"Doctor! Doctor!" The heart monitor suddenly spiked with erratic beats. Sougen Shirase panicked and shouted for a doctor. In her hazy state, Miyu Shirase began to dream—dreaming of herself drifting through a dark, endless space.
In a blur, Miyu saw a man with a cold expression. "Father... I'm sorry. I've always wanted to tell you—I'm sorry. Because my birth caused Mother's death... I'm truly sorry!"
"Miyu! Miyu!" Tears fell as she saw, through her blurred vision, the cold-faced man weeping.
Beep... beep... The sound of the heart monitor slowly fell silent. In the dark expanse of the cosmos, a great river of time flowed. Stars shimmered within it, beautiful like an artist's vision of the Milky Way.
Within that galaxy floated a woman as beautiful as a painting. She wore a black and red gothic dress and high boots. Around her neck was a ribbon of matching black and crimson. Her hair was tied into twin tails, her smooth black locks finer than the best silk, shining with a luster that no fabric could compare to.
At that moment, the woman opened her eyes. Her right eye was a deep wine-red, while her left eye contained a golden clock-shaped pupil.
"Am I Miyu Shirase... or Kurumi Tokisaki?"
"You are both Miyu Shirase and Kurumi Tokisaki—but right now, you should be called Kurumi Tokisaki." From within the beautiful river of time appeared a long-haired black-haired girl, her expression cold and emotionless. She wore a pure white dress and looked like an icy doll.
"Do you have a mirror?" Kurumi asked. The girl's eyes flickered with confusion but still handed Kurumi a mirror.
In the reflection appeared a face of exquisite beauty—elegant and graceful, as if she were the daughter of a noble family, or perhaps the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko who would give her all for her beloved.
"Kurumi-chan!" Kurumi couldn't help but reach out with her other hand and gently cup her own cheek. Her wine-red eyes shimmered with fascination.
Tiny stars seemed to sparkle above Kurumi's head as she stared motionlessly into the mirror, utterly enchanted by her own reflection.
Ten minutes passed—the black-haired girl watched calmly.
Ten hours passed—she frowned.
Ten days passed—she looked displeased.
Ten months passed—she looked annoyed.
Ten years passed—the girl, having gone through countless emotions, now looked helpless.
Never before had she seen anyone so self-absorbed; Kurumi had been mesmerized by her reflection for ten years.
Crack! The mirror in Kurumi's hands shattered. She woke up instantly. Only then did Kurumi finally ask, "Who are you?"
"I am the collective consciousness of all humanity. You may call me Alaya," the girl said coldly.
"I became like this because of you, didn't I?" Kurumi cupped her face again, a dreamy smile spreading across her lips.
"Yes, but it wasn't given to you for free. You must serve me as my Heroic Spirit," Alaya replied flatly.
"Sure! For Kurumi-chan, I can give anything!" Kurumi nodded eagerly, her face glowing with delight.
"I won't have you work for nothing. This is a fragment of the world's primordial essence. I will give it to you." Alaya waved her hand, and a surge of chaotic energy flowed into Kurumi's body.
Kurumi trembled, then her expression brightened with joy. The chaotic energy soon flowed out of her body, transforming into a set of sketchbooks and brushes—manifestations chosen by Kurumi's own will.
"This fragment of primordial essence is called Concept. You already understand its function."
"My job is to protect humanity, then?" Kurumi asked.
"To be precise, your task is to prevent great catastrophes that could lead to human extinction. The deaths of individuals do not concern me," Alaya said coldly.
"When do I begin? I'd like to start as soon as possible," Kurumi replied with a smile.
"Why the rush?"
"Because Kurumi-chan belongs only to me—but I want her beauty to be admired by more people. The more people who love Kurumi-chan, the happier I'll be. After all, such an exceptional Kurumi-chan belongs to me alone."
"What is this supposed to be? A woman's vanity?" Alaya muttered coldly. "Fine then! Humanity within the world of Guilty Crown faces the threat of extinction. Go and protect them for me!" With a casual wave of her hand, Alaya sent Kurumi Tokisaki out of the cosmic flow of time. Even so, Alaya's understanding of Kurumi's self-obsession deepened to a whole new level.
...
Year 2029, Tokyo.
The third apocalypse had not yet begun. Tokyo was still so crowded that even on the trains, molesters roamed freely. At this point in time, there was only one person infected with the virus—Mana Ouma, the origin of all infection.
A cool breeze brushed across the cheek as gentle waves rolled over the shore, leaving beautiful seashells on the sand. Three pairs of bare feet pressed into the beach. Small hands sifted through grains of sand, picking out pieces of shells. A girl and two boys played together by the sea.
Their friendship, though appearing innocent, was not as pure as it seemed. The more gifted boy always offered any beautiful shell he found to the pink-haired girl, just to make her smile.
And whenever this happened, the timid boy would lower his head in silent disappointment. Yet, at those moments, the pink-haired girl would comfort him gently with a soft smile. Seeing that, the gifted boy's affection would twist into jealousy.
Just three children playing on the beach—and already a faint triangular relationship was forming. The gifted boy was Gai Tsutsugami, the timid one was Shu Ouma, and the girl both admired was Mana Ouma—Shu's older sister.
"She's already not a virgin," came a calm voice from the nearby seaside hut. A woman in a black gothic dress sat on the wooden railing, sketchbook in hand, drawing the three children playing on the beach.
Her black bangs shaded her left eye, while her right, a deep wine-red, gazed at Mana Ouma. Kurumi Tokisaki found it unbelievable—Mana was no longer pure.
Kurumi pondered deeply. As a Heroic Spirit under the human collective consciousness, Alaya, she had been granted access to the Guilty Crown timeline and found the cause. Kurumi recalled something Mana had once said:
"Because I was the one who resurrected you, you belong to me. I can use you however I please, right? I'll just practice with you then. I don't need your genetic factor in the slightest, but to make sure I don't fail when I combine with Shu later, I'll use you as my practice toy before you break."
The truth was clear—Mana's first time had been with Gai, and she had forced herself on him.
"I hate you." Kurumi's face still wore a faint smile as a musket appeared in her hand. Perhaps because she now served as Alaya's Heroic Spirit, or perhaps because she instinctively detested the human virus that Mana had become—or simply because she loathed impurity—Kurumi despised Mana for giving herself to someone she did not love.
For these reasons, the thought flashed through her mind: eliminate Mana Ouma, the source of all infection. If the origin were destroyed, then perhaps the apocalypse would never occur.
"The will of Gaia, huh?" The instant she gripped her musket, Kurumi felt an overwhelming sense of danger. It was as though if she pulled the trigger at Mana, she herself would be the one to bleed. The planet's own will—Gaia—was protecting Mana. If Kurumi acted by force, Gaia would not hesitate to erase her.
"Ah, fine, fine! I understand." The musket vanished from her hand, and Kurumi once again picked up her brush. She continued drawing, finishing the piece of the three children on the beach. Unlike the real trio, whose bonds were already tainted with darkness, Kurumi's art radiated with purity and warmth—depicting only their innocent friendship and the untainted joy in their smiles.
"Kurumi-chan is the kindest, that's why the drawing must be beautiful too." With a soft, pleased smile on her lips, Kurumi covered the outlined parts of the paper with cutouts and slowly began to color in the sketch.