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Fracturing Skies: Chapter 13. Draft 2

Chapter Thirteen

-Entrance to the Soul Society-

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Welcome back to Fracturing Skies! Chapter 13 highlights the entrance into the Soul Society and finally getting everyone all together (namely introducing Uryu since he had avoided everyone). This starts the 'save Rukia' arc, ties up a few loose ends, and propels the story into the Soul Society.

I am also going to start working the other characters (mainly Chad, Orihime, Michael, Casey, and Kienan) into the chapters now that they will start having bigger roles in the story, so watch for those POV changes. There will also be some flashbacks for those characters and other things happening on the side, so be sure to pay attention to the unknown POVs. (all I will tell you is that they will hint at the changes to the universe that have been made.)

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I am also doing a separate 'New Terms' section at the end of each chapter so changes in the terminology guide at the end aren't so easily missed.

All in all, hold onto your butts!

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Thank you to the one person that has followed the story and the two that have favorited it so far. It really means a lot and I hope you enjoy it!

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NOTICE! This story is being listed as a Mature Audiences story due to impending dark themes, blood and gore, swearing, and some sexual themes/limes/lemons.!

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XXX!Note: There is talk about male-male sexual interaction and being gay or coming to terms with one's homosexuality or rejecting it entirely. This will be a topic that comes up from time to time in the storyline, whether implicitly or explicitly, along with an acceptance and hatred of such behavior. I will do my best to be respectful of the topic and anything that results in it. And while the story itself will not be focused on such behavior, there is a possibility of such storylines expanding while the timeline diverges from the Bleach universe.

There is also a possibility of multiple partners/bisexuality that may or may not be explored (depends on where the characters go. I haven't mapped these specific details out because it wasn't the entire focus of the story, just meant as background noise, but here is a warning just in case it does get expanded so you all know my thoughts going forward.)

There is also some depression and suicidal thoughts/ideation (beyond Rukia's own in the story although I am expanding on some of this). One of the genres of this story is Hurt/Comfort and dealing with conflicting emotions and realizations about who someone is and who they want to be (they are teenagers, after all) will be covered as this story continues on. Just a warning in case anyone is triggered by these sorts of things. (everyone that has watched/read the anime should already know about Rukia's issues between Kaien and Ichigo but now I am adding other characters and expanding on some of the stuff that wasn't expanded on a whole lot in canon. Seemed to me that Rukia just…moved on after she was saved, and I felt that it didn't do the premise justice. After holding such guilt and self-loathing for so long—and even though she was a strong woman—it should have taken a little while longer to work through all of those negative self-thoughts and set herself straight again). !XXXX

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I have seen people put disclaimers at the beginning of their stories. So, I will do the same.

***I do NOT own Bleach, nor any of the characters associated with that universe. *****

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Speaking guide:

Normal text.

Thinking.*feelings*

"Spoken out loud."

'Weapon speaking. *feelings*'

'White Zangetsu speaking. (the true Zangetsu) *feelings*'

'Old Man Zangetsu speaking. *feelings*'

'Spoken between an Array and their Nexus(es). Emphasis. *feelings*'

"Words spoken from an Emissary. Emphasis. *feelings*"

Spoken through an Imprint. Primary Wavelength. Blood Imprint. Dragon Imprint. Plant Summons. *feelings*

'Vampire consort link. *feelings*'

'Spoken through an Imprint. Secondary Wavelength.' 'Demon Imprint.' 'Familiar Imprint.' 'Regular Summoning Magic Summons.' *feelings*

'Mental communication through a connection. Not a spell or Imprint. Blood Tie communication is marked like this. Miseanu Meizerai communicates like this. *feelings*'

"Spoken through an Imprint. Tertiary Wavelength." "Beast Imprints." "Mental Communication Spells." *feelings*

Mental communication outside an imprint. *feelings*

Essence ribbon/Spirit ribbon sensing. *feelings*

'Essence Aura/Spiritual Pressure sensing. *feelings*'

I think they are thinking this with their face.

"Recalling what someone else said."

I am dwelling on what happened. *I am dwelling on how I felt.*

I am recalling something I read to myself. Blood Memories are written this way. *feelings from Blood Memories*

"I am reiterating what I read or heard about out loud. Blood Memories are talked about out loud this way." (rumors)

/copied words to pull the reader to the next scene, oftentimes used when having flashbacks that can distract from a current event. /

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*Name* is indicating the character the following passage is told from.

*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*

*Chapter 13: Entrance to the Soul Society*

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*Unknown 1*

A soul fell to the ground in the middle of a dense forest, its presence wrapped in a purple energy that hummed with an otherworldly presence. A child with no memories and no previous recollection of his existence except a name he held in his heart, something he could not explain.

He heard voices around him, sounds of girls playing. Maybe a boy was there, too. He wasn't sure until he opened his eyes, taking in the sight of a bright blue sky floating above his head. Wispy white clouds dotted the bright canvas above, the sun beating down on him as he laid in his bed of grass. The dirt beneath him was hard, packed into dense clumps under his body. But the leafy blades dulled that somewhat, giving him a chance to think for a moment before he would be forced to adjust his position.

Where am I?

Reluctantly, he sat up, glancing around as he squinted from the sun's glare, using a hand to shield his eyes. A squeak of shock caused him to look behind himself to see two little girls and a young boy staring at him with worry and concern.

"A-are you okay?" The girl that asked had shoulder length purple hair, golden eyes, and tanned skin. She was dressed in what looked like a fancy yellow kimono with swirls of purple in the fabric that highlighted the colors of her hair and eyes. She looked curious, eyeing him with wonder. He nodded to her, unsure of what to really say.

The other girl had shorter black hair—not quite to her shoulders— green eyes, and creamy white skin. She was dressed in a green frilly dress with all manner of swirls and hues of greens and blues in its depths. She looked shocked, like she hadn't been expecting to see anyone else here—wherever here was.

The boy was taller than the girls by almost a foot with short black hair and black eyes, wearing a plain brown robe that was not too ragged nor fancy. He was staring at him with a concerned look, eyes roaming over his body even as he stood protectively near the girls.

"What's your name?" the purple-haired girl asked, towering over him but not by much. She was maybe three feet tall, if he had to guess. She grinned, "I'll start first. My name is Yoruichi Shihōin." He gave Yoruichi a small smile, thankful that that was the question she asked. It was the only one he could answer at the moment.

"I'm Kisuke Urahara."

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*Ichigo Kurosaki*

Ichigo slid his bedroom window open, feeling a nice breeze slip past him, mentally questioning if this was all he really had to do. Swallowing the bad feeling he got from Hat and Clog's instructions, those telling him to open his window at one in the morning the night he would have the portal to the Soul Society open, the orange-haired teen settled for enjoying the nice evening. Even as he pondered how strange he felt in his body still.

He could still feel the phantom traces of his tail and claws, the sensations occasionally causing a disconnect between him and his surroundings. More than once, he had tried grasping for something, only for it to slip through the tips of his fingers. Or lost his balance because his tail did not exist in this form to counter his weight. It was frustrating to have to relearn how to live in a human body when he had grown up in this body.

But he couldn't complain too much. Urahara gave him the chance to get his life back after this business was over. He didn't have to worry about school—dealing with his classmates and Keigo in particular—and he didn't have to fear frightening his sisters with his appearance. So, he would just figure out a way to deal with his current issues—including a persistent thirst and a halo surrounding people that he couldn't shake—once he returned home. That was all there was to it.

A small flash of light flickered off in the distance before something flew into his bedroom past his head. With a splat, it exploded on his closet door with a message from Urahara.

I am going to kick his ass if that doesn't come off.

Zangetsu laughed maniacally in response.

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*Jonas Mazeri*

They were all ready and waiting near where Kisuke had been working this past week, although the fruits of his labors were nowhere to be seen. Michael was sitting cross-legged on the dirt, the blonde's brown eyes closed to the world around him. Casey and Kienan Urdoni were seated beside him, whispering between each other in low enough voices not to disturb him. With a fond gaze, Jonas acknowledged that the three of them had grown quite close while they were off training separately, and personally, he couldn't wait to see what resulted from it.

Neil, Shila, Ichigo, and himself had expanded on their mental communications, solidifying the Blood Tie connection between them all. It had been difficult to balance, but eventually they had settled on a rhythm that worked for them. Now, the four of them didn't even need to focus very hard to speak to one another. The only downside, however, was the lack of privacy in the wavelength. He couldn't just speak to Shila through their Blood Tie. It was an open-ended signal without that level of control. But he could tune the others out if he really wanted to, without severing that connection.

It would have to do for now.

And his own imprint with Ichigo was smoothed out as well. Even to the point where he could call for Old Man Zangetsu without as much effort. But Ichigo's reserves hadn't increased by much despite the amount of training they had done. It was frustrating, no matter how much the male spirit insisted that it would be fine.

A shift in the spiritual pressure upstairs alerted him to the approaching presences of Orihime, Chad, and Ichigo. Along with another that he vaguely recognized but couldn't place.

I wonder who that is…

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*Uryu Ishida*

Uryu trailed behind the others, their steps confident as they followed Urahara into his shop, the blonde shopkeeper having emerged from the building to usher them inside. He hadn't been here before, having had avoided it like the plague due to the presence of soul reapers. But now, he was forced into its presence by conflicting desires: the need to prove oneself against the soul reapers, and the inclination to save Rukia—if only because of the inconvenience he could cause while in the Soul Society.

And while he was expecting the candy—it was a candy store, after all. He wasn't anticipating the huge underground desert. Nor was he planning on seeing all those people again. The same individuals that had arrived when he had crushed the hollow bait and Ichigo managed to repel the giant monster that had appeared. He frowned. Such a large group wouldn't bode well for stealth.

But of course, Ichigo's spiritual pressure still recklessly flowed away from him, so their chances on that front were doomed before they even left. He noted an odd variation to his fellow teen's power, but with nothing apparent, he was content to simply observe the orange-haired teen. It feels darker, somehow. Almost like it is part hollow mixed with something else. I can't tell if that is because he regained his soul reaper powers or if it is due to these other people here. With a wary glance at all the unknowns, he allowed his attention to be pulled by Urahara's show-boating.

And why is Orihime acting so calm down here? Has she been here before? I expected her to comment on this place.

"Okay, okay kiddies! Pay attention please!" With a snap of his fingers, the blonde said, "Viola!" As he did, a tall square looking like it had been wrapped haphazardly with bandages flashed into existence, causing all of them to stare wide-eyed at the construct with varying degrees of shock. Although, his was more revulsion at the sight. Lacking any care in its creation. A disgrace. Just like something a soul reaper would make.

Hmm…and nobody else seemed to expect this either. Was it the very sight of the portal that shocked them, or the manner in which he made it appear?

"All right. This gate leads to the Soul Society. It is called a Senkaimon, or Tunnel World Gate. Please listen carefully. I'm about to tell you how to pass through this gate without dying." The blonde shopkeeper tossed an unreadable look at Ichigo and raised his cane. "But first, we need to fix one thing." Ichigo glanced his direction before turning back to face Kisuke and nodded with a determined scowl, straightening slightly as if to brace himself.

What is he doing? And why did he look at me first?

With a quick thrust, Urahara thrust his cane into Ichigo's head. After a quick burst of spirit energy, Ichigo's body collapsed onto the ground and his spirit form stood above it. The differences were striking but the similarities were all Uryu could cling to, to not draw his bow against his classmate. But seriously…

"Kurosaki…What the hell did you do to yourself?!" He would deny until his dying breath that he squawked just now. It. Never. Happened. But still…

His classmate had a tail. Half white. Half black. Divided lengthwise with a red line running down the white side and a white line extending down the side of the black half. The white half of it radiated hollow spiritual pressure. The black half exuded some other power he couldn't place. None of the six people joining them tonight gave off anything remotely like that. Although three of them were relatively closely synchronized with Ichigo's spiritual pressure, none of them matched that strange power.

And the orange-haired menace had claws on his left hand with black fingernails. Claws that pulsed with hollow spirit energy. And his right hand had a black glove that covered the palm of his hand and knuckles while leaving the fingers exposed that gave off that other power.

What in the world is going on here?!

"Umm…the best way to put it would be…that I'm a kind of hybrid? I guess?" Ichigo scratched the back of his head, brown eyes narrowed toward him. His tail twitched lazily behind him; the movement bizarrely close to the way a lizard's might move. Or maybe, a dinosaur. The orange-haired teen sighed, straightening his shoulders, before turning to face him directly. "Is that going to be a problem, Uryu?"

The Last Quincy furrowed his brows. All eyes were on him. And in the end, it didn't matter what Ichigo looked like. What did matter was how his classmate behaved. "Have you eaten any souls or desired to?"

"Uryu!" Orihime gasped and he internally cringed at the rebuke in her tone. The fact that she didn't appear outwardly concerned with Ichigo's appearance solidified his own growing assessment that the substitute wouldn't harm any of them. But still…

"Yeah—yours. All the time," Ichigo deadpanned.

Okay, so that's a no.

Clenching his teeth to keep himself from pummeling the jerk, Uryu replied, "Then, no, it's not a problem." He paused and observed Ichigo for a moment, taking in his classmate's stance—halfway between defensive and nonchalance—and determined that the other teen meant what he hadn't actually said. His eyes were the same, knitted together in a tight scowl, and lacking any of that crazed look all hollows seemed to possess. Pushing his glasses up his face and sighing through his nose, he remarked, "And since you aren't a soul reaper anymore," Ichigo's eye twitched at the comment but he kept silent, "I have no choice but to go to the Soul Society for my rematch."

Uryu eyed the orange-haired teen for a few minutes, taking in the change in the other boy's appearance and familiarizing himself with the alteration to his spiritual pressure. The blade on his back was most definitely not the same one he had had before. It was wider, and maybe even a little bit longer, and wrapped in black bandages. And instead of the thick strap that had held it to his back before, it was secured with a thick black cord. It radiated soul reaper and hollow spirit energies.

And Ichigo's shihakusho was slightly different than what he had last seen as well. The sections of white were a little bit bigger than he remembered, specifically the outer seams near the neck, arms, and waist. And some portions of the garment weren't the same shade of black, almost like the color was fading in certain areas.

It's certainly strange. But…he seems to be the same personality-wise…and he most definitely isn't a hollow. No hollow would stay near this many empowered people without going on a feeding frenzy.

So, if he isn't a hollow. What is he?

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*Neil Agamon*

Neil shifted between his feet, restless energy building in his body. He wanted to get moving. Now. He was so bored. And this other guy, 'Uryu Ishida', Ichigo supplied, seemed about ready to start a fight before they all headed out. Or at least…it looked like it. But then the guy doing a bad impression of a cape-wielding vampire, wearing a white cape of all things, relaxed his stance and seemed to accept the situation.

Damn, and I was looking forward to some entertainment before we started this crazy invasion thing.

"Everyone, eyes over here!" Yretro beckoned their attention back towards him. At once, ten sets of eyes shifted toward the shopkeeper and the blonde stated, "This gate has a reishi henkan-ki—a spirit particle conversion machine—on top of a normal tunnel world gate."

A what?

"Spirit-particle conversion?" Uryu questioned.

At the moment, the dual wielder was glad for Uryu's presence. He seemed to follow the turn the conversation had taken in stride, the terms apparently making sense to him while the rest of them floundered for understanding. At least he is asking the questions the rest of us don't know to ask.

"Correct," Yretro remarked. "As you know, the Soul Society is a spirit world. As such, it is impossible for non-spirit beings to enter. Only Ichigo here can move about in soul form. The rest of you wouldn't be able to do much in the Soul Society, let alone travel there. That's where the reishi henkan-ki comes in. It converts matter, called kishi—which makes up most things in this world—into reishi, or spirit particles—which are the main components of souls."

That white-caped guy, Uryu, hummed thoughtfully as his own eyes glazed over in a combination of frustration and boredom. And while he could hear Shila hum thoughtfully in his mind, she wasn't sharing any conclusion she was reaching. "So, in other words, this gate will allow us to travel to the Soul Society without extracting our souls?"

"Yes! You can enter the Soul Society looking exactly the way you do now!"

Really?! It was that simple of an explanation? Why couldn't he just say that?! Neil stomped toward the gate, passing Yretro as he declared irritably, "All right! We got it! Let's go through already!" For his behavior, Yretro poked the brown-haired teen hard in the side with his cane just below the ribs, pushing the air out of his lungs with the strike.

Shila's *amusement-exasperation-resignation* shifted through their imprint like a faint vibration on a cool breeze. And Ichigo's snort of '*amusement*' through their Blood Tie compounded the effect, shuddering through him as the two sensations echoed on different wavelengths. Neil felt Jonas sigh and shake his head and the Firebrand limped toward an outcropping, muttering, 'Oh, screw all of you!' through their Blood Tie.

And if he heard Juka Reyno adding her laughter to the chorus, he chose to ignore her.

As he wheezed, leaning against a rock wall, the shopkeeper continued cheerfully like he hadn't just assaulted the teen, "And now for the most important point! Passing through the gate itself is no problem. The spirit-particle conversion is painless. If you move forward, you will indeed reach the soul society. The problem is time. The Senkaimon can only remain open and connected to the Soul Society for…four minutes."

While everyone was outwardly gasping in shock or bracing themselves as if the news itself would attack them, Neil heard Ichigo comment across the Blood Tie, 'If you hadn't have done that, I probably would have. Hat and Clogs needs to stop with all the melodramatics.' '*exasperation-understanding-frustration*'

"After four minutes, "Urahara continued, ignoring the concern mounting in the teens and oblivious to the silent conversation happening between some of them, "the gate will close and you'll be trapped in the Dangai, the precipice world between this world and the Soul Society!" After a dramatic pause, the blonde added, "In addition, within the Dangai is a restrictive current called Kôryû that paralyzes souls in order to prevent the entry of hollows and other foreign invaders. If even one of your limbs gets entangled in it, then it's all over."

Orihime shifted nervously, her facial expression torn. "Then…how will we make it?" Neil found himself surprisingly agreeing with the orange-haired girl. The blonde certainly didn't make this trip sound easy.

"Go forward," Yoruichi instructed, the black feline's deep male voice rumbling with confidence. "Didn't I tell you? The heart and the Soul are connected. The state of the heart is crucial. The will to go forward will be your guide. Have no doubt. Have no fear. Do not stop. Do not look back. Do not think of those you are leaving behind. Just go forward. Those who can do that, follow me."

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*Kienan Urdoni*

Kienan was listening to the exchange with growing apprehension, fear deeply seating itself in his stomach. Then Yoruichi spoke and his black eyes widened in shock. That cat repeated almost word-for-word what Solar Engo told me once!

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*Flashback*

Kienan had somehow managed to dodge his own bullies, the ones that targeted him when he was away from the others, darting through the halls like a raptor on a mission. Only to bound down the stairs in relief, not a care in the world, to run into his sister, surrounded. And just outside the relative safety of the stairwell, too far away to run from her tormenters.

The group was standing around her, part of him shouting silently to run, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He was frozen in place, his sister's eyes barely masking the horror he saw there. He knew that she hated it when he was present during her abuse. He saw the look in her eyes when he was there. And while a portion of his body was screaming to run away, he couldn't move, his feet almost glued to the floor.

He hated himself for his weakness. He could never protect her, only run away. The worthless older brother. The one day she had told him to go, and not look back. That he would only weaken her by being there. It had stung, but it was true. No matter how much she tried to take it back later.

A few of the boys poked shoulders, silently focusing their attention on the new arrival, deciding that he was more of a catch, their eyes suddenly on him. Kienan didn't understand how the teachers could just let this kind of thing happen. But they did. They even looked away when it was in their line of sight, simply pretending that it didn't exist. He supposed it was part of growing up, but he felt like it shouldn't be.

He felt his breath catch in his throat as his whole body went into overdrive, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, shooting adrenaline through his system. Then his whole world seemed to gray out and pause, making him wonder for a moment if he were dying, before he heard a voice, deep rumbles making sound from within his mind, a presence that was both alarming in its debut and reproachful in its tone.

'You will never hear my name if all you do is sit and watch.' The male voice stated this as fact, the baritone rumbles echoing loudly in his mind. There was no hesitation in his comment, and it hung heavily with disapproval. Although there was no actual bite to the remark, Kienan felt the voice's displeasure like it was his own, nestling deep in his chest next to his guilt.

What am I supposed to do? I can't win, Kienan thought despairingly.

And it was true. He couldn't win a fight with a group of jerks in school. And standing up in the past had only put them through worse pain than simply taking the assault without resisting. He could barely win against a group of vampires and that was with help. He was terrible in a fight. Never really won. Always managed to get hurt or be in someone else's way. So what point was there to fight? What could he actually accomplish since he had failed so many times before?

'It is not the act of winning that defines someone. It is their resolve to get back up no matter what that defines them. The will to keep going must be your guide if you ever want to learn my name,' the voice replied, shocking the teen as he realized it was following all of his thoughts.

Even if I lose or can't fight? I should just keep getting up and eventually I'll win? Kienan wondered hesitantly, both testing his suspicion and posing the question. But could it really be that simple? To simply get back up after getting knocked down and continuing to do that? He frowned to himself, the entire situation making him think. He didn't understand how someone won a fight that way. Nor how it would help matters any.

'But what is winning and losing—if not a stepping-stone on a journey to better yourself?' The retorted question was calm and patient, forcing Kienan to truly wonder if the voice intended the course of action he was considering. But he felt no inclination either way, and judging by the words spoken, it was what he had intended.

Kienan shrugged to himself, figuring that taking a beating so his sister wouldn't have to was one way he could begin to atone for his past failings with her. She deserved a brother that would stand up for her. And he so desperately wanted to fill that role and be the older brother that he should be. The one that he wanted to be. It was wrong for the younger sister to be the one with all the responsibility.

I-I think I understand, Kienan stuttered, suddenly nervous at walking into the werewolf's den. He swallowed hard, his whole body thrumming with anxiety. He nodded to himself. I can do this. I can do this.

He blinked and his world began anew, colors flooding his sight once more as the bullies surrounding his sister made their way toward him. He shuddered apprehensively for a moment before steeling his resolve, squaring his shoulders in defiance. He jutted his chin out, staring the group down with the most hardened look he could muster, trying to put on a brave face.

They paused upon approach for just a moment, looking at him and each other with curious expressions. It was true, this was a new one for him. And it was of slight comfort that his façade made them stop, if only for a minute. One of the group members remained behind to restrain his sister, one arm pulled behind her back in a manner that looked less than comfortable. Kienan didn't listen to anything they had to say, instead keeping eye contact with Casey, trying to emphasize his determination in their shared look.

I can do this.

It was then that they began to beat him. They punched and kicked him, knocking him down. He stood back up, tossing his own punches and using his own clumsiness to catch them off guard as he thrust a leg out to force them back. It is not the act of winning that defines someone. It is their resolve to get back up no matter what that defines them. The will to keep going must be my guide. Kienan repeated the words in his mind, struggling to his feet each time he got knocked down.

I'm not giving up. Not ever again. He fought back until his body was too exhausted to move. But no matter how many times they forced him down, he rose again, repeating what the voice said as many times as he had to, that thought like a mantra until the group dispersed, seemingly freaked out by his newfound determination. And he supposed that they were, if the looks adorning their faces were anything to go by before they fled.

Once the assholes left, and really, there was no other description for them, he looked at Casey, his eyes not leaving hers for a long moment. Her dark blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears, a look of horror, awe, and admiration buried within their depths. When the group was finally fully gone, she ran to him, gingerly hugging him and faintly crying against his chest, her shoulders heaving as she loosed muffled sobs into his shirt.

It was the first time in a long time she had cried in public. And hopefully not the last time she released a strong emotion in view of others—although, personally, he sincerely prayed that it wouldn't be tears.

He'd much rather see her smile.

*End Flashback*

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Ichigo stepped forward, pulling Kienan's attention back to the current events, the orange-haired teen's presence radiating impatience, a scowl deeply embedded on his face. "Quit your preaching already! We already made up our minds when we came here."

"Just so you understand, boy. If you lose, you will never return to this world." Yoruichi glanced over his shoulder at Jonas's twin, pinning the orange-haired teen with narrowed golden eyes.

"Then I'll just have to win, then," Ichigo returned.

He makes it sound so easy…

"Exactly," Yoruichi confirmed, a faint smirk ruffling his fur.

Kienan swallowed his nervousness, ignoring the pit growing in his stomach. The way waves of anxiety shuddered up and down his spine. The goosebumps gracing his skin. I won't back down. He looked at his sister. Her face was stoic, yet her dark blue eyes told another story. I can't fail her.

"One final thing," Urahara requested.

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*Shila Mezere*

'Ugh! You have got to be kidding me!' Ichigo exclaimed across the Blood Tie. '*frustration-agitation-restlessness*'. It was yet another ripple of discontent stabbing like hot needles in her head, shifting across the various connections she shared with the others until she felt the beginning of a headache forming between her eyes. With it, she lost the last of her patience.

'Stop complaining,' Shila snapped back, her '*irritation-patience-anticipation*' permeating the link as a slap of ice-cold power cracked against all their skulls. 'Everything he has shared thus far has been important information we need to know. So, shut up so we can all be adequately prepared.' The connection went silent for a moment, giving her a short, blessed reprieve.

Then, a faint chuckle rose from Ichigo's place in the Blood Tie. '*fondness-amusement-nostalgia*' before he commented, 'You're a lot like Rukia. I think you two would like each other.'

It wasn't the first time he had mentioned her. Explained how the two of them had met. And her willingness to throw herself into harms way to protect him and his family. The sacrifice of her powers was just another instant where she chose to think about another before herself. And now that they were connected, she could feel the warmth and affection gracing his thoughts each time he thought about her.

Shila was interested in meeting this girl.

'Then how about we pay attention so we can survive this trip and save her?' the silver-haired archer suggested.

A grunt of acknowledgement was his only response, but the wafting '*resolve-regret-determination*' that flowed from him told her that he would start listening now. He always spoke about owing her a debt. That she saved his life and that of his family. That she gave him the chance to be strong enough to live up to his namesake—He Who Protects. And that he would do anything to repay that debt. Even if it meant charging into enemy territory to save her life at the risk of his own.

Shila wasn't sure if that was foolish or admirable. Maybe a bit of both. She studied everything she could this past week. Between the training and learning about the Gotei 13, she felt she had a handle on whatever could be thrown their way. But it was still a military organization, not unlike the Magic Squads where they came from. Underestimating them would be their downfall.

Master Yretro approached her, scattering her thoughts, and handed her a back bag—one of those with two straps that wrapped around the shoulders and rested on the back. She took it with a curious frown, noting how his face appeared more drawn and worn than it had been the entire time they had been training, and promptly opened it, revealing three small black shoulder bags inside it with a trove of things hidden beneath—as he explained, "I took the liberty of designing pills that will satisfy a vampire's need for magic-infused blood. There should be enough there to get Jonas, Ichigo, and Neil through constant heavy combat from the time of arrival until the time the mission is successful, and you all return home."

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*Jonas Mazeri*

Jonas edged over, '*curiosity-intrigue-disbelief*' coloring his thoughts as he looked into the bag in Shila's possession. Without even looking, she began pulling out the three smaller shoulder bags from the back bag, passing them out to himself, Ichigo, and Neil with a mental instruction, 'Take them. I'm not the one needing them'. He took his and opened it, finding one smaller white bottle. Intrigued, he popped the lid off of it and peered inside, finding it nearly halfway full of tiny red pills.

"Will something like that even work?" Ichigo asked, voicing his skepticism.

Even Jonas had to question the idea, having searched his Blood Memories for such an idea and coming up empty. And Miseanu gave a skeptical frown as well as she gazed through his eyes. But a quick glance at the shopkeeper had him believing what he said. His spiritual pressure felt…strained. And the barest flickers of essence aura bled through—Yretro's essence aura. The blonde's face was gaunt, dark circles casting shadows around his eyes, the effect magnified by his bucket hat.

With a nod, Kisuke remarked, "Yes. I guarantee that they will work. Go ahead and chew one." Yoruichi pinned him with an unreadable stare that the shopkeeper deflected with an almost imperceptible shake of his head, as if he was saying, Not now.

I wonder what that was about.

The blonde continued, "I reinforced the bags and the bottles as much as I could against spiritual pressure, however, they will still be destroyed if they take a direct attack, and the pills are even more fragile. Do try and avoid them getting struck."

.

*Ichigo Kurosaki*

The auras surrounding everyone, and their sickly-sweet scents was grating on Ichigo's nerves. It was easier to ignore when he kept to himself or stayed distracted, but all this yammering was pulling on his focus. It was getting harder and harder to resist the pull of Jonas's blood, the Blood Imprint almost calling to him in the darkness. It was a thought that both mesmerized and horrified him, the very idea that he would eat—drink—from another human being both enticing and disgusting.

Thank God I don't feel hunger like a hollow. I think I would have gone insane by now if I had to deal with that too.

Ichigo took the small black bag from Shila and opened the pill bottle, palming one of the red pills and popping it into his mouth without hesitation, crushing the crimson lifeline between his teeth. Everyone was careful to avoid staring and his connection to the others was awkwardly silent, but he still felt eyes boring holes into his head. With a glare, he turned and scowled at Uryu—one such source—before looking away again.

It had started as a dryness to his throat that wouldn't go away, and part of him had simply believed it to be the start of a sore throat. While it hadn't been the first one he had had in his life, it had been the first one since becoming a soul reaper. Whether that was coincidence, or a result of the powers he got from Rukia, he couldn't tell. So, when it progressed to a subtle ache and near-constant thirst, he didn't think anything of it.

But it had gotten worse, the throat pain fading away and leaving a burning thirst that refused to be quenched no matter how much he drank. He didn't dare hang around the clinic part of their house during this time, afraid of the burgeoning sensation growing in his chest. He had brushed off Jonas's rising concern through their imprint, his silver-haired doppelganger apparently detecting his unease despite his efforts to bury it.

He had even taken to avoiding his siblings and father as much as he could, an enticing aura beckoning him to feed until there was nothing left. The idea that he could even consider hurting his family was enough to leave him shut up in his room to train in his mind with Zangetsu or distracting himself with hollow hunting whenever he heard one of their echoing roars. Between all that and the training he had done with the others up until the last couple days, he was succeeding in keeping himself busy.

But it was getting worse, and he would have to face the facts eventually. That he was a vampire. And that he needed something. Craved it. Blood. He desperately needed blood. It was something he wasn't quite ready to so readily accept, despite Zangetsu chiding him for his behavior. His decision to fight the growing need had made him shaky, his limbs trembling like they were exhausted. So, when Hat and Clogs claimed these pills would fix that, he hastily ate one.

The effect was immediate. The burning sensation died down. His muscles stopped aching as badly. And the desire to…the need to…drink blood rapidly subsided. The faint pulsing hues of light surrounding the people around him that pounded in time with their heartbeats also disappeared. Once again, he felt more like himself, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He chewed one more, tasting the chalky residue on his tongue this time, and felt the residual sensations fade completely into the background, like they had never existed.

Uryu raised an eyebrow at him when he popped the second pill and Ichigo shook his head at the archer, not feeling like explaining himself in front of so many people. The Quincy once more turned away, clicking his tongue against his teeth yet remaining otherwise silent, but the orange-haired teen had the sneaking suspicion that he would be answering some pointed questions in the near future.

"So?" Hat and Clogs asked, his gray eyes giving him a measured stare.

Ichigo nodded. "They work."

With that said, Urahara made his way to one side of the portal while Tessai took the other. A flash of light prompted everyone to shoulder the bags they were entrusted with—Ichigo, Neil, and Jonas taking the smaller bags while Shila had the larger one—while the shopkeeper asked, "As soon as it opens, run in as fast as you can."

Another flash of light indicated that the portal had opened, and the ten teens and the feline all disappeared into its depths.

.

*Kisuke Urahara*

Kisuke leaned against the side of the portal with a huff, exhaustion tugging at all of his senses. Pulling on Yretro's memories and understanding of his previous life was difficult. Then, he had to hold onto those pieces until he had finished devising the special vampire pills. While he had been able to retain a vague recollection of his life as Yretro already—enough to recall aspects of training the kids and the basics of vampirism and magic—the specifics of his life had eluded him.

For the past week, on top of constructing the Senkaimon with Tessai, he had been sifting through his alternate ego's memories and knowledge, searching for a means to satisfy a vampire's need for blood without resorting to sealing said power. It had taken much effort on his part—along with a splitting migraine that resisted all known kaido and modern pharmacological inventions—but he had eventually succeeded in creating pills capable of satisfying the bloodlust. Which he had then tested on himself as Yretro's vampiric nature rose unbidden with the memories.

It didn't take an expert to know that Ichigo would be getting close to his first time needing to feed. While each vampire was inherently different, it was directly proportional to the amount of Energy they expended. And while Jonas hadn't been able to raise it very far in their training, the silver-haired boy had completely drained it each time he called on it. Kisuke suspected—especially when the orange-haired teen had arrived, struggling to keep from trembling—that Ichigo was nearing total starvation on that front.

Which was confirmed when the boy ate two of the pills before settling.

Benihime shifted in his mind, her '*worry-frustration-resignation*' wrapping around him like a blanket. She was a bloodthirsty and fierce zanpakuto, a direct reflection of his resolve to complete the task at hand. The red princess was relentless and cruel, matching his viciousness hidden under his mischievous guise. Very few got to see her gentler side, the part of himself he had thought lost when he had fled to the World of the Living with the Visoreds, Tessai, and Yoruichi, buried beneath the self-loathing and hatred he had felt towards Aizen for stealing their lives and trying to ruin them.

That was, until he had created Ururu and Jinta to aid around the shop, and in the process, once again learned how to feel. When he had stabilized his fallen fellow captains and lieutenants and, despite being unable to restore them to their previous selves, had at least prevented their deaths.

The scientist almost allowed himself to sink into her warm embrace but startled awake as a huge energy exploded upstairs. Not just spiritual pressure. Essence aura too! With his eyes jerked open, he exchanged a look with Tessai, who matched his gaze with mirrored concern.

The Senkaimon flickered and deactivated as its time ran out. But before he could take a step towards the ladder leading into the shop, his legs suddenly gave out from underneath him, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

He never remembered hitting the ground.

.

*Ichigo Kurosaki*

They stepped through the Senkaimon and into a dark passage filled with purple flowing muck that covered the floors and the walls, dripping like molasses in the shadows. It was hard to believe that such a strange place could even exist, and he couldn't help but to question what he was seeing. "Is this…the dangai?" '*confusion-curiosity-unease*' floated from the others, their feelings matching his own.

The place was strange. Like some kind of creepy environment that made the back of his teeth itch. The floor, oddly enough, was hard, although the bumpy surface made him have to watch his footing as he turned around to gaze at his surroundings, tucking his tail against his body so not to accidentally knock someone down.

A hum caused all of them to turn toward where they had entered, only to see the walls collapsing and rushing toward them in a purple wave. The spooky tunnel shuddered and shook, a deep vibration shaking his bones. His hair stood on end, all his instincts screaming at him to turn tail and run. Literally.

'What are ya doin', aibou?! Get movin'!' Zangetsu screeched.

"Don't just stand there! Run! The wall of kôryû is coming!" Yoruichi shouted at them.

With his commanding voice jerking them all out of their stunned gaze, the ten teens began running through the uneven landscape, carefully keeping away from the walls even as they stumbled and ran for their lives.

.

*Renji Abarai*

He was enjoying a simple break in the sun, mulling over Rukia's impending execution. He didn't have any clear ideas about how to save her. Yet. And Captain Kuchiki had barricaded himself in his office, leaving only for official soul reaper or clan business. It was nigh-impossible for him to even get in to see his captain, but if Rukia's words were right, then he didn't know if he even wanted to try and get the noble's help.

The noble that had stolen Rukia from him. But he didn't know who to be angrier with. That orange-haired punk from the World of the Living that stole Rukia's powers. His Captain for taking his childhood friend away from him. Or himself for allowing such things to happen. For not fighting to keep her by his side. The last family either of them had left.

He had let her slip away, thinking that if she got accepted into a noble clan that maybe her life would be easier. She would finally have a family. A true family. And she could live in luxury for the rest of her days, never having to worry about how she was going to get food or clothing or where she would bed down for a night. He honestly thought he was giving her a great gift. Of allowing her to shed the last of their terrible roots and get the life she truly deserved.

So, where had it all gone wrong?

If that orange-haired bastard hadn't stole her powers, then she wouldn't have to go through all of this! *rage-frustration-hatred*

Suddenly, an alert sounded through the Seireitei, a loud clacking sound that echoed through the air, startling him out of his thoughts. "Alert! Alert! Intruders detected in West Rukon! Alert regions three through eight! I repeat…Alert! Alert! Intruders detected in West Rukon! Alert regions three through eight!"

"What's going on?" he questioned aloud in shock before he sprang into action.

Intruders?! In a time like this!?

.

*Ichigo Kurosaki*

Ichigo ran like his life depended on him, careful to keep his tail tucked close to his body despite how off-balance that act made him feel, falling back to stick closer to his classmates while the rest ran on ahead. Orihime, Chad, and Uryu weren't nearly as fast, and he wasn't about to leave them behind. The back of his teeth itched, hair standing on end. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, filling his limbs with a rush of energy.

"The walls are collapsing! They're crumbling behind us!" Uryu shouted, the quincy's voice tinged with worry. Ichigo stole a look back, glancing over his shoulder and past the archer running behind him. Sure enough, the other teen was right. A massive wave of purple goo cascaded down the seemingly infinitely tall textured walls, reaching for them with tendrils of muck as it stretched towards them.

"Don't look back—run!" Yoruichi instructed, the feline running between the two groups. "If the kôryû swallows us, we're done for!"

Another rumble pulled his attention again and he watched in horror as another section flowed like a waterfall, smashing into the floor behind them. With a yelp, Uryu was snagged, and he turned with a growl, hand reaching for his zanpakuto.

"Idiot! I knew that stupid costume of his was going to cause trouble!" He hadn't said it, but the thought had crossed his mind. The Quincy had traipsed all through town wearing that ridiculous white caped uniform, probably drawing whatever attention he could to himself as he made his way to Urahara's shop. Yeah, way to keep a low profile! And he had intended to comment on that fact but his apprehension at how the archer would respond to his appearance had distracted him.

"Stupid?! It's not stupid!" Uryu shouted even as he flailed in the restrictive current's grip, struggling to pull free from the stubborn purple goo.

"Wait, Ichigo!" Yoruichi interrupted. "You can't use your zanpakuto. If you do, you'll be swallowed up too!"

"Then, what am I supposed to do?!" Ichigo cried out in frustration. The other six teens had hastily approached, faces colored with worry, mirrored sensations flowing to him from the Blood Tie and imprint. It wasn't that he necessarily cared about the quincy jerk—and he needed to remember to ask his dad what he knew about any quincy heritage he had when they got back—but the other teen did come with him to save Rukia. That was more than enough reason to try and figure out a way to save him.

But it was Chad that saved Uryu with a quick motion, tearing the cape off the quincy's back and freeing the boy before throwing him over his shoulder and starting to run. He suggested, "Let's go!"

They all took off again, with Ichigo raising an eyebrow towards his best friend. "O-okay!" He wasn't sure what to think of the situation, caught somewhere between amusement and disbelief at the sight before him. Uryu was slung over Chad's shoulder, flailing his arms in protest.

"Put me down, Chad! I can run on my own!" Uryu objected. At least he had the decency not to do something to put Chad in anymore danger. "Put me…" then he paused. A low-level vibration was shaking the ground and walls, the steady thrum gradually rising as the archer's voice wavered, "W-wait guys! Something…something else is coming!"

A shiver ran down Ichigo's spine as his instincts shifted and alarm bells began to practically scream in his head. With a burst of light, what looking like a large, smooth, purple train with a single headlight came racing towards them out of the textured walls.

"Yoruichi! What is that thing!?" Uryu demanded.

"It's a kôtotsu—a cleaner! It appears once every seven years…but why now?!" he replied, his feline voice sounding as equally concerned as Uryu had been. "Run! Very fast! Run for your lives!" He urged, panic edging into his voice. "Hurry! The exit is just ahead!"

And it was, a box of light indicating the Soul Society stood not that far from them. A literal light at the end of a dark tunnel. But Uryu hollered in alarm, "No! It's catching up!"

Chad was in the back now, the giant slowed by carrying the archer. Orihime was to Ichigo's left, slightly behind him, and with a determined expression, she stopped in her tracks, spinning in place.

"Orihime?!" he asked in alarm. Why is she stopping?! What is she doing?!

"Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily!" The orange-haired girl turned to face the cleaner, her arms outstretched in front of her. "Santen Kesshun! I reject!"

The front of the cleaner connected with her shield and a brilliant white light exploded from the impact, throwing all eleven of them out of the Dangai like a rocket.

.

*Unknown 2*

They doused the flames in the house for the evening, even though it cast the insides into darkness too thick to see through. It was the easiest way to hide at night, from the monsters that roamed the countryside in the shadows. Both man and beast seemed to prowl the inky dark, searching for easy prey. They were indiscriminate, taking what they wanted from body and home. As he snuggled close to his mother, he wished he were anywhere else.

He was weak in mind but not spirit energy. His form overflowed with the strength he physically lacked, somehow washing over his mom without harming her. He questioned if she were that much stronger than him or if his weakness allowed his power to not affect her. Either way, he was simply glad that she was there beside him, her warmth and cinnamon scent blanketing him in quiet security.

They dared not speak nor even breathe, watching in fear as lights moved closer and closer to their home, the yellow flames casting shadows across the few rooms with windows. The unprotected rooms were left as they always were—covered in dust with furniture scattered about as if torn apart and then left to rot. Which, he supposed, it was, considering they had simply made this place their home when they arrived here.

With a sigh of relief, the flames retreated and the two of them slumped as the tension fled their bodies.

I wish I wasn't so weak.

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*Neil Agamon*

Neil coughed as dust settled around their group, having landed on his back after getting shot out of the dangai. He shifted slowly, carefully checking his limbs to make sure that nothing was broken. And a quick glance in the black shoulder bag told him that the pills were fine too. While he wouldn't be needing them for some time—he had finally talked to Shila about getting that taste—it wouldn't do for them to get destroyed so soon after arriving.

He sat up slowly, seeing everyone else scattered around him. Michael was standing, slowly brushing dirt off his clothes, but otherwise the blonde appeared unruffled from their impact. He wore sleek black pants and a matching plain black long-sleeve shirt with a small neck. And on his feet were black boots that reached just up to his knees. The other teen had a thing for wearing black ever since his parents left on some exploratory mission and hadn't returned. Whether it was because he was mourning their absence or some other reason, Neil wasn't sure.

Kienan was helping his sister to her feet, his short black hair sticking up every which direction from the impact. The goofball of their group was wearing an eyesore of an outfit, with a bright green short sleeve shirt on and purple shorts that went passed his knees. I guess his way of dressing didn't change after showing up here…

Casey stumbled to her feet, the black-haired archer and younger sister to Kienan patting herself off once she was steady. She was far more reserved than her brother, wearing an impassive expression that bordered on emotionless. She wore a layering of blue shirts, with a dark blue on the inside and a light blue jacket lying over top of it combined with dark blue pants and black shoes.

Shila was tangled up with that Uryu guy, the two archers quickly unwrapping their limbs and working their way to their feet. She wore a mostly white dress that hung down to her knees, with the exception of red threading, a crimson sash tied around her waist, and an equally blood-red scarf wrapped around her shoulders. Her shoes looked like delicate red sandals with thin laces wrapped around her ankles to secure them to her feet—almost like the ones Ichigo wore.

You're staring, Shila commented through their imprint with a mental frown, *disapproval-embarrassment-exasperation*, her mind finding his despite her looking in a different direction.

Neil shifted his gaze. Sorry. *desire-apology-appreciation* She had let him get a taste of her and, whether it was because of the imprint or because she had grown on him recently, the brown-haired teen wasn't sure, but he had enjoyed their little…encounter. And he knew she had too, based on what he had felt from her. But he knew what she would say. That it wasn't the time to be focusing on that. And she was right, although no one would ever hear the words come out of his mouth.

Jonas had been lying face down next to Ichigo and slowly pushed himself to his feet. He wore dark blue pants with silver accents and a silver short sleeve shirt with dark blue lines and threading. His black shoulder bag had thankfully remained on his back, and thus not gotten smashed, if the '*relief*' feeling fluttering through the Blood Tie was anything to go by.

Good, doesn't look like anybody in our group was harmed.

.

*Orihime Inoue*

Orihime huffed, "Whoa!" Dust rose around them as herself, Chad, Uryu, Ichigo, and all the others were spread out across her shield, the barrier unconsciously stretching to protect everyone from the impact. She glanced around, seeing how they had all landed. "Is everyone all right?"

Chad was probably the only one to have landed well out of the four of them. He was kneeling in place, clothes and body seemingly unruffled from the landing. Yoruichi was sprawled on his back although his fur appeared just as smooth as ever. Uryu had face-planted with his butt up in the air and was untangling himself from Shila. And Ichigo was folded over on himself, his head beneath his legs, tail straight up in the air holding his black bag.

"Wow! Ichigo! That's a cool landing pose!" She giggled, her prior fright in the dangai dissipating as the relief of their safety settled around her shoulders.

"Shut up…" he grumbled but there was no bite to his comment, just a muffled grunt as he forced air past his lips.

"Ow…geez, what a trip that was…" Uryu complained as he held his head. "Worse than I expected…" Then he grabbed something from his jacket. "I can't believe I have to use my spare cape already…"

Ichigo and Chad stared at him with incredulous stares, and she had to struggle to keep from laughing out loud, the former carefully rising to his feet and slipping the bag over his shoulder once more with his tail. He's gotten really good at using it!

At first, seeing him looking so much like a hollow had frightened her. It reminded her of seeing her brother that night as a monster. And he and Ichigo trying to kill each other. But the orange-haired teen remained his usual scowling self, acting the same way he always did. It had set her mind at ease, even for the few times she saw him practicing with his hollow mask. The eyes that reminded her of her brother's as a hollow didn't seem so scary anymore. Not when they were so warm when looking at her.

"I'm so glad nobody got hurt!" Orihime exclaimed happily.

Yoruichi growled and attacked her, smacking her eye with a paw, "You were reckless!" His golden eyes were narrowed in anger, his voice mirroring his obvious disappointment and frustration. Even his ears were folded back, tail swishing violently behind him.

She grabbed her eye, the organ streaming with tears from the sudden pain, crying, "My eye!" She pouted, puckering her lips at Yoruichi.

"I warned you against using your spiritual powers in there! You were just lucky that the cleaner only impacted the shield area. If it had touched any part of the six flowers themselves, you would all be dead now!" the feline seemed hell-bent on making his point and all she could do in response was hang her head in confused shame.

"I-I'm sorry…" she murmured. She was only trying to protect everyone…

"Hey!" Ichigo interjected with a scowl aimed at Yoruichi, his arms crossed over his chest, "You don't have to be so hard on her! We'd all be dead if she hadn't done what she did!" Orihime couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face at Ichigo's defense of her, her heart pattering in her chest as a rush of warmth ran through her. She could almost forget Yoruichi's scolding.

Almost.

"You fail to grasp the gravity of the matter…" Yoruichi retorted.

Then Uryu shouted, "Hey! The dust is settling!"

.

*Ichigo Kurosaki*

Uryu was right, his distraction ending the rapidly rising tension with his usual attention-demanding voice. The dust was settling. And its departure allowed them a chance to finally see where they had landed. The place looked run-down and abandoned, the buildings in various states of repair. No one was around. It was almost like it was a ghost town.

No pun intended.

"Is this the Soul Society?" he couldn't help but ask. He always thought heaven would look a little more…up scale.

"Yes," Yoruichi replied. "This is the Rukon District. It's where souls live when they first come to the Soul Society. This is the closest section to where the soul reapers live on this side of the Seireitei, known as the Lush Forest Peace District, Junrinan—District 1 of West Rukongai. Overall, the Rukongai is the poorest, but freest, part of the Soul Society. The majority of souls live here."

"Really?" Uryu commented, his voice laced with skepticism. "It looks deserted." Ah, so he noticed that too, did he?

"Yeah…" Ichigo replied as he looked around. After a moment, he noticed another area of town that looked vastly different from their current surroundings, the buildings better cared for and maintained than these ones, almost sparkling in the daylight. Smooth tiled roads paved the ground, as opposed to the dirt roads over here. "Hey…the town looks totally different over there."

"Never mind that for now," Yoruichi commented, turning his back away from that area.

'Seems ta me, partner, that the soul reapers think of themselves as all high and mighty. I'm certain that those buildings are part of the Seireitei. Yoruichi did say we were in the closest district,' Zangetsu pointed out with a mental nudge.

Ichigo voiced what his zanpakuto said, running towards the area despite Old Man Zangetsu shouting at him, 'Stop and think, you fool!'

He turned his head back toward the others, thinking he heard someone outside his mind yelling at him, when something slammed into the ground just meters away from him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Over the roar of sound and heavy vibrations echoing further and further away, he couldn't hear anything around him. Wind and stone buffeted his body, surrounding him in dust and debris. Eventually, it all died down. As he coughed, he saw a shadow blanket his body, causing him to turn around.

"It's been a while…since anyone tried to enter the spirit gate without a travel permit." The deep voice came from the giant man standing directly in front of the gate. A being that dwarfed him in size by a large margin. "At last, I have a customer. Welcome boy!"

.

*Unknown 7*

He straightened his vest, trying to smooth the wrinkles from the fabric. The black cloth was as flat as it could be, shining faintly under the lighting of the great meeting hall. All the Blood Squads were there to see the coronation of the new High Priestess and the appointment of her Personal Guard. It was a good day, where power in the coven changed hands once more but this time, for all the right reasons.

The newest High Priestess would be Sirta Mazeri, a female vampire he grew up with. The current leader of the coven was her father, Jakko Yurgen, the only male leader in the history of the coven, his leadership secured by Mate Right when their previous High Priestess, Tirina, died and Sirta wasn't old enough. And while he was happy that she was getting the position she rightfully deserved, he was also sad.

It meant that he wouldn't get to spend anymore time with her. He and Hebai grew up with her and even got to take the same classes with her. The two of them had grown fond of her. But now, she would be a High Priestess and they were simple Shadow Steppers, not even strong enough to hold a seat in their Squads. It cut his heart like he couldn't explain, to know that he would never get a chance to win her heart and become her mate.

Names were rattled off. Followed by thunderous applause and the crowds cheering. Ten other vampires were chosen. None of them were him. Then there was a pause. He looked up to see why the ceremony stopped. Why weren't they all filing out now? Wasn't it over? But she was standing on the stage, staring at him and Hebai. Dark blue eyes shining with glee. Long silver hair glistening beneath the lights.

Goddess, she is beautiful.

"I also name Hebai Kavi and Yretro Kosuka to my Personal Guard!" She beckoned them both to the stage with a wide, graceful sweep of her arms. He stared at Hebai, the other man's black eyes wide with shock and excitement, dark blue hair lightened considerably under the lights as the meeting hall went into an uproar.

They were mere Shadow Steppers. And a High Priestess welcomed them into her Personal Guard.

I will not fail you, Sirta Mazeri, my High Priestess.

*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*

Terminology

My Universe:

Beasts:

Dark Severiin: think of a Deviljho from Monster Hunter when you think of this thing. Physically, it is a bit different, but I am using a lot of comparisons to describe characters and things. This is the thing I am vaguely describing at the beginning of the chapter that Jonas and his friends were fighting. The characters from my story are being pulled from their timeline during the Dark Severiin fight in Arc 1 of Chronicles of Seraphia (the book series I am working on).

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Magic (General):

Magic Core: the core of an individual's magical ability. No Magic Core means that the person cannot wield Magic AT ALL. All Magic Essence that an individual can manipulate originates from their Magic Core. It is located in the chest just behind the heart along the spine. The Essence Ribbon for a person is tied directly to this place.

It is possible to transfer powers from one person to another through a technique referred to as a Spark Transfer. This can be done to awaken a person's dormant Magic Core, grant a Magic Core to an individual with no Core, or replenish the receiver's magic essence at the expense of the giver (giving energy directly from one person to another so the receiver can continue fighting, for example).

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Magic Wielder: an individual capable of manipulating the magic essence within and beyond their body to produce magical skills and abilities. Just because a person has a Magic Core does not automatically mean that they can use magic. Some people must have their Magic Core activated in order to use magic.

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Magic is divided into 6 Divisions: Spellcaster Magic, Weapon Magic, Incantation Magic, Spiritual Magic, Elemental Magic, and Ritual Magic.

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Magic Class: One of ten major classifications of various magics.

Mental, Arcane, Holy, Unholy, Nature, Dark, Light, Fire, Water, and Earth Magics.

Mental Magic is the ONLY recognized Class without a definite subclass.

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Magic Subclass: one of several magics that make up a magic class.

Space/Time Subclasses are part of Arcane Magic.

Holy/Angel/Blessing Subclasses are part of Holy Magic.

Unholy/Demon/Curse Subclasses are part of Unholy Magic.

Plant/Animal/Poison Subclasses are part of Nature Magic.

Dark/Death/Summoner Subclasses are part of Dark Magic.

Light/Life/Conjurer Subclasses are part of Light Magic.

Fire/Lightning/Chaos/Sun Subclasses are part of Fire Magic.

Water/Ice/Wind/Moon Subclasses are part of Water Magic.

Earth/Metal/Magma Subclasses are part of Earth Magic.

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Primary Wavelength: there are many different levels of magical communication. The space in an individual's mind directly below the Weapon Wavelength is this layer where communication through Blood Imprints, Dragon Imprints and Plant Summons exist.

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Weapon Wavelength: the layer in a person's mind near the top of their consciousness where a Magic Weapon of some sort communicates with their wielder. This is the level Engeta Zanu, Tasha Rein, and the other Weapons communicate on.

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Tending to a Wavelength: a mental process where an individual concentrates and focuses their efforts on increasing the bond between two sides of a connection (such as a Blood Imprint or Blood Tie), making the connection more stable. Needs to be done periodically to keep imprints etc. smooth. If not done, can lead to a lot of mental hardships. Must be done when adding to the existing connections or making new ones on the same wavelength to prevent signals from getting tangled. (think of it like untangling a ball of yarn and keeping it separated while continuously moving the string around and adding to it).

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Magic (Weapons):

Blank Magic Weapon: a basic summon of the primary form of an individual's Magic Weapon. Granted by the Weapon Essence when a person gains basic access to their magical abilities. Replaced once the wielder learns their Weapon's name and Summoning phrase.

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Magic Weapon: a magical Weapon bound to an individual from birth. Magic Weapons are created from Weapon Spirits that choose a child as it is born and meld with the newborn's spirit to become their Magic Weapon later in life. Weapon Spirits are reincarnated whenever they choose a new wielder (after they are separated from their current one). Typically wielded only by living people in either the Light World or the Dark World. Used to send spirits on to the realms.

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Weapon Magic Wielder: Weapon Magic Wielders are able to manipulate the Magic Essence in their bodies to summon powerful Weapons and communicate with the Weapon Essences to gain new powers and abilities.

If one can only use Weapon Magic, then they are also referred to as Guardians (this term can also be used for someone that uses a Spirit Weapon or Hell Weapon if the Weapon is the only magical ability they have).

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Weapon Spirit/Weapon Essence: the personality and appearance of a Magic or Spirit Weapon within and beyond the wielder's inner world. Each one has a unique appearance and powers. They choose to bind to an individual's spirit (typically at birth) and help to shape their wielder's development. In the end, it is hard (sometimes) to distinguish the two from each other (what is the natural state of the wielder and what part of the wielder's personality and traits were influenced by the Weapon kind of question).

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Tasha Rein: Jonas's Magic Weapon.

Humanoid Form: 5'5". Long black and silver hair and black eyes. She wore a black, form-fitting kimono with dark blue accents along the outer edges and dark blue cloth on the inside. Dark blue threads held it all together. While the body of the kimono was form-fitting, the arms and legs had plenty of room and were quite baggy.

Lore: Means 'Ultimate Darkness/The Black Dragon'

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Engeta Zanu: Neil Agamon's Magic Weapon.

Humanoid Form: looks like Neil except he is all white. Wears a dark orange kimono with a crimson inner liner and dark red stitches. Wears a pair of baggy red pants that flare at his feet with matching crimson socks slipped into a basic flat black sandal. There is a red flame design etched into the bottom of the robe's top half.

Lore: Engeta Zanu also means Twin Flickering Flames. The idea that a flame reflects the spirit of a person (hence why he is Neil's duplicate), with different colors indicating different moods and the color white representing the complete balance of all that power (since it is said that white is the conglomeration of all color whereas black is the absence of color). Engeta Zanu is a pair of dual long swords.

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Kisi Ri: Magic Weapon belonging to The Matriarch and, by extension, the feral vampires under her control.

Lore: functions by inserting vampire magical abilities into a person's Magic Core, thus transforming them into a vampire. High success rate.

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Juka Reyno: Shila Mezere's Magic Weapon.

Humanoid Form: 5'4". Long white hair tossed behind her head in gentle curls flowing to the center of her back. Stunned bright blue eyes. Wears a floor-length white and blue dress that shimmered as she walked, now streaked with lines of red and black.

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Weapon Release (Weapon State): Similar in nature to a Shikai or Bankai release. However, there are 10 Mortal Tier Releases (as opposed to the 2 levels that Soul Reapers can use).

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Kogomosa/Shikai: The 1st Weapon Release in the Mortal Tier of Weapon Releases. Equivalent to Shikai state, with fighters on average becoming twice as strong as their initial summon state. X2 Initial Summon.

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Magic Weapon Classes: Magic Weapons have classes which determine how exactly they are used, along with describing total size of the Weapons etc. Basically, a dual longsword class is different than a dual short sword class and indicates the length of the blades. There are also dual classes which will be explained later.

Weapons are Melee (up close), Ranged (far away), Defensive (which falls under the melee class), or Dual Form (two different types of weapons that are part of one weapon. Think of the weapons from Bloodborne and how almost every single one had 2 forms.)

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Sword Lengths- Daggers are between 5 to 10 inches long. Short swords are between 10 and 18 inches long. Long swords are between 18 and 30 inches long. Greatswords are between 30 and 48 inches long. Ultra greatswords are between 48 and 72 inches long.

Curved swords mean that the flat side of the blade (the part that is not sharp) is curved, along with the bladed edge. Regular swords are straight here, regardless of whether the blade itself arcs into a curve. (for a comparison, Zangetsu would be considered an Ultra Greatsword class.)

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Melee Classes- Single Form

Dagger

Dual Dagger

Short Sword

Dual Swords (2 short swords)

Long Sword

Dual Long Swords

Greatsword

Ultra Greatsword

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Curved Short Sword-

Dual Curved Swords- (2 curved short swords)

Curved Long Sword-

Dual Curved Long Swords-

Curved Greatsword-

Curved Ultra Greatsword-

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Sword and Shield-

Greatsword and Tower Shield-

Spear-

Lance-

Shield and Lance-

Shield and Spear-

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Claws-

Knuckles-

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Ball and Chain-

Scythe-

Dual Scythes-

Trident-

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Club-

Great Club-

Hammer-

Great Hammer-

Axe-

Greataxe-

Mace-

Tonitrus-

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3 Part pole-

Twinblade-

Vibratory Axe-

Saw-

Staff-

Whip-

Num-chuks-

Chains (Chains are called melee Weapons but they can be thrown and used as a combination melee and ranged Weapon. Chains are also typically used by Sinners and other Hell Realm denizens, but not exclusively.)

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Ranged Classes- Single Form

Wand-

Magic Staff-

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Boomerang

Throwing Star (shuriken)

Throwing knife

Throwing fans

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Short Bow-

Long Bow-

Greatbow-

Crossbow-

Ballista-

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Pistol-

Rifle-

Shotgun-

Sniper Rifle-

Rocket Launcher-

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Defensive Classes (considered melee)

Small Shield- A light shield mostly intended for parrying and not blocking. Cannot block heavy attacks but can block most light attacks.

Medium Shield- An average-sized shield for typical use. Allows the Wielder to move around freely while offering the most protection.

Tower Shield- A huge and heavy shield, capable of blocking the most devastating attacks.

Reflective Shield- An average-sized shield that reflects magic attacks. As competent as a medium shield with the added magic reflection.

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Miscellaneous Weapon Classes (dual form weapons)

Staffblade- (staff/longsword)

Staff Rifle- (staff/sniper rifle)

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Switchaxe- (longsword/greataxe)

Swordblade- (longsword/dual swords)

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Clawhands- (knuckles/claws)

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Clawblades- (claws/dual daggers)

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Sawblade- (saw/longsword)

Saw Cleaver- (saw/greatsword)

Saw Spear- (saw/spear)

Sawbow- (saw/short bow)

Sawwhip- (saw/whip)

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Swordlauncher- (ultra greatsword/rocket launcher)

Axeblade- (ultra greatsword/greataxe)

Great Swordblades- (ultra greatsword/dual long swords)

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Axelauncher- (greataxe/rocket launcher)

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Crossblade- (dual swords/crossbow)

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Vibratory Axeblade- (vibratory axe/ultra greatsword)

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Swordwhip- (short sword/whip)

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Scytheblade- (scythe/curved longsword)

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Bowblade- (long bow/long sword)

Bowblades- (long bow/dual swords)

Bowscythe- (long bow/scythe)

Bow staff- (long bow/staff)

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Great Bowblade- (great bow/ultra greatsword)

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Sniper Sword- (sniper rifle/greatsword)

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Staffsword- (magic staff/longsword)

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Hammerfists- (great hammer/knuckles)

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Twin Dual Scythes- (twinblade/dual scythes)

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Dual Blades- (dual long swords/twinblade)

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Weapon Summon Spell: each Magic Weapon has a specific phrase or word that allows their wielder to bring them into the world (summon their weapon). This is similar to the phrase used by a soul reaper to awaken their zanpakuto to Shikai.

Initial Summon: The basic summon and first form of a Magic Weapon. Each Initial Summon has an activation spell (summoning spell) to summon the Weapon into existence.

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Kisi Ri summon spell: Turn Them

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Engeta Zanu summon spell: Burn

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Tasha Rein summon spell: Descend

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Juka Reyno summon spell: Pierce

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Weapon Dispel Spell: each Magic Weapon has a specific phrase or word that allows their wielder to disperse the magic essence forming their weapon, allowing it to disappear (dispel their weapon). Currently, there is no known way for a soul reaper to do something like this, since their zanpakuto is a physical creation and not summoned out of reishi.

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Tasha Rein dispel spell: Disappear

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Magic (Incantations):

Incantation Magic: Magic that manipulates the magic essence in one's body to cast powerful spells which are formed and guided by chants and body positioning. While divided into 14 subcategories (7 Mortal Tier and 7 God Tier), they also adhere to the basic class/subclass mentality introduced by Spellcaster Magic, giving their spells magic types.

This type of Magic is also referred to as 'True Magic'. Could be compared to Hado/Bakudo spells from Bleach or even the spellcasting from Charmed. Each spell has a specific name and number, along with a specific chant that allows the user to channel the proper amount of energy into the spell and guide it into the correct form.

Those that can ONLY use Incantation Magic are referred to as Witches.

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Magic (Spellcaster):

Spellcaster Magic: Magic that manipulates the magic essence in one's body and surroundings, allowing a Spellcaster Magic Wielder to influence their surroundings and environment on a basic level. It is separated into 4 sub-categories, which are then broken down into the ten major classes and their numerous subclasses.

This type of Magic is also referred to as 'Basic Magic'. Could be compared to the Bending Arts from Avatar in that there are no specific names that are exclaimed when certain attacks are used (although some signature spells have unique names). While all uses of the magics have basic names, many spellcaster spells are not special enough to have a specially designated name and the 'names' given to these basic spells is just so one can differentiate different levels of attack.

Those that can ONLY use Spellcaster Magic are referred to as Wizards.

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Cosmic Magic: 1 of 4 sub-categories of Spellcaster Magic. Represents Mental Magic, Arcane (space/time) Magic, Blood Magic, and Transmutation Magic.

Only Mental Magic and Arcane Magic are considered Magic Classes. Blood Magic and Transmutation Magic are considered separate types of Magic and are NOT recognized by the Dragon Clans.

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Godly Magic: 1 of 4 subcategories of Spellcaster Magic. Represents Holy (holy/angel/blessing) Magic and Unholy (unholy/demon/curse) Magics. Both Holy and Unholy are considered Magic Classes.

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Worldly Magic: 1 of 4 subcategories of Spellcaster Magic. Represents Nature (plant/animal/poison) Magic, Dark (dark/death/summoner) Magic, and Light (light/life/conjurer) Magic. Nature, Dark, and Light Magics are considered Magic Classes.

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Elemental Magic: 1 of 4 subcategories of Spellcaster Magic. Represents Fire (fire/lightning/chaos/sun) Magic, Water (water/ice/wind/moon) Magic, and Earth (earth/metal/magma) Magic. Fire, Water, and Earth Magics are considered Magic Classes.

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Magic (Spiritual):

Spiritual Magic: Magic that manipulates the Magic Essence within and around an individual's spirit to cast powerful spells similar to spellcaster magic. These spells are empowered by the strength of one's spirit and are solely used by the dead or those influenced by the dead. There are 5 subcategories of Spiritual Magic: Dark Spirit Magic, Hell Spirit Magic, Hell Spirit Weapon Magic, Light Spirit Magic, and Spirit Weapon Magic (although, really, the Weapon Magics fall under the purview of general Weapon Magic for the most part, even though there are a few differences between them all).

This type of Magic is also referred to as Dead Magic or Magic of the Dead. The basic idea could be compared to the spirit magic in Bleach in spirit (pun intended), but they have no chants or anything like that. It would probably be closer to the hollow skills if one insisted on the comparison.

If one can ONLY use Spiritual Magic (and they are still alive), then they are also referred to as Spirit Guardians. (Infusers also fall into this category if Spirit Magic is all the magic ability they have.)

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Magic (Elemental Spirit):

Elemental Magic: Magic that manipulates the Magic Essence within and around an individual's body to make themselves more compatible with a desired Elemental Spirit. These wielders are capable of physically/spiritually binding to an Elemental Spirit, borrowing an Elemental Spirit's power for a set amount of time, or subjugating an Elemental Spirit. There are 3 major ideologies (Druidism, Shamanism, and Subjugation) for Elemental Magic users, and none of them get along.

This type of Magic is also referred to as Ancient Magic because it is the basic premise of returning to magic's roots and working with the elemental spirits governing certain magical abilities.

Druids operate much like the Avatar in which an Elemental Spirit enters the body of a person and lives within them, strengthening their body and allowing their magic to pass through them.

Shamans borrow the power of an Elemental Spirit by gaining favor with an Elemental and getting a portion of that spirit's power.

Warlocks subjugate an Elemental Spirit and force that spirit to do their bidding.

If one can ONLY use Elemental Spirit Magic, then they are referred to as Elemental Spirit Guardians.

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Magic (Ritual):

Ritual Magic: Magic that manipulates the Magic Essence within a person's body and from their surroundings using special rituals and ceremonies to cast powerful spells or create magical artifacts. They use combinations of otherwise powerless objects to craft special spells for numerous purposes. They are known as the group packrat and typically either have lots of control using magic, or next to none. Rarely, are they average in their controlling abilities.

This type of Magic is also referred to as Object Magic because it is based around items and ceremony, oftentimes relying heavily on both to form the magic as opposed to any input from the caster.

If one can ONLY use Ritual Magic, then they are referred to as Mediums.

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Vampire Specific:

Vampire: A subspecies of humanoid. Draws magical power by draining the magic from a target's bloodstream. Very good users of ranged magics. Known for their usage of Blood Magic. Predominately female-led society.

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Blood Imprint: a type of magical connection through blood. Made between a vampire and someone else. On the Primary Wavelength.

This type of connection allows the imprinter and imprintee to use each other's magical abilities and Magic Weapons.

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The Change: the process of transforming into a vampire.

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Primary Bloodline: Bloodlines named after and descended directly from the vampire offspring of those that wielded the 10 Dragon Champion Weapons in ancient times. They are well known for their mastery of their particular Magic Class.

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Secondary Bloodline: Bloodlines named after the specific matings of the Primary Bloodlines. Known for their ability to wield two Magic Classes related to their names.

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Tertiary Bloodline (trash bloodline): unstable bloodlines. Too numerous and diverse to be able to name them all. Not known for anything special. Fall to feral status easier because of their magical instability.

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Forced Submission (vampire): This is something that can ONLY be done by a Primary or Secondary Bloodline on a vampire going through The Change that is in their feral state. Primaries can ONLY be force submitted by other Primaries. Secondaries can be force submitted by either primaries or secondaries. While Tertiaries can be force submitted by any primary or secondary but are unable to force submit anyone except other tertiaries. (this is due to the strength of the bloodlines involved.) When a Primary or a Secondary force submit a Tertiary, they are essentially birthing their target into their bloodline.

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Blood Tie: a magical connection between two vampires where one force submitted another. This loosely connects all that are directly connected with the two involved in the Blood Tie (includes any imprints on both sides. For example, Jonas force submitted Neil. Neil is Blood Imprinted with Shila. Therefore, through the Blood Tie, Jonas is connected to Shila.)

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Blood Memories (genetic memories): Primary Bloodlines and Secondary Bloodlines pass on genetic memories and abilities through their blood, gifting subsequent generations with the same skills and memories of days long past. (this is possible even though magical ability isn't technically passed on this way.)

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Rein/Mazeri Vampires: Descended from Miseanu Meizerai/Rein. They are masters of the Dark Magic Class and specialize in stealth, summoning, and raising the dead to fight again (necromancy). Jonas's particular bloodline is spawned from Bequaki Mazeri, who was once known as Bequaki Rein, but she changed her name and began the Mazeri bloodline when she disagreed with the other primary vampire bloodlines and their decision to attack the werewolves.

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Lore:

When a vampire first begins The Change, they have a brief period where they 'go feral' (i.e. go insane, lose themselves to bloodlust and instincts, etc.). Most vampires turn back toward the light shortly after their body full changes, but not all. There is a higher chance of someone with a tertiary/trash bloodline of staying feral than someone belonging to a primary or secondary bloodline.

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In the canon storyline, the Matriarch, while powerful, is simply a strong Mental Magic user from a tertiary bloodline. In fact, her Weapon, Kisi Ri, should work far better than it does in controlling her victims, but it doesn't because of her lineage. Because my characters are now in the Bleach universe with no ready means of returning home, they are cut off from the majority of her mental influence. Therefore, Jonas was able to defeat the portion of her power struggling for dominance easily whereas Neil (and by extension, Shila) had to struggle and required Jonas's aid.

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Okay, so Ichigo had a tertiary bloodline (because he got his vampirism from Neil who got it from The Matriarch and Neil had stabbed Ichigo with Kisi Ri before Jonas Force Submitted him). But, as Jonas realized, while he was a tertiary bloodline, he was rapidly becoming a powerful trash vampire. To the extent that, while he normally wouldn't be able to Force Submit Jonas (because Jonas is a primary and tertiaries can't normally force a primary to submit), he would have been able to had Jonas failed to repel him. This, of course, would have had drastic consequences, which thankfully, we don't have to worry about now.

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Jonas is a Mazeri/Rein vampire by birth which is a Primary Bloodline. Neil was transformed by The Matriarch's power, and she came from a tertiary bloodline. So, when Jonas forced Engeta Zanu to submit, he was birthing Neil into the Mazeri bloodline. Basically, Neil is a Mazeri vampire now with all the bloodline skills etc. that come along with that with the exception of the Blood Memories which he does not have. Blood Memories can only be passed on from ancestor to direct descendant, not through a forced submission.

Jonas force submitting Neil's vampiric side is also why Jonas can feel what Neil is feeling. And he can sense Shila through Neil because Neil and Shila are imprinted. (normally, Neil biting Shila for that short period of time would not have caused an imprint. However, because she broke the barrier between them in her inner world and went to him in his, she cemented their connection.) This connection between the three is ONLY because Jonas force submitted Neil's vampire side. (this connection works similarly to an imprint in that they can sense each other's feelings. However, power sharing is NOT included in this.)

Engeta Zanu made the comment that he was 'back now' to Jonas when Jonas force submitted him. This is because of how the transformation took effect on Neil. Because Neil was not born from, nor ever descended from a vampire, he was not meant to become a vampire. The Matriarch's power had infiltrated his spirit and tried taking over Engeta Zanu (which she could because he had no natural bloodline to resist her). Once Jonas forced his bloodline onto Neil, it caused the hold on Engeta Zanu to disappear, allowing the Weapon's regular personality to reemerge.

The fact that Jonas is a Mazeri vampire is the entire reason why the transformation went differently for him than it did for Neil. This is why it took the shape of his mother and acted more like an outside force attacking rather than a possession.

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Werewolf Specific:

Shini/Light Spirit Specific:

Shade/Dark Spirit Specific:

Sinner/Hell Spirit Specific:

Demon Specific:

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Essence Ribbon Specific:

The color of the Essence Ribbon is determined by the individual's spellcaster magic aptitude. Ribbons only demonstrate the powers the individual is aware of and capable of wielding.

The color of the Essence Ribbon is also affected by whether or not they are a Weapon Wielder or an Incantation Wielder and they also change depending on their vampire/werewolf status and spiritual status.

Those that do not wield any Magic whatsoever have pure WHITE ribbons. This means no spellcaster magic, no incantations, and no Weapons—no magic anything. Ritual Magic users also show no magic potential due to the nature of that magic and are the ONLY ones capable of using spells without affecting the appearance of their ribbon.

Vampires have a red aura surrounding their essence ribbon. Werewolves have a blue aura. Werepires have a purple aura. Light Spirits have a light gray aura. Dark Spirits (otherwise referred to as Shades) have a black aura. These auras are only sensed when the individual is blatantly showing off their subspecies abilities or if the person sensing their essence ribbon has great detection abilities.

Those that wield Weapon Magic have a black outline to their ribbons. If the ribbon is also black, then there is a white line separating the outer edges from the main body of the ribbon to denote the two abilities within. If the individual does not wield spellcaster magic, then a silver line separates the outer edge from the main body of the ribbon to denote the lack of other ability.

Those that wield Spellcaster Magic have the entire body of the ribbon as a specific color. If the individual is capable of wielding Magic from two different classes, then the body of the ribbon will be striped with the corresponding colors. If the wielder does not wield incantations or Weapons, then the outside edge of the ribbon is pure white. If the ribbon is white, there will be a black line separating the outer edges from the main body to denote the lack of incantation or Weapon abilities.

Arcane Magic Class wielders have translucent white ribbons. Specks of black represent Time Magic and specks of purple represent Space Magic.

Mental Magic wielders have amethyst ribbons. There is no subclass and so there are no specks in the ribbon.

Fire Magic Class wielders have red ribbons. There will be specks of ruby representing fire, gold representing lightning, orange representing chaos, and black representing sun.

Water Magic Class wielders have blue ribbons. There will be specks of sapphire representing water, white representing ice, green representing wind, and gray representing moon.

Earth Magic Class wielders have brown ribbons. There will be specks of bronze representing earth, specks of silver representing metal and specks of ruby representing magma.

Nature Magic Class wielders have dark green ribbons. There will be specks of emerald representing plant, specks of black representing animal and specks of purple representing poison.

Light Magic Class wielders have white ribbons. There will be specks of silver representing light, specks of yellow representing conjurer and specks of green representing life.

Dark Magic Class wielders have black ribbons. There will be specks of gold representing dark, specks of purple representing summoner and specks of silver representing death.

Holy Magic Class wielders have yellow ribbons. There will be specks of gold representing holy, specks of white representing angel and specks of red representing blessings.

Unholy Magic Class wielders have dark gray ribbons. There will be specks of silver representing unholy, specks of black representing demon and specks of red representing curses.

The Matriarch's 'thralls' (for lack of a better term—those The Matriarch turns into feral vampires and then controls) have iridescent essence ribbons (the colors are always shifting and never settle).

All living and non-living things have Essence Ribbons.

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Humanoid Characters:

Jonas Mazeri: main character in Chronicles of Seraphia. short, spiky silver hair. Dark blue eyes. 5'7". Skinny and toned. 16 years old. Wields Tasha Rein.

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Neil Agamon- 5'7". Short and straight brown hair. Brown eyes. He appears average build with clothes on but is physically fit. 16 years old. Wields Engeta Zanu.

Neil's Flames: so, there are different colors for different emotions/states of being, with colors having multiple meanings. He is a character that tends to speak without a 'filter' and got the nickname Firebrand for being such a pain in the ass. But despite how he behaves normally, he doesn't always intend to come across as rude/insulting as he does. He just doesn't convey what he means very well.

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Shila Mezere- 5'4". Long silver hair that reaches between her shoulder blades. Light blue eyes. Thin. 16 years old. Wields Juka Reyno. Uses Ice Subclass Magic.

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Casey Urdoni- 5'4". Long black hair. Dark blue eyes so dark they are almost black. Impassive face. 15 years old. Wields ?

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Kienan Urdoni- 5'8". Short black hair. Black eyes. 16 years old. Wields ?

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Michael Koto- 5'7". Brown eyes. Short light blonde hair. 16 years old. Wields ?

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Sheila Emetere- ?

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Sirta Mazeri- 5'5". Long silver hair. Dark blue eyes. Jonas's mother. (deceased).

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Miseanu Meizerai/Rein: looks just like Sirta Mazeri (except maybe a little more muscular. Long silver hair. Dark blue eyes.

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Maku and Sima Mazeri: They are fraternal twins. Maku is a boy. Sima is a girl. They are younger than Jonas by a few years and were there with Jonas when their parents died before their eyes. They are not present in this timeline.

*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

Extra Notes/General Seraphia Worldbuilding:

Jonas Mazeri's appearance: So, I never fully describe exactly what his face (or anyone else's face really) in my universe looks like. I give the basic hair and eye color, heights, and builds but I leave the faces open to the imagination (unless there is a specific scar I wish to address). So, I thought, how cool would it be if Jonas looked like Ichigo? (guess you can figure out which character I like the most, eh?)

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Light World/Dark World: two different worlds that exist as copies of each other. This is where all life lives before it dies. (think of them like the World of the Living in Bleach.)

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Realms: There are actually 12 realms where spirits live after life. 10 of them exist where their specific magics are prominent (and each of these 10 have a light side and a dark side to them). Then, there is Hell (realm of Sinners). Finally, there is the Otherlands (which is the realm of ALL Weapon Spirits).

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Betweenlands: The dimension that keeps all the realms and the worlds connected. (kind of like the Dangai).

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In my universe, all things give off essence ribbons. Everything has a small amount of magic essence which then strongly or weakly gives off an aura of power. So, Jonas has the ability to see these ribbons (all ribbons) and since there aren't that many Essence Ribbons in this universe (because the only ones currently belong to him and his friends), it is far easier for him to search for his missing friend this way.

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In my universe, before the kids got sent to the Bleach universe, both Neil and Jonas were attacked by vampires under someone's control named The Matriarch. The Matriarch is a person with the Magic Weapon, Kisi Ri, and she can use it to transform people into vampires. Those that she initiates the change with, can use her Weapon to varying degrees.

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Primary School: the equivalent of High School in my universe.

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Trade School: the equivalent of college for people without magical powers.

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Magic School: the equivalent of college for people with magical powers. The graduates enter the Magic Squads (similarly to how those that go to the Soul Reaper Academy join the 13 Court Guard Squads when they leave the school).

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There are 10 Dragon Clans which represent each of the 10 Magic Classes. They do not recognize the existence of Blood Magic or Transmutation Magic, which is why those two are not considered Magic Classes.

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I mentioned earlier in this chapter that homosexuality is deemed as okay in my universe. This is because of my own personal beliefs on the matter (I'm not but don't have any problem with anyone that is). I added this information in because I wanted to explain Neil and Jonas's reactions to what was happening between Jonas and Ichigo (to clarify in case anyone misunderstood: it was NOT because of the boy/boy intimate interaction that caused Jonas's disgust. His disgust rose from him not wanting to be a vampire and then having no choice but to use his vampiric abilities to stop Ichigo's feral rampage.)

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And the people in my world do not use glasses. This is why Jonas has no clue what they are.

*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

Bleach Universe:

Magic:

Kido: The over-arching classification of spells used by soul reapers. Divided into Bakudo, Hado, or Kaido.

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Bakudo Spells: Way of Binding. Spells used to restrain or restrict movement or spells.

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Bakudo #1 Sai: a weak binding kido spell that forces the target's hands behind their back.

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Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro: Six-Rod Light Restraint.

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Bakudo #99 Part 1: Restrict

Bakudo #99 Part 2: (Ban-kin) Constriction Band.

First Incantation: Shiryû! Bandage

Second Incantation: Hyaku Ren San! The hundred gate bolts.

Final Incantation: Ban-Kin Tai-Ho! Constriction Seal.

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Inemuri: Forced Slumber spell. User holds their hand in front of their victim's face, the victim's pupils dilate several times before they pass out.

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Hakufuku: White Concealment: a spell that causes the target to see the illusion of purple cherry blossoms falling around them, sometimes also along with the smell of sweet flowers. Then their vision blurs and their mind becomes disoriented and confused before they fall unconscious. Target has an unclear memory once they awaken.

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Tanma Otoshi: Time-Out Drop. The kido spell that Shinji used to knock Ichigo unconscious before his struggle with his inner hollow with the visoreds.

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Hado Spells: Way of Destruction. Spells used to inflict damage.

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Kaido: Healing Spiritual Arts. The spells and abilities used by soul reapers to heal injuries.

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Quincy Specific:

Quincy: A human that can manipulate spirit particles in the air to form a bow and arrow. When they kill hollows, they destroy their souls.

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Soul Reaper Specific:

Jinzen: the true method a soul reaper uses to communicate with their zanpakuto. By taking a meditative pose and placing their sword in their lap and focusing their mind into their sword, a soul reaper can reach heights of power and communication otherwise unreachable or taking more effort.

While soul reapers are always able to communicate with their swords, this allows a face-to-face encounter between the reaper and their weapon.

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Gigai: an artificial body

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Mod Soul: An artificial soul designed for combat. Project Spearhead.

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Gikon: Substitute Souls.

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Gikongan: Substitute Soul Pills. Contain Gikon or Mod Souls.

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Shihakusho: Garment of Dead Souls. The uniform that all soul reapers in the 13 Court Guard Squads are required to wear.

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Soul Reaper (Death God/Shinigami): A dead spirit that guides lost souls to the afterlife via Konso.

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Zanpakuto (Soul Cutter): a weapon born from a soul reaper's soul. The fragment of their soul that is forged for battle.

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Shikai: the first true release of a zanpakuto. Considered the second form of a zanpakuto since all normal soul reapers wield sealed swords.

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Release Shikai: To release a zanpakuto to Shikai in the bleach universe, each of them has a unique call phrase that causes the sword to transform into its shikai release.

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Seal Zanpakuto: Soul Reapers can seal their zanpakuto after releasing it and finishing their battle. Those wielding Magic Weapons can do the same thing.

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Bankai: the second and final release of a zanpakuto. Considered the third form of a zanpakuto since all normal soul reapers wield sealed swords. The achievement of Bankai can increase a fighter's power by 5 to 10 times and oftentimes takes up to 10 years to master its usage.

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Shunpo: the high-speed movement belonging to soul reapers.

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Konso: Soul Burial. Allows a Whole (Plus) to pass onto the Soul Society.

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Gotei 13 (13 Court Guard Squads): the military force that keeps the balance of souls. Divided into 13 squads that oversee the Soul Society and the World of the Living.

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Captain (taichō): the leader of a squad.

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Lieutenant(vice-captain, fukutaichō): the second in command/adjutant in each squad.

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Head Captain (captain commander, sōtaichō): The leader of all the Gotei 13.

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Secret Remote Squad (onmitsukidō): the stealth force.

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Hollow Specific:

Hollow: A spirit being that ate out its own heart in its suffering and one that continues searching for spirit energy and souls to relieve its never-ending hunger and desire to fulfill the emptiness of its existence.

(You all should read 'On the precipice of defeat' by MissFlesh. Holy crap! I loved the unique perspective of a Hollow that this writer gives. So many fanfictions skip over the gruesome aspects of existing as a hollow and portray it like some sort of glamorous existence that downplays how horrible being a hollow really is (they romanticize it, not that I am saying the other stories are bad by any stretch. They aren't, but they don't fully immerse you in the terrible state of being a hollow like this fanfiction does) and this author got into the nitty-gritty of life as a hollow and truly captured how bad life as one is. Truly a magnificent read and gives a whole new perspective of life as a monster.) It isn't completed and I don't think it ever will be, but there is plenty of story here to sink your teeth into that it fully captures the hopelessness of that life.

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Menos Grande: A classification of the three most-powerful forms that hollows can take. Gillian is the lowest. Adjuchas is the middle. Vasto Lorde is the highest.

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Gillian: that monster hollow that Ichigo and Uryu fought at the beginning. The lowest of the class of Menos Grande hollows.

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Hybrid (Visored/Arrancar) Specific:

Resurrection (Resurrección): Returning Blade. The first release of an arrancar that allows them to regenerate any damage they have sustained and return to their original hollow form.

Resurrection Segunda Etapa: Second Stage. The second release of an arrancar beyond the initial Resurrection that grants power far beyond the first release. Could be considered equal to, or greater, than a Soul Reaper's Bankai state.

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Characters:

Ichigo Kurosaki: Main character for Bleach. Wields the zanpakuto, Zangetsu.

Ichigo's appearance: he has a tail attached to his tailbone. Split lengthwise between white and black. White on the left. Black on the right. (looks kinda like the lizard tail he got when training with the visoreds). On the white side there is a red line running down the length and on the black side there is a white line. His right hand has a black glove that feels like armor and that he can't remove, covering his knuckles and his palms but leaving the fingers exposed. His left hand was bleached white with fingernails that were replaced with short, black claws, a defined line ending at his wrist where bone white met tanned skin. His hollow mask comes off with little effort, although removing it from his face does not cause his tail to disappear. There are two red marks trailing the left side above the eye socket. Just like White Zangetsu, he has a bone exoskeleton running down the length of his spine, beginning at the base of his neck and continuing on to the base of his tail, effectively covering his spine with bone plating.

Ichigo's inner world: The sky has changed. There are two moons and dozens of stars littering a black sky. The sun is just dipping below the horizon, colored red.

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White Zangetsu's appearance: he has the same mask that Ichigo started with. He also has a tail, but it is pure white with red lines running down the length of it (as opposed to the half white half black that Ichigo has). He also has black claws on his hands (both hands instead of just the left like Ichigo). Gold eyes. Black sclera. Inverted shihakusho appearance. White uniform, black lining.

Shikai call: Bleach the Shadows and the Soul, Zangetsu!

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Old Man Zangetsu's appearance: the same as canon for the most part. However, he has black gloves covering his knuckles and the palms of both of his hands ending at the wrists, leaving the fingers exposed.

Summon spell: Darken the Light and the Spirit, Zangetsu!

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Uryu Ishida: He is a Quincy. Calls himself the Last Quincy.

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Rukia Kuchiki: The Soul Reaper that gave Ichigo his soul reaper powers. Member of Squad 13.

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Orihime Inoue: a classmate of Ichigo's. has the Shun Shun Rikka ability and with it, the powers of Rejection.

*Santen Ketsuhun: Three-God Shield. The defensive shield Orihime has. Formed from the spirits Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily.

*Soten Kishun: Twin-God Reflection Shield. The healing barrier. Formed from the spirits Shuno and Ayame.

*Koten Zanshun: Lone-God Slicing Shield. Orihime's attack power. Formed from the spirit, Tsubaki.

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Tatsuki Arisawa: friend of Ichigo and Orihime.

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Yasutora Sado (Chad): a classmate of Ichigo's. his powers manifest in both of his arms, giving him powerful attacks and defensive capabilities.

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Tessai Tsukabishi: an employee of Urahara Shop and a childhood friend of Kisuke and Yoruichi. He is also the former Kido Commander in the Gotei 13.

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Yoruichi Shihōin: former captain of squad 2 as well as former commander of the stealth force and the 22nd head of the Shihōin clan. Can transform into a black cat.

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Don Kanonji: star of Spirit Hunter. A human capable of perceiving spirits. He inadvertently turned a spirit into a hollow and then worked with Ichigo to defeat it.

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Ururu Tsumugiya: Employee at Urahara Shop. Has black hair and keeps her hair in pig tails as a little girl.

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Jinta Hanakari: Employee at Urahara Shop. Has red hair. Picks on Ururu a lot.

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Mahana Natsui: one of Ichigo's classmates in school. She asked if Rukia had a crush on Ichigo.

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Gin Ichimaru: Captain of Squad 3.

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Renji Abarai: lieutenant of squad 6

Zabimaru: Renji's zanpakuto

Roar: The release phrase for Zabimaru's shikai.

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Byakuya Kuchiki: captain of squad 6. Adopted Rukia into Kuchiki clan.

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Kenpachi Zaraki: Captain of Squad 11.

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Extra Notes/General Bleach Worldbuilding:

Hueco Mundo: The world of the Hollows.

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Soul Society: the place where spirits pass onto (heaven).

Rukongai/Rukon District/Wandering Soul City: the residential area surrounding the Seireitei. Divided into 320 districts (80 in the north, 80 in the west, etc.) with the lowest numbers sporting the highest quality of living and being the closest to the Seireitei and the highest numbers sporting the lowest quality of living and being the furthest from the Seireitei.

Inuzuri: 78th district of the South Rukongai. Also known as Hanging Dog.

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World of the Living: Earth. Where humans live out their lives and die.

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Urahara Shop: the candy store belonging to Kisuke Urahara. Based in the World of the Living. Home to Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu.

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Chain of Fate: a chain that binds a soul to a body, allowing that soul to return to their body if separated from it before death. If this chain is severed, then the body dies and the soul is free to pass on to Soul Society (or get eaten by a hollow/turn into a hollow)

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Encroachment: the process in which the chain of fate dissolves and the hole in a spirit's chest opens and they become a hollow.

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Konpaku (Soul): The basic term referencing the spirit of a dead person. All-encompassing term that references Plus spirits, Hollows (Minus Spirits), Shinigami, and Arrancar.

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Hakusui: the source of spiritual power

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Saketsu: the booster for spiritual power

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Central 46: the ruling body of the Soul Society. Made up of 40 sages and 6 judges that made final legal decrees. Cannot be overturned by anyone, not even a Captain and serves as the Soul Society's version of the Supreme Court in the U.S.

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Close Similarities/Similar Skills:

Magic Weapon/Zanpakuto/Spirit Weapon: Magic Weapons and Spiritual Magic Weapons are similar to zanpakuto in that they are Weapons unique to an individual. However, their origins are different.

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Weapon Release (Weapon State): Similar in nature to a Shikai or Bankai release. However, there are 10 Mortal Tier Releases (as opposed to the 2 levels that Soul Reapers can use).

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Kogomosa/Shikai: The 1st Weapon Release in the Mortal Tier of Weapon Releases. Equivalent to Shikai state, with fighters on average becoming twice as strong as their initial summon state. X2 Initial Summon.

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Essence Ribbon/Spirit Ribbon: In Bleach, Spirit Ribbons turn red if a person is a soul reaper, otherwise they are white. This is how Uryu said that he figured out about Ichigo and Rukia. They are visible rays of spirit energy.

In my universe, Essence Ribbons change color and pattern based on the magical abilities the person has demonstrated to be capable of using. They can also have auras. They are visible rays of magic energy and get their name from magic's base term: Magic Essence.

In this fanfiction, one can detect how someone is feeling (emotionally or physically) by touching their ribbon. This is a more advanced technique than simply feeling someone's pressure/aura.

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Divine Sight/Seeing Spirit Ribbons: In Bleach, Rukia states that the ability to see Spirit Ribbons (rays of spirit energy) is something that only high-ranking soul reapers can use.

Divine Sight is the special ability to see Essence Ribbons.

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Essence Aura/Spiritual Pressure (Reiatsu): In Bleach, Spiritual Pressure is the pressure that a person's spiritual power (Reiryoku) exerts (described like reiryoku output).

Essence Aura is the pressure that a person's magical power exerts. It gets its name from magic's base term: Magic Essence.

In this fanfiction, one can detect how someone is feeling (emotionally or physically) by feeling their aura. This is typically a beginner technique, but the more advanced sensing requirements put it more in the intermediate category.

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Energy/Spiritual Power (Reiryoku): In Bleach, a person's spiritual power/spiritual energy is referred to as Reiryoku. It is their personal wellspring of power that is all their own. Each person has a certain amount and a limit they cannot surpass.

In my universe, this is referred to as Energy. In my universe, Energy can be divided into 2 categories: Magic Energy and Spirit Energy (with Spirit Energy being a mere subset of Magic Energy).

In this fanfiction, when one's spiritual power/energy is exhausted, the person collapses from lack of remaining energy.

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Magic Essence/Reishi (spiritual matter): In Bleach, reishi is what makes up objects in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. The concentrations there are higher because they are the two spirit worlds of Bleach although some does exist in the World of the Living.

Magic Essence: the basis of ALL magical happenings in my universe. My entire world is formed from Magic Essence (which broken down is called Essence Elements, which we won't touch on until much later). Therefore, nearly all magic skills have some part of their name coming from one of these two words.

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Essence Elements/Atoms (Kishi): Kishi is like the World of the Living version of Reishi and makes up nearly all objects in the World of the Living and is a term to describe atoms as a whole.

Essence Elements are my universe's version of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The term as a whole can be used interchangeably with magic essence while referring to a single element cannot. They are further broken down into Sub-Elemental Essences (which are basically subatomic).

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Inner World/Mindscape/Realm of the Zanpakuto: this definition is basically identical between universes. Regardless of what phrase one wants to use, they all mean the same thing. Inner World. Inner Mind. Mindscape. Landscape of the Mind. Realm of the Weapon Spirit. Realm of the Zanpakuto. Literally all refers to the place in a wielder's mind where the Weapon resides and where they go to commune directly with the Weapon that is a part of them.

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Magic Weapon Auto-Dispel/Zanpakuto Auto-Seal: Just like how zanpakutos revert back to their sealed state when their wielder is knocked unconscious, a similar thing happens when a Magic Weapon Wielder is knocked unconscious (their Weapon dispels).

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Yretro Kosuka- is Kisuke Urahara.

I know I stated that Kisuke is Yretro from my universe. So, based on the above information, one would be correct in believing that he should have an Essence Ribbon. However, the reason why this is not true is because he was essentially reborn in the Bleach universe. Therefore, he follows their natural laws not mine.

Benihime- Kisuke Urahara's zanpakuto.

Awaken- the release phrase for Benihime's Shikai.

Blood Mist Shield: one of Kisuke's zanpakuto abilities that creates a shield in front of him to block an incoming attack.

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Shini (Light Spirits)/Plus (Whole): spirits of those that have died. Equivalent to a Plus (whole) soul in Bleach universe.

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New Words:

Aibou: Japanese for partner (according to google and other fanfictions I have read.)

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Final Notes:

I want to thank Andygoesrawr from Reddit for the amazing breakdown of the differences between the terms Reishi, Reiryoku, and Reiatsu that he posted nearly 8 years ago on the Reddit page: The Difference between Reishi, Reiryoku and Reiatsu. He also covered the concept of Kishi. I found this page and read it to make sure I wasn't messing up the distinction between the three too badly (turns out that I really was and, in my confusion over the terms when I was laying the foundation for the magic in my world, I ended up doing the same thing as this here was. Go figure).

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I am also aware that I am repeating the terms, etc. at the end of the chapters, but I felt it would be easier on the reader than if they had to search a different chapter each time they wanted a refresher.

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I have to say that I love the Bleach Wiki. Here's a shout of thanks to everyone that made that website into the brilliant resource that it is. I would never remember all the specific spells otherwise.

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Okay, so I am being kinda lazy (ish). I was watching the anime (English dubbed) version of Bleach to get the dialogue right for the canon stuff when I decided that it is too much of a pain to watch each section of episode half a dozen times (since I can't type nearly as fast as they talk). Therefore, the dialogue will now be a mixture between the anime and the manga, along with a few word changes because I preferred something phrased a different way.

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Several of the canon events will remain the same in the upcoming arc while several things will be drastically different. I plan on following the current timeline (including flashbacks as necessary) to help keep my place as I work in my other characters and their character-building arcs.

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New Terms:

Senkaimon (Tunnel World Gate): the means of passage between the World of the Living and the Soul Society.

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Reishi henkan-ki (Spirit Particle Conversion Machine): allows living people to travel to the soul society without first extracting an individual's soul.

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Dangai (Precipice World): a dimension that connects the World of the Living and the Soul Society and allows souls guided by hell butterflies to pass into the Soul Society.

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Kôryû (Restrictive Current): present in the dangai. Paralyzes souls to prevent the entry of hollows and other foreign invaders.

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Back bag: it is essentially a 'book bag', although the kids in my universe never called them specifically by that (since everyone uses them from time to time). It has two straps that go around the shoulders with the pack itself resting on the wearer's back (hence the name: back bag).

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Shoulder bag: A bag with a single strap intended to be slung over a shoulder or around the neck to rest across the body. Comes in various sizes and designs from simple plain cases to elaborate jeweled bags that women carry.

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Kôtotsu (Cleaner): A train-like entity in the dangai that wipes out anything it comes in contact with. Anything stuck in the restrictive current is flung through the timestream and ends up dead from the tidal forces.

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Santen Kesshun (Three-God Shield): Hinagiku. Baigon. Lily. Another spelling for the technique that Tite Kubo used in the manga. I will probably alternate between the spellings since they were both used in the manga, just an FYI.

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Junrinan (Lush Forest Peace): District 1 of West Rukongai.

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Blood Imprint: a powerful connection through Blood that binds a vampire and another together. Can only ever be 1 Blood Imprint active per individual at any given time. Gives both parties access to the other's powers and abilities. Also allows them to communicate mentally and to feel what is happening to the other party. Created through force of will and intent and is not automatically created when feeding (except in extreme circumstances).

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Mate: the individual a vampire has chosen to Blood Imprint with. The blood of a mate has special properties that makes it enticing to the vampire, as well as being capable of strengthening and healing said vampire (more than anyone else's blood is capable of).

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Alpha Vampire: the vampire that initiated the Blood Imprint.

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Beta Vampire: the vampire that is part of a Blood Imprint but did not start it.

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Consort: a partner to a vampire whose blood is equally capable of healing and strengthening a vampire as the mate that is Blood Imprinted with them. Given a mark on their neck that binds the consort to their specific vampire. Can communicate mentally, and emotionally with other consorts and the vampire. Can share power with the vampire (but not with each other and consorts cannot get the vampire's special abilities).

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Vampire Consort Link: a wavelength between the Primary and Secondary wavelengths that allows consort(s) and their vampire to communicate magically, mentally, and emotionally with each other.

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Claim: the act of a vampire placing a bonding claim on an individual, making that person into their consort. A mark placed upon the neck that is infused with the vampire's essence aura.

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Claim share: An act of multiple potential vampire consorts accepting sharing a single vampire's affection and allowing themselves to have a mark placed on their necks that connects them all magically, mentally, and emotionally. Allows a vampire to have multiple Consorts.

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Mate Right: a right in vampire law for the chosen Mate of a High Priestess to assume leadership of the coven in the event of her death (assuming that he isn't the one to cause such a tragedy) if they do not have any heirs of appropriate age. (can only be asserted if there is a true heir born to the couple before the High Priestess died. If there is not a child born from them, then the line of succession falls to the next in line.)

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Blood Squads: They are the military force of the vampires, made of various Magic Wielders. They have many functions, ranging from sentry duty and messengers to battlefield fighters and everything in between. They are the might of their vampire coven. They answer directly to the Council of Warriors. Their main purpose is to protect the coven from the surrounding humanoids, werewolves, Shades, and various beasts that wander the forests.

Each coven has a separate group of Blood Squads. Each Blood Squad is unique in their tasks and purposes.

They are separated into 14 squads and each squad is known for a different task.

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Squad 1: Personal Guard. A group of warriors that specifically guard the High Priestess and any visiting important individual. They are like special agents to the president; they are intended to protect a charge with their life. Usually, this person is the High Priestess but there are rare times when a party from another clan or race wishes to open communications with the clan and so some personal guard members are assigned to the visitors until they leave.

Sub Squads: 1-Mental, 2-Arcane, 3-Holy, 4-Unholy, 5-Nature, 6-Dark, 7-Light, 8-Fire, 9-Water, 10-Earth

Sub Squad 11: a group of warriors chosen from amongst the 10 Personal Guard Sub Squads. Typically, either a Blood Stalker, or Night Stalker chosen from one of the other 10 Sub Squads in the Personal Guard are handpicked by a newly coronated High Priestess to serve as part of her personal guard. They are special agents that are specifically chosen by the High Priestess and, as such, owe her their direct loyalty. They ONLY answer to her. Typically, there are ONLY 10 members with each one representing a specific Magic Class. However, despite the traditional choices, a High Priestess has the right to declare ANYONE as part of her personal guard.

When a new High Priestess takes her place, she will choose her own personal guard (and whether some of the other guard remain in position or not is dependent on her personal choice). If a personal guard for a former High Priestess is NOT chosen to keep their position, they will usually either take an open position in another Blood Squad, join the Council of Warriors overseeing the Blood Squads, take up a teaching position, or choose another occupation (retire, basically).

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Squad 2: Council Guard. A group of warriors that specifically guard members of the various councils. Individual assignments are based on Council of Warriors orders. They are like the personal guard except they guard council members. They get wrapped into some of the same guard missions that Squad 1 does.

Sub Squads: 1-Mental, 2-Arcane, 3-Holy, 4-Unholy, 5-Nature, 6-Dark, 7-Light, 8-Fire, 9-Water, 10-Earth

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Squad 3: Shadow Warriors. A group of vampire stealth fighters. They are a combination of Weapon Wielders, Spellcasters, those that wield both kinds of magics and even those that have no magic ability that choose to be fighters. This group specializes in ambushes, assassinations, recon and other activities which require stealth. They are also infiltrators and regularly sneak into humanoid and other vampire societies. Squad 3 also handles delicate tasks which require no one be aware of them such as covert ops and even rescue missions.

Sub Squads: 1-Special Ops, 2-Recon, 3-Assassinations, 4-Basic Stealth Missions

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Squad 4: Sentries. Warriors that are tasked with the perimeter protection of the clan. They ensure that the interior of the clan remains secure. They are also responsible for watching the borders of their territories to ensure no rival group encroaches on their land. They are also used for protection and escort missions. A lesser known mission they often handle is the guarding of prisoners that have committed crimes.

Sub Squads: 1-Prison Guards, 2-Perimeter Sentries, 3-Border Sentries, 4-Coven Sentries, 5-Protection Sentries, 6-Escort Sentries

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Squad 5: Runners. A group of warriors responsible for passing messages back and forth. They could be made up of those that simply run messages back and forth in the cases of those matters that are not time sensitive, or they could be made up of telepaths that are capable of instant communication in cases of imminent danger. Some runners have the ability to communicate through animals or send summons or send conjured beings to communicate. Regardless of how messages are sent, these messenger vampires are referred to as Runners.

Sub Squads: 1-Basic Runners, 2-Telepath Runners, 3-Animal Runners, 4-Summon Runners, 5-Conjure Runners

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Squad 6: Recruiters. A group of vampires that make contact with humanoids with vampiric DNA or abilities and welcome them into the coven. Also known as Trackers and they can detect people with latent vampire genes. They will also turn humanoids into vampires that wish to join the coven (these humanoids typically undergo some kind of test proving that they truly with to be vampires).

Sub Squads: 1-Turners, 2-Cosmic Trackers, 3-Godly Trackers, 4-Worldly Trackers, 5-Elemental Trackers, 6-Testers

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Squad 7: Medics. A group of vampires known for their healing prowess. They are the designated healers of the coven. They don't typically fight, so they are usually paired with a Squad 1 or 4 member to provide protection. This group also procures the blood necessary for the coven to survive and are well known for posing as a medical supply group in order to gather the needed resource.

Sub Squads: 1-Basic Medicine, 2-Surgery, 3-Emergency Combat Aid, 4-Emergency Non-Combat Aid, 5-Medical Researchers, 6-Bloodletters (they go and retrieve blood for the coven)

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Squad 8: Investigators and Monitors. They investigate various occurrences and maintain order in the coven. They are known as police and lawyers and basic investigators that go out and research various phenomenon. They are more visible than Squad 3. They are also used as diplomats. They tend to work closely with the Law Group in those matters and some are even part of that group.

Sub Squads: 1-Police, 2-Survelliance, 3-Investigators, 4-Diplomats, 5-Couriers (Squad 8 specific), 6-Lawyers

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Squad 9: Warrior Group. A group of warriors that focus more on melee fighting and may have little to no ranged capability. They even take in those without magic ability to aid them in a fight. They look forward to a good battle (think Squad 11 from Bleach).

Sub Squads: 1-Mental, 2-Arcane, 3-Blood, 4-Transmutation, 5-Holy, 6-Unholy, 7-Nature, 8-Dark, 9-Light, 10-Fire, 11-Water, 12-Earth, 13-Non-magic

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Squad 10: Cosmic Magic Battle Group. A group of warriors whose main magical abilities come from magics within the cosmic magic class. They focus a lot on magic theory and so a lot of research in conjunction with the Council of Researchers. (in fact, a lot of Squad 10 members are researchers on the side when their duties don't have them tied up.)

Sub Squads: 1-Mental, 2-Space, 3-Time, 4-Blood, 5-Transmutation, 6-Researchers

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Squad 11: Godly Magic Battle Group. A group of warriors whose main magical abilities come from magics within the godly magic class. They typically handle Demons and Sinners (when they come around, otherwise, they handle Shades with Squad 12 and werewolves and humanoids with Squad 13).

Sub Squads: 1-Holy, 2-Angel, 3-Blessing, 4-Unholy, 5-Demon, 6-Curse

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Squad 12: Worldly Magic Battle Group. A group of warriors whose main magical abilities come from magics within the worldly magic class. They typically fight the Shades.

Sub Squads: 1-Plant, 2-Animal (Beast Users), 3-Poison, 4-Dark, 5-Death, 6-Summoner, 7-Light, 8-Life, 9-Conjurer

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Squad 13: Elemental Magic Battle Group. A group of warriors whose main magical abilities come from magics within the elemental magic class. They typically handle werewolves and humanoid groups.

Sub Squads: 1-Fire, 2-Lightning, 3-Chaos, 4-Sun, 5-Water, 6-Ice, 7-Wind, 8-Moon, 9-Earth, 10-Metal, 11-Magma

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Squad 14: Spellcasters Group. A group of warriors that focus more on spells and ranged fighting and may have little to no melee capability. They focus more on specific specialty spells and have little use for a non-magical vampire. (think Kido Corp from Bleach.)

Sub Squads: 1-Mental, 2-Arcane, 3-Holy, 4-Unholy, 5-Nature, 6-Dark, 7-Light, 8-Fire, 9-Water, 10-Earth, 11-Blood, 12-Transmutation

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The Blood Squads are divided into ranks denoting position and strength. There are strength requirements for each.

Warrior Master: leader of all the Blood Squads. Answers directly to the Council of Warriors. Will typically join the Council of Warriors when one of their seats opens up. Kugumusu (10) Weapon Release.

Blood Stalker: leader of a squad. Kegomosu (8) Weapon Release.

Night Stalker: 2nd in command of a squad. Kigimosa (6) Weapon Release.

Mist Walker: answers directly to Night Stalker and Blood Stalker. 10 per squad (not all squads have 10 sub squads. Some of them have more and some have less. Read squad descriptions for which ones don't have 10.). Each one leads a sub squad. Kogemosi (5) Weapon Release.

Shadow Walker: answers directly to Mist Walker. 10 per sub squad. 2nd in command of a sub squad. Kogomose (4) Weapon Release.

Night Walker: answers directly to Mist Walker and Shadow Walker. 10 per Shadow Walker. Serve as seated officers and the strongest of their sub squad. Kagimosa (3) Weapon Release.

Shadow Stepper: the vampire basic soldiers. They are the officers that are either too weak to take a seat or have not been chosen to step up.

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Members in the Blood Squads gain promotions due to strength increases and recommendations from superiors and colleagues when a seat becomes open.

Seats become open for various reasons: retirement, death, and resignation being the main ones.

All position promotion requests are reviewed by the Council of Warriors and either signed off on or rejected.

A request can only go before the Council of Warriors if it is signed by at least 5 Blood Stalkers and 3 Night Stalkers. Cannot be signed by the individual noted in the paperwork (for obvious reasons).

There are no fights for promotions.

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Solar Engo: Kienan Urdoni's Magic Weapon

Hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you all think! Thanks for reading!