“There isn’t much we can do; you know?”

            “Yes, we can! It’s no longer our problem. And they’ve a hundred freaking years!”

            “Ninety-six now, but that’s not even the question here. He will protect us, even if the threat is literally a century in the future. And it’s not like he’s always gone…”

            “I can hear it in your voice, ‘Hime. Don’t you think you should talk to him? It’s always college-sleep-eat and then train! What about you!?”

            “We barely won the last time, ‘Suki. I don’t think he wants to experience it again. The despair. And I really don’t mind. We have so many years ahead of us.”

            Sigh…

            “Fine. But I’m gonna have talk with him, the next time we meet.”

            “Heh. I’d love to see that.”

            “You bet.”

            Orihime Inoue continued walking back home, having finally parted ways with her long-time friend, Tatsuki Arisawa.

            Back to her new house. Gone was the one room-kitchen apartment in a shady neighbourhood.

            It was now a one-room kitchen in a not so-shady neighbourhood.

            The spending power of part-time working college student.

            At least, the people were nice.

            She sighed. Well, maybe she could look forward to heading over to the Kurosaki household for dinner tonight.

            She sighed again. A long boring day ahead it is…

            “~Ichigooo~!”

            Somehow, Ichigo dreaded this sound, more than anything in the world.

            The door to his room, slammed open and in came the iconic Isshin Kurosaki.

            “Oh, come on already! Your girlfriend’s waiting for you downstairs!” He continued speaking in tune.

            “It’s been three years, Goat-chin. Call her Orihime, already.” Ichigo remarked, exasperated.

            But the annoying old man continued smiling at his son, absolutely indifferent to whatever Ichigo said.

            Ichigo quietly made his way downstairs. He was somewhat nervous. It’d been a week since he’d last seen Orihime.

            Truth be told, they hadn’t seen each other much at all.

            Ichigo remembered the day he’d asked her out. As like every new relationship, things were lovely in the beginning. It did not last long, though.

            One day, Kisuke Urahara had broken the news to them. The wretched, grim news.

            Ywach wasn’t dead. Not that he could have died without taking the Universe along with him.

            The news alone had changed Ichigo’s outlook on his future. He knew he was the only one who could even stand up to Ywach.

            “The best of the 3 worlds.” The only fatherly praise he’d ever received.

            But it wasn’t enough. Yet.

            “Ichigo? Ichigo!” Orihime called out, trying to draw him out of his reverie.

            “Huh. Oh, sorry, zoned out a bit, there. Hey, Hime.” Ichigo babbled out. He mentally cursed himself. “Hey, Hime?”, really?

            “Hi Ichigo!” Orihime spoke in a louder pitch.

            “Wow. And I thought it couldn’t get more awkward than Dad’s antiques.” Karin remarked, muttering to herself.

            “Alright everyone, settle down, dinner’s about to be served.” Yuzu’s authoritative voice carried over from the kitchen.

            The two silently bobbed their heads in affirmation before taking a seat besides each other.

            Soon enough, Isshin arrived into the kitchen, along with Yuzu, carrying all the food.

            Dinner was almost as miserable as the greeting the two had shared. There was silence for the longest periods of time, even Isshin’s antiques failing to garner a response.

            So the Father decided to take it upon himself to solve the two lovebirds’ problems.

            “Ichigo, you’ve got to slow your roll on the training. Spend some time with your girlfriend. And us for that matter. The girls rarely get to see you these days.

            You’ve graduated med-school. Maybe find a nice house and settle down?” Isshin winked at the two, though it elicited no response from either of them.

            Ichigo who’d been staring at his plate for the entirety of the little speech, finally looked up at Orihime.

            “I messed up, didn’t I?” he asked, instantaneously.

            “No! No, you absolutely did not!” Orihime rebutted. “Yes, I’d love to see more of you on the weekends, but I think we all know the reason, why you train so hard.

            I know how you feel. Whether we like it or not, Ywach’s coming back. And when he does come back, we all know who he’d coming after first. Not the Soul Society, nor the Royal Guards, but us. Or more specifically, you.”

            Before Orihime could continue, Ichigo butted in,

            “But that’s no excuse. I’ll tell Geta-Boshi to reduce the number of hours of training. I… I’m sorry…” He spoke in a low tone, only to be bear-hugged by Orihime.          

            “I told you already. I know how you feel…

 You never want to experience the despair you felt in those final moments, before Ishida shot that arrow. I understand that. We all love you here, so you can’t possibly mess up.” The girl murmured in his hair, still hugging him tightly.

            Karin ceremoniously cleared her throat, which caused the two to immediately break apart in embarrassment.

A ghostly hint of a smile retained on Ichigo’s face, the dinner resumed. Though this time with as much pomp as was suited to the Kurosaki Household.

            Night time. Ichigo’s favourite part of the day, other than time spent with Orihime or the twins.

            He’d always loved the quiet and peace that the starry, dark sky offered.

            It gave him time to think, to review his day’s work. And the chance to wind down.        

            But there was no such luck today.

            As soon as Ichigo had come back to his room after dropping Orihime off, he’d encountered the very bane of his existence. Kisuke Urahara, dubbed Geta-Boshi.

            And if the look on his face said anything, it was going to be a long night.

            “What is it now Geta-Boshi?” Ichigo asked, slightly exasperated.

            “Ichigo~. I’ve finally found something. Come on, you need to see it for yourself.” He beckoned Ichigo to follow him, before flash-stepping away.

            Sigh…

            Ichigo soon followed suit, dropping into his soul form with practised ease.

            Kisuke, through the entire way enroute to his ‘laboratories’, maintained his silence on what his discovery was. Annoying as it was, Ichigo knew there was no getting information from him. Not until they reached their destination.

            Soon enough, they arrived at Kisuke Laboratories. The glorified name of the Urahara shop that Kisuke now preferred it be called.

            As they entered the shop, they were greeted by the towering form of Tessai Tsukabishi. A few curt greetings later, they finally reached the underground labs that Kisuke had developed in the last four and half years.

            Now that Ichigo could no longer train in the underground space, Kisuke developed into his own research station that monitored the living world. But obviously, that wasn’t the only thing that it served as.

            “Come on Urahara, spill the beans already. What did you find?” Ichigo asked, annoyed.

            “Patience, Ichigo. What I’ve found will astound you.”

            He rummaged through his notes on a nearby table, only to pull out a rusty looking, tattered book from underneath a huge pile of papers.

            “Why was something so ancient lying under that pile. It could’ve been damaged.” Ichigo complained.

            “I’ve got its high resolution photographs, from almost all angles possible, stored on 10 different servers. The only purpose this bundle of pages serves, is purely aesthetic.” Kisuke answered bluntly.

            “And that’s what you’re going for, right now?” Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

            “Do you remember the day we went exploring the ruins of the Wandenreich?”

            “Yeah, of course. We didn’t find anything, though… Wait, did we? Or rather, did you?” Ichigo asked accusatorily.

            The child-like smile on Urahara’s face confirmed his suspicions.

            “You have to understand Ichigo, there were just some random theories spewed on them, half of which I don’t even believe. But some… they’ll blow your mind.

            The one theory that took me this long to prove, was that the Dangai, isn’t just pathway from the Soul Society to the Living World. It is much more than that.” Kisuke remarked, gleefully.

            “But we already know that. It is a pathway between dimensions so that we don’t get lost.” Ichigo explained, a bit confused by whatever Kisuke was insinuating.

            “Yes. But it’s function is more than that of a glorified road. It also keeps the dimensional space from interfering within it.

            What if, our worlds were located in Dangai itself?”

            “That’s outrageous, Kisuke. Not to mention, impossible.”

            “No, it’s entirely possible. The Bigger Dangai Walls, protect our world from interference from other dimensions. This is one of the many things stated in this little thing here.” Kisuke explained, twirling the tattered book in his hands.

            “Okay, but still, what does it prove?” Ichigo asked, his interest piqued.

            “Ichigo, my boy. The Dangai isn’t something that is naturally found. It was made. We don’t even know when it was made. Only how to open it. And what’s the one question that arises after you hear this?” he asked, staring at Ichigo.

            “Is it a technology based on the bigger one or did we make the bigger one?” Ichigo answered in finality.

            “Bingo! And that is the one bit of information that I haven’t been able to prove. I know the former sounds much more plausible than the latter, but if there’s even a sliver of possibility, we need to investigate it.”

            “And how do you propose we do that?” Ichigo asked the rhetoric question, only to be faced with a finger pointing towards himself.

            “Your mere presence should upset the balance of the Dangai, now.”

            “And you want me to voluntarily do that?” Ichigo asked, his scowl deepening.

            … Another smile greeted him.

            “Of course, you do.” Ichigo answered for himself, shaking his head.

            “Well, you are the only one who could do such a thing. Isn’t that the whole reason why you only use Gargantas now to travel anywhere you need to go.”

            “No. I just find it easier to open a Garganta than a Senkaimon.” Ichigo answered.

            “Oh. Anyway, let’s go!” Kisuke went flying through the rooms towards his own Senkaimon.

            A few moments later, they both arrived.

            “I’ve made all necessary preparations. All you’ve gotta do is wear this.” Kisuke spoke, handing him a safety gear.

            He quickly secured it around himself.

            “Here’s a communication device… There! You’re all set!” he exclaimed.    “Are you even sure this is secure?” Ichigo asked, testing the rope fastened around him.         

            “Uh-huh. Now, step on in.” The Machine slowly powered up as the Dangai came into view.

            “Good Luck!” Ichigo heard through his earpiece.

            He stepped into the Dangai for the first time in 3 years.

            For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then suddenly, the Walls of the Dangai began shifting violently.

            The very floor started tremoring along too. Ichigo struggled to maintain his balance.

            “What now, Kisuke!?” He yelled into the earpiece.

            “Very good, Ichigo. I am getting loads of useful information. Try poking through the walls with your Zanpakuto.” Kisuke suggestively replied.

            “Have you gone mad! I could be sucked in!” Ichigo yelled.

            “You won’t know until you try~” Kisuke answered in his trademarked jingly tone.

            ‘Damn you, Kisuke! Never should’ve agreed to this.’

            Ichigo soon freed the bigger Zangetsu and carefully poked it into the Dangai Walls.

            At that, all movement stopped returning to the dead stillness as before.

            Except the wall directly in contact with Zangetsu. It still seemed to shift, only this time in an orderly fashion, as if it was opening like a doorway.

            Soon enough, it did open like a door. Utter darkness stared at Ichigo in the face from the other side.

            “You did it, Ichigo!” Urahara’s voice cackled through the radio.

            “Go in it. And don’t worry, you’ve the gear fastened around you for safety.”

            Ichigo just dumbly nodded. He was more than intrigued with the darkness in front of him.

            He carefully advanced towards it, measuring each step.

            However, the first step he took in, disaster struck.

            He was immediately sucked in, the walls of the Dangai beginning to return to their original states.

            The rope flexed completely, stopping him from getting sucked in further.

            “Kisuke, now would be the perfect time to pull me back in!” He exclaimed in panic.

            “Right. Hang on tight, Ichigo. Commencing return. Wait… Captain…” Kisuke’s voice cut out, here.

            “Kisuke! Come on, I don’t have a lot of time here!”

            Without warning, the flimsy rope that held onto him suddenly went slack.

            He began sinking further and further in, watching and flailing helplessly as he saw the Dangai walls finally close him in.

            ‘Old man, White? You there?’ he spoke out loud, mentally.

            ‘Of course we are, dumbass.’ Came the groaning reply of Ichigo’s Zanpakuto.

            ‘Good point. What should I do now? I’ll run out of air soon!’ He exclaimed in terror.

            ‘Ichigo. Try moving back to wherever you last saw the wall.’ The calm voice of the Old-man broke through.

            Ichigo nodded, following the advice.

            He soon found he could move using reiatsu bursts. Like in space.

            For the next full minute, Ichigo tried going back in the direction of the Dangai at top speed.

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            But to no avail. He couldn’t see anything in the pitch black world.

            ‘Zangetsu, should I try launching a Getsuga Tenshou to create a light source?’

            ‘I don’t see any harm in doing so.’

            Ichigo nodded once more, gathering sufficient power to launch a strong Getsuga.

            He swung the sword forward and out came the golden Getsuga, outlined with Red and Blue reiatsu. It was almost 5x as tall as Ichigo.

            However, no light was created from the attack. It went slicing through the darkness, with relative ease.

            The more unexpected part was the Getsuga Tenshou impacting with something, tearing apart a hole.

            ‘Light! I see light.’ White howled.

            “Yes, Mr. Obvious.” Ichigo muttered to himself, silencing White.

            Ichigo dashed towards the hole with neck-breaking speed, hoping to reach it before it vanished.

            As he passed through it, bright sunlight hit his face, blinding him momentarily.

            He could only make out that he was currently falling down, so he tried to break his fall.

            Soon enough, his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

            “Whoa! What in the world is that?” Ichigo exclaimed.

            He was currently pointing at a colossal sized skull with horns on the forehead, just sitting on the ground, basking in the afternoon sun.

            “Uh. Weak as my history was during school, I don’t think there was ever such a big skull just lying around, was there?” He muttered to himself.

            ‘There’s a village right ahead. Go there.’ White advised.

            “Yeah. I’m bound to get some answers there. Though I’m pretty sure we’re on a different continent since the time zone doesn’t match.”           

            Ichigo slowly began descending into the village, scouting for someone, anyone.

            He finally landed on the ground and started walking further into the village.

            There, he came across a nun.

            “Excuse me!” He called out to her.

            “Oh? Hello. Welcome to Hage Village!” She replied, warmly.

Her eyes lightly glided over his attire before coming to rest on the sealed form of Zangetsus.

            “Please don’t worry. I mean no harm. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I feel like I’m a bit lost.”

            ‘Yeah. Just a bit, alright.’ White snidely remarked causing Ichigo to almost roll his eyes in annoyance.

            “Umm… I know this is weird, but what country am I currently in?” he asked in a low tone.

            The nun looked a bit confused, but answered nonetheless.

            “You’re in the Clover Kingdom. Maybe, you lost your way in the forest. Happens a lot of time. If you wanna go back to the Spade, turn back and head straight South or--.”

            She’d started giving directions but stopped mid-sentence as she heard,

            “Clover? Spade?” Ichigo repeated to himself, in a daze.

            “Huh… This is gonna sound much weirder, but what continent am I on?”

            “That is weird. I don’t think we’ve ever even named the continents.” She stared at Ichigo. The previous cheery voice long forgotten.    

            “How did you even get here?” She asked the most obvious question.

            ‘Ichigo, don’t you think you’re forgetting something?’ The Old Man, finally spoke.

            ‘Like what?’ Ichigo meshed with his thoughts, completely oblivious to the blank stares of the nun.

            ‘Like the fact that she can see you, Aibou.’ White answered for the Old Man, getting a bit frustrated.

            Ichigo’s eyes widened at the sudden revelation, confusing his company all the more.

            ‘A spiritually aware human, huh?’

            ‘Wouldn’t be the best course of action if I ask her outright. Maybe I find someone else and see if they can see me too?’ Ichigo thought to himself.

            “Hello~?” The sound brought Ichigo back to his senses. He noticed a hand waving in front of him.

            “Oh, glad you’re back. What happened? You just blanked out.” She lightly chided.

            “Sorry about that. Is there someone here, who maybe knows more about the different continents.” Ichigo spoke slowly, gauging if he’d had offended her.

            But the nun didn’t react negatively. Instead, she just smiled.

            “Sure. Follow me to the Church. Father might be able to help you.” She answered.

            Ichigo nodded back, following her as she began walking further into the village.

            The momentary interlude finally provided Ichigo with the chance to observe the village itself. It seemed quite old. People were out farming or having lunch. No mobiles, no electricity. Ichigo noted to himself.

            How’s that even possible?

            They soon arrived at the church.

            Ichigo stopped just outside the door, respectful of the boundaries.

            “This is a public place. A place of worship at that. There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Come on in.” She declared with a smile, before continuing forward.

            Ichigo nodded, following her inside.

            ‘So Christianity’s a thing here. That’s good to know. And here I thought, I’d ended up somewhere weird.’ Ichigo wondered jokingly.

            “Excuse me, Father. There’s someone who needs your help.” The nun called out to him, behind the door of a room.

            “Coming” came back the reply.

            Ichigo meanwhile was busy admiring the décor of the church. It looked almost like a normal one but there were no bulbs here, either. Or rather, no electricity at all.

            It looked ancient.

            “Hello there, how can I help you?”

            Ichigo looked onto the Priest of the Church. An old man, in his late 50’s probably, if the white hair and moustache was anything to go by.

            ‘So, he can see me too? Is everyone here, spiritually aware?’ Ichigo filed that away for later.

            “Yeah, I forgot to ask before but do you mind if I borrow your cell phone or maybe a landline? There’s someone I have to call.”

            “Cell Phone? What’s that?” The Priest asked confusedly.

            Ichigo’s eyes widened in surprise. How backward was this village?

            “Umm, you use it to communicate with people over long distances. Have you honestly never heard of it?” Ichigo asked, still somewhat shocked.

            “Must be some sort of Communication Magic, from your description. Sorry, no one here practices that kind of Magic.”

            Ichigo’s train of thoughts was eviscerated as he heard the Priest’s reply.

            “Huh? Maybe I didn’t hear you correctly… Did you just say Magic?” His tone had automatically gained a few notes.

            “Yeah. Everyone in the Clover Kingdom performs some kind of Magic. It’s kind of important. Even people from other Kingdoms practice some form of Magic. Well, almost everyone.”

            ‘Where the heck even am I?’

            “You seem a bit confused. Are you not from this continent?” The priest asked.

            ‘There’s no way there is an entire continent that can do Magic that we haven’t come across, is there?’ He rhetorically asked himself.

            “Ye—Yeah. I don’t think I’m from this continent.”

            “You think?” The priest asked in apparent surprise.

            “I’m not entirely sure how I got here. It’s a bit… complicated.”

            “Well, as far as I know, there are only 2 other continents that were discovered. And only one of them was inhabited. Are you---” The priest however, didn’t finish his sentence as he saw Ichigo blankly staring at him.

            Ichigo, on the other hand, was currently having a mental breakdown.

            ‘Only 2… other continents? And only one of them was inhabited? W- Wh- What?’

Confusion was the last thing that registered on his mind, before he collapsed.

            Ichigo woke up to an empty room, completely dazed. He had no idea where he was. In every sense of the sentence.

            He groaned loudly, sitting straight up.

‘That was trippy.’

            ‘Agreed.’

            ‘Hey, Old Man? Any idea what the hell is going on? Where are we?’

            ‘Of course. I think it was quite easy to deduce this. We’re in an alternate reality. You did pass through a dimensional rift, after all.’ The Old Man explained slowly.

            ‘It sounds logical enough. It also explains a whole lot. But with just a normal Getsuga Tenshou?’ Ichigo asked back.

            ‘I think the amount of reiatsu you exerted in that fragile trans-dimensional world caused that tear.’

            ‘But I wasn’t even in Bankai. How did I manage to accidentally tear open a hole in dimensions?’ Ichigo asked, surprised.

            ‘That’s up for debate. For now, focus on getting by in this world until we find a way to leave. And Ichigo, we fully expect you to continue your training here.’

Saying this, the Old Man receded to the back of his mind.

            Ichigo came back to his senses, looking around the room. The room was also quite quaint, a few lanterns and a picture adorning the lonely walls.

            Other than the bed, the room also sported a table and two chairs.

            Ichigo got back on his feet with little effort. He still felt a bit light-headed, though.    

            He was about to head towards the door, when the nun he’d previously encountered, entered the room.

            “Oh, you’re awake. That’s nice. I brought you some medicine.” She tried handing him the pills, though Ichigo immediately refused them.

            “Thanks, but there’s no need, really. It was just information overload.”

            “Umm… Sure. Now that’s settled with, I will also advise you to stay here for the night. The nearest town from here is at least a day away.”

            ‘Aibou, I’d recommend staying here. Out here in the middle of nowhere, we’d be able to train tonight. No Bankai, obviously.’ White spoke up.

            Ichigo mentally nodded back before answering,

            “Thank you so much for the offer. I can stay for the night, not that I have anywhere to go.” Muttering the last part to himself.

            “Your Welcome. I’m Sister Lily.” She smilingly introduced.

            “Ichigo. Nice to meet you, Sister.”

            “Well, then, let’s head over to where you’ll be staying for the night. You’ll be sharing the room with Yuno and Asta though. I hope that’s alright.” She asked, walking through the hallways.

            “Quite alright. If you don’t mind me asking, who are Yuno and Asta?” Ichigo asked, following behind her.

            “They’re family. Father found them as infants left to fend for themselves. They’ve been living here for as long as anyone can remember.” Sister Lily explained ruefully.

            “That’s terrible.” Ichigo remarked, angrily.

            “Yeah. I can’t imagine someone wanting to leave their kid just like that. Especially those two. They’re two of a kind.”

            They entered another room with similar décor like the one Ichigo had just woken up in.

            “I hope it’s to your liking. ”

            “It’s lovely.”

            Suddenly, loud voices were heard, coming from downstairs.

            Sister Lily’s face immediately brightened up at this.

            “Perfect timing. Come, Ichigo. I’ll introduce you to Yuno and Asta.” She cheerfully added, striding downstairs.

            “Yuno! Tomorrow’s the day! We’ll finally become Magic Knights!”

Ichigo heard the voice coming from outside.

            Sister Lily opened the doors, greeting two teens covered in grime.

            “Welcome back, Asta, Yuno!”

            “Sister! I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’ll finally become a Magic Knight! Just a step in becoming the next Wizard King!” Asta waved a tattered book in front of her face, yelling at the top of his voice.

            The Sister was apparently used to this boy’s incessant shouting, if her calm demeanour was anything to go by.

            The teen behind him, however was a different story. He’d locked eyes on Ichigo since the moment they’d stepped in.

            “I know, Asta; I know.” Sister Lily said, tiredly.

            “Yeah! I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

            ‘Can’t this guy not talk without shouting’ Ichigo mentally groaned.

            “Asta. You’re missing the guest here.” The other guy, Yuno, spoke up.

            “Oh? Hey! I’m Asta.” He introduced himself. As expected of him, loud as ever.

            “Yuno.” Yuno curtly introduced himself.

            “Ichigo. Pleased to meet you both.” Ichigo replied.

            “Those look amazing.” Asta blurted out in excitement, pointing at Zangetsu.

            “Thanks… I am a swordsman.”

            “Me too! Do you wa—” However, Asta was interrupted by Sister Lily, who cleared her throat ceremoniously.

            “Ichigo’s staying here for the night, boys. So be on your best behaviour.” She sang, before directly staring at Asta.

            Who stared back at her, confusedly.

            Sister Lily sighed again.

            “Why don’t you guys freshen up? Dinner will be ready by then. Ichigo, you can wait in the dining room.” Sister Lily ordered, all of them nodding in affirmation.

            She quickly made her way to the kitchen, disappearing behind a corner.

            “See ya later, Ichigo.” Asta bid goodbye. Yuno, however, took no such effort, simply following suit behind Asta.         

            ‘Wow. That kid is annoying! And having met the Kuchiki siblings, that is saying something. The other one seems like a Byakuya incarnate to me. Sigh…’

            Lost in his thoughts, Ichigo tried to find the dining room.

            Quite a while later, Asta and Yuno joined Ichigo at the dining table. The room was quiet for the most part, simply because Asta was helping Sister Lily with the chores.

            During his wait, Ichigo had learnt that there were other kids staying at the Church who’d suffered similar fate as that of Asta and Yuno.

            They were mostly afraid of him, so he wasn’t bothered much. Probably the scowl, was Ichigo’s brilliant analysis of it.  

            Other than that, Ichigo hadn’t learnt much about the alternate world he was currently in. He faintly remembered the names of the Kingdoms that were on this continent, iconic as they were.

            ‘Spade, Clover, and Diamond, was it? I hope there’s a Hearts Kingdom, so it makes a full set.’

            Finally, after half an hour of torturous silence, the dinner was served.

            The Father and the younger kids joined them soon enough.

            The dishes were all made of a local food item they called Nomatatoes.

            Ichigo found it quite bland and very, very dry. The amount of water he’d downed was almost too much for his stomach to bear by the end of dinner.

            During the entire duration of the dinner, the talk was almost completely focused on either him or the teenagers voyage across the nation to become Magic Knights.

            Thankfully, he was sitting well away from Asta, so that his yelling was only mildly annoying.

            He did learn more about the Magic Knights. They were the Police and the Army of the Kingdom. Other Kingdoms too had Knights, which simply translated to fighting power of the nation.

            He’d also learnt about the Wizard King from Asta. Apparently, he was a really strong and intelligent person. Now this was one bit of information, Ichigo was really interested in.

            Upon further investigation, he’d found out where the Wizard King was, and the best possible way of getting close to him. Becoming a Magic Knight.

            They were currently discussing the merits and demerits of becoming a Magic Knight.

            “Uhh… So how would one go about becoming a Magic Knight?”

            “Me and Yuno are heading up to the Royal City tomorrow to take the Knight’s test exam. There, they determine if you’re fit to be one.” Asta spoke, in due reverence of the test.

            “And there are no prerequisites?” Ichigo asked again.

            “Not really. All you must’ve is a Grimoire.” The Priest answered.

            “What’s a Grimoire?” The question elicited gaping glances from most everyone.

‘No one’s even reacted to Zangetsus or my shihakusho, other than an occasional glance or so. And this is the reaction I get for not having a Grimoire?’

            “I thought, with those swords there, surely you’d have one. But it seems naught.” The Priest spoke with surprise.

            “Well, I just happen to not even know what a Grimoire is.” He joked.

            “Oh. A Grimoire is a conduit of our Magic. While we’re born with the ability to use Magic, it’s almost too weak. A grimoire helps in channelling magic and further strengthens it.”

            “And you both have one?” Ichigo asked the two teens, receiving two nods from both.

            ‘Great! I’m gonna lose the best chance of getting out of an Alternate Reality, because of a book that helps perform Magic. What level of trippy am I on!?’

            “Well, can you perform Magic, Ichigo.” Sister Lily asked the important question.

            “I don’t think of it as Magic. But yeah, essentially.”

            “Really!” Asta yelled out. “Without a Grimoire!? That’s amazing. Show us!”

            He’d inadvertently piqued everyone’s curiosity.

            “Asta! Let him eat his dinner peacefully.” The Priest admonished.

            “But he can show us after dinner!”

            “Sure. I don’t see any harm in that.” Ichigo accepted graciously.

He stuffed another mouthful, immediately needing water to push the dry tatoes down his throat.

            “Ichigo, the most peculiar thing is, I can’t sense anything from you. Just like Asta.” Yuno finally spoke up.

‘The guy’s been quiet for the better part of a day and the moment he decides to open his mouth, it’s for that!?’ Ichigo cursed out in his inner world.

“I’m very good at hiding my energy. It maybe ‘cuz of that.” Ichigo answered proudly.

‘Had I said this a few years ago, damn White would’ve laughed his face off.’  A light chuckle reverberated throughout his inner world.

Yuno nodded back, seemingly content with the answer.

The dinner ended without further consequence, the residents quietly gathering their plates.   

Sister Lily quickly rounded off all the children, herding them towards their bedroom, before Asta began,

“They can’t sleep yet! Ichigo was about to show us his magic!” He exclaimed jubilantly.

“Asta!” Sister Lily chided but she knew there was no going back now. Once the children heard him, they all began shouting back in defiance.

“Alright! Alright!” Sister Lily conceded. “Ichigo, make it quick, please?” She pleaded.

“Of course. I’m sorry for the trouble.” Ichigo quickly apologized.

“Oh no, It’s not your fault.” She quickly rounded off on Asta, who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

            Within a few minutes, everyone had joined Ichigo outside for a literal magic show.

            ‘Any ideas on what I should show them?’

            ‘Kido’s your best option, right now. The lower level ones can’t possibly cause much damage.’ The Old Man suggested.

            Ichigo agreed. He’d begun learning Kido in his 2nd year of training. Took him longer than most, but he could finally cast some Kido without blowing something up.

            He had also found out that the higher level spells suited him much more than the lower level ones.

            Everyone waited for Ichigo to begin. So he stuck his hand out towards an opening, chanting in a low tone,

            “Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws."

            A blue ball of reiatsu formed at the palm of his hand, growing in size as the chant reached its conclusion.

            “Hado #33: Sokatsui!” He yelled out.

            The Hado shot out immediately, the sphere making contact with the ground a few seconds later, creating a huge explosion.

            “Amazing!” Asta immediately yelled out, the blue flashing light still illuminating his face.

            “Yeah. That was something else. I haven’t seen anyone perform Magic of that sort without a Grimoire.” The Priest remarked.

            “Do you think, now, I’ll be able to participate in the Magic Knights Test?” He asked slowly.

            “Of course, they won’t have a reason to deny you.” Father replied.

            Ichigo chuckled in embarrassment, though he grew serious as a question gnawed on his mind.

            “Why are you guys not asking me more questions? Like why do I want to join the Magic Knights when I just told you I was only lost?”

            “We’re all children of God, here. We don’t judge. If you want to join the Magic Knights, then we shall help you to the best of our ability. You don’t seem like a bad guy, after all.” Sister Lily answered cheerily.

            “Thank you, really.” Ichigo spoke, slowly.

            “It’s no problem. As Sister Lily said, we’re all children of God here.” The Priest asserted.

Ichigo couldn’t help but sigh in relief. It seemed he’d already made friends in this new world.

The wayward family along with Ichigo, soon dispersed back into the house, them preparing for bed, while Ichigo prepared to sneak out of the house to train.

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