A sea of black.
That's all Maru saw. When he looked down, he saw nothing, yet everything at the same time. His arms were there, yet they weren't. He was merely a phantom of his own soul.
"A black sea...? It's stagnant, not a single ripple or wave."
The black sea stretched an infinite length and an infinite width. For as far as Maru could move or see, there was not a single ripple. Even as he stepped through the water, there were no splashes, ripples, or waves.
"This is weird. And quite confusing. I died, did I not? So... where am I?"
The black sea was in a void of nothingness. It looked like the night sky above, yet there was not a single star to be seen. There was no illumination of the moon, and there was no hope beyond the stars unseen.
'So... this is death? An infinite expanse of sea? Of nothingness? Atleast it's warm. But it's boring.'
Just then, he felt a tug. Not at his arm, or his body, but his very soul. It didn't hurt, but it was repulsive, and he wanted it to stop.
"That feels odd. I don't like that. Not one bit."
Maru then felt his mind reel with memories he couldn't view, voices he didn't recognize, and a world he felt so familiar with, yet he had never seen.
"What was that?"
Ripple.
The water moved for the first time since he's been here.
Time didn't move here, or it was safe to say, time didn't exist. There was no concept of life, or death, or any concept of anything, yet he knew he was not fully erased. So wasn't that just a contradiction? Or is it beyond anything he could understand? Maru didn't know, and his mind wasn't big enough to try to understand it, so he didn't bother.
"But that ripple. Why did that happen? I didn't move over in that spot, yet it happened. Why?"
He had so many questions, yet they would remain unanswered forever.
So he was in for the long haul. Death in the black sea. Perhaps he might spend so long here that slowly he loses his memories. And without memory of life, can one truly say it ever even happened? And just like that, a person would cease forever.
Maru didn't know whether to be sad, mad, or scared. Yet oddly, he failed neither of the three. In fact, he felt bliss. He felt at peace.
So he closed his eyes and drifted through the black sea.
***
How long has it been since?
100 years? 1000? 10,000? None. Time does not exist here.
But what woke Maru up wasn't a ripple in the black sea, but a strange sound.
[Ding!]
[Soul has been stabilized!]
[Searching through past life's memories for desires...]
[World found!]
"What is this? What is that sound? That voice?"
The tug happened again. Yet it didn't stop after the first two; by now, it was like an invisible hand dragging him elsewhere. From his chest was a red line that beamed to wherever. And just like that, he was flying through the black sea as he was pulled.
Shatter!
The shards of reality shattered as his body was flung, and his soul departed. Like a wisp now, everything began to flicker in and out of reality.
***
Blood trickles down toward his lip.
Maru jolts upward now, snow all around him, the expanse of a small town laid out before him. It was medieval, yet the air felt thick with something unlike what he was used to. Maru looked down, finding small hands, arms, and a body.
"What is this!? I'm... so young?!"
'Well, I only died at 18, so it's not like I was old or anything, but still... I'm so small.'
'Where am I?'
[---------------------------]
└[Name: Maru]
└[Age: 7]
└[World: Black Clover]
└[Status: Injured, Fatigued]
└[Trait: Heavenly Restriction]
└[Magic: None]
└[Aptitude: Nill-]
----
└[Strength: 15]
└[Dexterity: 15]
└[Durability: 15]
└[Mana: - ]
[---------------------------]
"What is this? A system? No way! And I'm in the world of black clover? That's awesome. Well, I'm a commoner, I assume, so it might not be the best for me, actually. And.... wait."
Maru's eyes had only scanned the first half of the system for a moment. But then his eyes went over it for a second time.
"No Magic.... or Mana..... or aptitude for anything magic related. It's all over."
'What's the point of even coming to this world with nothing? Yeah, I have the system, but I don't even know if it's an overpowered system or something completely different. Wait, there was something else there!'
Maru opened the system panel once more, reading for a third time. His eyes then stopped, and locked in on a bar.
[Trait: Heavenly Restriction]
"Heavenly.... Restriction? Like what Toji and Maki have, from JJK?"
He then smiled, no, he laughed.
"Yes! Something, at least I have something!"
[Heavenly Restriction]
[Desc: You possess absolutely no magic or mana, but in return, you have superhuman strength, speed, durability, and heightened senses. This trait also allows for limitless growth.]
"Limitless growth, insane physical stats...?! The world of Black Clover... has it seen a guy like this, ever? If not, it'd better get ready!"
He was a big fan of Black Clover; he read the manga very often, and even gave the anime a watch. And here he was, in the world of black clover with a system, a trait of limitless growth, and knowledge of the future.
But he didn't want to look so far ahead. He wanted to enjoy this second chance, grow strong, adventure the world, and meet the characters of a world he loved so much.
"Hey, who knows... I might even snag some beauties along the way."
'And who knows.... I also might even become the wizard king.'
Maru smirked as he walked along the snow-frosted streets, his tiny, yet sleeping potential stirring already.
But those things are far, far in the future.
Maru wanted to focus his time on himself first; the other things would come later naturally.
In this lifetime, Maru resolves to live.