The following morning, Silas arose from his sleep. Last night, he had expected someone like Kisuke to have shown up in the event his spiritual pressure had leaked out. But no one had revealed themselves.

Now that Silas had not only awoken his Soul Reaper powers, he had also awakened Zangetsu's Shikai form. And there was something he could do that Ichigo could not. Last night, he had properly transformed Zangetsu back to its unreleased katana form. Throughout all of Bleach, Zangetsu was always in its Shikai form since Ichigo's vast spiritual pressure couldn't control it.

What was dangerous to know was that this wasn't even Zangetsu's true form. It was still being suppressed by that manifestation calling itself Zangetsu. This current Zangetsu couldn't hold a candle to what the true Zangetsu was capable of.

Brushing all those thoughts aside, Silas left his house early in the morning without waking anyone. There was a lot for him to do now that he had awakened his powers. For instance, many events began unfolding after Rukia Kuchiki's arrival. Each one of them correlated with several Hollows appearing. It would be troubling and a lot of hard work, but Silas knew what order they would come in.

The first Hollow that would appear in Ichigo's story was named Fishbone D. Since Aizen would use that Hollow to bait Rukia into relinquishing her powers, Silas didn't need to think about when it would arrive. He only had to wait for it, assuming Aizen still had those intentions.

The next significant Hollow that would appear would be Acidwire, Orihime's deceased brother, whose name is Sora. Since Hollows forever strive to fill the emptiness inside them, they first seek out the people they loved. Sora loved his younger sister the most, and because he was never sent to the Soul Society, he'll eventually turn into a Hollow and attack her.

As Silas walked along the streets, he was trying to sense if anyone suspicious was following him. From what he gathered, no one was. The only person he was never too sure was watching him was Aizen. The chances of him doing so were low, since he mainly cared about how Ichigo progressed in his battles. As long as he didn't go running around as a Soul Reaper in Karakura Town, he believed himself to be safe. The rest would be left to speculation.

• • •

Knock-knock.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Mind answering the door?"

Orihime opened the door and was surprised to see Ichigo. She shook her head, believing that she was dreaming. "Ichigo, what are you doing here?" she speedily asked. "I thought you were sick again and wanted to be left alone. Don't tell me you're here because I haven't tried to make you feel—"

"Orihime, relax," Ichigo said. "I'm here because I have something to ask you."

It was unexpected of Ichigo to arrive at her house. But it wasn't Ichigo, nor was it Silas; it was an artificial soul!

An order was given to it. It was to escort Orihime out and preoccupy her with questions related to school. As a Soul Reaper, Silas phased through the house to safely enter it. Orihime's home was no different than an ordinary one.

After the two had long left, he began sensing for any signs of Sora being present. There didn't seem to be anything odd until he placed his attention on a stuffed teddy bear. It was owned by Orihime, and she called it Enraku. Yet Silas didn't bother trying to remember something like that. Rather, he looked at it, gave a light smirk, and asked, "How long do you plan on hiding from me?"

A handsome Japanese male with shoulder-length dark hair finally showed himself. It was Sora's Soul, and its chains of fate looked corroded. "Who are you?" he politely asked.

"Hmph…" Silas scoffed, pulling out his katana.

The sight of the weapon caused Sora to panic. He took a few steps back, wondering what Silas's intentions were. Before he knew it, Silas took one swipe at his chest, completely severing the chains protruding from him. He then sheathed his weapon.

"What did you do?!" Sora screamed in shock. Suddenly, he began to undergo encroachment.

Encroachment is the process of a Soul losing its chain of fate. It can usually last a few years until the chains fully corrode. However, if these chains are destroyed manually, the encroachment process excels. And when the chains reach their final link, that Soul transforms into a Hollow!

Sora screamed out in excruciating pain as Silas watched him with a blank face. A white, malleable substance then spewed out from his orifices. The cries of agony plagued Silas's ears. By the time the encroachment finished, a giant, snake-like creature with long black hair and a skull-like mask stood where it had been. This was the Hollow known as Acidwire!

His eyes were yellow, and he had a muscular upper body, a snake's tail for his legs, and a giant hole in his chest. Acidwire roared after completing its transformation. It then looked at Silas with a killing instinct for having done this to him. Using its giant claw, it swiped down. Silas had narrowly dodged it with a simple side-step.

"What did you do to me?!" Acidwire screamed. The screeching of a Hollow was more deafening than expected, but Silas was by no means worried. He could sense Acidwire's spiritual pressure, and it was significantly lower than his own.

As Acidwire lunged forward at him again, Silas placed one hand on his hilt. "Pierce the heavens, Zangetsu."1 With one swing of his blade, the Hollow was sliced in two. It stood there in a still motion until Silas returned his weapon in its katana form and placed it back in its scabbard. By the time the hilt clicked in place, Acidwire's body gradually faded, leaving behind a trail of black dust in the air.

The entire time, Silas had been expressionless. Defeating his first ever opponent, a Hollow, was simple. Acidwire couldn't even dodge his swing, much less see when Zangetsu was released. And though it was Silas's first battle, Hollows weren't anything special. People like Uryū could eradicate dozens of them in mere seconds.

But how did someone as charming as Orihime have a brother that turned into a Hollow? Hollows were once people, too. They first try to devour the souls of the people they loved the most when they were alive. Because Sora had died about three years ago, he was never sent to the Soul Society as a Soul. After he became lonely and resentful toward Orihime for choosing her friends over him, he turned into a Hollow.

In the original story, Ichigo and Rukia tried to help, but Sora eventually used Ichigo's sword to purify himself. Silas probably could have done the same and send Sora to the Soul Society without needing to fight. Yet he needed to test just how strong his Soul Reaper powers were. What better way than to do it against a Hollow the main character had trouble dealing with?

Placing the stuffed bear back in its place, he left Orihime's residence. There were still a few more Hollows he would need to take care of before Rukia's arrival. And even after they would be dealt with, other Hollows would likely form around the main characters anyway.

The last remaining main Hollows were Hexapodus, Shrieker, and Grand Fisher. Other Hollows, like Bulbous G and the millipede that Kon faced, were dubious. That was because someone was responsible for some of those Hollows appearing. And Silas, before dealing with those Hollows, was going to confront that same person.

1 Yes, the author knows Zangetsu didn't have a command release. This sounds hot, though, am I right?