Disclaimer: Bambietta Basterbine and all related characters belong to Shueisha.


Death and destruction. That was all the world had become to a young girl. She had been happy once, there was no doubt of that. Loving parents, adoring relatives, friends throughout the years. Now it was gone, every last bit of it. Any shred of joy the world had offered the girl in question had been stripped away, leaving behind nothing but devastation.

"Momma, Poppa."

Bambietta Basterbine was simply lying on the ground in complete disarray. Her appearance was ragged and worn, but that was to be expected of someone who had survived their own personal apocalypse. Her eyes stared blankly into the night sky, watching as the stars continued to dim and brighten at random. The glittering of the celestial bodies was all that gave her a glimmer of hope, the light within the darkness reaching out as if to calm her ravaged soul.

Bambietta felt like one of those stars, surrounded by the void of misery around her. She was amidst the rubble and wreckage that had once been the village she had called home. Now all that remained of any building was a hollow shell, shattered and broken. Persistent flames scorched the landscape, licking at the darkened sky. Smoke arose from the carnage and slowly did it cloud her view, eclipsing any stars from Bambietta's sight. To her it was as if her earthly hell was cutting her off from anything that could bring her joy.

Slowly did the young girl stand, dusting off her torn and dirty clothes. She knew that staying still would accomplish nothing. She had to find help, whether here or in the next village over. However, tugging at Bambietta's heart was the hope that she was not the only one to be alive still, that she was not all alone in a village of the dead. However, she had seen too much in only a few short hours to allow any positive thoughts to dwell within her.

Those who had plagued the small town, those who had come with the express purpose to commit violence, they had broken Bambietta just as they had the village itself. She could still see it before her eyes, her parents confronting the intruders at their doorway. They had known their time was at an end but they had fought to their last breaths to protect their daughter, to give her the time to run.

They were dead so that she could live, but Bambietta could not fathom the depths of their sacrifice.

Bambietta brought her dusty and dirty knuckles to her face, furiously wiping away any tears that began to cloud her vision. "We should be a family still."

Bambietta's teeth came together tightly, a dreadful emotion beginning to well up within her. Sadness and sorrow gave way to rage. The young girl's fingers curled into the palms of her hands so tightly that trace amounts of blood began to seep through her small fists.

"I hate it," she hissed through gritted teeth. "I hate this world." Bambietta's voice lowered then into nothing more than a faint whimper. "They they died for me."

"Well, I'm sorry to say that their sacrifices will be in vain, my precious!"

Bambietta felt a chill run up her spine, the raspy voice whispering directly into her ear. She could feel the heavy breath of whoever had spoken those haunting words. In return, her heart skipped a beat. Her breathing becoming rapid and erratic, Bambietta turned slightly to face her stalker. Scared as she was, she was prepared to face the ones who had killed her parents. She would stare death in the face if need be. However, nothing could prepare Bambietta for what she was about to look directly in the eyes.

The young girl's face came awash with fright as her eyes locked with two burning red orbs. They shone brightly from within the sockets of a stark white mask, one that was clasped to a creature that was jet black in color.

"What are you?"

It was not the first time Bambietta had seen a monster such as this. For years she had caught sight of such creatures out of the corners of her eyes, sometimes away in the distance, other times skulking outside the house. One such night she had awoken in a cold sweat, unsure as to why, only to find a beast similar to this one standing on a nearby rooftop, its profile illuminated by the light of the moon. That time especially had Bambietta brought the subject up with her parents, but they had spoken of it only as their daughter possessed an overactive imagination, nothing more. Eventually did Bambietta believe that to be the truth as well.

Now, however, she was sure that the creatures she had been seeing were as real as anything else.

"So you can see and hear me, huh?" A voice projected from within the monster's unmoving mask as its tail whipped around casually behind it. "Then my journey to this place was not a waste after all."

"Journey?"

"Violence and death, misery and despair," the creature all but hissed, a certain perverse satisfaction in its voice, "it's like catnip to me, girlie. Even when I was alive and well I was innately drawn to such terrible, terrible things. It's simply who I am. What I am."

Bambietta had no idea how to respond to such a statement, her body still shivering in fright.

"I was hoping to find a few stragglers to kill and consume," the monster continued, "but it seems like the people who ravaged this town were quite thorough. Humans after my own heart I suppose. Up until I spotted you, all I've come across is dismembered corpses. Ah well. Quality over quantity I suppose."

"Quality?"

"There is a power in you, girlie, whether you know it or not," the monster continued, its eyes beaming with delight. "Otherwise you would not be aware of my presence so readily. And if there's one thing I enjoy more than playing with my food, it's snuffing out a flame before it can achieve its full potency."

Then suddenly did the creature move its face in closer to Bambietta's own, its inhuman eyes boring into her own with their hellish glow.

"Now run."

"What?"

"It's no fun if my prey doesn't put up a little 'fight.' So run, damn it!"

Despair and misery, it was what had led this monster to Bambietta, the feelings overwhelming her. Now however they were competing with sheer terror and fear. She turned away from the twisted beast, breaking into a stride, each one taking her as far as her legs would allow.

"Yes, yes," she could hear the monster cackle in pure rapture. "Run, girlie, run!"

Bambietta's heart felt as if it was threatening to burst out of her chest, to end her life in such a manner as if to prevent any further suffering. However she remembered well the words her father had spoken to her so many times in the past.

"There are only two kinds of battles that matter," he had said with hints of both a commanding and gentle tone. "Those where you fight to protect yourself and those where you fight to protect others. Any other reason to fight would be uncivilized. The fundamental difference between them is that in the first case you must fight to live. If you die, it was all for nothing. But in the second, your life is secondary in importance compared to those you are protecting."

He had always said that Bambietta would understand when she was older, when she took on the family business, whatever it was. However, despite her youth, she had grasped the importance of her father's words. They had died to protect her and now she was going to die if she could not protect herself. Yet there was more to it than that. The monster had said it itself.

"If I die like this," Bambietta whispered to herself, "Momma and Poppa will be gone for nothing."

Bambietta continued her running but she glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough the monster was approaching her, but it was a disturbingly lazy pursuit. Bambietta could see it in full now. The creature was slender in appearance, the back of its head stretched in an utterly inhuman shape, its tail fluttering in the night air as it slowly approached her in a hunched over state. It was utterly alien in appearance, a nightmare brought into the realm of reality.

It was all a game to the twisted creature, Bambietta knew that well, but she was not going to allow herself to play into its clawed hands any longer. However she knew there was nothing she could truly do to fight, to survive. She cursed at her helplessness, her heart begging for the power to save herself.

Then, as if in response to her desperation, something began to happen. Trace amounts of blue light began to waver around her right hand, little specks of energy encircling her fingers until at last they began to take form and substance. Bambietta continued her run, sweat pouring down her face as her heart beat faster and faster, but she spared a glance towards whatever strange shape was glowing in her hand.

"A bow?"

It was strange, but not entirely new to the young girl. It was a far off memory but she could remember seeing her mother once wielding such a power in her hands. It had been a beautiful sight to an even younger girl who had casually peeked out her bedroom window only to see her mother firing off bolts of blue light towards distant targets on the field behind the house.

None of it made sense to Bambietta but she knew it was her only chance for survival. She turned then, facing the monster as she raised her arm and the makeshift bow up high. With her free hand she pulled against the light that made up the drawstring, an arrow of blue light forming from more encircling energy.

"What the hell?" the monster bellowed, stopping in its tracks. "Oh, I know what you are now, girlie! Yes, this will be a most delightful meal tonight!" The creature motioned towards Bambietta in a condescendingly manner. "Give it your best shot! I dare you! Come on! Hit me with all you've got!"

This monster knew more of Bambietta than she did of herself. This power was unknown to her, but it seemed to be acting on instinct and desperation and she knew she would be a fool to not use it. She let the arrow fly then, aiming as best she could.

It struck home, a portion of the monster's shoulder exploding in a mass of dismembered flesh and blood. The creature stumbled back a step, one of its clawed hands gripping down on the wound as the red liquid that was its blood seeped outwards.

"You've got to shoot straight, but clearly that isn't good enough," it hissed. "Yes, I love it when you meals fight back. It just makes the kill all the more delightful!"

Then, as if the wound meant nothing at all, the monster pounced upon Bambietta, covering the distance between them both in a single, terrified heartbeat. Its hands clasped down upon Bambietta's wrists, forcing her back to the charred ground. The beast pinned her down then and there, crouching over her prone body as it did so.

Bambietta tried to struggle, to fight back, but she could see the bow of light fading away, as if she could no longer provide it with enough power. "No! I won't die like this!"

"Yes, yes!" The monster's voice was full of nothing but twisted joy. "Cry and squeal! Beg for mercy that I won't give! The night is still so very young, so make this a meal worth remembering!"

Bambietta's eyes were blazing with fear and rage then, her voice cracking as she gave into the monster's request of her own volition. "The whole point of fighting is that you don't want to die! That you'll be killed if you lose! And I...I don't want to die!"

"That's too bad for you!" the monster screamed in return. It lowered its mask down over Bambietta's own face and only then did the white countenance itself crack open, revealing a hellish mouth underneath, one that was smiling. Saliva dripped from it, falling upon Bambietta's face. "Your soul is mine!"

Bambietta closed her eyes, all the while her body continued to tremble. Yet still she continued to thrash about wildly. Bambietta was unwilling to give in without a fight, no matter how meaningless it was. "Momma, Poppa, I'm sorry."

The monster's mouth opened wide and began to lower itself further down towards Bambietta. Then, quite suddenly, it stopped. "Who the hell are you?"

Bambietta slowly opened her eyes then and she could see that the monster was staring straight away from her. Curious, Bambietta turned her head as best she could, following the creature's line of sight. What she saw made her heart nearly leap out of her chest, not in fright but under the duress of hope.

There, among the broken battlements, was a man on horseback. His steed was pristine as newfound fallen snow, as if its purity could not be questioned. The man himself, however, was entirely different in his nature. He wore a uniform of the same matching purity, but over it was a cloak that seemed to dance about, as if it was made of pure darkness and possessing a life of its own. His face was worn and rugged, his face gruff and unshaven, wild and dark hair framing his chiseled features.

"Another spiritual being, eh?" the monster questioned with pure delight. "Today really is a red letter day. Allow me to finish with this girlie then I'll make a meal out of you, old man!"

The newcomer said nothing, instead his right hand simply let go of the horse's harness and rose up high. For a moment nothing seemed to happen and Bambietta had to wonder just what he was hoping to accomplish. Then, quite suddenly, did she hear the monster scream in pain, a portion of its blood splattering upon her. She felt the beast let go of her then as it leapt back.

Bambietta sat up quickly and stared at the creature. Blood was oozing from its torso, a large blue arrow of light piercing straight through it. It was then that it quickly dawned on the young girl. She looked back at the man, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"He's like Momma. He's like me."

The monster, meanwhile, was screaming in rage as the arrow that had assault it faded, leaving behind only the injury. "Time heals all wounds! This isn't over! I will kill you for your interference, you old bastard!"

It leapt away, fading into the shadows from whence it had come, its eyes the last thing to disappear from sight. Bambietta was then left alone with this mysterious stranger on horseback and she was unsure of what to make of any of it.

The man continued to say nothing as he dismounted from his steed. He began to walk towards Bambietta, each step of his boots sounding like thunder. The young girl was not sure if it was reality or just a part of her imagination, her mind still processing all that had happened.

"Are you alright?" the man asked as he knelt down beside Bambietta, placing a hand on her shoulder. It was warm and gentle to the touch, something that left the young girl in surprise. He hardly looked the part of a savior, his features giving off the impression that he was a conqueror, a warrior and nothing more.

"No, no I'm not." Bambietta answered honestly as she looked into the man's eyes. She was not sure why she had acted as such, but there was just something about him that compelled her to speak the truth of her heart. "My parents are dead, my home destroyed and that thing tried to kill me."

"A hollow, yes," the man said. "A demon born out of humanity's worst sins."

"A hollow?" Bambietta repeated. She began to wonder then who or what this man was. "Are you an angel?"

A low chuckle emanated from within the older man before he spoke once more. "No. God has no power here or anywhere. I stand before you of my own volition."

Bambietta was unsure of how to respond to that statement.

"Look around you," the man said. "Your world burns around you while those who 'serve' the Soul King allow these tragedies to occur again and again."

"The Soul King?" The girl knew not of what this man was referring to and she gave voice to that confusion.

"What amounts to 'God,' though he is nothing more than a puppet. Those who pretend to be under his rule, believe themselves to be the gods of death itself. Yet they are unworthy of such responsibility. This village is proof enough of that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you think this chaos was caused by human hands?" the man asked, his tone low but stern. "This was no act of random evil but a specific action orchestrated by a meticulous and cruel individual. However, it was not planned by mere humans."

"Who?" Bambietta asked, her eyes shifting around and taking in the fires and wreckage, the scattering of a few dead bodies amidst it all. "That hollow?"

"No," the man said as he closed his eyes for but a moment. "That would be expected but this was no scavenging of food or desire to inflict pain for pain's sake. This was an attack on those who carry my lineage. On the quincy itself."

It was yet another term that Bambietta did not quite recognize. "Quincy?"

"Surely you must know," the man replied. "You are a quincy. Your parents, your friends, all those who lived here were quincy."

Bambietta did not quite understand, but she had inkling, a feeling. The lessons her father had drilled into her, the strange bow that both she and her mother had produced, was that a part of being a quincy?

"You are destined to be a part of something greater," the man said as his arm slipped out from beneath his shadowy cloak. He gently placed his palm atop Bambietta's head, ruffling her dark hair slightly. "You who carry on my sacred lineage, you who survived when those around you were incapable of doing so. You have cast off this worthless and harsh world, proving your worth."

"Who are you?" Bambietta asked, the man's words tearing at her very being. She had said it herself earlier, that she hated this world as it was and here was a man, old enough to have seen much of existence, and he was agreeing with her.

"You may call me Yhwach."

"Yhwach?" Bambietta was unsure of what to make of that name. She could swear that she had heard it before at one point or another, perhaps from either her parents or fellow villagers. However, it simply was not important to her at this point. This man, this Yhwach, was the only living soul she had seen since her parents' murder before her very eyes. Her lips began to tremble, tears welling up in her eyes. "Save me, please. I don't want to die here all alone."

"My child born born in the light," Yhwach said in a comforting tone as his hand slipped off of Bambietta's head and onto her shoulder, "you have been offered and earned your salvation. Never again shall you be alone or hurt by those you should have been able to trust."

For the first time this evening was Bambietta able to smile. She looked up at Yhwach, and while his face was impassive, it still put the young girl at ease. "Thank you."

"Do not offer your thanks to me just yet."

Yhwach stepped away from Bambietta and made his way towards the wreckage of one of the houses. He took from it the scattered remains of wood that had once been a part of its frame. He returned then, scattering the broken shards on the ground before him. Yhwach knelt down then, using two pieces of wood to give birth to a flame. As the fire forced away the darkness, it cast a scattering glow across Yhwach's face.

"Tonight shall be your initiation, Bambietta Basterbine. You have caught my interest but you have yet to prove your worth. If you do that, we will set out in the morning to your new home. Perhaps sooner if I am right about you. For now we rest. Approach me when you are ready."

Yhwach moved towards the damaged shack beside him and he sat down, leaning his back against it. His eyes shut then, as if signaling that he was entering a deep slumber. Bambietta glanced over and could see that the horse he had arrived on was doing the same. It was almost eerie to see them so in sync with one and another.

"Prove myself worthy?"

Bambietta did not know what this man meant by that but she was desperate to do just as he desired. She did not want to die or to live alone. She knelt down by the fire, allowing its warmth to chase away any cold or numbness that nipped at her tiny frame. She stared at the flames, wincing slightly. It was a source of life, of salvation, and yet it only reminded Bambietta of the carnage that had taken everything from her.

"I will fight," she whispered underneath her breath, remembering well the values her parents had instilled upon her. She wondered then, had they wanted her to follow in their footsteps, to become a true Quincy? She had so many questions that they could never answer now, a fact that once more led to tears streaming down Bambietta's face.

"Your emotions," Yhwach suddenly said, never opening his eyes, "they are both your greatest strength and your greatest weakness."

Bambietta sat up then, peering over the fire at Yhwach. "My parents are dead. Excuse me for being emotional."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Yhwach suddenly opened his eyes, a grin appearing from beneath his mustache. "No tears, only anger. A feisty Quincy would be most worthy of my power. Come here."

Bambietta stood then and began to walk towards the man. She was unsure of why she listened to him so readily. Despite his promises, there was still something unnerving about him. The name especially, that Bambietta kept dwelling on. She could have sworn she had heard it before.

"I wished to perform this rite back among those who will become your family," Yhwach said as he opened his tunic and exposed the pale flesh of his chest, "but as your metaphorical death has occurred among this ocean of flame, so to shall your rebirth."

"What are you doing?" Bambietta asked as she came ever closer and then knelt down before Yhwach.

"You who possess my lineage of power," Yhwach answered, his tone becoming lower as he spoke every word, "shall now inherit my blood."

Yhwach moved his left hand towards his bare chest almost gracefully. Then, without a moment's hesitation, his fingers tore against the flesh, drawing copious amounts of blood. Bambietta's skin began to crawl at the sight of the wound, yet still she felt a strange yearning towards the red liquid that began to ooze from Yhwach's chest.

"My heart, stopped for so long," Yhwach continued, "beats nothing but pure power. Take a portion of it for yourself and become what you choose to be. Allow my blood, my power, to fill the void in your own heart. In your own soul."

Yhwach's left hand extended out towards Bambietta, as if inviting her towards the blood that adorned his fingertips. It was a horrifying sight, but the young girl felt the need to do what he said. Having been beckoned to do so, she moved in close, her small hands wrapping around Yhwach's own.

"Yes, my child," Yhwach said softly, "become one of my stars and stand out from the darkness of the shinigami."

Bambietta's tongue extended from her mouth, lapping up trace amounts of the blood from Yhwach's fingers, his blood seeping into her very being almost instantly. "The power, it flows through me."

"Take all that I offer."

Unaware of what truly was coming over her, Bambietta did just that. She pushed aside Yhwach's arm and forced her face against his chest, her tongue lapping up the rivulets of blood that seeped from his wound. She consumed it, both the liquid of life and the power it contained. As she continued the rite of passage, the horse that Yhwach had arrived upon began to buck wildly, a high pitched neigh roaring from its lungs as the fires around the village grew for a moment, very learning eclipsing all that was around them.

Then, finally did Bambietta step away from Yhwach, her lips stained with scarlet. She stared blankly at him, unsure of what she had just subjected herself to. However, before she could speak again, Yhwach's left hand came into contact with her, his fingers splaying across her chest.

"My newest star, shine your brightest," he said, his voice a low whisper. "Upon your spirit I shall inscribe a piece of my soul, a schrift that shall suit your true nature now that you are truly whole."

"Schrift?" Bambietta was about to say more, however then did her body come alive with a pale blue light, her breathing becoming ragged as she felt something altering within her. It was equal parts terrifying and joyous, leaving her wanting more. Then, as fast as it had begun, did it end. The pillar of light faded and Yhwach removed his hand from her chest.

"And so is a new sternritter born into this failed world. We shall remake it, Sternritter E, Bambietta Basterbine. The Explode."

"The Explode?" Again the young girl was more confused than satisfied by Yhwach's words. "What did you do to me?"

"You were chosen by destiny to inherit a portion of my power, of my very soul," Yhwach answered simply. "There is nothing more to understand."

"The heck there isn't!" Bambietta suddenly yelled as she wiped away the remaining blood from her mouth. "What the heck is a quincy? A hollow? A sternritter? Who the heck are you? Who's responsible for my parents' death? Answer me, blast it!"

Pale light began to expand outwards from Bambietta's body as she screamed, her rage reaching its peak. However, to his credit, Yhwach did not even flinch. Instead he simply smiled. "Yes, the hole in your heart and soul has been filled. Speak out against the world. Rage against it with sound and fury. Let that anger through you just as my blood does now. Let it empower you!"

Bambietta's small hands curled into fists as she threw back her head, a scream of utter despair and anger escaping from her. The pale light surrounded her body tore at the ground beneath her. Small orbs of that power fired off from the energy, striking the already damaged buildings, causing them to burst apart from explosions that came to life upon impact.

Then it stopped, the light dissipating as Bambietta began to gasp wildly, her body shivering. She gasped for several minutes on end, unsure of everything that was transpiring. Sweat poured down her face, her body feeling somewhat weak. "This power..."

"Hone your emotions, your rage," Yhwach said, "and it will serve The Explode well."

Silence followed for several more minutes, Yhwach giving Bambietta time to adjust, to understand. However, his hand was forced sooner than he expected and so did he speak once more.

"And now your first trial as a sternritter begins."

Bambietta suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, a familiar sensation from not that long ago. She turned then and could see the hollow from earlier. It was standing atop a husk of a building, the dying lights of fire fading around it.

"I told you I wasn't finished with you two quincy," it hissed as it hunched over, its long tail beginning to uncurl and rise into the air. "Especially you, girlie."

Bambietta felt fear seize hold of her heart and she took a step back in response. The wounds that the hollow had received earlier were gone, its body whole once again. It had simply retreated to lick its wounds, nothing more, and now it had returned to finish what it had started.

Yet still Bambietta was not truly worried. The young girl knew she had a protector at her side, one who could easily fell this monster once and for all. So she slipped behind Yhwach, peeking out from behind his shoulder, her fingers tugging at the shadowy cloak that he wore.

"This is your trial, your battle," Yhwach said, clear disappointment evident in his voice. "Stand and fight, Sternritter E."

"But you could end this so easily," Bambietta whimpered, her fingers curling tightly into the cape that was Yhwach's own, her whole body trembling as she did so. "Please."

"Your parents died to save you," Yhwach replied, his voice betraying his exhaustion. "Do you wish the same of me? My power is great, but even I have my limits at this point in my life. Away from my homeland for so long in search of you, having given you a portion of my soul. It will be some time before my strength will return to its full potency. This is your first trial, Bambietta Basterbine. Do not disappoint me."

The hollow tilted its elongated head slightly, its blazing eyes focusing intently on Bambietta. "You better listen to that old fart of a quincy, girlie. I want to play and unless you're fighting, you can't play. And if you don't play... Well, death is inevitable either way!"

The hollow leapt down to the ground and began to move towards Yhwach and Bambietta on all fours, its tail whipping about frantically. Bambietta stayed behind the older man, unsure of what to do. If he was speaking the truth, then she was on her own. If he was lying simply to force her hand, to make her fight, then the end result was the same.

However it was in that moment that Bambietta could once more hear her father's words whispering within her thoughts, as if giving her the strength to defend herself from beyond the grave.

"You must fight to live. If you die, it was all for nothing."

Bambietta's hands slowly began to stop shaking. Her fingers unclenched from Yhwach's cloak and slowly did she stand. She walked around the man wrapped in shadow, her body's trembling beginning to cease.

"That's the spirit!" The hollow eyed Bambietta curiously, its tail moving over its shoulder and pointing towards her. "Oh yes, I am going to enjoy this!"

The tail suddenly extended rapidly, its tip arcing toward Bambietta like a dagger. She instinctively leapt to the side, but it was not enough. Under the hollow's full control the appendage circled back, ensnaring the young girl's throat. It wrapped around her tightly, very nearly chocking the life out of Bambietta as she was dragged into the air. She coughed as she struggled, trying to pry the tail off her neck with both hands, her legs kicking and dangling helplessly.

"So much spirit," the hollow said as it rose to its full height and retracted its tail, bringing Bambietta close to it. The monster reached out with one hand, a talon slowly creeping ever closer to Bambietta. It made contact then, right above a knee and slowly did the hollow trace a path up Bambietta's body, stopping once it came close to her chest. The talon dug into cloth, tearing until it exposed the flesh around one of Bambietta's collarbones.

"I can hear it, feel it," the creature cackled. "Your heart is just about ready to burst from your chest out of fear. Am I right? You try to look tough, girlie, but your heart beats for me still. Perhaps I should claim it for my own."

A talon pierced Bambietta's flesh, drawing a faint amount of blood. She screamed in agony, her thrashing growing more wild and frantic. Her lips curled back in agony, her teeth grinding as she stared down at the hollow with wide eyes.

"I'm not going to die tonight!" she growled, her awakening rage beginning to overwhelm the pain she felt. "Not to you!"

"Yes, fight back some more!" the hollow screamed with apparent ecstasy, its talon continuing to draw blood with each and every subtle movement. "Die fighting and make this a kill worth remembering!"

"The whole point of fighting is that you don't want to die!" Bambietta shouted, her eyes beginning to grow bloodshot. "That you'll be killed if you lose! If you throw your life away in battle, what's the point in winning?"

Bambietta began to scream at the top of her lungs, the powerful light of a quincy encircling her body once again. Around her formed a column of light, one that pierced the heavens in the form of a cross. The hollow's tail, enveloped in the fiery power, began to burst apart. The creature stumbled back in utter agony in response, having never expected such retaliation.

"You stupid brat!" it howled as it looked at the cauterized stump at the halfway point of its tail, signifying what the hollow had just lost. Wounds it could heal, but never before had the hollow worried about what would happen if a part of it was reduced to little more than ashes and dust. "Look what you've done! You've maimed me!"

The column of light faded then, leaving Bambietta in the hollow's sight. Its tail was gone, no longer able to keep her suspended, but the young girl was still hovering in midair. From her back extended wings of pure energy, a matching halo above the crown of her head.

"What is this?" the hollow screamed frantically as it took several steps back, nearly falling in the process. "What the hell kind of quincy are you?"

Yhwach watched the transformation with a keen eye, clearly impressed by the spectacle. "No formal training and yet still you activate vollstandig under duress. Your emotions make you a true prodigy. Well done, Sternritter E."

The young girl was confused by her power, her transformation, but she knew what it was worth, what it meant. The hollow had no power over her. Not now, not ever. This was her chance to take her life back. Her chance to fight, to claim control over her destiny once more.

"You," she said as she raised an index finger towards the hollow. "Your angel of death has arrived."

"You, kill me?" the hollow ranted, its mind on the verge of snapping from sheer frustration. A laugh emanating from beneath its mask, its shoulders shaking from the maddened emotion. "Don't you screw with me, girlie!"

The hollow went on the attack, rearing back its right hand before plunging the five talons towards Bambietta. The newly christened sternritter, however, did not flinch in the least. She kept close watch of the hollow, her power building within her outstretched hand. She hated this world and this hollow and that was all there was to it. Bambietta had found it then, the place of anger personified, her power at its peak. At her total command did orbs of pure power slip away from her fingertips, impacting the charging hollow with pinpoint accuracy.

The attacks pushed it back, but nothing more as far as the monster could surmise. "The hell was that supposed to be, girlie? You can't hope to beat me like that!"

Then did the hollow's body explode from the inside out, raining dismembered portions of it in every direction. Blood splashed against Bambietta, a scrap of the hollow's mask falling to the ground before. Then did the white shard burst apart with explosive force just as the creature had. It too had been a victim of The Explode.

Then and only then did Bambietta's power fade. Her wings and halo vanished slowly, allowing her feet to gently touch down on the ground. She stood there for a moment, unwilling and unable to say anything. A lone tear inched down her face, spawning from her right eye. Rage, violence and death. This was her life now and forevermore. The young girl who had enjoyed nothing more than life itself was no more, instead replaced by a quincy who had been transformed by the sheer brutality of the world itself. In the flames of destruction she had risen like a phoenix, reborn as more than human. Or perhaps less.

"You did well," Yhwach said as he placed a hand upon Bambietta's shoulder from behind. "I came here to find any quincy remaining in the mortal world and while I am disheartened by the passing of more of our kind, I am elated to have found one such as you."

"You said someone did this intentionally," Bambietta asked, ignoring Yhwach's praise. "That this was no random act of cruelty. Tell me who and why."

"As you wish." Yhwach moved around Bambietta, standing in front of her and looking the young girl directly in the eyes. "This was the work of the shinigami. They are meant to protect the mortals from the hollows, but they were not capable of saving everyone. The wuincy took it upon themselves to offer protection to the word. However, the shinigami did not approve and killed the quincy at every turn. Theirs is the wrath of jealous gods, nothing more. Even now, when my children live in peace, does one shinigami in particular kill and kidnap them for reasons I dare not contemplate. Those under his command came here disguised as humans, hoping that the quincy would not fight back to their fullest if they were being assaulted by those under their protection."

"Shinigami." Bambietta said the term under her breath, very nearly biting down on her lower lip to contain herself. "They killed my parents? My friends? Everyone?"

"This world is not what it should be," Yhwach said gently as he placed his hand atop Bambietta's head once again. "But that will change soon. Now that I am once more reborn into this world, I shall remake it. Peace shall reign supreme."

"Reborn?" Bambietta's eyes widened, remembering at last why this man's name seemed so familiar. She recalled it well, something her mother had said to ease her into sleep when she was so much younger. "The Sealed King will regain his heartbeat after nine hundred years. The Sealed King will then regain his intellect after ninety years. From that, the Sealed King will then regain his power after nine years. Yhwach will be reborn."

Bambietta had considered it nothing more than a strange lullaby, but it was clear now that the Sealed King was before her. She was in the presence of what she had considered nothing more than a simple fairy tale. This, however, was a living legend. A deity in the flesh, his power eternal and offering her salvation.

"You know of the Kaiser Gesang," Yhwach said simply. "Do you wish to learn the last stanza of the it? Then come with me and all will be made clear in due time."

Bambietta looked over her shoulder, giving one last gaze towards what was left of her former life. She knew then that there was truly no choice in the matter. The life she had lived was gone now, consumed in fire and cast away through blood. She turned back and looked up towards Yhwach once more.

"I am your faithful follower now and forever," Bambietta said with a half-hearted smile, "Your Majesty."

Yhwach smiled slightly. He then turned away from Bambietta, keeping a hand on her shoulder. His other hand waved out, focusing on the shadows that stretched across a disheveled building. A strange light beckoned from it and he began to walk towards the shade, guiding his young charge towards it as well. A slight whistle from Yhwach's lips alerted his horse of his attentions.

"Your services are no longer required, my loyal steed. You are free to go."

As if on command the horse began to gallop away, leaving the village behind. Only once it had slipped from sight did Yhwach return to walking Bambietta towards the inviting shadows.

"Where are we going?" Bambietta asked, slightly nervous.

"Home."

The two quincy stepped into the shadows, disappearing from the realm of the living. As she bid farewell to her old life and welcomed the new, Bambietta shivered slightly. A low whisper was all she could muster so as to not draw attention from Yhwach.

"Momma, Poppa, I'll keep on living just like you wanted."