Traveling through the tight tunnels with thorns on every side was a claustrophobic's worst nightmare. Luckily none of them had that fear, but the anxiety of the thorns springing to life and consuming them made them sweat nervously. It took their full concentration to keep their Spirit Energy completely masked and still the thorns would slowly twist their way like curious fingers. What little focus they had left was spent trying to move forward without tripping over the vines or getting caught on the sharp spines. It was slow moving, not helped by how short the ceiling was, causing even the petite Miyuki to bend her head down, her arms tucked in close to her body as she worried the thorns would snatch at her since she couldn't protect herself with magic.
At the least there were no demons trying to use the tunnel, so all they had to worry about were the twisting vines. Eventually their way opened up and they found themselves back in the strange garden where Miyuki had first been encountered as a nameless witch.
"My familiar can lead us forward from here, she knows the paths as well as I do." Miyuki spoke quietly, her head shifting as if to look around but unable to actually see. She looked forward to getting her magic back.
"And keep your presence hidden, the longer we can stay unseen the better." Kadin told his fellow Reapers. Since he'd switched his uniform and everyone wore black, they would be harder to spot in the maze of black rock. Only the pale colored hair of Miyuki and Kadin and the wolf's white fur would be noticeable from afar.
Karin and Rangiku nodded, expressions serious, and their group headed off behind the wolf towards the palace.
The world around them remained eerily quiet as they stepped into Kamai's domain. Miyuki's wolf kept her head up and ears perked for any sound, occasionally pausing and changing which hall they went down.
"This seems a bit roundabout." Karin complained in a whisper to the witch.
"She's making sure we avoid Hunter, Lord Kamai's familiar." Miyuki replied calmly in her own whisper. "He ensures there is no one moving around without permission. I trained my wolf to avoid him so I could go to the gardens on my own without the sisters babysitting me."
"He really kept you locked inside, didn't he?"
Her shoulders slumped slightly as she thought about everything she had learned about her once precious lord.
"I was always frail even when I started learning magic." She replied. "He might rule the demons, but he didn't trust all of them and didn't want them to come after me when I was on my own. I was supposed to always stay close to him… I thought it was just because he worried about me."
They silenced for a moment as Miyuki's wolf bent low in warning, hackles raised but not growling, simply on guard. Everyone waited with baited breaths, watching the wolf's every movement. There was a twist in the shadows further down the hall, a flash of bioluminescent colors, before the creature continued back through the shadows and away from them. Somehow they had been just far enough that they went unnoticed. Miyuki's wolf calmed down and continued slowly down the hall, each step silent and thought out as she kept her senses on alert for the familiar's return. The Soul Reapers followed her example.
Soon they found themselves following the wolf with their own senses as the halls they found themselves in were lacking in the magic fires that had illuminated everywhere else in the palace. They traveled down a staircase for some distance and wondered if they were now underground in this world of black earth, unable to really tell since this entire section of the Precipice World was dark and enclosed.
With a quiet huff, Miyuki's wolf stopped moving and turned to face them before sitting, her partner reaching over to pet her.
"He's here." She spoke up to her followers.
"But there's no door." Rangiku replied with a frown, looking around to see walls barren of any doors or opening of any kind.
"That's why I'm here, remember?" Kadin reminded her. "He's hidden in a cell only Dethmaiyn's shadows can reach."
"Make sure not to get caught in any traps." Karin warned.
"There won't be any traps, Lord Kamai would not expect anyone other than Lady Korla to be capable of entering the cell." Miyuki countered. "And I doubt he thinks I would bring Sir Thane here without him knowing."
"I'll still keep my eyes open for the possibility, he knows we won't just abandon the Soul King." Kadin stepped quietly up to the wall that the wolf had sat next to, putting a hand up against the black rock. There was definitely a presence behind it… but the fact it felt so weak worried him. Were there other prisoners? Or was Toshiro truly in this bad of shape?
The shadows twisted up against the wall, turning it into a malleable material that Kadin was able to push right through. He stuck just his torso in first to get a glimpse of the room and check for any traps, the cell dark and smelling badly of blood and fear. His expression turned into a grimace as he noticed familiar runes, the same ones that had held him for a short time. No wonder there was barely a presence, most of it was being constantly sapped away by the magic chains. Worse than that, if that was possible, was the state of the Soul King himself. He'd been stripped to just his pants, his torso riddled with lacerations and bruises, a few cuts still fresh, white hair spotted with dark red and tangled. The only good news was that none of them seemed infected. Kamai likely didn't want to risk the king dying to something as simple as an infection since his Spirit Energy was being drained and couldn't heal him.
The captured king was breathing heavily but otherwise didn't move, not even lifting his head to acknowledge someone entering his cell. Scowling, Kadin glanced to the runes once more before stepping out of the shadows.
"I'll need to borrow Seraphina." He said quietly to Karin.
At the Captain's grave tone, Karin didn't even risk wasting time with questions, simply stepping up next to him and following him through the shadow door. Her breath caught sharply in her throat as she saw the grisly scene that Kadin had found.
"Toshiro!" She rushed over to his side, briefly forgetting to keep her voice down. Thankfully Kadin's shadow didn't let sound pass, so the shout echoed in the cell and nowhere else.
The noise finally got the king to stir, his head lifting weakly. His body clearly protested the movement, a slight shake in his arms as he tried to keep his head up to look at who had approached him.
"…Karin?" Underneath the hoarse voice was a tone of bewilderment. A shadow passed across his eyes, a shadow of suspicion, of fear. What would he have to fear from his girlfriend?
"Yes, it's me." Karin mad to reach out for him only to find Kadin's hand on her shoulder. "Hey-!"
"Just a second." Kadin didn't waste time explaining, just reached a hand out and placed it on Toshiro's head, Toshiro himself trying to pull away but unable to thanks to his bindings. "I hate that he taught me this magic, but it's useful now."
"What magic?" Karin asked, eyes widening as shadows began to seep out of Toshiro's skin. The king had tensed up, almost like he was frozen stiff.
Kadin didn't answer until the shadows had fully dispersed, Toshiro going limp again with a drowsy expression, no longer suspicious.
"Let's just say there was a trap set, but now that I have my memories back I could get rid of it." Kadin replied to her. "Dethmaiyn used his special brand of magic to instill a fear of us into Hitsugaya, if it stayed there we could have easily found ourselves on the wrong side of an angry dragon."
"That bastard." Karin scowled, a fury boiling up at Kamai for daring to do something so cowardly.
"Some of it will still be there, but you should be able to recognize us now, Your Majesty." This Kadin directed towards Toshiro himself, the king lightly shaking his head to clear out the noisy droning in his mind.
"Seraphina." Karin called for the familiar, her fiery version shimmering to life in the cell and perched next to the one who called her, patiently waiting for a command. "Can you get rid of the runes again?"
The creature bowed her head and turned to the chains, spreading her wings and letting out a melodic cry, a light emanating from her body just like before. The runes were snuffed out and the chains shattered, releasing their prisoner. Karin was quick to catch him and help him sit upright.
"My head is still spinning…" He grunted in pain, able to finally place a hand to his head as the droning continued, messing with his thoughts.
"We better get out of here quickly." Kadin returned his voice to a whisper as he moved back through his shadow door.
"Can you stand?" Karin said as she helped Toshiro to his feet. She could feel him shaking, keeping steady as he leaned most of his weight onto her with a pained grunt. His newer wounds began to bleed again but she ignored the new stains and focused on taking care of him. "I'll take that as a no… Seraphina, is there anything you can do?"
'I can focus my energy to him to help him recover his own faster, but it would mean you could not call upon me as I will not have the power.'
"That's fine, as long as we can get him out quickly."
The familiar nodded, returning to a form of light and flowing into Toshiro's body. The ringing in his ears finally began to settle and a refreshing rush of energy cooled the pain in his limbs. He let out a sigh of relief but still needed Karin's help to keep his balance.
"You shouldn't…have come here..." He spoke up as Karin helped him step through the shadows and out into the hall.
Karin didn't get to argue back as Rangiku saw the state of her old friend and approached with motherly concern, her whispered questions going unanswered as Toshiro was too drowsy to keep up with them.
"We should go." Miyuki warned, feeling her wolf stiffen and bare her teeth. Something was approaching. If they got caught here, they would all face terrible punishment and likely death for all but the Soul King. She couldn't let that happen, not after coming this far. Toshiro seemed surprised to see her there.
"Wait, I didn't see Hyorinmaru in the cell." Karin turned to Kadin to make sure she hadn't just missed it, but he shook his head with a scowl. The zanpaktou had not been in the same room as its master. They couldn't just leave it. Without a zanpaktou, a Soul Reaper's power was significantly reduced.
"I'll go with Miyuki to find it, you and the Captain should get him out of here." Rangiku assured her.
"Are you sure?" Karin was worried about splitting up. "Miyuki still doesn't have her magic, if you two get caught you're done for."
"We'll be quiet." The Lieutenant promised.
Before the two women could leave, Toshiro reached a shaky hand out to his sister.
"The seal… how do I remove it?" He asked in a shaky tone.
Her deadened eyes blinked in surprise.
"You… want to remove it? While I'm here in Lord Kamai's castle?" She asked, confused how he could trust her in their current situation.
"You'll need your power… to get home safely." He answered.
She didn't move for a moment, shocked. Home? That was the name she always held for the castle. And yet, when he said it, she could only think of the wide open halls and clean air of the Soul King's palace, a place she had only been for a few short days. A place she never thought she would get to return to…
She stepped closer and held her arm with the sigil out to him.
"Break the circle." She stated.
He did as she said, his hand brushing over the mark and blurring the lines, a reaction that only occurred when in contact with the Spirit Energy of the one who cast it. The glow of the seal flickered and faded and a sudden wintry chill washed over the hall. Miyuki's magic was returned.
"Let's go find that sword." She turned to Rangiku, determination in her gaze. "I can conceal your presence, and if we do run into the sisters perhaps I can fool them."
"Right."
"Be careful you two." Kadin placed a hand on his Lieutenant's shoulder in concern.
"I have faith both of our missions will be successful, Captain." She held her head high in confidence. He couldn't help but smirk and nod, letting her go and sticking next to Karin and Toshiro as the other two hurried off, a wolf leading their way.
"We better get ourselves moving, too." The Captain stated, hoping he remembered the way out with all the twists and turns they took getting where they were.
Karin made sure Toshiro was well supported before leading him forward after Kadin, the king still looking a bit dizzy and nonresponsive as he let her pull him along. Kadin kept an eye out for any of the castle residents, somewhat paranoid since he couldn't track Hunter's movements like Miyuki's wolf could.
The castle felt like a bit of a maze as they went back through it, and as they kept a slow pace to avoid their enemies it was starting to feel like they would never find the exit. Karin began to worry as Toshiro felt heavier the longer they took, the king going in and out of consciousness. Toshiro himself felt like the only reason he even stayed conscious at all was due to the piercing pain in his arms and sides every time they moved, but he kept that pain to himself, knowing the others were worried enough already. When they stopped moving to check hallways, the pain would fade for the briefest moment and his mind tried in vain to put him to sleep to recover, but then they would move again and he had to focus on making his feet move so that Karin didn't have to drag him. He just wished the migraine would go away… he wasn't sure how much longer Kadin's spell would hold back Kamai's.
"There!" Kadin whispered a little too loudly as he recognized the hall leading back out to the labyrinth, the one that would take them through the strange garden and out to freedom.
At this point Karin was having trouble getting Toshiro to move forward on his own.
"Come on, Shiro, I know you're not in good shape but we're almost there." She grunted under her breath, her arms straining and begging her to let go of him.
When his legs still didn't step forward, she knelt down and turned to check on him, Kadin pausing and turning back as well, eyes darting around for any sign of danger. The king was panting heavily and his eyes unfocused, barely staying open. He almost seemed ready to drop dead and Karin's heart caught in her throat.
"He'll hate me for it, but I can carry him." Kadin suggested in a quiet tone.
"You sure? What if we need your shadows?" She looked up at the Captain.
"Those will be of more use to him than in a fight right now, if it comes to defending ourselves your Homuratei will be of more help."
She nodded her agreement and gently released Toshiro's arm from her shoulder. Before he could collapse completely, Kadin stepped over and picked up the small king, mindful to avoid the worst injuries. Toshiro didn't even have enough of a grasp on reality to register any embarrassment that his cousin was carrying him bridal style in a mad dash for an escape from the evil sorcerer's castle. At least while Kadin was in contact he could continue to hold off the strange fear trying to take hold of the king's mind again, and Toshiro quickly fell unconscious completely as his rescuers moved forward once more.
Now that they could move faster, they made it outside fairly quickly, only to stop short as they spotted someone already there.
It was not a friend.
Still inside, Miyuki made sure to head for the rooms she thought would be the most likely place to keep a zanpaktou, letting Rangiku actually check the room while the wolf kept her senses alert for Hunter or the Demon Lords. It took a few tries before they found a room that had several swords mounted on trophy stands. Rangiku recognized some of the styles of blades, a fierce scowl crossing her face as she realized the Demon Lords were collecting blades from Soul Reapers they had killed. The fact that Hyorinmaru was mounted in the center like a prize piece when its wielder had not given up yet made her furious.
"Quickly." Miyuki whispered, unaware they had found the right room and wanting the Lieutenant to check fast so they could continue on.
Rangiku wished she could bring back all of the zanpaktou so that they could be buried with their masters, but they didn't have time for that. They could be retrieved once they won the war. Making a mental note of this place, she hurried in and grabbed the dragon blade, feeling a relieved chill wash over her hands as she held it close.
"We'll get you back to your master, you just wait." She whispered to the sword.
She joined Miyuki back out in the hall.
"I've got it." She reported.
"Thanks goodness." Miyuki sighed. "Let's hurry, I'm actually a bit worried that we haven't seen any of them…"
Rangiku couldn't help but agree. AS long as it had taken them to look through the rooms, they should have at least seen a Demon Lord pass by or a trace of Hunter patrolling through the shadows, but it had been eerily quiet. They didn't want that to mean that their allies had been caught. With Miyuki and her wolf as a guide, they hurried back towards the side exit towards their tunnel out.
A heavy weight of darkness awaited them in the garden.