Where It All Begins

"Where It All Begins" (始まりのマチ) is the forty-third chapter of the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto.

Synopsis
Mika faces Yu as a demon until Yu returns to human form. His time being in demon form increases by two minutes each day. Horsemen attack the village, and their group kills them. Mika drinks the blood Shinoa gathered from everyone for him to drink.

Mika says that these humans are decent but asks if it is smart to trust them and if this "friendship" is just another part of their experiments.

The group discusses their predicament and eventually decides to rescue Krul Tepes before Yu becomes a full demon.

Ferid and Crowley drive down the coast to the fishing village where Mika and the others reside.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:
 * Yūichirō Hyakuya
 * Mikaela Hyakuya
 * Shinoa Hīragi
 * Yoichi Saotome
 * Shihō Kimizuki
 * Mitsuba Sangū
 * Makoto Narumi
 * Rika Inoue (Flashback)
 * Yayoi Endō (Flashback)
 * Tarō Kagiyama (Flashback)
 * Shūsaku Iwasaki (Flashback)
 * Krul Tepes (Flashback)
 * Ferid Bathory
 * Crowley Eusford

Summary
Yu, as a demon, begs Mika to remove his chains. He says he will run away with Mika and offers his blood. When that fails, he yells at Mika and demands he remove the chains. Mika counts to 120 seconds, and Yu's horns disappear. He mutters about turning into a demon again and greets Mika. Mika states he became a demon for two minutes longer than the day before, which he has been doing since the battle at Nagoya. Mika frets and scolds Yu for becoming something inhuman and doing irrevocable harm to himself.

Shinoa states it has been exactly three hours since Yu transformed and greets them. She mentions it has been three days since Mika drank any blood, but Mika tells her he never asked her to be his keeper. Yu offers his blood, but Shinoa says Yu is too weak and has a bottle containing blood from everyone for Mika to drink instead.

Shinoa examines the chains and says the wards for sealing the demon are beginning to crack, so she and Mitsuba will have to repair them again. Mika accuses her of pretending to be Yu's friend and points out that everything that has happened to Yu has been due to an experiment. Yu says that Shinoa did not get directly involved, but Mika says he cannot trust any of them. Mika asks what Guren did to Yu.

Shinoa tells them they are not themselves when they are hungry and suggests they get breakfast. She holds the bottle of blood out to Mika, but he knocks it out of her hand. Mika appears frustrated, and Yu scolds him. Mika says he is not Shinoa's pet, but Yu says that blood belongs to their friends.

A human rushes in and addresses Sergeant Shinoa, asking for her help. The Horsemen are attacking their village. With the exception of Makoto, their group fights four Horsemen. Afterward, the villagers thank them. Shinoa says this is the least they can do in exchange for their food and shelter.

Makoto arrives with food he found in a supermarket two kilometers southwest and throws a can of red bean jam at Shiho. The villagers are excited for their feast of canned goods.

Mika watches them, and Yu joins him. He returns the bottle of blood to Mika. Yu says Mika does not have to drink that blood and can drink his instead, but Mika says he will drink it. He says the thirst is getting worst and is worried he might drink too much of Yu's blood. Yu asks if he is okay with something besides his blood, and Mika says that at least it was not poisoned. Mika asks if this whole "being friends" thing is part of the experiments. He says they are decent for humans but wonders if it is smart to trust them.

Their group notices that Mika drank their blood and approach him. Yoichi asks if their blood was okay. Mika says it was gross. Shinoa rambles about the pure and sweet blood of a virgin and then asks if unchaste blood got in there before looking at Mitsuba with an aghast expression. Yu, Mika, and Shiho share identical blank expressions.

Shinoa brings up their future plans which she has Mitsuba summarize what has been going on. Mitsuba says that the Japanese Imperial Demon Army will probably hunt them down and kill them, which puts the villagers at risk. They mention they cannot travel overseas because of how acidic and poisonous the blood-red oceans are with monsters, even worse than Horsemen, swimming in their depths.

They suggest surrendering and returning Yu to the army to prevent him from becoming a demon which Mika rejects. Makoto tells him to keep his fangy mouth shut unless he has any other options. He says he will save Yu no matter what in order to give his friends' deaths meaning. Shiho states he will do absolutely anything to save his sister and even betray the rest of them. Yu suggests meeting up with Guren, but Shinoa vetoes that idea and says they cannot trust him. Makoto tells Mika this is the circle of discussion they are stuck in and asks if he has anything to offer.

Mika asks if he owes them a favor because they gave him blood, but Shinoa says no. She says that blood was for helping a friend but says she would love to hear any suggestions if he has them.

Mika says the vampire queen, his sponsor, participated in the Seraph of the End experiments. They may be able to trust her. He says she was captured and he does not know what happened to her, but rescuing her might be their least complicated option. Makoto asks if vampires are less dangerous than the Demon Army, and Mika says yes. Vampires actually care little about humans and are only concerned by power-hungry humans. Makoto agrees and says that describes the Demon Army pretty well. Shiho also agrees with that plan and states he does not trust anyone aside from those standing right there. Mitsuba agrees to the plan, and Shinoa says that the Demon Army is the most dangerous organization in Japan.

Shinoa announces their next objective is to rescue Krul Tepes before Yu becomes a full demon.

In the meantime, Ferid drives a western car with Crowley in the passenger's seat. Crowley asks where they are headed, and Ferid says they are going to see his friends. After some banter, Ferid says they are actually going to a little fishing village to meet Yu and Mika and to "become their new best friends."

Gallery
Manga panels provide a visual overview of the events of Chapter 43 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world and scenarios.