In some space-time isolated from existence itself.
•••
On a small island surrounded by an endless expanse of water with no end in sight, a small Japanese-style cabin sat quietly in the center of the place. Inside the cabin, in the only room, a young man was lying on the bed.
The young man had an attractive appearance, which was accentuated by his neutral face, his sword-like eyebrows, and his slightly long black hair, which provided the final detail to his look. This young man wore a blue coat along with black pants.
Next to the bed where the young man was, there were a pair of dark blue boots, and on the headboard of the bed lay a black Katana, resting peacefully on the spot.
Kaito, who was lying on the bed, slowly woke up until he opened his eyes slowly. When his eyes opened, what presented itself to the world were deep golden eyes with no ripples in them.
After waking up, Kaito sat up slightly, remaining at a 90-degree angle, then looked around to recognize the new surroundings.
After looking around the room, Kaito also noticed the Katana on one side, the clothes he was wearing, and how he currently looked, that is, like a character from some Anime.
Although he didn't feel any contrast with this appearance even having lived in the 'Real' World, an ironic grimace still appeared on his face. At the same time, he couldn't help but look at the ceiling and talk to himself with weariness.
—It seems... the matter of transmigrating to another World was true.
The reason why Kaito said this is simple. Before the crossing, he always dreamed of a kind of System which told him that he was going to cross to another World in 1 year, and in that year his body was going to be reconditioned for the crossing.
It is clear that Kaito didn't believe this at all and only thought it was a delusional dream. However, as time went by, that dream was repeated frequently, and at the same time, his physical condition strangely increased, which made him pay more attention to this dream.
Clearly, he couldn't extract much information from that dream, since when he began to study this dream, he suddenly crossed over, which still leaves him speechless now. While Kaito was still a bit stunned by the sudden crossing, the next moment a blue screen appeared in front of him, and at the same instant, a large amount of information about the blue screen reached his head.
For a long time, Kaito was processing this information until, after several minutes, he finished doing so. As for the information, it was about his System, which had the function of Templates, meaning that at the beginning, two roulette wheels would randomly choose a Fictional World and a character from it.
After the character is selected, that will be Kaito's template, which he will have to develop the character's Template to 100% to have all its power. And after this, another Template will be chosen as was previously done, and the same process will continue every time Kaito completes a Template.
But in the information received by Kaito, there is a good and a bad piece of news related to his System.
First, the good news is that he received a benefit for the delay in crossing: the 100% Template of Rimuru Tempest. For that very reason, he wears the clothes he wore at the beginning, his Katana, and of course, he also has his power.
Second, the problem is that by adapting his body for the World of Fiction and giving him the 100% Rimuru Template as compensation, the System ran out of Energy. And so that this situation does not happen again, the System will enter an indefinite pause while it updates.
Being momentarily paused by all these sudden situations, Kaito let out a sigh of tiredness and simply got out of bed, put on his boots, adjusted the Katana to his waist, and left the room.
Upon leaving the room, he saw a hallway that led to the living room. Walking, he realized that the whole place had a Japanese tint that he was familiar with, although he didn't have the mind for that now. Without looking at the living room or the kitchen, he opened the main door and saw the exterior landscape.
An island completely surrounded by water. Although it seemed strange, Kaito didn't think so, since the place where he is is a Space momentarily created by the System for him to stay while he woke up. Although it seemed that his System cared for him, there was another drawback, which is that upon leaving this Space, Kaito will fall into a random World of Fiction.
—From what I see, a peaceful environment can stabilize people's mental state —he said these words, putting aside the previous problems and focusing on his future.
So Kaito continued looking at the surrounding water for a while as he accepted the fact of having crossed to another World. Of course, he has no other way. He is barely understanding the strength of Rimuru, which in his current understanding is barely that of a Multiversal being, so with that strength, he cannot investigate the way to return to his World.
So he did not insist on that topic anymore since he knows that before thinking about that, he must at least have the strength of an Omniversal being. After looking at this place, Kaito focused his attention on himself. He began to practice a bit; he didn't want to fall into a world and accidentally destroy it by mistake.
After an incalculable amount of time, Kaito stopped practicing. Mainly, he understood and comprehended what he could do now, besides controlling the energies of his body, he also adapted to it, truly a new experience for him.
—Well, I'm ready... —looking at this place one last time, Kaito opened a portal.
Well, more than anything, he tore this space, which he looked at one last time to then jump into the spatial hole.
At that very moment, the space violently trembled, then this entire dimension slowly began to collapse until it was erased as if an eraser was being used on it.
When everything merged into darkness...
In the overwhelming blackness, a golden mechanical eye suddenly appeared, exploring every corner in search of the fluctuation that had caught its attention. After an unfruitful moment, the eye dissolved back into the darkness and disappeared without a trace.
•••
In an icy steppe with an exuberant forest at some unknown moment, a crack in space appeared. Kaito emerged from it. The moment he left, the crack disappeared, and the space was repaired again.
—If it were another person without elemental resistance, they would already be frozen with this snow —Kaito murmured in a low voice.
Of course, it was just a sudden thought. What caught his attention more was where he appeared: a snow-covered forest. It really wasn't a place he recognized instantly.
Although thanks to his own passive perception, he could feel the clash of two creatures in the distance that had a large amount of mana. Not only that, next to those two creatures there was another with a similar amount of mana; it was a Half-Elf.
Seeing the situation presented in his perception, an ironic smile appeared on Kaito's face. Since what he saw was Melakuera fighting against Puck, and next to them was, for obvious reasons, Emilia, who was being defended by Puck.
This whole situation made Kaito wonder if the System did it on purpose so that he would wake up right now, and after seeing this, he would save Emilia or make another different choice. But there is also the possibility that this was just a coincidence. But regardless of the reason why he arrived in the Re: Zero World, Kaito will go to help Emilia and Puck.
Although he now has a strength he never imagined having, he is not going to look indifferently as something happens to Emilia, someone who makes him feel pity for her past, and to Puck, who protects her like a daughter.
Even if in his past life he was indifferent to strangers and was simply polite when dealing with them, now that he can help someone relatively known, he will not hesitate. Of course, for the sake of the development of the father-daughter relationship between Puck and Emilia, Kaito will not act until they are in great danger. Well, that great danger can happen due to the wings of his butterfly that can change history even without him wanting it.
So, having visualized the current situation, Kaito began to walk slowly towards the battlefield. As he walked, he would let Emilia and Puck's relationship develop. Of course, he also likes this landscape.
Although he didn't lack money in his past life, he had never seen this landscape, so he will enjoy it since he's here. Besides, it would allow him to continue practicing his new power lightly.
As he walked, Kaito looked at his clothes for the first time after all this time.
—By the way, since I'm here, let's change clothes —Kaito snapped his fingers and his clothes changed.
His clothes, which before resembled Rimuru's, changed into a black jacket with a red collar and red cuffs, under which there was a white sweater. As for the bottom, he had black pants with black boots that matched him.
—Perfect —Kaito commented with a smile.
However, Kaito remembered something.
—I almost forgot —he said.
With a thought, a golden oriental dragon appeared behind his jacket. Noticing this, he just smiled, adjusted the katana to the left side of his waist, and continued walking slowly.
•••
Meanwhile, at the place of the confrontation.
•••
—Tell me, will you still continue protecting this half-elf who is a clear danger to the World? —While releasing more power, Melakuera yelled at Puck.
—Hum, I've said it several times, I will protect her no matter what... so if someone like you wants to hurt her, you better disappear! —Furious, Puck lunged at Melakuera.
—Then since you insist so much on protecting this demon... you can go to hell with her! —Melakuera growled.
Just as the two were about to collide, another attack from behind Puck struck Melakuera, which stopped his advance.
—Lia? —Puck turned his face back to see Emilia.
She simply approached Puck slowly until she stood next to him, then looked him straight in the eyes.
—Puck, I don't want to keep running anymore, I'll fight with you —she said firmly.
Puck only saw the firmness in Emilia's eyes, without fear, without hesitation, he simply saw firmness, which clearly made him profoundly happy, he couldn't even help but smile.
—Then let's do it —Puck looked at Melakuera while smiling.
Emilia, for her part, also looked at the guy who disparaged her firmly. He, on the other hand, felt as if he had eaten a fly. For him, it was already difficult to face Puck, even if he was stronger than him. Now that a Half-Elf as strong as he was added, he just wanted to insult the ancestors of these two guys.
While looking for a way out of this situation, he saw a figure in the distance in the forest; it was a human. For him, a salvation, since knowing how puritanical the two in front of him were, if he obtained a hostage, he could surely escape.
On the other hand, when Kaito left the forest and arrived at the place of the fight, he saw the flaming figure of a horse running towards him. Was he being targeted? Kaito was simply speechless, but even so, he didn't want to be anyone's hostage, so with a thought, the infinite prison enclosed Melakuera in the air.
When this scene occurred, the three were astonished, especially Melakuera, since being distracted, he didn't even notice Kaito's aura. Because yes, although his presence was like that of a normal human being, in reality, it wasn't.
But in Puck's perception, the human who stopped Melakuera seemed like a terrifying black hole. He even felt that Echidna was not as terrifying as that human being.
He quickly looked at Emilia next to him to see if she noticed him or was affected by him, but what he saw left him stunned: she was looking at Kaito and Kaito was also looking at her.
The moment their eyes met, it seemed that time had stagnated for a moment and then returned to its natural course.
«She's more beautiful than I expected,» Kaito thought when he saw Emilia.
He had already seen her in the series, and her design was truly that of a beautiful girl, but seeing her in person, he knew why Subaru had fallen in love with her. Her delicate skin, her silver hair, and her pure purple eyes would truly captivate anyone.
—Who are you? —Melakuera spoke, pulling Kaito out of his thoughts.
Which annoyed him a little but not much. As for why Melakuera can speak, it's because Kaito allowed him to. If he wanted to, with a thought, he could have even turned this arrogant horse into dust.
—You don't deserve to know —Kaito said coldly.
Then the infinite prison was reduced step by step, making Melakuera feel as if the sky was falling. Before he could beg for his life, the infinite prison completely closed, erasing him from existence.
Witnessing this, both Puck and Emilia were stunned, surprised, and somewhat scared. Did a Great Spirit die just like that? Obviously, Kaito saw the reaction of the two, which left him helpless, truly a complicated first impression.
He could only sigh and turn around, although unexpectedly, a soft and sweet voice called him from behind.
—Wait... —Emilia said, stunned, not knowing why she stopped him.
Kaito turned, confused, while looking at her. He could see how she wanted to say something, but when she looked into his eyes, she stopped. Maybe nerves or just the fear of being rejected because of her appearance? Kaito didn't know and just waited for her to speak.
But a long time passed, and Emilia didn't speak, so Puck had to intervene.
—Well, she wants to thank you for helping us, I also thank you —he said as he returned to his normal form.
—It's no problem —Kaito smiled slightly. —Well, then I'll introduce myself, my name is Kaito, it's a pleasure to meet you —he said, looking at the two.
—Then, I'll also introduce myself. I'm Puck, and she's Emilia —Puck said, pointing to Emilia with his paw.
Although Emilia was a little cautious and nervous when interacting with Kaito, she still replied out of courtesy.
—Nice to meet you... Kaito.
Seeing Emilia's discomfort, both Puck and Kaito felt the same, but neither planned to express it. Puck, worried about her, and Kaito out of respect for her privacy.
—It's a pleasure to meet you, Puck and Emilia, although it was under somewhat strange circumstances. Do you live near here? —Kaito asked because of the approaching snowstorm.
—Huh? No, we actually live quite far from here —Puck said, a little confused by Kaito's question.
Hearing that, Kaito internally smiled. Since he met them both, he planned to change their destiny; he didn't want Emilia to become a tool for that guy Roswaal.
—So, what do you think if I invite you to my house? It's not safe to stay outside, especially if a snowstorm is coming —Kaito said, pointing to the surroundings.
Of course, Kaito didn't need to point out that problem, since both Puck and Emilia were feeling the snow hitting their bodies. However, although it seemed logical for them to go to Kaito's house to take shelter, at the same time it wasn't.
Firstly, they both have the ice attribute in their Magic, which makes this environment the most beneficial, and secondly, it is not difficult for them to return home. Besides that, they just met Kaito. Even so, despite all these reasons, they could reject Kaito's invitation, but neither of them rejected it immediately.
Puck, for his part, is not unwilling to accept Kaito's invitation, since he believes it would be a good idea to rest after this fight, although he is also afraid that if he rejects Kaito's invitation, he will change 180 degrees and take them by force or get angry.
But on the other hand, he hasn't accepted also because of Emilia, since he is waiting for her to make the decision herself. She, for her part, looked at Kaito for a while, not with distrust but rather with astonishment.
Other humans looked at her with contempt, disgust, hatred, but Kaito didn't look at her like that. She saw that he only saw her as a common girl, which deeply moved her, so she didn't think about it any longer and took the courage to speak.
—I-if it's not a bother, then I'll accept your invitation, Kaito —Emilia said in a somewhat reserved tone.
—It's not a bother, in the slightest. Come, I'll take you home —Kaito said with a small smile on his face.
Emilia, seeing that Kaito continued to treat her the same way as before, nodded and followed him along with Puck, who was disconcerted by Emilia's sudden initiative, although he wasn't like that for long, since seeing Emilia's back, a smile appeared on his face, because seeing Emilia smile made him happy.
Meanwhile, Kaito walked without knowing the thoughts of the two. He could know them, but he doesn't. Why do it? If he knew everything, life would be truly boring.
More importantly, right now he is finishing the house he talked about. Clearly, he didn't have one as such; it was just a nonsense invention of his, but having his current strength, creating something from scratch was not difficult, in the slightest.
Even when he finished creating the house, he walked at the same pace as the two, although Puck was lying on Emilia's shoulders. During this time, Kaito was able to get to know them better; at least he didn't see them so much as simple fictional characters.
Listening to Emilia's words, her tastes, Puck's actions and his words, it really made him see that they were living beings. It also cleared his mind that he is no longer at home.
Maybe in his heart, he still misses his world, his family, even if he remains calm about all this, it's more because of the power he now has that makes him feel calm and not so insecure about this new world.
«I guess... it's not so bad after all,» Kaito thought this when he saw Emilia smile and then also saw Puck.
It may take time for him to accept that he is no longer at home, with his parents, but he must move forward. For some reason, something tells him he must do it... And well, like a good man, he will face the problems and move forward with his head held high.
—We arrived —Kaito said, pointing forward and stopping thinking about those things.
In front of the three was a large cabin with exuberant flowers and a large garden. This cabin would be the home of Kaito, Emilia, and Puck for a while... Where he would manage to accept this world.