A full moon shone brightly through the leaves, creating an almost eerie glow
despite the black pitch of night. Aizen Sousuke was in no state to admire the sight.
His bare feet bled from thorns and unforgiving terrain, but he did not care. He
could only move forward into the darkness. He had no idea where he was going,
but he was unafraid. In fact, he felt hollow inside.
Unable to see an inch in front of him, the boy's foot snagged upon a root and
he pitched forward. Having tumbled a few feet away, Sousuke's legs were
scratched and bloodied. He had lost his glasses as well. Instead of getting back up,
Sousuke stayed down amongst the dirt and the leaves, completely defeated.
Perhaps even the woods resented his presence. There seemed to be no place that
would have him.
Nearly overcome by his own despair, Sousuke suddenly felt a gentle nudge. He
lifted his head and stared into the blackness before him. There was no one there,
but it felt like there was. The young boy slowly rose to his feet. Whatever it was,
it pulled at his spirit and resonated with him. It seemed to beckon him. Stumbling
blindly through the woods, Sousuke used his own reitsu to follow the strange
presence.
Falling a few more times along the way, Sousuke continued as the feeling grew
stronger. It was almost like he was being pulled forward by an invisible hand.
Slowly, a dim light began to glow in the distance. Sousuke wrestled his entangled
body away from overgrown tree limbs and raced towards the light. As the area
opened up, he could see that the moon had bathed a single flower in a silver light.
Sousuke stood back, amazed. He could still feel his soul being stirred by the
force. It was so beautiful. He took a tentative step forward, then stopped
abruptly when he finally realized that a dark lake surrounded the plant. Sousuke
went to his knees and stared into the darkness of the water. He touched the
surface and watched as the water swayed and rippled.
Hesitantly, Sousuke placed a foot into the watery darkness. He shivered as the
chill of the water came over him. Determined, he swung his other foot over and
sank into the water. The lake was too deep for him to touch his toes to the bed,
so he swam awkwardly. His heart sped up as he got closer to the flower. At that
moment, all he wanted was to touch that flower. When he was close enough,
Sousuke reached out with a wet hand and gentled caressed the soft petals.
Every sense in his body seemed electrified by this contact. It was like the
flower was speaking to him in a language without words, but it was a language he
seemed to know well. He placed both of his hands around the flower and allowed
the clarity to wash over him. His lips quivered as he whispered "I can see…"
before a veil fell over his eyes.