Outsider Chronicles: Soulight Archives

Remembering ones past lives can make for both a massive pain in the ass and a huge boon, especially when your current life is the protagonist of one of your favourite stories. It can also make massive changes to your powers. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up as a Surgebinder though.

Right, so I've been listening to the Stormlight Archives on Audible recently and I've come to the conclusion that the series is somehow more Anime than some Anime I've watched. Seriously, there were several times where I was convinced I was listening to a Shonen light novel, not a book written by a bloke from Nabraska! Not that that's a bad thing and its something to consider next time someone suggests that Japanese fiction is worse than Western stuff. Anyway, lets get started. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Waking up was a remarkably weird experience. I was absolutely sure I was supposed to be dead, but I felt oddly good. My body didn't hurt, despite the fact I'd been hit by a car/stabbed twice by an asshole…

I jolted upright with a gasp, scrabbling at my front, looking for wounds. To my surprise and relief, there were none. Then, as the panic faded, I realised just what I had just thought and, in the process, that I apparently had two sets of memories. One belonged to a perfectly normal British man that ended abruptly with a pair of very bright lights and the sound of a trucks horn and the other of a slightly less normal Japanese teen who had spent the last few months fighting soul eating monsters after stealing a grim reapers powers.

Or, to put it more pithy, I was an Isekai victim who had been reborn as Ichigo Kurosaki. Well, at least that explained a few weird things about my life, although the memories didn't exactly paint a good image of my not so different future.

I let out a sigh and fell back onto my back, staring up at the grumpy looking sky as I turned my new memories over in my mind. I quickly concluded that my extra memories must have been subconsciously influencing me for a long time, even if I didn't actively remember them. While I was still recognizable the same as the Ichigo from the original timeline, I wasn't exactly the same. I actually had a sense of humour for one thing and I didn't blame myself for my Mothers death quite as much, although my new knowledge made it quite clear who actually deserved to take a sword to the face.

Unfortunately, it also made it clear that I couldn't really afford to just roll over and let my powers fade away.

I scowled softly as the sky above rumbled softly and a light rain began to fall. Damn, I really should get under some cover…

Hang on a sec, where am I?

I sat up and looked around for the first time and immediately recognized my new surroundings as the horizontal city that made up my Inner World. Huh, thats interesting, I would have thought I wouldn't be able to access this after Byakuya destroyed my Spiritual Powers. On the up side, I could deal with this WITHOUT having to go through the Shattered Shaft.

I got to my feet and looked around for any sign of Zangetsu. There wasn't even a hint of flowing cloak or flash of white robes.

"Hey, are you here Zangetsu?" I called.

"Of course I am Ichigo," rumbled a deep voice that made me jump out of my skin.

It was incredibly loud and seemed to come from everywhere. I spun around, but still couldn't see anything.

"Where are you?" I asked.

There was a rumble of thunder and a gust of wind washed over me. I turned again, trying to catch sight of my Zanpakuto and was about to call out again, but the words died in my throat as I looked up.

The sky was a face. It was easily recognizable as Old Man Zangetsu, only composed of clouds and stretching out for an eternity. Despite that, I could somehow take in all of the features without issue, although my brain was having trouble accepting what I was seeing.

"I…was not expecting that," I said weakly.

The living storm raised a spectral eyebrow.

"Did you not think that your changed soul would not affect me?" he asked, "I am not the same Spirit as manifested within the other you."

"I…see," I said, "So…is the other Zangetsu also here, or…?"

Zangetsu sighed, creating a gust of wind that nearly blew me off my feet.

"No, we are all here," he said, "However, we are as one. Hollow, Zanpakuto and Quincy, all combined into me. You need not worry Ichigo, I shall not hold you back like my counterpart did. However, know that my powers are completely different to his."

"Different how?" I asked.

In answer, a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky and embedded itself in the glass beneath me, clearing to reveal Zangetsu, albeit with a rather stark difference. Instead of being hiltless and wrapped in bandages, the sword instead had a Western style cruciform hilt and the blade had faint lines inscribed along the blade, creating barely visible patterns.

"Huh, thats neat," I said, running my hand over the hilt of my new sword, "Glad I don't have to reclaim this."

"That wouldn't have been necessary anyway," said Zangetsu, "You were fortunate enough to avoid Byakuya Kuchiki's strike to your Saketsu and Hakusui in your confrontation. While still badly injured, your powers were not lost."

I blinked.

"Lucky?" I asked.

"Maybe not," said Zangetsu, "Its possible that you instinctively dodged thanks to your hidden knowledge."

"Huh…well, that'll save a trip to the Shattered Shaft," I said, "So, what now?"

"Your body has recovered enough to awaken when you will," said Zangetsu, "But first, I suggest you talk to her."

He did…something and indicated towards a patch of my inner world that looked weirdly out of place. It was an area where, instead of the horizontal city, a patch of frozen, ice covered forest with a house sized dome in the middle sat. I frowned as I eyed it.

"What is that?" I asked.

"That is the power you stole from Rukia Kuchiki," said Zangetsu, "Your own power has awakened thanks to its presence, but it is still present in you."

"Ah, right, I guess that makes sense," I said, "Well, not really, but you know what I mean."

I thought for a moment.

"Is it possible to give it back?" I asked.

Zangetsu gave a gusty sigh.

"Yes, but you will have to do it in person," said Zangetsu.

"All the more reason to save her then," I muttered as I started making my way towards the conspicuous igloo.

It didn't take long to arrive, distance was a bit weird here, and I peered inside, a little wary that I was about to take a fist to the face. The inside of the frozen building was dim, but I could still see the pure white form of Sode No Shirayuki sat in seiza in the middle of the chamber.

"What do you want?" she asked before I could speak up.

I stepped fully into the room, shivering slightly. It wasn't actually that cold, but I could FEEL the barely contained hostility leaking of the Zanpakuto spirit in front of me.

"I guess…I want to apologise," I said.

"For what?" snapped Sode No Shirayuki, "For stealing me from Rukia? Or getting her killed?"

"I don't really think I can apologise for something I had no control over," I said, "But yes, I am sorry for getting her into this mess. So, to make up for it, I'm going to get her out of it."

Sode No Shirayuki snorted.

"How do you plan to do that?" she muttered, "If you can't beat Byakuya and Renji, you don't have a chance of saving Rukia."

"True, but we have some time," I said, "I'm pretty sure I can get strong enough to manage it. I'm sure Urahara can help with that."

Sode No Shirayuki turned to stare at me, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, "If you do that, you're gonna die!"

"Maybe, but thats OK," I said, "I don't think I could live with myself if I just abandoned Rukia. She did save my life after all and even ignoring that, shes my friend. Besides, I'm a guardian. Self proclaimed or not, its still my job to protect those who can't defend themselves which, for now, includes Rukia."

I ignored the gust of wind that washed over me and grinned at the icy Zanpakuto.

"So, can you put your faith in me for a bit?"

She stared at me for a moment, then sighed deeply.

"Alright, I guess so," she said, "Not like I have much of a choice. Even if you fail, just make sure you get me back to my Master, alright?"

"I think I can manage that," I said.

A deep rumble from Zangetsu and a feeling of pulling made me realise that I was beginning to wake up.

"Good luck!" called Sode no Shirayuki as I faded.

"Thanks!" I called back, "I think I'll need it…"

I woke up to Tessei's face way too close to mine. I reacted appropriately by punching him in the face. He barely reacted and it felt like I'd just punched a brick wall, but at least he moved away.

"Quick response, good!" he said, "Boss, Mr Kurosaki is awake!"

I sat up, taking in my old fashioned surroundings as I rubbed absently at my bandaged chest. The inside of the Urahara shop looked exactly like I expected and smelt of sweets, which was rather surprising since I half expected it to reek of unwashed bodies and Urahara's crazy experiments.

"Ahhh, good to see you've recovered Ichigo~!" said Urahara as he entered the room, "I do suggest you don't move around too much though. Your wounds haven't healed fully yet."

I blinked and looked down, then poked my chest.

"Are you sure?" I asked, "Cus they feel like they have."

Urahara looked a little surprised as I prodded myself a few more times then hesitantly unwrapped my bandages, revealing flawless skin.

"My, you are full of surprises," said Urahara, "I was sure that you'd had your Saketsu and Hakusui destroyed, but it looked like you got lucky."

"Thats what Zangetsu said," I said.

Urahara fixed me with an unreadable look.

"Zangetsu eh?" he asked, "Your Zanpakuto?"

"Thats right," I said, "I had a chat with him before I woke up."

"I see," said Urahara, "Hmmm, yes, you are full of surprises. Tell me, how does it feel to have all those extra memories?"

"Remarkably weird," I said without thinking, then blinked and looked over at Urahara, "Wait, how did you…?"

"People possessing memories of their past lives are exceptionally rare, but they do happen," said Urahara, sitting down beside me, "They have a certain…scent to them. Most Soul Reapers likely wouldn't know the difference, but I've looked into them. It does go some way to explain why you are so powerful though. Reincarnations always have exceptional Spiritual Energy."

"Really? Huh, thats…cool," I said, "Useful too."

"Indeed," said Urahara, "You'll need all the advantages you can get if you want to save Rukia."

"You'll help?" I asked.

"I will," said Urahara, "But first, you need some proper training. We have time, the Soul Society generally waits a month before executing a criminal like her. Ten days to train you, seven to open the Senkaimon and thirteen to save her. As an added bonus, as you still have your powers, we can skip the first bit."

He chuckled softly.

"This is going to be fun."

The last few days of school went by at a sluggish pace, only broken up by my conversation with Orihime about Rukia and what actually happened, but eventually, I joined Urahara at his shop and followed him down into the training room underneath. I ignored his grandstanding and started stretching.

"Can we save the jokes for later?" I asked, "I'd rather get all the training I possibly can in."

"Oh, very well," said Urahara, hefting his cane, "Lets get started."

Before I could react, he popped me in the head and I tumbled back as my body collapsed. I got to my feet and looked myself over. My Shihaksho was pretty much how I expected and remarkably comfortable. The only difference between the canon Ichigo and me was that my massive Zanpakuto had been replaced with a more naturally sized sword, wrapped in a snow white carry case. I was a bit surprised that Sode no Shirayuki had appeared like that, but whatever.

"Hmm, thats an interesting change," said Urahara, eyeing the sword with interest, "How do you plan to draw that?"

"I'm not," I said, "Thats actually Rukia's. Not sure why its manifested like that, but mine is…"

I trailed off as I realised I had no idea where my sword was.

"Um, Zangetsu?" I asked in my head.

"I am here Ichigo," he said, "Say the words and I will be at your side."

I frowned.

"What words?"

There was a low rumble of thunder in my mind, but no other response.

"Well, it looks like you haven't quite figured everything out," said Urahara, "Thats fine, we have time. Fortunately, we can work on all your skills at the same time."

His smile became sharper as he drew Benihime and pointed the sword at me.

"I find that direct training is an excellent way of drawing out hidden powers. The goal of the lesson is simple. Use everything at your disposal to knock off my hat."

I swallowed, then ducked as Urahara nearly took my head off.

"Impressive reflexes," said Urahara, "But you'll need more than that to win this. I suggest you find your sword quickly, Ichigo because if you don't, you'll die. Nake, Benihime."

I paled further and booked it before Urahara could attack. It didn't help and I barely avoided a strike that obliterated a large rock.

"DAMN IT ZANGETSU, NOW ISNT THE TIME FOR GAMES!" I shrieked in my head, "COME TO ME!"

"Say the words."

"I DON'T KNOW THE FUCKING WORDS!"

"Yes, you do. Say the words Ichigo, speak the First Ideal and fight."

I blinked.

"First ideal? What do you…"

I yelped as Urahara punished my distraction by Flash Stepping in front of me, glowing red sword held at the ready. Without thinking, I lashed out and blue light surged out, coating the floor under Urahara as he moved to jump at me. Instead, his feet stuck to the ground and he faceplanted, which stuck the rest of his body to the ground. I was so surprised that I froze, only to nearly lose my head as Urahara shattered the fragile sticking effect and fired a blast of energy at me.

Once again, I reacted instinctively, my power lashing out and my perspective flipped, up becoming down as I fell towards the ceiling. I managed to flip over and cancel the effect, landing on top of a large rock formation as everything clicked into place. Zangetsu's form, the effect of being able to stick things together and adjust my gravity. Put them together and you get a rather interesting conclusion.

I took a deep breath and felt my body fill with power. I looked down at my hands and was unsuprised to see that I was leaking a glowing white mist.

"Ah, those words," I said, "Thats certainly an interesting power set. I wonder how thats going to interact with this world?"

I turned around and looked down at Urahara, who had stopped a short distance away and was looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"Not going to attack me?" I asked.

"Not yet," he said, "You look like you've had an epiphany. Bring it out and lets get started for real."

I nodded and took a deep breath.

"Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination."

The ground under me cracked as it flash froze and Zangetsu appeared in a flash of white Spiritual Energy, glowing with a vibrant blue light that lit up the lines down the blade and creating the shape of the Windrunner quest. I grinned as I grabbed the hilt of my sword and pulled it out, swinging it around and resting it on my shoulder as I met Urahara's eyes.

"Alright, lets get this started!"

Bit shorter than I'd normally want, but fuck it, thats fine. Its not quite what I had in mind, but its fine for the most part. I might go back and rewrite it, but probably not.

So yeah, Zangetsu is now a discount Stormfather, Ichigo still has Rukia's powers in him and he may be a Knight Radiant. I see no way THAT is going to end well considering he can now fly.

There are a few things worth mentioning here, like the fact that Zangetsu isnt technically a Shardblade, so can't pull off the bullshit those things can on Roshar. At least not against anything made of or containing Spirit Energy. Likewise, while he can use his Lashings on anyone, someone with a lot of Spirit Energy can break them. It still gives a rather good advantage to flip their entire perspective on its head though. I need to do SOMETHING to balance out the lack of need for Stormlight after all.

I think its a reasonable conclusion to assume that there are individuals in the Bleach Universe who retain memories after going through the Cycle. Its not really that relevent though and no on other than Ichibe and possibly Yhwatch would be able to tell that hes more than just a reincarnation that has some memories.

Incidentally, does anyone want to guess what I have in mind for Ichigo in the future? Don't forget, hes not actually a Radiant, even if the Windrunners are a damn good fit for his personality and I can absolutely see him joining.

Anyway, with that, I'm going to sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!