'Rise of the Void Walker'
Swirling in and endless Void, a darkened figure moved to view the events unfolding before him. The mirror he gazed throigh revealed everything to him. As he helplessly watched both his salvation, and his demise move closer to the end of the world. His power would be taken as it was before, and this time he feared he would be unable to stop it.
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The midday sun hung in the air beating down on the dirt and grass, patches of yellow an green dotted the landscape. The dry season was especially brutal this year, the rain seemingly vanished. From the shade of the tree, Nanashi leaned in as Kaveh spoke. The wariness of his words stuck with Nanashi and he gathered that the Void Forge was quite possibly the most powerful thing in existence.
"The forge was created by Ahriman eons ago. It was supposed to be used for creating the wonders of the world."
Rukia stirred before asking. "Supposed to be? Ahriman abused the power?"
"To a degree. Someone within his ranks, outsmarted him and began to create and stockpile weapons." Kaveh explained. "I knew the man as 'Zahhak'. He was considered to be a Daeva, but more importantly it is believed that he was Ahriman's first born."
"Wait, the Daeva's?" Ichigo asked. "Like, Nanghait and the others?"
"Aka Manah, Nanghait, Sawar, Indar, Tauriz, and finally Zariz. The six Daeva's that answered Ahriman's call. They were created from a part of Ahriman's power, so they are immensely powerful and not to be taken lightly."
"So the Daeva's are looking for the Void Forge to create powerful weapons?" Nanashi asked. "It seems like for more than just power, so why?"
"The world seals..." Rukia stated. "They want the power to destroy the seals and release Ahriman, reigniting the Void Crisis."
"We have to stop them. That kind of power is world ending if left unchecked." Nanashi spoke.
"Then let us hope, that you are strong enough." Kaveh added as he vanished.
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The evening sun lit their way as they descended the cliffside into the valley. Nanghait's invitation hung in the air like a permeating stench, toxifying Nanashi's thoughts. Aizen must have known about his power, so why out him through all of that torment? If Aizen was so easily able to destroy Nanghait, how would they even stand a chance? The thought of trying to face a man as powerful as he was scared him, though he'd never admit it out loud. He knew that if they were to fight right now, it would take the whole of the Gotei 13 to take him down. If it meant sacrificing himself for Aizen, Nanashi would gladly do that, but as he thought about it more he realized that he might be the only one who could use the Void against him. Feeling a touch on his arm, Nanashi glanced over to see Rukia with a concerned look on her face. Her violet eyes seemed to ask what she quietly thought as her concern for him grew.
"I'm fine Rukia." Nanashi spoke. "Just have a lot on my mind."
Rukia sighed and spoke. "Then why don't we stop for now? It'll be dark soon anyway and we should prepare for the battle ahead. Besides, I think Senna is shaken as well, so some rest will be good for her too."
Senna turned to face her, frowning angrily. "I'm fine."
"Really?" Rukia asked.
Nanashi stepped forward, speaking. "I think its a good idea to rest. I need time to re-centre myself."
"A good battke plan would be nice too." Ichigo added. "Especially if this guy is king shit or whatever."
Rukia clapped her hands exclaiming. "It's decided then! We can rest and eat and get ready for this upcoming fight."
"It's not what you think it is, trust me.""What isn't?" Nanashi replied in his mind.
"The forge was sealed away for a reason. But I won't deny its capacity to help you. I won't stop you from finding it, but I'm not going to reveal it's location"
"Why not? If it'll help us, wouldn't it make sense to give us the location?"
As the voice faded away, Nanashi tuned back in to Rukia asking him something.
"...huh?"
"Can you help me with this?" Rukia asked.
Nanashi nodded before standing next to her. Silence permeated the air, awkwardly placing itself before them. Nanashi waited for her to tell him what she wanted before he felt another tap on his shoulder. As he looked into her eyes he could feel the concern coming from her, first Nanashi was off, now Senna was as well. Ichigo seemed to know more and was sticking close enough to her to be a comfort if she needed that which was good for the two of them. She silently thanked him for that as it allowed her to focus on Nanashi.
"Nanashi?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to assume you didn't hear me. I was telling Senna that she should talk to us." Rukia deadpanned. "Now that you've decided to join us, maybe you have something to add?"
Nanashi sat in front of Senna who had visibly recoiled back from him as he did. She settle down as he relaxed, but her knuckles were white as she kept them clenched. She had some issue with Nanashi as evidenced by her avoidance, and it sat with him as he thought about how to move forward and broach the topic. She shut down in the middle of the fights, for the first time since meeting him and if it was going to interfere with their ability to be an effective team then Rukia was needed to sort this out now or at the very least figure out how to set it aside for now.
"She's right you know. You seem to be frightened of me. I won't pry, but I'm sorry if I did something..."
Nanashi turned away, hiding his own insecurity regarding her sudden change in demeanor. She was still young, a child who needed time to figure herself out, so why did her attitude sting? She was scared of something about him, and doubted he'd ever figure it out. He pushed the thoughts from his mind, choosing rather to focus on what they needed to do to prepare for the coming storm.
"For now, let's try to focus on our task at hand. We have a lot to learn from Nanghait, so let's talk about that." Nanashi spoke.
He sat down on a nearby rock pondering what he knew about Nanghait and how they could exploit any potential weakness.
"Me." Senna stated. "He's afraid of me, or my powers at least. Remember Nanashi?"
Recalling his first encounter, he remembered that Nanghait seemed to fear the little Quincy. Whether or not it was exploitable or not was something they needed to plan. Still though, the thought of using Senna as the fulcrum of whatever plan they came up with bothered him.
"Care to elaborate?" Rukia asked.
"When Nanashi and I first fought Nanghait, he seemed to visibly fear my Quincy powers. There must be something there that we can use, right? If my power can out right kill him then why don't we take advantage?"
Ichigo grunted, seemingly wanting to speak up but backed down.
"So we all distract him while Senna gets her shot?" Nanashi asked, trying to show her that he valued her.
"And hopefully it ends Nanghait once and for all." Senna finished.
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Hours passed the day shifted to night, and the air grew colder, but they'd made it to the cave. The silence was almost deafening as a high pitched ring permeated in Nanashi's head. The Void energy was saturating the ground, killing the grass and whatever endemic life was near. Black bodies of the strange horned creatures that all threw themselves at Nanashi lay dormant and still. The copper smelling air hung heavy, yet they were able to breathe normally. The odd sensations toyed with them, yet the pressed on into the cave.
The darkened entrance crept on into a black abyss making them stop. Rukia pushed past Nanashi and raised two fingers. A small white orb of light appeared and gently floated down the cave. The winding path turned and lead deeper into the abyss. Rukia took it upon herself to lead as she rested her hand on the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki, anticipating an ambush. Nanashi followed suit, watching how her normally welcoming demeanour fell away into that of a finely honed warrior.
Droplets of water echoed into the cave, almost in rhythm to Nanashi's heartbeat. He focussed on the deep thumping, the calming, predictable, and soothing sounds of his heart. It was an odd sensation to him, especially given how he wasn't technically human or alive yet he had a heartbeat. He relaxed into the sensation, and felt himself being pulled away from reality.
'I know what you want. I know what you're planning to do, but I can't allow this. You are too important to lose.'
"What?" Nanashi thought.
'Kasumi!!'
"Nanashi, here." Rukia whispered.
'He will be what he is. Either our salvation, or our doom.'
Looking down where Rukia was pointing, he saw Nanghait pacing over a pyramid that was emanating a bright violet, almost white light. The cold claws of the Void were ever present, and slowly a figure rise from the ground beside him. The black being rose, shambling over next to Nanghait and picked up a skull. It searched for something, when it stopped and bellowed.
"Ah! This one is indeed a mighty beast!"
As quickly as it had rose, Nanghait struck it down. An act that caused Senna to avert her eyes with a quiet whimper. Ichigo placed a hand on her shoulder, quietly reaffirming her that she wasn't alone. Nanashi thanked him with a nod before returning to Nanghait.
"With this next one, I shall finally gain my true power!"
Billowing Void energy crackled, sparking and shooting bolts of energy around the room. Rocks began to chip away, and mere feet from their lookout, rock was completely obliterated. More and more of the cave began to collapse away, causing both Rukia and Nanashi to fall through the opening, and a large boulder to seal their exit, blocking both Ichigo and Senna, who had leapt back.
Hitting the ground with the grace of an injured bird, Nanashi was quick to his feet, knowing the danger surrounding Nanghait firsthand. Rukia, though slightly slower to rise, did so prepared, and blocked a boot faith a hastily cast Kido.
"Clever girl. Though an errant strand of in refined Void energy is one thing." Nanghait spoke as he raised his weapon less hand. "But pure Void power is entirely different."
Erupting from his open palm was an energy unlike anything either of them had felt before. Colour twisted and bled together around the black and violet beam, followed closely by sound vanishing for a split second. Nanashi appeared in front of Rukia, and vanished with her in his arms. Just as they reappeared safely out of the way, sound returned in a blaring static filled boom.
"You surprise me every time we meet, Voidwalker. Perhaps there is hope for a good fight yet." Nanghait spoke as he walked toward them.
Nanashi's head was spinning, and his vision lacked colour. He could barely hear Rukia but felt her hands shaking his shoulder. High pitched ringing soon gave way to Rukia's voice.
"Nanashi!! Answer me!!"
"What? I'm okay."
"What happened?" Rukia asked, helping him to his feet.
"I will tell you, little reaper." Nanghait stated, drawing his two curved swords. "The man you know as 'Nanashi' is not who you think he is. Tell me boy, how do you feel? Twice in one day has surely made you... weakened?"
Shaky on his feet, Nanashi ignored his question and adopted a stoic face. His shinigami training didn't allow you to show any weakness to your opponent, and he wasn't about to in front of Rukia. Taking the queue, Rukia dropped any hint of emotion from her face as well, and joined Nanashi in their stare down.
"Ahh... Such hubris stil exists among the reapers. A pity really." Nanghait relented. "I will enjoy this regardless."
Vanishing and appearing in an instant, Nanghait's blades clashed with the two Shinigami. Nanashi fell down to one knee, not fully recovered from whatever he did. Rukia fared far better, redirecting the blow and closing the distance. As imposing as he was, she knew what her advantages were. As she drew closer, she pointed her blade toward his neck, eliciting a response from him and relieving the pressure off of Nanashi.
Nanashi fell onto his hands, hearing only a loud ringing. He felt himself spinning and threatening to fall over at a moment's notice.
'I told you.' Came the voice again. 'You aren't ready for this.'
"Told me what? You've been nothing but cryptic." Nanashi replied.
'You need help?' The voice asked. 'Or do you have this?'
Nanashi pulled himself up to his feet, and resettled his mind. "No. Unless you plan to tell me what's going on with me."
'Not yet. Just trust my judgement here.' The voice stated. 'Also, this is for you.'
Wave after wave of warmth began flowing through Nanashi's body. He felt his head calming, his vision returning, and the ringing stopped. The dizziness faded, and he gripped his sword tighter, and quickly rushed off to join Rukia.
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"Shit, Senna!!" Ichigo called out, pulling her back as the cave collapsed.
The dust settled and the crumbling rock stilled as quickly as it had appeared. Senna lay on Ichigo's chest, eyes tightly shut almost waiting for her end, when she felt Ichigo shake her.
"Senna! You okay?!"
Slowly opening her eyes, she sat up and looked around. The cave was in good condition all things considered, calming her down and allowing her to breathe easier.
"Thanks Ichigo. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't pulled me back." Senna said, smiling at him.
Ichigo felt his cheeks flush and he rubbed the back of his head. "No problem. But how do we get out of here?"
"You don't go anywhere, actually." A sinister voice spoke.
Senna leapt off Ichigo and he jumped to his feet and drew his Zanpakuto.
"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded.
A silhouette of a person slowly came closer, and Senna immediately recognized who it was. Her eyes widened as she readied her bow, set on fighting with the one person she swore she left behind. The one person she hoped she'd never see again, and the one person who only Ichigo knew had the most sway over her.
"Hello, DAUGHTER."
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Nanashi backed Rukia up as she pressed Nanghait's defenses. He was begining to feel more like himself again, his hearing was back to normal, and he could see clearly. He tried to forget what Nanghait said, dismissing it as a means to distract him, but it played on his mind over and over.
Rukia swung her weapon down toward him, expecting his block and flipped back. Everything she had done so far failed to even graze him, and she was starting to feel the fatigue set in. She looked over to Nanashi, seeing that he was getting quicker and more reactive than he previously was. His movements, his aggression, and even his stances all rang if familiarity to her and she began to suspect that there was more between them than even she knew. Maybe he was right, and they were together before? She quickly bat those thoughts away, focussing in the moment. They needed a plan and quick, else they both die in this dark cave.
"Nanashi? Please tell me you have a plan here."
Nanashi thought back, saying. "Well, the first time we fought he seemed to be frightened of Senna..."
"She's not here." Rukia deadpanned. "What about her scared him?"
"The young girl?" Nanghait spoke. "She is quite special, that's for sure. However, I have prepared a small surprise for her... hah hah hah!!"
Nanashi lunged at him, feeling a was of anger consume him. He trust his blade toward his head, and Nanghait quickly parried it. Nanashi say his giant fist headed toward his gut, and before it made contact, Rukia appeared in between and ran her blade through his palm.
"Now dance." Rukia spoke.
Nanashi felt her power growing beyond anything he had ever felt from her before. He remembered the beautiful blade, and as it changed its shape to an almost glowing white, the air cooled around them.
"Sode no Shirayuki." Rukia calmly let out a single breath, before speaking again. "Juhaku."
Nanashi flipped away, clearing himself from the ice that began to surround Nanghait. As the ice grew, Rukia leapt back and watched his arm slowly become encased in a thick sheet of ice.
"Wha-?! What sorcery is this?!" Nanghait shouted.
Rukia extended her palm, and a small red orb formed. Nanashi watched as she allowed the ball to expand to roughly the size of her head.
"Shakkaho!"
The red flame launched to Nanghait, impacting his arm and shattering it. Nanghait fell down, and remained silent. Nanashi looked to Rukia who was panting, but still had her wits about her.
"Hey, nicely done!" Nanashi praised. "You kicked hi-"
Nanghait rose from the ground, only he was different. Where his arm used to be, was replaced by a writhing swarm of worm like tentacles. Each of the black and violet tentacles began to swirl, and slowly expand, covering half of his body. Nanashi raised the Zulfikar, ready to block whatever was happening, but Nanghait didn't move from his spot, he slowly lost his legs and began to meld with the ground of the cave.
'Nanghait' roared, and immediately began to attack, slithering toward the duo who jumped clear to avoid the animal before them.
"Kaveh?! What the hell is that?!"
As Nanashi landed, he swung at 'Nanghait' and the remaining humanoid arm blocked him with his sword. They clashed quickly and aggressively, but no matter what Nanashi did, the weapon seemed to be right there. The openings that were created were filled before he had a chance to take advantage. He pressed on, knowing that there would eventually be a mistake or misjudgment, and he could learn to don't them.
Rukia jumped farther back, observing the fuel, and looking for any weakness. She put together that 'Nanghait' only changed when he was frozen, so that might be the key. She looked around for an opportunity, but 'Nanghait's' mass took up most of the free space.
"Nanashi, keep him distracted!" Rukia shouted.
"I'm trying!" Nanashi shouted back.
Rukia began to raise her power, and using her small size to her advantage, she slipped into the shadows. Pointing Sode no Shirayuki toward the ground, she stabbed the ground four times, leaving a lingering cold flame. Pointing her toward 'Nanghait' she steadily raised her power, and spoke.
"Tsugi no Mai..." Pausing for a moment whit the power tuned itself, Rukia finally spoke. "Hakuren!"
Nanashi pushed 'Nanghait' back and moved away from the incoming wave of ice, and rolled next to Rukia. The white ice completely encased 'Nanghait' and shattered. Rukia fell forward and Nanashi caught her. She had exhausted herself, but 'Nanghait' was gone. Shattered and blowing away in the wind. Sode no Shirayuki re-sealed, and Rukia began to pant heavily.
"Good job, you got it. Take a break for no-"
Nanashi felt a piercing pain in his shoulder, and saw the blood splatter in Rukia's cheek. Looking down, a black tentacle had passed cleanly through his shoulder, stopping shy of Rukia's face.
"Nanashi!!" Rukia shouted.
Passing the Zulfikar to his free hand, Nanashi cut through the tentacle, and pulled it out of his body. He motioned for Rukia to stay still, and rose to his feet. Slowly 'Nanghait' emerged in a writhing like of snake like extremities, save for his face that remained as it was.
"You are a pawn. A puppet of a far greater scheme. Come now, let us see if you are able to defy your fate..." 'Nanghait' spoke. "Or if you will be my next meal..."
Nanashi calmed himself, breathing deeply and focussing on his centre rather than the pain from his wound. Raising his sword, he charged into the fray again, determined to destroy the abomination known as 'Nanghait'.
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"I suppose you're wondering how I'm even here." Senna's father stated. "Your friends are fighting a creature of unparalleled power. I had hoped that you would have better prepared yourself, but it cannot be helped. You will have to be enough for Lord Zahhak."
"Lord Zahhak? Who is that?"
"The man behind all of this."
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Sorry for the wait. I don't want to release a chapter unless I'm 100% happy with it. I'm sure you understand. Wait a little longer for a better chapter, or I can rush and you get the beginning of Alternate story.
i.e spelling errors and continuity errors...
a
Anyway, things aren't what they seem in the world here, can you guys guess what's going on? I won't confirm or deny anything ahead of time, cause then it's just spoilers.
cheers, and stay safe!
Atlas