Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Resurrection at Nineteen 1

Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Resurrection at Nineteen 1 (終わりのセラフ 一瀬グレン、19歳の世界再誕 1) is the first book of the prequel Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Resurrection at Nineteen light novel series and tenth novel overall to Seraph of the End, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yo Asami.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:
 * Guren Ichinose (Prologue 1)
 * Shinya Hīragi (Prologue 1)
 * Ferid Bathory (Chapter 1)
 * Noya Hienma (Chapter 1, Cursed Gear sword)
 * Makoto Narumi (Chapter 2)
 * Shūsaku Iwasaki (Chapter 2)
 * Lucal Wesker (Chapter 2, voice only)
 * Taro Kagiyama (Chapter 2)
 * Rika Inoue (Chapter 2)
 * Yayoi Endo (Chapter 2)
 * Sayuri Hanayori (Chapter 3)
 * Norito Goshi (Chapter 3)
 * Mito Jūjō (Chapter 3)
 * Shigure Yukimi (Chapter 3)
 * Tenri Hīragi (Chapter 3, mentioned)
 * Sakae Ichinose (Chapter 3, mentioned)
 * Kureto Hīragi (Chapter 3)
 * Raimeiki (Chapter 3)
 * Mahiru Hīragi (Chapter 3, possessing Guren)
 * Mahiru Hīragi (Chapter 3, as a demon)
 * Mr. Jūjō (Chapter 3, mentioned)
 * Norito Goshi's younger brother (Chapter 3, mentioned)
 * Saitō (Chapter 3, mentioned)

Prologue 1 - The Meaning of Life
It is post-Apocalypse. While the two are on a mission, Shinya teasingly asks Guren about sexual desire, where he proposes that the meaning of life is to eat, sleep, and think erotic thoughts. They ponder over whether it makes sense to live in a world like this.

Shinya says that he will make Guren’s reason to live his reason as well, and that if there isn’t one, he will kill himself. Guren decides that there is one, and Shinya asks if it is because of someone else. Before Guren can answer, a vampire appears, and he goes off to kill it. Because there is a reason to live, Shinya tells him not to die.

Prologue 2 - A Sin Beyond God's Forgiveness
What is a sin? What constitutes a sin? Are some sins heavier or lighter than others? Can one person’s life be more valuable than someone else's?

Violating a woman, driving someone to suicide, killing insects, animals, people–all go without punishment from god. Whether these can be called sins or not, it is certain that Guren has committed a grave one, a taboo which god cannot forgive, and by doing so has brought about the destruction of the world.

Chapter 1 - After the Fall
Immediately after the destruction of the world and resurrection of his friends, Guren panics when he sees that Shinya isn’t coming back to life. Ferid thrusts his hand into Shinya’s chest, squeezing his heart to make it artificially beat, and successfully resurrects him. Then, the vampire grabs a random man from one of the seven coffins and asks about his last memory. The man had agreed to become a subject for the experiment in order to pay for his ill sister’s treatment. However, his sister was above the age of 13, and when Ferid tells the man that she is already dead because of Guren, the man flies into a rage and starts attacking Guren.

After letting himself get beat up a bit, Guren asks the man if he remembers dying. Upon hearing this, the man grows fearful, and with a scream, bursts into light and disappears. Guren realizes that he must not allow his friends to remember their deaths, and injects them with anesthesia to ensure they continue sleeping. He pulls Shinya out of the coffin and decides to check out the outside world. He does not plan on bringing his sword–unsure if removing it will cancel the resurrection, or whether it now contains Noya or Mahiru–but as he moves to leave, it flies all on its own into his sheath. Ferid follows him out, flippantly revealing that he didn't stop Guren from committing the taboo because he doesn't like to work, and that vampires don't have a desire to kill humans, then adds that he killed his own mother. When Guren asks if he's been in contact with Mahiru, Ferid jokes around the question.

Suddenly, Ferid pins Guren to the elevator wall, insisting that he ask for his blood to be drunk. He punches Guren's head and ruptures his internal organs, but Guren only agrees when he threatens to kill Shinya. They reach ground level, and Ferid fights a sixth progenitor, protecting Guren. When the battle is over, Guren leaves the sleeping Shinya in the elevator and witnesses the ruined world and huge amount of corpses for himself. He cries, for the last time, knowing that he must not show any guilt again or his friends will figure out what happened. After getting it out of his system, he picks up Shinya, telling him to live.

Chapter 2 - Survivors
Rewind to Christmas night, 8:24 pm–a few minutes before the world’s ruin. Eleven-year-old Makoto Narumi has run away to the mountains in order to train more intensely, bringing along his best friend, Shūsaku Iwasaki. He wants to become stronger to support Guren. The two of them sit in a cedar tree and wonder why there is a torii on Imperial Moon territory, when the organization does not believe in a god. The two grew up together, and although Shūsaku is supposed to be Narumi’s follower, Narumi refuses to be called Makoto-sama by him, once going as far as to ignore him for three months. After chatting a bit more, they decide to return home, as Shūsaku’s renowned mother may be in the prefecture that day.

Then, they see a plane crash, and explosions sound from all directions. Their cellphones receive no signal. They extinguish the torii’s light and run homeward. Narumi tries to stay calm, as he believes Guren would do. Forty-five minutes later, they arrive at a park, discovering multiple upturned cars and corpses on the way. They enter a convenience store and watch the surveillance footage from the time of disaster. From it, they discover that children are not "infected" by the virus. They also discover the existence of Four Horsemen of John and vampires. Their district was taken over by 15th Progenitor Lucal Wesker.

The two head home carefully now, aware that it will take days at the pace they're going. They briefly travel with a few other kids led by Tarō Kagiyama, Rika Inoue, and Yayoi Endō. Upon parting, Narumi promises to return after they find help. Finally, they arrive at Shūsaku's house, discovering the aftermath of a battle between the Imperial Demons and the Imperial Moon. They follow an adult's footprints leading to Narumi's house. There, in his father’s study, written on a framed drawing of his mother he made years ago, they find a message from his father that reads "I have my duty. What is yours?" Narumi decides their duty is to go to Tokyo and find Guren.

Chapter 3 - Friends
Guren later sleeps with his friends alive now. He also had injected himself with a large dose of anesthesia. After waking up he questions their location. With Goshi answering at some office building, the problem is the outside world, to which Guren had already known it had been destroyed. However for his friends to not find out the truth, Guren tried his best to lie to them by going with the flow in response to Shinya's questions, as well as Goshi's curiosity. His friends question Guren about what happened to Mahiru, but Guren replies that he doesn't remember, save for his last battle with Kureto. Shinya reminds Guren that they fled the Imperial Demons as traitors, then also mentions what has happened to the world with monsters now roaming free. Shinya, who is still suspicious of Guren's behavior towards them, questions Guren if he is hiding a secret from them. Afraid he might learn the truth, he tries to change the subject, and that he killed Mahiru, and lies that she is responsible for drugging them all, and that was his only option to prevent it.

However Guren tells him one truth, and that she was absorbed into Noya. Shinya continues asking what happened to his sword, but Guren has no idea. Goshi speaks to Guren, wondering who drugged Guren if Mahiru is dead, where Mito agrees with him. Guren lies that he suddenly lost consciousness when Mahiru was absorbed into Noya. Believing that Mahiru took over his body, which is why his memory is hazy, Mito panics. Shigure and Sayuri are worried about him, and Shinya believes Mahiru is inside him, so gazes closely at Guren, who denies the fact that he is Mahiru. Shinya decides to return to the Imperial Demons to check on Guren. They bound Guren and with Goshi's illusion, Guren loses his consciousness in a dream. They decide to head to Kureto.

Guren has a dream, involving the same place he met Mahiru for the first time. He trains swordsmanship, and on the other side of the river he glances over towards Mahiru. He looks around, where all his friends are there as they are having fun preparing food. When asked for help by Shinya, Guren calls for Mahiru to help too. However Mahiru only smiles in silence, yet shouting again at her yields no reply. Goshi calls him for other help. Guren finds the dream very peaceful and with tranquility. Guren talks with his father about his friends. As Guren was having fun, eating delicious food, he wished the day would last forever. His friends agree with him. Meanwhile Mahiru continued smiling at them, when Guren calls her again for her to join them she does not reply.

Waking up from the dream, Guren finds himself in one of the classrooms in First Shibuya High School. Kureto enters and hears him saying he was dreaming, which caught his attention. As Kureto's interrogations begin, he closes the door with a paper charm acting as a powerful barrier. Kureto calls Guren worthless as he failed the destruction of the world. Guren demands to know what is the situation, including his friend's whereabouts. When Kureto says he killed them, Guren does not believe him. Countering that death awaits all who betray the Hiragi clan, Kureto then informs him what has happened to the world, and how they have began rebuilding it. Guren queries if that is the case he doesn't have time to waste on him. Taking a syringe from his pocket, Kureto answers he doesn't have time either, so he will use a truth serum for Guren to tell him everything he wants to know. Guren informs him that won't work due to his demon's actions. Knowing that, Kureto explains the reason why Shinya brought him here was because he hoped to save him due to his worries of the fusion with Mahiru.

Kureto informs him how much the demon inside him has advanced to a stage beyond their technology. But Guren only demands to know if Mahiru is inside him. Answering him that she is not, Kureto mentions the only thing inside him is a demon. Guren remembers how Mahiru was absorbed into Noya. Kureto tells him that they have figured what has happened to him, his demon is causing him to hallucinate. Explaining to him the pleasant dreams he experiences, they are from his demon. Kureto believes that he killed Mahiru so the demon inside him used that advantage, and in losing control he has been hallucinating ever since. Although Guren keeps denying his statements, Kureto is adamant he believe their own reading. He details how Guren went on a rampage in the underground lab, yet Guren rejects this idea.

Then demanding to know the truth, Kureto threatens him with the use of the truth serum. Guren keeps telling him he killed Mahiru and she disappeared into him, which is the last thing he remembers. He eventually believes him, knowing that the truth serum wouldn't work on him anyway. Although he drugged him prior, he still was not lying about his demon being out of control. Guren asks him about the whereabouts of Shinya and the others, where he tells him they are in Harajuku. He frees Guren from his restrains and Kureto draws Raimeiki. While Guren is puzzled, he has his own duty to carry out, believing it is to join him and save the world. When Guren badmouths the Imperial Demons, Kureto punches Guren in the face. After refusing to join Kureto, he raises Raimeiki above his head.

Refusing to let Guren go, unless he joins him, Kureto goes as far as pointing his sword at his neck. Reaching for his sword which flew to his hand, Guren easily overpowers Kureto. When Guren wants to know what is going in his body, Kureto already answered him that his demon is out of control. Guren demands to know why he cannot hear its voice, to which Kureto answers that it is already too far gone. With more information, they finished their analyses and developed it to bring demons under control. He advises Guren to try experimenting with the drug on his underlings before taking it himself first. Despite those words, Kureto himself tries the syringe on himself, and orders Guren to kill him if he loses control. Curses swirl in his face, and feeling a sweep of pain he grins that it is a success.

Calling Raimeiki, this time engaging with Guren it is Kureto who has the upper hand. After clashing a few times, Kureto believes with this they can take on vampires. Handing Guren another syringe to try it, Kureto says he may be able to talk to his demon. Guren asks if there is enough for Shinya and the others. Reassuring him that there is, he also gives him a mission, but tells him to read it later, since the syringe takes priority. Guren tries to insert the syringe into his neck, however his hands freeze mid-air. Kureto thinks Guren is resisting, but Guren denies doing so. He discovers that his left hand is resisting the shot. Forcing Kureto to give him the shot, yet again his hand moved on its own accord to block it. After some struggling the needle pierced Guren's neck, and he grew muted, then blacked out, believing it did not work.

Kureto talks to Raimeiki, in discussing with her whether he is lost, after asking if the experiment was a failure, Raimeiki answers him how would she know so. Seeing no further use in asking questions, he tells her he will just have to kill him. Raimeiki says that is not what he wants, but he counters her by saying it is about choosing the right path. Laughing at this, Raimeiki taunts him that he is a coward yet so strong. Kureto asks for her strength however before doing so, she informs him that the drug is working and the demon's presence can be felt. When Kureto tries to talk to Guren who is still blacked out in ground, Raimeiki warns him that isn't Guren. Waking up, Guren shuts up Raimeiki. After Kureto inquires if he is the demon or Mahiru, and if she is alive inside him, Guren addresses Kureto as big brother, revealing that Mahiru is controlling Guren. Guren laughs when Kureto shuts her up. Kureto informs her that she won't be appearing any time soon or ever again, as they have finally developed a drug that will suppress them and obey them at their will.

As Kureto tries to get ahold of Guren, he says it is him yet the next second he insanely laughs. After a while, Guren returns to his usual self and questions Kureto what happened to him. As he cannot remember anything aside from the time he took the syringe, he is informed by Kureto that the drug did work however he was taken over by Mahiru. Detailing what happened to him while Mahiru took over, Guren was dreaming again, with the same dream where Mahiru was on the other side of a river. Kureto says not to worry as it represents his desire and is a hallucination created by his demon. Ordering him now that everything is fine, his demon should be under control and he will be able to talk to his demon.

Still skeptical it will work, Guren does so and calls Noya, however this time he hears a voice but not inside his mind, but outside the classroom from the window. Guren sees Mahiru sitting on the windowsill. As he stares at her, Kureto asks if he saw something. Guren however says that Noya did answer him. Mahiru proceeded to instruct Guren to answer each question Kureto posed, which he did. Kureto eventually was satisfied, ending the interrogation. He then releases the talismans, revealing they were in a laboratory the whole time, with his friends outside. With Mahiru telling Guren if he is glad he trusted her, the question is ignored. Goshi, Mito, Sayuri and Shigure rush over to Guren, and are worried about him. Shinya feels it must of been tough for Guren, but it was not his fault. However Guren could not focus on a reply as Mahiru was standing behind him, and assures Guren she is real. Guren asks if they can now return to the Imperial Demons. But Kureto does not allow them, adding the rebuke that they are still traitors, and they will have to prove themselves first if they want to rejoin them. Kureto hands Guren the mission brief and plastic case containing the syringes, explaining to use them and carry out the mission.

Guren accepts the mission and Kureto leaves. After eating with his friends, Guren reads over the mission brief. In Meguro there was a high capacity power station that the Imperial Demons had owned before the fall, but at the moment it is offline. Their mission was for Guren's team to get the power station back up and running. Right before they sleep, everyone injected themselves with the drug and nobody lost control. Guren is visited by Mito when he couldn't sleep. Talking to him about the loss of her family, she cries then throws her arms around him. After calming down, she apologizes to Guren, though he does not mind. She asks Guren if Mahiru is really dead, which Guren nodded yes. While she embarrassedly tries to talk to Guren about something (taking Mahiru's place), instead she cries as she is so embarrassed about it. Due to her strong feelings towards Guren, she attempts to get closer to him. However this triggers Mahiru's voice inside Guren's head, whom her anger reached its apex and jealousy towards Mito reached the point of insulting Guren.

Mito tells Guren she is fine with the idea of him never loving her, however as things they are now they could die at any moment. Mahiru continues to insult Guren but is ignored twice. Guren tells her that they just took the drug so the power of their demons is amplified, which she remembers. She asks Guren if it had been some other day it would be fine if she slept with him. Guren didn't mind. While Guren kept ignoring Mahiru's accusations, Mito later left. Goshi comes in and chastises Guren if he hurt Mito's feeling as he saw her crying. Shinya later joins them, which Guren seemed annoyed by. Sayuri and Shigure later visit Mito's room and play video games. They all then play video games which Kureto subordinates find it odd.

After morning rises, Guren and the others started the mission. Due to their demonic bodies they reached Meguro quickly. Guren and the others looked at soldiers from the Imperial Demons killing a monster. They spot children which Mito wishes to help, but Shigure notes they will be helped by one of the other squads. As they hurry to the power station, on their way, Guren and the others spotted another child. Guren said to leave him, as they couldn't risk it, but when a creature noticed the child and attempted to kill him, Guren was forced to take action and save him with his friends help. They reached their destination afterwards, the emergency power station near the Gakugei University station in Meguro, beneath an otherwise nondescript building. Shinya finds it is strange as it's so quiet. They then split into groups with Sayuri and Goshi saying they would take care of it, estimating that the repairs would take half a day to complete. Guren, Shinya, Shigure and Mito head upstairs to stand guard. Mito and Shigure stationed themselves to the east. Guren and Shinya meanwhile were stationed to the west, unsure if the coast would be clear.

Guren starts to wonder about the meaning of life which he and Shinya discuss, namely with the world like this is there really a point of living. Guren says life has a meaning, Shinya asked if that's his decision. Replying it is, he then ponders to himself how so after he himself was the one who destroyed the world to bring his friends back to life. Mahiru manifests and announces that she could tell him the answer and she just wants to help him. Guren finds this hard to believe, as she can't tell him the meaning of life. However she says she does and gives him a surprisingly shocking news, that Shinya and the others only have ten years to live, and she knows how he can save them. Guren finds this all nothing but lies, and she is a demon as well so is just trying to take control of him. However Mahiru retorts that she isn't lying and he is dancing to someone else tune, before reminding him that a vampire is heading their way. As Shinya saw him too, Mahiru tells Guren to hold his fire as he needs to meet with the vampire. As he does so, Guren calls Mahiru, wanting to know how to save Shinya and the others. Mahiru agrees adding that they have got a lot of work to do together.