Ryūken Ishida drove back to Naruki City.
At the Ishida residence, his son, Uryū Ishida, had been waiting anxiously for a long time.
Although Uryū was roughly the same age as Kurosaki Ichigo, he was noticeably calmer and more mature than most children his age.
Earlier that day, when his mother had suddenly collapsed, he had immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.
His mother had not merely fainted.
Something far more serious had happened.
However, Ryūken had left in a hurry carrying Kanae Katagiri in his arms, leaving no explanation behind.
All Uryū could do was wait.
And worry.
Finally, the front door opened.
Ryūken returned.
The moment Uryū saw his father carrying his mother again, he rushed forward.
"Dad!"
"What happened to Mom?"
His voice was filled with concern.
Ryūken lowered his eyes and looked at his son.
For a brief moment, something complicated flashed through his gaze.
Pain.
Regret.
And helplessness.
But in the end, his expression returned to its usual coldness.
"Your mother is dead."
The words struck like lightning.
Uryū froze.
His entire body trembled.
Dead?
How could that be?
Just this morning she had still been alive.
How could she suddenly be gone?
Before he could ask anything else, Ryūken had already walked past him.
Carrying Kanae's body.
Leaving Uryū standing there alone.
In the strictest physical sense, Kanae Katagiri was indeed dead.
Her body had lost all signs of life.
Her heart no longer beat.
Her spiritual power had vanished.
However, this was not an ordinary world.
In this world, the existence of the soul was real.
Thanks to Gosuke Shigure's intervention, Kanae's soul had been preserved before it could be completely consumed by Yhwach's Auswählen.
Therefore, while her body had died
Her existence had not been completely erased.
Still, Ryūken chose not to tell Uryū any of this.
There was no point.
At least not yet.
Because for Ryūken, there was a far more urgent matter.
Yhwach.
According to Gosuke Shigure's explanation, the Quincy King's awakening had come at the cost of countless Quincy lives.
Mixed-blood Quincy suffered the greatest damage.
Their powers and souls were harvested by Auswählen and returned to Yhwach.
Pure-blood Quincy fared somewhat better, usually losing only a portion of their power.
But Ryūken understood one thing clearly.
This was only the beginning.
As Yhwach continued recovering, nobody could guarantee that pure-blood Quincy would remain safe forever.
If they wished to save Kanae
If they wished to protect Uryū
Then they needed to find a way to oppose Yhwach before he fully regained his strength.
Fortunately, one mystery remained.
By all logic, Uryū should have suffered the same fate as his mother.
After all, he too was considered a Gemischt Quincy a mixed-blood Quincy.
Yet somehow, he had survived completely unharmed.
Not only had he remained alive
His powers had not been affected at all.
That fact alone proved that Uryū possessed an unusual quality.
Something special.
Something that even Yhwach's Auswählen had failed to take.
But Ryūken was not willing to gamble on that miracle occurring again.
If Yhwach used Auswählen a second time in the future, nobody could predict the result.
For Kanae.
For Uryū.
He had to uncover Yhwach's weakness.
No matter the cost.
As he drove home, Gosuke's final words echoed in his mind.
"Auswählen is a ritual carried out through the Quincy bloodline itself."
"Yhwach reclaims the fragments of power that originated from him."
"If you wish to understand him, then study what remains behind after the ritual."
"Blood contains memory."
"Blood contains power."
"And blood contains answers."
Those words lingered in Ryūken's thoughts.
Gradually, a decision formed.
A ruthless one.
"Kanae…"
"I'm sorry."
"But I'm doing this for you."
"And for our son."
Time passed.
Weeks turned into months.
Uryū gradually noticed that his father had changed.
The Ryūken he once knew had become increasingly distant.
Colder.
More obsessed.
He spent nearly all his time locked inside the underground laboratory beneath the Ishida estate.
Day after day.
Night after night.
Rarely emerging.
Uryū had no idea what his father was doing down there.
Until one day.
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, he secretly entered the basement.
And what he saw shattered him.
The laboratory was illuminated by harsh white lights.
Medical equipment lined the walls.
Research documents were scattered everywhere.
And at the center of the room
On an operating table
Lay his mother's body.
Dissected.
Examined.
Preserved.
Ryūken stood beside it holding a bloodstained surgical instrument.
At that exact moment, he turned around.
Father and son locked eyes.
The image burned itself into Uryū's memory forever.
The cold laboratory.
The corpse of his mother.
The blood on his father's gloves.
And Ryūken's emotionless expression.
The shock was overwhelming.
For a child, it was impossible to understand.
Impossible to accept.
Soon afterward, Uryū left the Ishida household.
He moved to the countryside to live with his grandfather, Sōken Ishida.
In truth, the sight of Ryūken dissecting Kanae had nearly broken him emotionally.
Remaining in that house had become unbearable.
Living with his grandfather was the only choice left.
Whenever he spoke about Ryūken, his words were filled with resentment and confusion.
Again and again he described the horrifying scene he had witnessed.
Yet every time, Sōken simply listened quietly.
And eventually said:
"Your father has his reasons."
That was all.
He never explained further.
Because before Uryū arrived, Ryūken had already told him the truth.
The truth about Yhwach.
The truth about Auswählen.
And the reason Kanae had died.
For Sōken, this information had been equally shocking.
Although he was a Quincy Master of great knowledge, even he had known little about the true nature of Yhwach.
Yet after learning everything, he chose to support his son.
The Ishida family had long abandoned the arrogance of pure-blood supremacy.
But that did not change reality.
As long as Yhwach existed, every Quincy remained in danger.
Ryūken's research was necessary.
Cruel.
But necessary.
And because of that, Ryūken no longer had the time or emotional capacity to raise Uryū.
Entrusting the boy to Sōken was undoubtedly the best decision.
Looking at his grandson, Sōken sighed inwardly.
The child before him looked lost.
Confused.
Angry.
And alone.
After thinking for a while, Sōken decided to change the subject.
Perhaps giving Uryū a purpose would help him move forward.
So he asked:
"Uryū."
"Do you want to become a Quincy?"
The question caught the boy off guard.
Although Yhwach was the ancestor of the Quincy race and the source of their tragedy, Sōken believed Uryū's survival was not a coincidence.
There had to be a reason.
A special quality.
Something unique.
If nurtured properly, perhaps it would become the power needed to protect himself in the future.
Uryū naturally knew none of this.
But when he heard his grandfather's question, a certain memory resurfaced.
His father's words.
Cold.
Dismissive.
Cruel.
"You have no talent as a Quincy."
Those words had remained buried in his heart ever since.
And now
They became fuel.
Uryū clenched his fists tightly.
His eyes gradually became firm.
"I want to become a Quincy."
"I'll become a Quincy."
The reason was simple.
His father believed he lacked the talent.
And because of that
He was determined to prove him wrong.