“Um…
hello, Ichigo.”
Ryūken Ishida managed a strained smile.
His silver hair was slightly disheveled and his complexion was pale, as if he hadn’t rested properly in quite some time.
“We’re going to the hospital to visit your aunt.
Would you like to come along?”
“Yes!
I want to go!”
…
At the hospital, young Ichigo and the adults entered a large ward.
Despite its size, there was very little medical equipment; there was only a single hospital bed.
It looked less like a ward and more like an ordinary room.
Lying on the bed was a pale, black-haired woman.
Her eyes were closed and her expression was blank; only the slight rise and fall of her chest betrayed any sign of life.
“Kanae has been in a coma since she collapsed a month ago.”
“Her condition worsens by the day.
No matter what method I use, I can’t make her recover.” Ryūken’s voice was thick with exhaustion.
“Isshin contacted me a few days ago and told me you were alright.
That’s when I thought about asking you to see if there was anything you could do.”
“Did you ask Urahara?” Isshin Kurosaki frowned.
“Masaki’s situation was different.
Although her bloodline was also tainted by the power of a Hollow, that power penetrated deeper—not just into her blood, but into her soul as well.”
“I know.” Ryūken glanced at young Ichigo.
“I asked that man, Kisuke Urahara, and he didn’t have a solution either.
However, he did say that Ichigo might.”
“Ichigo?”
The three of them turned their gaze toward young Ichigo, who merely scratched his head, signaling that he was still completely out of the loop.
“Kisuke Urahara mentioned that the spirit of the Zanpakutō within Ichigo seems to possess the memories of the Quincy Progenitor.
Perhaps a solution can be found there.” Ryūken looked utterly defeated.
“I wanted to solve this on my own, but my abilities were insufficient.
My mother…
she passed away yesterday…”
“Your mother?!” Masaki Kurosaki gasped.
“What were you doing, Ryūken!
Why didn’t you ask sooner!”
I thought I could find a way on my own…”
“You!” Masaki was momentarily speechless.
She turned to Ichigo and said, “Ichigo, give it a try.
Go ask and see if there is…”
“I already know.”
Even while young Ichigo had been scratching his head, a faint voice had already echoed in his heart, telling him everything.
“The Quincy Progenitor, Yhwach, is the source of all Quincies.
His innate ability is the power to Gift and Take.
He can grant his power to others, and he can reclaim that gifted power at any time.”
“This power is passed down through the bloodline; the purer the blood, the stronger the power.” As young Ichigo spoke, he shifted into his spirit form—the appearance of a Shinigami.
“A month ago, Yhwach activated the Auswählen.
He reclaimed the power of all mixed-blood Quincies, as well as those born to non-pure bloodlines or pure-bloods whose blood had been tainted by Hollow attacks.”
“When the Quincy power that had already become a part of the soul is stolen, it leaves a void.
A Quincy who has lost their power is no different from an ordinary human, but the consequence of having a void in one’s soul is inevitable: the soul collapses.”
“But no matter what method I used, Quincy Reiatsu was ineffective within Kanae’s body…” Ryūken narrowed his eyes, realizing the key.
“Gifting…
right?”
“Yes, Uncle Ryūken.” Young Ichigo nodded, and a pale blue light manifested in his hand.
“The methods might differ, but you were simply injecting Quincy power into Auntie’s body.
That power only floated on the surface; it couldn’t truly become a part of her soul.”
With that, young Ichigo grasped the black-haired woman’s hands.
A pale blue light enveloped her entire body.
In the next instant, all the light converged on her chest and then vanished.
“My power isn’t strong enough yet,” young Ichigo said with a look of regret.
“My gift can only fill the void in Auntie’s soul; it cannot restore her powers.”
“Ugh…”
As if confirming Ichigo’s words, the black-haired woman let out a soft moan.
A hint of struggle appeared on her previously expressionless face, and her relaxed brow furrowed slightly, as if she were having a nightmare.
“This…!!!”
The fear wasn’t that there would be a change, but that there would be none.
After a month of observation and research, Ryūken had long known where the problem lay.
However, he had exhausted every possible method to repair his wife’s soul to no avail; nothing could fill the void.
“A difference in tier.” Isshin gazed deeply at young Ichigo.
“This is a difference in the tier of Reiatsu.
The grade of Reiatsu we can utilize is simply not enough to repair a soul.”
“Perhaps the reason my spirit body wasn’t damaged is because I once carried Ichigo.”
“Perhaps…”
Young Ichigo wasn’t interested in the adults’ conversation.
He had simply followed the voice in his heart to help his aunt, unaware that what he had done was so astonishing.
“Hmm?”
Turning his head, as if discovering a new world, young Ichigo suddenly spotted a small head peeking around the door, spying on the situation inside the room.
In the next heartbeat, Reiatsu naturally gathered at his feet for reinforcement.
The Shunpo unique to the Shinigami was suddenly triggered, and young Ichigo’s body crossed several meters in an instant, appearing right outside the ward.
“Waaaaah—!”
*Thump—*
Ichigo’s sudden appearance frightened the person outside so badly that they stumbled and landed right on their backside.
“Who are you?”
As he spoke, young Ichigo observed the peer before him.
The boy had short, light-blue hair and looked very similar to his uncle, Ryūken Ishida.
He was quite slender—hardly looking like a boy at all.
“This is my son, Uryū Ishida,” Ryūken said timely from behind.
“Ohhh—so that makes you my brother!” Ichigo’s eyes lit up.
He only had two sisters and no blood-related brothers.
“What month were you born in?”
“I…
I’m November…” young Uryū said timidly.
Then, as if suddenly reacting, he snapped, “Wait—what does that have to do with you!
You bastard Shinigami!!”
“Do not be rude!” Ryūken scolded.
“Uryū, have I been too negligent with you lately?
I don’t recall teaching you to speak like that!”
“What are you talking about, Ryūken!
This is…”
“Now, now~”
“I’m born in July!” young Ichigo interrupted Uryū with a laugh, beaming happily.
“That means I’m the big brother!
I’ll protect you…
Uryū!”