A man in his late twenties looked at himself in the mirror. He was wondering how he appeared here. In a room that was full of mirrors.
As he gazed at his reflection, he couldn't help but feel a sense of uneasiness blooming inside himself.
"I am already dead, isn't it?"
He whispered to himself, questioning his own existence in this strange place. He knew that he was already dead because of his serious illness. But how come he appeared here instead of in the hospital?
The endless reflections surrounding him seemed to mock his confusion, amplifying his doubts and making him question his own sanity.
The man thought of how he had ended up in this peculiar room, trapped within a labyrinth of mirrors. Each reflection seemed to hold a different version of him.
Some were distorted and grotesque, while others appeared eerily identical to his own image. The disorienting effect of the mirrors made it impossible for him to distinguish reality from illusion, leaving him trapped in a never-ending cycle of self-doubt and uncertainty.
And at that moment, he heard the sound of his own voice echoing through the maze of mirrors, causing him to look in that direction with a mixture of wonder and fear.
As he followed the sound, he realized that it was his own reflection speaking to him, urging him to find a way out of the labyrinth and discover his true self.
"Find a way out of here quickly if you don't want to be like us!"
The reflection's words struck him with a sense of urgency and desperation. He felt that something really bad would happen if he didn't escape the maze soon.
The reflection's voice grew more frantic, pleading with him to break free from the endless loop of reflections and illusions.
When he saw that desperation. He realized something.
"All of you are me... But how?"
As the realization dawned on him, he understood that the reflections were not separate entities but rather manifestations of different aspects of his own psyche.
Each reflection represented a different emotion, fear, or desire that he had suppressed or ignored.
"There is no time to answer that question! Move your ass and get out of here!"
His reflection urged him to take action and escape from the illusionary world he had found himself trapped in.
His body then moved on its own, like it had its own mind, as if controlled by the reflections themselves. They were not mocking him anymore. They tried to help him get out of here as soon as possible.
With every step he took, the reflections started to vibrate, their voices echoing in his mind. The reflections that were far behind started to break away from the others, shattering into countless shards of glass. The path ahead became clearer as he continued to move forward, fueled by the encouragement of his own reflections.
"Take everything that you want. Don't hesitate because you will regret it dearly."
"Don't forget to eat three meals a day and work out. Healt is a true treasure."
"Women were a cause of trouble. Grind before hoe!"
"Don't believe people easily. They would stab you in the back for their own gain!"
"Stay focused on your goals and take each step deliberately. Rushing can lead to mistakes and wasted efforts."
"Remember to appreciate the journey as much as the destination. Each step forward is an accomplishment in itself."
The man stepped forward. He didn't notice that a water droplet dropped from his eye. He felt every emotion that he had been ignoring for a very long time.
He finally allowed himself to release the pent-up emotions that had been weighing him down. It was a cathartic moment of vulnerability and self-discovery.
The reflections smiled at him and told him that it would be okay from now on. And when all of the reflection shattered, he saw a ghostly figure look at him intensely before it moved away. It gave him the feeling that if those reflections of himself didn't lead him out of the mirror maze, he might be trapped in his own self-doubt and insecurities forever.
As the ghostly figure moved away, a sense of peace washed over him. He realized that he had finally confronted his past and was ready to embrace a new beginning.
The weight that had burdened him for so long had been lifted, and he felt a renewed sense of hope for the future.
He slowly opened his eyes and found that he was inside a hospital, but something was wrong.
'Why are they really big?'
He tried to speak, but he couldn't. Not only that, he couldn't even move.
Panic began to set in as he realized he was paralyzed from head to toe. Fear and confusion consumed him as he desperately tried to understand what had happened. The sound of approaching footsteps only heightened his anxiety, leaving him with a sense of vulnerability and helplessness.
He was then lifted from his bed. He realized how big the nurse was. He was sure that she might be someone from the Titan race.
'Is she really going to eat me? I heard that the Titan race stopped eating humans a long time ago. Maybe she is just checking to see if I am fine or not.'
He was inside the hospital after all. He needed to think of everything more positively. but something next made him realize that. Either she wanted to check if he was okay, or she wanted to eat him. She brought him to a giant woman who had brown hair and a large breast. She spoke with the nurse before she lifted up her shirt and fed him with her plentiful breasts.
'??!!'
He couldn't resist being fed her milk. He mentally rejected it, but as time went by, he found it quite delicious, so he couldn't help but start to suck it with eager anticipation. The warm milk filled his mouth, satisfying his hunger and comforting him in a way he had never experienced before.
As he continued to suck the milk, a sense of contentment washed over him, erasing any doubts or fears he had previously held.
He felt secure in the woman's embrace. He understands now. He had become a baby, and the brown-haired woman was his mother in this new life.
'Mom...'
It was a word that he felt strangled with, yet it felt right at the same time. He had never known a mother's love before, but in that moment, he knew he had found it.
The look in her eyes that watched over him was filled with warmth and tenderness, reassuring him that he was safe and loved. He could sense her unwavering dedication to his well-being, and it brought him a sense of peace he had never experienced before.
"Aishiteru Musuko yo. Ichigo-chan" (I love you, my son, Ichigo-chan)
He didn't know what language his mother used, but he could feel what she wanted to tell him. He smiled at her and felt a deep connection between them, transcending any language barrier.
'So she is really my mother.'
As he was sure that he was safe inside his mother's embrace, a sleepiness overcame him, and he drifted off into a peaceful slumber, knowing that he was loved and protected.
...
Five years later. At the riverside something unexpected happened.
"So you are choosing death.."
A young boy carrying a middle-aged woman while looking at something very ugly. He was very angry right now. On his hand. There was a ball of soul-condensing energy that cracked with great power.
The boy was Kurasaki Ichigo. He had come back with his mother from the karate club where he went with his childhood friend.
Kurasaki Misaki held great power. She could normally deal with the monster easily, but something happened.
She lost her power as if someone had drained it from her. The once fearless and powerful woman was now vulnerable and weak. And because she didn't know that her son had awakened his power. She tried to protect him with her body.
She was seriously injured trying to protect her precious son. Fortunately, he could use the Kaido, the spell that can heal her injuries. So she wasn't in a critical condition, but with his knowledge in Kaido was too shallow, she still needed to be taken care of by a doctor, which was fortunately his father, whom he knew was someone from a race called shinigami.
Ichigo, filled with rage, shot out the energy ball in his hand and obliterated the monster easily.
As the dust settled, Ichigo's anger began to subside, replaced by a sense of relief. He realized that the power inside of his body was too great and if he ever lost control. He might not only hurt himself but everyone around himself too.
He needed to control it. Maybe sealing demon art would be good for his next subject.