Blood spattered onto the marble floor, marring the pure white surface with a dark crimson taint. A woman fell to that selfsame floor, a primal cry of unspeakable rage was uttered and in a cataclysmic collision, two blades met, darkest black on the very purest white. For a moment, in a scene that seemed to last an age, light met shadow.

Or so the legend goes…. 20,000 years later, that battle has descended into the realms of myth, a myth of a Golden Age in the history of the Soul Society where a lone individual clashed with the fabled Soul King, attempting to bring an end to his plans of destroying and recreating the Soul Society anew. The result of this battle remains a mystery to this day, and the gates of heaven have repelled any attempt to enter.

The results of this battle, though unknown, were still felt for ages to come. Devastated by the Soul King's war, the Soul Society fell into chaos, revolts erupting among many sectors of the Rukongai as the distinct lack of Shinigami became increasingly apparent. In the meantime, as the Soul Society was ravaged by the aftermath of a million years of decadence, the Human Realm was left undefended.

Seizing upon this unprecedented opportunity, Vasto Lorde, having hidden themselves deep in the depths of the menos forest of Hueco Mundo, beings so ancient and powerful that had not even been stirred in their slumber by the invasion of the Vandenreich woke, and, in a heartbeat, war came to the Earth . It was the unholy crusade that turned the human world into a living hell, hollows descending in their millions from huge rifts in the sky, tore open by the Menos, the Vasto Lorde themselves tearing the sky asunder.

The Terror that came unseen, hollows came like locusts, feasting on the terrified humans… it has been said that humans fear most what cannot be seen, this could not have been any truer in this case. There were those who resisted of course, those who knew of the unthinkable horror that had descended on their world. An alliance of Fullbringers and Quincy led by the fabled Uryu Ishida fought tooth and nail against the hollow invasion, fighting against their inescapable fate.

But, as is so often true in these matters, their noble effort failed, Uryu himself cut down at the end, seconds away from killing the leader of the Vasto Lorde. As such… hope faded and darkness covered the Earth, humans existing only as simple sport for hollows. This was surely the end of days.

For almost 19,000 years, this was the state of affairs, a dark age in both the Soul Society and the Human World, the balance of souls itself threatening to bring about the apocalypse as more and more spirits were feasted upon by Hollows, becoming those selfsame Hollows that had earlier devoured them. The human civilization of old had been torn apart, humanity reverting to a more basic state, so that they could hide from the Hollows, so that they could survive.

That was when the Senkaimon opened once more… the Shinigami, had spent millennia rebuilding their Soul Society, having been blessed with Shinigami of unnatural talent. They arrived as divine angels, purging the Hollows from the world of man. The small number of Vasto Lorde were unable to stand against the numbers and might of the newly assembled Gotei 13, and retreated back to their lair in the forests of the menos. There they waited, biding their time, knowing that they would descend once more to feast upon the feeble hearts of men.

However, interaction between the Shinigami and Humans had been irrevocably changed, under the harsh rule of the Hollow menace, humanity had developed an almost worldwide sense of spiritual awareness… the days where Shinigami could pass unnoticed in their duties was over. In a sense, humanity had regressed to a more basic state of affairs, technology was all but forgotten, humanity congregating in one haven where they had learnt to defend themselves against the spiritual, the massive influx of spiritual energy giving birth to powers blooming across the entire human race, Quincy and Fullbringer alike. This haven was an island to the east… a land once called Japan.

And so, 1000 years passed, humanity slowly beginning to repopulate, remaining however, in a medieval state, the superstitious believing that progress itself caused their fall. The Shinigami have returned to their former glory, having rebuilt after millennia of one civil war after the other. All is at peace…. or so it seems.

However, worrisome events have been happening of late. There have been rumors of movement in Hueco Mundo, around the long abandoned castle of night, Las Noches… The Gates of Hell have been appearing at an unnerving rate…. And, unbeknownst to the Shinigami… an ancient enemy stirs within the depths of the Soul Society… an enemy sealed away thousands upon thousands of years ago.

Authors Note: Yay first story, even if it is only an intro ^^

As you probably have gathered, this is going to be pretty different from the norm, so don't really expect many in-series characters… though I may include a few in some shape or form. Anyways, I'll try to upload chapters on a somewhat regular basis…. Soooo hope you enjoy