Blood on the Sands
Prologue: Sing, Muse
"Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
Hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
Great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion,
Feasts for the dogs and birds,
And the will of Zeus was moving toward its end."
"Hey, what are you muttering to yourself, Mykkal?"
"Just some poetry," Mykkal said as he got up from the cluster of rocks that he sat on and straightened the remnant of his Hollow mask, which resembled a pair of pince-nez. "What's the news, Littchfeld?"
"It looks like Mordrath and some of the Arrancars who sided with him escaped."
"What about the Espada who sided with him?"
"Aizen's seeing to them. It looks like we backed the right horse."
"Yeah, it was a good thing that we found out Skullak sided with Aizen."
"That doesn't make sense. Skullak hates Soul Reapers, and Aizen's a Soul Reaper. Why did he side with him?"
"I don't know. It was his decision to make."
"I know, but…what's gonna happen next?"
"Who knows?"
The two Arrancars looked out over the remains of the battlefield. They could see members of the Exequias walking amongst the dead and finishing off any Hollows that they found that still had life. Fires continued to blaze throughout the ruins of Las Noches. Far below, the corpses left as a result of Mordrath Luisenbarn's rebellion were beginning to pile into a large mound.
Fake Karakura Town, 100 Years Later
Baraggan Luisenbarn, the God-King of Hueco Mundo, felt the protective Kido surrounding the decaying hand inside him give way. His own power was consuming him.
No, this can't be happening, he told himself.
However, it was happening. He knew that he wouldn't get another chance to exact his revenge. He was a Luisenbarn and a Luisenbarn had sat on the throne of Hueco Mundo since the beginning. It was his right to rule. Now, his crown was crumbling into dust and the only Luisenbarn left would be his younger brother, Mordrath, who tried to regain the Honor and Right that Aizen had taken away from them, only to be forced into exile.
Baraggan looked at his decaying body and then to Aizen. His rage grew as he looked.
"With these hands," he snarled, "I will kill you. You will regret giving me power," he said and raised the axe, preparing to throw it. "I AM KING! I AM GOD! I WILL NEVER DIE! I swear that I shall hunt you for all eternity…AIZEN!" he shouted and threw the Gran Caída at Aizen.
However, before his Gran Caída reached Aizen it dissolved.
NO! Baraggan thought as he himself became nothing but dust blowing in the wind.
The Crown of Hueco Mundo fell to the ground below and shattered when it struck.
Hell
Lord Aruji Enma, Lord of Hell and Carrion and Spiders, watched the battle unfold through the eyes of his spiders that he sent out to the world. He sipped the wine from his goblet and watched as one-by-one the Espada met their ends as Arrancar. He watched as Aizen was finally defeated and dragged before the new Central 46 and bound in the chains to hang over the Abyss in the Muken.
His eyes were everywhere and they all saw one thing: an empty throne.
"So, the Throne of Hueco Mundo is empty," he said and smiled. "This should be interesting."
Hueco Mundo
All of Hueco Mundo felt it.
It felt the moment that the Crown of Las Noches shattered and not being re-made on the head of whoever was to inherit it. As a result, Hueco Mundo was without a King and the Throne of Las Noches was empty since the usurper Aizen took it from Baraggan and proclaimed himself Commander of Las Noches.
For the time that Aizen reigned in Las Noches, chaos had been the rule for the Northern Lands, the Eastern Mountains, and the Southern Plains. Before Aizen came and set up a society more akin to the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo's system was more like Medieval Europe. The throne of the King of Hueco Mundo was in the center at Las Noches. The compass points of east, north, and south became the major provinces, which were ruled over by a High Lord in one of the three Provincial Capitals. Each province was then broken into three Districts that were controlled by a Chancellor, who ruled from a District Capital, who reported to the High Lord. However, the lands in the Western Wastes were ruled by no one. The Western Wastes were called "The Land of Exiles" for a simple reason: it was where those who were punished with exile were sent.
However, when Aizen ruled in Las Noches, many of the Arrancars who ruled throughout the various areas began to feel that they should have control. As a result, many of the Arrancars began to grow their own armies and form small splinter nations within the various provinces. Some of these splinter nations formed alliances to fight against the Chancellors or the High Lords. Some even tried to march against Las Noches to become King of Hueco Mundo, but all efforts failed.
When Mordrath Luisenbarn rebelled against Aizen, the chaos only intensified. The reason was that more eyes were starting to turn to Las Noches instead of merely their neighbors. As a result, the wars between the numerous factions increased until by the time the Battle of Fake Karakura Town was fought, only five major factions remained.
Now, all of Hueco Mundo braced itself for another era of chaos.
El Cráneo, Eastern Mountains
"Please show mercy," the Arrancar said.
The thin Arrancar looked down at her adversary. Her lime-green eyes seemed to laugh at him and she brought her Zanpakuto down, cutting the cowering Arrancar in two.
"That's what you get for trying to defy my rule as Queen of Noche Resplandor," she said.
She wiped the blood off her blade with a bit of the Arrancar jacket from her fallen opponent. Her dress seemed to shimmer with the moon light as she turned to face the forces that fought for the fool who dared to defy her. Her black hair shone in the ever-constant moonlight of Hueco Mundo. She felt her mask remnant, which was shaped like an ornate comb of a crescent moon on the right side of her head.
Her banner of a silver hawk clutching a crescent moon on a blue field hung down from the balcony where she stood.
"I am Tyanna Luna, the Queen of Noche Resplandor," she said. "You have two choices. Either you can fight for me or you can die. If you choose to follow me, I can turn you into Arrancars like me."
"How is that possible?" one of them, a low-level Adjuchas, asked.
"I have recently gained access to technology based on the principles of the Hogyoku," she said.
The crowd of Hollows and Adjuchas muttered among themselves about that. They had all heard of Aizen's Hogyoku and its ability to turn Menos and Hollows into Arrancars. There were very few who achieved that level of power naturally. As far as any of them knew, only two of Aizen's current Espada ever achieved it naturally: Coyote Starrk and Ulquiorra Schiffer.
"That's correct," Tyanna said. "If you join me, then I can guarantee…"
She fell silent. Her head cocked slightly and she wasn't the only one. The other Hollows and Gillians and Adjuchas who were gathered stopped and fell silent as they all heard something cry out in rage and horror.
Lobo De Plata, Northern Lands
He was called "The Second Wolf" and he once knew Coyote Starrk back when they ran in the same pack. However, he challenged Starrk to be the Alpha, only to be defeated and sent away from the pack. In that regard, he was lucky. He was also lucky to have evolved into a natural Arrancar. He stood on the battlements of Lobo De Plata, the banner of the silver wolf on a black field fluttered behind him. The pelt he wore as a Vasto Lorde was made into the coat that he wore. The remains of his Hollow mask were like part of a wolf's jaw on the left side of his face.
His golden-brown hair fluttered in the breeze as he watched his army marching back from a campaign against the rebels. He wondered how many he lost and mourned for them. Every Hollow who entered his service was a member of the pack and he mourned them whenever any of them died. He leaned against the wall and put his left hand on top of his Zanpakuto.
Suddenly a wave of nausea filled him and he thought he heard something cry out in rage and horror. His golden eyes flew wide in surprise and a smile of joy came onto his face.
"The bastard's dead," he whispered.
"My Lord," someone called out.
He turned and looked at his wife and second-in-command. Her coat was made of bone-silk which was lined with fur from his pelt and her trousers were made from the hide of a Volante, one of the flying creatures from the mountains far to the north with silvery skin. Her mask remnant resembled a small, ornately carved tiara with two strands that looked like strings of pearl running across her forehead.
"Aidalla," he said, grinning. "Did you feel it too?"
"I did," she said. "Do you wish me to gather the other Colmillos?"
"Yes," he said. "Now is the time we've been waiting for. We will gain what should have been ours long ago."
"Yes, now that Baraggan Luisenbarn is dead and the Throne of Las Noches has no one on it…. If only your father lived long enough to see this day," she said.
"I know," he said.
A short time later he felt another stab of pain, but this one brought grief to him instead of joy. He felt tears roll down his face.
"Coyote," he whispered. "May you end up in a better place than here, Brother," Lupos Starrk said.
Nido De Víboras, Southern Plains
Barrcae Rureaux stood on the ramparts of the Provincial Capital of the Southern Plains, Nido De Víboras. He smiled down to his armies far below who wove his banner of the black Horned Viper on a crimson field in place of the stag on a green field of the former High Lord, whose head was now hanging from above the front gates. His mask remnant was like a helmet the shape of the upper head of a hawk. His hawk-like eyes glittered in triumph as he raised the halberd that served as his Zanpakuto above him.
"Today, we celebrate," he said. "I am now High Lord Barrcae Rureaux. It has been over a century since Aizen took over Las Noches and plunged these lands into Civil War, but now, you who followed me for that time, have an opportunity to reunite the lands under the banner of the Horned Viper.
"You all felt it. Baraggan Luisenbarn is dead. The Crown has shattered. His throne is empty. We can reclaim the lands that the Southern Plains lost and rule over our enemies. Soon, the Crown of Hueco Mundo shall belong to the South!"
Cheers rose as Barrcae faced his five Lanzas. The five men and women Arrancars who served in the same capacity as the Espada nodded to him. He smiled as he set his eyes northwards.
The Western Wastes
"My Lord," the Arrancar said and knelt before the throne.
Mordrath Luisenbarn looked at the Arrancar and only began to stroke his neatly-trimmed reddish gold goatee and mustache.
"I know. My older brother is dead," Mordrath said.
Even though Luisenbarn had the appearance of a man in his later years, Mordrath looked like someone in their late twenties or early thirties. His golden hair hung down to his shoulders. His Hollow mask remnant looked like a thin circlet with two fangs that descended on each side of his face next to the eyes. He wore the same kind of uniform that his brother did, except that the coat reached to his ankles and was only trimmed at the collar with a thin trim of black fur. The coat was held closed by the red sash he wore around his waist beneath a series of thin chains of gold that met at the left side and ran through a medallion shaped like a dragon's head with ruby eyes.
"Yes my Lord, and…"
"DO YOU SEE THE CROWN ON MY HEAD?" he roared and leapt up from the throne.
"No, my Lord," the Arrancar said and trembled.
"Of course you don't. It's because my idiot brother failed to remember me in his last moments. Otherwise the Crown would be on my head where it belongs," Mordrath said. "Because of his blunder, many Vasto Lordes and Arrancars are going to lay claim to the throne. But none of them will get it. The throne has always belonged to a Luisenbarn and it will always be that way. After our father defeated Reggan Starrk at the beginning of Hueco Mundo, a Luisenbarn has always worn the Crown of Hueco Mundo. That is our DIVINE RIGHT!"
"Yes sir," the Arrancar said and bowed.
"Tell me, Tarran," Mordrath said. "How many more Arrancars have you made for me?"
Tarran Granz, the third Granz brother and former Espada, polished his mask fragment, a monocle attached to his neck by a thin chain of bone. He had been the early researcher at Las Noches under Aizen's control and had even made many pieces of Hogyoku Technology to make it unnecessary to use the Hogyoku to make Arrancars. However, all of that research and technology was stolen during Mordrath's rebellion and Aizen had to use the Hogyoku to make any future Arrancars.
"I've just finished turning 5 Adjuchas and 30 Gillians into Arrancars. Unfortunately, more than half of the Gillians proved to be…unacceptable and were thus disposed."
"I see," Mordrath said and smiled. "At this rate I should be ready to launch my assault any moment. Now that Aizen's out of the way, it should be easy. No one…and I mean NO ONE dares to take away what belongs to a LUISENBARN!"
He stood and touched one of the banners of a red dragon wearing a crown and clutching a skull and crescent moon on a white field.
"If the Bone Emperor failed to keep the Crown, then the Dragon will just have to reclaim it," he said. "I…am…a…LUISENBARN!"
Las Noches
He woke from his sleep. He lifted one hand to his mouth as his blue eyes threatened to allow the tears flow. His Hollow mask, like a broken gladiator's helmet, felt heavy on him. He rubbed the 101 tattooed on the left side of his neck and could only shake his head.
"No," he whispered. "Baraggan…how could you die like that?"
He was shocked. Something told him that he should have gone to the World of the Living with the remaining Espada and their Fraccions, but he decided not to. He looked up as Cirucci walked through the double doors of their chamber. He smiled at her, but then noticed the frown.
"Cirucci, what's wrong?"
"Ulquiorra and Yammy are dead," she said.
"What?"
"Why didn't you try to fight the intruders? You should have gone looking for them."
"I know," he said as he ruffled his brown hair.
He stood up and Cirucci couldn't help but think that he was about as tall as Grimmjow, if not a little taller.
"I regret not fighting, but we had our orders from Aizen to stay put."
"Since when did you obey such a command from Aizen?"
"I don't really know," Skullak said and frowned.
"I'll tell you why," Cirucci said. "It's because you're like Starrk. Aizen gave you an opportunity to be with others and you jumped at it. Now look, the only friends who are left are Dordoni and Rudobon."
"And you," Skullak said.
"Come on, you know we're more than mere 'friends,'" Cirucci said but smiled.
"It's in the past," Skullak said as he walked towards his personal library. "The question is: What's going to happen now?"
"You know what's going to happen," Cirucci said. "When Baraggan was in control, he was able to keep Hueco Mundo in order with his political structure. Then, when Aizen came, it fell apart and most of the Arrancars and higher-level Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde began fighting with each other over dominion over different bits of land. It was a mess."
"I know," Skullak said. "From what I heard, at the height of that chaos, which was when Mordrath Luisenbarn had his failed rebellion, there were at least 500 different factions and now it's decreased to 30 with three known large factions: Tyanna Luna, Lupos Starrk, and Barrcae Rureaux."
"Skullak, you know that war is going to break out over who has the right to control Las Noches and wear the Crown of Hueco Mundo."
"I know, but the Crown shattered. There's no way it can be used."
"You obviously never read the old legends," Cirucci said.
"Have you?"
"No," Cirucci said after a moment's hesitation.
"Then why bug me about it?"
"Because," Cirucci said. "I can."
"So…what do you suggest? The only person in any of the factions I would consider siding with is Lupos Starrk."
"Tonto," Cirucci said and slapped him. "You were meant to lead; never follow."
"I followed Aizen."
"But you led many of the other Arrancars, including the Espada, before you were replaced with Starrk. I don't know why you were replaced, but you were. Look," Cirucci said and pulled out one of the maps from his collection and uncurled it and pointed. "We're in Las Noches, the center of Hueco Mundo. Soon, all eyes will shift to here and anyone who can gather an army will and march towards us. What do you think they'll do to those who are here?"
"Cirucci…"
"No, we need to discuss this now," Cirucci said. "You care about those who follow you and that makes you a better leader than most of those who will come here seeking to become King of Hueco Mundo. Even if you were to side with someone, how can you be sure that they'll restore order? Isn't that what you want: restoration of order in Hueco Mundo?"
"Well, yes," Skullak said. He did not like where this was going, but he knew she was right.
"You have a duty as one of the few to have the name Espada to do whatever it takes to restore order in Hueco Mundo," Cirucci said. "You have a duty to defend Las Noches."
"I figured you would say that," Skullak said and sighed.
"You know I'm right," Cirucci said.
"Yeah," Skullak said. "The only way to make sure that order will be restored is to be the one who can make it happen."
"That's right," Cirucci said. "The only way to make sure that the Crown of Hueco Mundo is restored is to defeat all who stand in your way."
Outside Las Noches
"'War does not determine who is right, only who is left,' George Bernard Shaw," Mykkal said as he looked over the moon-lit landscape of Hueco Mundo.
"What are you talking about now?" Littchfeld asked.
"Can you feel it?"
"Of course I can. Hueco Mundo feels…uneasy."
"It's been that way since we felt Baraggan die and the Crown shatter."
The two looked out over Hueco Mundo. Like all of Hueco Mundo, they knew that a storm was coming.
"Vain the ambition of kings
Who seek by trophies and dead things
To leave a living name behind,
And weave but nets to catch the wind," Mykkal quoted as a wind began to rise.
End of Prologue
A.N.: First of all, I want to say "Thank You" to darkmachines for permitting me to use the character of Skullak Tuma as well as the characters of Rey Tiburon, Leo Vega, and Sheelal Harribel (these three will be first introduced in later chapters). The canon characters who appear are all the property of Tite Kubo.
The quote I have at the end is by John Webster in his work, The Devil's Law Case, which was written in 1623.
The brief mention of a Civil War occuring in Hueco Mundo in Chapter 6 of Tamashi no Kiri served as the catalyst to this story. When darkmachines told me in their review of that chapter that they couldn't wait to read about the Civil Wars, I realized that I had just opened a whole can of story-potential. Thus, I decided to do just that.
I began to formulate what Hueco Mundo society would look like and I realized that it would probably look something like Medieval European society with a hierarchy of ranks with the King of Hueco Mundo at the head (since Baraggan fancied himself a god, I imagined it being at least the equivalent of the Holy Roman Emperor with a bit of Theocratic Emperor worship thrown in). When Aizen took over, he strictly centered the focus of power to Las Noches as opposed to Hueco Mundo as a whole and as a result, the Provinces sank into chaos and Civil Wars since now the High Lords and Chancellors didn't have as much power as they used to.
Even though there is mention of at least 30 factions, there are 5 major factions who are the focus of the chapters to come.
Inspirations for how this story will progress include A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin, The Iliad by Homer, and The Stand by Stephen King as well as European history from the Roman Empire to Modern Era.
Thank you for reading, and please review.
-MJLCoyoteStarrk
P.S.: The Arrancars Mykkal and Littchfeld are plays on my first and last name. I decided to do that for a bit of fun and they'll pop up every once and a while to serve as a kind of Greek Chorus.