(A/N: And we're back. So as not to obscure the action, I will say nothing else)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Symphonia
3rd Person pov
What happened to Emil? Ichigo wondered. It's like his personality did a complete 180. He looks so battle ready, but before he was more timid and passive than Orihime. What's going on?
Emil rushed forward and attacked Aqua's tortoise minion with his sword dealing a decent amount of damage. "Demon Fang!" A blast wave of yellow energy fired forward from Emil's sword and forced the minion back into Aqua's summoning system.
Ichigo's eyes widened. Such power, when Lloyd first started out his demon fang wasn't nearly as powerful. Is this just the power of Ratatosk, or maybe…Ichigo's train of thought was stopped short when Aqua's water elemental attacked him. The teen blocked the strike with Zangetsu, but was pushed back. "That's it!" Ichigo shouted, "You're asking for it." He channeled energy into his sword and swung it forward, "Getsuga Tensho!" The blast was mid powered, so as not to collapse the cave, but it was still damaging enough to severely injure Aqua's water elemental. Aqua herself winced, connected to the monster by a linkage in mana.
Emil took notice of Ichigo's strike. Hmm, that was quite an interesting technique, and he's exuding such powerful darkness mana. With Tenebrae under my command, Emil put his sword behind his back and charged mana into his body. I wonder if I could replicate it. Emil watched Ichigo contend with Aqua's Water Elemental, now wary of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho it was taking means to dodge the strikes or deflect them. Ichigo was also forced to weaken his blows so damage to the cavern didn't cause the whole cave's collapse. Emil closed his eyes, focusing on the enemy and then felt a pulse from Ichigo. There, got it. "Ichigo! Move!" Emil shouted. The teen answered the blonde's command. Black energy, with a golden outline flashed from Emil's sword. "Demonic!" Emil moved his sword arm forward to fire off the energy at the water elemental, "Moon Fang!" The blast went blazing towards the Water Elemental completely annihilating it. The overcharge of energy caused Aqua to fall unconscious as the defeated monster returned to her summoning system. "That was too easy," Emil scoffed putting away his sword. Suddenly there was a fluctuation of energy around him and his eyes returned to their natural green color. He took one look at Aqua passed out on the ground and took a half a step back. "What just happened?" His voice wasn't entirely mirroring Ichigo's anymore either.
Tenebrae walked up to the young blonde, "Lord Ratatosk's power took hold of you."
"That was the power of Ratatosk?" Ichigo questioned, "Emil seemed like he became totally different, and how in the hell did you create your own version of my Getsuga Tensho like that?"
"Huh?" Emil was confused, but then put the pieces together and said, "Oh you mean how I copied your attack to an extent? I don't know really, I just concentrated really hard."
"It is a bit interesting that Lord Ratatosk would grant you the power to tap into the power of humans," Tenebrae said.
"Well the power I draw on is of my Zanpakuto," Ichigo held up his blade.
"Zanpakuto?" Tenebrae was confused.
"You don't know about Soul Reapers? That's interesting, Origin the summon spirit seemed to know all about how Soul Reapers function," Emil said.
"Lord Ratatosk, and we Centurions have been asleep for several millennia Ichigo, so anything that happened during that time is unknown to us," Tenebrae said.
"Oh, well I'll explain it later I guess. Right now we should focus on rescuing Marta," Ichigo said.
"I concur," Tenebrae said.
"Wait, what happened to Aqua? I didn't even touch her," Emil said.
"Centurions themselves do not fight. They employ monster servants to battle in their place. If their monsters are defeated, the Centurion's power will also fade. Right now she is only unconscious," Tenebrae said.
"Oh that's good, I didn't want to hurt her," Emil said.
"Boy aren't you sympathetic," Ichigo grunted. "Anyway let's move on." Tenebrae and Emil agreed and they moved on to chase after Richter.
As they did, Tenebrae noticed a small purple creature, holding a knife, with a whitened face and little devil horns, moseying on about its business through the cave, "Ah an Imp. That'll do nicely."
"Hey. what's the hold up?" Ichigo stopped and turned towards Tenebrae.
"Emil, let us forge a pact," Tenebrae said.
"Pact?" Emil tilted his head.
"Your power as a Knight of Ratatosk is granted to you by Lord Ratatosk himself. However, he is currently in a deep slumber. As a result, the power he grants you is very weak," Tenebrae explained.
"This is considered weak?" Ichigo questioned, "Emil's stronger right now then Lloyd was when I first met him."
"Really?" Emil's mood brightened up like a 1000-watt bulb at the idea that he was starting off more powerful than Lloyd.
"Yeah, but you've got a long way to go if you want to get to where he is now, If I can beat you, which I could under normal circumstances, there's almost no chance you'd win," Ichigo explained to the blonde. Emil whined and bent forward, feeling down again.
"Do not worry," Tenebrae said, "Lord Ratatosk is very powerful. As you gain experience and grow your abilities, you will eventually be able to grow exponentially more powerful."
"But how am I supposed to get stronger?" Emil asked.
"It's simple. We Centurions share a bond with Lord Ratatosk. If power is restored to the Centurions, Lord Ratatosk's strength will return as well. We can accomplish this by forging pacts with monsters," Tenebrae explained.
"How does that work?" Emil asked.
"As I explained earlier, Centurions do not engage in battle themselves. We use monsters under our control. A Centurion's power depends upon the number and strength of the monsters it employs. I am the Centurion of Darkness, so any pact you make with dark elemental monsters will bring them under my control, and make me more powerful in the process, and as a Knight of Ratatosk you will awaken to new power as well," Tenebrae stated.
"Now it makes sense," Ichigo said, earning Tenebrae and Emil's attention, "When we went to the Temple of Darkness, on the Journey of Regeneration, my Zanpakuto Spirit, which is the spirit that resides inside my sword and allows me to utilize its power, materialized because I'm darkness affiliated. If we consider the idea that, in Aselia that Zanpakuto spirits could be the same as monsters then…"
"Yes, I see the connection," Tenebrae realized, "And if we assume that your spirits cannot directly form a pact with Emil then as long as those spirits choose to consider him their ally then…"
"Then I can tap into their powers right?" Emil asked.
"Yes, but I think only if you had the correct Centurion under your command could you use a Zanpakuto Spirit's power. That is to say, right now, you probably couldn't use a wind elemental Zanpakuto spirit's abilities without the proper Centurion being awakened," Tenebrae stated.
"Oh that makes sense," Emil said. "So the more monsters I from pacts with the stronger I'll become?"
"Yes, I believe forming pacts with monsters is not limited to their elemental affiliation, that is to say you could form a bond with any sort of monster and you would gain in power," Tenebrae said.
"Aqua's a centurion too isn't she, will I get stronger as she collects more monsters?" Emil asked.
"No, Aqua has chosen to sever her bond with Lord Ratatosk. As such, even if she acquires more monster servants, your powers will not increase," Tenebrae explained. "You may enter into pacts with monsters without the Centurion of the same element. Later, when you befriend the appropriate Centurions, your strength will increase accordingly."
"Oh, I see," Emil said.
"So how do these pact things work anyway? Is it anything like forming a pact with a Summon Spirit?" Ichigo asked.
"Like this," Tenebrae ran forward and smacked the Imp on the head with his paw and then ran back towards Emil and Ichigo. The imp came towards Ichigo and Emil, slightly pissed off.
"Wh-what did you do that for?" Emil asked.
"In order to make a pact, you must first prove you are more powerful than your opponent. You must force them to yield to you in battle," Tenebrae said.
"B-but," Emil trembled.
"No sweat," Ichigo stepped forward, "I'll…"
Tenebrae blocked Ichigo with his tail, "In order for Emil to bring the monster under his power he must be the one to subdue it in battle. There will be monsters we will encounter that will become attracted to the power of a Knight of Ratatosk and thereby will engage in a battle to test his limits. If Emil can overcome those limits the pact magic will activate and the monster will fall under his command."
"So Emil has to do this on his own?" Ichigo asked.
"No sweat," Ichigo recognized the mirroring of his voice, "This thing has nothing on me." Emil charged forward after the imp and slashed it in half, right down the middle with his sword. Ichigo was shocked, but Tenebrae did not flinch.
"Wasn't killing it, not supposed to happen?" Ichigo asked.
"On the contrary," Tenebrae said, "Watch." A large magic circle appeared beneath Emil's feet. He was not in the center, rather on one side. The imp he had just defeated reformed on the other. Violet shadows appeared up and around the magic circle. "This is the pact magic," Tenebrae explained. "Emil must concentrate on subduing the Imp's will to bring it under his control."
Ichigo watched as Emil, who seemed to understand what he was doing engage the Imp in a mental battle. "In the name of Lord Ratatosk I command you," Emil thrust out his open palm towards the Imp, "Obey me!" A blast of red and black energy fired forward from Emil's hands and surrounded the Imp. The imp was surrounded in a spherical energy prison and the pact magic disappeared. The sphere solidified into a white stone like object, with a purple etching of the emblem of darkness on it. Tenebrae lifted up his tail and telekinetically called forth the imp and dispersed the ball.
"And now the imp is under our control," Tenebrae said.
"That's amazing," Emil was back to his normal self.
Man talk about mood whiplash. Ichigo thought to himself.
"Can we chase after Marta now?" Ichigo asked. "Richter may have her already."
"Because Ratatosk's Core is embedded in Lady Marta's forehead I can sense her presence regardless of her location, within a certain radius. She doesn't appear to be under any physical harm or stress so we have time to collect monsters to form pacts with," Tenebrae explained.
"Well, as long as you know what you're doing," Ichigo said. He, Tenebrae, and Emil then continued on.
It wasn't long before Tenebrae spotted another monster. It had four legs, gray fur, yellow eyes and a canine-like appearance. "Ah, there's a wolf- just what we're looking for. Try making a pact with him Emil," Tenebrae said to the blonde.
"Ok," Emil agreed.
"But first," Tenebrae held up his tail and summoned the sphere from earlier, "Imp, my servant, awaken," Tenebrae did a backflip and let the sphere sail towards the ground. In a cloud of smoke the imp appeared.
"Why did you summon the imp?" Ichigo asked.
"In place of Emil himself he may use his monster servants to try and contend with the monsters in his place. He may also use them in conjunction with forming the pact with a monster," Tenebrae explained, "During the pact formation Emil can draw extra energy upon his servant. If the monster he has selected and the monster he is trying to subdue are compatible monster types, then the pact will be easier to form. So Emil will you fight or will you let the Imp fight in your place?" Tenebrae asked.
"Um I think that decision has already been made," Ichigo said pointing to the fact that the wolf and Emil's Imp were already locking mental horns. The wolf leapt at the imp in an attempt to bite it, but the imp levitated out of the way. A small magic circle formed beneath the imp, as if it were casting a spell. The wolf leapt at it again, but before it could reach the imp a small blast of dark energy built up and blasted the wolf, eliminating it from view.
"Wow, it won," Emil said, only for the magic circle to appear and for Emil to revert to his Ratatosk possessed persona. The wolf appeared and the imp teleported next to Emil, feeding him its energy. "In the name of Lord Ratatosk I command you," Emil stretched out his hand, palm open, "Obey me!" The red energy surrounded the wolf and sealed it inside a ball of energy which solidified and was emblazoned with the red emblem of fire. Tenebrae sealed the imp and called both monsters to him and dispersed their seals into his summoning system.
"Wait, that wolf is a fire type, how are you able to use it?" Ichigo asked.
"Just because a monster is not my type does not mean I cannot control it if Emil has formed a bond with it. While it is true that I, as a Centurion of Darkness, only gain power with every pact Emil forms with a monster of darkness, I am still able to command monsters of other elements, as are the rest of the Centurions. It is how we keep the balance. Sometimes we trade commands of monsters of different elements with monsters of our own element or just out of necessity," Tenebrae explained.
Ichigo looked up, with his eyes only, with a dull expression, Why does this seem like a handheld game I constantly used to play as a kid? Suddenly there was an explosion of energy farther into the cave.
"What was that?" Emil wondered.
"I don't know, but let's stay on our guard," Ichigo, Emil and Tenebrae rushed forward to see Richter collapsed on the ground.
"Richter!" Emil ran forward to check on the older man.
"Ugh," Richter groaned.
"What happened?" Ichigo asked.
"Lloyd Irving…he…" Richter groaned and then passed out.
"Richter!" Emil was concerned.
"It's all right. The attack missed his vital organs," Tenebrae told Emil, "Just leave him here and he will be fine. It is more important to go after Lady Marta."
"I can't just leave him here. We need to tell someone," Emil said.
"Then you go after Marta and I'll get help," Ichigo asked.
"No I should get help, you'd have a better chance against Lloyd then I would," Emil said.
"If I know Lloyd he won't kill either you or Marta, he's not that type of person," Ichigo told Emil. Emil didn't seem convinced, keeping a converged gaze on Ichigo. "Don't worry, I'll be back before things get out of hand. Besides your Marta's knight. It's imperative you arrive on the scene first."
"Ichigo, thank you," Tenebrae said.
"No problem," Ichigo stated and left the area via Shunpo.
Ichigo's pov
I used Shunpo to get back through the cave faster. I decided to first check if Aqua had regained consciousness. She seemed loyal to Richter so despite our conflict earlier she'd be willing to listen to reason…I hoped.
She was awake and I called out to her, "Aqua!"
"Oh, it's you, what do you want?" she snapped.
"You have to come with me, Richter's been hurt," I told her.
"Damage you caused I bet," she brooded.
"No, when we got there he was already on the ground, Lloyd attacked him you—"
"Wait Lloyd," Aqua seemed shaken for a moment, but regained her composure quickly, "You came back all this way just to tell me that. You're not half bad. Nowhere near as cool as Master Richter, but still," she giggled a bit.
"Just come on," I did not have time for this.
"Right," Aqua followed me, as though swimming through air, as we I led her to where Richter was. "Master Richter!" she bent down next to him.
"You think you can take care of him from here?" I asked.
Aqua nodded, "Yes, go on ahead, we'll be fine."
I nodded in understanding and then headed up the steps in front of me into the next room of the cave. I saw Lloyd facing off against Marta, Emil and the wolf and imp we had formed a pact with earlier, or rather the aftermath of it. Marta and Emil were unconscious and Tenebrae was lying down like Aqua had been after we had eliminated her monster servants. Poor guys never knew what hit them. Marta and Emil hadn't suffered any severe damage. Lloyd went drastically easy on them it seemed. He was still holding his swords, so the fight must've just ended. He also seemed to have gotten his red outfit back. I guess green just wasn't his color.
"I saved the world, do not screw with me," he said crossing his arms over his body and sheathing his swords on either side of him.
"Being cool doesn't suit you," I told him.
"I-Ichigo," he must not have noticed me, till just now.
"Surprised to see me? I guess you would be considering its been two years," I walked farther into the room. "I heard some pretty shocking stuff from that kid currently passed out on the ground. Said you killed his parents. I'm not going to judge you for knocking them all out, if I had a couple of strangers pointing weapons at me I'd fight back too." I looked around. "Hey wait a minute, where's Colette? Didn't you two go off on an Exsphere journey together? That's what Sheena told me."
"So then I assume you haven't heard about it yet. The Palmacosta Blood Purge," Lloyd said.
"I just showed up today," I said, "I'm not here on orders from Soul Society."
"Then why are you battle ready?" Lloyd asked.
"Long story," I said, "But what's this about a Blood Purge?"
"It's nothing, never mind," Lloyd turned his back to me to pick up a glowing, white, spiral shell like object floating on an altar.
"Is that what you came here for?" I asked Lloyd.
Lloyd turned around almost seeming on edge, "Indeed."
"Lloyd this isn't like you to talk little and act cold. You're not your father. What's going on?" I asked.
"I have no need to explain," Lloyd said snatching up the object.
I shunpoed in front of him, "And now you're mimicking him directly. What's going on Lloyd? I can understand a couple of strangers, but we're friends aren't we? Say something damn it!"
Lloyd pocketed the object and drew out his weapons, "Move, Ichigo."
"What the hell?" I shouted. "I leave for two years and you turn into a complete jerk. What's happened to you Lloyd? Say something!"
"I'm only going to ask you one more time. Move!" Lloyd repeated.
I drew out Zangetsu. "Not until you tell me what's going on!"
"You're not going to release Bankai?" Lloyd questioned, "You know that at this point you'd never hold a candle to me without it." He glanced back at Emil and Marta, "Oh I get it. You're worried that your reiatsu might crush them, or this cavern, if it becomes too intense." He took a stance, "How very like you."
"Lloyd you don't have to do this! Just tell me what's going on!" I shouted.
"Sorry, but I don't feel like talking," Lloyd rushed at me. Without my Bankai his movements were too fast for me to keep up with and before I knew it I was beaten, sweat dripping from my brow at an incredible rate. I was breathing hard and I was using Zangetsu just to keep me from collapsing onto the ground. Lloyd, who still had plenty of energy, walked up and out of the cavern. "If you're not here on orders of Soul Society, I suggest you do whatever you came here and stay out of my way." Lloyd then walked up the stairs and disappeared out of sight and out of sense. I was so exhausted I collapsed onto the ground and blacked out.
(A/N: Yeah not much to say in terms of how things went. And yes Lloyd is now strong enough that he can beat Ichigo if he's not using Bankai, though that should be obvious if you paid attention all throughout ToB: US. Lloyd was a little less cold to Ichigo than he is to Genis at the Triet Ruins in the game, but considering Ichigo's current ignorance on the big picture that's understandable. Fans of this series will notice that these chapters are much shorter than its original counterpart and well…that's just how things are. Anyway see you all later).
