Chapter 19
In the attic, Adam sat cross-legged, his Asauchi resting across his lap. Both palms pressed against its cold steel, a steady stream of Reiryoku flowing into the blade until it shimmered faintly with Reiatsu.
For the past four days, this had been his entire existence — Jinzen meditation from dawn until long past dusk, interrupted only by the bare essentials: a quick wash, a hurried meal, then straight back into the trance.
Progress was slow. His Zanpakuto Spirit remained silent, distant, unreachable. And yet… his control over Reiatsu had sharpened. The flow was cleaner, steadier. Today, he was close to breaking the 200 mark — a milestone that made his chest tighten in quiet anticipation.
Just as his body began to reach its limit, something shifted.
It started as a subtle tightening in his core, a coiling pressure within his spiritual veins. Where his Reiatsu once trickled like water from a hose — thin, steady, unremarkable — it now surged like a pressure washer's torrent, powerful and unyielding.
Instinctively, his Reiatsu wrapped around himself and the Asauchi, forming a second skin.
The darkness behind his closed eyes lightened. Shadows thinned, replaced by a pale, dreamlike glow.
When his vision cleared, he stood in a silent Japanese courtyard. A still pond mirrored a bright silver moon, untouched by clouds or stars. White flowers clustered at the water's edge, their petals swaying though no wind stirred.
Before the pond stood a lone woman. Her green-and-white kimono bore faint brushstroke patterns, a paper umbrella tilted over her head concealing her face as she gazed at the moon's reflection.
She didn't speak, yet Adam felt the weight of her solitude. The air itself seemed heavy with longing — not for days or years, but for something far older.
Then, she turned.
Her lips moved without sound, yet meaning bloomed in his mind like the echo of a memory too ancient to recall.
You are finally back…
Remember my name…
Call my name…
My name is—
The scene shattered.
The courtyard dissolved into black, the moon and pond swept away like smoke on the wind. Adam's breathing faltered, a hollow ache settling in his chest at the sudden loss.
"Damnit… just a little more," he muttered.
Out of habit, he summoned the System panel. A notification blinked.
> [Congratulations, Host, for acquiring: Reishi Armor (Active Skill)]
He ignored it, mind fixed on the vision.
The System's guide had explained that most Shinigami earned their Zanpakuto Spirit's trust through trials — battles, riddles, challenges. Yet she had offered her name freely.
And the setting… moonlight mirrored on water, pale flowers, a world of illusion and reflection. His mind whispered an answer he almost didn't dare believe.
Fingers tightening around the Asauchi, he took a slow breath.
"…Kyoka Suigetsu."
The attic held its breath.
Nothing happened. The blade remained dull, unchanged.
A hollow laugh escaped him. "Of course. Miracles don't happen to me."
His life had been one long string of misfortunes — never blessed. Even transmigration and a System felt more like stumbling into luck than earning it. Asking for more… was tempting fate.
He was about to sheath the blade when it hit.
The tremor began in his chest — a low, violent thrum that made his heartbeat falter. Reiatsu exploded outward, coursing through him like molten mercury.
> [WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
[Reiatsu output exceeds body limit!]
The alerts were distant, drowned under the roar in his skull.
The air thickened, turning unbreathable. Glass splinters seemed to press outward from under his skin. Bone groaned under impossible weight. His vision fractured into shifting, jagged shards, as though he were staring through broken mirrors.
He clenched his teeth until his gums bled, ragged growls tearing from his throat.
Each heartbeat slammed into him like a hammer. Each breath scraped his lungs raw. Light blue and purplish-pink glow seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, mixing with the blood that streaked his face like cracks in porcelain.
He tried to pull the energy back, to stop the release — but the tide was too fast, too overwhelming.
The attic swam, the edges of his vision blurring. His grip on the Asauchi slipped.
And then he fell into darkness.
---
Hua returned from her grocery run with a bag full of fresh ingredients, heading straight to the kitchen.
Perhaps out of excitement, she prepared far too much.
Sweet and sour chicken. Spicy vegetable stir-fry. Herbal chicken bone soup. Dumplings. Mapo tofu.
"Men have big appetites, right?" she murmured absently.
She remembered the old neighbor auntie's words from years ago — that to conq— Cough! — to win over young men, one must feed them well. And Adam trained almost daily, so surely he could eat it all.
Besides, she'd heard his squadmates say he was too lean and should put on more muscle.
Humming, she carried the steaming soup to the table.
That was when it hit — a sharp, pained roar from above.
"Adam?!"
She dropped the soup without hesitation, sprinting up the stairs two steps at a time. Panic clawed at her chest.
The sound had been raw, almost inhuman — the voice of someone being torn apart.
Looking around the second floor, she saw no sign of him. Then it clicked. The ceiling. An attic she had never noticed.
No time to search for the entrance — she leapt, punching through the wooden boards and ripping them open wide enough to climb.
Adam lay inside, collapsed in a pool of his own blood, his face twisted in agony.
"Adam!"
She rushed to his side, fingers trembling as she checked for life. A faint breath brushed her fingertip. A heartbeat — so weak she had to press her ear to his chest to be sure.
"Weak breath… faint pulse!" she gasped.
Fear flooded her veins, threatening to blank her mind.
But just before the panic swallowed her, a single image cut through the haze — the face of a reliable, big-sister-like figure.
"Yes! Himeko… I must call Himeko!"
Her hands shook so badly the phone almost slipped, but she managed to dial. Himeko's number was the only one saved.
The call connected instantly.
"Oh, little Hua. Calling this big sis so suddenly?" Himeko teased.
But her tone sharpened as she caught Hua's faint sobbing.
"Hey, what's wrong with your voice? Don't tell me you two actually cooked the—"
"Himeko!" Hua's voice cracked, panic spilling out. "A-Adam is d-dying… He's bleeding everywhere…"
Himeko's teasing vanished.
"Hua. Listen. Help is on the way. Keep him alive until we arrive."
Her voice was sharp now, barking orders to someone on her end before returning with calm reassurance.
Hua nodded, focusing entirely on Adam. She kept her hands on him, feeling for each fragile breath, each fading beat.
The wait was torture. Every second felt like an eternity. Adam's pulse grew weaker, his breath shallower.
Memories stabbed through her — Sapphire City. The corruption. The undead swarming. Carole's desperate face after being bitten. The hopelessness of knowing she could save no one.
She could feel that same helplessness now, eating away at her. Dark whispers coiled at the edge of her mind, tempting, poisonous.
"Hua!"
A voice cut through the darkness.
"Hua!"
A sharp sting — a slap to the cheek — jolted her back.
"H-Himeko?"
She blinked, disoriented, before realizing Adam was now surrounded by a team of paramedics. They moved with practiced precision, securing him for transport.
Himeko exhaled in relief, though her frown lingered at Hua's earlier state.
"Come with us," she ordered. "You'll explain everything on the way."
Hua didn't hesitate. She wasn't leaving Adam's side. Not now. Not until she knew he would live.
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