it his Bankai? No. With the disadvantage of the limit, his Shikai was completely superior. There was no need. But why? All of this was beyond his ability to reason. It was unthinkable and illogical. However, there was only one conclusion. If he really was in Kurosaki Ichigo's body, where was Kurosaki Ichigo? He wouldn't be in his original body in the other world, would he? That would be completely terrifying. However, He had to return to his original world and get his immortal body back. And then his eyes widened, remembering what he had said.

"Yhwach. Fear certainly would not have existed in the world you wish for. But… In a world without the fear of death, people will not search for hope. People will persist simply by being alive. But persistence while fending off fear is something entirely different. That is why people have a special name for it. They call it courage." His voice spoke clearly through Ichigo's voice.

He was alone. No immortality. No Hōgyoku. No Kyōka Suigetsu. No Kido. No Shinigami training. No spiritual energy. All he had was his mind, the memories of his past, and a whole list of things he could achieve when he unlocked the potential of this hybrid body. He held his fist in front of him again. it would not be easy. As he had once played the role of Aizen Sōsuke, now it was his turn to play the role of Kurosaki Ichigo. And then it took him by surprise. Aizen Sōsuke. Did he himself exist in this world too? Given the odds there was an 80% chance that if it was the same world, his other self would be in the Soul Society right now searching and reading Kisuke Urahara's files to remove the Hōgyoku from inside Kuchiki Rukia. And if that was true, Central 46 would soon be dead. Which brought a smile to his face.

Much was to come. And the battle between was to come. As neither would bend the knee to the other. But first, he had all night to train this body and push it to the human limit. What would happen if he broke it? Could he come out of Kurosaki Ichigo's body as his original reishi body, or was his soul fused with Kurosaki Ichigo's. If that was the case. He wondered if the spirit of Kurosaki Ichigo's zanpakutō would notice his presence.