Night pooled across Karakura like ink, thick and trembling with spiritual tension.
Ethan stood alone atop a rooftop two blocks from the Kurosaki Clinic, arms folded, eyes locked on a distant house glowing warm behind paper screens.
He knew what was coming.
Tonight was the night.
The night Ichigo Kurosaki's destiny — and Soul Society's problems — truly began.
But Ethan wasn't here to change anything.
He was here to make sure his own presence didn't ruin the canon collision about to unfold.
A low ping echoed inside his skull as the Panel opened.
---
[SHOP — SPECIAL FUNCTIONS]
Skill: Concealment Weave (High-Tier)
Effect: Suppresses, masks, and stabilizes all anomalous fluctuations in the user's reiatsu.
**Camouflages deviations from world norms as "natural noise."
Prevents detection by high-level scanners (Captain-class and above).
Cost: 9,000 ascension points
Talent Multiplier: 10× → Final cost: 900 points
---
Ethan smirked. Affordable.
"Buy."
The world flickered.
A coil of cool silk wrapped around his core — smooth, seamless, perfect. His reiatsu, always a little too sharp, too smooth, too deliberate, now flowed like native Soul Society energy.
No more spikes.
No more captains sniffing around wondering why the world was glitching.
Ethan exhaled, shoulders relaxing.
Good. Now I can watch this without screwing things up.
---
Down on the street below…
The Hollow's scream tore through Karakura.
Rukia Kuchiki's body shot backward, crashing across pavement in a spray of sparks. She rolled, boots scraping concrete as she forced herself upright.
Ichigo sprinted past her, fury blazing in his eyes.
"My family is—!"
"STAY BEHIND ME, YOU FOOL!"
Rukia surged in front of him just as the creature lunged again. Her blade intercepted a claw inches from Ichigo's face. The force sent a shockwave through the street.
Up on the rooftop, Ethan watched quietly.
She's keeping it exactly as the script goes.
A small smile crept across his lips.
Rukia always did have a soft spot for stubborn kids.
But even knowing the plot didn't prepare Ethan for the raw emotional punch.
Seeing Ichigo — truly seeing him — reckless and furious and terrified for his family…
It hit a nerve Ethan didn't know was exposed.
He clenched his jaw and looked away.
Focus. This is their moment, not yours.
---
Rukia Bleeds — The Timeline Locks
The Hollow's next swipe hit true.
Rukia gasped as the claws raked across her shoulder, blood misting the air. She dropped to one knee. Ichigo's eyes went wide.
"HEY! Don't— don't let it hit you like that!"
Rukia steadied herself, breath sharp but unwavering.
"You can't protect your family with fists alone, Ichigo."
He froze.
She moved closer, raising her Zanpakutō between them.
"There is a way… but you must choose it."
The night darkened as the Hollow perched above, charging another attack.
Ichigo swallowed.
"What do I do?"
Rukia pressed the blade to her chest — then pointed the hilt toward him.
"Take my power. Become a Shinigami."
And exactly as the world demanded—
Ichigo agreed.
---
The Transfer
Rukia plunged her Zanpakutō into Ichigo's chest.
Light exploded.
Ethan didn't flinch. He'd been waiting for that exact moment.
Ichigo's spiritual pressure surged like a volcano erupting through a straw. Windows rattled across the block. Street lamps flickered out. The air vibrated as if the world itself screamed under the weight.
Even from afar Ethan felt it.
He braced one hand against a vent to keep steady.
"Holy— damn, Ichigo. That's a LOT louder in person."
But Ethan wasn't afraid.
Because his Concealment Weave shimmered around him, syncing automatically with the reiatsu storm, hiding him in the noise like a pebble in a raging river.
Even Captain-class senses wouldn't catch him in this chaos.
No one would know Ethan even existed here.
And as the light faded—
Ichigo stood in full Shinigami garb, a massive Zanpakutō resting easily against his shoulder.
Rukia collapsed to her knees.
"You… you took… all my power…"
Ichigo opened his eyes, burning with raw spiritual force.
"Then I'll use it to save everyone."
He vanished in a blur.
One strike.
A flash of steel.
The Hollow split clean in half — purified before it even hit the ground.
The world split open at that moment.
The canon timeline fell into place.
Ethan exhaled softly, hands in his pockets.
There it is. Ground zero.
He closed the Panel with a silent command.
The weave around his reiatsu pulsed, then settled again.
"Let's see how long I can walk this road without stepping on the butterflies."
His gaze dropped to Ichigo, who stood panting beside Rukia, sword sinking into the pavement from sheer weight.
"This is your story now," Ethan whispered into the night.
"And I'll make sure nothing breaks it."
Not even him.