The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, was the enormous tower that stood before him. Even as he craned his neck to look up high, he couldn't see the end of it, as if the tower stretched on for eternity, piercing past the heavens and beyond. Lowering his gaze, Ichigo looked at the massive doors that were opened before him, beckoning him to step forwards. He didn't know why, but, Ichigo got the feeling that whatever lied beyond those doors, would forever change his life than he could ever imagine.
"Well, what are you waiting for." A voice said, seemingly coming from everywhere.
"…What's beyond those doors?" Ichigo asked as he stared at the gate in Amazement.
"Enter and find out." Was the simple response he received.
The blinding light beyond the doors didn't allow Ichigo to see anything, yet as he stared at the entrance, Ichigo somehow got the feeling that whatever lied beyond was very important to him. Like a reunion with something he once lost. So, gathering his courage, Ichigo decided that every journey was always started with the very first step.
Step* Step* Step*Step*
As he passed through the door, he let the light consume him and he knew no more.
It was a vision.
A dream perhaps.
Or…a memory long forgotten.
He saw himself as a boy, hardly older than 9, yet as he watched the place he once called home be reduced to fire and ashes, the boy cried and cried and cried some more.
His home was gone
His family gone.
His Birthplace gone.
That was the last time the boy cried, as he let all his sadness, anger, and hate onto the cruel world that took everything from him.
Buried amongst the rubble, the boy had simply accepted his fate as the consuming fire would take all, even him. Yet, despite knowing that his end would come, the boy did not fear, after all, what did he have left to live for to feel fear.
Closing his eyes, the boy accepted his fate.
Yet…the end never came.
It wasn't what he expected, or what he deserved, yet, it did. A drop of water hit his face, as if sensing the sorrow in his heart, the sky wept and covered the land in rain. As the flames of death struggled against the coming rain, one by one they were all slowly extinguished till only the darkened world remained. Though, even that wasn't to be.
A ray of light pierced though the clouds as the rain had ceased, illuminating the darkened world with its Radiance. Watching the ray of light descend through the clouds and wash over him, the boy was blessed with the coming morning, the promise of another day. Overcome with emotion, the boy who had fallen into deep despair at the loss of his family and home, couldn't bear the thought that he had lived, for fate had other plans for him.
A few days later…
The boy was hungry he knew that, yet…
He simply didn't have the will to keep going.
Still, it wasn't until a passing old man, wearing a white and pristine cloak had found him laying amongst the rubble and ashes of his home that the boy saw a glimmer of hope for the first time.
And it all started with the hand that reached out to him in his hour of need.
A hand the boy took as he rose from the ashes.
Appearing in a different place, Ichigo who was laying on the floor, slowly opened his eyes, and slowly got to his feet as the disoriented feeling he was getting almost made him drop into the floor; Still reeling from what he just witnessed. Seeing a water drop fall to the floor, shocked, Ichigo reached to his face and realized that he had been crying.
"…What?" confused, Ichigo wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes as he surveyed the area he found himself in.
It was a grand room, a throne room, high pillars held the ceiling, marbled flooring, and a red carpet that led to a golden throne. The place had a pristine and divine feeling to it that Ichigo felt somewhat inadequate just standing there.
"You're here." The voice stated.
Turning around, Ichigo was surprised as he looked at the figure that wasn't there a moment ago. Sitting on the golden throne, a black cloaked being was currently resting his head on his hand as he stared at Ichigo past the shadows that hid his face.
"…Who are you?" Ichigo asked as he stared at the being before him.
"…"
"…Did you see it." The cloaked figure said as he ignored Ichigo's question.
"What?" Ichigo responded, confused as to what he was referring to.
"The memory, did you see it." The being clarified.
"Memory? Is that what that was? Wait! Who's memory!? Ichigo questioned, not sure what the being meant by it.
"As I said, a memory of long times past, tell me what did you see, what did you feel." The being asked, curious as to what the young man would say.
"I…saw a fire…a house, Burning! It was! I Felt!?" A feeling of disorientation had ichigo holding back the vile that wanted to escape from his mouth, holding a hand to his head, the sharp pain as he remembered what he witnessed in the memory consumed him and made him grit his teeth to bear it.
Seeing this the being simply watched in silence.
Taking a few moments to recover, Ichigo continued where he left off. "A great fire consumed my home, I was powerless to protect anyone, I couldn't do anything, I... failed. So, why am I still here? Why did I reach out? I- "Snapping out of the trance like state Ichigo fell into, a look of confusion overcame him.
"Mine, what?" Not understanding why, Ichigo had called the place he had seen his home. Despite never having been there. Even going as far as saying he had failed? Why did he fail? Ichigo couldn't understand anything, his mind a storm of thoughts as he simply couldn't find an answer to his questions.
"Wait…" turning to face the being realization came to Ichigo as he stared at the cloaked figure with bewilderment. "…You said memories, that what I saw were memories, I-are you saying that these are my memories?" Ichigo asked confusion and dread filling his face.
"…"
"Answer me!" Ichigo yelled, angered by the cloaked being's silence.
"They're not YOUR memories." The being said as he went to lift the hood that shadowed his face.
"They're OUR memories" Lifting the hood the being revealed his identity. Taking a step back in surprise, Ichigo's shocked expression completely froze him as he stared at the being before him.
Brown eyes, same as his, Orange hair of the same shade as his, only sleeked back instead. A scowl permanently etched on his face, same as his. It was all the same, Ichigo widened eyes as he stared at what was basically himself. Well upon closer inspection, Ichigo noticed that the being was a little older looking, somewhere in his early to mid-twenties, still the slight difference didn't take away from the fact that Ichigo was basically staring at himself.
"How is this…" Not quite being able to form the words, Ichigo stared in both shock and denial at what the other him had said.
"Possible." The being said as he finished what Ichigo was going to say.
"…" staying silent, Ichigo didn't know what to say.
"You must be terrible confused right know aren't you, well, I guess I can't blame you." The older Ichigo said as he stared at his younger self in amusement.
Getting up from the throne, the older Ichigo took a bow as he introduced himself. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki, Monarch of Victory." Righting himself, The Monarch stared into Ichigo's shocked expression with a hint of amusement in his own. "And I have been waiting for this moment longer than you could possible imagine." The monarch finished, with only the silence that stretched between the two as they stared at one another.
Having calmed down after the shock that followed the Monarch's introduction. Ichigo was currently seated at a table that had formed in the center of the room as the Monarch sat facing him. Honestly, Ichigo didn't know what to think or feel as he stared at his 'copy' sitting across from him. Sure, he was shocked, confused, and overall having his head full of questions that needed immediate answers too. Still, as he sorted one thing after another inside his head, the Monarch simply stared at him in silence, a gentle smile across his/my? Face.
"If you wish to ask me anything, do so and I will answer, I'll do my best to clear any confusion you have left." The monarch said as he noticed Ichigo's hesitation.
"…In that case I'll start." Taking a moment to deliberate what he wanted to ask, Ichigo rid his hesitation and asked his question.
"Who or what are you?" Ichigo asked.
"That's a pretty vague question to start off with, still, I do believe I just introduced myself." The Monarch said.
"Not that! What I mean is, how can you be me!? What is the Monarch of Victory? What do you mean by you have been waiting for this moment for so long? And last but not least what was that thing you showed me earlier, you called it a memory, what do you mean by that!?" Ichigo shot question after question as he stared at his older counterpart.
Huff*
Letting out a breath after firing so many questions in rapid succession Ichigo heart was pumping rapidly as he felt adrenaline course through his veins. After all, how could he remain calm when something so shocking and preposterous stood before him.
Taking all things in stride, the monarch adopted a thinking pose as he mulled over the questions. After a moment of deliberation, the monarch looked to Ichigo and spoke. "I see now, then perhaps I should start from the beginning once more." The monarch said as his face turned serious. "Listen well, because I will not repeat myself." With that the monarch continued.
"As I said earlier, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki, The Monarch of Victory." he began. "Why that is? Simple really, because I'm you or more correctly a shadow of your former self, a collection of memories that have taken form as you see before you. I'm the you who once was and shall be again." The monarch said with a hint of resolution in his voice.
"Wait a second! A shadow of my former self, what do you mean by that?" Ichigo questioned, not quite understanding that part.
"Tell me Ichigo, do you believe in past lives, in the concept of reincarnation even." The Monarch said as he stared at Ichigo with an unreadable expression.
"I…I don't know. I never really thought about something like that, but, if you're asking if I think that the possibility of it exits than yes." Ichigo answered honestly.
"Good, because you can think of it as something like that, only that instead of saying you became a different person, you were simply reborn, in simpler terms." The monarch explained.
"So, you're saying I-we died?" Ichigo said, formulating what the monarch was trying to tell him. Still the thought that the other him was implying that he had died was not something that comforted Ichigo.
"Yes and no." The Monarch responded with a hint of amusement.
"Think of it like this, the body is the shell that houses the soul, what humans call death, is the simple loss of the shell that releases the soul back into the cycle." The monarch explained. "What happened to us is the same, our shell was destroyed, but our soul is eternal." He said, though this time with a hardened look on his face as if he had remembered an unpleasant memory.
"So, what we died of old age is that it?" Ichigo questioned, not really knowing if he wanted to know how he died or not.
"Haha, as amusing of an end as that would be for someone like me, no, I'm afraid not. After all, we are immortal beings, we will not age past our prime." The monarch revealed to Ichigo.
"Did you just say I'm immortal…" Ichigo said slowly, surprised at this revelation.
"…We'll come back to that later." Changing the subject, the monarch continued with his story.
"HEY, don't ignore that, I need to know how I'm going to live the rest of eternity from now on." Ichigo said annoyed how at how he just brushed off that very important piece of information.
"As I was saying, our immortal shell was destroyed in a battle long ago, in an age of endless war which spanned across all of creation." A faraway look passed over the monarch's visage as he regaled Ichigo with his tale. "We were one of 13 beings chosen by the heavenly host to safeguard the tree of creation from those who would wish it's end." A proud look formed on his face. "We were chosen as a last-ditch effort by the heavens in an effort to overturn a losing war against the forces of their own making." His fist clenched in slight anger. "They sought a way to obtain Victory, and we were their answer." He said solemnly.
"We were made to win, we were chosen to be the last heroes in an effort to bring back hope where none could be found." He said proudly, a small smile on his face as he thought about his companions. "We were the first, why? we were never given a proper answer, but, in the time, I held the lofty title of Monarch, the answer revealed itself to me. Do you wish to know the answer?" he asked as he turned to Ichigo.
Ichigo nodded his head in affirmation, transfixed by the story the Monarch was telling.
"…That's something you'll have to find out on your own as you continue to relive your past memories." The monarch said as he smiled at Ichigo, not telling him the answer at all.
"Wait! Weren't you going to tell me." Ichigo asked disappointed at not having been given an answer.
"Even if I were to tell you, you wouldn't be able to understand without the context." The Monarch shrugged.
"Regardless, you felt it didn't you, the emotions as you relived a part of your life, I created this place so that we could one day be restored to our former glory." He said as he spread his arms wide, motioning to the tower they found themselves in.
"If you keep climbing the tower, not only will you be able to obtain the memories of long past, but also the experiences, the power you once wielded, and so much more, that is why I hope you will continue to go higher, till you eventually reach the end." The monarch said as he stared at Ichigo who had a contemplative look on his face.
"I-I don't know what to say but, this is simply too much for me to take in right now." Ichigo said as he looked away from the monarch.
"…Yes, I guess all these revelations would be a bit too much for you, especially right after that ordeal you had to suffer through." The monarch said in understanding.
Suddenly remembering that unpleasant event, Ichigo turned to the monarch with a questioning look. "You know what that was." Ichigo asked, referring to the monster he met at the park.
A troubled look appeared on the Monarchs face as he thought over it. "Well, yes, but at the same time, a long time has passed since I last was able to involve myself with the outside world, so many things have probably changed in the time I was absent. Such as the fact that the creature that assaulted you being a Rakshasa, but it also held the feeling of a Devil, A mixed breed perhaps." The monarch informed him.
"What about that sudden spark of power that came out of me, what was that." Ichigo asked.
"That is quite simpler to answer. The power that you unveiled in your moment of desperation was something we as Monarch's are capable of utilizing, we simply call it 'Primordial energy.' Imagine Ichigo, the power to create and unmake at your fingertips, that tiny sliver of energy that you released at that moment, had it been directed at the city instead of the sky, well, there would be no more Kuoh town, to say the least." The monarch warned.
"Is that why you helped at that time, after years and years of silence" Ichigo asked, understanding the repercussions of such dangerous power.
"Partly, I had hoped that you would live an ordinary life, and wait until your 20th birthday before I revealed myself to you, but, outside forces moved my hand a tad bit earlier than expected." The Monarch revealed.
"Which is why I now stand before you, seeing as how you were able to control the power within you, I decided to reveal myself to you in hopes to begin your training as soon as possible, for fate has many things in store for us now it seems. I can't afford to sit at the sidelines any longer." The Monarch explained.
"…So, what now, you expect me to just accept all this, to move at your whim and become what, this Monarch of Victory or whatever." Ichigo said with a frown on his face.
"I understand that this must all be hard to accept right now, but, please understand Ichigo, this is a plan that has been in motion for thousands of years, our rebirth was a matter of time, and now here we are once more." The Monarch said as he hardened his gaze.
"The world has called for its heroes once more and we have appeared to answer the call." The Monarch said resolutely.
"If we are anything alike, I know that you will make the right choice in the end," The monarch said with a knowing look.
"…" staying silent, Ichigo didn't know what to think right now.
"sigh, don't think too much about it right now, you and I share the same fate, we are one and the same. If you choose to climb the tower, the truth will slowly reveal itself to you, and in that time, you will come to realize the importance of our existence." The monarch stated.
"Can you give me some time to think this over, I just want to be alone right now." Ichigo said, not really caring anymore.
"…Of course, I just hope the next time we meet you will have made up your mind." The Monarch said. snapping his fingers, Ichigo felt hazy all of a sudden as he slowly started to disappear from the throne room.
"Oh, and one last thing before you go." The monarch called.
Staring at him, Ichigo paid attention at his parting words.
"You are not as alone as you think you are Ichigo, many would rejoice at our reemergence, as well as old friends that are still waiting for us." With that Ichigo completely vanished and awoke from the realm of dreams.
Snapping his eyes open, Ichigo looked around his surroundings and realized he was once more within his room. Laying on his bed, ichigo stared at the ceiling as he contemplated everything he was just told by the Monarch.
Sigh*
Ichigo didn't know what to feel, should he be angry, sad, happy, all that he had was confusion wrapped around in his mind. If anything, Ichigo thought that 'why did such a thing have to happen to him?' All his life, Ichigo only thought of himself as a normal person, just like everyone else, he wasn't special, just another face in a sea of people. If he had any say in how he expected his life to go it was an ordinary life; graduate from high school, go to college, start his career, get a job, meet a nice girl, get married, start a family, grow old, and eventually die. That's how he expected his life to go.
But now…
"Past lives, immortality, god-like superpowers, and the fate of the universe rested on my shoulders, fucking hell is this mess?" Ichigo thought to himself as he buried his face into his pillow and screamed his heart out into it.
Had all this happened yesterday when he still had a normal outlook on life and knowing that demons and gods didn't exist in the world, Ichigo would have just thought that it was a very vivid dream, a hallucination of his own making. Though now, it was far too late for that, he had seen things that shouldn't even exist, things that only exist in books and legends. This line of thinking also halted Ichigo in his tracks as he stared out the window, the first bits of sunlight just starting to peek past the horizon.
"What if that thing is still out there, what if it finds me again." Ichigo thought to himself, a shiver going down his spine at the thought of that monster hunting him down to his own home. Suddenly Ichigo wasn't feeling so comforted by the rays of light shining across the sky, or the protection of his own home.
"Get a grip Ichigo, you were once a badass if what my past self said was right. Worse comes to worse I'll just agree with that guy." Relaxing a little, Ichigo realized that he wasn't as defenseless as he thought. Sure, it was probably a fluke when he managed to drive away that demon, but, now that he was more aware of himself, perhaps accepting the Monarch's offer to train wasn't such a bad idea.
"I'll just take some more time to think about it, after all, things like these take time to consider, I can't just accept it without seeing what the pros and cons are." Ichigo thought to himself as he got up from bed, no longer as tired as before. Still a thought did linger on his mind as he remembered what the Monarch said to him. "I can't help but wonder about those past memories, just what exactly did I go through? Also, who are the others he mentioned? Are they still around? he said there was 12 others, if I become the monarch will I get to see these so-called friends of mine." Heading down the stairs, Ichigo mulled over the many questions and revelations.
"Report." came the order across the screen.
"Yes sir." Standing at attention, Bronya, Kiana and Mei stood facing the screen as Bronya gave her report of the events that happened yesterday.
"At approximately 21:00 hours, a spike of unknown energy was suddenly discharged in the residential district of the city near a park. The sudden wave of pressure that followed that spike sent all within the city to fall underneath a great crushing force, paralyzing the city in the process." Bronya explained.
"Casualties?" The voice asked.
"Few, mainly amongst those with weak physical constitutions and those unfortunate enough to have found themselves in high places at the time." Bronya revealed. Luckily, ichigo wasn't around to hear this otherwise he would have felt a great sense of guilt.
"I see, continue." The voice said after a moment.
"Although the sudden spike of energy was brief, upon being released by the sudden force, me along with my team, quickly rushed to the area where we believe the source of power came from. Upon arrival we were met with a scene of destruction as if a hurricane had passed over the area." Bronya said, remembering every detail that happened that day.
"What of the unknown energy, what was it?" The voice asked.
"As me and my team searched the area for clues, we came upon the remnant energy signature that was left behind, upon seeing it we noticed that it didn't match any type of energy we know of so far, it was neither demonic, holy, divine, or magical. We thought of it as Spiritual, but upon further thought we threw that aside as it appeared one of my squad mates seemed to have come across such an occurrence before." Bronya revealed.
"It would appear, that she had called it 'Primordial' energy, sir." Bronya finished.
"…" a moment of silence followed after that reveal.
"…Are you certain it was primordial energy." The voice said slowly, seemingly in doubt.
"Positive. My squad mate works for the Monarch of Origin, where she had seen the Monarch in use of such energy before." Bronya explained.
"I see." The voice said as if clearing his doubt.
"Did you find out who was responsible by any chance?" The voice asked.
"No, sir. All surveillance was wiped out in that area after the brief show of power, be it technological or magical, no evidence aside from the particles of primordial energy remained. Aside from that, we were also forced to retreat as god class individuals have since set their gazes upon this town, even know as we speak, I can feel their gazes brush past us from time to time. They appear to be searching for the cause." Bronya revealed.
"hmm, that is indeed troublesome, still, it was a good call, no need to place yourself in unnecessary danger by remaining in ground zero." The voice said after a moment.
"yes, sir." Bronya agreed.
"Still, we can't afford to overlook this either, after all, 'Primordial' energy is a very dangerous very volatile source of power. In fact, you're all very lucky to be alive right now." The voice stated.
"What should we do sir." Bronya asked.
"I will be removing you from your previous assignment of monitoring the anomaly." The voice said. "From now on you are to prioritize finding the source of the primordial energy, if we're lucky you will have found it before the other supernatural forces have." The voice ordered.
"Sir! That's a bit…" Bronya seemed to make a face like she wanted to refuse.
"I understand it's a bit of a tall order, but don't worry, you will not be alone in your search, I will allow you the freedom of choosing personnel to help you in this endeavor." The voice clarified.
Hearing this, Bronya let out a sigh of relief. Still, even with help Bronya wasn't confident she could find the culprit before the other supernatural forces could, especially if those involved gods. Turning around, Bronya gave her two friends a look, seeing this the two-woman smiled and nodded their heads. Giving them a grateful look, Bronya turned back to the screen as she had made her decision.
"In that case, I would like to recommend Kiana Kaslana and Mei Raiden as backup to carryout my mission." Bronya declared.
"Kaslana? Raiden? Ah! Yes, your file mentioned this, your old team from the academy. Very well, I shall have this authorized as soon as I have The Monarch of Origin and Finality give their permission. They should have no reason to refuse." The voice answered, somewhat amused.
"I thank you, Sir." Bronya said as she slightly bowed.
"Think nothing of it, it's the least I can do after all. Well then you have your orders, I expect to see results within the following weeks." The voice said.
"It will be done, Sir." Bronya gave a light smile.
"That will be all then, signing off." with that the voice disappeared and the screen turned off.
Sigh*
Relieved that the meeting was finally over, Bronya turned around and gave her friends a grateful look. "Thanks girls, for agreeing to stay and help me." Bronya said as she gave them both a light hug.
"Think nothing of it Bronya~" Kiana said.
"Yeah, after all, we're a team remember." Mei agreed.
"You're right, still, are you sure the Monarch of Finality and the Monarch Origin will agree to your reassignment." Bronya asked, not wanting to burden her friends.
"Shouldn't be a problem, the old man has more than enough people to fill my spot for a time, besides, I was supposed to be on vacation, guess we can kiss that time off goodbye." Kiana grumbled a little at the last part.
"What about you Mei." Bronya asked.
"I don't see why not, Lady Elysia will understand, besides this mission now takes priority above all else, as the Monarch of Reason has stated, we must find the source before the other factions do." Mei said seriously.
"You're right." Bronya said, happy to have her friends on board.
"Well, that's all well and good, but, how exactly will we be searching for this, I don't suppose you'll have us running around the town till something happens will ya." Kiana asked.
"No, that would be counterproductive, but, I see your point." Thinking it over, Bronya soon came with a solution. "Let's head to the lab for now, I do believe we can calibrate the sensors to pick up on this primordial energy, assuming another spike bursts out, we can track it down on a moments notice." Bronya concluded.
"Makes sense, you still got the sample of primordial residue left behind." Mei asked.
"Yeah, first thing I did was bring it back to be analyzed, now we simply have to adjust it to pick up on our sensors, so next time we're not caught by surprise." Bronya stated.
"That's great, lets get going." Kiana announced.
With that the trio set out on their task.
Running around town, Ichigo had decided to go for a morning jog to clear his mind. Having watched the news this morning, Ichigo was currently feeling partly guilty for the scare he gave the town when he unknowingly released his power. Apparently, the government had decided to chalk up last nights incident on an unprecedented earthquake. How that lie was holding up, he did not know, but, for the most part people seemed to buy it and that's all they needed to bring a semblance of calm over the town. Seeing as no more "Earthquakes" have happened people went back to their everyday lives, well, aside from certain areas that took more damage and still needed to be repaired.
Sigh*
Honestly, that was the least of Ichigo's worries right now, if anything, his mind still seemed to take him back to the conversation he had with himself? No, it's probably for the best if he called the other him something else, otherwise it would get confusing. Well, Monarch was his title so he'll just stick with that, yup, keeping it simple would be best.
If that's what you wish then so be it." A voice suddenly said, almost making Ichigo stumble in the process.
"Huh? A little warning next time, you almost made me trip." Ichigo said slightly annoyed.
"Apologies, I thought it would be best if I let my presence known in case you ever needed me." The Monarch said.
"Well, I appreciate the heads up, but is there a reason we must be talking after I said I wanted sometime alone. I specifically remember telling you to give me some time to think it over." Ichigo mentally berated him.
"Forgive me, Ichigo, I just simply thought it would be best to warn you of something ahead of time." The Monarch remarked.
"Warn me? What do you mean." Ichigo asked, slightly worried.
"You're being watched." The Monarch said.
As if on cue, Ichigo suddenly felt a 'weight' settle on him, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as something dangerous just passed through him, like the eyes of an apex predator, they judged him, analyzed him, and just as quickly left him. If for a moment, Ichigo had the sudden urge to stare back, despite his better judgement warning him. He could feel his body freeze up, and his heart beat faster, yet the feeling of something within him rising to the provocation, just what exactly was this feeling?
"Don't look back. Act natural lest they notice something." The Monarch warned.
Heeding his words Ichigo kept up with his jog, doing his best to ignore the feeling of having been essentially 'patted down'. Still as he kept running, he would occasionally sense something pass him, a weight that only he could perceive apparently as he saw the people around him not mind the presence that was hidden somewhere above.
"What was that?" Ichigo asked.
"Gods." The Monarch replied simply.
"Gods!?" shocked at that revelation, Ichigo couldn't help but panic internally.
"Yes, it would appear that last night's events have caught their interest, and now they cast their divine gaze upon this town, unfortunately." The monarch grumbled a little.
"So, out of curiosity what would happen if they discover that I was the one responsible." Ichigo asked a little worried.
"Depends on which god, but, ultimately not a good thing for us." The monarch replied.
"Elaborate." Ichigo demanded.
"It goes back to thousands upon thousands of years back, when we the monarchs were first created." The Monarch began. "As I once said, a great war that happened long ago gave birth to an enemy of their own making, it grew immensely powerful, so much so that by the time it was discovered, it was already too late." His voice took a somber tone. "Understand, Ichigo. We Monarchs were created in time of desperation. No God could fell the beast due to the nature of its creation, its very existence was anathema to divinity, it rejected the very idea of gods, as such it was immune to any divine attack." The Monarch explained.
"Seeing that they didn't stand a chance no matter how strong they were, the gods eventually turned to one final act of desperation. For if divine hands cannot fell this beast, then perhaps the touch of a mortal will succeed." He said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "They sought to create a hero, one mighty enough to do what they could not. Can you believe that? The gods in all their wisdom and power turned to us MORTALS for help, so that we could deliver to them a miracle, how absurd." The Monarch laughed.
"…They succeeded." The Monarch ceased his laughter and spoke seriously.
"How?" Ichigo asked, having been paying attention this whole time.
"As I said, a miracle." The Monarch snorted. "In their search, they found 13 individuals, 13 heroes to carry the task of eliminating this threat from creation, amongst them we were the first." He said proudly.
"Tell me Ichigo, can you guess how we were elevated to such prominence." The monarch asked.
"I remember you talking about this tree of creation or something like that." Ichigo unsurely replied.
"Close." he answered.
"We were taken to the 'center' the place of 'origin' there they made us 'bathe' in the primordial energies, a power not of divinity but of that which all things come from." The Monarch said nostalgically. "We were elevated, Ascended to something more, not divine, yet no longer mortal." He paused for a moment. "WE achieved what they had hoped for, not a god, not divine, yet still strong enough to contend with the one deemed 'adversary.'" He said.
"We became Transcendent."
"Unparalleled beings with the purpose of exterminating all threats to creation."
"They gave us the title of Monarch"
"We were made to win."
"…and we did."
The Monarch sounded distant as he said all this, and yet, the words somehow rung through ichigo, as if the sentiment was shared.
"You didn't answer the question." Ichigo said after a moment.
"…despite our power and glory, at the end of the day, the gods merely saw us as tools, a means to an end as they say. We were made so that they could live, tools to be cast aside once their purpose has been fulfilled." The Monarch sighed.
"We never got along as you can imagine. After all, for a god to cast aside its pride and turn to mortals for salvation, it was a hard pill to swallow for many of them. in the end you could say that they resent us Monarchs for what we represent, in their eyes we are not their saviors, but a shame that must be buried away." A moment of silence followed.
"…I see, so would they kill me if they found out I was a Monarch." Ichigo asked after a moment of deliberation.
"Depends on the god, but, assume that it's a most likely scenario, after all, their hate for us was only trumped by the beast. In their eyes we are no different than abominations that must be quelled." The monarch stated.
"Well shit, thanks for the heads up at least." Ichigo said after a moment.
"You don't have to worry about it, as long as the seal holds and no leakage of power bursts out like last time, they won't be able to detect you, though on the offhand I can't say much if they happen to recognize you by your appearance." The Monarch contemplated.
"Ugh! Damn it, off chance they'd have forgotten what we look like after so long." Ichigo asked. After all, he didn't want to get smote by a random god one day just because they recognized his face while he was walking the street.
"hmph, a couple thousand years is nothing to a god, still, many would only see a resemblance since we are believed to have died long ago." The Monarch said somewhat amused.
"Ok then, so I shouldn't worry about it is what you're telling me then." Ichigo summarized it. Well not having to worry about gods taking him out one day did calm him down a little.
"Pretty much." The Monarch agreed. "Still, I'll keep an eye out for you just in case. As for the gods, well, I doubt they will stick around much longer, not only is this not their territory, but I also doubt the Shinto deities will appreciate them encroaching on their turf." The monarch answered.
"Makes sense." Ichigo agreed.
"Exactly. So just keep your head down and wait out the storm, I would say give it till the end of today before it's all over." The Monarch said nonchalantly.
"Not like I can do anything else." With that Ichigo decided it was time to head back home.
In a restaurant somewhere…
"So, what did Lord Lucifer have to say about the situation." Sona asked Rias.
Having called their respective siblings to inform them of the situation. Sona sister, Serafall Leviathan had told her to not worry about it and that they would be sending people to investigate within the coming morning.
"Sigh. Same as yours, just keep our heads down and wait for the storm to blow over. Told me that they would be sending appropriate personnel to deal with it, but, currently, not much they can do at the moment with all the supernatural factions currently snooping around the place. Apparently, whatever that surge of power was has got many of them nervous, though luckily for us, they should be gone within the day as it seems that Lord Lucifer and leviathan along with the Shinto faction have expressed their displeasure at the fact that many trespassed into our territory." After all, it was known that Kuoh town was under Devil control, with the blessing of Amaterasu no less, after an agreement between the two factions. So long as they took care of the place and its people, the Shinto faction would not see the need to interfere with this place. Still, that didn't necessarily mean that others were welcomed to snoop around the place without permission as it seemed that many were doing right now, if the not so subtle presences in the sky were anything to go by.
"Well, this is far above our means to deal with." Sona Reasoned.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Rias Agreed.
"Still, it's a shame that classes had to be cancelled today after such an ordeal." Sona sighed.
"Heh, you know some people would be rejoicing after such a thing." Rias lightly smiled.
"Ah, yes, it was also just a few days out from exam week, guess they'll have to push it back a few days" Sona said.
"Ugh, I don't want to think about that right now." Rias groaned.
Having been keeping watch of the situation the whole night, Rias could say that she has been under a lot of stress at the moment, that and having to convince the town that what happened was simply an earthquake, an act of nature. They couldn't really do much for those that saw the light show and explain the sudden increase in pressure, but, luckily it only lasted a few moments to make people doubt themselves. As for the local government that handled the supernatural side, well, a few phone calls and dropping her name was enough for them to act quickly to make sure that the 'truth' of the matter was just that, an earthquake. Thankfully most people seemed to buy it, with others, being somewhat skeptical, and theories of experimental military weapons and what not.
All in all, Rias was feeling a bit tired. Though after the situation was somewhat in control, and no sudden power spikes, she could finally afford to relax. Which led to her and Sona coming to have breakfast at a local restaurant.
"Still, on a different matter, what do you wish to do with the stray that has recently cropped up in our territory." Sona asked as she poked at her food.
Taking a sip from her tea, Rias contemplated. "Honestly, I don't know, the file said it was an A-class stray, meaning it's probably as strong as a high-class devil. If anything, I suggest we deal with this in a joint operation, less room for error that way." Rias voiced her opinion. Though Rias and Sona were 'decent' high-class devils in terms of power, and were fairly competent at dealing with the stray with their own peerage if they wanted to, it didn't change the fact that stray devils were always unpredictable once they started losing their mind and turning to their more monstrous nature.
"It seems that we are in agreement, I too came to the conclusion that dealing with it in a joint operation to be the best course of action, less unnecessary risk that way." Sona agreed.
Name: Evelyn
Race: Rakshasa (Reincarnated Devil)
Powers: Shapeshifting, illusion magic, Shadow magic, expert swordsman
Occupation: Knight (former)
Crimes: Attempted regicide
Rating: Danger class-A
Notes: Last known location was tracked to Kuoh town, Japan.
This was pretty much the only thing of importance in the wanted poster, with a little message of kill on sight. If Rias was being honest, she really wanted to get started on this hunt as soon as possible. Nothing good will come from leaving an unstable element like a stray devil wandering around her town, that and the fact that it was given an A-class rating, definitely troubled times ahead, doubly so when the stray eventually started losing its mind.
"When do you want to get started on this hunt then." Rias asked Sona.
"I would say tonight would be a perfect time." Sona suggested.
"So soon." Rias asked.
"Rakshasa aren't as active during the day as they are at night when in their element, it will definitely try to hunt for whatever it can bump into in the middle of the night." Sona stated.
"Doesn't help that we don't know where it will appear to make narrowing the location easier." Rias grumbled, not exactly looking forward to patrolling entire town for one individual.
"Nothing we can do about that, well at last Koneko should prove useful with those heightened senses of hers." Sona remarked.
"Huh, I almost forgot about that." Rias commented.
"Regardless, I guess we can end things here and go back to inform our peerages of what's to come next." Sona said, no longer interested in her meal.
"Might as well." Looking out the window in slight boredom, it was at that moment that a flash of orange graced her sight, it was for a moment, but in that instant as she widened her eyes at the familiar face walking by did she remember what had been bugging her this whole time.
"Actually Sona, I got something I have to attend to first." Rias said as she quickly got out of her seat, not forgetting to pay for her meal, and storming out the restaurant, all the while leaving a confused Sona behind.
Walking down the street, Ichigo who ran pretty far from his house, was currently making his way back after a good morning run. Still many things currently weighted heavy on his mind after the many revelations that suddenly sprang up on him. This also had the unintended effect of dulling his senses for he almost jumped out of his skin when a hand landed on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts, and making him widen his eyes in sudden surprise. Swiftly turning around expecting an attack, Ichigo was met with Crimson hair, the familiar figure of Rias, and the smirk on her face at having caught him off guard.
"What the hell!?" Ichigo said slightly annoyed at having been surprised like that.
"HA, Scared ya did I." Rias laughed at having caught ichigo off guard.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it off, you got me good, bravo." Ichigo said drily as he clapped his hands in a sarcastic way.
"heh, don't be like that, it was all in good fun, besides it was your fault for being so careless like that." She said, the smirk not leaving her face.
"Yeah, well, I got a lot of things on my mind at the moment." Ichigo sighed as he stared off into the distance.
"Is something wrong?" Rias asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"What isn't going wrong at the moment." Ichigo sarcastically said.
"…You want to talk about it." Rias offered after a moment, taking to Ichigo's side as they walked and talked.
"So, what has Mr. Tough guy so worried." Rias joked.
"Aside from almost being flattened from whatever happened yesterday." Ichigo said drily.
"Right…so, that happened." Rias awkwardly said. Still, finding something to talk about, Rias continued. "It's odd, me and the rest had just got back to the ORC room when all of a sudden this pressure just descends down on us, rooting us in place. Luckily I was sitting down at the time otherwise I would have face planted like Kiba did." Rias chuckled a little at that.
Wincing a little, Ichigo gave Rias an apologetic look, though she wasn't looking at Ichigo to see it. "After It was finally over, we all kind of just sat there trying to process what the hell just happened." Rias said, grimacing a little at the memory.
"Well, at least nothing too bad happened afterwards." Rias said, deciding not to think about it anymore. "What about you Ichigo, did you make it back home safely, or at the very least unscathed." She said as she gave him a once over.
Ichigo for his part, lowered his gaze, not really knowing if he should reveal what happened yesterday, not because he wanted Rias to worry, but, simply out of the fact that even he couldn't believe what happened yesterday. Why would Rias, a seemingly ordinary girl, believe him if he said he encountered a monster last night and that he was the cause of the disturbance last night. Well perhaps he could leave out the fact that he caused that sudden spark of power to descend on the town.
Still, turning to Rias who gazed at him in concern with those beautiful eyes of hers, if only for a bit, it couldn't hurt to vent his frustrations to someone who could at the very least listen to him. Gods knew, his life was certainly going to get hectic from here on out.
"Sigh. Well at after separating from you guys and heading home, I might of, sort of, gotten into a bit of trouble." Ichigo started, attracting Rias attention as she gazed at him in concern.
'What happened?" she asked, somewhat worried.
"Let's just say that some crazy bitch attempted to…kill me." Ichigo said after a moment of hesitation.
"…"
"I know how it sounds, but, yeah, that happened." Ichigo said as he saw Rias giving him a strange look.
"I'm sorry, I believe I didn't quite hear you right, do you mind repeating that." Rias said, looking like she had to reboot herself after a moment.
"Rias, I'm saying that I almost died last night, though thankfully whatever happened yesterday came at the right moment. Not only did it flatten me to the ground, it also managed to scare off the freak as well, cause after it was over, she was nowhere to be seen, after that I just dragged my sorry ass home." Ichigo confessed. Honestly Ichigo felt somewhat better know at having said all this to someone who wasn't…himself? Anyways he could finally let his grievances about yesterday out to someone he could consider a friend. it felt good to let all out of his chest.
"…" Again, Rias didn't know quite how to react to this information. After all, it had only been less than a day from now to last night, and in that time, she had almost lost her first human friend to some unknown psycho.
What the fuck!
Letting out a few breaths Rias asked Ichigo a question as he seemed distracted at the moment, perhaps thinking of yesterday's events. "D-Did you happen to get a look at who attacked you." Rias asked after a moment, giving him a serious look.
"I think I got more than just a 'good look' at the bastard." Ichigo snorted.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused at what he meant by that.
"…I rather not talk about that part. Though If I were to give you a description, she had short white hair, golden eyes, wore a black trench coat, and boots. That and she was arrogant enough to give me her name, though it could have been a fake one if anything." Ichigo confessed.
"What did she call herself." Rias pressed.
"Well after I introduced myself, before she went all psycho on me, she told me her name was…Evelyn." Ichigo revealed, a scowl forming on his face at the thought of that…monster.
"…" Rias for her part had a shocked expression upon hearing the identity of the attacker. How much time had passed since the emergence of a stray in her territory, Since the order was given for its elimination. In the time it took for them to become aware of its existence, Ichigo had almost become its first meal in her territory! This-she could feel her heart sinking at the thought of never seeing ichigo again, to know that one day she would sit in class and never have him by her side again. To never see that rare smile of his which he used only on those who were truly close to him.
Walking ahead, Ichigo noticed that Rias had suddenly stopped moving. "Rias?" ichigo called out to her, noticing her strange behavior. Though the next action she did left ichigo stunned. Faster than Ichigo could react, Rias wrapped her arms around him, the strength in her arms surprising him as he found it difficult to move suddenly. That and the fact that she had practically buried her face in his chest and pressed her body against his in a tight hug.
Somewhat flustered at this action, Ichigo awkwardly reciprocated the action as he gently wrapped his hands around her back. "What's wrong Rias?" Ichigo asked after a moment.
A muffled noise came out of her mouth as she was currently buried into his chest. "I'm sorry what was that." Ichigo asked confused. Though the next moment a sharp pain struck him in the chin as Rias skull slammed into it.
"SON OF A-"cutting himself off as he almost bit his tongue in the process, Ichigo nursed his reddended chin as Rias looked at him with slight anger on her face. Honestly, Ichigo would have called it cute any other day, but, currently as he nursed his chin, he felt like grabbing Rias into headlock and giving her a nuggie for the shit she just pulled on him.
"THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" Ichigo yelled angrily as he looked down at Rias who had yet to release him. Though the anger he had soon abated as he looked into Rias eyes and noticed the slight buildup of moister in her eyes, was she about to cry?
"You IDIOT what do you mean 'what's wrong' do you have any idea just how close to death you were!" Rias practically screamed into his face, surprising Ichigo in the process.
"I-" Ichigo was about to defend himself before being promptly cut off.
"SHUT UP" slamming her head into his chest, Ichigo felt like he just had the wind knocked out of him as he held onto Rias so he wouldn't fall over.
"Oof! At this point you're already doing more physical damage than she did to me!" Ichigo protested as he attempted to get Rias off of him, only for her to strengthen her hold on him.
"Dammit Rias! Let go already, Fuck! How are you so strong!?" Ichigo said as he tried to shake her off. Though he soon gave up after a few attempts seeing that he hadn't even loosened her grip on him.
Sigh*
Deciding to just let her get it out of her system Ichigo just looked down at her with a tired look. "Rias look at me." Ichigo said after a moment. Shaking her head, Ichigo sighed as she wouldn't face him. "Rias" Ichigo took a firmer tone as he called her name. This time she slowly started to raise her face towards him, a cute pout on her face as she still looked at him with a look between anger and worry.
"Rias, I'm fine now, see, I'm alive, I'm here, I won't be kicking the bucket anytime soon." Ichigo gave her a gentle smile as he said this to alleviate her concern. Seeing this Rias could feel her cheeks reddening as he looked at her with such a charming smile. Releasing him after a moment of hesitation, Rias huffed as she crossed her arms in faux anger.
"Whose worried about who here. I just feel like you were making light of your situation you dummy." She said as she looked away from him.
"Wow, could you be any more of a tsundere than you are right now." Ichigo said amusedly.
"Tsundere? Who's a Tsundere!? Need I remind you that you were almost killed without even asking for my permission first." Rias proclaimed.
"I don't remember people asking for permission before dying." Ichigo said confused.
"Yeah, well I'm telling you now, you're not allowed to die under any circumstances so long as your friends with this Rias Gremory." Rias proclaimed, a proud look on her face.
"Did you just refer to yourself in third person?" Ichigo said amusedly as he looked at Rias.
"Yes, now then, as your friend I will hereby ban you from death, do you here." Rias huffed as she looked at him.
"Thanks for the concern Rias, but I don't think that's quite how it works." He said, a smirk on his face.
"Yes or No, that's all I want to hear out of that mouth of yours." She ordered.
"Fine, fine, whatever the Princess desires it shall be done." Ichigo said sarcastically.
"Good." a small smile soon settled on her face.
Looking at each other for a moment, the both soon couldn't hold back the laughter after their ridiculous conversation.
"Thanks, Rias, I guess I needed a good laugh to break me out of this funk I've been having all morning." Ichigo said as he controlled himself once more.
"It's good to see you smiling again, but, in all seriousness please look after yourself Ichigo." Rias said after a moment.
"Hey, don't have to tell me twice, is not like I'm trying to get myself killed here, after all I want to live a long and happy life if I can." Ichigo declared.
"That's good, now then, first order of business for the day, I'm going to hunt down the bitch that tried to kill you." Rias angrily said, and for a moment Ichigo could have sworn he saw Rias eyes flash red.
"Woah there, I appreciate the sentiment, but, Rias it's fine now, I doubt whoever it was will try to come back now that I know what they look like, if they try a second time I won't be caught with my pants down like last time." Ichigo said, dissuading Rias from seeking revenge on his behalf.
"I understand Ichigo, but, this is a matter of pride, someone who I consider dear to me has been hurt, and now I must seek compensation from the one who did it, otherwise how could I continue to call myself by the name of Gremory." Rias argued. "Besides, my family has a lot of influence in this town as well as other places in the world, we are not to be taken lightly, and since I consider you one of my own, I'll make sure to squash the bug that dared lay their hands on you." Rias declared.
"Wait, are you being serious." Ichigo asked in concern.
"Yup, I will take it into my own hands to make sure the trash is well taken care off before you know it." Rias said.
"I-I don't know what to say, but, Rias trust me, you don't have to." Ichigo while grateful for her support, didn't really want to get Rias mixed up in his mess.
"Nope, I've already made up my mind, this is personal now." Rias declared.
"Sigh. I won't be able to dissuade you from this will I." Ichigo said with a tired voice.
"Nope." She said.
"Fine. Whatever do what you want, though I doubt you'll be able to find a run-away criminal after last nights events." Ichigo said.
"Just leave that to me. My family is quite powerful, and besides it'll be easier now that we know where to look." Rias said seriously.
"Whatever you say, well I guess this is where we part ways, and…thanks. For everything thus far." Ichigo said as he scratched the back of his head.
Thump*
Rias once more hugged ichigo, finding comfort in his arms after a stressful night. "Stay safe." She said after a moment.
"Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere." Ichigo gave her a smile.
"Good." Hesitantly releasing him, the two stared at each other in the eyes for a moment, an unknown emotion flashing in Rias eyes as she looked at Ichigo.
"I'll be heading back, many things to prepare for, be safe on the way home." Like that Rias turned around and walked away, leaving Ichigo to stare after her.
"Haah, that silly girl, hopefully she doesn't get into any trouble." Like that Ichigo also left the area. Though unknown to the both of them, a creeping shadow that had hid in the dark alley had intentionally listened in on their conversation. Slowly materializing, the shapely figure of a woman could be seen before turning into the form of Evelyn the stray devil.
Watching Ichigo walk away, the chilling smile and murderous intent at having heard and seen everything. Evelyn was currently furious.
"How dare that Gremory bitch lay her hands on my prey!" She thought to herself. Having seen the Crimson haired girl hug her Ichigo.
"Wanting to hunt me down huh, we'll see about that, I'll make you regret having said that." Turning back into her shadow form the stray disappeared into the darkness.
"Don't worry Ichigo~, I'll make sure that bitch will never get in between the both of us, after all You're mine and mine alone~" The last parting words in the alley as the stray searched for prey.
Author's Note
Hello guys, sorry for the wait, I had exam week last week so not much room to write, that and I slacked off for a bit. Though I had the chapter half finished, I ended up losing my train of thought and had to revise what I was going for this chapter. Well either way I think it turned out quite nicely.
Now onto some review.
This chapter might have felt a bit slow, but, well, character development and what not.
Some revelations and surprises going on here.
1st: Ichigo meeting the Fragmented memories of his past self, talking with the Monarch of Victory in the hopes that Ichigo will assume his previous mantle. Now this is how I hope to bring Ichigo into slowly accepting his title and power, after all what are we if not the experiences we built ourselves on. Ichigo and the Monarch of Victory are one and the same, so long as Ichigo recovers his memories, he will not only regain the experiences and knowledge, but the power that comes with it.
2nd: Some little heart to heart between Ichigo and Rias, ya'll can already guess who is gonna be in the harem.
Harem: Rias, Elysia, Bronya, Mei, Kiana, etc
I'll update it from time to time so no one loses track of who is in it.
3rd: Rias and Sona going on a joint hunt to kill Evelyn. Hopefully nothing bad happens. Also get her Rias, she's thirsting after your man.
4th: Kiana, Mei and Bronya are now on the lookout for Ichigo even if they don't know it yet.
Not much else to say guys.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and continue to support me.
Have a great day and see you next time.
Bye.