The Dæmons have finally made their move, and they are beginning to stir chaos in the World of the Living. Humans are disappearing at an alarming rate, threatening the world's balance as they know it. The cycle of transmigration is getting thrown out of loop, and it's only a matter of time before the Soul Society and World of the Living collide, potentially destroying them both. The Seireitei is slowly becoming aware of something lurking in the shadows, and soon they will learn that they are not alone in this universe. There is always something or someone stronger, but will they be able to defend against such an unknown danger?

[7]

The sound of alarms, papers being thrown, and shouting of several researchers could be heard from within the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, (or S.R.D.I. for short.) Their sensors have detected strange anomalies from the World of the Living, but they are unable to gather any detailed information due to the unnaturally high density of Reishi in the affected areas. Many Souls have disappeared from the cycle of transmigration, and it's happening at such an alarming rate that the researchers fear the Quincies might be back, but there has not been a noticeable decrease in Hollows according to their data. They do what any reasonable person would do in this situation, and call for the Captain of the 12th Division, the President of the S.R.D.I., and perhaps the only person that can calm the chaos happening here.

Captain Nagayo Senchouorsentei, (or Captain Sen for short), stormed into the main office of the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab, and let out of small puff of air as she looked at the mess the room was in. She gazed at the large screens on the wall displaying a slew of data with her sky-blue eyes and ran a hand through her brightly colored pink hair to calm her nerves. After adjusting her braids, she pulled out what appeared to be a tablet, and started furiously typing in the gathered data. She waited for it to process, and the noise it made when it finished calculating caused her long elf-like ears to twitch. "Oh my…" The dark-skinned girl hums to herself as she reads the results of the analysis. "It seems a number of Pluses have disappeared from the World of the Living, or rather…" She pressed on something, and her ears twitched again at the results. "Living Humans are being forcefully removed from the cycle of transmigration. Someone, or something, is eradicating them entirely..."

The tablet was neatly tucked back into the lab coat that she wore instead of a traditional Captain's Haori and summoned a Jigokuchō. The strange woman smiled at the butterfly and brushed it gently with her finger as she relayed the information of her discovery, sending it to the Captain-Commander. Humans were disappearing at an alarming rate, and if this were to continue, their worlds might collide from the imbalance of Souls. She looked at the screens once more, noting that the highest number of disappearances seems to be centered around the Kyoto region. Nagayo shook her head as she made her way to the Communication Research Section of the S.R.D.I. "Maybe one of the Shinigami stationed in the area would have seen something…" She mumbled to herself as she walked, playing with her braids, and staring at the ceiling the entire way there.

The Communication Research Section of the S.R.D.I. was in much better shape than the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab had been, but Captain Sen was met with reports that they were unable to get in contact with some of the Shinigami that were stationed in the World of the Living. Nagayo shook her head, knowing that this was going to happen. The density of Reishi in the area prevented them from contacting anyone near the area, so they had no way of knowing whether the Shinigami stationed there were even alive, or whether they died trying to prevent whatever was happening.

A Jigokuchō flew into the room, landing on the Captain's finger. She listened carefully to the response from the Captain-Commander and let out an audible groan when it was finished. "Of course it's a meeting. It's always a meeting… Blah blah blah emergency this emergency that. Just let me do my research…" She walked out of the lab and made her way towards the headquarters of the 1st Division. The main hall already had a few Captains standing around when she arrived, which wasn't very surprising, as she hadn't exactly been in a hurry to attend the congregation.

Once all the Captains finally arrived, Captain-Commander Kurai Kohiyama started the meeting, and gave the floor to Captain Sen to speak. Nagayo tried to keep it short and concise as she relayed the information of her findings and analysis of the data their sensors had picked up from the World of the Living. "In short, something is causing Humans to disappear at an abnormal rate, and if it continues, we could all die as the two worlds collide. The Reishi density in the area is at that of a Lieutenant's level, maybe even a Captains or higher. This is something we've never seen before." She paused as she looked at the Captain-Commander for approval to keep talking, and then continued. "I suggest we find out what we are dealing with, and that we send a Captain to the World of the Living to do so."

Murmuring erupted from amongst the gathered Captains, but they were quickly silenced by the Captain-Commander. He considered Captain Sen's words carefully and concluded that she was right. This wasn't something they should risk losing people over. He looked over the Captains, wondering who would be best suited for a mission like this. "Are there any that want to take on this role? This could potentially be a very dangerous mission, and I can't guarantee anything. The readings were done with heavy interference in the area, so things could be much worse than we're anticipating. I won't fault you if you choose not to volunteer." He paused for a minute to let the Captains think it over and added in another piece of information to help them make up their minds. "As per the rules and regulations, you will also be placed under a Limiter, as to prevent any further damage to the Humans in the World of the Living."

This was met with some backlash from the Captains, but especially from Captain Zen Higuchi of the 11th Division. "Seriously? A Limiter? The Reishi there is already out of control! What difference would it make? What if we get into a fight and can't defend ourselves because most of our powers are sealed?! We'd be walking into a death trap!" Some of the Captains agreed with his words, but others that stuck a little closer to the rules and regulations did not.

Captain-Commander Kohiyama was not surprised to hear these words, as was often the case when it came to dealing with the 11th Division. He sighed and shook her head, almost throwing off the black cat that was always perched atop his hair, but it dug in with its claws, causing him to yelp in pain. This lightened the mood a bit in the main hall as the Captains laughed at his misfortune. "Not funny, guys…" He rubbed his head, checking to see if there was blood, and then turned his attention back to the meeting as if nothing had happened. "This will simply be an investigation. You are not to engage in combat at any costs. If you discover enemies, then report back to the Seireitei and we will send reinforcements to deal with them at once. We must know what we are dealing with before we do anything." He looked at each Captain, and then asked the same question as before. "Now who would like to take on this potentially dangerous mission?"

Hakan Takao, Captain of the 7th Division, and currently the youngest Captain, stepped forward to address the Captain-Commander. "Can I go?" He smiled brightly at the idea of travelling back to the World of the Living, as he hadn't been back in ages. What he wasn't expecting was backlash from one of the other Captains, and it momentarily surprised him until he realized who it was.

Katheryn Hyde, Captain of the 10th Division, had stepped forward and grabbed Hakan by the collar. "Are you insane? You're the most inexperienced one here! You've been a Captain for less than a year! This is an insanely dangerous mission. Let someone else do it." She glared at him, expecting him to follow her advice.

He brushed her hand away and laughed. It was a kind and nervous laugh, one he did quite often. "I'm a Captain now, Kat, I can take care of myself." He smiled and turned towards the Captain-Commander. "I'll take the role and travel to the World of the Living."

The Captain-Commander nods at his words and thinks it will be a good idea for the young Captain to prove himself to the others, especially after Katheryn's words. "Very well then. If there is nothing else, then I will conclude this meet-"

Hakan jumps in before the Captain-Commander can finish, his words directed towards the Captain of the 2nd Division, Ikkou Shihōin, Commander of the Onmitsukidō. "Can I borrow someone from your Division? You guys' kind of specialize in stealth, and I figured it would be good to have an expert with me." He laughed nervously as he could feel the Captain-Commander's glare shooting daggers into the side of his head.

Captain Shihōin considers the favor, and then smiles under his mask. "I think I have just the right person for the mission. I will have them meet you at the Senkaimon tomorrow morning." He then nods to the Captain-Commander, letting him know they are done.

Captain-Commander Kohiyama glares at Hakan, and then looks around to see if anyone else wants to interrupt him. "Well, if that's all, then I will conclude this meeting." He paused, almost expecting someone to speak, and when no one did, he smiled and finished. "Don't forget that all Captains and Lieutenants are required to always carry their Zanpakutō. This is even more evident now that we are potentially going into a state of war. The information shared and the words spoken at this meeting today are not to be spoken outside this room." He knocked his staff against the ground three times, and then the Captains all dispersed to go back to their Divisional duties.

Hakan let out a long sigh and made sure to get out of there quickly before Katheryn tried to berate him again. He made a beeline for the 7th Division barracks and began to prepare for his trip to the World of the Living. He couldn't help but wonder who he would go with from the Onmitsukidō, and considered whether he should bring his Lieutenant or not. He shook his head as he decided. More people would make it harder to sneak around, and he didn't want to accidentally make his presence known to the enemy. If there even was an enemy. Part of him hoped there was, and part of him really hoped that it was just some Hollows. He could deal with that, but deep down he knew that it was something so much worse.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

The Dragon has taken his first steps towards his destiny and will soon discover what it means to be a Shinigami. The Dæmons have laid the bait, and the trap is set. Will the Shinigami be strong enough to prevail, or will they fail to prevent the catastrophic collision of their two worlds? Hakan won't be able to do it alone, but there is another that will walk with him. One that has always walked in the shadows, and one that would rather stay in the dark than step into the spotlight. Only time will tell whether they are strong enough to defend what they believe in, and time isn't on their side.