The void was darker than any night sky Kuma had ever seen. It was ever-expanding, never-ending, and all-consuming. He was convinced it was hell, and he was convinced he’d spend the rest of his life there.

No sooner had he thought, when the darkness was subsequently destroyed by the opposing white light of life. One moment he was a soul, devoid of life and any sort of body, and the other he was a fully functioning, living, breathing, human being. It happened so quickly he had to question if he had actually died in the first place.

The first thing he noticed was the pain in his body. It was foreign to him, yet strangely familiar. It was the sensation of fragile bones healing from severe damage. His muscles felt dull like he had just awakened from a deep slumber, slack and unresponsive as if unused for an extended period. Breathing itself felt forced as if his lungs were damaged. It had been so long since he had felt this sort of pain, it was vivid and undeniable, yet it had a stubborn, almost welcoming quality to it. It was like reuniting with an old friend, pain greeting him with unwavering intensity.

Kuma raised his head up, and as he did he felt as if he was pulling up a large weight.

It’s heavy. Kuma thought to himself, Why is it so heavy?

Taking a moment to look around, he realized he was in a hospital bed. That much was clear. However, the room around him baffled him. Unrecognizable symbols adorned the walls, and the decor featured odd shapes and figures he could only attest to some sort of foreign culutre. Outside the room, women dressed in all-white uniforms hurried through the halls. Nurses, he presumed, though they looked peculiar.

Is this… heaven? Kuma thought to himself. Compared to the empty void he had been in before this felt like heaven in comparison. But the issue was it didn’t feel like the afterlife. The soft texture of the bed beneath him, the deathly scent of medical equipment, and the lights that shined uncomfortably bright all pointed at this being the realm of the living. If so how did he jump from death to life? Had he been resurrected after death? Had someone used some sort of trick to bring him back to life? If so, was this some future version of the Kingdom in the East?

“Oh… Oh my god.”

Kuma turned his head to see one of those women dressed in all white standing behind him. She held a clipboard and a pen, her teary eyes locked on him. She dropped the clipboard and pen, backing away slowly while covering her mouth. "You’re awake," she replied shakily. "Great Sol… you woke up!"

Kuma wanted to say something, but his words sat choked below his throat. He couldn’t even summon the energy to speak. He turned his attention back to the nurse and as he gazed at the nurse before him he saw a mirror only a few feet beside the nurse. And in it, he saw someone he couldn’t recognize.

A slender boy with jet black hair and jade green eyes looked back at him, aside from the deshelled state of his body, he looked almost a little feminine. He was skinny, even a little bony, and he had a distinct lack of hair compared to Kuma’s previous appearance. He expected to see a face rugged and covered in battle scars, but the person who looked back at him was clean and untouched. His well-toned body and defined muscles were gone, replaced with a weak frame and slender build.

“Who… Is that?” Kuma muttered in horror as he pointed to the mirror. “What happened to my muscles?”

The nurse quickly called for a doctor, and the room was suddenly filled with men and women dressed in different clothing, clearly doctors. They tried to reassure him everything was okay and that he would be fine, but Kuma was calm from start to finish. In fact, he never reacted majorly to any of the stimuli around him, something that many of the doctors would later note in their reports.

Eventually, he was brought into a large beige room with tools on tables around him, but the room had an oddly pleasant feel to it. All the doctors left the room and a single doctor re-entered a minute later dressed in a long white coat and sporting bright pink hair. She smiled at Kuma and took a seat, positioning herself at eye level with him.

“It’s nice to have you back Bishop. How are you feeling?”

Bishop, she called me Bishop. Is that this boy's name? Kuma was silent as he recounted his thoughts, he was still processing everything that was happening. He was sure he had died, he even went into the void and everything. Then he met someone in the void, a kid, and then he was sent here. Was this a test from the otherworld? Had he been reincarnated? If he had, why was he in the body of a teenager rather than a baby? Was he summoned here on purpose? Had this boy, Bishop, been the one to summon him?

“Bishop, can you hear me?”

Kuma finally turned to the doctor, as if recognizing her for the first time. And as he recognized her existence, his body naturally calmed down, it was as if her presence alone could ease his nerves. He wondered exactly who she was to Bishop for him to feel so at ease around her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but reflexively let out a cough. He hit his chest to force the cough out more, and finally spoke, “Bishop… Did you say, Bishop?”

“Yes, yes I did!” The doctor smiled and gently took Kuma's hand. “Are you starting to remember? Do you feel okay?”

“I’m… I’m Bishop.” Kuma recounted softly. It was less of acknowledgment and more like agreement as if he was coming to terms with it. “That’s… such a weird name.”

“I- I’m sorry what?” The doctor replied with a puzzled gaze. “That’s… your name.”

“No, it’s nothing it’s just… I’m a tad overwhelmed.” Kuma rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration and looked up at the doctor, his eyebrow raised slightly. “My bad if I confused you or anything, but I’m okay, just in a bit of pain. Mind telling me what’s going on?”

The doctor looked even more confused. All things considered, Bishop shouldn’t have been able to move. His being awake was already a miracle, but the amount of pain he should be in was enough to leave anyone bedridden. So the fact that he seemed otherwise fine as if he’d simply broken a leg, had her worrying he may have sustained a head injury. This would also explain his odd behaviors.

“You don’t remember?” She asked. “You sustained a really bad injury B. You made us all worried sick.”

Kuma didn’t know what was going on, but he assumed the best thing to do in this situation was to assume the role of Bishop. If this was Bishop's body, then trying to ascertain himself as Kuma would likely get him sent to some sort of loony bin. If he wanted answers, he needed to make himself trustworthy.

“I did all that huh?” Kuma replied, he looked at the doctor, slightly unassured, and continued, “So are you… my servant? Which one of my needs do you take care of?”

“Huh?” The doctor replied. All of a sudden the worry she exhibited disappeared and immediately turned into anger. She squeezed his hand tightly, and immediately Kuma felt pain sear through his wrist. “Joking! Joking!” Kuma pleaded out, “It was a joke!”

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She scoffed and let go of his hand, leaving him to blow on it and kiss it tenderly. “You should know better than to joke like that with me.” She replied matter of factly, with a slight raise of her glasses to boot.

“I thought you nurses were supposed to heal the injured or some of that saint nonsense,” Kuma replied solemnly as he shook the uncomfortable after-pain from his wrist. “You’re oddly quick to get physically violent.”

“Only when I’m driven to it.” She replied. She stared at him rather cautiously, examining his face and body. From the way he moved to the way that he spoke, even the way he looked at her… it was all different than it was before. It was weird like he was truly someone else entirely.

“Are you… really okay?” she asked, “Seriously you took a lot of damage, you have broken bones and damage everywhere. Not only that you’re acting… different. The MRI showed no irregularities in your brain but you’re acting… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You wouldn’t be too far off.” He replied. “I’m Bishop, that’s for sure. Whoever that is… I’m him. But I don’t have any knowledge of Bishop. Like I don’t know you but I feel like I should know you. Does that make any sense?”

“Oh man… You got hit really hard B.” The doctor's eyes grew soft and gentle, and as he looked into them he felt a wave of sadness run through his body. He felt the urge to comfort her, to hold her and reassure her. But Kuma ignored the urges and spoke, “I can tell. Who exactly are you?”

“Right, back to the topic at hand.” She coughed slightly, wiped the sadness from her eyes, and picked up a clipboard from her side. “I’m… your Aunt V. But right now you can call me Doctor Veronica. You’re fortunate to be alive after that stunt you pulled, do you remember the accident?”

The worry was back, and now it made sense. This woman was his family. “No, I don’t. Did I fall or something?”

“You really can’t remember?” she muttered. She looked at him with an expression of concern and anxiety before looking away from him. “I don’t… I don’t know if it’s right to tell you now.”

“Sheesh, no need to be all dramatic about it,” Kuma responded with an aloof scoff. “I’m already pretty banged up what could you say that would hurt me more?”

Veronica gazed at Kuma with amazement, she couldn’t understand how he treated this so unseriously. She shook her head slightly and raked a hand through her hair. “You’re being… really abnormally calm. Honestly, it’s messing with me B. I’m starting to wonder if your memory issues are some side effect of your Vita Stroke.”

“I think you’re just taking this too seriously.” Kuma replied, “I don't think I’m unnaturally calm or anything, it’s more like you just need to calm down a bit. Take the universe in stride, day by day, piece by piece, frame by frame, and accept each outcome without stressing over that outcome.”

“What- What are you saying?” Veronica asked even more puzzled than before.

“I’m saying that you don’t need to worry about if it’s right to tell me or not. Tell me and I’ll accept it. Or don’t. My path won’t change either way.”

Veronica looked at him, beyond shock, she was… bewildered. Compared to the Bishop she knew he was someone else entirely.

“Yeah, you definitely must have suffered some sort of brain damage,” Veronica muttered to herself. “This is why I said to be cautious. I know things are difficult right now but you can’t just throw yours-”

Before she could finish her sentence Kuma suddenly flipped completely out of his chair with such ease and grace it dazzled Veronica and left her stunned, for it felt as if she was watching a great dancer rather than her nephew. But that dream ended as soon as it began, as rather than landing graciously on his feet, he missed the landing and slammed his face directly into the end of the bed. Silence came over the room as Veronica stared at him.

Kuma raised his head, holding his hand to his nose and wincing in pain. “That went worse than I thought it would.” He muttered.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Veronica yelled, “Just how stupid can you be we were just going over how you may have brain damage!”

“I know, but I really thought I could do it. This is good though, it gives me a framework for what I need to work on.” The look he had in his eyes was pure wonder and passion, the light glistened against his eyes in a way they never had before. Veronica wasn’t sure how she was supposed to react or even treat him. She wanted to go over everything carefully with him, but it was like he didn’t even care.

“I….” She lowered her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. She took in one last breath and looked up at him. “What do you remember, if anything at all? From before you woke up?”

Kuma considered mentioning the void space he came from, but he decided against it. After all, he wasn’t even sure he would believe it if someone told him. “No, I don’t remember a thing. Could you tell me what happened?”

Veronica took a moment to look over him, and as she did she spoke. “You were… training. Some sort of new training with your brother, really dangerous stuff. You didn’t listen to anyone and pushed yourself too hard. Your Vita couldn’t handle it, and it collapsed in on itself. Thankfully medics got to you in time, just in time to keep you alive. But your Vita…” She went silent as a solemn look came over her, and her eyes became full of the same sadness he saw earlier.

“I see.” He replied solemnly. Whatever Vita was, Bishop must have done some serious damage to it when he pushed himself. Maybe it was some sort of weapon? Or maybe an animal he was training with? “So where is it? My Vita, it’s okay, right? Can I see it?”

“You want to see it?” Veronica asked in confusion, but she realized it must be one of the things he’d forgotten about. “No, you can’t see it. It’s inside of you. Vita is the core of your being. It’s the mold of your mana that allows us to contact the beings above us, or for them to contact us, and use their energy. That’s called a Communion. You, who’d never had a good connection or particularly strong Vita in the first place, tried to stretch your Vita beyond what you could. You pretty much sent your Vita into shock, and now… now it’s likely to never recover.”

“And I’m guessing you have a strong one or something?” Kuma was starting to understand this place more and more. By some grace or curse of god, he was sent to this new world, in the body of some teenager who had bitten off more than he could chew. But what excited him most was this concept of Vita. It sounded eerily similar to the Sorcery of his old world, and if it was it made him rather excited.

“You could say I have something like that.” She replied, a twig of pride in her voice before it quickly became more serious. “But we’re not here for me, we’re here for you. You may still be able to form that connection but there’s no promise. I-” Just as she finished speaking a button on one of her clothes began to glow, and sound began to emit from it. He couldn’t tell what was being said, but he could tell she was speaking to someone.

“Shit, I’ve got to go.” she hissed. Her tone and body language both became aggressive, and Kuma knew someone must have pissed her off. “I’ve done everything I can for you B, I wish I could be here for you more,” Veronica began to stand up before walking toward Kuma and pulling him toward her by the back of his head. Kuma wasn’t sure what she was doing, but sensing no ill intent he didn’t stop her. She gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and continued, “But I have a job to do. Stay strong for me okay?”

Kuma looked at her dumbfounded, not a word escaping him till she had left the room. As soon as she did, he reached up to his chest and grabbed at his shirt tightly. His heart was pounding with such force he swore he was in battle. His hair was standing at end, and goosebumps lined the front of his arms. This was a feeling he had long since forgotten.

“I see.” Kuma muttered to himself before looking in the mirror again. “Bishop, she’s really important to you hm?”

Memories flashed through Kumas mind, memories of before he took on that viscous title. Memories of love, of friends, and of family. He smiled at the mirror softly, and even with a little bit of pity.

“It’s good, to still be able to feel love.” He spoke. “I don’t know why I was sent here, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t some weird test. If that’s the case, Bishop, until you come back I guess I’ll protect what you hold dear. And in return, I’ll use your body as I see fit.”

Kuma sat himself properly in front of the mirror before putting his hands together and taking a bow as if to pray. “Hachi!” he said proudly and in a soft voice, he stood silent for a few seconds before sitting up and smiling devilishly at the mirror.

“Let’s get to work.”