The morning sun dripped through the window of the Palace of Penitence.

Rukia clutched her thin robes, drawing comfort from the familiar chill she had felt last night. "Ichigo," she breathed softly. "No… That couldn't have been him."

Her gaze shifted to where the giant guillotine was stationed. But when she got a closer look, the guillotine had not been there! A sudden noise of metal against stone drew her attention.

She covered her face in the sunlight bathing through the entrance. All she could see was a silhouette. Not the silhouette of executioners, but a tall figure whose brilliance was almost blinding. Until she heard his voice, she remained in unbelief.

"You look thinner, Rukia…"

Her voice was hoarse, clinging to each syllable. "Ichigo?"

As her vision became clearer, she saw a man with orange locks, adorned in a Soul Reaper's outfit. He stepped into the cell, sunlight reflecting on his face. The usual expression she remembered from him brimmed with a sudden warmth in her heart.

"Rukia," he said. "You're free now." His words, laden with untold meanings, washed over her. She couldn't think of anything to say. Silas's presence, his gaze—all of it was like a dream.

He knelt down on one knee in front of her, reaching out his hand. Hesitantly, she felt his touch against her hair and cheeks. "It's time we go."

We. The word resonated within her, a sting from her weeks of isolation. She clung to his hand, bringing it away.

• • •

'There are too many emotions coming from this girl,' Silas thought to himself.

Without waiting for her response, he arose and turned around. Each step he took toward the door was a scene of all the trials he had to endure. By the time he reached the end, he heard Rukia stand to ask, "Is it really you, Ichigo?"

Her voice trembled with fear, doubt, and confusion. He turned around, his movement swift and sure. Silas stood there, framed in the doorway, the sun haloing his head like a crown of light. "It's me…"

Curiosity tugged at her. She walked forward, fear washing away with every step. When she neared him, he reached out, holding her hand. His touch felt warmer than before as the two walked out of the cell together.

Rukia descended the stairs with him, noticing Renji at the bottom of the steps. He had a sour look on his face upon seeing them holding hands. "Do you have to be that close to her?!" he screamed, pointing with jealousy.

When it finally dawned on Rukia that she had her face resting on his arms, she shoved Silas away. "Ichigo, what do you think you're doing here?!"

Silas hardly moved a couple of feet, reminding her that he came to bring her out. Rukia's face was as red as a tomato. Words of slander, deceit, and frustration were hurled at him. Renji could tell she had been holding that in for some time.

"You think you could just hold on to me like that after what you did?!" she yelled, turning around. "I'm going back to my cell!"

It was actually her who was clinging to him. Renji, seeing she was half-joking and half-serious, stopped her to explain.

The three spent almost an hour revealing many of the events that had unfolded. From the time Silas entered the Soul Society to Aizen's defeat, all of it was told. Rukia felt a mix of emotions ranging from awe and disbelief. For weeks, she had been kept in the dark, but now things were coming to light.

"Then where's Uryū?" she asked.

"He's waiting by the Senkaimon for me," Silas answered.

Last night, some of the captains of the thirteen court guard squads interrogated Silas on a lot of things. The first being how he knew of Aizen's plot. Every other question revolved around his skills, two Zanpakutōs, and any ulterior motives for coming to the Soul Society. Even Uryū was bombarded with all manner of questions.

Silas had answered every one of them without telling a lie. He hid a lot of the truth, but it was seldom enough to raise any suspicion. His words were so misunderstood that everyone believed Aizen had killed Yoruichi.

Jūshirō questioned the knowledge of one hundred years ago, to which Silas explained that the Visored were still in Karakura Town. Everything he stated lined up perfectly.

However, not all of the captains were convinced. But when Genryūsai pardoned any and all trespasses against him, not a single Soul Reaper could do anything about it. The only thing Silas asked for was to return to Karakura Town upon Rukia's release.

Renji was taken aback when he heard the news. The thoughts of murdering him subsided upon seeing his mature attitude. Not only had Renji believed Silas to be on their side, but Rukia's sentence was withdrawn.

"So, you're just gonna leave like that?" Rukia asked, still a tad sour.

"I came here to see you first, didn't I?"

She became upset to see that he hadn't changed a bit since their encounters at Karakura Town. Then a sigh of relief came over her. She hadn't wanted Silas to change; she liked this side of him.

There were a lot of things he needed to do. One of which was to return to Karakura Town and prepare for the Thousand-Year Blood War. Silas was strong, but he knew he didn't have the strength to take on the likes of the Wandenreich!

For now, he instructed Rukia to make amends with her older brother. Byakuya, who was a stern individual, valuing rules over family, had to reconcile with her for his character development.

Silas personally needed this to happen so as not to make enemies with him or the other captains. Apart from Byakuya, there wasn't anyone Silas could indirectly change.

• • •

Some time later.

"The portal's opening," Uryū stated. Hardly anyone came to see the two depart. Who could blame them when many characters hadn't had the chance to have a meaningful interaction with Silas like they had with Ichigo?

Only some members of squad eleven wanted to spar with him, but he denied their advances. Not even Zaraki found him interesting enough to fight since he wasn't showing any will for it.

Sajin and Shūhei, who weren't really that close to Ichigo, thanked Silas for bringing Kaname to justice. Their plans were to plead with the new Central 46 when they finished forming. With enough evidence, they hoped that Kaname wouldn't be sentenced to "Muken", the final level of the Seireitei's underground prison.

Those two weren't the only ones to thank Silas. Rangiku, Izuru, and even Tōshirō thanked him. Because of his confession, Momo (Tōshirō's childhood friend) was undergoing intense therapy. She had been brainwashed by Aizen so much that she needed it.

"I like you better without the glasses," Rangiku said to Uryū at the time. The two hadn't had any meaningful encounters, but it was evident that she at least wanted to be friends with the Quincy. All in all, her gratitude was mainly toward Silas for having revealed Gin's real intentions. Gin himself was placed in confinement until the new Central 46 could be formed. Rangiku visits him till this day, both being fond of one another's presence.

Silas had questioned her about what she would do if Gin was sent to Muken. "I'll quit being a Soul Reaper for him," she responded.

Another captain who was intrigued by not only Silas but Uryū as well was Mayuri. Uryū for being a Quincy, and Silas for the amount of knowledge he withheld. Neither of the two would share any information, with the former finding Mayrui's jitteriness uncomfortable.

Shunsui went as far as inviting Silas and Uryū for tea with Jūshirō and Retsu. It was clear the three were interested in asking more questions. Perhaps even suspicious of his second Zanpakutō, to which he hadn't revealed any information on or let them examine.

"I enjoy tea, but perhaps another time, Captain Kyōraku."

"Please call me Shunsui. We owe a lot to you and your friend for having brought Aizen to justice."

Those words were filled with a mixture of gratitude, curiosity, and doubt. Nonetheless, there was nothing any of the captains could do to force Silas into anything. That included Jūshirō's attempts of giving him the Substitute Soul Reaper badge.

Silas and Uryū stared at the main Senkaimon. The wind caused a pulse around them, thrumming with spiritual energy upon opening. Just as Uryū stepped forward, they each heard a voice yelling, "Hey, wait!"

Turning around, they saw Rukia. She was adorned with her high school uniform from Karakura Town. Her heavy panting indicated she had rushed a long way to get here. "Ichigo, you heartless idiot! You weren't gonna wait for me?!" she hollered, blushing,

With a slight smirk, he answered, "Why do you think only Uryū stepped forward?"

The response caused the Quincy to comically berate him. He jeered, stating that he was only trying to get a closer look at the gate.

Rukia's fingers tightened around her Zanpakutō. Leaving the Soul Society, the land of Souls she'd called home for as long as she could remember, was a monumental and terrifying choice.

"Are you ready?" Silas asked. His words tugged at a cord within her, a yearning to be by his side.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, her voice ringing with newfound clarity as she said, "In case you were wondering, this is a huge risk with a lot of dangers I'm taking."

A flicker ignited in Silas's eyes, while Uryū offered a genuine smile. He looked at Silas and asked, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"I mean, how did you do the impossible?"

"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."1

Rukia turned back, taking one last look at the Seireitei. She had already said her goodbyes to Renji, her captain, Jūshirō, and her brother, Byakuya. Only Renji was objecting to her departure, but it wasn't enough to sway her mind.

With a resolute nod, she stepped forward to meet the two. Silas held out his hand, and she grasped it. Together, the three stepped through the shimmering gateway. The portal closed behind them, sealing their fates.

This was not the same choice she had made in the story. Or rather, it was the choice that Silas needed her to make. Because in Silas's possession was the device to extract the Hōgyoku from her Soul!

• • •

In the underground training room at Sōkyoku Hill, Soul Reapers from different squadrons were busy investigating the area.

The two captains in charge, Mayuri and Byakuya, ordered their men to bring back any notable findings. For hours, nothing was brought. The only worthwhile feature of this area was the hot spring. The water's healing properties intrigued Mayuri enough to run some tests on how it could benefit the Seireitei.

As Renji walked around in boredom, looking for a place to nap, his foot caved underground. Trying to free himself, he fell inside. His mind raced when he saw the mangled-up corpse of Yoruichi Shihōin.

End of Volume I

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