Akame Ga Kill - Garou

The royal palace stood now changing to the better, no longer the corrupted heart of an empire built on suffering. It had been days since Honest's fall, and while reforms were underway, the weight of responsibility bore heavily on the young emperor's shoulders. The child ruler sat in the throne room, lost in thought, when the doors opened, and the guards stiffened to attention. A familiar presence entered—the man who had become his unexpected mentor.

Garou stepped forward, his imposing frame moving with a casual confidence. The battle-maniac martial artist had come to check on his student, and the moment the emperor saw him, a small but genuine smile graced his youthful face.

"Teacher," the emperor greeted, rising from his throne.

Garou smirked slightly and crossed his arms. "Hmph, you've been busy, brat. Place looks less like a snake pit now."

The emperor chuckled, though his eyes held a deep exhaustion. "It's still a long way from being fixed, but we've made progress."

Garou studied the boy for a moment before his expression softened. "Yeah… you're doing good. Better than I thought." His gaze turned sharp again as he added, "I heard you went to see that bastard Honest."

The emperor's small hands clenched. "I did. And… he told me something terrible."

Garou remained silent, allowing the boy to speak at his own pace.

"He admitted to everything. To poisoning my father, to making sure my mother died. He said he never saw me as anything more than a tool, that he should've killed me too." The emperor's voice wavered, but he forced himself to remain composed. "I always thought of him as a father figure, but he was a monster the entire time."

Garou exhaled, his golden eyes flickering with some pity. He reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, something he had never done before. The emperor looked up at him in surprise.

"You had it rough, brat. More than I gave you credit for." Garou pulled his hand away, looking away for a brief moment. "But you didn't let that break you. You're making the right choices, and that's what matters. I'm proud of you."

The emperor's eyes widened, then he lowered his gaze with a small nod, a flicker of emotion crossing his face before he composed himself again. "Thank you, teacher."

Garou, never one for sentimental moments, cleared his throat. "Alright, enough of that. I got a question for you. That Supreme Teigu, I heard Honest was so obsessed with it, why?"

The emperor straightened and gestured toward a pedestal beside the throne. Upon it rested a scepter adorned with intricate carvings, its top embedded with a large, gleaming gem. "This is the key to Shikoutazer, the Supreme Teigu. It's a massive war machine capable of destroying entire armies. Honest saw it as the ultimate tool to maintain control."

Garou eyed the scepter with mild curiosity. "So that's it, huh?" He reached out to take it.

The moment his fingers brushed against the scepter, the gem pulsed with an intense purple light. A surge of energy enveloped both him and the emperor, their surroundings shifting into a strange, otherworldly space filled with swirling blue and purple clouds.

Garou tensed. "Is this normal?"

The emperor shook his head. "No… this has never happened before."

Before them, the mist coalesced into the form of a middle-aged man with flowing green hair and eyes that bore an uncanny resemblance to the little emperor's. His presence radiated an ancient, commanding aura.

"I am Shikotei," the man announced, his voice deep and regal. "The founder of this empire… or rather, a spirit carrying his will."

Garou and the little emperor exchanged stunned glances.

Shikotei continued, his gaze settling on Garou. "I have called you here to both apologize and to express my gratitude."

Garou frowned. "For what?"

Shikotei exhaled, looking almost remorseful. "Because you have changed the fate of my empire."

The emperor's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

The world around them shifted.

Suddenly, they were no longer in the ethereal space but witnessing a horrifying vision of the empire's original fate. They saw the events unfold as they were meant to—if Garou had never been brought here.

Cities were burned to the ground. Innocent people were slaughtered in droves. The capital was engulfed in bloodshed, its streets lined with corpses. The emperor, still a child, was manipulated until he ultimately met his end, executed like a criminal. His closest allies perished, and what remained of the empire collapsed into chaos and devoured by the surrounding countries.

The images played on for hours, an unrelenting tide of misery and destruction.

Garou and the emperor watched, silent and horrified.

When it finally ended, they stood in stunned silence.

Shikotei turned to them solemnly. "This was the empire's destined future. A future that has now been averted." He looked at Garou. "The true power of the Supreme Teigu… is to undo fate itself. I was the one who rewound the world by an entire year and brought you here."

Garou's eyes narrowed. "So you dragged me into this mess?"

The spirit nodded. "I did. But not without reason. I did not know how things would unfold, but I chose to gamble on you because you are strong, and despite your rough exterior, you have a good heart, and you were injured and tired, which made moving you much easier. Your presence alone changed everything. I am glad that my gamble worked"

The emperor swallowed hard. "You… you altered time itself?"

Shikotei bowed deeply. "I did. And for that, I am truly sorry for Garou. I dragged into an unknown world in the hope things will change"

Garou was silent for a long moment before scoffing. "So Syura had nothing to do with this?"

Shikotei chuckled. "No. That was a pleasant misunderstanding. And you already saw his true nature—he deserved the punishment."

The emperor looked at the spirit with newfound awe. "If… if you could change fate once, could it happen again?"

Shikotei shook his head. "The Supreme Teigu's ability can only be activated once every five centuries. Its power has now gone dormant." He then smiled warmly at the young ruler. "The future of this empire is in your hands. I hope you will lead it into a new era of prosperity that will last another thousand years."

Garou snorted, crossing his arms. "Hmph. You don't have to tell him. The brat is my student, I'm not gonna let him screw up."

The little emperor looked up at Garou, an almost unnoticeable warmth in his gaze.

Shikotei nodded, satisfied. "Then my duty is complete. Farewell."

The glowing realm faded, and in the blink of an eye, Garou and the emperor found themselves back in the throne room, standing where they had been before.

The scepter had lost its glow.

Garou exhaled, shaking his head. "Well. That was a hell of a thing."

The emperor nodded, his mind still processing everything. Then, he straightened and looked up at his teacher. "I will do everything in my power to make sure this empire never falls into corruption again."

Garou smirked. "Good brat."

With that, the little emperor stepped forward—leaving the past behind and walking toward a future of his own making.