[Unknown voice: "Shiro."]

A voice in the darkness calls out a familiar name.

[Unknown voice: "Shiro.."]

It's just pure darkness, not including the faint sounds of crackling and sparking.

The raspy breath that was saying my name has gone completely silent.

I reach my hand out into the darkness to feel my surroundings.

[Unknown voice: "Shiro!"] 

All of a sudden, I wake up immediately, completely drenched in a cold sweat feeling my heart beat out of my chest. 

I let out a sigh as I get out of bed and start to presume my daily tasks. 

Wearily I trudge towards the kitchen, leaning against a counter while I fill up a bowl with cereal and milk.

[Shiro's Mind: "I wonder if there was any meaning to these strange dreams."]

My throat's dry, it's hard to swallow it down. These dreams have been making me so uneasy it's giving me a headache. 

[Shiro's Mind: "That's the fifth time this week I've had that dream."]

My shoes and jacket sit by the door waiting for me.

Soon enough I'm out of my apartment and inside the fast food joint that pays for my shitty life.

I watch the oil sizzle beneath the greasy patties.

[Shiro's Mind: "My name is Shiro Tatsuya, and I am a complete and utter failure! My mother decided to disappear last year, and ever since then I've had to start working a full-time job just to survive. Imagine that? I'm not even 17 yet and I gotta drop out of school just so I can afford to live in some crappy apartment. Pathetic, right?"]

I have a habit of biting my lip when I get pissed off. I hate how some people get to live life so goddamn easy, doing whatever they like without a second thought. Meanwhile there's people like me who have to bust their ass so they can decide where they will be sleeping next month.

[Shiro's Mind: "I must look like a real loser. No friends. No family. No girlfriend."]

The best way you can describe me is as some sort of reanimated corpse. An empty husk simply going through the motions of being human. 

My body feels numb from doing this daily. 

It's an infinite cycle of despair!

. 

A couple hours have passed now, time to clock out.

I arrive back home and lay on my bed. Just staring at the ceiling.

[Shiro: "Is there really any chance of me escaping this infinite loop?"]

I just let out a sigh and start to fall asleep .

It's dark again. So dark. A feeling of unease consumes me as I stare into the black, empty void.

Once again the crackling and hum of electricity fills the air, but something's different. It's louder and more defined. A speck of bright blue light hovers into view, the light radiating from it warms my skin.

[Shiro: "What are you?"]

Drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, I reach towards it, slowly caging it inside my fist. But before I can trap the light completely, the ringing of my alarm clock quickly snaps me back into reality. 

[Shiro: "I really wish I'd stop having these shitty dreams."] 

I'm back at work, slaving away as per usual, but something is off. 

My ears prick up as soft indistinguishable whispers fill the room. 

Hearing this I quickly turned around to see if anyone was there, but there was nothing. 

My eyes scanned around the room for the source of the voices, yet there was no one to be seen. 

[Shiro: "Huh?"]

. 

My boss notices, storming over to me with furrowed brows. 

[Shiro's Boss: "Get back to work you lazy slob, your here to work not to daydream so get your head in the fucking game kid."]

After work I decided that I'd go to the shop to grab some groceries, but the whispering noises in my head started to become louder. And louder. It was beginning to irritate me.

Once I leave the shops the voices still continue as I walk through the streets, relentlessly tormenting my brain as they grow louder and louder.

I start biting on my lip.

I'm only about 5 more minutes away from my destination when I hear a blood-curdling scream rise from nearby. People were wailing, begging for help.

And I know this sounds weird, but it felt like the whispers were guiding me to that area. I felt as if I was obliged to go over there and figure out what was happening.

[Shiro: "Oh what the hell."] 

I drop my groceries and begin to sprint towards the screams. 

Once I finally get there I see a horrific scene. Bodies have been cut up and there's blood splattered all over the place. The area is completely devoid of people, and the whispers have finally stopped. 

It's horrific. 

Countless bodies slashed up, an unmistakable warm red liquid oozing from the gashes in their skin. Blood. It was everywhere, splattered all across the road and running down the gutters.

I feel the vomit fill my throat as my eyes swallow the image before me.

[Shiro: "W-what the hell."]

In the middle of the street I see a figure, about 170cm tall wearing a roughed up jacket with torn pants. He's wielding two blades in each hand, dripping with what is clear to be blood.

But the thing I could clearly distinguish was that he didn't have skin, it was a full black shadow-like colour completely embodying him. An inhuman appearance. 

[???: "Oh? What do we have here, fresh meat?"]

Its voice is gigglish, it laughs in-between words.

[Shiro: "What the hell have you done to these people?!"]

It flashes me a sinister grin.

[???: "Are you really that clueless boy? I killed them!"] 

It chuckles, its voice dripping with sickening pride as it runs its tongue along one of its daggers, the blood and spit mixing together and dribbling down its chin.

I almost vomited seeing him do such a grotesque thing. I quickly swallow it back down though. 

[Shiro: "So what exactly are you?"]

His murderous eyes light up as a devilish grin crawls onto its face, its mouth stretching and contorting as it smiles wider and wider. 

[Judgement: "I am Judgement! And I have come here to judge and execute these repulsive sinners! Although, since you can see me that would make you a Void Hunter, wouldn't it?"]

I tilt my head, my confusion painted on my face. 

[Shiro: "A Void Hunter? Look, I don't know who or what the hell you are- as if I give a shit about that anyway. But that doesn't change the fact that I am not gonna let you hurt anyone else!"]

Judgement throws its head back and cackles before abruptly pausing, darting its manic eyes right back to meet mine.

[Judgement: "Well, go on boy. I'll even let you hit me first."]

I take a deep breath and bite down on my lip. My fist clenches up, my eyes shut, and I rush towards it with everything I've got.

A cool breeze hits me as I land my punch. My eyes opened to find that it's still standing there, it took the blow like it was nothing.

[Judgement: "Have it your way."]

It swiftly vanishes, followed by a wet, slashing sound.

Suddenly, my right arm falls from my body, a clean cut. Blood quickly started pouring out.

My eyes widen as I yelp in pain, clutching my gruesome wound as I fall to the ground. Blood drenches my hand and clothes as I scream, and sob. 

[Judgement: "Oh you poor thing."]

It's voice reeks of mocking pity.

Judgement gets on all fours, licking up the blood like some crazed animal.

[Judgement: "Yes, this taste... This is the taste of a true sinner!"]

It quickly gets back up onto his feet and picks me up by my throat, my feet dangling in the air beneath me.

I make a pathetic attempt at fighting back, landing a weak punch on the arm that is holding me up, but it's no use. 

[Shiro: "I do-. I don't want to die…"]

I say between shallow breaths. My vision is beginning to blur, but I can't tell if it's from my circulation being cut off or from my very own tears.

Judgement's expression quickly turns angry.

[Judgement: "You are a sinner! And I am Judgement, my purpose is to cleanse the world of filthy pigs like you!"]

In his other hand he holds the twisted blade tightly with a firm grip and drives it through my chest.

It's dark again. It's cold and so dark. I'm inside of the black void. 

[Shiro: "Is this death?"]

The small blue speck of light from my dreams appears before me once again, and it speaks.

[???: "Tell me, Shiro, do you want to live?"]

Entranced, I reach my hand out and touch it.

Suddenly this blue light bursts into a giant blue flame, lighting up the black void and completely incinerating me turning my vision white. 

Judgement holds my body proud and high by the neck, still with an unearthly grin.

[Judgement: "He's dead! He's dead he's dead he's dead he's dead he's dead! This sinner has been judged!"]

[Shiro: "Hands off of me, bastard."]

My sudden voice makes judgement let go of me and back up a bit to make distance.

[Judgement: "What the hell? I killed you, I killed the sinner, I did it! I know I did!"]

Judgement clutches its head in frustration, mumbling to itself erratically.

[Judgement: "How the fuck are you still alive! Absurd!"]

As I stand up straight and brush myself off, I come to find that my arm has completely regenerated. I test it out, turning it in different directions and clenching my fist. 

[Shiro: "Lucky me, huh?"]

I take a step forward with my left foot, taking the posture of a fighter while remaining alert.

My hands erupt into angry blue flames as I clench them into fists.

Judgement stares back at me, the crazed look in its eyes now replaced with panic.

[Judgement: "This changes nothing. Regardless of whether you have this stupid power or not I'm still going to kill you, again and again and again and again. So die pig!"]

I feel powerful, it's as if something that's been resting dormant inside of me has finally been awakened.

[Shiro: "I don't know how I got this power, but I do know one thing."]

I point my thumb at myself.

[Shiro: "I am Shiro Tatsuya, and I'm gonna kick your ass!"]

I charge towards Judgement, my fists burning with energy. This time they make an electric crackling sound. 

I drive my fist deep into his stomach, the look on his face goes from a sadistic smile to a very worried face. 

A blue shockwave spreads in all directions, sending it flying straight into a 5 story building, the structure collapses from the impact and burries Judgement beneath the rubble.

[Shiro: "Ouch, ouch."]

The blue flames on my fists fizzle out as I fall to my knees. All this adrenaline had completely distracted me from the sores on my hands. 

[Shiro: "It burns!"]

I sit there assessing my injuries when out of the corner of my eye I spot Judgement, climbing out from beneath the rubble, its eyes fierce and manic.

The stench of bloodlust radiates from him.

Before I can even blink it appears directly in front of me. It pounces, its punches crazed and uncoordinated. 

[Shiro's Mind: "Shit why won't my fists charge back up?!"]

I try to gather my thoughts as we tumble to the ground. 

[Shiro's Mind: "Maybe all I need to do is get enraged just like before?"]

I shove Judgement off of me quickly so I can give myself time to execute my plan.

Everything falls silent.

I let out a sigh as I grit my teeth while clenching my fists as hard as I can. The air goes quiet as my whole body starts slowly gaining a blue aura that gradually grows brighter. 

All of a sudden my whole body is fully coated in a flaming blue aura. I feel as if I'm going to explode.

Just as I feel like I've hit my limit, I let out a loud scream as I let out a giant explosion that levels the whole city block. 

As the smoke and dust clears, I look to where Judgement had stood. All that is left of it are its tattered shoes, everything else has been blown to kingdom come. 

Feeling beyond exhausted, I collapse down onto my knees, covered in black ash.

My chest heaves up and down as I pant steadily.

As I continue to catch my breath, I notice the sound of slow, calculated footsteps approaching. 

[Shiro: "Who's there?"]

I look up to see a very beautiful woman with white hair, and a nice slender body walking towards me, with two people on either side of her wearing black suits. 

As they stand in front of me, the white haired woman kneels down and lifts my head up by the chin so that our faces are looking at each other. 

[???: "Well aren't you just the cutest thing?"]

I can feel my cheeks begin to redden as she cradles my face in her hands. 

Those beautiful ebony eyes pierce through my soul harder than Judgement's blade ever could.

[???: 'I've finally found you, the Body of Hate."]

She grins at me, her eyes narrowing. 

[???: "You don't know me, but I know you. So, allow me to introduce myself, I am the Avatar of Lust."

Who is this mysterious woman?!