Fate's Design

After healing Nel, the group stood at the crossroads before the five doors. Dim light streamed down from an unknown gap overhead, casting long, long shadows that intertwined on the rough stone floor, like an abstract map of fate.

Nel perched on Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulder, her small body so light it was almost weightless. Her short, emerald-green hair brushed against Ichigo Kurosaki's neck, tickling him and making him involuntarily shrink back. Her large green eyes curved into crescent shapes, and a bright smile bloomed on her small face as she waved vigorously at Liu Ziyun.

"I will definitely protect him!" Nel's voice was clear and firm, as if she were making a solemn promise. After she finished speaking, she nodded vigorously, as if confirming the weight of this promise to herself.

Ichigo Kurosaki somewhat embarrassedly, wanting to say something but unsure what to say. Being told to protect him by a little girl who looked only seven or eight years old was a rather awkward feeling.

He carried Nel on his back, turned, and walked into the door he had chosen. The darkness behind the door was like a giant mouth, instantly swallowing their figures. Nel waved one last time, her small hand gradually blurring in the darkness until it disappeared completely.

Pesche Kadishe and Dondochakka Bielstan stood there, watching Nel's figure disappear. Their expressions were complex and subtle—there was worry, reluctance, and also anticipation for Nel's recovery.

Renji Abarai nodded to Liu Ziyun, his short red hair resembling a dying flame in the dim light. He strode towards the door he had chosen, his steps firm and powerful, the sound echoing in the empty space before fading into the distance.

Rukia Kuchiki was the last to leave. She paused at the door, glanced back at Liu Ziyun, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes—trust, but also a hint of barely perceptible worry.

Yasutora Sado had already stepped into the darkness. He was always like that, silent, resolute, and rarely spoke. His figure was tall and steady, like a moving mountain, slowly moving forward in the darkness until he was completely swallowed up.

Four of the five doors had already been pushed open, and four young figures disappeared into the darkness behind them. Only the middle door remained, quietly open, waiting for the last person.

Liu Ziyun didn't rush to leave. He turned around to face Pesche Kadishe and Dondochakka Bielstan, who were still standing there. His gaze was calm and profound, as if he could see through every bone in their bodies, every wisp of Reiatsu, and every secret hidden in their deepest recesses.

"You two," his voice was calm as still water, yet carried an undeniable sense of pressure, "What are you planning to do?"

Pesche Kadishes's beetle-like shell gleamed dimly in the yellowish light, its compound eyes flashing with complex light, and its six limbs trembling slightly uneasily. It remained silent for a moment, seemingly choosing its words carefully, before cautiously speaking, "My lord, you seem... to have known of our existence from the beginning."

This was not a question, but a statement. From the unsurprised look in Liu Ziyun's eyes when he first saw Nel, from his unhurried attitude when he casually repaired Nel, from his thorough knowledge of the three of them—all of this told Pesche that the man before her knew far more than she had imagined.

Liu Ziyun did not deny it. He nodded slightly, his gaze becoming even more profound, as if he could see through everything before him and see a distant scene that only he himself could see.

"Yes." His voice was as calm as stating a perfectly ordinary fact, "Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck... the Former Third Espada. Due to a scheme by Nnoitra Gilga and Szayelaporro Granz, her Reiatsu leaked out, turning her into a child. Her power was sealed, her memories became blurred, and she can only wander the wastelands of Hueco Mundo in this fragile form."

His gaze swept over Pesche and Dondochakka, and he continued, "As her former Fracción, you chose to protect her because of her kindness and innocence, and took her away from the Las Noches that put her in danger. From Fracción of the Espada, you became companions of wanderers in the wilderness. From warriors, you became guardians."

His voice held no sarcasm, no pity, only a faint, heartfelt respect. "This is not an easy thing. To fall from the pinnacle of power, to step down from the ranks of the strong, to give up everything one once possessed, all to protect 'that person' who is no longer that person—this is a choice not everyone can make."

A flicker of emotion crossed Pesche Kadisci's compound eyes—a shock that seemed to see right through her soul. She hadn't expected that this Soul Reaper, whom she was meeting for the first time, would know everything about them—their identities, their pasts, their choices, their obsessions.

"Now that you know all this, sir," its voice became more respectful and cautious, "What do you want us to do?"

Liu Ziyun silent for a moment. His gaze passed over Pesche and Dondochakka, looking towards the unknown darkness behind the five doors, towards the future that was both familiar and strange, both certain and uncertain.

"You don't need to do anything special." His voice became somewhat distant, as if answering Pesche's question, or perhaps speaking to himself, "We are simply following the path of fate. It just so happens that we encountered you, who were lost, on this path of fate—that's all."

Destiny.

The word echoed in Pesche Kadischez's mind like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. Fate—was it something this man believed in? Was it a law he followed? Or did he merely use the word to conceal some deeper purpose, one that it could not comprehend?

Pesche Cardish opened its mouth, wanting to press for more information. It wanted to know more—how much did this man really know? What did he mean by "fate"? Why did he repair Nel's mask? What was his purpose in having Nel follow that orange-haired boy?

But Liu Ziyun did not give it a chance to continue speaking.

"Alright." His voice became crisp and decisive, carrying an undeniable resolve. "You expect her to return eventually. How she presents herself to you afterward is entirely her own decision. It's not my arrangement, not your expectations, but her own choice... That's what matters most."

He turned around to face the door that had been left open for him. The darkness behind the door was like a bottomless ocean, waiting for the brave to dive into its depths.

"After I enter the passage, you can all choose any path," he said without turning his head, his voice calm and composed as it came from ahead. "Let me see just how wondrous this path of destiny truly is."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped into the darkness behind the door. His figure gradually blurred in the darkness, like a drop of ink merging into deep water, disappearing without a trace.