What's up guys? Welcome back to another chapter! A lot of cool things have been happening lately, I got my orders and will finally be heading to my next duty station pretty soon! Also managed to pick up a new RX 5700 XT and i7 7700K for my desktop. That's about it so on to the story!

Rsin the Emprahh 23: When I think about the Mages, I like to think that they would most likely hail from Great Britain and Ireland. There is a lot of lore from those areas and I have been watching a lot of anime with mages from that area, most notably Elias Ainsworth from The Ancient Magus' Bride.

We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.

Jim Rohn

Chapter 14

Elijah's POV

Johann was acting strange ever since that night a month ago. He would work me hard everyday, but would rarely talk afterwards. It was like he was being distracted by something in the distance that only he could hear. I approached him about it, but he shrugged off my worry.

The training we did was starting to get more intense as well as his silence. For the first half of the month, we focused solely on endurance training. Each day, I had to run ten miles, perform five hundred push-ups and sit-ups, and carry large boulders for a mile. It felt like something in a TV show, but it seemed to be working. I could feel the new strength my muscles carried and I could easily destroy boulders without destroying my bones in the process.

The second half of the month continued with my physical training, but Johann also added in spiritual training. Since my Zanpakuto didn't boost my powers, I had to raise them on my own. To do this, he had me use my Zanpakuto as much as possible. Once I exhausted my reishi, he made me use my magic until that two was depleted. It continued this way for the rest of the month. Despite how exhausting the regimen was. It increased my progress with leaps and bounds.

Even in my sleep, I was training. Ken no Dorobo would teach me how to use him better. I also fought with Zangetsu in order to master his abilities the best I could. I knew I would never be as good with another's Zanpakuto as the original owner, but it didn't stop me from learning what I could.

Eventually the second month had ended with me gaining more strength than I had first imagined. I was able to take on the brutes and often did so as a test of my strength. The only creatures I wished to face now were the Crashers and Evolved. Though Johann continued to warn me of them, he also didn't oppose of me looking for them.

Unfortunately, Crashers were rarer than I had thought. It also didn't help that I had no clue what they looked like. When I asked, Johann would only say that I would know them when I saw them. As the month progressed, my hopes of testing my strength against those creatures began to diminish. Eventually, the third month had neared its end, and I had yet to test my strength.

It was midday when Johann and I began our journey back to his house. We would stay there for the rest of the week then head to the clearing where I first arrived.

The trip was short and uneventful. Despite all of the traveling we had done, we had only traveled about twenty miles away from the house. The rest of the traveling was done in a full circle with the house being the exact center.

Johann waved his staff at the door to which it clicked open. I was about to walk inside, but Johann cut me off with his staff. A moment later, he flung me off the front porch and into the dirt.

I scrambled to my feet, and grabbed a sealed Ken no Dorobo. I stared up in shock as I watched Johann wrestle with a strange, four armed creature.

If it were standing up, it would have been about six feet tall. It had a strange gray pelt, that looked eerily like Johann's cloak. Its four, muscly arms ended in four claw tipped hands, some of which were already stained with blood. It shrieked terribly as it tried to snap and claw at Johann's face which was only inches away. A few seconds later, Johann managed to kick the creature in its brawny torso knocking it off of him. The relief lasted only a minute before the creature was back on its springy legs.

The creature began to wave its two upper arms in the air while it charged forward. As the arms moved, they began to glow a bright blue. It crossed its arms in front of it and screeched. A wave of water flashed into existence as if a dam had burst.

Johann began to spin his staff as rapidly as he could while he activated several of the engraved runes. "Rune Style: Golden Barrier!"

A sphere of golden light enveloped us just as the wave hit. Trees and boulders were ripped from the ground around us. The water slapped angrily against the barrier, but failed to break through.

Johann began to tap several of his engraved runes. They glowed brightly as he poured his magic into the staff. "Rune Style: Barrier Reflection!"

A beam of golden light shot from the barrier and hit the Crasher dead in the chest. A sphere, like ours formed instantly and cut off the flow of water. With nowhere to go, it began filling the inside of the sphere.

The creature inside was struggling to breathe. It was thrashing inside its own water, trying to scratch its way out of the barrier, but it couldn't make a dent in it. A few seconds later and it went limp, floating inside its very own fish bowl.

"You wanted to see a Crasher? Well, there it is." Johann spoke as he dispelled the barrier around the dead creature. "Come, we must get to the gate."

"What? Why? You already killed the Crasher." I asked.

"It is not safe here. Someone has found my barrier and laid a trap that we nearly walked into." Johann replied as he led me away from the house.

"Who set that trap? Was it an evolved? Can they do that?" I asked, causing Johann to stop.

"There is much that you do not know about this land. The Evolved are not just the highest tier in this land; they are the rulers of this land. They will stop at nothing to kill you and me." Johann said. "Unfortunately, we must wait until the end of the week for the gate to open. We must be careful."

Third Person POV

Ken no Dorobo watched his master as he and his teacher fled the scene like a couple of criminals. He smiled as the seeds he planted began to bloom. Elijah was beginning to doubt his power again. He was becoming weak again, and it was time to water the flowers once more. He had already interrupted Joka-yo Kaen's influence over the boy. Giving him Tachikaze's power had assured that. Soon, the boy would be completely under his control, at least for a short time.

"You won't be able to control him forever." Joka-yo Kaen spat angrily.

When Elijah switched Joka-yo Kaen for Tachikaze, it allowed Ken no Dorobo to imprison her. Ken no Dorobo had taken her and nailed her to a wall. The beautiful woman was in agony every moment now, as she rested three feet above the ground, with large, twelve inch nails in her arms, thighs and shoulders.

Ken no Dorobo turned and flashed a toothy grin at the prisoner. He walked the short distance between them until he was face to face with the young Zanpakuto.

"That, I have no doubt, but if he is blind and there is no one to lead him but me, then it really won't matter." he replied.

"Tell me this, what is your motive?"

"Revenge really; pure and simple. I was sealed away like the other cursed blades by the very people who claimed that Zanpakuto were sacred. Break unsealed me and gave me a reason to want to live."

"Don't you see that they are just using you?" Joka-yo Kaen yelled.

"I know that. Once Levi's plan comes to fruition, they will get rid of me as well as Elijah. By that point, I will have fulfilled my purpose." Ken no Dorobo replied.

"I see. I promise you this. I will escape these bonds and I will kill you." Joka-yo Kaen vowed.

"I wonder, will you, potentially the most powerful fire based Zanpakuto, have enough strength to kill the user of all blades?"

"User of all blades? Hardly. I have seen monkeys with sticks swing better than you."

Ken no Dorobo grabbed Joka-yo Kaen's throat and began to squeeze tightly. She choked and coughed violently, but glared defiantly at her offender. Ken no Dorobo's grip lessened as he began to chuckle.

"I want nothing more but to choke you down right here and now. Fortunately for you, I still need you."

"Don't I feel lucky." Joka-yo Kaen said sarcastically.

Elijah's POV

There were active search parties looking for us as we traveled. Some were packs of Crashers while others were patrols of humans, or rather, Evolved. Because of the patrols it took almost the rest of the week to get to the clearing that the gate would appear in. Luckily, we reached it a day before it would open, so all we had to do was wait.

I was getting anxious about going back to my world. This place was so dreary and gray that it made the antarctic appear a lively place. That was why I jumped and ran for the gate as soon as it opened.

Johann tried to warn me, but it was already too late. Just as I was about to enter the glowing, gold doorway, I slammed straight into a barrier.

"So, this is the gate that you used to get here all of those years ago. I must admit that I thought it would have been grander." a strong, charismatic voice spoke seemingly from nowhere.

"I see that the King of thieves has come out of his pit." Johann spat.

"Harsh words from the one who made all of this..." a tall man in rich clothes suddenly appear as if from nowhere. He looked around with a look similar to admiration, before he turned and gazed at Johann. "Possible."

"Johann? What's he talking about?" I asked as the man's words began to sink in.

Johann gripped his staff until his knuckles turned white. In a moment of pure rage, he summoned the winds to his staff and flung it at the man.

The winds tore at the man with ferocity that matched a tiger's. The dirt and dust it picked up while it swirled colored the winds a light brown, like the base of a tornado.

The man only chuckled as the winds ceased. Every aspect of the man was exactly the same. He didn't even have a speck of dust on him. "Really Johann, is that how you treat old friends?"

"You are no friend of mine deceiver! Because of your greed, you destroyed this world!" Johann shouted.

"Need I remind you, that you are the one that made this possible?" The man began to wave at the forest and sky. "You came here and made me king. You are the architect of this new and glorious world!"

"Johann, what's he talking about?" I asked again.

"You mean to say that Johann didn't tell you? Johann was the man that created the device that destroyed this world!" the King said with a sadistic laugh.

"Johann?" I asked for a final time.

"You were the one that used it for destruction! You did all of this!" Johann shouted back as more runes glowed on his staff.

"It was a device that you originally intended as a weapon. No matter how you look at it Johann of Minatix, the fault always returns to you." the King fired back with a smirk. Johann's spell began to die away as the jab stabbed home. "Captain Druclurs, seize him. Then bring them both to the castle."

"As you wish, my liege." a rumbling voice answered.

That's when I noticed the man in the shadows. He was a giant compared to the King, but he didn't have a hint of arrogance.

The man barked out orders into the surrounding woods. Six figures emerged from the shadows, four of the figures were Crashers. These Crashers wore heavy chains around their necks and masks on their faces that covered their mouths. The other two were humans, they held the ends of the chains like trainers. They wore robes that had to be the darkest black, making them appear like shadows. They had no visible features whatsoever which made me wonder if they really were here at all.

The shadows moved toward us. One whispered quietly while the other said nothing. Once the shadow finished, it raised its free hand and pointed its finger at Johann.

"Activate." it said quietly. Black cuffs attached themselves to Johann's hands. Once the cuffs had appeared, a black chain attached itself to the cuffs and then to the same chain the Crashers were connected to. The chain and cuffs then turned from a radiant black to a cold gray.

The other shadow stepped forward, and also began to mutter. This time, the spell was directed at me. Soon, I was also cuffed and chained between two Crashers.

"Now then, Druclurs, I want to see this other world. Keep the gate forced open, until I return from the palace." the King ordered.

Third Person's POV

Ken no Dorobo, the ever still thief, watched the unfolding events with glee. Soon, he would be more than a servant. In many ways, he would be the master. It would only be for a short time, he knew, but it would be worth it.

Elijah's trust was weakening. Once it failed, he would only be able to turn to his Zanpakuto. The very thought maybe Ken no Dorobo shudder with anticipation.

"You know, Elijah would have made an excellent Shinigami if he had developed naturally." the thief said to Joka-yo Kaen.

"He still can be, if you would get out of his soul." she spat back.

"I daresay, he would be. Unfortunately for you, and him, I am too comfortable here to leave." Ken no Dorobo chuckled.

"Why don't you leave me alone? Are you afraid that I will escape, then kill you?"

"You? Kill me? Surely you jest!" Ken no Dorobo barked with a scornful laugh. "You have no power! You are nothing here without me."

"You keep me here, and watch me like a hawk. You must be afraid, or you would just seal me away in the darkest recesses of Elijah's soul." Joka-yo Kaen answered with a smirk.

"Shut your mouth woman, or I will do it for you!" he growled in return.

"Oh, touched a nerve did I? I must be on the right track." Joka-yo Kaen continued.

As if to prove a point, Ken no Dorobo, jumped from his perch on the rooftop and disappeared. Joka-yo Kaen allowed her to sigh in relief. Right now she had very little power, but Ken no Dorobo gave her the ability that she needed to get her back in control.

"You can come out now, Zangetsu, Tachikaze." she called.

"What do ya want, ya dumb broad?" Zangetsu said as he appeared next to her.

"Ma'am," another spirit said politely as it appeared before Joka-yo Kaen. This spirit was the same height and build as Kensei. His hair was as blue as the clear sky and he wore an old fashioned bomber jacket and brown trousers. His clothes were filled with knife blades of various shapes and sizes. He also had a pair of aviation goggles pushed up on his forehead. His face had sharp, cheekbones, a pointed nose an angular chin, and a fierce, blue right eye. His other eye, a sign that he had been tainted by hollowfication, was pitch black with no iris.

"I have something to discuss with you two. I am not very eloquent, so I will just come out and say it. I want to fuse your reishi into my body. The only way to overpower Ken No Dorobo is by matching the power he has."

"No way in hell that I would become a part of you!" Zangetsu objected. The hollowfied Zanpakuto looked at the other captive spirit, hoping he wasn't alone.

"Ma'am, that is a lot to ask. The process you want to take would be extremely dangerous to both you and us. If we failed to fuse properly, we could all die." Tachikaze voiced. "The course of action you are suggesting is just as, if not more, dangerous than the Shattered Shaft technique devised by the former captain Kisuke Urahara. Also, if we fused with you, we would be unable to return to our own Masters."

"Danger is what we live for! You are a weakling if you believe we should avoid it!" Zangetsu replied hotly.

"And yet, you do not wish to go through with this either." Tachikaze pointed out. Zangetsu clenched his fist, yet said nothing.

"I understand that it is a risk, but allowing Ken no Dorobo to have someone to wield him, is even more dangerous; to the Soul Society and my master. He must be destroyed." Joka-yo Kaen argued. The other Zanpakuto stood silently; thinking.

"I will ponder this for a time. I will give you my answer within the hour." Tachikaze replied before he turned to leave.

"Go ahead and sign me up, broad." Zangetsu demanded.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Joka-yo Kaen asked out of surprise.

"I don't need ta be shown up by some idiot. If he is going to be weak about it than that's his problem, but he ain't gonna hold me back." Zangetsu answered.

"Fine than, that's as good a reason as any. You know how this works, correct?"

"Yeah, same way that flat chested broad made King a Shinigami. Sounds simple enough." Zangetsu said with maniacal smirk.

He pulled his sword off of his back and proceeded to stab Joka-yo Kaen in the chest. There was a flash of bright white light and loud screams from Joka-yo Kaen, and then nothing. Zangetsu had disappeared from view, there wasn't a single trace of him in sight. Joka-yo Kaen however was still pinned on the wall.

Tachikaze stared incredulously at the scene. He hadn't quite expected what he saw. Joka-yo Kaen looked almost the same, but she did have subtle differences. Her long hair had shortened from her mid back to her shoulders. It was also quite a bit more wild and spiked. She was also a little taller, not much, but it was noticeable. The biggest change was her left eye. The iris was still blue, but the sclera had turned black.

"So, what's yer answer? You gonna help me end that son of a bitch?" Joka-yo Kaen asked with a slightly crazed smirk.

Elijah's POV

Our captors wasted no time getting us to their stronghold. Their break neck pace caused me to fall several times, and each time made me feel as though they would kill me.

Escape attempts were also not an option. The moment we arrived at the castle, we were placed inside two separate cells. On top of that, the cells were constantly draining away my magic energy and my spiritual pressure.

"Johann?" I whispered.

"You want to know what I have to do with this world's demise."

"I guess it was obvious." I replied.

"After I was banished here, I made my way to this city. This realm was green and vibrant and thriving. The people were happy and the true king was just. I didn't see any of this. I was filled with so much hate. I approached the king of that era and made a proposal. I told him that I knew how to build a device that would give the kingdom unlimited power. The device wasn't anything special it was basically a large crystal that had the ability to retain magic power. It is a very useful device, and a very deadly one. The king agreed and gave me the resources to build the device. As I worked on it, my heart began to feel weak. I began to feel guilt for what I had done to my comrades and what I planned to do to the Soul Society. Eventually, I scrapped the plans to the detonation switch I created. My assistant, Moral Stein, had other ideas. Ten years after I had arrived, and the device was operational and distributing magic energy to every city in the kingdom. Five years after that, that vile man finished his version of my detonator. He, and a select few loyal followers broke into the palace. They took the king hostage and threatened to detonate the crystal if their demands were not met. We managed to get to the king, but not before the Moral detonated the crystal. Now, he is king of this dying world."

"That's not your fault though. You didn't know he would do all of this." I replied.

"In our world, a gun is a very dangerous tool. It is used for hunting or killing. Everyone knows that it must be treated with care. Nobody, but me knew how dangerous the crystal was. Even Moral did not know the crystal's true potential. The world ended because of that. That is my fault, and my burden."

"You are right about that. Even I didn't know that the crystal would cause that much damage. In the end, I think that it is a good thing. It go rid of all of those pesky resistance fighters before they even existed. Now, everyone believes that I saved them from the wretched Johann of Minatix. Because of that, nobody defies me. I thank you for that."

"Behold, the false king." Johann spat.

"Come now, is that any way to speak to your host?"

"If you are going to kill us, then just do it!" I shouted.

"All in due time, my boy. First, a trial must take place, then the executions can begin." the King replied with a satisfied smile.

Third Person POV

"Are you back to torture me?" Joka-yo Kaen asked as Ken no Dorobo made his appearance.

"The only thing being tortured is my hearing."

"Is that the only reason you came back here; to trade insults with me?"

"Shut up, woman. The show is about to begin. That boy, that you try so hard to keep pure is about to do the unchangeable. As soon as that man opens the cell, he is going to act." Ken no Dorobo said with a sick smirk.

"Elijah would not give into hate that easily!" Joka-yo Kaen shouted.

"There, you would be wrong. He has put on a brave face, trying hard to stave off the dark feelings, but they are too much for him now. His loathing of this evil place has corrupted him completely. He is beyond saving now." the thief said sadistically.

Joka-yo Kaen grunted painfully as she attempted to pry herself off of the wall she was pinned to. Ken no Dorobo stared at her; the disbelief etched into his features.

Joka-yo Kaen manged to get her left shoulder unpinned. Unfortunately, the effort was achieved by spike going through the wound. Blood gushed and the young woman screamed in agony. Despite this, she continued. With her left arm, she reached for the spike in her right shoulder. She grabbed it and screamed as she pulled the steel rod free. The rod fell to the ground with a metal clang. With both arms free, she tried for the next stake, but her anger induced strength faded. Her shoulders slumped and her head dipped into unconsciousness.

"Very good, girl. You are becoming quite the powerhouse, even if it did take those two weaklings to make it happen. If you keep absorbing reishi from other Zanpakuto, then you really will be a force to be reckoned with." Ken no Dorobo said to the unconscious girl. "I really should stop you from getting any stronger, but I am a curious soul and wonder how far you will let yourself go."

Ken no Dorobo slowly walked up to the wall. He placed his bony hands on the spike that Joka-yo Kaen was struggling to reach. In a single, swift motion, he pulled the spike clean out and tossed it away. He then continued with the other spikes, pulling out one after the other. Joka-yo Kaen fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Now my pet, show me how high you will jump." he said with dark laugh.

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! If you like what you are reading be sure to smash that favorite/follow button. If you have anything you would like to say be sure to leave a review or PM me. This is shieldliger001 signing off!