Your Slumber Like Mud

The sky was clear.

Boundless, cloudless.

Day after day, year after year, it remained unchanged yet endlessly captivating, never tiring.

After all, this was the Pillar of Heaven and Earth, the foundation holding the Three Realms in balance, ensuring peace for eternity.

An old man sat silently, maintaining order, fulfilling his duty as the executor of fate.

The light of day shone brilliantly, untainted by shadow.

In this place near the heavens, everything gleamed so brightly that even "darkness" seemed to have no place to exist.

But no matter.

O shadow of night, o eternal darkness, depart for now… it is but a brief separation. When the black night descends, we shall meet again.

All remained in its original order, and everything followed its natural laws.

This was as it should be, as it must be.

Like a finely tuned machine, or an intricately crafted vessel, these delicate and exquisite things must be handled with great care, lest they shatter.

"One must follow the flow of change and move with the current…"

With this reflection, a sense of ease washed over him.

His eyes widened, his body tensed slightly…

Ahh… another day full of expectations!

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

But then—

From a distant place, a faint signal seemed to stir.

It was weak and insignificant, easy to mistake for some inadvertent ripple—like the restless shifting of someone in deep slumber, or the murmurs of a sleeper's dream.

Like whispers that need not be heeded.

And yet, the listener rose respectfully.

Turning toward the vast and distant royal sanctum above the Soul Society, he bowed deeply.

To the one who granted us flesh, life, and even our souls…

There is no need for concern.

Your servant has already seen this strange anomaly and extinguished the unsettling future it may have caused.

Black ink spilled across a pristine white canvas, stark and jarring…

How regretful, how pitiful, one might think.

But such actions were necessary.

—A name is life.

—A name defines existence.

—A name is the source of all things. A name… is power itself.

So, one must never lose something so vital. And if it is forgotten, it must be recalled swiftly.

Forgive me, poor child.

If there is ever an opportunity, should you stand before me, perhaps then… I will take up my brush for you once more.

To inscribe your past, to mark the conclusion of your journey, filled with trials and unyielding spirit.

After all…

"A period, drawn in black ink, is always the most beautiful."

Still—

You are but a small fish, leaping briefly above the surface, catching a fleeting glimpse of the river's flow.

Such things are not worth attention.

Yet…

Even a weak ember, like a speck of dust, may unknowingly spread into a wildfire that engulfs the mountains.

And so, patience is key.

This is one of the lessons I've gleaned from these long, lonely years.

Thus—

The towering figure knelt, his body folding as he prostrated himself until he was pressed completely to the ground.

Even this was not enough to convey the depth of his reverence.

Forgive your servant.

"No one will disturb this tranquil place."

"So please continue your slumber, deep as mud."

Our master, the source of the Three Realms, the spine that upholds the world…

"O Soul King…"

In the name of your servant, Hyōsube Ichibē, I swear—

All things shall return to their destined flow and reach their ordained conclusion.

…

Three days had passed since the name of Seiya's Bankai had been sealed.

Seiya hadn't slept soundly even once.

This wasn't just due to the difficulty of his situation—it was also because of the constant trials he had subjected himself to in that time.

Perhaps because Sāgara Ryū was so cooperative, these experiments proceeded unusually smoothly.

In the end, Seiya managed to achieve some strange breakthroughs.

The results were so unconventional that even now, he felt a lingering unease.

Am I really supposed to be doing this?

Although he'd sent letters to Aizen for advice, it was clear that Aizen had little research on matters like this.

Without concrete information, Aizen's replies were primarily encouraging.

Well, looks like even Aizen isn't always reliable, Seiya thought wryly.

"Seiya, why are you spacing out?"

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He looked up to see his classmates staring at him, and he realized he wasn't in a classroom but the grand auditorium used for assemblies.

Onstage stood the familiar figure of Ōmaeda Marechiyo, addressing the audience.

Everyone in the hall was looking at him.

Seiya blinked, quickly recalling what was happening.

It was the start of a new semester, and he was now in his third year.

As one of the top students, Seiya had been chosen to deliver a welcome speech to the incoming first-years.

Seiya hadn't sought out the spotlight, but after his fight with Marechiyo, too many people had witnessed his abilities—there was no hiding his talent now.

On top of that, his frequent fieldwork and interactions with alumni made him well-known.

At this point, Seiya was like a hidden gem buried in the ground—anyone could see how brightly he shone.

Hurry up and get up here, Marechiyo mouthed silently.

Seiya quickly stepped onto the stage, took the microphone, and gave Marechiyo an apologetic smile.

As a special guest, Marechiyo had been invited to oversee this event.

It was said that sometimes even captains would host these ceremonies.

Calming his mind, Seiya stood firmly in place, setting aside his earlier worries.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the far-right side of the hall.

That's where the first-years were seated.

So young…

He couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It hadn't been long since he'd entered the academy himself, yet in the blink of an eye, a third of his time there had already passed.

Was I this wide-eyed and inexperienced when I first started?

A faint sense of sentimentality rose within him, but before he could put it into words, the image of Shinji Hirako's goofy grin popped into his mind.

The tone of his speech took an abrupt turn.

"You're just starting out, huh?"

"Make sure you enjoy the cafeteria's good food while you can."

"Because the Department of Research and Development's bug curry is about to hit the shelves!"

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Powerstones?

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