Training day five. Still before dawn. The sky was deep violet. The white outer walls of Seireitei floated dimly in the pale blue glow of spirit lanterns. The air was heavy. Clinging to the skin. A foul feeling. That was when it happened. WOOOOOOO—— A piercing alarm shattered the silence. [scared] Wh-what the hell?! Yuuki sprang up. His heart pounded. Beside him, Rukia was already on her feet, gripping her Zangetsu blade. Her violet eyes glinted sharply in the emergency lights. [serious] An alert. Hollows at the outer wall — and a lot of them. Her voice was calm. But her fingers on the hilt had gone white. The innkeeper Tae came running down the hallway, face pale. "It's terrible! The area outside the wall is swarming with Hollows! And three of them have already broken into the city!" Rukia's expression shifted. [serious] We're going, Yuuki. Real combat. Yuuki swallowed. His legs trembled. He had trained. But this was his first real fight. Rukia was already sprinting. Yuuki chased after her desperately. —— The city was in chaos. Shinigami ran frantically across the white cobblestone main street. Merchants had abandoned their stalls. Ordinary souls had locked themselves inside their homes. "GYAAAAAA!!" A Hollow's roar. Three mid-sized Hollows blocked the street. Massive bodies over two meters tall. Pitch-black bodies. White masks on their heads. The masks clicked and twitched. Rukia didn't stop. She drew her Zangetsu blade as she ran. The slender blade emitted a pale blue light. [cold] Move. One flash. SHWAAK!! The Hollow's mask split clean in two. Its black body crumbled away like ash. Two left. Rukia didn't slow. Her small body became the wind. Two flashes. Three. The Hollows fell one after another. Fragments of mask hit the cobblestones with a sharp clink. [scared] Th-that's insane... Yuuki could only watch. The speed of battle was nothing like training. The spiritual pressure was crushing. The air was taut. (This is real combat.) His legs froze. But Rukia looked back. [serious] Come on, Yuuki! The outer wall is in more danger! That was all she said. Then she ran again. Yuuki forced his trembling legs to move. —— On top of the outer wall. The defense line. It was hell. Dozens of Hollows were scaling the wall. Shinigami slashed at them desperately, but they kept coming in waves. The air vibrated with the clash of spiritual pressures. "Damn it, there's too many!" "The left flank has been breached!" Voices of Shinigami flew back and forth. Rukia joined the front line. Every time her blade danced, a Hollow crumbled. But still, their numbers didn't thin. Yuuki stood in the rear, just watching the battle unfold. (I can't do anything. I can't—) That was when it happened. A section of the defense line collapsed completely. A large Hollow lunged at one of the Shinigami. Its massive jaws were about to crush the Shinigami's upper body. (He's going to die!) Yuuki's body moved on its own. Something clicked deep inside his head. —Retrograde. The world stopped. No. That wasn't it. The scenery was flowing backward. The Hollow's jaws stopped closing, opened, retreated. The moment of the Shinigami falling rewound. He was standing again. Time had gone back. Just twelve seconds. [scared] Jump right!! To the right!! Yuuki screamed. Rukia looked startled for a moment. But she nodded immediately and pulled the Shinigami to the right. The Hollow's jaws bit empty air. A fatal wound. Averted. But. Yuuki looked at his right hand. His fingertips were faintly translucent. The outline was blurred. (This is the price.) Cold terror sprouted deep in his chest. But it didn't end. Two more times. Yuuki used Retrograde. He saved two more Shinigami from the brink of death. Each time he finished, the sensation in his hand faded further. His fingers didn't feel like his own anymore. Impatience slowly seeped into his heart. (How many more times... can I use it?) The fear of disappearing grew larger and larger beneath the adrenaline of battle. —— The fight was still in its middle stages. That was when it happened. A Hollow of exceptional size climbed over the outer wall. Over three meters in length. Far faster than the others. It headed straight for Rukia. [scared] Rukia! Rukia noticed too. She twisted her body on the uneven stone steps, ready to intercept. But her foot tangled. She caught her foot on a broken section of the steps. Her small body lost balance. The Hollow's massive claws swung down. Rukia wouldn't make it in time. (She's going to die—) Yuuki's body moved faster than anything. Before he could think, his legs had already carried him in front of Rukia. SHLUCK!! The sound of flesh tearing. Intense pain. The Hollow's claws slashed deep into Yuuki's right shoulder. Blood sprayed. Warm liquid soaked his kimono. [scared] G-gyaaaaah!! The pain made his vision flash white. But Rukia was unharmed. Rukia rose instantly. Her eyes burned with fury. Her blade danced. The Hollow's mask was cleaved in a single straight line. Its massive body tilted and crumbled into ash. The battle ended. Yuuki collapsed on the spot. His right shoulder burned like fire. The blood wouldn't stop. Rukia rushed over. [angry] Wh-why did you shield me?! Her voice trembled. He couldn't tell if it was anger or fear. [scared] If Rukia... got taken out... I wouldn't be able to do anything... It wasn't calculation. It was pure fear. Losing Rukia was far more terrifying than dying himself. Rukia lost her words for a moment. Then, silently, she tore the sash of her kage-goromo. Her small hands wrapped it around Yuuki's shoulder. [sad] ...Don't do that again. A small voice. But Yuuki noticed. Her fingertips were trembling slightly. A moment when something was born between them. Not duty. Not a contract. Just a pure desire to protect each other. —— At that moment, Rukia's head snapped up. [scared] Something's wrong... The Hollows are all retreating at once. Looking out, the Hollows scaling the outer wall were pulling back like a receding tide. [serious] Why...? The color drained from Rukia's face. "Something's off. The size of the horde and the timing of the breach... This was a diversion." Her violet eyes widened. [scared] The real target is elsewhere! Valnesia!! He's after the Chamber of Eternal Sleep!! The blood drained from Yuuki's face. The hero. If the hero was killed, everything would end. [scared] Let's go!! He had forgotten the pain. The two of them sprinted at full speed toward the White Tower. —— Running. The wound in his shoulder ached. But he couldn't stop. Underground. The White Tower. They leaped down the stairs three at a time. The Chamber of Eternal Sleep. The door was open. Yuuki and Rukia burst inside. —A man stood there. In front of the crystal of the hero Kagetsu Towa. Tall. At least 195 centimeters. The left half of his face was covered by a white, expressionless mask. His right eye was a deep crimson. His long white hair was tangled and hung down to his back. The air froze. [whispers] Ah, you've come. His voice echoed through the room. A low whisper. An eerie voice that crawled along the ears. He turned slowly. His right eye caught Yuuki. [cold] So you're the brat who can rewind time. Every hair on Yuuki's body stood on end. [scared] Rukia, stay back! Yuuki tried to step forward. But Valnesia was faster. He raised one hand. Quietly. [whispers] —I want to see your despair. Mirage Lead. Yuuki's vision shattered. —— The sound of rain. After school. Third year of middle school. A corner of the hallway. A classmate was being shoved into a locker. Several boys surrounded him, laughing. Textbooks were scattered on the floor, trampled by indoor shoes. (Stop it.) He couldn't voice it. Yuuki stood at the edge of the hallway, holding an umbrella. He tried to help. His legs wouldn't move. (If someone sees me, I'll become the target.) His heart was pounding. The classmate looked at Yuuki, crying. Eyes that said help me. But Yuuki averted his gaze. He clutched his umbrella and walked away. Only the sound of his own footsteps echoed in the hallway. (Sorry, sorry, sorry.) He apologized in his heart, but his feet wouldn't stop. A few days later, that classmate transferred schools. —— [whispers] That was you. The voice came from inside his head. [whispers] You stood by and watched. You lacked the courage to help. You ran. And yet now you try to save others. Don't you find that laughable? The back of Yuuki in the illusion filled the real Yuuki's entire field of vision. (No, I—) He couldn't say no. The guilt from that day crawled up from the depths of his heart. The real Yuuki collapsed to his knees. His body wouldn't move. [scared] Yuuki!! Rukia's voice sounded distant. But it didn't reach him. Rukia immediately lunged at Valnesia with her blade. [angry] Stop this!! But. Valnesia didn't move. He simply flicked one hand. The wave of spiritual pressure released from that hand sent Rukia flying several meters. THUD!! Her small body slammed against the stone wall. Cracks ran through the wall. Rukia dropped her Zangetsu blade to the floor and crumpled. She couldn't stand. The difference in spiritual pressure was far too great. Valnesia crouched down in front of Yuuki. His right eye beneath the mask was right there. [whispers] You want to change fate? Do as you please. His voice was quiet. That made it all the more terrifying. [whispers] But every time you use that power, you disappear from this world. That desire of yours to help is nothing but a curse that only increases someone else's sacrifice. Leaving those words behind, Valnesia stood up. In the next instant, his form — spiritual pressure and all — vanished. —— Silence returned to the Chamber of Eternal Sleep. Yuuki sat collapsed on the floor, unable to move. The illusion was gone, but the sensation of that rain and the guilt clung to his body and wouldn't let go. Rukia, leaning against the wall, couldn't stand either. Both of them had lost completely. The hero's crystal was untouched. But Valnesia had taken nothing. That was the most unsettling part. [whispers] ...What did that man want? Yuuki murmured. His voice was hoarse. Rukia didn't answer. But he knew she was thinking the same thing. What Valnesia truly wanted. It was their hope itself. No sense that they could win. The weight of despair slowly spread through both their hearts. A quiet, deep, dark despair.