Several miles from the Re-Estize Kingdom's shores, was an uncharted island. It has been magically hidden for 300 years, by a dome shaped barrier, that made the island invisible for whoever was outside of it. It was also quite useful to keep track of whoever entered or left its perimeter. Underneath this island, populated only by women, events were in motion.
The priestesses of Cthalpi prepared for the next sacrifice in a large chamber where upon its walls were depicted their god in the act of creating their underwater protectors. The beings intercepted any ships that came too close, and captured the men that they needed to increase their population. They were the Deep Ones.
The priestesses weren't the only women present. There were also some guards looking over the 10 men that were to be given to them. In addition to these men, there were also 5 corpses, and on several baskets, either sleeping, looking around, or crying were several small male children. The five priestesses kneeled near the entrance of the chamber, with the baskets to their left displayed in a line, with the men to the right also in a line, and the bodies on the floor carefully covered by blankets.
A few moments later, a [Gate] opened in front of the wall where the mural of their god was depicted. From within first emerged the Deep One Priest, which was then followed by at least 10 of his underlings. The Priest looked around the room with his unblinking eyes, its gaze lingering on the presented sacrifices, before giving his followers a simple motion, ordering them to take the children back to their underwater city. They gave him a nod and a grunt, before walking up to the baskets, and taking the children, using the minimum amount of effort so as to not damage them.
The Priest then walked deeper into the chamber, moving towards the priestesses, before turning towards the adults that they had been presented with.
"These are not enough. I demand more men." He growled with dissatisfaction.
The guards didn't move at the provocation. Even if they wanted to, it wasn't their role to do so. The priestesses however exchanged several worried looks, before all eyes went to the two in front, the oldest of them. They were the highest authority amongst them, yet that didn't say much in front of the authority the Priest held, even on land.
"We were not authorized to give you any more, or any less then what we have here." The youngest of the two informed, to which the Deep One gave a guttural sound as reply.
"That is not of my concern. However, our numbers are. I want more of them, and I know you have the numbers to deliver it."
"Our apologies, but we were not given such freedom." The woman replied once more.
The Priest let out a displeased croak, his eyes going over them once more. His sight then focused in on the two aged women, and in his mind an idea started to form.
"If you insist upon that excuse, then I am open to the idea of opening participation of 'The Deep Dive' ritual."
An audible gulp went through all women present. This ritual was one where the older women of the island, would willingly go to the beaches at an appointed time, on a predetermined day, and would be taken down to the Deep Ones' underwater city of Carcosa, to be themselves turned into one of them.
This served as another means to increase their numbers, and by which acquiring new immortal bodies whom were gifted with similar likeness to their god. Even if it meant losing everything else, it enabled them to feel closer to it. This was the reason why few women ever died on the island, as almost all of them would eventually go through this ritual. The only women that ever died there, because they weren't meant to go through the ritual, were the queens themselves.
"Would you be open to going with us, Esta?" He asked, looking at the woman who had been replying to him so far.
"N-No. I still have much to do here." The elder replied solemn tones.
"Foolishness. You have nothing left on this island, no family for you to go back to, and you have long since passed the age of breeding. Even this position as a priestess can be easily filled in by others. You have no reason to decline me."
"I-I have my daughter." The woman argued back, to which the Priest gave a bored grunt.
"Humph. Your daughter? You know very well that she is gone, and will never come back." The fishman coldly informed.
"T-That is not true. She will come back. I-If your people had done their jobs she would still be here!" The elder roared back in the heat of the moment.
"You dare…" The Priest was saying to shout back, when his senses picked up on something.
His attention went to the entrance, as he then took a few steps backwards as if opening the way for someone else. Eilyte emerged from the shadows of the opening, and on her face was a less than pleased expression for what she had heard before coming here. For now however, there were more important things to take care of, especially since she knew the Priest hadn't reacted to her.
"Everyone make way, and make yourselves presentable." She firmly ordered.
The priestesses went to the sides of the entrance, keeping to their bowed state while the guards could only straighten their postures as they still had to look over the men. The present Deep Ones also bowed, this included the Priest, Eilyte reluctantly joined his side and also bowed as they waited for what was about to break through and enter the chamber.
The first figure to emerge was that of a young priestess. She seemed somewhat flustered and overwhelmed by her task as she looked around. Her task was to help an old woman make her way into the chamber, and this old woman was the figure that was emanating all of the respect being shown by the others.
This woman was wearing simple looking robes, her hair which had once been black, was now graying and thinner. The skin that had once been a healthy tan was now slightly pale, and her looks could have been compared to an ancient Egyptian, if such word had any meaning in this world. Yet in the middle of all this age her burning orange eyes remained.
"Why were you two arguing?" The woman asked with a calming voice.
"I-I simply asked for more men to take with me. They failed to comply." The Priest quickly replied.
The orange eyed elder looked at the kneeling priestesses, her attention falling on them before she spoke again.
"Which one of you were talking back to him?"
"I-It was I." Esta replied.
"Then, please lift your head. You too." The old woman instructed, looking back at the Priest.
Esta's eyes fell on the old woman's, their gazes locked on to each other as the priestesses saw the aged face turn pensive, before lighting up in recollection.
"I see. I remember now. That voice is in fact familiar…"
"Y-You flatter me… For you to remember such a random being such as myself…"
Esta tried to say, but the old woman's hands fell on her cheeks in a warm and almost motherly gesture. On her face was a matching smile, her touch being enough to silence the priestess.
"Esta. I see that not much has changed, since the last time we meet."
"N-No." Esta replied with a sorrowful tone.
"I am certain your beliefs are not unfounded. You will see her again, one way or the other." The woman replied, turning her attention to the Priest.
"T-Thank you. Thank you, so much." Esta said beginning to lightly sob.
Looking away from the emotional priestesses, the elder's attention went back to the Priest, her experience much colder and stern.
"Is the situation that dire that you must attack them on a personal level? The people you are tasked to protect?"
"A-As you know, my people and I value greatly the gifts that are offered to us. That is why, as you know, we put our best efforts into maintaining the holiest of rewards, the 'Dark Young' that was so selflessly put under our care, in this world. A-And as you know, t-there are certain sacrifices that must be made in order to keep it…" the Priest began to reply, trying to sound as subservient as possible, yet she silenced him.
"I am aware. I remember when you first told me of your discoveries, and the sacrifices that were necessary to achieve them. And while the usage of live humans is troubling, I did accept it as long as they were in used in small numbers…" This time it was he who fearfully interrupted her.
"I-Indeed. H-However, much has changed since those times, and now we require more men to keep it attached to this world."
The woman made a troubled expression, easily understanding that his wishes, even if being presented in an extreme fashion, had reason to them. Her eyes went to the prisoners, then to the corpses, then finally back to him, as she spoke.
"You will get 5 extra men. Will that do?"
"Y-Yes."
"You can give them to him correct?" She asked, looking at the queen.
"Of course."
The elder gave them a slow nod, before signaling the same woman who had helped her to enter, to come and help her walk out. The tense air lifted once she had done so, only then did everyone get back to their feet, and let out a relived sigh, before going back to the matter at hand.
It didn't take long for the extra men to be delivered, and they along with the rest were taken through the portal of the [Gate], and into the underwater city of Carcosa. They of course were taken to a dry area of city. Even if the air was rather damp, and the walls wet to the touch, it wasn't the best place for humans to inhabit full time. Luckily for them, they wouldn't be spending that much time in the city.
Still, the men were left mesmerized by the wealth the walls around them transmitted. On them were painted epic murals of things that were, things that are, and things that could one day be. There were decorations of gold, silver, and other precious minerals only present in the depths of the ocean. One could only imagine what the actual city would look like in terms of grandeur.
The Priest commanded the others of his kind through a mix of guttural sounds and gestures, sending some of the men and the corpses in one direction, while the ones that remained were taken to the opposite direction. The Priest went along with this group as it was the quickest one to deal with, while the other group still had to be prepared.
As they walked some of the men mumbled to themselves, some of which were actually praying to their deities. The Priest was by now familiar with several of these chants, and needed only to listen to a few words before letting out a gurgling laugh.
"You pray to your gods?" He asked with a mocking tone.
The prisoners, even those that were silent, looked at the Deep One surprised at the outburst. The creature continued his chuckling even with their reactions, and soon gurgled something in his language that got the rest of his kind doing the same.
"Foolish. All of you. But that is the way of your kind, is it not? No need to worry. Soon I will open your bodies and souls to the truth. To the true god. To Cthalpi."
A large room had nearly a dozen individuals whom were gathered around a long table. At the head of the table itself was Sōsuke Aizen, whom had instructed those standing to sit down, and all complied without a word spoken.
Everyone took their named and numbered seats around the table. Those who had a uneven number assigned to them sat on Aizen's left side, the even numbers sat on his right, and on the opposite end of the table from the Shinigami was Rylen. All waited for Aizen to speak, yet he did not do so. He kept his usual composed expression, as Amelia then spoke up, her visibly less than pleased expression focused on Elsa.
"Jaecar Laporin. Can you tell me who she is?" She asked sternly.
"T-This is Elsa, she…" Jaecar tried to reply, but she continued to speak.
"I remember that everyone was told, that when they were called upon, they were to come alone. Then I must ask, why is she here?" Amelia strongly insisted.
"W-Well, I tried to talk my way out of it… B-But I failed." He replied with a weak sigh.
Amelia was about to speak up once again, her face painted with total disbelief and annoyance that he, as someone who had received such a token of confidence from Aizen, had failed at doing such a simple thing. However, she was stopped when Aizen calmly motioned her not to do so.
"I am not surprised you failed in doing so. I had predicted something like this could have happen since the first time we met. However, that does not mean I will simply let her go." Aizen coolly informed.
"Do you wish me to eliminate her?" Juno asked, showing signs of being more than ready to fulfill the command if it was given.
"S-She can't do that!" Elsa cried out, looking down at a seated Jaecar.
"E-Exactly. Surely there is no need to do something like that." He added in his consternation.
"I am not sure. That would depend on what she can do for us." The Shinigami calmly pointed out.
"W-What does he mean?" Elsa asked, looking down at her companion.
"I-I don't…" Jaecar began to reply, but Aizen motioned him to be silent.
"First things first. I would like to extend a welcome to all of you. I am happy to see that all of you have answered my call, and I hope you came here in order to take me up on my offer."
Aizen did not ask, but his tone transmitted a question. Everyone looked at each other, even Jaecar managed to recompose himself during this, while Elsa felt as if at any moment this man would call for her execution. No one went against Aizen's words, and indeed they were all here for him. To continue what they had started when they first met him, before being given some time alone to adapt to their new selves.
"I believe all of us are here with the same intentions.~" Annika pointed out with a bewitching smile.
"Even you, Jaecar, given the situation you are now in?" He asked, looking at the marksman.
"Y-Yes. I said I would have been more than willing to have accompanied you from the moment we met. That hasn't changed."
"Very well. Then, I must decide what to do with you, Miss Elsa." Aizen calmly remarked.
His eyes went to the young woman, then to Jaecar, followed by Juno, at which point the previous two felt a chill go down their backs, and then he spoke.
"Jaecar, tell me what she does for you."
"W-Well, Elsa is my spotter. She is an adapt ranger and tracker, also skilled in combat..."
"But not as skilled as you?" Amelia interjected.
"Well, y…" he went to answer, but this time Elsa spoke over him.
"N-No. I'm not. He was always the best of the two of us."
"What are you saying?" He argued back in concern.
"The truth. I'm not going to let you get yourself killed along with me." She growled back.
"Please, calm yourselves. I don't want, or intend, on killing any of you, even if you have brought about a somewhat troublesome situation. Actually, Elsa I would like to ask if you would be interested in joining us?" Aizen suggested with a grin.
"J-Join you? For what?" Elsa asked in confusion.
"Well. At least he didn't tell you that." Amelia mumbled with a relieved sigh.
"Simply put, we are working towards a new world. One that is fair, and not bound by the holds of those in the higher echelons of society. Those that think that the world belongs to them. That is what we are here for."
Elsa looked around with widened eyes after hearing the man's intentions. She saw a table full of people who had a certain overwhelming presence to them. Now that she was in this environment, she seemed to feel a similar sensation coming from Jaecar. Yet, the one that seemed to tower above all of them, with his gaze alone, was the attractive man at the head of the table. The one that had been talking to them, and the one she assumed was in charge.
"Um. Y-You plan on changing the world? W-With only them?" Those the first words that stumbled out of her mouth.
"No. They are to be the main force, but more help is welcomed. That is why I am extending an offer to you. Would you be open in continuing to assist Jaecar?"
Elsa gulped. What would happen if she said no? He had said that he didn't want to kill anyone, but she felt as if her presence alone, and having seen all of this, was already enough for them to silence her if need be.
She looked at Jaecar, and never could she have imagined this was what he meant when he told her that he met a man who had given him powers, and now was calling him back for a meeting. To think he would get involved in something like this went beyond what she would expect him to do. After all, he normally liked to stay low, and not bring too much attention to himself.
"Y-Yes. I would like to do so." She nervously replied, receiving an amused smile in reply from the man.
"Then I welcome you, Elsa. My name is Sōsuke Aizen. This is Amelia Bedelia Aigner." He cordially informed, motioning to the woman to his side.
He then motioned to the people sitting around the table, in a gesture that seemed as if he was making some kind of grand announcement. Something that not even them knew as they looked on in mutual curiosity.
"These, are the Espada. They will work as the main force in our organization, which will also bare the same name." Aizen announced before pausing.
"Each member of the Espada, is ranked from 1 to 10, according to their overall power. With 1 being the strongest and 10 being the weakest." He continued, getting a nervous chuckle out of Alvis, who sat in the chair marked "10".
"As you can see on the table, in front of you is a ring. On said ring is your respective number, the same which is on the chair. This ring is to be worn in order to identify yourselves as members of the Espada, and will serve as visual identifiers of your membership. However, before you put it on, I must warn you of one thing. That upon putting it on, the ring will mark you with your respective number on a random location on your body."
"Does that mean no one else can see us naked then?" Cayo asked nervously.
"No. That is not an issue." Aizen responded, getting a sigh of relief in reply.
The members of the newly reformed Espada, picked up their rings and placed them on, almost instantly feeling a burning sensation on different parts of their body. Some had taken the pain better than others, but it only took a second for them to recompose themselves.
"I see that you are all certain that this is what you want. I am glad." Aizen said in a low tone.
"Perhaps you should've expected this, Aizen. Your cause is more noble than most, and you go about giving people the means to get their lives back, or the ability to actually make something of themselves. I doubt you would do that with people you thought would not repay a dept." Rylen pointed out, his attention partly on the "1" that now decorated the back of his left hand.
"I recall saying when we crossed paths, that I do not do this for debts of gratitude. I do this, because indeed I see people who are either lacking, or failing to live up to their full potential. I simply give them the means to do so. Nothing else. That is why I have yet to force anyone to do anything. I did not force anyone to come here, and I certainly didn't make anyone join me. However, you, all of you, did so and it now falls upon me to welcome you back and treat you as all of you expect, and deserve to be treated."
"Is that so…" The elder mumbled.
"Watch your tongue, Rylen." Juno hissed in indignation.
"Calm yourself, child. I meant no offense. I simply wanted to point out that our leader is perfectly aware of what he is doing." Rylen remarked.
"…!"
Juno seemed about to say something else, but Annika interrupted her.
"Let's not do this. Please, calm down. There's no need for things to escalate." She said with a soothing and calming tone.
Juno said nothing, but she seemed to relax after this. Same thing happened to Rylen to a lesser extent, since he was the calmer of the two.
"Hey, old man. Are you by any chance THE Rylen Tsezguerra?" Cayo asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"I am."
"N-No way!" Cayo gasped, falling into an unnaturally long silence amazed at the presence of such a figure.
"Why don't you introduce yourselves to each other? After all, you will have to work together from here on out." Aizen suggested.
"A-Alright. Then I'll go first. I'm Alvis Kavaro, my rank is 10."
"I'm Jaecar Laporin, 9th rank. This is Elsa."
"I'm the 8th Espada, Cayo Ozzik Gantz!" Cayo proudly announced in grandiose fashion.
"Jillur Gralik. Rank 7."
"My name is Inon Zur Morres. I'm rank 6."
"Carmyn Zoya, rank 5."
"It's a kid.~" Cayo mumbled with a chuckle.
"What did you call me!?" Carmyn hissed.
"Ahem! I mean, you're a child, aren't you?"
"Don't let my appearance fool you, boy. I'm old enough to be your grandmother." Carmyn replied, silencing a shocked Cayo.
"Oy. Moving on." Amelia instructed with an annoyed groan.
"I am the Cuatro Espada, Juno Ulmeyda." Her introduction getting the others attention.
"Please continue. I shall explain it shortly." Aizen informed
"I'm Leinas Rockbruise. I'm the 3rd Espada." She said calmly, receiving a few surprised, raised eyebrows from the others.
"My name is Annika Masador Aenar. I'm the 2nd Espada.~"
"I'm the 1st ranked Espada, Rylen Tsezguerra."
"I hope you all get along well. Now, what Juno said is the denomination given to her rank as 4. Alvis you are the Diez Espada. Jaecar you are the Noveno Espada. Cayo is Octava. Jillur is the Séptima Espada. Inon is the Sexta Espada. Carmyn the Quinto Espada. Leinas the Tres Espada. Annika is the Segunda Espada. Rylen is the Primera Espada."
"I... Um... W-What about me?" Elsa managed to say.
"You will work as a member of Jaecar's, 'Fracción'. That being the name given to those that work directly under one of the Espada."
"D-Does that mean she will also go through the procedure?" Jaecar asked in concern.
"W-What procedure?"
"It is something to bring out your full potential and add on to it. It involves fusing your body with that of another being, giving you certain characteristics of said being." Aizen calmly replied.
"I-Is that what happened to you?" She asked Jaecar shock, who then simply nodded.
"There is no need to concern yourselves with that right now. After all, we still have a few things to discuss." Aizen remarked, with Elsa falling back into silence.
"In order to further our goals, we will need more than just raw strength. We will need money, influence, and reputation. This gives us the reach we would never have as we currently are, even with Amelia's contacts. That is why, we will begin operations as a mercenary company. The Espada Mercenary Company." Aizen informed, pausing to see if anyone would say anything against his plan.
"We will offer our services at lower prices than others would make available. Through this, we will slowly start to build up a reputation, for offering quality work for reduced prices. I understand that some of you either have work as adventurers or workers, which I do not mind as long as the Espada are your first priority, and whatever other assignments you take help enhance our reputation."
"What will our work involve?" Jillur asked from under his hood and half covered face.
"We will not limit our line of work too much. However, I do not plan on forcing any of you to do anything you are not comfortable with. Of course, I cannot promise that conditions may not lead to situations like those happening."
"Like... we'll have to kill innocent people?" Alvis asked in worry.
"As I said, the situation may come up where we will be forced to do less than pleasing things. We cannot rule anything out, and thus we must prepare for anything." Aizen replied.
"To have to do something unpleasant can be unavoidable." Leinas stoically pointed out.
"The Espada will work as two man units, each of them taking on a different number of tasks depending on their level of difficulty…" Aizen continued, just for Cayo to interrupt him.
"Why two men team? I mean, aren't we strong enough to take out anything that comes our way by ourselves?"
"If you had waited for Aizen to finish, you would understand why we chose this set up." Amelia replied with an annoyed hiss.
"And you are short-sighted to think we have reached the peak of strength in this world. Our current situation shows us that much." Carmyn informed.
"This world's full of events that bring about powerful beings. What's to say that we would be prepared for something of that nature?~" Annika said, with a brief pause.
"Or that we aren't that event~" She added with a chuckle, looking at Aizen with a teasing smile.
"Fine. I retract what I said. However, if that is the case, I call dibs on a female partner!" Cayo announced energetically.
"Ugh. What is wrong with him?" Carmyn asked Inon in a low tone.
"Don't worry. I'm not referring to you. The age to body ratio is kind of a turn off, but I'll willingly take any on any other of you fine ladies. Hell, I'll even take the 3 of you." Cayo said, with a suggestive tone and grin.
"I'm not considered for teams. I remain by Aizen-sama's side."
"What about the other two ladies? Interested?" He asked, looking at Annika and Leinas.
"Don't look at me, twerp." Leinas hissed.
"I don't mean to offend, but you are sounding rather desperate.~" Annika remarked in an amused grin.
"And you've the subtly of a hormonal teenager." Carmyn added, losing patience with the scene.
"That'll be enough. Teams will be decided by me." Aizen sternly interjected, silencing them.
"Hm. Curious. What about the one that will be left without a pair? Since Juno will remain with you." Rylen asked, to which Aizen gave a slight smile.
"That is another of the topics that I will discuss. We are currently in E-Rantel, and underneath the city in a makeshift tomb are the remains of a great dragon. With some research we discovered that it was indeed the remains of Naz'da'gar Cyddrunarth, also known as the Catastrophe Dragon Lord."
A collective gasp of shock went through the Espada, their minds going all over the several things this could mean, but most of them focused on the idea of Aizen having come across something to fuse with the dead dragon.
"You will use the body on someone?" Rylen asked.
"In a sense. I have already examined the chamber, and I am aware that while in fact it is dead, the body is far from inactive. As we speak it is drawing small quantities of energy into itself in order to revive. We will be giving him the necessary boost to finish this process by fusing him with someone."
"Y-You plan to control a Dragon Lord!? That is madness." Carmyn growled in shock.
"Do not misunderstand. I don't plan on controlling it. Simply aiding him. Just as I did with all of you."
"Feh! Madness nonetheless. I've studied enough ancient lore to know that Dragon Lords are users of [Wild Magic], and are far more dangerous than the rest. Things could end badly. For all of us."
"I am aware, and that is why I am prepared to put an end to him if need be." Aizen said, with a confident expression.
"Oh, I hope you know what you're doing." Carmyn sighed, falling back into her seat.
"If no one has anything else to add, we'll be leaving in half an hour. Elsa will remain here. Jaecar, go find one of the servants and ask them to prepare a proper place for her. The rest of you are free to wander around the estate until the appointed time."
Aizen and Amelia smoothly got up and exited the room, going into a small office where an unkempt man was waiting, looking old for someone who was in truth in his early 30s. Hearing them enter, he quickly stood up and took several bows before them, before going back to his seat. Amelia sat on the opposite side of the desk, with Aizen choosing to remain on his feet.
"It's good to see you again, Crawl." Aizen remarked.
"Likewise, Aizen-sama. Lady Amelia."
"How is your body holding up?"
"Fantastically. Since you infused me with that power, it's been incredible. This past month made me feel like something of legends, b-but the time has come, and I'm ready." Crawl informed with a determined look.
"Are you certain of this? Understand that if you go through with this, you will die." Amelia pointed out.
"I-I am certain. Aizen-sama gave me the power to deal with the men that took my family away from me. Now that I've had my revenge, nothing else binds me to this world. At least I can go out doing something meaningful."
Amelia leaned back in her seat and looked up at Aizen, who had his usual confident smile on his face. This told her that everything was going according to plan.
"If you are certain, then rest. We will leave shortly. Outside of this room is a maid. I had ordered for you to be treated as a guest of honor. Ask for whatever you want, and it will be granted."
The man simply gave a deep bow of gratitude towards both figures, before leaving the office, and Amelia alone with Aizen, who took the seat that was previously occupied by Crawl.
"You sure do have an eye for them."
"How so?" Aizen asked.
"I mean, you got the one man who, even after receiving your Reiatsu, would agree to lay down his life for you."
"Don't word it like that, Amelia. If someone where to hear you, they would think I am some kind of manipulative monster." Aizen said with a weak chuckle.
"Heh. Which you are not. Also, are you certain this will work? Aren't there risks of him taking over during the process?"
"He won't. Crawl is far too weak minded at this point. That weak mindedness will create the opening we need to bring the Dragon Lord back."
"I-I know, but I'm still worried about this. After all, from what you said, he should be considerably powerful after the process."
"Are you concerned?"
"Self-preservation is strong amongst humans." Amelia chuckled, to which Aizen gave a confident smirk.
"Worry not. Everything will go according to plan."
The half hour came and went, and the Espada, Crawl, Amelia, and Aizen made their way into the cavern. Inside of it, surrounded by massive amounts of treasure, were the mummified remains of a massive dragon.
"Everyone, remain near the entrance. Crawl with me." Aizen instructed.
Aizen motioned him to kneel next to the beast's snout, while he materialized white pieces of cloth. He proceeded to wrap it around the man's arms, then took a rather considerable amount of time to do the same around different parts of the dragon. Having finished with the preparations, Aizen took a hold of the piece of cloth connecting the dragon to the human. He gave both participants one final look before starting.
A barrier formed around Aizen, the man, and the dragon, before glow a began to erupt from the Hōgyoku in his chest, which hummed with power. The glow went down his arm, to his hand, and finally settling into the cloth. The light grew brighter and brighter, until from outside the barrier, only a light filled cube could be seen.
As all those present waited in frozen silence to see what was actually happening, the ground began to shake. At first it only felt like a vibration, which quickly began to escalate until almost all of them were thrown onto the ground. The piles of treasure also eventually gave out and fell, scattering even further than it already had. Cracks started to appear on the walls, quickly climbing up until they met in the center of the chamber.
Although this was already enough to place the Espada on guard, they felt an unnatural fear grab hold of them when the barrier containing the energy also began to crack under unseen pressure. In addition, the bright colored light was quickly overwhelmed by a black and dark purple mass.
After what seemed an eternity, the ground stopped its violent tremors, the cracking on the walls ceased, and seemed to stabilize. Suddenly, the barrier exploded, sending the strangely colored mass spewing in every direction. The overwhelming energy filled the chamber, its effects beginning to affect the weaker Espada, but to a much greater extent Amelia, who upon contact was reduced to her knees.
Luckily for them, the mass quickly retracted back to its source, which was in the center of the chamber where now rested a sizable crater. All eyes went to what rested inside of it. There they saw Aizen, almost all of his clothing having been burnt away, and around his neck rested a five fingered clawed hand.
The massive hand belonged to a figure who easily stood over Inon at 8½ feet. It's body was covered in obsidian colored scales, sharp spikes rested on its elbows and knees, and two massive wings flapped slightly upon its back. Several spikes went down the creature's back and down the tail. The being's head possessed a small snout, with several large teeth emerging from the upper jaw, with two impressive horns resting on top of his head, and two blue snake like eyes beamed down on the Shinigami.
The creature didn't release its grip upon Aizen's throat. Instead, using the hold to pull him closer to it, while its head lowered as he seemingly smelled the Shinigami. His keen, predator-like attention didn't waver. Not even when the Espada, outside of Annika who was looking over Amelia, rushed to their master's aid, ready to attack if the opportunity presented itself.
"Your smell is not unfamiliar." It remarked, lifting its head to sniff the air.
"There is a woman whose smell is also familiar."
"Who are you? What have you done to me?" It asked in a voice that seemed to rumble.
"My name is Aizen. Sōsuke Aizen. I have accelerated your resurrection process, all the while giving you something more." The Shinigami replied calmly, seemingly being unfazed the entire time the giant clawed hand was around his throat.
The creature released Aizen after receiving its answer, who much to its surprise landed easily on his feet, still unmoved by what had just happened. Indeed, he felt different, he felt stronger than he had ever felt before his seclusion. Not only that, but he also felt something alien go through his body. The creature seemed surprised as it looked itself over, and found he was now bipedal, seemingly lifting its two legs in sequence as if to test them. It felt both strange, and natural at the same time. Narrowing his vision he spoke...
"What do you want from me, Aizen?"
"Assistance. If you so wish to give it."
"Hmph! In order to do what?" The Dragon Lord asked incredulously.
"I want to make this world a place of fairness. One where people won't be able to leech off the world based on their place in society, or be given differential treatment because of their status or race."
"Ah. A noble cause, but it makes me wonder, why amass such great forces in order to achieve said goal?" He asked as he looked over the nearby group, and then back to Aizen.
"Minds are not an easy thing to change, and it is not something one man can do alone. He will need help in order to do so. I ask you, as I did all of them, for that help." Aizen said as he also looked to the group nearby.
The newly formed bipedal Dragon Lord narrowed its eyes on Aizen once more. Something he could not explain stirred within him as he gazed down upon the man whom uttered such high sounding words. He was filled with confusion, as his first impulse to kill the man called Aizen stabbed at his mind and heart. Like it was something that didn't feel like the right thing to do.
He was a Dragon Lord, and should be above all those in his secret revival chamber. He should kill all those around him. He was the Catastrophe Dragon Lord. Yet, for reasons he could not fathom he stayed his hand.
He sensed the truth in Aizen's words, but also a pull to the man. It felt like... gratitude? This filled Naz'da'gar Cyddrunarth with both confusion and annoyance. He recalled Aizen's words. He said that his resurrection process had been "accelerated", but also gave him, "something more".
Between the power he sensed from Aizen, and his unfamiliar scent, he knew that this was no human, or any other being he had ever encountered. After a moment of consideration, he decided it would be more beneficial to understand what had happened during his long sleep, how the surrounding world had changed, and how he had changed before making a final decision.
"Hmph! Very well, Aizen. For now, I accept your offer. At the very least until I gain a better understanding of what you did to my body." The revived Dragon Lord said with a growl.
"I am certain I will be able to convince you to aid us for much longer than that." Aizen said with a charming, confident smile.
With that, 10 months came and went, and much like Aizen had planned, the Espada Mercenary Company began to slowly gain in fame. By the end of those 10 months, they were already at the point where many would come to them as their first option. This had upset the Adventurer's Guild to a certain extent, but given that the Espada were a small group when compared to the guild, and their actions had safeguarded many human lives, a certain co-existence had been wordlessly adopted.
The sun was nearing its time to set over E-Rantel, as two newly minted copper-plate adventurers stepped out of the Adventurer's Guild, and were making their way through its streets, drawing whispered attention to themselves as they did.
The first was an extremely tall man equipped with a fully jet-black, full-plate armor that possessed intricately edged gold inlay. He wore a full, closed helm with narrow slits that made it nigh impossible to see into from the outside. In addition, he wore a crimson red cape, and had two, finely crafted greatswords on his back. Curious passers by could not help but look in his direction, with some whispering under their breath, "a dark warrior".
The second was a foreign looking, but incredibly beautiful woman with black eyes that glimmered like onyxes, with lustrous black hair that was tied into a ponytail, and perfect snow white skin shining like pearls in the sun. Walking alongside her companion, there was an air of elegance around her. Her attire was a dark brown robe that was, although plain in make, immaculate in appearance, and proudly worn like a uniform.
Their names were Momon and Nabe, and they were currently making their way to the inn that they had been recommended by the guild, and where they would be staying for the time being. They quietly spoke amongst themselves, with not a whisper audible enough to eavesdrop on by passers-by.
As they made their way down the street, they were walking past a rather large building when a man emerged from the front door. He was carrying a box, and with the split second loss of attention of carrying it and talking to some unseen person, got distracted and bumped into the black, full-plate armored warrior. Naturally the smaller man fell on his back, managing to at least keep the box from falling to the ground. A fact that he remarked on as he sighed in relief.
Seeing the man fall, the dark warrior Momon was quick to go and help him, not wanting to risk giving off the wrong impression to those around him. Carefully picking up the box with one hand, he helped the man up with the other, and as he did this he managed to get a better look at him. The man wore glasses, had messy brown hair and wore a suit. The impression he got was that of a "salaryman", as he mused to himself.
"M-My apologies for the disturbance. I-I was too preoccupied with my own business. I kind of lost track of what was round me. My greatest apologies." The man remarked in apologetic tones, taking a small bow.
"N-No. It was partly my fault. I could've noticed you sooner." The adventurer humbly remarked.
"What was that noise, Aizen?" A female voice growled from within the building.
The man, whom the warrior now knew was named Aizen, made a defeated expression as he sighed and turned around to meet the woman who emerged near him. A less than pleased expression was decorated on her face as she spoke.
"Well?" She insisted.
"W-Well, Amelia. I was distracted and mistakenly bumped into these two. Luckily the crate didn't fall, so no harm done." Aizen replied, with a nervous chuckle.
Amelia glanced at the two adventurers. The massive knight looking warrior with his closed helm told her nothing, but the beautiful woman had a disgusted expression on her face. It didn't take her long to understand what had caused that reaction. It was herself and Aizen.
"You're adventurers correct?" She asked, while Momon gave the crate back to Aizen.
"Yes, we are. I am Momon. This is Nabe." The dark warrior said as he motioned to himself and his companion.
"Huh. Still copper-ranked…" Amelia mumbled, looking at Aizen for a moment, before speaking again to the tall adventurer.
"Would you be interested in taking another profession?"
"W-What do you mean?" Momon asked, his voice wavering just enough to indicate his surprise at the sudden offer given.
"We are in charge of the Espada Mercenary Company. You might have heard of it, and I was wondering if you would be interested in joining us?" Amelia informed with business-like finesse.
There was a moment of silent hesitation from the man called "Momon" as he looked to and fro to each of them. The body-language was enough for Amelia to discern small bits of uncertainty, as well as caution. It was this last point that drew her attention, and she resisted the urge to perk a brow at this.
"Why us?" He replied in neutral tones.
"Because we can see that you have potential. I may not look like much, but I do have an eye for talent." Aizen replied with a friendly smile.
"Hm. We appreciate the offer, but we already have jobs as adventurers, and it would be unfitting if we were to throw away our previous commitments for this one."
"What a shame. You could really have done us some good." Aizen said as he sighed in disappointment.
"But please, do keep the offer in mind." Amelia cordially added.
"We shall. Apologies, but I'm afraid we must be leaving." Momon informed.
He took a quick, but polite bow before turning and walking way, with his beautiful companion following closely behind. After about five minutes, the adventurer duo were nearly out of sight as Amelia then began speaking.
"So? Why did you signal me to get them talking?" Amelia asked.
"They were more than they seemed." Aizen replied, his attention still on the duo in the distance.
"Oh? How so?"
"The man is an undead, and an incredibly powerful one at that. The girl I highly doubt is human, but I am unsure as to what she is."
"Hmph. She hated us."
"Indeed."
"Well, we can always keep them under surveillance." Amelia stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes. Let us do so." Aizen replied with a cunning smile.