The World in Half: FIRST HALF

P R O L O G

O: KUZEN YOSHIMURA

It was done. He killed her.

Now, the world lay silent, and he was unsure if its silence meant that it was mourning his loss for him or waiting for things to settle in.

It was a stillness so profound it seemed to hold its breath, poised on the brink of destiny's turning, defying the hopes of those who longed for its favor.

In an abandoned building, Kuzen Yoshimura sat with his face buried in his hands, tears tracing silent paths down his cheeks as he wrestled with the agony within him. He knew he didn't deserve peace, not after what he had done, but, how could anyone not feel this ache after the woman he cherished, who returned his affection in kind, had been ripped from his embrace to leave behind a void he knew he alone had created?

It was true, their love transcended what was normal, an extraordinary bond between a human woman and a ghoul.

Its very existence seemed to defy convention... almost forbidden, but doesn't it make their connection more special? Sacred? Who held the authority to dictate its boundaries? Why must fate intervene so cruelly? All Kuzen had ever truly yearned for in his life was this semblance of peace, this love that had eluded him as an orphan, but now, his sins followed his steps and she was taken from him.

Perhaps he should have never crossed paths with her, never engaged in conversation, never tempted fate with the hope that this time, fortune would smile upon him. If only he had heeded the warnings, perhaps Ukina would still grace this world. She would remain among the living, even if it meant without him by her side. They don't need to speak of it to know that there is a boundary they were never meant to breach. Yet, in defiance of destiny, they dared to cross it, and now the human paid with her life for their transgression.

To his right, a baby lay sleeping in a basket. His infant daughter. She looked peacefully unaware of the tragedy that had befallen the woman who had carried her for nine months. She would never witness the adoring gaze of her mother when she first entered this world, nor comprehend the sacrifices made so that she might thrive.

Those acts of love and selflessness would forever remain unseen by her innocent eyes.

He didn't want to, but something compelled him to draw closer to the basket and gaze down upon the sleeping infant. Something about the baby being there calmed the ghoul down; she was enough to pacify the raging storm within him.

Then, the child awakens with a cry, a sharp sound that breaks through the deep silence of the building around Kuzen. Startled, he froze in place, his attention fixated on the awakening infant. He observed her intently as her eyes fluttered open to reveal the world to her with a gradual, deliberate purpose similar to unwrapping a gift on Christmas morning. However, before her gaze could fully open to the world her mother had fought to introduce her to, she reached out a tiny hand towards him, and Kuzen couldn't help but feel like melting right then and there.

Eagerly, the child sought his touch, her tiny fingers reaching out to him in anticipation, but grasping only at empty air, and Kuzen found himself unable to resist her silent plea. He extended his forefinger towards her outstretched hand, and it brought a wide smile to her delicate features as she clasped him in her small hands, embracing his finger as though it were the entirety of her world.

A soft smile graced Kuzen's lips as he carefully lifted the child from the basket, causing a joyful giggle to emerge from her innocent lips. Cradling her tenderly in his arms, he held her as close to him as possible, as if to shield her from the world that seeks to tear away his family and happiness from him.