10Spoiler warning for New Testament (Up to NT22R). Also, I did not make the cover. Credit goes to Mishaman on Pinterest (Not sure if they are the one who actually made it, but that's all I got).
Enjoy the chapter!
Kamijou Touma woke up.
"...Huh?"
Something wasn't right. He usually woke up staring up at his dorm's ceiling. Well, more accurately, his bathroom's ceiling.
That wasn't the case this time though.
"I don't remember my ceiling being that white..."
Touma found himself staring at… pure white. There was literally no other way to explain it.
"Ugh, did Tsuchimikado kidnap me again? Such Misfortune."
He pushed himself off the ground and searched his surroundings. Except, there was a problem.
Everywhere he looked, all he saw was white.
"Eh?"
Touma rubbed his eyes.
Still white.
"Am I dead?!"
Touma stumbled onto his feet and frantically looked in every possible direction. There was nothing else but white. Faced with no other choice, he sprinted in a random direction. He idly observed that he still had his white hoodie and his black jacket, as well as the rest of his winter uniform.
Where am I?!
He continued to run, trying to find anything that wasn't just white space. Of course, he failed in that endeavor. A sense of dread gradually filled his body.
This is just like… that time…
He was referring to the time when Othinus ended the world. It was at the very beginning of it all, when it was just the two of them. This time was a little different though. Instead of a world of darkness, Touma was in the opposite: a world of light.
Also, unlike that time, Touma was completely and utterly alone.
Despite his dread, he continued to run. Maybe there was a wall, or some sort of edge? There had to be!
He wasn't there for very long, but to him, it felt like it had been hours. Eventually he had to stop running to catch his breath.
"Is anyone there?!" He tried shouting.
…
No one responded.
At that moment, Touma's legs felt weak. He collapsed to the floor and curled up his legs. He felt like despairing right then and there.
…But he stopped himself.
Touma glanced at his right hand. Inside it was an ability known as Imagine Breaker. It was a power that could negate any supernatural ability, whether it was scientific or magical.
He had no idea where this place was, but maybe it was an illusion? If so, then his Imagine Breaker should be able to negate it.
He cautiously placed his right hand on the floor, hoping to hear the sound of breaking glass. If it did, then he could escape wherever he was!
The hand made contact.
…
No sound.
"Hahhh…" Touma sighed. "Such Misfortune. Of course that wouldn't have worked…"
Well, what could he do? Unlike previously, Touma truly had no landmarks. He had no place that he could start from again.
Was he actually dead? Was he trapped in a limbo, with nowhere to go?
…Or did the world end again?
Touma didn't know. He knew absolutely nothing about the situation he was in. For who knows how long, he just sat there on the white floor, staring blankly into the distance.
He didn't know how long he was there for. Which is why it came as a surprise when his eyes were suddenly blinded by a bright light.
"Gwahhh?!"
Touma shielded his eyes with his left arm. Even so, it felt like he was staring right into the sun. What's going on now?!
Then, as quickly as it appeared, the brightness disappeared. Touma hesitantly lowered his arm.
"Eh…?"
Touma found himself in a Japanese suburban neighborhood. Around him, countless people went about their lives, as evidenced by the fullness of the sidewalks. It seemed to be a busy day.
The spiky-haired boy stared at the people around him. T-This isn't Academy City! Where am I?!
He stood there for several moments, not moving a muscle. Strangely, no one seemed to notice his shocked expression. It was as if he wasn't there.
But Touma didn't notice eventually snapped himself out of it. Ok Touma, focus. I need to figure out what's going on. Maybe I can find a sign or something?
He walked around the neighborhood, trying to find something that would indicate where he was. It didn't take long before he passed by a playground with several children running around. Next to the playground was an ice cream vendor with a sign on it.
When they came into sight, Touma stopped. For some reason, seeing the two structures made him feel… off. It made him want to leave. I don't have a reason to be here. Besides, I don't see any town names.
…
And yet, he didn't move.
Something in his heart kept him rooted where he was. But why? Why wouldn't his body let him move?
The answer soon became clear. In the crowds that walked the sidewalks, two parents and their black haired son suddenly appeared in Touma's vision. Compared to the other people around them, they seemed to stand out.
As they got closer, Touma stared at the trio with widened eyes. The father's collared shirt and stubble, along with the mother's brown hair immediately triggered something in his mind. They may have looked younger, but how could he forget who they were?
"M-Mom and Dad?" Touma whimpered. His parents, Touya and Shiina Kamijou, lived outside Academy City. He didn't see them very often, and he had no plans to see them anytime soon.
So… did that mean he was where his parents lived? But then, who was the little kid with them? He was sure they would have told him if he had a sibling.
No no, I'm sure they're just babysitting someone. Yeah, that has to be it!
His guess was quickly proven wrong when Shiina started speaking to the kid. Normally, Touma should have been too far away to hear the conversation. Yet, he was able to hear their words loud and clear.
"My my, look at you Touma. I never thought you would love being with us so much."
"Of course mommy! Why wouldn't I?"
The two cheerfully conversated, while the dad, Touya, watched the two with a grin of his own. A distance away, Touma gaped at the sight.
W-Why did mom call the kid by my n-name?
They continued to walk, approaching where Touma was standing. The spiky-haired boy was at a loss for what to do. Should he greet them and try to figure out what was going on? Or should he stay out of their way?
"Say Touma… would you like to get some ice cream to beat the heat?"
Before he could make a decision, his mother spoke up again.
"Really mommy? Can I?"
"Of course!"
The little kid, or 'Touma', smiled widely. Even from afar, Touma could feel the happiness radiating off him. Something as simple as ice cream was enough to make the child feel so happy.
The trio approached the ice cream vendor. Touma stood there, simply staring at them. Something in the back of his head was tingling. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't place.
"Chocolate! Daddy, can I have chocolate?" 'Touma' excitedly asked Touya.
"Ooh… chocolate, huh? I think I'll have to get that as well! I might eat yours though too!"
The kid's eyes comically widened. "No! I won't let you take my chocolate dad! I'll destroy that illusion of yours!" He declared, raising his fist into the air.
Touma widened his eyes. How could he not, after all? Those words the kid spoke… were eerily similar to what he would say. Not to mention how they had the same name.
D-Does that mean… that's me?!
The trio arrived at the vendor, ready to place orders of ice cream. Touya was the one who spoke up.
"We'll have two chocolates, and one strawberry for the lady here, please."
The ice cream attendant, contrary to Touma's expectations, looked at Touya warily. His eyes moved to Shiina, before landing on 'Touma.' He suddenly displayed a disgusted expression.
"Sorry, but there's no way I'm going to risk dealing with 'The Plague'!"
With those words, he slammed the metal drop-down door down in their faces. Touya and Shiina stared at the door with shock and a slight grimace on their faces. Touma, who was watching from a distance, watched the entire thing with surprise.
What's going on? Is there something I'm missing here?
The parents stood there in shocked silence. But then…
"Y-You know, I'm actually not really craving ice cream! My-my tooth has been kinda hurting lately…"
'Touma' spoke up suddenly, snapping his parents out of their stupor. They looked at him, in which he gave his parents a strained smile. It was one that they could see through easily. Both of them felt hurt when they saw it.
Touma could tell as well. It was blatantly obvious that 'Touma' was simply trying to make his parents feel better. What wasn't quite as obvious were the… expressions on his parents' faces.
It seemed like they knew exactly what the attendant had meant.
"A-Are you sure Touma?" His mother spoke up. "We can just find another treat, you know. You don't have to-"
"I'm fine mommy. I'm just happy we can be walking and talking like this. This is more than I can ever ask for… the right to be with you guys…"
'Touma' interrupted his mother with those words. That caused his parents to take on sorrowful expressions, before they suddenly embraced him. The kid was surprised, before smiling and hugging them back.
Touma felt a pang in his heart, yet he smiled softly at the scene in front of him. He still had no idea what was happening or why he was seeing what appeared to be a younger version of himself, but those questions didn't matter at that moment. All he wanted right now was to protect those smiles of the trio.
"You…"
Suddenly, a man's voice barged into that peaceful moment. The trio and Touma looked up from their embrace. The spiky haired boy immediately recognized the tone in that voice.
It was of a person who wanted to take revenge on the person who took everything away from them. He'd heard the same tone before in some of his… alley escapades.
"YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT YOU GOD DAMN FUCKING PLAGUE!"
The man stood across the street from the ice cream vendor. His condition was… not good. Bloodshot eyes, unkempt hair, a face filled with sweat. He had a business suit that looked ragged and damaged. His left hand was clenched into a fist, while his right hand…
…in his right hand was a large knife.
Touma immediately knew what the man was going to do. He didn't know why the man was doing this, but he knew he needed to protect the family who did nothing wrong. He quickly dashed in front of the family, who could only watch as the man charged towards them.
"Stop it! What did they do to you?!" Touma shouted.
The man's angry expression remained unchanged. He continued to charge towards the four of them. At this rate, he was going to run into him!
It doesn't matter. He would protect this family with everything he could! The man raised his arm, as if he was about to grab something roughly. Touma figured he was about to get dragged towards the man. But he would defend the family with everything he could.
So he braced for the moment when the man made contact.
The arm got closer.
And closer.
And closer.
And…
…
"Eh?"
Touma saw something that he would never forget. Instead of the man pulling him away, his arm went straight through his own body. It was as if Touma was not even there.
"Huh?! Wait, what?!"
He was so terribly confused. That confusion got even worse when the man continued to charge straight through Touma. For a moment, the man and the spiky-haired boy occupied the same space.
"YOU BASTARD!"
The man angrily shouted, now on the other side of Touma. His head turned around just in time to see the man roughly grab 'Touma' from his parents. He first kneed him in the chest, before smashing the boy's face into the street.
"TOUMA!"
His parents screamed with fear. Seeing those expressions on his parents, combined with how the man brutally treated a little kid, filled Touma with rage.
"YOU BASTARD! How could you?!" Touma shouted angrily, pulling back a fist. He was prepared to punch this man away from the family, to stop him before he could do anything else.
The man pushed 'Touma' down into the street, his back facing up, unaware of the teenager behind him.
The spiky-haired boy pushed forward his arm, intending to punch the man away from the little kid. There was no way he could just stand there and watch the man do something terrible! He aimed for his side, hoping to at least distract him.
…
Yet, where Touma expected his fist to make contact, it instead slipped right through the man's body.
"Gwah?!"
Since he had pushed his body forward to make that punch, he had nothing to counteract his balance. He tumbled through the man's body and collapsed onto the ground.
"I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOU! TIME FOR YOU TO GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU FREAK!"
Touma scrambled to get back up, but the second he turned around, he watched as the man plunged the large knife into the young kid's back. 'Touma' couldn't even scream out in pain, as his face was pushed into the ground.
"BASTARD!"
The next instant, his father leaped from his position and tackled the man to the ground. With no hesitation, he started raining down punches on the man below him.
"Why the hell would you do something like this, you bastard?!" Touya screamed at the man.
In response, the man let out a crazed smile.
"I just lost everything today! My job, my wife, all of my life savings! Isn't it obvious?! The only reason any of that could have happened was because of that freak of nature over there. B-But now that I've killed that demon, I'm saved! No, we're all saved!"
The man laughed maniacally, but was cut off by a powerful right hook from Touya. Throughout that short exchange, Touma simply sat on the ground in shock. Despite his failure earlier, he was about to leap onto the man himself. He wasn't expecting his father to beat him to the punch.
"TOUMA!"
His mother shouted, snapping Touma out of his shock. He quickly turned to face her, who was cradling 'Touma' in her arms.
"Touya, quick! Call an ambulance!"
The little kid's back was covered with blood as it streamed out of the knife wound. Touma crawled over to the duo, hoping that he could do something.
"Use this to stop the bleeding!"
Touma shouted, pulling off his white hoodie. But Shiina seemed to ignore him, instead focusing entirely on the boy in her arms.
"Touma, just breathe, okay! Mommy's got you! You're going to be alright!"
Shiina desperately tried to keep her son assured that everything would turn out okay in the end. She knew that taking out the knife would likely result in his death, so all she could do was speak words of assurance.
Next to her, Touma tried to wrap his hoodie around the wound, in an attempt to slow the bleeding. However, like earlier with his fists, the hoodie slipped right through the wound.
"Why?!" Why is everything I'm trying to do not working?! It's like I'm not even here!
He tried again. And again. And again. And again.
"S-Such… misfortune…"
'Touma' weakly spoke, freezing Shiina and Touma in their tracks. He held a resigned smile on his face, as if he had accepted what just happened.
"Why…"
Touya had already called the ambulance, so he hoped to help his son out even further. That was when he heard those words.
"Touma, you can show it if you're scared… you can let it out if you're sad. If you're in pain, you can tell us! You don't- you don't need to hold everything in, son!"
His father cried out. Touma looked at him with surprise. That wasn't what he had expected to hear his dad say.
"Why?" 'Touma' wheezed. "Y-You wanna know why?" He wheezed again. "W-Well… it's 'cause…"
'Touma' raised his small hand and rested it on his surprised mother's cheek.
"It's because… I-I want to see you guys smiling… because I… I love you…"
'Touma' passed out right after those words were spoken. The wails of his parents and the approaching sirens of ambulances filled the air.
All Touma could do was sit there and watch. He couldn't do a single thing to stop what he had just seen. His efforts to help the situation were all fruitless.
The sounds of his surroundings around him faded away. The landscape around him slowly faded back into pure whiteness. It didn't take long before Touma found himself back in that white void.
But he barely cared. All he did was stare at the spot where 'Touma' was. He gripped the white hoodie in his hands.
"What… WHAT KIND OF CRUEL ILLUSION WAS THAT?!"
Touma cried out into the white void. He had no idea why his parents were there, nor why his younger self was-
Wait.
Before he could fall into despair, he suddenly remembered something. Back in the summer, right after he had defeated Accelerator, he and Index went on a trip to a beach resort. That was when he and the others dealt with Angel Fall, but that was not the only thing that happened.
He also talked with his dad. There, he learned something about the previous Kamijou Touma.
"Do you remember, Touma? You were once even chased around by a man with a debt and stabbed with a kitchen knife."
Wasn't that description eerily similar to what he saw just now? But… who and why-
"So, you finally understand what you have witnessed."
Touma whirled around in surprise. He thought he was utterly alone in whatever this was. Behind him was…
…
"...What am I even looking at…?"
For some reason, his brain refused to comprehend the thing that spoke. All he could make out was… a pure black figure. It contrasted perfectly with the whiteness around them.
"Tell me, Kamijou Touma. What are you looking at?"
Touma blinked. "How am I supposed to answer that?"
"A typical Kamijou Touma answer. Well, let us move onto more important matters. You've realized what the event you witnessed was, correct?"
Did he? All he did was remember a conversation from his dad. But… the voice appeared right after I realized it. Does that mean-
"Yes."
Touma jumped. "Hey! Don't read my mind, you bastard!"
The voice chuckled. "Apologizes. But your thoughts were on the right track."
"...So, that was a memory?"
"Yes. It was one of the many memories that you have forgotten."
Kamijou Touma had his memories wiped on July 28. It wasn't a simple case of amnesia either. According to the doctor, the brain cells were completely wiped out. There was no hope of ever regaining those memories.
He had accepted that fact. All he has done since then was forge new memories with the people he wanted to be with. He has long abandoned caring about those lost memories. Especially after everything that happened in England.
And yet…
"B-But how?"
"You said it yourself, didn't you? When you first saw Index, you knew that you never wanted to make her cry, right? Where did that feeling come from?"
"..."
Touma said nothing. But he knew what the thing was referring to.
His soul.
It sounded crazy, but to this day, Touma believed that a part of him still lived on in his soul. There were those times where something inside him resonated in certain areas across Academy City. They were random and seemed to hold no pattern. He never pondered on them for long, however.
"Well, you'd be proud to know that your baseless assumption is true."
"...Ehhh? Wait, you mean we're inside my soul?!"
"...I guess that's the best way to explain it. The specifics are a bit… complicated. I suppose that saying we are inside your soul is the easiest way your brain would comprehend it. Even if it isn't quite accurate."
Touma stared at the thing with surprise. So, it wasn't a magic god who had destroyed the world after all.
…Hey! It's a reasonable guess, considering what I've gone through!
That begged the question though. If this thing was not a magic god, then who or what was it?
"So, who are you then?"
"Excellent question."
…
Silence.
…
"Um, are you going to answer?"
"Nope."
Touma sighed. "Why am I not surprised… Fine, then answer this."
"Shoot."
"Why… and how am I here?"
What was the point of forcing Kamijou Touma to see his own memories? Nothing Touma could think of seemed very logical or made sense.
"I was wondering when you would ask that." The thing seemed to move slightly, as if it was walking around. "I'm sure you recall your encounter with… the other you."
Touma made a face of disgust, before he shook it off. "I remember."
"Yeah… so when the other you returned to yourself, it screwed with something. It disrupted your soul and made it slightly unstable. The details evade me, but from what I know, the stability got worse and worse, until it somehow dragged your unconscious mind in while you slept."
Touma blinked. "So I'm here because that bastard did something with my soul and it's now… unstable?" What does an unstable soul even mean?
"Correct. Since your unconscious mind was dragged in, the memories your soul held have been mixing with your current memories. The result is what you witnessed several minutes ago."
"...Okay. I think I'm getting it."
"That's a surprise, considering your abysmal grades."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear that from whatever the hell you are!"
"Ouch, so harsh."
Touma rolled his eyes. He turned his head to look at the white void around them. "Anyways, what do I- what do we do now?"
"We wait."
"Eh? Wait, what do you mean by that?!"
"Unfortunately, I am not in control of this place. And neither are you. Either you will wake up from this, or another memory will be shown. I do not know."
"Ahh, such misfortune." Touma sighed and sat down on the ground. "Typical of my luck to force me into this. At least I'm not being tortured or anything like that."
"..." The thing did not reply.
The two were silent. In this place, it was very difficult to know how much time had passed. It could have only been a couple of minutes, it could have been several hours. Touma didn't know.
He spent the silence thinking about his memories. Touma might have accepted his memory loss, but with the opportunity in front of him, he couldn't deny his curiosity.
He had always wondered who the previous Kamijou Touma was. Who was the person who saved Index? Who was the person that got into fights with a Level 5 middle schooler? It had been a while since he consciously asked those questions, but they were always in this back of his head.
…Maybe the thing would know more?
"Hey, so-"
"Hold on. I sense something."
"-and there's my luck kicking in again," Touma sighed. "Now what?"
"I believe-"
The voice was abruptly cut off as the thing disappeared from sight.
"Huh? Hey, where did you go?! Don't leave me hereeeeeeeeee!" Touma cried out.
Right after his cry, his eyes were once again blinded. Like last time, he raised his arm to shield his eyes. Not this again! Am I about to see another memory?!
As quickly as it arrived, the blinding light disappeared. Touma lowered his arm, wondering where he was now.
...
"Academy City?"
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the story!
So, I've been a big fan of Toaru for a little over a year now. I've wanted to write a story for this franchise for some time now, but I didn't really have any ideas. And that was fine, as I was working on my other stories. But finally, I got this idea!
I'm not planning on this story being very long. I'm not sure how many chapters it'll be. All I know is that I have a specific scene I want to write, but that'll be down the road.
This is also the first time I tried a different style of writing. I tried to make it closer to Kamachi's style, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. You let me know about it!
Now, onto the chapter. Big credit goes to WwEpsilonwW for the vast majority of the child memory. He wrote it for his reaction fic, Misfortune That No One Sees. If you're reading this, I apologize for not asking you about it, but I hope you don't mind me using it! If you do mind.. well, just let me know, ok?
To the readers who are still confused, that scene is NOT canon. While we know Touma was stabbed by a man in debt with a kitchen knife, that's it. I figured it would be a good start to this story.
As for what that "figure" is, honestly I have no explanation. I just threw them in there because I felt like it would make it easier to move the story along. Its basically just a plot device. It might be bad writing, but its not like I'm getting paid for this anyways.
Also, apologizes if the ending seemed rushed. I didn't really know what else to do, so I just decided to end it there.
What will be next? Well, I'd explain some of it, but this author's note is getting a bit too long considering the length of the chapter. So, I'll end it here.
I will be giving updates on this story (and my other stories) on my profile! Just click on my name and you'll see it!
So, see you next time!