DGW Ch. 8

Okay, we are back!

Here's how things will go after this chapter: 1 week after I upload, there will be 1 chapter each week with a minimum of 1,500 to 2 or more words.

This chapter is around 1.8k words.

I now have an Account, so go there to read two chapters ahead. THIS IS CHAPTER 8, so you can read up to chapter 10. and as I said above, one week after this chapter is uploaded, another will go up, both here and there.

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Each chapter is worth 1 dollar, so that's 2 dollars a month per person.

There are also tiers to give me 50 and 100 bucks for fun. It comes with everything from above.

patreon.com/TheStoryHungryDemon

That is all for now; as always, thanks for reading.

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(Back within the Soul Society)

Trillions of light years away from the kingdom of souls Ichigo created stood the determined figure of the former substitute Soul Reaper. His gaze was fixed and unwavering as he stood high in the sky, overlooking the vast expanse of his creation. The land beneath him stretched for thousands of miles, yet it was only a fraction of his dimension. Lush green forests and rolling plains sprawled before him while rivers and lakes shimmered in the warm sunlight. In the distance, majestic mountains rose to the sky, their snowy peaks gleaming in the light.

Despite the breathtaking view, Ichigo's mind was set on a crucial task - creating a new realm. The realm would need to exist in the Soul Society because he knew that all good or bad souls would flood into the once-dead Soul Society. The first step was to make a Barathrum.

Ichigo raised his hand above him in a swift motion, and a brilliant orb of red sparks shot forth from his fingertips. The sphere glided across the terrain as a beam and collided with the ground below, splitting the earth open and leaving a massive scar stretching thousands of miles. With a determined look, Ichigo plunged into the ravine, diving deeper and deeper until he reached the bottom. The sides were made of hard stone and earth, with nothing special about them. However, Ichigo knew that this was the perfect place to create a Barathrum.

Flash Stepping to the end of the ravine, Ichigo placed his hand against the wall, beginning to will something into existence. Soon, a black mist formed and began to spread across the surface. The entire wall turned black as it did, and the whole ravine was quickly shrouded in darkness. Standing before the darkness, Ichigo willed it to obey him. Slowly, a black portal appeared, beckoning him forward with the swirling darkness.

Ichigo walked through the portal and found himself in a void devoid of light - a Barathrum, the realm where only evil souls go. It would be a place where the worst of the worst would suffer eternally, a fitting punishment for those who had committed the greatest sins.

But this was just the beginning. Ichigo knew that he needed to create another realm for souls who had committed lesser sins - a place where they would atone for their wrongdoings. The souls would be trapped within it, forced to relive their greatest sins repeatedly. It was a necessary realm where those who had done wrong could make amends and find redemption.

With a determined mind, Ichigo summoned forth yet another portal into existence. This particular one radiated a pure, shining white light akin to a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. It was designated for the souls who had committed lesser sins, and through it, they would confront their inner demons, gaining insight into their past mistakes and learning from them. This had been established as a means for them to grow and evolve as individuals, eventually earning forgiveness for their transgressions. It was a realm that offered solace to those who had gone astray, a place of healing and restoration. Once they had been rid of their sins, they would be granted entry into the kingdom of souls, where they would await reincarnation. It was a cycle of life and death, one that Ichigo intended to maintain. With a firm resolve, he sealed the portal, satisfied with his creation.

Yet Ichigo knew that he wasn't finished quite yet; there was still one more thing, and that was to create a way to judge the souls without him having to intervene. Ichigo pondered this issue for some time, but nothing came to mind. He thought about creating a system based on karma, but he knew that this wouldn't be fair since many souls who had committed great sins were not born with evil intentions. They simply lacked guidance or chose the wrong path in life due to circumstances outside their control. Ichigo considered creating a scale that measured the weight of a soul's sins. Finally, Ichigo settled on creating an entity to judge the souls - a Soul with immense power whose sole purpose was to determine the worthiness of each individual spirit. With this decision made, he conjured forth a mighty force, unlike anything he'd ever attempted before. He envisioned an entity of immense power and wisdom, one who embodied justice and righteousness. Ichigo poured every ounce of his spiritual energy into this task until, finally, a blinding light burst forth, signaling the creation of this Soul. From within the blinding light emerged a tall figure cloaked in shadow. Its form was shrouded in mystery, and its features were indiscernible. Yet Ichigo sensed a palpable aura of authority radiating from this entity, an air of absolute judgment and finality. This Soul would serve as the arbiter of souls, determining their fates and sentencing them accordingly. Ichigo named this entity Aylward, the Soul of Judgment. Ichigo appointed Aylward to judge the souls that entered the Barathrum and the Atonement Realm, deciding if they deserved redemption or eternal punishment.

Individuals who do not meet the criteria for the aforementioned judgments will be deemed suitable for entry into paradise to await their reincarnation. Ichigo deemed this to be appropriate, believing that all souls should have the opportunity to redeem themselves and start anew. Those who fail to earn redemption will be banished to the Barathrum, where they will suffer eternally. Ichigo deemed this to be appropriate as well, believing that those who commit egregious sins deserve to face severe consequences for their actions. Those who successfully earn redemption will be allowed to enter paradise, where they will await reincarnation. Ichigo deemed this to be appropriate as well, believing that those who have redeemed themselves deserve a chance to begin anew. Thus, with the establishment of these three realms - Barathrum, Atonement Realm, and Paradise - Ichigo felt confident that he had created a well-balanced system that would allow souls to face justice for their actions while providing them with the opportunity to seek redemption. It was a fair and just arrangement, one that Ichigo believed would serve the universe well.

However, Ichigo knew that he couldn't stop there. There were billions of souls awaiting judgment, and he couldn't bear the thought of leaving them to fend for themselves. He understood that he needed to create someone to guide the souls who entered his dimension - a Soul who embodied compassion and empathy. Ichigo channeled every ounce of his spiritual energy into this task until, finally, a blinding light burst forth, signaling the creation of this Soul. From within the blinding light emerged a tall figure cloaked in shadow. Its form was shrouded in mystery, and its features were indiscernible. Yet Ichigo sensed a palpable aura of gentleness and kindness radiating from this entity, an air of unconditional love and understanding. This Soul would serve as a compassionate guide for souls, helping them navigate their journey toward redemption and atonement. Ichigo named this entity Aurelia, Soul of Empathy. Ichigo appointed Aurelia to guide the souls who entered his dimension - souls who had committed lesser sins and were seeking forgiveness. Aurelia would help these spirits understand their past mistakes and provide them with the necessary tools to overcome them, ensuring that they had a chance to redeem themselves. Ichigo had given Aurelia the ability to split her consciousness and create clones of herself to help guide souls. Aurelia is able to manifest as many clones as she desires, although this is only possible within the Soul Society, while only her main body can leave the Soul Society to guide souls elsewhere. Aurelia would act as a benevolent mentor for these souls, serving as a source of comfort and support during their difficult journeys toward redemption and atonement.

Thus, with the establishment of these three entities - Aylward, Aurelia, and Ichigo himself - Ichigo felt confident that he had created a well-balanced system that would allow souls to face justice for their actions while providing them with the opportunity to seek redemption. It was a fair and just arrangement, one that Ichigo believed would serve the universe well. As Ichigo looked upon his creation, he felt a sense of pride and satisfaction, knowing that he had created a place where souls could face justice while simultaneously offering them the chance to seek redemption.

As Ichigo was feeling accomplished, a wave of extreme exhaustion washed over him. Creating realms required tremendous amounts of energy, and without even realizing it, he had spent years upon years creating realms for the souls and creating Aylward, Aurelia. Ichigo collapsed onto his knees, his vision fading into darkness as he lost consciousness. Time passed, and Ichigo found himself awakening in an unfamiliar location containing many scenes.

Visions of great battles and wars, death and destruction, hope and happiness, peace and prosperity, and countless possibilities plagued Ichigo. In his dreams, he saw the potential for both good and evil. As he slept, he saw a young man with dark blonde locks and light blue irises, donned Greek-styled armor, and wore a pair of radiant golden rings around his biceps. In his right hand, he wielded a black and silver trident, the prongs of which glowed with a bright ocean-blue hue.

Ichigo stood atop a stony terrain, gazing up at the vast infinite space above him, which was littered with millions upon millions of stars. However, his attention was focused on the beings floating in the distance, a snake-like tentacle cosmic horror, and a bee-spider human head monster. Behind him were beings that stood dozens of meters tall, resembling angels, demons, dragons, titans, monsters, and many more creatures. Each one was unique and different from the others, standing proudly and confidently, ready to fight against the two cosmic horrors that floated in space.

Suddenly, Ichigo's dream self heard a voice that yelled out, "GET READY!" He whipped his head around to see himself but with Blut vein covering his entire body, with Zangetsu resting on his shoulder and his Bankai released behind him. Dream Ichigo's eyes widened, but before he could react, hundreds upon thousands of portals appeared next to the cosmic horrors. The blonde teenager from before spoke up once more, "ATTA..."

GASP! Ichigo awoke from his dream gasping for air, sitting up and looking around. He saw that everything was exactly as he left it, and he breathed a sigh of relief before lying back down.

"That dream...What was it? Who was that blonde guy? Why was I there? What were those cosmic horrors? Who were those beings behind me? Why were they fighting? So many questions..." Ichigo muttered to himself.