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Fracturing Skies: Chapter 14. Draft 1

Chapter Fourteen

-Jidanbo-

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Here is Chapter 14 of Fracturing Skies! This is the first 'battle' that takes place in the storyline.

Also, for the *Unknown* sections. These are FLASHBACKS. After the name of the character is revealed, they will be denoted by: *Unknown #- Name* so you know when such instances are flashbacks and what events are part of the current timeline.

Also, the flashbacks are not in any particular order (like Unknown 1 isn't happening before Unknown 2. Some things are occurring concurrently while others are further back and will be tied into the timeline at certain points so you as a reader have a basic understanding of when things are happening. Although, it's Bleach and the Soul Society so there's not any specific dates listed for a lot of stuff, nor years.)

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I will try to keep the timeline similar for MOST things, however, I am sure to make mistakes (particularly with regards to the Thousand Year Blood War Arc—which will be butchered :D sorry, not sorry—and whatever is coming out in the Books because I only read TYBW once and I haven't followed anything with the Can't Fear Your Own World series and whatever other chapters have been done since) and some other things will be altered for the sake of the timeline (Yretro arriving in Soul Society as Kisuke Urahara the way he did, DID have far-reaching consequences on the fabric of the Bleach universe in this timeline.

I hope the differences and similarities between the events (who does what and when/how things happen) prove to be enjoyable for the nuts that like those sorts of things. I'm enjoying the parallels.

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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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Heads up for this chapter! There is an almost-rape scene that occurs later on, based around an experience Casey had when she was 11. FYI in case you are triggered by that sort of thing. If you want to skip this section but know what character growth (just how she changed from back then to now) happened as a result, read the notes at the end of the chapter.

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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. *****

*The only thing I claim ownership for is the world building for the Chronicles of Seraphia and the characters associated with that universe.*

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Speaking guide:

Normal text.

Thinking.*feelings*

/*instincts*/

"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 14: Jidanbo*

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*Casey Urdoni*

Casey watched the spectacle with disapproving eyes. First, they had to add an extra person to their already large group—without training with them. Then, they barely got through that dangai place because of said new person choosing to wear flashy clothing. And now… Now, Ichigo chose to head straight towards their goal without alerting anyone else to his plans! And she had no doubt that the dropping wall was noticed by the enemy.

Great.

She wasn't a fan of big displays such as this. Overt actions and feelings were distasteful. They only left a person vulnerable in the end. She should know—it had been used against her in the past. And this was plain ridiculous. Why didn't Shila try to stop this? She is the tactician! Why didn't she stop him from going over there?

Could she have seriously not known? Or had Neil affected her more than I thought possible?

They all knew the two were connected with a Blood Imprint. And that the others were tied to them through something called a Blood Tie. It was a fact that had been shared nearly immediately after it had happened—particularly since everyone was concerned over the events surrounding their arrival and the scuffle that ensued shortly afterwards. And while she wasn't a fan of vampires, she found that she couldn't turn her back on Neil and Jonas. They were the same people her and her brother had always known. Neil, who had saved her from a fate probably worse than death after she got lost in Hold 9.1 of the Business Sector of District 14.

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*Flashback* WARNING. NEAR-RAPE SCENE! WARNING

Casey had gone to buy seed for the farm roughly four years ago, making her eleven years old. Her family owned and lived in an Arnapa orchard in the Farming Sector of District 14, Alpha Outer Province, Plot 17.33. While they could have kept good seeds from prior yields, they had always sold them to various vendors in Hold 9.1 in the nearby business sector for a discount on fresh seeds whenever they needed to replace part of their orchard. Fresh seeds grew better and produced stronger trees than old seeds did.

On her way back home, she had taken a wrong turn and gotten lost. She didn't know her way around very well. Kokosu was a large city with 17 Districts and an absurd amount of people living there. But just as she was about to give up and search for a random person to aid her, an older boy discovered her.

"Are you lost, young lady?" He didn't seem that much older than her. Maybe five years older at the most with curly brown hair and narrowed black eyes. He was a little dirty, but his smile and mannerisms charmed her. He was so handsome.

"Yes, sir. Umm…I'm trying to get back to Farm Sector Alpha Outer Province Plot 17.33. Could you point me in the right direction?" She knew her nervousness and confusion were showing on her face, but at that point in time, she hadn't cared. Hiding the way she felt had never occurred to her before.

"I don't have anything planned. I'll guide you so you don't get lost again."

"Thank you."

He offered her his arm with a warm smile, and she took it, the bag of seed clutched tightly against her chest with her other one. He led her through the streets, slipping into the Block Streets between the streets and avenues with the confidence of one that grew up wandering these roads. Before long, she was even more lost than before. And there were no people around.

Suddenly, he slammed her against a wall, pinning her with his legs as he tossed her bag of seeds away, the contents spilling on the ground. It was dark but she tried to look at his face anyways, hoping to see an apology there. But there was nothing except a cruel smirk. This can't be happening! She vaguely remembered her mother warning her about such behavior. That sometimes men could be beasts without care, seeking to satiate bodily desires against others' wishes. But she had never thought that it would happen at her age. That was something that happened to other people. Not her!

She cried out for help, but he quickly silenced her with a palm pressed firmly against her mouth, muffling her screams and her cries. He groped her as tears streamed down her face, his dirty hands grabbing her chest and the budding breasts beneath her shirt before slipping underneath and touching them directly. His grip was callous and painful, squeezing and tugging at the flesh with all the sensitivity of a starving animal.

With a moan and disgusting heated breath against her ear and neck, he pulled his hand free from her chest and grabbed her right between the legs. What was I thinking? How could I have thought such a monster could be handsome?! Casey turned her head away, struggling in his grip even though she knew she couldn't break free.

"Look at me," he demanded. She refused, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the hand that once was gripping her down there cup her chin and shift her face. She could feel the heat of his breath on her nose. Smell his wretched scent. The hands retreated, following by the crack of skin against skin. Pain flourished across her cheek and lips.

He had slapped her. Grimacing, she reluctantly opened her eyes to see his crazed smile. All teeth, spread in a smirk that relished her fear and pain.

"My, my. You look beautiful…all covered in your blood and tears."

With a moan, he began to unbuckle his pants, and she whimpered and scrunched her eyes tightly closed, knowing what was about to happen. While it had never happened before and she had never read about such a thing ever, an instinct told her what to expect. No…nononononononono! He pressed his hand against her mouth again, the split lip protesting the pressure with throbbing pain.

Suddenly, his hand slipped from her mouth again with a choked gasp. She slowly opened her eyes to see a sword tip protruding from his throat. Following her assailant's gaze, she saw a second one sticking out from his stomach. Blood pooled in his clothing before dripping to the ground in a crimson rain. Then, he collapsed, revealing a brown-haired boy around her age.

The boy, hopefully my rescuer, had wide brown eyes, pupils fully expanded. Sweat dripped from his hairline, running down his face like rain streamed down a window. And he was hyperventilating, gasping for air in rapid pants, his entire body shaking. He unsteadily pulled his blades free from the dead man—no, not man, monster—on the ground and sheathed them in the scabbards on his waist.

"Are you okay?" he asked, staring at her.

Casey sniffled, biting her lower lip to keep from bawling, the pain from the action grounding her in the moment. She was shaking too, the adrenaline from her attack leaving her to shudder and tremble as the last vestiges of her fight or flight response fled her body. Not trusting her voice, she managed a small nod.

"Do you want help going home?"

"Are you lost, young lady?"

Casey pressed herself into the wall behind her in response, the monster's voice repeating in her mind, flattening against its rough surface with what she knew to be wide-eyed fear. She scooted away from the boy that saved her, only realizing that she was backed into a corner with nowhere to go. Unable to hold back much more, she whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself and cringing.

The brown-haired boy stepped back, much to her relief, with his own hands raised in a placating manner. "I-I don't have to if you don't want me to. I just thought you'd like an escort." The dual wielder kicked the dead man and slowly, like the world itself didn't want him, his body began turning to dust. Her rescuer turned and gathered up the broken seed bag in his arms before holding it out in front of himself. "Here, I think these were yours."

Casey eyed the boy nervously, but not seeing anything that stood out in warning—not that she had noticed anything before, a dark voice whispered to her—she snatched the bag from him, hugging it close to her chest. She allowed him to guide her, the other boy keeping away from the crowds as well. He was looking at her with furrowed brows and suddenly he began speaking.

"Umm…so, I'm Neil Agamon." She glanced at him but didn't say anything. What could she say? Oh yeah. My name is Casey, and I was almost taken advantage of. Thank you, my knight in shining armor! He shrugged and continued talking, guiding them through the streets.

"I'm part of the major gang in this hold, the 9-1'ers." He slowed his pace, and she nervously came up to his side, although she made certain to keep arm's distance away. "That prick wasn't one of ours. He was an 8-5'er. Those guys are sickos." He glanced at her, giving her a soft look. "We thought we had pummeled all of them enough that they would stop coming here for that crap." He seemed to stop shaking already, even though she couldn't stop the trembles still shuddering through her body.

"My, my. You look beautiful…all covered in your blood and tears." She swallowed the nauseous feeling that rose in her stomach and gritted her teeth against it. Beautiful covered in tears and blood? What was that creep thinking?! And why couldn't she stop trembling? How did he? Did he make a habit of killing people? But she looked in his eyes. Those brown eyes were shadowed by his actions. She could see the turmoil behind them as he wrestled with what he had done.

"Shisarra will be pissed with me. Got another set of clothes covered in blood again," the boy muttered. He was rambling, talking about people he knew like he was her friend. His voice was…oddly comforting. "Nolan will probably lead a strike. And if Loran is healed up, he will gladly lead the charge. I know a few others will too."

Why do I feel happy hearing about this? Is it because they'll be taking the revenge that I am too weak to carry out for myself?

Is he even talking about what just happened? Why am I so selfish? The world doesn't bend to my whims.

"We'll get all the minor gangs in the Hold together too. Call for a meeting. There'll be war. They need to be prepared."

A war? What is he talking about?

"Someone will have to stay behind to keep Reyan out of the kitchen. Can't believe I missed him catching his self on fire like that…" the brown-haired boy shook his head with a small laugh, his brown eyes crinkling in mirth from the shared memory.

He caught himself on fire?! And it's funny?!

"Bato can't stay. He'll be needed for strategy. And Yota and Shuren are too young yet…I know! Kieran will stay with Reyan." With a frown on his face and a hand on his chin, the boy continued, "He'll just tie Reyan to a chair if he gets too rowdy." Her protector smirked and she found herself relaxing ever so slightly.

They were at the edge of the business sector. She could see the wall dividing the businesses from the farms and felt a sigh of relief. She recognized this street. 9.1.1.

Casey missed the boy's sidelong glance. "You know where you are, now." It wasn't a question. He must have caught the relieved expression crossing her face. That, or noticed how she sighed and let the tension run out of her. "My, my. You look beautiful…all covered in your blood and tears." She shuddered internally. I need to keep from showing my emotions so clearly. Maybe, if something like this happens again, I won't give the person what they want if I hide what I am feeling.

The dual wielder paused at a stone bridge that led between a gap in the tall walls. She shook her head and gestured further down. They were only at Avenue 9.1.9. They needed to reach Avenue 9.1.18. That was her exit. He nodded, continuing to ramble beside her, his hands now shoved into his pockets.

She hadn't noticed it before, but his front was dark with dried blood and trails of the red fluid had splashed up his arms, flaking off in the sunlight. It was a truly menacing appearance and probably why no one had dared to approach them. She certainly wouldn't have come near someone looking like he did.

Eventually, they arrived at the stone bridge closest to her home in the farming sector. She glanced at him and said, "Thank you, Neil."

"Sure thing, girl." He turned to walk away, never asking her name. Never demanding anything from her. His swords were still in their sheathes. His hands in his pockets. Blood caked on his body. Frame radiating nonchalance.

And that was why she had to tell him, "Casey Urdoni."

He glanced back, his brown eyes soft as he smiled and nodded before continuing on his way. She crossed the bridge as steadily as she could and once out of sight, she ran behind the wall, throwing up everything in her stomach until nothing was left. "Are you lost, young lady?" Dirty hands groped her breasts. One covered her mouth, muffling her screams. *pain-fear-humiliation* This can't be happening to me. Not me! "My, my. You look beautiful…all covered in your blood and tears."

All she tasted was bile, the stuff burning her nose and throat as she cried, leaning up against the wall with no one in sight. She spat the remnants from her mouth and wiped her face. I can't tell mom what happened. I can't tell dad. Nor Kienan. They'll never let me go out again. *disgust-hatred-disbelief* I can't believe this happened to me. Me of all people. What did I do? She sniffled as she smoothed out her clothes and readjusted the bag of seeds in her grasp, glad she didn't ruin them with her vomit.

She wiped her eyes, drying her tears. I will never let someone tell me I am beautiful when crying ever again.

Never.

*End Flashback* WARNING ENDED. NEAR-RAPE SCENE OVER.

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/And while she wasn't a fan of vampires, she found that she couldn't turn her back on Neil and Jonas. They were the same people her and her brother had always known. Neil, who had saved her from a fate probably worse than death after she got lost in Hold 9.1 of the Business Sector of District 14. /

And Jonas, who had protected both her and her brother one day in school from the bullies that always targeted them.

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*Flashback* WARNING- REFERENCE TO NEAR-RAPE SCENE

It was two years later, and she was thirteen years old now. Casey had perfected her ability to show no emotion to the very best of her capabilities, maintaining an aura of aloofness and stoicism that no one could see through. Not her parents. Nor her classmates. Not even her brother could see everything. The only thing she had failed to void of all feeling were her eyes. They still shined too brightly or darkened in anger. But they no longer shed tears, so it would have to do.

But while she had gotten a handle on her emotional outbursts, her brother seemed to grow more and more extravagant. Kienan swung opposite of her, wearing his heart on his sleeve. While she wore dark and plain colors that didn't stand out, he mixed bright and jarring tones that pulled all eyes in the vicinity toward him. He danced and cried in public. She kept all her feelings hidden until a suitable time arose when she was in private and capable of letting it all out.

It was partly because of his clothing and behavior that he kept getting targeted by a group of bullies. And his shame brought their judgement down on her head. They kept trying to punish him for his appearance, dragging her into his mess, yet he continued wearing his obscene clothes and acting ridiculous. His goofy antics and wild colors kept him in the public eye. And so, it was yet another day when the two of them were cornered.

Kienan was beaten until he hit the floor. Didn't take much. And her brother stayed down like he always did, whimpering quietly from his growing bruises. Two continued kicking him while the other three turned against her, trying to make her cry. Mocking her for silence. She had gotten used to the pain and took it without complaint, refusing to shed tears with only the barest of grimaces escaping her control.

Someone had to be the big kid and it certainly wasn't her older brother.

Then, someone else arrived, having heard the scuffle and coming to investigate. "What the hell are you doing?" the silver-haired boy hissed, his dark blue eyes narrowed in barely contained rage.

It's Jonas! She remembered him from when he was younger, coming to their farm to buy food with his mom. He had had an aura around him of strength of spirit. A happy boy that seemed to radiate joy, much like Kienan. Then, she remembered hearing about his parents dying. And that horrible power that erupted near where it had happened. After that, he grew into a tougher boy that didn't take any crap from anyone.

The group of five boys spun around. Their leader blanched and groaned, "Not you again!"

Jonas cracked his knuckles, "If you don't want me to kick your asses all up and down this hallway like I've done in the past, then you'd best leave. Now."

The leader looked to his groupies and gestured for them all to leave. Before he followed them, however, he punched Casey in the stomach, folding her over with a wheeze from the unexpected strike. With his mouth near her ears, he whispered to her, "Eventually, I am going to make you cry. I can't wait to see your face covered in tears."

"My, my. You look beautiful…all covered in your blood and tears." Dirty hands groped her breasts. One covered her mouth, muffling her screams. *pain-fear-humiliation* He slapped her, splitting her lip. Her eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat before she caught her reaction and smothered it. She was wheezing, unable to catch her breath and thus, unable to respond, but the words of her almost-rapist echoed loudly in her ears, and she shuddered as he left.

Kienan stumbled to his feet with a groan and went to touch her, resting his hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from him with a start, shaking his hand off her shoulder. Thankfully, he didn't try again, accustomed to the change in her behavior after that day even if she never explained it, as he asked, "Are you okay?" Black eyes stared at her with worry swirling in their depths.

"Fine. Just get out of here before they decide to come back," Casey responded gruffly, her voice ragged despite her trying to make it even when it came out. But Kienan didn't need to be told twice, glancing around quickly before darting off, a simple concerned glance tossed behind him as he left.

She smoothed her clothes out, feeling her lungs and throat settle once more. Keeping her voice flat as she spoke, Casey glanced at Jonas and remarked, "Thanks for stopping them from hurting my brother any further." Once more, her calm mask was in place, hiding her feelings from the outside world.

The silver-haired teen gave her a sidelong look as the two began walking in the opposite direction that Kienan went. "You don't sound very grateful." His voice wavered slightly, a poor mimicry of her emotionless comment.

Casey snorted, "I simply have a greater control over my emotions than my brother." With a soft sigh, she stopped, looking Jonas in the eye. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea about her since they didn't hang out very often. And it was imperative that he remain thinking positively about her in light of what she was about to ask. "Despite what you may think about my behavior, I really do care about my brother. I worry about him…so, would you please keep an eye out for him? Take him under your wing? Maybe, those guys will leave him alone then."

The black-haired girl let her mask crumble, revealing the worry tracing her eyes and creasing her face before she reigned it back in where it belonged. It was safe to reveal herself to him. He was safe. And it was the best way to ensure he understood. Seeing the look of comprehension cross Jonas's face as she slid the mask back into place let her release the tension that she didn't know she had been holding.

Jonas nodded and said, "Sure. But don't think that that doesn't include you. I'll count you as my friend as much as him. You're also welcome to hang out around me."

She returned the nod and turned away, her heart lighter than it had been for the past couple years.

*End Flashback* WARNING- REFERENCE TO NEAR-RAPE SCENE OVER

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*Kienan Urdoni*

The giant man slammed the hilt of an equally large axe into the ground next to Ichigo, once again buffeting him with air pressure and flying stone. "Now! Show me what you can do…boy!" His voice was deep and thunderous, echoing loudly over the area like he used some sort of magic noise projection spell.

And the man was massive. Over three times as tall as Ichigo, his frame equally proportioned to match his height. It was stunning and frightening to see, the desire to run away from the sight bubbling up in his gut. /*Run! Danger! Danger! Danger!*/ With an anxious twist, he stomped on the sensation, trying to bury it deep.

Remember what Solar Engo said. "You either do, or you don't do, something. There is no hope or trying." I agreed to come here and help out. So, that's what I am going to do. I will not run away anymore!

"He's a giant! He can't be human! What is he?" the newest member of their group squawked; his blue eyes wide with shock. He seemed as outwardly frightened as he was himself. Somehow, that made him feel a little better.

"His name is Jidanbo. He was chosen out of all the giants in the Soul Society for this job. This is the Great White Road Gate and Jidanbo is its gatekeeper," Yoruichi supplied.

"He's the guard? So, we have to defeat him to get inside…" the other boy commented. I think Ichigo said his name was Uryu.

"Yes. And it won't be easy. In the three hundred years that he's been guarding this gate, no one has ever defeated him," Yoruichi replied.

"He must be strong," Uryu remarked. He can say that again.

"Extremely," Yoruichi replied. "Countless invaders have tried, but none have ever been able to defeat him. As a result, he is the embodiment of strength and courage." No one has ever beaten him?!

Wow. I…I can't let Ichigo fight him alone. I'm…I'm going to help him.

And I can't believe that I am even considering this… He exchanged a look with Chad and Orihime. The two of them kept shifting nervously like they were resisting rushing to their friend's aid with increasing difficulty. Neil was just behind them, staring at him with brown eyes. Kienan swallowed his apprehension and nodded at the dual wielder. Neil nodded back with a smirk.

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*Shila Mezere*

Shila had been listening to Uryu and Yoruichi's exchange, learning about their current foe. And it didn't paint a pretty picture. "How are we supposed to defeat something like that?" She asked as she approached Uryu's side, her own bright blue eyes narrowed toward the threat, quietly trying to gauge the giant's strength. The Quincy eyed her with a measuring stare, as if he were silently appraising her skills.

Maybe you should have joined us before the last minute? Then, you would know what we were all capable of. She mentally shook her head. Being angry about it wasn't going to solve anything. And snapping at the boy wouldn't do anyone any good. I just wish I knew how he fought. We can't be a cohesive unit if we don't know how someone fights.

Guess we'll have to wing it.

Great…that's just great.

Juka Reyno giggled in her mind. '*amusement-understanding*' coming from the Magic Weapon.

"We'll have to have a meeting to devise a strategy." With a sigh of relief, Shila thought, At least, someone here is thinking. "We'll call Ichigo back and formulate a plan." Yoruichi turned his gaze back toward the giant, only to shout with dismay, "Orihime! Chad! Kienan! Neil! Didn't you hear what I said?! Come back here! All of you!"

Shila sighed in resignation, trying not to slam the palm of her hand into her forehead in exasperation. She felt Juka Reyno do it for her, the Weapon groaning, '*resignation-disbelief-exasperation*' also fluttering from her corner of her mind.

Neil's thoughts drifted into her mind in response to the frustration she was no doubt emitting. I am not going to sit back and wait if this guy is this strong! *determination-urgency-restlessness* Matching colored flames brushed against her mind, vestiges of his emotions given physical form. Determined dark pink and urgent and restless dark purple melded together on the fringes of her mind, shifting gently around Neil's place in their connection.

Shila bit back a growl as she focused, pulling on the various threads of power in the air, wanting to know how badly they were about to be outmatched. With raised eyebrows, she felt Ichigo's power and compared it to this Jidanbo guy. Wait…seriously?! She shot Neil a thought. Can't you feel how much stronger Ichigo is compared to this guy?

So, why did Yoruichi make him out to be so strong? Was he wrong? Or are we that much stronger than this guy?

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*Neil Agamon*

Neil slowed by a small margin, cursing Shila's intelligence in the privacy of his own mind as he quietly followed her instruction. She was right, of course. And he was being impatient and foolish, the dark purple flames flickering just on the edges of his vision. Ichigo's power far exceeded that of this Jidanbo guy, even if he was reluctant to admit it—if only because that would mean that he wouldn't get to the fight the giant. His slight hesitation allowed him to see the giant raising an axe, his gaze sweeping the incoming kids and deciding to act on it.

'Uh oh…that's not gonna feel good,' Engeta commented with a raised eyebrow even as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. /*Danger!*/

"Shield yourselves!" Neil yelled, his instincts screaming /*don't get hit by that!*/. His shout gave everyone else a split-second warning before the man carved a portion of the ground apart, forcing the pavement to rise and form a barrier preventing them from helping Ichigo. Not that he needs our help, but dammit. I wanted to fight, too.

With raised arms, all four of them succeeded in shielding themselves from the flying stones with minor scrapes and bruises. After the action was finished, he could hear Uryu shouting, "Wha…what was that?! It's incredible! With one blow he cracked the pavement and made it tilt to form a barrier!"

What is their world like? This is nothing unusual for us.

"You people have bad manners," Jidanbo scolded them, peering over his created ledge to stare down at them. He, Kienan, Orihime, and Chad approached the raised earth, standing just on the other side of it from Ichigo. "You must be country bumpkins or something. But here in the city, we have rules. Number one: wash your hands when you go inside." He began counting with his fingers, raising each one as he did so. "Number two: Don't eat things off the floor. And number three: fights in the city are always one on one. The hollow with the orange hair got here first, so I'll fight him. The rest of you wait patiently until I've smashed him. It won't take long." He shifted his weight and turned away from them.

"I'm not a hollow!" Ichigo objected. His protest echoed even across the Blood Tie, a feeling tinged with '*frustration-anxiety-determination*' although, what he was so determined about, Neil couldn't tell.

In a low voice, Chad spoke to Orihime, "I'm gonna make a hole in the rock. When I do, shoot Tsubaki through the hole at that guy." Chad wasn't much of a strategist—usually his idea of a strategy was to hit something really hard—but said ideas were enough to make Neil think fondly of the giant. The boy was certainly a force to be reckoned with—especially considering him hitting something usually resulted in that thing breaking.

And Neil should know. He sparred against the guy and had his arm broken when he underestimated him.

Orihime nodded in understanding, only to jerk when the giant asked, "Huh? Who's Tsubaki?"

She commented, "Wow! His hearing is amazing!"

She's got that right. But I guess it would have to be, in order to hear things in general. That guy is super tall compared to us.

'Aww, what ya doin?! Don't be goin' all Shila on me!' Engeta objected with a whine. Neil snorted in response, rolling his eyes at his Weapon's behavior. While it was true that he was the most impatient one out of their group, it didn't mean that he couldn't think every once in a while. 'Just keep tellin' yourself that,' his doppelganger grumbled.

"Hey…Chad, Orihime…" Ichigo called from his side of the barricade.

"Ichigo?! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!" The dual wielder almost voiced what he sensed—that the orange-haired teen was fine—but he was distracted for a moment. Neil thought he felt a stutter through his Blood Tie with Ichigo, a faint hum of '*fondness-relief-warmth*' at the sound of Orihime's voice echoed with worry. The flow abruptly ended with a trail of '*embarrassment*' leaking away from him and Neil snorted in amusement as the other teen realized he had inadvertently announced his feelings across the Blood Tie.

Huh. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he liked that girl.

Engeta cackled in his mind.

.

*Jonas Mazeri*

Jonas and the others approached the improvised rock wall with varying degrees of apprehension and anticipation while he heard Ichigo holler from the other side, "No, I'm fine." And his orange-haired twin was telling the truth. He could feel his vitality and renewed strength through their imprint, a vast improvement compared to his growing weakness over the past week. He was glad the pills worked. At least, it would put off an awkward conversation for a while.

Orihime replied, "H-hold on a second! We'll be right…"

"Hey, Orihime…you and Chad…just stay there and don't do anything okay?" Ichigo requested, cutting off her request. Jonas could feel the residue echoes of the orange-haired boy's feelings toward the girl—*warmth-friendship-protectiveness*—and remembered a conversation they had after she and Chad had left that first day.

.

*Flashback*

Jonas could feel his twin's emotions flipping between *unease-worry-fear* and *happiness-warmth-relief*, the alternating sensations making his own stomach do flip-flops as he struggled to keep up. Ugh, he groaned before he turned his thoughts toward Ichigo with a glare. I've got to teach you how to get a lid on your emotions.

It wasn't that he necessarily disliked feeling what state the other boy was in, but it was distracting, like a never-ending loop of free-flowing feelings and sensations that bounced around and never settled. And they radiated as strongly as the teen's out-of-control spiritual pressure, buffeting him with contradictory emotions of such strength that he was beginning to wonder what he himself was actually feeling.

Huh? *confusion* was Ichigo's response. They were sitting side-by-side taking a break after training and his twin turned toward him with furrowed brows. It was hard not to pummel the guy, the realization that he didn't grow up understanding magic like he had the only thing keeping the orange-haired boy from getting knocked around again.

With a sigh, Jonas replied, I can feel how they made you felt. You're worried and happy. And you keep bouncing between the two feelings so fast I can't get a handle on it. And it's making me physically ill, he added silently. No sense voicing that thought. He had passed the sensation along their imprint.

Ichigo grimaced and gave him a sheepish shrug, indicating he got the quiet message. "Sorry," he replied aloud.

"Want to talk about it?" Jonas offered. Whenever he was feeling conflicted or bogged down by emotions, he was always able to talk about it with Jakko, his adopted father. While their sessions usually ended on frustrating philosophical notes that made his head hurt, he came out of their discussions with a better handle on whatever had driven him to seek out the Old Man's opinion in the first place.

Ichigo turned his head away. The orange-haired teen sat there for a while, simply mulling things over in his head. For once, his thoughts were silent, hidden away in his own mind. It was something the silver-haired twin was both happy for and regretting. What could he be thinking that he has unconsciously shielded it from me?

"They both trust me. Chad, unconditionally. We made vows to each other; you see. To throw our punches for each other. He didn't even blink an eye at my appearance. Not even a raised eyebrow. He simply accepted it right away. And Orihime…she was scared at first. But now…she doesn't even see my tail. Or flinch when she sees the mask."

"Why does that bother you?"

*thirst-burning-need* thrummed back towards him, followed by *worry-apprehension-fear*. "I still don't know how these hollow powers will affect me. How this vampirism will change me. The last thing I want to do is to harm the people around me. I want my power to protect them. Not…hurt them."

Jonas cautiously sent back *understanding-empathy-reassurance*. How do you think I feel? I grew up hating vampires. They killed my parents right in front of me. *hatred-sorrow-longing* They constantly attacked near my home, maiming and slaughtering us like animals. And now, I'm a vampire too. I keep thinking of myself as a monster, but as I've been repeatedly told: What you are, does not define you. It is who you are, that determines if you are good or evil.

Ichigo stared at him for a moment, *shock-enlightenment-consideration* crossing between them before he looked away again, his face creased in his typical frown, although his brown eyes were bright like he had suddenly realized something. With a nod, the orange-haired teen muttered, "Thanks."

Jonas shrugged. He paused for a moment, deciding how to approach the subject of the girl. He could feel how Ichigo felt about her. Every warm thought as he looked at her. Each hesitation when he swung Zangetsu around towards her. Pride and relief whenever she successfully blocked or dodged. It was apparent to the silver-haired teen that his twin had feelings for her. But it was also apparent that he either didn't acknowledge them or was burying them for some reason.

Jonas's mind drifted back towards Sheila. She was missing. Maybe dead. And he had never told her how she had brightened his darkness. How her very presence had seemed to make life a little easier to bear. How much he missed her. And how he had loved her, although he had never known how to tell her at the time. But now…he didn't know if he would ever have that chance. I can't let Ichigo suffer the same fate. He loves this Orihime girl.

You should tell Orihime how you feel about her.

Ichigo choked, sputtering beside him both out loud and mentally as he coughed. "What the hell?!" *confusion-shock-disbelief*

"Don't make the same mistake I did," Jonas muttered, sharing *regret-sorrow-longing*.

Ichigo stared at him for a moment before responding, "I'm…not really sure how I feel." He turned away again as Jonas shot him a raised eyebrow. His twin continued, a faint blushed hue rising on his cheeks, I…I like Rukia. *fondness-regret-longing* She was my partner. Always there for me. And she was strong. She…made the rain stop.

Jonas frowned. Then what about this Orihime girl?

A sheepish shrug crossed Ichigo's shoulders. *warmth-happiness-safety* I only really know her through our friend, Tatsuki. But…she is always so happy all the time. It's hard to be reserved around her. She loves everyone.

You love them both? Jonas questioned, feeling Ichigo's burning *embarrassment-shame-apprehension* sear through him. With a raised eyebrow, the silver-haired teen commented, "It's okay to love them both." Information rose in his mind, Vampires aren't monogamous. While they may have a specific mate that they always return to, there can be many consorts and partners to sate various needs.

I can't give them both what they want. It's better for them if they find someone that can, Ichigo replied, but despite his comment, a sensation of *longing-desire-regret* shifted like a cloud around his mind.

Jonas snorted. As far as he knew, there wasn't any one definition of love or caring that was right or wrong. He knew a couple of guys from Neil's gang that loved each other. And he sensed from his Blood Memories that some vampires had dozens of willing consorts while others had only a single mate. So, what was the deal then? Is it something to do with this world specifically? A…cultural thing?

Would you care for them both? Another Blood Memory rose in his mind, Vampires can mark their consorts with shared claims, but such a thing must be equally accepted by all approached consorts. It is on a wavelength beneath a true Blood Imprint, operating halfway between the Primary and Secondary Wavelengths, allowing consorts and vampires to communicate mentally and emotionally. It makes the blood shared by the consorts equal to the strength and healing properties offered by a vampire's mate through the Blood Imprint, giving the vampire different sources of blood in case of severe injury when a mate is unable to reach them in time.

Huh?

Geez, how dense can he be? Must I spell it out for him? Would you take care of them? Protect them equally? Love them unconditionally?

Umm… Ichigo scratched his head, his face reddening dramatically as he sputtered out loud and mentally.

"Look…just ask them. If they accept each other and you, and you want to make it official, come find me and I'll teach you how. Then, you don't have to worry about hurting one by choosing the other. If they don't, then you can continue as you are now," Jonas suggested.

"Why are you so insistent?" Ichigo asked, perplexed. *confusion-unease-lost* feelings tumbled around their imprint.

"Because I never told Sheila how she made me feel. That I love…d her." Jonas swallowed hard, keeping his emotions close to his chest. *regret-longing-sorrow*. "And now I don't know if I will ever get that chance. I don't want you to avoid the conversation because it is awkward, only to end up regretting it later."

Ichigo was silent for a moment, his thoughts quiet across their connection before he said, "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."

*End Flashback*

.

I'm not sure what he will decide to do.

Ichigo told them to wait, but Orihime wasn't happy about it. "Huh?" she voiced, her face marred by confusion before she erupted, "Why, Ichigo?! That's…"

"Don't worry!" Ichigo called back, his voice even as he insisted, "Just wait there!" *confidence-determination-resolve*

With a cocked head, Jonas glanced between where he knew Ichigo to be standing and the giant. Huh. I wonder why I didn't notice that before…

.

*Uryu Ishida*

Uryu was beside them in an instant. "No! I refuse! You saw that giant's strength!" The quincy argued with what he thought was sound logic. "I don't know what kind of training you went through the past ten days, but you can't possibly beat him by yourself!" There was no way he could win against this giant! He only just got his soul reaper powers back. And he wasn't that strong before.

"You're there too, Uryu?" Ichigo inquired, his voice laced with amusement, making the quincy grind his teeth in frustration. Is he serious?!

"I've been with you this entire time! It's just like you to make stupid comments, Ichigo!" he spat back, his classmate's stupidity grating on his nerves. This wasn't a game. Nor was it a good place to work on their rivalry. But the other teen was being so infuriating that it was hard to hold his tongue.

"Oh, quit your yelling!" Ichigo replied, exasperated. For the moment, he relented, unable to come up with a comeback.

Chad stared at the raised pavement. "Can you do it?"

"I think so," Ichigo replied.

He thinks?

…

He thinks?! Is this some sort of game to him?!

Uryu began beating his fists against the rocks in protest, "You think?! That's not good enough!" Who does this idiot think he is to risk all our lives on a maybe?!

"Don't worry!" Ichigo sounded frustrated as well. Well, tough! "You said yourself that you don't know what kind of training I went through, but I'll tell you something… At first, the plan was to use the entire ten days to regain my soul reaper powers. But I managed that in just five days. So, what was I doing those last five days?"

The archer's eyes narrowed. There was no way he trained the entire time they waited. He was pathetic as a substitute before he lost his powers, why would that change? So he shot back, "Knowing you, probably goofing off…"

"Wrong. I fought against Hat and Clogs and the others, one-on-one!"

Yeah, uh huh. Sure… "And what…they taught you the secrets of combat?" Uryu questioned, surreptitiously scrutinizing the others he hadn't had a chance to work with yet. What is he getting at?

"Wrong again."

"Then what are you saying?!" Uryu demanded, his patience nearly extinguished. Why is he wasting time?!

"Urahara wouldn't teach me anything about combat. But in those long hours, I gained tremendous strength and stamina."

Strength…and stamina? That's it?!

.

*Sado Yasutora-Chad*

He listened to Uryu and Ichigo go back and forth. And he could feel the orange-haired teen's spiritual pressure. It was calm and collected. He had no worries about whether or not Ichigo could stand against this foe. Ichigo said he could do it. And Chad believed him.

"Are you done making speeches yet, hollow?" Jidanbo asked.

"I'm not a hollow!" he heard Ichigo object. "And I didn't ask you to wait for me, so you could have attacked at any time."

The giant foe frowned. "You must be a hollow. No one else would dare be that rude. If somebody waits for you…you should say, thank you!" The big man slammed his axe down, causing the earth to quake beneath their feet and stones to fly through the sky. Orihime cried out in alarm.

With a sudden realization, Chad thought, I get it…What Ichigo got from that guy wasn't fighting technique. It was experience. Urahara had told him, "Ichigo has tremendous spiritual powers. But he has a long way to go before he can wield that great power." If Ichigo could get more of that…he'd be so powerful, it's scary."

.

*Ichigo Kurosaki*

He blocked Jidanbo's swing with a single hand on Zangetsu's blade. With a growl, he scowled at the giant and pointed out, "You attacked before I was ready. Isn't that bad manners, too?" The giant stared at him with shock before he began laughing, the force of his mirth nearly blowing him away in the resulting gale. Why is he laughing?

'Hmm…maybe you said somethin' funny to him, aibou?'

Smart ass. Zangetsu cackled why the Old Man shook his head.

"You're not bad, my spikey-headed hollow challenger."

"I'm not a hollow!" he objected again. Why won't he listen to me?

'Maybe because ya feel like a hollow an' look like a hollow, aibou,' Zangetsu replied. The Zanpakuto spirit shrugged in his mind. 'Anyways, never mind that. What the hell are you waitin' for?'

To prove a point.

Zangetsu rolled his eyes and threw his arms up, screeching, 'What point could you possibly want to make?!' '*confusion-disbelief-frustration*'

That I'm not a monster.

His doppelganger stared at him with a measuring stare before replying, 'Tch. Whatever. Do what you want. Just don't be stupid.' '*resignation-understanding-worry*'

Thanks.

The giant ignored his protest. "It's been decades since anybody blocked my axe. All right then…today…I won't hold back!" Jidanbo rose to his full height as he raised his axe into the air. "Good luck, hollow. You're only the third person that ever blocked my third swing. But nobody's ever stopped…my second thrust!"

Ichigo brought Zangetsu back up, instincts crying out /*Block!*/ even as he grumbled with frustration in his mind. And while the giant was strong, and he had no doubt that any lesser foes would be swept away with a single swing, the man couldn't break his guard. It was almost effortless to stand there and block his strikes. If I focus through Jonas, I can figure out the difference in our spiritual pressures. While I still can't sense that kind of thing on my own very well, my doppelganger has the ability to easily sense it. And if I am understanding correctly, I am far stronger than this guy is.

"Ha! Good! You're still standing! But there's more! Take this! Juppon Jidanda Matsuri—Jidan Ten Strike Festival!" After a pause, Jidanbo continued, "One! Two! Three!" Each number was cried as he swung his axe down, trying to break Ichigo's defense, each swing punctuated by the slam of the axe and a shout of his current count. "Four! Five! Six! Seven! Seven! Eight! Um…Six! Eight!" Another pause. His eyes were unfocused, confusion marring his face. "I have to be at ten by now, so time to finish up…Ten!" With a roar, the giant swung his axe wide, cleaving through the improvised cement barrier and sending pavement flying.

But Ichigo was calmly standing there, Zangetsu gently braced against his side, his left clawed hand pressed against the flat edge near his hip. Jidanbo was muttering in confusion.

"Wh…why…you…how come you're still standing?"

Zangetsu cackled in dark amusement in his mind while the Old Man gave him a mental nod. '*pride*'

The axe retreated and Ichigo brought Zangetsu down in front of him. "Are you done, gatekeeper? Because if you are, then it's my turn!"

The giant looked alarmed, protesting the change to the battle. "N-not yet! I have another move!" He reached into his shihakusho and pulled out a second axe.

He has another axe!

'Ichigo! He has another axe!' Shila added her input through the Blood Tie a split second after Jonas's shout of alarm across the imprint.

Jidanbo swelled up and lifted both axes above his head. "Here goes! My final move…Banzai Jidanda Matsuri—Jidan Banzai Strike Festival!"

With an imperceptible sigh, Ichigo replied, "Sorry, pal. But I gotta destroy your axes." He didn't want to but didn't see a way to end the fight otherwise. The man wasn't listening to him. Didn't acknowledge him as anything other than a hollow. And he was worried that if he didn't nip his thought in the bud, that he would be forced to seriously harm the guy. Which, he wasn't here to do. He wasn't here to maim anyone. Or kill them.

He just wanted to save Rukia and bring her home safely.

As the giant swung his arms down, the orange-haired teen lashed out, cleaving through both axes with one strike, shattering the weaponry and sending the fragments flying through the air.

.

*Unknown 2*

They never came during the day. It just never happened. But today, it did. A band of thugs roaming through the 80th District of West Rukon tore through their makeshift house with rough abandon. He and his mother had gone out to the farm and returned upon hearing the ruckus, only to find themselves surrounded by the bandits. It was a bad day and about to get worse. With no way of defending themselves, they had little hope of thwarting their attackers.

His control over his spirit energy had been growing. But he had no way of turning it into an attack or bringing it to bear with any amount of certainty. It simply swirled around him without direction, not affecting anyone or anything. At first, he had thought it was because he was just too weak. But as his understanding of his great power grew, he realized that he could manipulate it to infect others. Make them see what he wanted them to see. On his good days, he could convince his mother that he was tending to the farms with her. On his bad days, he couldn't even make her feel a faint breeze when there wasn't one.

And this was another bad day. He tried to hold them off with a hoe while he instructed his mother to run. But she was of ill health and didn't get far. And he was far too weak to keep so many strong men back. He was pummeled and slashed with bats and swords, leaving horrible bruises and deep gashes across his body. His mother wasn't much better, a pool of blood growing beneath her. Her face turned away from him.

But before the bandits could finish him off, a haunting howl echoed through the air. The thugs scattered with shouts of dismay as a hollow appeared before them. A large bug-like creature that looked like a praying mantis with a white mask. The spirit energy rippling off the beast wasn't much. And on a good day, he was confident that he could confuse it enough to escape. But today was not a good day. His power shifted out of his grasp.

Hollows weren't unheard of in the outskirts of the Rukongai. They darted into the Soul Society and back out like guerilla fighters. Taking their fill of the weak souls on the fringes. Too far out for most Shinigami to reach them in time. Although, there were always exceptions to the rule, even though most reapers that made their way out here were not any better than the bandits that roamed the countryside.

And as if the thought of a Shinigami drew one, a soul reaper appeared with a yell to fight the beast, clad in the black shihakusho wielding a thin zanpakuto. He frowned. The reaper felt even weaker than the hollow did. And while the Shinigami did deal some damage to the hollow, the fallen soul did more to the reaper, leaving him in a pool of his own blood, his sword skittering across the ground to land near his fingers.

As the hollow ate the soul reaper, he inspected the zanpakuto before him. It felt…empty. Like it wasn't a fully realized sword. And he didn't understand the draw to grasp the handle, but he let his fingers wrap around the hilt, trying to will his spirit energy into the dropped blade even as he questioned why the thought to do so crossed his mind. As he did, the cloth shifted colors from a dark purple to a dark green. And the guard changed from a round metal to an elongated hexagon.

'Oh, dear me.' It was a female voice. A soft lilting tune that graced his ears and sounded like beautiful music. A hymn that pulled at his consciousness and threatened to smother him with her lullaby.

His eyes widened in shock. Where did that voice come from?

'You can finally hear me, my dear wielder?'

Wielder? You mean…

He heard her giggle. Felt his spiritual pressure become tangible in the way it only ever did on a good day. 'Why, of course. You melded with that asauchi.' She paused for a moment, but before he could question whether that was all she had to say, her voice turned dark. 'The pathetic fool that held it before couldn't even be bothered to imprint his soul onto it. It was begging to be molded into a true zanpakuto, but alas, his folly is your boon.'

He felt stronger. Felt like it was a good day where his power was his to command. It bent and molded to his will, shifting in the air around him like a small whirlwind. The hollow looked at him with crazed hunger in its eyes, the yellow irises set into black sclera blown wide as it turned its eager gaze toward him. He struggled to his feet, body protesting the movement, and narrowed his eyes at the beast. It was weak enough now that he could easily kill it with his sharpened strength.

But he wanted to test something first. His spirit energy easily infected the hollow before him, placing it at his mercy. With a single thought, he convinced the beast that he was fighting it, watching it struggle against his mind's eye. It was incredible, the way he could manipulate his foe into leaving its back wide open. He slashed the beast through the mask from behind, quickly finishing it off. Then, he spun around.

Mother! He ran to her fallen form; her body having not moved since the thugs attacked them. He set his new sword down next to her and gingerly rolled her over, hearing a sharp gasp of pain as he moved her. Relief flooded through him. She's alive!

But he didn't know how badly she was injured until he rolled her onto her back. Her stomach was slashed wide open, blood and entrails escaping from the gaping wound. She moaned in pain, brown eyes fluttering open to fix onto his own.

"M-mom?" he didn't know what to say. What was there to say? He was a smart boy. He knew that she was going to die. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"My d-dear boy…" she wheezed. Blood trailing past her lips and down her cheek, dripping into her long brown hair. But she smiled in spite of that, raising a shaky hand to press against his cheek. "Y-you are…d-destined for great things… R-reach for the h-heavens and…never stop. You can do what…whatever you set your m-mind to…my d-dearest S-sosuke…"

Then, she died, and he screamed in rage and sorrow.

.

*Unknown 1- Kisuke Urahara*

He shifted on the floor of his room, waiting for Princess Shihōin to return. Or, at least, that was how the household wanted him to address her. But she only wanted to be called Yoruichi. He frowned. This place was confusing. He was given a room to call his own from what were supposedly quarters belonging to the clan's servants. And he was allowed to stay there as long as he didn't cause a ruckus. Simply because Yoruichi desired it.

No one knew what to do with him. The servants avoided him. Sure, they were nice. Certainly not rude, although they were reserved. But the household members were even more confusing. Some of them looked down on him, seeing him as nothing more than the filthy boy the princess brought home, acquiescing so she didn't throw a tantrum. But some of the others were kind. Yoruichi's mother and father especially. In fact, from his understanding, it was really their influence that secured him a room inside their home.

It gave him a private place to ponder what had happened. Who was he? Why couldn't he remember anything? How did he just show up in that forest? And how did he understand the words to describe things? And to speak as he did? There were too many unanswered questions. Too many gaping holes he couldn't fill yet. But for now…for now, he would focus on doing whatever was asked of him and hope that his memory would eventually return.

.

*Unknown 7- Yretro Kosuka*

Yretro tried to soothe his nerves. This would be his first official mission as part of Sirta's Personal Guard. Their target was a strong Shade, a dark spirit that had just recently wiped out the Magic Squad group dispatched to handle it. While Shades typically resided deeper in the forest, closer to the dense magics of the wilds, this one had wandered close to the city, prompting the humans within to strike at it. And apparently, to fail at their task.

He frowned as he secured the black cape representing his Dark Magic Subclass affinity to his shoulders. It was a gift for his appointment to the High Priestess's Personal Guard, an offering from the Council of Priestesses to one charged with protecting the coven's leader. It hung heavily from his leather armor, weighing him down with the burden of his position.

He, a mere Shadow Stepper, would be charged with protecting the High Priestess during combat with a foe far stronger than he could ever hope to beat alone. And while he had access to his first Weapon Release, the other members were leagues above him in terms of power. They had between the sixth and eighth releases available to them. And Sirta herself had the seventh.

It was amazing how far she had gone while he remained so far behind. Despite that, part of him wanted to restrain her from going on this mission. Keep her safe at home in the cool embrace of the coven. But he couldn't do that. This was part of her duty. To put down a powerful spirit with her elite guardsmen at her side. A performance cementing her as a strong leader worthy of their devotion.

But what can I really do to protect her? She'll be defending me instead…

Thick hands smoothed the fabric bunched at the nape of his neck. A shocked glance in the mirror in front of him revealed Hebai, wearing a matching uniform. A black leather jacket covered his arms, chest, and torso, the armor punctuated by numerous pockets and thick padding that offered additional protection for the vital points. His own black cape hung from golden shoulder notches, sweeping to just past his waist. The man wore matching leather black pants that also had numerous pockets along with matching black knee-high boots

The dark blue haired man was probably his closest friend. Maybe even his only friend if one didn't count Sirta. His black eyes shined with mirth and excitement as he patted Yretro's shoulders. "Ready?"

The blonde shrugged. Dare he voice his worries?

Hebai sighed, his face turning serious. "I understand being worried. But you know somethin'?" he cocked his head at Yretro, a cocky smirk crossing his face as the blonde shook his head. "She chose us as part of her Personal Guard. We have all the strength we need to protect her."

The blue-haired man guided him from his quarters with a hand on his upper back, dragging him to where they were meeting the rest of the guardsmen. But as he let Hebai shuffled him towards the others, Yretro couldn't help but to frown.

"We have all the strength we need to protect her?"

Have you let this thing go to your head?

*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 powerful connection through Blood that binds a vampire and another together. On the Primary Wavelength. 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 (allows imprinter and imprintee to use each other's magical abilities and Magic Weapons). 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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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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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

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

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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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 Solar Engo.

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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.

Santen Kesshun (Three-God Shield) (alternate spelling): 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.

*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.

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

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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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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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.

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

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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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.

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

New Words:

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

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

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:

High Priestess

The leader of a vampire clan. This position is only ever held by female vampires. She is the one to make final decisions regarding alliances with other clans or peoples and the one to make final decisions regarding attacking other clans or peoples. While she consults with the Council of Priestesses and the Council of Warriors, these decisions are hers alone. Any major changes to the clan or decisions that affect all of the clan must be approved or decided by her.

While she is an important vampire for a coven, she is also considered a simple figurehead for the clan. A leader for them to follow that is not directly involved in the day-to-day activities of those beneath her. And despite being such an important individual, she (and her Personal Guard squad, the Sub-Squad 11 from Squad 1) are the elite fighters that go out and handle dangerous entities (such as Shades, Demons, Sinners, etc.) when no one else is able to handle them. (they are typically dispatched when such beings threaten the safety of the coven. Otherwise, they will let the Magic Squads handle it, in order to not draw attention to themselves. This is also why the Personal Guard members are typically chosen from higher ranked vampires and why there are only around 10 of them at any given time.)

Appointment to the position of High Priestess is considered a great honor and NOT one that can be rejected. (if your position in the order of succession is next in line, then you become the High Priestess. NO exceptions!)

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High Priestess in Training

The female vampire chosen by the order of succession to become the next High Priestess. This individual is typically the firstborn female vampire of the current High Priestess or the oldest surviving female vampire (in cases where the firstborn dies) (see Order of Succession for further details). She will be trained in her upcoming duties until such a time when the current High Priestess dies or hands the position off to the next generation (typically, High Priestesses remain in their position for nearly one hundred years before they even think about handing it off to their daughter).

NO male vampire can assume this role.

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Order of Succession

There is NO means to reject ascendancy to the position of High Priestess if one's position in the order of succession is called to serve.

If there is a debate about legitimacy or a situation where a proper High Priestess cannot be immediately coronated, then the Council of Priestesses assumes command of the coven until a new High Priestess is appointed.

While most of the measures are believed to never be necessary, they were written into law during the time the blood illness spread like wildfire through the vampire population, killing millions of vampires and snuffing out family lines with ease. (same incident that resulted in Zora Mazeri's death and Tirina's appointment as High Priestess. See story timeline.)

The Order of Succession is almost never required to be referenced because a High Priestess does not often get put in a position where they could die while their successor is unable to take their place. It is only in recent Bequaki coven history that the Mate Right was ever used.

1. The current High Priestess's firstborn daughter. If the firstborn daughter is not of age (minimum is 100yrs old with a strength equivalent to the 5th Weapon Release), then the High Priestess's mate can assert Mate Right to assume leadership of the coven UNTIL the daughter is of appropriate age and strength and is coronated.

1A. Mate Right can be assumed even in cases where a female grandchild would be considered next in line but the current High Priestess is dead and the grandchild is too young/weak at the moment.

1B. Mate Right can also be assumed if, for whatever reason, the firstborn daughter is unable to attain the 5th Weapon Release or an equivalent strength AT ALL (maybe she is powerless or was simply born incapable of using Magic or suffered a debilitating attack that rendered her unable to meet the requirements). Mate Right can ONLY be used in this case IF the firstborn daughter has a daughter of her own that is reasonably believed to have the capability of meeting the requirements. Daughter MUST be alive at the time the decision is made, otherwise it would go to the next oldest sibling and her line would fall to the bottom of the line of descendant succession (meaning this line would have a chance after all other daughters had a chance and before it would fall to the High Priestess's female siblings.)

1C. Finally, Mate Right can also be assumed in any case where a female successor does not immediately meet the qualifications to be coronated but they are next in line and reasonably believed to be capable of meeting the requirements.

2. If the firstborn daughter is dead, but she has children, then it goes to the firstborn daughter's firstborn daughter, continuing through that line until all female offspring are exhausted, beginning with the oldest female children of the firstborn daughter continuing until the youngest female children of the youngest daughter of the High Priestess's firstborn daughter.

3. If there are any other surviving female children of the High Priestess, then succession would fall to the second oldest daughter and her daughters until all female children are exhausted. Then, it would switch to the next oldest female child until all direct female descendants are exhausted.

4. If there are NO surviving daughters of the High Priestess and there are NO surviving female descendants of the High Priestess, then it goes to her oldest surviving sister. If the sister is no longer living, yet her daughters live, then the line starts with the oldest surviving daughter and continues down her lineage. This continues for all female siblings until this line is exhausted, including their offspring. (this follows the same format as the direct descendants, exhausting the lines of the oldest sister and all her children before continuing on).

5. If there are NO surviving female siblings, then the order of succession would fall back to the fallen High Priestess's mother's direct lineage, beginning with the oldest lines until all of them are eliminated as possibilities. It would continue falling back until all female relatives of the High Priestess are exhausted.

6. If there are NO female relatives of the High Priestess in the coven, then leadership would fall to the oldest priestess on the Council of Priestesses that has AT LEAST 3 generations of female descendants.

7. If, somehow, it came down to no one qualifying for succession, then the oldest female vampire in the coven that has AT LEAST 3 generations of female descendants would become the new High Priestess.

8. If no female vampire exists to satisfy the above qualifications, then the Council of Priestesses appoints the oldest female on the council to the position and does what it can to ensure that family lineage survives to cement its position.

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Council of Priestesses

A group of 10 of the oldest priestesses from among all the current priestesses. Entry to this group is age based. They advise the High Priestess on all issues regarding to internal clan affairs, inter-clan affairs, and matters of faith. They also advise on change to the overall structure of the clan and if relocation is needed. Basically, they advise on all issues not covered by the other councils and are the High Priestess's chief advisors.

The other councils come before this one if they have major issues or things to report. These things differ based on the council. Depending on the severity of the issue, this council may require the High Priestess to come to a decision.

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Priestesses

A group of female vampires that are not on the council, yet have their own duties and responsibilities. They answer to the council members and also oversee communication between the other councils of issues needing to be brought to the Council of Priestess's attention. These priestesses are the true day to day leaders in the clan.

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Lesser Priestesses

A group of female vampires under the Council of Priestesses that are basically aids to the varying council members and priestesses that handle affairs within the clan that are not major and do not require the High Priestess's authorization to move forward with.

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Council of Warriors

A group of 10 of the strongest male vampires in the clan. The strongest of each Magic Class is represented. Entry into this group is strength-based, regardless of age. This council deals with matters of defense and security and handles the entirety of the fighting force for the clan.

The Council of Warriors is in direct command of the Blood Squads.

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In my universe, people disintegrate into dust and turn into magic essence when they die. The body disappears and most of the clothing attached to them, although there are occasionally small bits left behind. And while there are graveyards to commemorate the dead, it is just filled with headstones and no true graves.

The city, overall, is divided into 17 Districts in the shape of a large circle with a center circle, a small inner ring and a larger outer ring. The center circle is District 1 and is home to the city government, Magic School, and several other important organizations. The inner circle has the smaller Districts 2-9. The outer circle has the larger Districts 10-17. (10 is outside of 2. 11 is outside of 3. 12-4. 13-5. 14-6. 15-7. 16-8. 17-9 with each district numbered in numerical order—2 is between 9 and 3 in the inner circle with 3 to the right of 2 and 9 to the left of 2 and the circle being numbered from there.)

Each District is further divided into a Residential Sector (or 2 if it is a bigger district with Alpha being on the side adjacent to the lower numbered district and Beta being on the side adjacent to the higher numbered district), a Farm Sector (location depends on the district location. Inner circle districts have the farm sector closest to District 1. Outer circle districts have the farm sector on the outer wall of the city closest to the higher numbered district), and a Business Sector (the smaller districts mix the Business and Residential Sectors together on the side furthest from District 1 while the outer districts have the business sector along the outer wall of the city closest to the lower numbered district.)

Residential Sectors are divided based on where they are. In the inner districts, they are combined with the Business Sector. In the outer districts, they are divided into an Alpha Residential Province and a Beta Residential Province. Because they are combined with the Business Sectors in the inner districts, they have the same layout and naming system as the Business Sectors do (see below).

Farm Sectors are divided based on where they are. In the inner districts, the Farm Sector is considered one large area, not needing to be broken down further. In the outer districts, the Farm Sector is divided into 4 Provinces with 2 referred to as Inner and 2 referred to as Outer. The Beta Provinces are those closest to the higher numbered district whereas the Alpha Provinces are closest to the lower numbered district.

.x.x. These sections are broken down further and referred to as Plots. Plots are numbered from the side closest to the center of the city by parallel rows while the columns are numbered from lowest to highest left to right on a map.

.x.x. There are no real roads in the farming sector, just paths used to get between farms. As such, if an emergency is ever called, people always refer to which farmstead they are near.

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Business Sectors are only divided longways in the outer districts (because the Business and Residential Sectors are combined in the inner districts). Therefore, there is only an Inner Province and an Outer Province with the inner being closer to the center of the city and the outer running right along the city's outer wall.

.x.x. Business and Residential Sectors are further broken down and referred to as Holds (numbered with the same system as Plots).

.x.x. There are real roads in the Business and Residential Sectors, and they follow the same naming convention between the two. Roads running parallel to the city's center are labelled with the hold number with a period followed by the number from the center it is (9.1.1 means Hold 9.1 road 1 from the city's center) and are referred to as Avenues. Roads running perpendicular to the city's center are labelled with the hold number with a period followed by the number from the left on the map it is (9.1.1 means Hold 9.1 road 1 from the left on the start of the Hold's territory line) and are referred to as Streets.

.x.x. Each place where the roads and avenues meet are called crossroads. In the spaces beside them are the Blocks where houses and businesses are built. Almost each Block (depending on the size of the building placed there) has a street running through it. This is referred to simply as a Block Street and has no number or other designation (there are far too many to give them all unique names).

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There are gangs of (mostly) kids roaming each part of town (just like a big city in the U.S. where I am from).

Each Hold had a major gang with the one with the largest numbers and greatest amounts of resources holding that title—Neil was part of Hold 9.1's major crew. The major tribe patrolled the entirety of their territory, fighting off rival outside gangs and breaking up skirmishes amongst the minor crews under their umbrella of protection. They also competed with the smaller groups for the title of the hold's major tribe. Major gangs were simply named after their Hold, such as the H9-1'ers.

Then, there were the minor gangs, smaller groups of kids that banded together and fell under the major crew's jurisdiction. Minor tribes were part of, yet separate, from their major gang protector, able to seek out shelter and aid from the major crew without penalty. They guarded smaller sections of the hold and fought the other minor tribes for territory. Competitions for land were handled with gang duels with only one rule—do not kill fellow gang members. Minor gangs were given letters affixed to the front of their major crew's name to denote differences between them, such as the AH9-1'ers.

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If a person is looking for a location in the same district or telling a person where they live/work in the same district as they are at, they leave off the District number.

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There are tall stone walls separating each Sector and each Province of a Sector from the others. This is, in part, due to the magics used to build the city. The walls section off each area into smaller sections that are easier to raise with Magic—the calculations are simpler and the spells less risky to perform.

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In general, every area of the city looks the exact same. Although each block is built separately, specific areas use better materials and they are nearly all the same. The inner districts are all identical in terms of building supplies (although the locations of houses and businesses and their sizes are different). The outer districts are all different, using whatever materials are available for use at the time a specific portion is raised.

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While there is only 1 Magic School, which is in District 1 of Kokosu. There are multiple regular schools throughout the city. These schools are placed in the outer districts and the inner districts that line up with the outer districts have their kids go to that school. No student goes to a school outside their normal one.

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Shade (Dark Spirit, Shani Spirit): A spirit that lost itself to darkness and instinct and became a monster. May become well-developed in Dark Spirit Magic later.

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Dark Spirit Magic (Shani Magic, Dark Soul Magic, Shade Power): The spiritual magic belonging to Dark Spirits.

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Sirta Mazeri: daughter of Tirina Mazeri and Jakko Yurgen

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Jakko Yutso: Jonas's adopted father. Last name was Yurgen when he was still in the Bequaki coven.

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Casey's near-rape encounter character growth: First off, this was the biggest thing that led to Casey turning into who she is now: someone that is relatively impassive and doesn't allow any emotion to show except the bare minimum. Her brother, Kienan, can read her the best, although every once in a while, the others pick up on irritation (the most common emotion) whenever her control slips. In this scene, she was told that she was beautiful when she was covered in tears and blood, resulting in her desire to never be told that ever again. This resulted in her start to controlling her outward emotional responses (although she still feels quite deeply) and also led to her charging to her brother's defense against his own bullies, taking his beatings on top of her own.

This scene also marks when Neil killed for the first time, although we don't see the scene from his perspective.

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