Dark. It was dark.

The Dark expanded to infinity.

A figure stands in that dark.

The figure moves their hands to their face and feels that their face is gone.

Fear. They felt fear.

The figure starts searching for their face, but all they can find was a mask... a purple mask.

Fear. They were scared.

The figure throws the mask as far as they can and starts running.

Not them. Not them.

After running, they stop at a house. A house that the figure feels could call...home.

Peace. They felt peace.

The figure enters and sees that the house was also a bakery.

Remember. They remember.

The figure felt a profound sadness until a sound was heard in the kitchen.

Defeat. They failed.

The figure goes to the sound, and the only thing there is a man, kneeling while looking at the ground.

Fault. It was their fault.

The figure approaches the kneeling man and turns him around to see his face.

Mirror. It was a mirror.

A man with short onyx black hair and a golden eye and orange one is seen in the mirror. His face is tired but not physically... it was simply exhausted with everything.

Me. It was me.

The man looks at the mirror and turns around to leave. He didn't see the reflection's eyes turning purple.

Ignorance. Bliss.

The man leaves the house and comes face to face with the purple mask again.

"Why..."

"..."

"I will never accept it..."

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"..."

"I don't want to become one of them..."

"..."

"I am me..."

"..."

Despair. The man feels despair.

The mask approaches his face, and the man doesn't move. But before it could reach his face...

_______

A sudden breath leaves a child's mouth as he wakes up.

"*huff*...*huff*... talk about a bad dream...haha..."

The man starts breathing deeply to calm himself.

"..."

Nervous. He was nervous.

'Just checking wouldn't hurt, right?...'

The man moves to a corner of the room where a desk is located. He searches and takes a pocket mirror, and opens it.

The man is welcomed by a reflection of himself, Onyx black hair with two golden eyes. His face rejuvenated and full of energy.

"...haaa... still old me..." he closes the mirror.

The child finally calms himself and checks the window of his room to see the approximate time.

'Still dark...probably an hour or two until morning...

Well, let's be productive and check my memories of this time. Maybe something slipped by me.'

______

An hour passes, and the child doesn't turn up anything useful except one thing.

'If I am correct about this, then this means I am currently 4 years before the calamity started and 6 before my death.

Then if it takes me... let's say a year to get into the academy, then I will only have 3 before everything starts... that doesn't seem like a lot now that I think about it...' The man gets a little nervous.

'Let's better not think about this now... I gotta prepare for Reiyo's shop.' The child stores the thought and goes to take a shower.

______

After a nice breakfast that his mother made. The child goes to the shop but encounters someone in the way.

"...? Leroy?"

"...you said you could do it right? You just needed this..."

Leroy presents Kei with a vial of blood.

"Oh wow... I didn't think you would actually get it. You have my applause." Kei takes the vial of blood while contemplating it.

"Shut up and just do your thing... if this doesn't work, I will make sure you regret being born..." An angry look presents itself in Leroy's face.

"Heyyyy don't worry, I will uphold my part. But... I do need one tiny little thing..."

Leroy looked annoyed now. "What?! You said that's all you needed, you freak!"

Before things could escalate more, Kei clarifies.

"No no no don't misunderstand me. When it comes to materials, I probably have everything, but I need a little help in the magic department."

"What? You are kidding, right? You want help in the magic department when you are going to make an elixir to allow me to cast magic?" Leroy's expression was mocking him.

"It does sound bad, huh? Well, I don't need you to cast a spell. I need you to concentrate the mana, even someone like you can do that." Kei explains with a smile on his face.

"...? Why don't you make it? You have a mana pool too, don't you?"

'Oh, that's right! I said to everyone here that I got a minuscule mana pool.'

"Ehh... yeah, but I don't have a good affinity with it, so I can't do it correctly..." Kei gives out an innocent and defeated smile.

"Is that so..." Leroy watches him cautiously. "You are not trying to get me in trouble, aren't you?"

"Ouch... me? You see me as a person capable of such?... actually... don't answer that." Kei lets out a little laugh.

"..." Leroy now looked even more cautious than before. "I swear if this is a trap..."

"Leroy." Kei puts on a straight face."I swear I am not setting up a trap. I want us to fix our problems and what better way than to lend a helping hand to you.

And... I am really sorry for what I said yesterday..." Kei proceeds to bow in a 90° degree angle.

Leroy watches as Kei apologizes sincerely to him.

"...ok... you know what will happen if you lie so... let's go... I will help..." Leroy turns around embarrassed and also conflicted in the way that Kei was acting to him.

'Good... now I have everything ready... let's truly begin this day.' A look of determination grazes Kei's face.