Bit of spoilers here for anyone who isn't up to date with the manga.
There was a conversation in the manga between Kisuke Urahara and Aizen Sosuke that really captured my interest. As of now, though, Kubo hasn't elaborated on it, and going on how he's left a few mysteries already, I'm not sure whether he will expand upon it. The conversation is below.
Urahara Kisuke! I despise you! How could a man of your intellect sit idle? Why…Why do you allow yourself to be controlled by that THING?
That thing…? You mean the "spirit king"…? …Oh. So you saw it. Without the existence of the soul king, soul society will split. The spirit king is the lynchpin. If the lynchpin is lost, then it will all easily crumble. That's the way the world is.
That's the logic of a loser! A winner must always think not how the world, but of how it should be! I-
And Aizen is cut off. It interested me that there was something behind the scenes, that Aizen was given a motivation beyond the spectrum of 'I want to control soul society/the gotei 13/everything/etc.' This, coupled with a character concept for Bleach that I've had floating in my head for a while is leading me to try and start another story up. Knowing how much Bleach stuff is out there, I'm not planning on a big success, but the idea is that it will run concurrent to the story, adding a bit of my own twist. You'll see that later on, though. Anyways, thanks for reading, hope you enjoy, review, yada yada, and apologies to anyone who read my other story and are waiting on that update (It's been a year, I'm so sorry! Passion comes in small bursts.) Also, an apology for the slow development. After finishing this first chapter, I realized that it's going to take awhile to develop this story to the point where it'll be recognizable as Bleach. For those who stick around, I'll be thankful.
Alexander Leonsbane was in a void. The world around him was lifeless and cold, and there was no landmarks, no significant traits to identify where he was. He felt like he was surrounded by shadows, and they were suffocating him. He tried to move, and found himself bound, as if something was holding his limbs at bay. Slowly, the world around him started to morph into a small Greek temple under a night sky, with small fires lining the colonnade. Tearing his gaze from the scene unfolding before him, he looked down to see that he was indeed bound, black chains holding him taught, one on each of his limbs and another surrounding his torso. Looking back to the temple, he found that he was no longer alone in this place, but surrounded by hooded figures, murmuring quietly. Eventually, one came forward among the group, their back facing him, and the others fell into silence. When the figure spoke, her words flowed out in a language that he did not understand, but understanding flowed through him in a way that the words could never allow.
"Nemesis, winged one that tips the scales of life,
dark-eyed goddess, daughter of Justice,
you restrain the futile pride of mortals with your unyielding bridle and,
hating hurtful vanity, destroy black envy: below your wheel, always
moving but leaving no trace, the fortune of man turns.
Unseen, you come at once to defeat arrogance;
by your hand you gauge the span of life, and, frowning,
you scrutinize the thoughts of men, you always hold the balance.
Be merciful, hallowed judge, winged Nemesis, life's force.
We honor you, Nemesis, immortal goddess,
victory incarnate with wings unfurled, faultless,
sharing the throne of Justice; you resent human vanity and banish
men to Tartarus below"
As the chant proceeded, the figures around him joined in, the fateful hymn echoing through the temple and his mind, as if the words were something familiar, something powerful. Around them, the torches dimmed and the smoke from them collected in a sphere, swirling with the words before an image formed, leaving Alexander jarred and breathless. He saw himself, both familiar and not, his shaggy white hair hanging roughly above his line of sight, but his demeanor was changed. The individual in the wisps of smoke was not the relaxed and watchful man he considered himself to be, as his dark grey eyes showed a determined look that was unbecoming of him. He was dressed in a white robe of some sort, as if he was in feudal japan, carrying a katana at his hip and staring down another figure in front of him. This figure was hidden from his eyes, as were those surrounding him, but he was an enemy, Alexander knew as much. Just as he wanted to analyze this image, this situation that was completely foreign to him, the chant began to die down and the smoke dissipated into the night air. As the leader spoke the last word and she lifted her bowed head, she turned and her gaze fell directly upon him, and reflected in her eyes, he saw a dark light against his own silhouette, a black aura surrounding him in contrast to the white robes he and the priests around him were garbed in. As his grey eyes came back into focus, the vision purged from his mind, the figure in front of him spoke.
"Wake up, you chosen by the goddess. Your journey must start soon, you have no time to rest. She is waiting."
"Alexander, do you have an answer?"
The voice jarred Alexander from his vivid dream, and he looked up in a rush to see what he was missing. The hall was dark, save for the light of a projector showing a very familiar temple on the wall in front of him, and Alexander found himself amidst a sea of students with one slightly irritated man staring at him. Further to his discontent, most of his peers around the lecture hall were glancing between him and the professor, not attempting to hide their grins or small chuckles.
"May I suggest that if you aren't getting enough sleep, you don't bother coming to class. This is an institution of higher learning, and you should be paying attention. Hell, this is usually a course people enjoy taking, so I don't usually have to chastise people in this environment. It's quite different in my Greek history courses, though," the professor added, looking to some of the laughing students who were now either nervously scratching their heads or giving some sign of humility. Turning his gaze back to the young man, the professor continued. "So, can you answer my question?"
"Well, maybe if I knew what it was," Alexander muttered under his breath, stifling a reflex to yawn.
"He's asking who Nemesis is," a voice next to him whispered, a sympathetic individual having likely been in this situation before. The name sent a chill down his spine as she repeated it.
Maybe I heard him say it in my sleep? He thought, turning to the vision for guidance, as he had never heard the name before.
"Nemesis was…a god of balance?" he asked questioningly, the professor nodding his head, as if to tell him to continue. "A Greek goddess, who sought to quell human envy. She was the bane of pride and hubris, and was said to balance fortune for humanity. She was almost a physical manifestation of the idea of karma, in that she punished those who had too much pride, and gave fortune to those who had suffered. Even her name comes from the Greek word for giving what was due."
When did I learn that? The hymn didn't mention half of that.
"Well well, color me impressed! It's good to know you're studying on your own, even if you're falling asleep at my lecture. Minus the sleeping, you could all stand to take a leaf out of Mr. Leonsbane's book. Nemesis is yet another example of a goddess who's following was small, yet who's role in Greek society was important." The professor turned back to his slides, and the lecture continued, Alexander trying to take notes while his mind was turning around the idea of what had just happened.
That dream was insane. I've had some pretty crazy ones over the years, but that one tops anything else, he thought calmly, his eyes shifting from professor to notebook, running on automatic until the lecture's end. As he breathed a sigh of relief, his last class before the weekend finished, and while stowing his things away in his bag, he felt a tap on his shoulder. As he turned, he faced a girl giving him a shy smile, and when she spoke he realized that she was the one who had helped him earlier. She stood around five foot three, wearing black, narrow glasses and had a pale, petite complexion, which was highlighted by the contrast of her dark, long hair that sat neatly on her shoulders. Alexander was astounded for two reasons; first, she was a perfect model for the 'shy college girl' stereotype, but also while he was sure he had never seen her, in lecture or otherwise, he felt like he wanted to get to know her, which didn't happen often.
"You pulled that off pretty well. I'm actually a bit surprised. For a guy who sleeps in mythology class, you sure knew your stuff," she said, stifling a quick laugh with the back of her hand. "You know, people usually tell me that I have a weird name, but you've definitely got a look to match yours."
Alexander let out a sigh, running a hand through his shaggy mop of hair, which quickly fell back into place with his bangs skirting slightly over his eyes, before scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Can't fight genetics though, and the name is an old family heirloom, I've been told. Still, thanks for the help earlier, I owe ya. Are you new in class? I don't remember seeing you before."
"Well, I could tell you that I've sat behind you all semester and make you feel bad, but you're right, I'm new," she said, the pair walking out of the lecture hall and heading for the building's exit. "I guess you could say I have a few connections, so I managed to make up tests I missed and get in at the last minute."
"Sounds like a lot of work. Any reason you wanted to come in for the spring? Could've just waited until the fall," Alexander said, watching the girl rub her arm nervously.
"Yeah, but I figured I needed to get started. If I kept waiting, I might not get around to it, you know? I kind of lack motivation in some areas."
Shrugging, Alexander moved to open the door for her, the duo stepping out into the crisp spring air. They walked in silence for a time before the girl once again broke the silence.
"I…don't really know anyone here yet, so would you be free to do something this weekend?" Pausing in his stride, Alexander had to stare at her for a moment. He wasn't anti-social by any means, but in the semester and a half that he'd been here, he hadn't gotten to know many people well. He'd kept himself busy during the week, but the weekends were his time to slouch. He was so stunned, that his mouth acted before his brain could process the request, spewing the first thought that came to mind.
"I don't even know your name!" He immediately felt his face drop, but her reaction was a lot less negative, as she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
"Your face…you looked so scared…like a little kid who got caught doing something wrong," she said during breaths, her laughter slowly subsiding before she regained her composure, stretching out her hand. "Lily Nox." Taking a moment to recover, he shook her hand lightly.
"Sorry. I'm just not used to people approaching me wanting to be social. I don't exactly look like a social person, do I?" he said, giving a laugh. "I've been told that my appearance is even intimidating."
"I don't know, you looked more like a kitten than a lion just then," Lily replied, grinning as the pair walked on, destination unknown. "So, are you good to hang? I think I might even want to copy your notes after today's episode in class."
"Um, sure, though I'm not really promising quality on those," he replied, laughing a bit nervously. "Notes have never been my strong point. Hell, I don't know how I pulled it off today in class."
"You mean you'd never heard of her? That's even more impressive. Can you read minds or something? The professor looked somewhat impressed, considering how you were brought into the situation."
"Honest, I don't even remember hearing the name before. Maybe I read it somewhere at some point, but I was going on a gamble when I gave him an answer." The girl before him looked skeptical, but shrugged.
"I'll just add 'subconscious mind reading' to your list of interesting traits," she said, pausing in her stride before one of the old brick buildings on campus. She pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of her bag, jaunting down her number before handing it to him. "Get ahold of me sometime this weekend, alright? If not, I'm going to chew you out when I see you in class again." Giving him another light smile, she walked into the building and was gone. If not for the solid proof he now held in his hand, he would've told himself that she was a figment of his imagination. Pocketing the paper, he continued on his way, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, his mind churning with the strangeness of the day.