Prologue
The pendulum of fate is halted for one moment as a new presence enters Ichigo's life! High above Karakura Town the air swirls with anticipation and power as another chapter begins!
Above the Kurosaki Clinic the air twisted and warped as a portal opens. Out of the vortex of power and sky the Tscheapwhetzar emerged, followed closely Lapis Lazuli, Castiel, Bill Cipher, Kelsier, and Jason from Beyonders. The Tscheapwhetzar's customary cloak whipped in the night breeze as he looked down at the little home and business. From beneath his hood he cracked a crooked smile.
"I'm not used to this whole walking in the air thing," Lapis moaned as she clutched the Tscheapwhetzar's tattered garb.
"But you can fly on your own," Jason exclaimed.
"That's with wings! This feels… unnatural," Lapis protested.
"I don't know. I think I could get used to this," Kelsier laughed. "It would definitely widen the possibilities of my Steel Pushing and Iron Pulling."
Lapis ignored him and continued, "And this place feels so different from what I've seen and known. It feels... Darker. Violent."
"My kind of party," Bill remarked, enthused.
The Tscheapwhetzar put an arm around Lapis and said softly, "Don't worry. I'm here, you won't fall. And I am glad that you can feel the difference between this world and your own. Most Crossovers, even Lords, never feel the difference between the many planets and stories in the Realms of Imagination, but residents like yourselves can. You easily recognize the differences between worlds. I wish I could do that as quickly."
"There is no lord, but the one, true God," Castiel muttered under his breath.
"Quite right there, Cass, but you'll need to expand your understanding in order to keep up. I'm not here to talk theology, but the very Essence of world building here in the Realms."
The gathering watched their leader expectantly. Except for Bill who floated and spun around slowly, talking about how Japanese kanji were actually miniature aliens from another dimension. The Tscheapwhetzar laughed at the once king of the Nightmare Realm and he looked down at Lapis.
"I see the question in your mind: why did I bring you all here?"
"It had crossed my mind," Jason voiced.
"Sorry for tearing you away from the ball and your lovely Corrine, but let's face it, Trensicourt has tons of balls. Now, I brought you all here to witness what it's like when I invade a story and form a new timeline. I have already done the same with your own worlds, but then you were the actors. This time you will be the audience. But first, let me tell you a little something about this world."
Kelsier yawned, "You are just like the Drifter, all about telling stories."
"It's what I do."
"It's his thing," Bill quipped, sounding like an overgrown orc.
The Tscheapwhetzar let go of Lapis, though she continued to hold onto his cloak, and he drew forth from his pocket a handful of dirt and began to pour it slowly in the air. He looked at the group he had brought with him to Karakura Town and began his tale.
"Just two months ago, the last war between two of this world's greatest powers came to close. For a thousand years, the Soul Reapers of the Soul Society, kind of like angels," he said, nodding to Castiel, "fought against the Quincy, or rather humans gifted divine powers. The leader of the Quincys, Ywach-"
"Blasphemy," Castiel seethed with a sharp breath.
"Ywach," the Tscheapwhetzar emphasized, "was an all powerful Quincy who sought to destroy and merge the dimensions of the World of the Living, which you see before you, the Soul Society, or heaven, and Hueco Mundo, which is a kind of hell. By doing this, he hoped he could avoid the eventuality of death. However, he was stopped by one Ichigo Kurosaki, a young boy with Soul Reaper powers. He also happens to live in the building right under our feet."
"You mean the lanky teen with the spiky, orange hair, gangly body, and permanent scowl," Bill demanded.
"The very same."
"A teen beat a man who sought to defeat heaven? He must have amazing powers, or ancestry," Castiel mused.
"You are correct on both accounts," the cloaked man remarked with a grin.
"So he is like Steven," Lapis asked.
"In a way, but characteristically speaking, absolutely not."
"If you all keep asking questions, the man's dirt is going to run out, and then we'll never hear the rest of the story," Kelsier joked, though the Tscheapwhetzar saw the man's impatience in his eyes.
"I dunno," Jason said. "Maybe that would be best. His sand pouring is somewhat distracting if you ask me."
"Alright, well let me proceed. To explain the sand, during the fight between Ichigo and Ywach, the Quincy King demonstrated his own godly powers and explained that he could see all futures and change them at will. He compared his power to someone sprinkling sand from their hand, and each individual grain represented a choice and a possible future. Normally, a person could never fathom where the sand would end up, let alone all of the possibilities. As you know from your experiences with prophecies Jason, this is a pretty accurate description of what it is like to deal with events involving the future."
Jason nodded in reply. "Yeah, it still hurts my head a little trying to wrap my mind around it."
"Need some help," Bill asked happily. He suddenly turned red and glared at the young man. "I am great at stretching the mind."
Jason gave him a flat stare and said, "No."
The Tscheapwhetzar continued, "Despite Ywach's ability to control the future, with the help of his friends, Ichigo was able to kill the Quincy King. And now the war is over. Nearly every Quincy is dead, thousands of Soul reapers are dead as well, but our heroes live happily and are getting some well deserved R&R. However, let me be frank-"
"Oh, is that your name?"
"Zip it triangle, or I'll do it for you," Kelsier growled.
"I concur," Castiel added with a scowl.
"Come on guys, we aren't getting anywhere fast with your interruptions," Lapis said, giving the others a serious look.
"Bill, I know you want to get back to plotting the demise of the Pines, but shut up and listen," the Tscheapwhetzar interjected.
"Oh fine," Bill huffed, crossing his legs and floating near the cloaked man's head.
"Does he ever shut up?" Jason moaned.
"Nope. He's like the head that's always screaming. Anyway, back to what I was saying. I thoroughly dislike where this story goes. Yes, it ends happy enough, but things happen from here that honestly do not make sense and ruin this world's overall story. So I am here to change it. I am here to steal it. I am here, because we need Ichigo's powers for the war that is now raging throughout the Realms.
"Now then, to answer the question, 'why the sand?' The reason I showed it to you and why I explained the battle was not just for the sake of exposition, but to explain that there are many different futures. Each grain is a possible future. The one you live in is the one you chose. But it is also influenced by the choices others make as well. This is the weakness in any story and in any world. It is this weakness I have exploited in all of yours. And by going for that weakness, I have created alternate timelines from what actually is, and brought you in. This is essentially how I flitter about the Realms of Imagination: I create new timelines where I can influence the outcomes."
"Okay, the Oracle made more sense," Jason said with a laugh.
"Yeah, I know it doesn't make much sense, which is why you are all here to witness what happens when I change a story. When I change a world!" The Tscheapwhetzar's eyes shown with red light and he drew out his sword. He then stabbed it into int the air in front of him, the blade disappearing as it sunk into the very Essence of Bleach. "When I assert my Dominance and very Presence into this world, I can create a contract, much like what I did to the Winchesters, in order to have people here choose a path that differs from their set future. This creates an alternate timeline, much like how Ywach could influence another future, and then the contract binds that entire alternate future to me. This is how I collect worlds, magic, and people all throughout the Realms of Imagination."
Kelsier gave the Tscheapwhetzar a hungry expression, but remained silent, his eyes intent on what was happening. Lapis' jaw fell open. Bill began to laugh maniacally. Jason looked on in awe and muttered, "So that's how it works. Could this reshape Lyrian? Your power?"
"Indeed it can," the Tscheapwhetzar responded. "And that is what I intend to do. But first, watch! I have taken control of Bleach, and now it is time for my prepared contracts."
He pulled from another pocket a sealed letter.
"Just how many pockets do you have, friend," Kelsier inquired.
"As many as I have secrets," the powerful being winked.
Kelsier was dumbfounded for a moment and then began to laugh. "Very clever. He just played off of one of my many excellent catch phrases," he explained to the rest of the group.
The Tscheapwhetzar continued explaining, "Now then, there is a group of antagonists who desire to conquer the Soul Society. But originally they decided not too, because they felt they could not stand against Ichigo and the other survivors and heroes of the Quincy War. But with a little false information, they will quickly change their tune."
The letter glowed blue and then vanished from the Tscheapwhetzar's hand. He then reached again into his cloak and withdrew two sheathed, Japanese-style swords and roll of parchment tied with a bright, red ribbon.
"These are for Ichigo. Should he use these items, his destiny will be altered and he will have engaged the true contract. It will allow me to collect this entire world and all of its inhabitants and their powers."
"A perfect heist," Kelsier mummered. "I always knew we would make great friends."
"This is what you did to Sam and Dean, isn't it," Castiel demanded.
"Yes, after a fashion. I made their contract somewhat differently, because those two boys are too hard headed for their own good. And it saved them from getting into too bad of a situation. Also, it made it more fun for me."
Castiel just continued to scowl at the Tscheapwhetzar.
"Hold on a sec there," Jason suddenly piped up. "Is this whole contract magic what you used back in Trensicourt?"
"No, what I used then was a rather splendid and complicated spell that took some real thought and ingenuity to make function."
Jason once again nodded, but this time there were tears in eyes. Tears that come from a happy memory. Kelsier scratched his cheek and then asked his own question.
"So, am I under contract or something?"
The Tscheaphwhetzar chuckled and answered, "No. I have decided to not yet get fully invested in the Cosmere. I want to see how your whole story plays out. Besides, the Cosmere is so wonderfully built with such amazing powers, it will hold its own. At least for the first stages of this war. Now, let's finish what we came here to do."
The group descended through the air to the window of Ichigo's room. With a wave of his hand, Bill opened the window and the Tscheapwetzar Willed the items to fly into the room. The swords propped themselves on the door of the closet and the parchment rested on the young man's chest. Kelsier soundlessly closed the window.
"What now," Castiel inquired.
"Now we wait and see what he choses," The Tscheaphwhetzar said, and he turned back to the portal. The others followed closely behind.