…It’s warm.
Being wrapped in this warmth reminds me of the past.
My life couldn’t exactly be considered long. Or rather, in my case, maybe it wouldn’t be considered a “life” in the first place. After all, I wasn’t a “person”.
I was just a vessel that happened to look like a person, created from the madness of a man named Fueki.
My name, Koyomi, was the name of Fueki’s daughter.
After Fueki’s daughter Koyomi passed away from an incurable disease, he preserved her body and tried to revive her by using the Philosopher’s Stone. But even if the body were to resurrect, that wouldn’t mean that the soul would return as well. A puppet that looked like Koyomi but didn’t have the memories of Koyomi. That’s who I was.
I was nothing but a living corpse that had inherited the name Koyomi…
I hated that cold body of mine. I didn’t have anything that could be considered human, like memories of the past, or the warmth of one’s own body, and I hated myself for that.
It grew to the point where I tried to take my own life, thinking that I would be better if I were to just disappear from the world entirely…
But Haruto saved me.
Haruto Souma. Just like me, he was one of the Sabbath’s victims.
The Sabbath was a horrible ritual attempted by Fueki in order to revive his daughter. Many people were used as sacrifices for it, who gave birth to Phantoms from falling to despair, ultimately losing their lives in the process.
Haruto managed to survive by winning against despair and suppressing his Phantom, but that was only because he wasn’t a normal person.
“It’s not that different for me either”, he told me.
Haruto bore the heavy burden of being someone that wasn’t a normal person as well. But he was cheerful and held the strength to look forward with confidence.
“We have to accept the present in order to move on. It doesn’t matter who we are, what’s important is that we live in the present.”
Haruto slipped a magic ring onto my cold finger as he said those words.
…It’s warm.
That warmth I felt from his hand… I can recall it clearly even now.
“As long as you keep living in the present, you’ll build the memories you need to warm your heart.”
As he said those words while looking at me, his warmth traveled through my cold bloodless body and gradually seeped into my heart, eventually turning into the warmth of my very own body.
Haruto was a small light that lit my heart aflame… He had become my hope.
To live in the present no matter who you are… True to his words, he lived in the present with everything he had.
After gaining the ability to use magic, he took on the title of the Ringed Magician, “Wizard”, and took to protecting the people from the Phantoms who brought about despair.
A helmet comprised of a bright red magic stone adorned with a silver ring-like decoration, and a black coat accentuated with silver lining… The gallant sight of him defeating the Phantoms with powerful magic like a dignified warrior while the mantle around his waist flowed elegantly through the air brought hope to all who witnessed it.
He truly was the “final hope”.
Even though I was nothing but a puppet that had to be supplied with magic in order to live, he was kind enough to treat me as a person. He shared his own magic supply with me without hesitation, which allowed me to live as long as I have.
I adored him from the bottom of his heart and strived to do anything I could to help him. That’s why I lived the best I could, so that my days with Haruto could last for as long as possible…
But… that dream of mine was torn apart by a man named Sora.
After learning that I had been kept alive by Fueki and was embedded with the Philosopher’s Stone in order to resurrect her daughter, Sora targeted me.
Sora was a victim of the Sabbath as well.
Even though he was a Phantom, his human heart had remained intact. However, his heart was one of a psychotic murderer. Obsessed with his past human self, he desired the Philosopher’s Stone in order to regain his humanity.
Sora tore apart my body and implanted the Philosopher’s Stone into his own body.
Robbed of my magic, I dissipated into light within Haruto’s arms.
…At least, that’s what it looked like.
When Haruto’s fist pierced Sora’s body and his warm hand gripped the Philosopher’s Stone, I awakened. My “heart” had still been alive… within the Philosopher’s Stone.
I want to become Haruto’s strength…!
The Philosopher’s Stone responded to those feelings of mine. It transformed into the ring of “Hope”, granting Haruto the power to defeat Sora.
I was happy that I was able to become Haruto’s strength. But that strength had the potential to one day prove to be the source of conflict once again. Haruto accepted my wishes and set out on a journey to find a place where I, who had turned into a ring, could rest in peace.
A journey with just the two of us… Those silent and tranquil moments filled me with happiness. But a Phantom named Ogre put a stop to that. Ogre stole the ring of Hope from Haruto and resurrected me.
Manipulated by Ogre and losing my past heart, I became Haruto’s enemy and made him suffer.
But Haruto was still willing to embrace me despite all of that. He tried to bring back my heart.
Wrapped by Haruto’s warmth, I came back to my senses. His warmth had saved me once again.
After recovering the ring of Hope from Ogre, Haruto entrusted the ring to the Koyomi that existed within his heart. He had come to the conclusion that it was the only place where I could rest in peace without anyone getting in the way and causing pain again…
…It’s warm.
I now exist within Haruto’s warmth.
After turning into the ring of Hope, I’m able to quietly sleep within his heart, surrounded by the fun memories of all our friends. I’m able to rest in peace within the warmth of my beloved Haruto…
Kamen Rider Novel Translations 