Fairy Tail: Shinigami - Chapter 261: Distorted Dream.

If you wanna read ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer

This novel ends in two days in Patreeeeon, but will continue with daily updates here. That way I will work out some chapters for the next project.

Currently on chapter 241, novel will end on chapter 252-255

Discord Server: Invite needs to be updated.

————————————————

[Adam C. POV]

[Distorted Reality.]

The moon hung low in the sky over Hueco Mundo, its pallid light diffused across the vast expanse of the white desert. The battles raged on, but for me, the dust had seemingly settled. A heavy weight lifted off my shoulders, replaced with an elation I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I was free of this world.

I was going home.

I smiled, waiting for the others to finish their fights. I had time for a small celebration before leaving this place, one last goodbye.

———————————————————–

Hours after the destruction of Aizen’s forces, most of them scattering after the news of his demise began to spread, a party broke out.

Warm laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the low hum of conversation filled the air as the celebratory mood engulfed the Seireitei, for we had won.

The weight of our hard-fought victory washed over everybody in waves, a mixture of relief and euphoria, and who could blame them, Aizen was truly gone.

Each face around me; once strangers, were now familiar, being the face of friends and comrades who’d faced insurmountable odds with me. I took a moment to let it all sink in, letting my senses be enveloped by the joy and warmth of the celebration.

From a distance, Urahara approached, his pace relaxed but his eyes holding a certain seriousness that instantly caught my attention.

“Adam,” he began, drawing me out of my reverie. “It’s time.”

Understanding dawned upon me.

Our deal.

My mission in this world was complete.

Meaning it was time to return to Fiore, to the family and friends awaiting me in Fairy Tail. From here, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, the swirling blue of the portal enveloped my vision, and in mere moments, I was back on familiar soil.

I was finally home.

Fiore, however, did not allow me the luxury of respite. It didn’t take me long to figure out from here, that my friends were still trapped under the influence of Fairy Sphere, and needless to say every fiber of my being was committed to freeing them as soon as possible.

The days melded into nights, time passing in a blur of research, experiments, and failed attempts. Each failure only fueled my determination.

Two years of reading through Mavis research, during that time, I became master of the Guild, being the only one strong enough to give the title its true meaning.

When I finally managed to shatter the binding spell of Fairy Sphere, the overwhelming sense of relief was palpable. Soon enough, the guild hall was once again filled with joyful tears, raucous laughter, and heartfelt reunions.

Fairy Tail was whole once more. And yet, amidst this joy, an unsettling sensation gnawed at the edges of my consciousness.

Something here wasn’t right.

Trying to shake off that eerie feeling, I joined the ongoing celebration. As the night wore on, a familiar voice called out to me.

Erza, resplendent in her scarlet hair and armored dress, extended her hand. “Dance with me,” she whispered, a smile on her face.

I accepted.

And as we swayed to the rhythm, the world around me blurred. All that mattered in that moment was her radiant smile and the warmth of her touch.

Had she always been this beautiful?

————–

From that point, it didn’t take me long to figure out what was happening to me. I was in love.

Time has a peculiar way of moving when one is lost in love. The days with Erza seemed both long and fleeting. Our bond deepened, our souls intertwined, and it wasn’t long before I knew I wanted to spend eternity with her.

Our wedding was a beautiful blur of joy, laughter, and love, marking the beginning of our journey together.

Life had more surprises in store for us. Erza’s pregnancy brought with it a mix of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. When she finally gave birth, our happiness knew no bounds. Two strapping boys, Leonidas and Oberon, and our little princess Aura, whose laughter could light up the gloomiest of days.

Yet, even in these moments of pure happiness, that nagging sensation persisted, the very same I had felt all those years ago.

Something was wrong. And I didn’t know what, and that worried me.

It wasn’t until one evening, as I played with my children, that that feeling intensified. The once familiar surroundings seemed distorted, and for a brief, terrifying moment, the faces of my loved ones twisted into grotesque masks.

Could it be… that I was dreaming?

I wanted to deny it, to scream and rebel against the idea. This life, with all its ups and downs, with its moments of sheer joy and heartbreaking sorrow, felt too real to be an illusion.

Yet, despite all that, I knew something was wrong. The occasional distortions, the eerie sense of déjà vu, and that persistent static in the back of my mind, like a knife to the skull.

As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I tried to push those unsettling thoughts to the back of my mind. Erza and the children were my anchor, the reasons I held on. Every smile, every touch, every shared moment felt too precious to question its authenticity.

But as time went on, the distortions became more frequent, more pronounced. Reality seemed to shatter at the edges, and my perception of things became increasingly unreliable. The static grew louder, impossible to ignore.

The beautiful world around me, with all its joys and sorrows, was now leaving me on the precipice of a terrifying unknown.

I could feel sand in my feet…

But there was no sand…

And even if it was, it didn’t feel like normal sand, it felt like…

Hueco Mundo.

How long has it been since I fought Aizen?

Years?

Yet, the time didn’t feel right…

“Honey, are you okay?” Erza asked, her voice distorted, her face that of a monster.

Please… let this be a nightmare. Let this go away in the morning.

————–

[Sosuke Aizen. POV.]

The cold touch of the Hogyoku against my skin, its otherworldly pulse synchronizing with the rhythm of my heartbeats, evoked a profound sense of awe even within me. It was the convergence of immeasurable power and unbridled ambition, a dark symphony of dominion and conquest.

It was a moment I had envisioned countless times in the silent recesses of my thoughts; a scenario played and replayed within my mind.

Yet, as the Hōgyoku endeavoured to draw Adam’s power, to claim the essence of his soul, I perceived an anomaly, a resistance unforeseen, an insurmountable stagnation.

Each strand of Adam’s potent reiatsu, imbued with the indomitable essence of the Soul King, seemed to wrestle against the Hogyoku’s pull.

This wasn’t good.

The process was painstakingly slow, as if each particle of his spiritual energy was determined to resist, fighting an inexorable war against an invincible force.

I studied Adam’s motionless form. Suspended between existence and oblivion, as a thought struck me.

Could it be that the Hogyoku harboured an innate inclination to preserve a part of the Soul King?

Before I could ponder on this, familiar reiatsu made itself known, a force unmistakable, a presence unforgettable. Urahara Kisuke.

“You’re too late, Urahara,” I mused, a smile dancing on my lips.

“You always think you’re so far ahead of everyone, Aizen,” Urahara began, his gaze cold. “But there’s so much you don’t know. It would take me hours to explain how much you miscalculated, but let me summarize things for you, Adam isn’t just some fragment or part of the Soul King. He’s the son of the King.”

For the briefest of moments, the weight of that revelation made the world tilt on its axis. The implications were enormous. All this time, I believed Adam was just another part of the Soul King, who like all others had gained a sense of self, but… he was like Yhwach?.

Before I could respond, Urahara continued, “Do you really think that the Hogyoku will work against him? In the face of his child, that what you hold it’s but a sacrifice.”

I gazed at the Hogyoku nestled within my palm, its enigmatic pulsations now taking on a new meaning.

Steeling myself, I spoke, the depths of my voice reflecting the storm of thoughts swirling within. “Even so, Kisuke, this revelation won’t change the outcome that has already been settled. The Hogyoku is mine, and so will be Adam’s power, and his connection to the Soul King.”

Urahara’s gaze sharpened. “The Hogyoku has a will of its own, you should know it better than anyone. You might think you command it, but it’s true allegiance might surprise you.”

It was here when I realized what Urahara meant, the Hogyoku wasn’t reacting to my will anymore, it was now reacting to something else… Adam’s will.

————–

[Adam C. POV]

The soft glow of the morning sun streamed through the windows, casting a warm hue over the room. My family – Erza, Leonidas, Oberon, and Aura – sat around the breakfast table, their laughter filling the room. It should have been a perfect moment, but the persistent static at the back of my mind had grown louder, more insistent, like every day would.

Suddenly, Leonidas turned to me, his innocent face morphing into a grotesque mask, his laughter turning shrill. The same transformation began distorting the faces of my other children and, finally, Erza herself. The room felt as if it were shrinking, darkness clouding the edges of my vision.

“Enough!” I screamed, pushing back from the table.

“Honey?” Erza asked, her voice echoing in my head.

I took a deep breath, centering myself. The whispers of my Zanpakuto echoed in my mind, urging me to do something, what I couldn’t hear, but she sounded desperate. With each panicked breath, I focused on my spiritual pressure, feeling it rise, pushing against the static inside my head.

And then, with a deafening roar, I released it.

The world around me shattered like fragile glass, fragments of reality spiraling away into nothingness. The faces of my loved ones, or the monsters that played them, the comfortable surroundings of my home, all vanished in a blinding surge of light. The ground beneath my feet felt unstable, like sand being swept away by waves.

As my vision cleared, the desolate landscape of Hueco Mundo stretched out around me, the moon looming large and cold in the sky.

The sensation of static in my mind receded, replaced by clarity and a surge of anger. The reality I had been thrust into, the life I thought I’d been living, had all been an illusion, a construct.

Aizen.

“I wonder… what did you see in your perfect world?” Aizen asked, taking a step back.

I didn’t hear his words.

For the first time in a long time, I was seeing red.