A Devil's Diary [Solo Training]

[Luna Melrose]

A Devil's Diary; Destiny Unfolds Backward

Luna's introspective journey during which she will have to overcome various hurdles and tackle traumatic events.

A resurgent mystery will also resurface, finally introducing her to the creepy presence lurking within her soul... How will she react?

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SPOILER: Click to show

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[Luna Melrose]

It tickles.

Strong gusts of wind, their presence ever-so obvious, maintained a dominion over the area, always ruffling the serene girl and perturbing the stillness within this space. Consciousness drifting, the rough sensation of grainy sands and chilly gales were the only constants keeping her from drifting away into a deep trance; that she could even maintain this level of composure should be seen as a hint toward the nature of this place, a location stubbornly gripping onto her very soul. This area, filled with turmoil and contradictions, was representative of the one currently inhabiting it... This was Luna’s inner world.

How long had it been? She’d forgotten. The truth of the matter is, she didn’t truly care much either... Once inside her world’s dominion, the Shinigami had frequently found that tracking the passage of time was a futile endeavor, a task that had left her quite puzzled on many occasions. Recently, she had even begun getting dragged into this realm against her will, and could only wait it out; in this specific instance, nothing she tried had changed anything and Luna was left confined to the insides of her own spirit for an undefined period, forced into mandatory introspection. She would simply lazily count every grain of sand passing through her vision until it ceased, and as for the tally...

How many seconds are there, in eternity?

Standing proud ahead of herself, sitting still on a pedestal of dark sand, quiet and motionless, was a lone entity, the singular element worth her focus in this grim, turbulent landscape; an hourglass, lightly-colored and minuscule in comparison with the podium beneath it, was dead center within the girl’s field of view. The object wasn’t foreign to this environment, in fact that couldn’t be further from the truth as this was her Zanpakuto Spirit and, for now, an incomprehensible being whose motives escaped Luna. Silence had been its only feedback thus far, aside from eerie intrusions on her mental sanctity, its unfamiliar thoughts sporadically meddling with her own reasoning and giving merely a glimpse of its thinking.

“Haa, -hhhhh~...”, the lone woman let out, lying down on the coarse surface with both arms crossed under her head. Concentrating on her inner core, as if searching for something, she felt a strong sense of guilt, fault and reflection, feeling almost misguided about her purpose here; this phenomenon was not unheard of for the woman and was how her Zanpakuto would typically communicate, although it hadn’t yet yielded results and instead often led to blunders in their exchange of information. While she found the sensation creepy at first, it didn’t bother her much anymore, letting the Spirit overwrite her emotions as it saw fit; rather, she was aggravated by the lack of details accompanying its guidance, a fact the silent mentor was surely disheartened about as well.

Hopping in a swift motion and lifting back on her feet, she left these thoughts aside momentarily and took a quick glance at her surroundings, what little of it she could actually see; the maelstrom of sand kicked up by the continuous winds formed a thick wall not far from the pedestal, restricting Luna from exploring what lied beyond. A nearly soundless space resided within and, given her own appearance, it seemed like colors were also muted and bland, not a single speck of vibrant hue in sight; remarkably, the particularly strong air currents didn’t seem to affect her, creating a peculiar contrast between what she saw and how she felt inside the frenzied inner world.

Her gaze focused on the lone Zanpakuto Spirit, approaching its position and leaving a palm on its secluded podium while nothing but curiosity occupied her mind, she wondered just what exactly was needed for the girl to learn of its name? The direct approach didn’t work, she’d previously tried to confirm that much, which naturally meant deductions through empathy were the only way to move forward; “I’ll attempt~ to figure this out...”, she softly addressed to the distinct entity while her eyes watched the whirlpool of sand, scrutinizing it for any sign of pattern amidst this raging vortex. If its instructions weren’t an option, perhaps the advice of others might fill the gap and get her on the right track? Regardless, Luna’s awareness started to fade and with it came steady feelings of satisfaction and relief engulfing her mind, seconds before the end of this metaphysical visit...

She had lingered too long.

Beyond the horizon, a dark shadow had begun sneering, lurking, trespassing...

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

It tickles.

The light daze that accompanied one’s return from a deep slumber was a cruel reminder of the morning’s arrival, was it not? Her eyes acclimating to the surroundings and brain kicking back into high gear, Luna’s return from the realm of dreams was imminent; the velvety, comfy sensation reminiscent of a soft surface underneath her frame became the sole reason she offered any resistance against such an inevitability, if only for an instant further. This was, no doubts, the Kasumi’Oji Mansion... Thankfully, the tyrannical glow of sunlight sneaking through her drapes had no care for this yearning and compelled the young Shinigami to awaken.

A long, honest, profound and compulsory yawn characterized the girl’s rise to consciousness, attempting to clear the fog temporarily clouding her mind this early in the morning; she soon secured her footing to the ground and stood up ready to engage in her daily activities, albeit perhaps somewhat begrudgingly. It wasn’t long before her gaze was set on the drawers not too far off to the side nearby, where a change of clothes would seldom be unseemly; donning a shihakushō, she meanwhile pondered how today might be a taxing experience indeed...

After absentmindedly picking up the small, black case lying atop this furniture, she shortly revealed its content and now held in her hand an ornate, silver-colored comb the woman could use to adjust her hair; a large full-length mirror was located next to it, one she had moved out from the Academy dorms following her transfer to this new residence. Employing these, she began trying to straighten up her messy bedhead as best she could, a meticulous effort meant to maintain her typical display and let nothing stain its image; unfortunately, Luna’s one rebellious cowlick refused to collaborate as usual and, after long minutes angrily attempting to have it obey her commands, she had to reluctantly admit defeat once more.

With the basics of her daily routine out of the way, her memory still fresh from the events, she opened a different drawer and pulled out a tiny, stained book, which was seemingly destined for the scribbling of notes and thoughts. Inside, her writing was atrocious but its meaning always correlated with one atypical topic and occurrence, a periodic event she had to monitor carefully; she noted emotions felt few moments prior, journaling every irregular or unseemly impression found within her mind.

Her intentions were clear; to decipher her Zanpakuto Spirit’s aspirations.

Looking down at what she’d taken thus far, a lot of it fell into several themes; her focus and musings were often heightened during such incidents and gloomy feelings generally accompanied them, although Luna had also noticed a more positive outlook whenever she herself expressed interest in understanding their relationship better, or fostering it. However, another much more troubling theme had emerged as well, a frequent fear or sensation of worry overcoming all other emotions momentarily, without any discernible pattern to it; the Shinigami couldn’t wrap her head around this oddity... Why did it seem to occur without provocation, at random intervals? The mystery gnawed at her!

Simply carrying the meager notebook along with her for now, stashing it away into her shihakushō, those thoughts were left at the back of her mind while she instead finished preparing for her admittedly crucial tasks ahead. Opening a doorway near the back of this large bedroom, almost concealed by its fairly timid appearance, she entered a luxurious bathroom, one shared with the neighboring noblewoman; letting a short sigh escape her lungs, the servant soaked and grasped water with her palms after filling up a bucket using the room’s mechanical pump, washing and scrubbing her facial features using the clear, crystalline liquid.

There was a duty she now needed to oversee; turning back into her own bedroom, Luna hastily grabbed a medical bag left beside the bathroom door, then returned inside and seized the water vessel alongside both a sponge and piece of cloth. “Are you awake~, Ryoko?”, she casually asked with a neutral tone after lightly knocking on the other doorway directly opposite her own within the bathroom, connecting the two bedchambers. Patiently awaiting a sign of life, silence was maintained over a decently long period until... “Mhm... You may come in”, a familiar voice came from beyond the door; entering this sanctuary with her everyday glee, the young medic was hopeful today would be full of discoveries!

And yet, there it came again...

She felt inexplicably worried.

[Luna Melrose]

The calm, peaceful quietude of dawn was soon interrupted by a clattering noise, this sound deriving most commonly from a doorway’s abrupt opening; within the doorframe was Luna Melrose, whose expression matched what would be expected of someone awake at such an early hour. The space she had entered was one dedicated to satiating one’s appetite and currently offered breakfast to its occupants, with this lengthy table adorning a lavish white tablecloth set in the center of such a ceremony; several of the other attendants were already present, leaving her to peacefully pick among the remaining seats.

“Still as rowdy, I see?”; “Eep~!”, she let out upon hearing this voice she knew very well. Beside her, in the seat adjacent her own, was the steward behind several of the Kasumi’Oji internal affairs, Philip Milford, a cup in hand, nonchalantly enjoying some sort of dark coffee or similar drink. Glancing around, the young medic noticed quite a few more eyes aimed her way than usual, having seemingly disturbed the morning proceedings through her bombastic entrance; “- Sorryy~...!”, she earnestly muttered while clapping both hands and lowering her head in an apologetic gesture.

The offense was quickly forgotten.

Looking at the food ahead of herself, there was a splendid feast simply awaiting for the eager, starry-eyed girl to dig into; from traditional options to more unconventional preparations, reuniting the best of both eastern and western cuisine and including even some dishes she knew nothing about, there was enough to meet anyone’s preferences. While leaning forward to fill up her plate, she reached for a nearby serving of bread but noticed from the corner of her eye another hand had halted in its motion, which upon closer inspection appeared to be Milford’s; “Want some~, too?”, she plainly asked.

The man acquiesced, and she brought the basket within his reach.

Observing him from the side while eating away, his table manners appeared to her impeccable as always, one motion following the next in what could only be described as an utilitarian dance; in comparison, hers were nothing more than a chase for the next burst of flavors, mindless in itself to her circumstances. She had many questions troubling her mind at the moment, which is why she sought to address him; “It’s rare for you~ to join us”, Luna engaged in pleasantries and initiated small talk with the old veteran, “...A special occasion~?”.

His composure was such that no hints of emotion nor inner thinking would escape this man’s rigid form, adamantly withholding information he didn’t directly wish to convey; “Not quite”, Philip replied after a somewhat long pause, perhaps evaluating how much he wanted to share. “I simply settled my own duties ahead of schedule, yesterday”, he concluded; taking a sip, seeing how the young woman didn’t seem fully satisfied with this answer, he relaxed into his chair and set the cup aside for now, revealing his intentions for the day... “My afternoon was freed, so I shall take this opportunity to read Lady Ryoko’s latest work of fiction”.

“Mhmm~...?”, she reacted with slight surprise at the gesture, audibly letting a sign of awe get through; he didn’t strike her as someone driven by sentimentality or stimulated by pride at another’s accomplishment, so this came as a bit of a shock. “Did you have any difficulty handling her condition?”, the steward diverted toward a different topic and instead questioned her about the noblewoman’s health, a frequent outcome of her discussions these days; it might’ve been intentional though, maybe he just didn’t wish to linger on the idea that he had soft-hearted inclinations... Or, maybe there was more concealed behind this act.

Either way, his privacy was safe, for now...

Instead, the medical practitioner answered as honestly as she could; “Nope~, none at all!”. Taking a bite of her meal she’d previously acquired before continuing any further, Luna resumed after the mouthful of food had been properly chewed and swallowed; “I have lots~ of information on it now, so we’ve begun~ a few different treatment methods to try and lessen the risks... I’m monitoring her ailment twice~ a day to get an accurate measure~ of her progress”, the medic asserted, clarifying their current, ongoing efforts. Hopefully, these statements would quench their recipient’s concerns, and curtail his prying in her progress with the lady’s illness.

“Excellent”, he merely noted as they both returned their attention toward the satiation of their respective hunger; the new blood wasn’t quite thrilled with this turn of events however, since she had matters that she wished to discuss with the seasoned member of nobility. As a result, the girl soon spoke up again, this time skipping any attempts at chit-chat and rather moving straight to the point; “Actually, I’d like to ask~ you something”, she mentioned with conviction, leading his focus to return in her direction accordingly.

Not quite sure what she wanted to specifically ask herself, Luna hesitated for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts; she knew his input on her inner world was what she wished to solicit, that she was stumped and unable to reach a breakthrough yet, but how to do so in a meaningful manner was where she couldn’t envision the way forward... Sensing the difficult subject, Philip cleared the path; “No need to beat around the bush”, he commented while partaking in the last remains of his drink, silently leaving its vessel on the table afterward.

“How may I help?”.

Leaving aside any worries and deciding she’d just make the best out of any questions that came to mind in the moment, the new Shinigami disclosed clues on what was tormenting her spirit, querying the extent of his knowledge on their progression; “As an aide to the Kasumi’Oji~, I would think you know tons~ about Shinigami, correct? You assist nobles when they join~ the Gotei?”. Stroking the tip of his goatee as a habit, mulling over the question presented to him, he quickly confirmed her suspicion; “Indeed. Whenever the Kasumi’Oji are inducted as members of the Gotei 13, we provide assistance with their functions and foster their potential”, Philip plainly indicated.

A nod given to acknowledge his response, Luna moved on to the crux of her issue; “Well~, I’ve been unable to really get anywhere with my~ Zanpakuto; and I was wondering if you might have a tip~ of some sort...”, she humbly requested. Her gaze forlorn, she hadn’t managed to find a clear path forward and was unsure how to even progress; unlocking one’s innate abilities required a deep analysis of herself, which wasn’t a practice she had been accustomed to think through during her centuries amongst the Rukongai populace. “My inner world seems frozen in a constant sandstorm~, and I’ve been incapable of communicating with my spirit because we can only~ share feelings, it hasn’t spoken even once... On top~ of that, I get dragged inside at random~!”, she gradually began showing her frustration the further she got into this summary.

His eyebrow risen while she gave her account on the details of her situation, the man appeared pensive and perplexed once she was done with the portrayal of her inner world; had he perhaps latched on some clue she may use? That hope was quickly shattered; “I cannot aid you with the specifics”, Philip lamented. His body language did however indicate he hadn’t finished, and so the girl awaited with anticipation the rest of his observations; “...Although, I do nonetheless have a way to guide you on the right track; please accompany me once you’ve finished eating”.

She obliged his request.

After a dull, nonchalant closure to their respective meals completed in relative silence, although Luna had no lack of quiet elation from this promising step forward, the pair soon stepped out together; she simply followed his lead, not knowing where their destination would turn out to be. After a few quick twists and turns around the corridors, their direction was established, and with it came a realization; isn’t this...? Yep, as she had surmised; ahead of them was the large shoji door that led into the estate’s garden, and would open into a wide veranda attached to this side of the building.

Revealing this intricate scenery located outside the bounds of the residence, the man addressed the one trailing him; “Can you remind me, what purpose does this display serve?”, he probed her for an answer. Recalling her first visit and their teachings since then, she confidently replied, persuaded she knew what he was alluding toward; “This beautiful, lush~ landscape is meant to influence a guest’s perception of us positively, isn’t it~?”. This interpretation was promptly confirmed, though where he was headed with this remained yet a mystery; “Correct. Everything here is meaningful and has been chosen with a goal in mind”.

He turned around, now facing the petite girl; “The same applies for your inner world”, the steward calmly explained. “All of what you’ve mentioned, has a similar significance; every little thing you’ve seen or felt is a symbol you can interpret in some way”; this piece of wisdom was one he likely shared with any noble undertaking this path, but it was nevertheless a valuable one. Understanding how to reach further heights required that she go back to the basics, even when it came to her comprehension of the world itself; “For Shinigami, the inner world is akin to a mirror; if I may give a tip, try to discern what is reflected through its lens...”.

“The way ahead should become evident afterward”.

Her eyes now wide open, what should’ve been obvious from the start still came as an epiphany for Luna; this otherworldly creation was a representation of herself, which meant the answers she sought weren’t necessarily limited to her Zanpakuto, everything else played a role too. She had simply accepted things as they were, but perhaps there was a different way to approach this; “Hmm~, thank you!”, she exclaimed happily to the one who had helped her reach this conclusion. The girl now understood; her usual curiosity would become the cornerstone and best method she could employ to discover and navigate that realm... She was doubtful this was a coincidence.

Her revelation was accompanied by another offer the man was willing to bring forward, should the young attendant necessitate such a measure; “We can prepare an area suitable for your entry into a meditative state this evening, if you should feel so inclined”. The proposal was certainly welcome and caused the lady alongside him to become starry-eyed, very keen to the idea; “Oooh~, could you?! That’d be great~!”, she earnestly replied in turn. It was as if she felt the winds shift, and at that moment she intuitively knew; the girl would reach her so-desired breakthrough and take her first step on the path of a Shinigami tonight.

The steward nodded, then gave his instructions; “I’ll have it prepared before dusk, meet me by the storage area after dinner”, he commented. She was ecstatic about this outcome, and greatly appreciated their assistance with the matter at hand; there was no doubt this would kickstart her ascent and bypass many of the hardships that might’ve awaited her otherwise. “Will do~! Thank you again~ for the help!”, the girl said as she scampered away; Luna still had other duties requiring her attention until then, but gratitude was undeniable from her motions and expressions, leaving only because the clock dictated so.

[Luna Melrose]

“Are you ready?”.

“Mhmm~!”.

The woman had met with him again, as the early signs of night began to show themselves; she previously had warned Ryoko of such intentions, who had endorsed and allowed her to postpone the medical session between them as long as might be needed. She therefore didn’t need to stress about the duration of this exercise, and could follow the Kasumi’Oji steward wherever preparatory measures had been taken for her pursuits; it seems that location was far into the woods at the back of the mansion, as they had now gone down a trail for what felt like a few minutes already.

Eventually emerging into a secluded grove, the forest made way for a clearing inside which rocks of various sizes proudly stood, where an arrangement involving tapestry and torches alight with spiritual flames was setup; they had sincerely attempted to fulfill her desires it seems, since this was clearly above and beyond the requirements for entering one’s inner world. “These will aid you and deepen the communication”, he clarified, pointing out the flames, “Return whenever your wish has been met”; she gave him a courteous bow as the man resumed walking along the trail, his course now reversed.

Slowly taking her stance on top of the large tapestry, she unsheathed her Zanpakuto and left it upon her lap, a posture commonly associated with the communion between Shinigami and one’s Zanpakuto Spirit. Its blade began to shine with a light glow from the oversaturated presence of spiritual energy within the surroundings, a fact she didn’t miss; ooh~, this was promising! Her eyes closed, concentration heightened, she lessened her breathing gradually and attempted to access her inner world... Soon, her consciousness breached the bounds of her own soul, leaving the limitations of her body behind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

This was her second visit, today.

Her eyes opened, and ahead of herself was a familiar sight; this desertic landscape she had come to now associate with her own inner world, with the lone hourglass on its pedestal amidst a chaotic twister of air, constantly twirling the sand around them both. The girl first approached this lonely figure, declaring her reason for coming; “Hey~; I’m here to give it another~ shot...”, she justified. A sense of understanding and gratitude submerged her, which she recognized as her Zanpakuto’s feelings and its only way to converse with the Shinigami.

Looking around, what she should first inspect seemed obvious; crouching down and placing a palm against the ground surface, Luna lifted a handful of sand and began fiddling with it, attempting to understand its significance. Focusing on its texture for once, the supposedly coarse grains of sand felt surprisingly smooth to the touch, deviating from her expectations; the girl was unable to deduce what this fact suggested just yet, but she knew this component was central to the portrayal of her soul. She could confirm one detail, however... Digging into the sand quickly revealed another surface beneath, this one hard and dense; there was something below, a limit she apparently couldn’t cross.

Next, she systematically placed a finger against her lip and paused a moment, before raising it into the air while seemingly awaiting some sort of feedback; her finger had been coated with a layer of saliva and as she had surmised, this liquid soon began to solidify, the cold temperature she frequently felt most likely under its freezing point. This was meaningful because these conditions would normally have a harsh effect on her body, yet the woman could remain inside this climate infinitely without risk; she theorized it was thanks to the nature of this world, but this frigidness was surely representative of a problem with herself she would eventually have to address.

Having collected a few crucial clues already, she moved on to the main attraction and began investigating the essence of this permanent sandstorm that ensnared both herself and the small hourglass; the purpose of this wall remained a mystery, but she was now curious to discover why such a thing existed within the realm that personified her soul. Approaching the bounds delineated by this column of sand, the scientific-minded woman tried to touch it, but was soon met with severe pain; “Ow~!!”, she pushed, attempting to force her way in, but the barrier didn’t budge and simply kept rejecting her presence.

The boundary endured this violation, since its true form dwelled within her mind.

Distraught, she chose to take a moment to re-evaluate the situation; an obstruction stood ahead of herself and stopped her attempts to reach for what lied beyond, limiting the scope of her motions to an enclosed space. Given the fierce nature of this mayhem, the storm was in all likelihood an unnatural phenomenon and had an underlying cause, which could be corrected with the right approach; there was therefore some way to cross this perimeter, although she had caught no indication yet of what might be at the root of this issue. The Shinigami did soon notice an intriguing detail, however... The sleeve of her arm she used when exerting force against this obstacle had seemingly remained undamaged through the ordeal.

Testing out a theory, the scheming girl ripped a thin, long strip of her shihakushō and then flung one end beyond the sand wall while firmly gripping the other, thrusting the piece of cloth through it; she intended to observe the result, and quickly determined the material wasn’t being repelled, only she was... With that new, valuable piece of information in hand, Luna hastily removed one of her sandals and reached for the edge of this confined space, using it to reach beyond and pull some more sand inside; that confirmed her suspicions and affirmed the conjecture she had made... Her inner world didn’t end here, more of it stood on the other side.

That deduction revitalized her spirit and gave her a newfound desire to learn more, but she couldn’t grasp the principle behind that barrier; why was it even blocking her way in the first place? She needed answers; the woman lied down and thought, thought until either a revelation came or her neurons fried. Thankfully, the former struck, and a viable rationale emerged from her mind... What if this was all merely a matter of perspective? Since this realm symbolized Luna as a whole, perhaps the storm was evidence that she was currently narrow-minded and needed to expand her horizon, in some way?

Although, she wasn’t quite sure which mindset of hers required growth...

Happily hopping back to her feet, she headed back toward her Zanpakuto, a plan in mind; “Let’s attempt~ something new; I’ll ask you questions, reply with positive feelings when I’m close~ and negative emotions otherwise”. The hourglass remained silent, but she felt happiness gradually build up; “Alright~, here goes; is my inner world limited to this~ sandstorm?”, she first queried. A swift sensation of sorrow took hold of her, which meant that wasn’t the case; “Mhm~... Is it the result of a narrow mindset~?”, she followed up. Joy arose, corroborating her reasoning; thinking through what to inquire next, she settled on a decision. “Is my viewpoint~ off?”, the girl requested; unfortunately, before she could receive this vital information, a feeling of intense mania started warping her mind, and a sharp agony reverberated through her being...

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Shinigami’s eyes shot open from the experience.

Whatever had just happened, she could tell it was nothing good and foretold diverse hardships in the near future; this was as if her consciousness had been forcefully ripped away from her own spirit, and a seeping malice had managed to taint the faraway corners of her soul. Slowly regaining her senses, what occurred next was nothing reassuring either; her Zanpakuto’s blade, left on her lap until now, was covered in a dark red spiritual energy, and its surface was steadily emitting heat. Hot, hot~! Pushing it away, she broke her meditative stance fully and moved away from the intricate setup Philip had prepared for her, the bottom of her shihakushō scorched where her Zanpakuto had previously been.

Picking up her sword after the phenomenon seemed to have subsided, she sheathed it and repositioned its short scabbard on her hip, having left it aside before for the sake of sitting comfortably; her mind was admittedly blank following this incident, even she couldn’t grasp what had just happened. She instinctively knew it would be best not to mention such an affair until she had identified its origin however, planning to remain silent and figure this out herself; Luna returned toward the Kasumi’Oji estate in the pitch-black darkness of late dusk, not realizing that she carried along a memento of the events... An inexplicable desire to laugh.

[smear:6699CC]“Kukukukukukuku-...”[/smear:C41E3A], she meekly chuckled.

[Luna Melrose]

The dimly lit corridors of the Twelfth Division welcomed its impromptu visitor, this overactive woman with an insatiable hunger for the unknown; today wasn’t meant to indulge her curiosity, however, the scientist actually had a very different goal in mind for once. Nonchalantly walking through the numerous hallways and gazing at the rooms she was passing by, her destination wasn’t clear; her eyes seemed to be seeking something, searching for some sort of landmark in her surroundings... Where was she headed?

Stopping by a large, monotone doorway with a pleased look in her eyes, she motioned toward the gate’s mechanism and swiftly caused it to burrow into the ground; closing this door again behind her, Luna found herself inside this wide room filled with surveillance equipment of all kinds and numerous digital monitors affixed against the walls. As a centerpiece to this whole arrangement, there was a singular computer that seemed interconnected with the rest of this setup, offering a central point of control; she currently sought to access it, perusing any information within the database related to a particular topic...

What began flashing on its screen were incident reports, all within the Rukongai.

It didn’t take long before another figure crept up behind her, an unexpected guest who eagerly awaited a chance to interrupt the greenhorn Shinigami; “What are you doing...?”, a voice boomed from behind and frightened the young lady. “Eek-!”, she let out and leapt from the seat she had chosen to occupy, turning around toward this unknown visitor; the one who caught her glance was a stern-looking individual whose poker face was impeccable, her own reflection all she could see when looking at the man’s tinted glasses. “That was spooky~!”, she promptly claimed, pouting a bit; he seemingly ignored her, instead approaching the terminal she’d just been using.

“What were you looking at?”, the researcher probed.

Uh oh... Sensing the man’s insistence, Luna only hesitated for a moment prior to deciding she would share the purpose of her search, as she felt no need to hide her circumstances among those from the Squad; its members were rarely bound by a sense of morality, after all. “Well~ see, there’s this one Hollow I’ve been interested~ about and I thought, maybe I’d find information on it here? It’s an old sighting that kinda looks like~ a parasite”, she leaned on nearby furniture, attempting to fish for useful intel; the one who oversaw these grounds had now reclaimed his rightful throne, and indifferently gave a peek at the various entries that might match this description.

It took a moment of course, but eventually his scrutiny bore fruits; “...Is this the one?”, he queried while turning the screen around and showing her a log he’d found. This account described a swarm of Hollows, no bigger than a few inches individually, with the ability to latch on their preys to feed and travel; attached alongside this report was a digital picture, which all but confirmed the creature was exactly what she had fought twice before. “Yes, that’s exactly~ it!”, she made a light hop in delight; finally some good progress on that front, she thought!

Pushing up his large spectacles, the scientist commented on the information within; “These Hollows tend to be particularly weak, so even a grunt from the Rukongai can easily deal with a few of them; that’s why they’ve been neglected and have run amok for nearly a century, according to our estimates...”. For these creatures, such a slow response time and massive leeway must’ve felt like an open feast, with no end in sight to their appetite; inspecting the records further, the man appended an additional remark.

“However, their nests did prove to be troublesome hurdles”.

The large horde they’d met in the sewers must’ve been because they had stumbled upon such a nest, she theorized; either way, that was neither here nor there. “Perhaps because they aren’t considered a credible threat, the logs associated with them barely have any confidentiality requirements; it seems that only our Squad has truly made any efforts to curb their activities”; his last statement instantly piqued her interest... “How~ sooo?”, she hurriedly jaunted her way over to his side and stopped slightly behind him, attempting to covertly sneak a peek at anything that might not be so freely accessible.

With her curiosity at an utmost peak, the man explained; “Its ability was deemed worthy of investigation, and a few teams were recently sent to collect specimens. There have been casualties it seems, during this endeavor”. Although it might be hard to notice from his standpoint, she had gone temporarily silent after this revelation; it was veiled by her typical perky attitude, but she felt a twinge of anger at the moment... So, they were the reason why; the Shinigami she had on her operation table on that fateful night was one of theirs.

Burying her emotions under a pretense of composure, she instead focused on this opportunity to possibly learn more about the critter afflicting the fabric of her soul; “Were any~ retrieved...?”, she questioned out of him, now standing uncomfortably close to the terminal herself. “Only a deceased individual, which you can request for inspection; capture attempts are still being made for a live specimen as we speak”. Well~, that was a relief! She would definitely have a look, when the chance would present itself; the girl happily overlooked, or perhaps ignored, the associated administrative duty, preferring not to think of it as a form of limitation on her freedoms toward experimentation...

“Any way~ I could, maaaybe ask to be part~ of the next team?”, she merrily appealed to her senior, having now redirected her attention toward him; she awaited his answer, gifting him her best puppy eyes in the meantime. “Sure, but, why are you even so interested in the first place? This is pretty mundane compared to what’s happening here”, he challenged, dubious about her motives; while her reaction wasn’t anything major, he had nonetheless struck a chord with this query, causing her gaze to now be pointed downward and her body language to close inward.

“Actually~, I’ve run into it twice already...”, she revealed; her stance disclosed atypical vulnerability, unlike her usual disposition, and she seemingly couldn’t stand her peer’s gaze any longer. Meanwhile, his vision was locked onto her and scrutinized her every movement, either due to a boundless thirst for knowledge or as a form of sadistic torture, she couldn’t tell; “I had an encounter with~ these Hollows in the Rukongai before, and... Lost a friend~, during another”, the young scientist sheepishly said... It hurt, it still hurt, but she couldn’t dwell forever on events of the past.

His sharp look shrouded by the tint of his glasses yet penetrating deeply into her core regardless gave her heebie-jeebies, as if the man was trying to uncover all she wished to keep private; however, his insight as a squadmate was welcomed in spite of that, whenever he would choose to impart her with such wisdom. Eventually, this acumen was put to good use, although in a profoundly unexpected manner; “You’re safe, now”, he bluntly stated, “You’ve joined the Gotei 13, which means you can simply put these fears behind you and move forward; you have colleagues you can depend on”.

His words were direct, straightforward and forthright, but they spoke the unbiased truth; no matter what might’ve occurred before, she had no need to burden herself with phantoms of the past... Except, the girl truly had no other choice! Their blight could only be contained for now, but who knew how long this would last, or even if she really had the corruption of her spirit under control; besides, he had mentioned another word that also stuck with her, although she wasn’t sure why yet: Fear... Of what? Of... Hell. She was afraid, one could even say terrorized of what might await, if all she did was try to blindly move on with her life...

Shaking off the dread and shivers, her eyes opened wide for a moment; that’s it, that was the reason why! She had been puzzled why her inner world obstructed her view of its farthest landscape and movements toward distant landmarks, but in hindsight the basis for it should’ve been obvious! Luna lost sight of what genuinely mattered along the way, and had become short-sighted toward her own goals and ideals; these Hollows were merely a singular hindrance on her path, and distracted her from the real threat Hell posed to her autonomy for nearly a millennia.

A smile arose on her lips.

“Thank you~, you’ve really opened my eyes!”, she commented, her eager side now back in full swing; she excitedly reached for one of his hands and forcefully shook it up and down, squeezing it hard in overjoyed frenzy. “Errr, you’re welcome?”, he confusedly replied, trying to lightly pull his arm out of its predicament; “Although~, please still let me know when another team’s being~ assembled!”, she clarified, letting go of her victim’s appendage simultaneously. The young lady then frolicked on her way out, newfound strength surging through herself; she couldn’t wait to try her theory and felt motivated by the prospects of further discovery!

[Luna Melrose]

Taking another stab at solving the obstacles of her inner world, most predominantly its confined enclosure restricting her from accessing the full scope of her soul’s depths, Luna was wandering in once more, after her most recent sparks of inspiration; the nostalgic scenery of its barren landscape was again laid bare in front of the girl’s eyes, welcoming its host with open arms... She had speculated on the nature of its barrier and now came to verify her current hypothesis; whether the intellectual was correct or not, these theories would surely hone her understanding of this world’s inner workings, nonetheless.

Her steady, firm footsteps took Luna to the limits of the sandstorm, its raging winds ever-present as usual; although, their intensity seemed far less fierce and erratic than she’d seen previously, its demeanor now closer to a slow vortex through which she could almost already see. That was a great omen, and was likely a sign she was on the right tracks; formerly, she’d feel a sort of lingering pain, as if even approaching was prohibited, whenever she came in proximity to the turbulent maelstrom.

Closing her eyes, slowing her breathing and calming any thoughts that might’ve been surfacing in her mind at the moment, she instead deepened her focus inward and attempted what she thought would have an effect on the obstruction; the scientist would visualize and concentrate on her own past, returning to her roots in an attempt to infer the reasons why her soul was now obscured. It felt like she perhaps lost sight of something crucial... That’s why, she began tracing her memories backward; her life in the Rukongai, the time she spent with a Beast Clan, the journey she made with outcasts of society, her first encounter with Aura Melrose... Then, he came to mind.

Asbjørn; her father.

Instantly, her thoughts went black, with unadulterated fury starting to well up inside herself; she had this vivid sensation of hatred engulfing every corner of her consciousness, panicked by the irrational fear that his influence might take hold of her spirit once more. The woman had grown a lot since his oppression yet still felt like a terrorized child when confronting his ire, her worst experiences while under his thumb now flashing through her memory; she had no choice but to try rejecting this control he had over her, by any means necessary...

Faced with that brutal reality again, her mind stuttered, teeth clattered, and each bone inside of her body shuddered from fright; every stimulation she felt was heightened by her sensitive focus, and paralysis had overtaken her conduct. Her eyes remained firmly shut, for fear she would be greeted with his presence if they were ever opened; instead, she fell backwards and, having lost her grasp on the surroundings, curled up into a ball on the ground, letting out a guttural screech of terror and pain as a result of these unwanted flashbacks from her past... “HHRWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-- ~!!”, the girl cried out.

Her emotions running wild, thoughts unbound, she was swallowed in grief and agony; there was nothing she could do about it, her soul had been tainted from the very beginning... Death. Torture. Misery. Despair. Doom. Tragedy... Her fate was sealed since birth, and she couldn’t remain calm because of that. Getting caught up on her own breaths, struggling to soothe her mind and relax her attitude, Luna hyperventilated and was battling sudden, erratic heartbeat palpitations; thankfully, her composure slowly returned, bit by bit, until she finally felt at peace once more.

She knew what just happened... Her Zanpakuto had stabilized her condition.

Opening her eyes and cautiously welcoming back their sight, her view was filled with a serene landscape, the sands at a standstill no matter how far she looked; wherever she turned her head, the same scenery repeated itself, meaning the barrier enclosing them had seemingly now vanished. What stood in its place was however admittedly no better as the woman was centered inside a wide yet shallow pit, its boundary blocking the way once more; she would need to verify whether she could cross that new obstacle. On the bright side, Asbjørn was nowhere to be seen, a relief for sure; all’s well that ends well then, right?

Wrong.

Although the sandstorm had subsided, there still seemed to be abnormal conditions within this realm and worse, they were ones she hadn’t observed until then; first and foremost, the cold winds had now taken a turn, their temperature dropping substantially and leading any moisture to freeze around herself. Such a phenomenon caused the ground underneath her feet to congeal and solidify the path she walked into a slippery trail, a terrible consequence for one who sought to explore this place further; moreover, each of her breaths emitted a small mist of frost and the sweat coating her skin quickly turned icy, uncomfortable outcomes for anyone choosing to inhabit or interact with this land.

Albeit far more subtle, she also swiftly realized a different problem as the dust settled; the intensity of her surroundings had greatly diminished, dull colors permeating the landscape, as if her inner world had been bleached and discolored. At least, she thought so initially; when looking at herself, even her body wasn’t properly colored, which rather indicated it may be her vision that had deteriorated and deprived her of a colorful world’s allure... Was it that perhaps her soul itself had lost its luster? Whichever the case, this was certainly a hint that something had gone horribly wrong during her earlier meddling within the depths of her spirit, even though the core of what she wished to address was indeed no more...

Lifting up, she returned to her Zanpakuto’s side, the singular hourglass atop its pedestal and reigning as a guardian over this space; the Shinigami was extremely grateful for its help when it mattered most and, as such, wished to convey that she acknowledged it as her precious companion. “Thank you~ for the rescue and support!”, she solemnly bowed, feeling a strong sense of appreciation for its assistance; it seems such a sentiment was mutual between them. However, sensations of impatience followed with harmony soon came as well, which Luna interpreted as clues she’d need to move forward; maybe it was a way to say she needed to take things slower, seeking peace with these traumatic experiences?

Easier said than done, unfortunately...

Setting these aside for now, the young woman instead moved toward the slopes of sand near the edge of the shallow hole they were in, hopeful that she might be able to climb it to the top; as might be expected, the constant freezing under her feet made that an arduous task, even though the sand itself was no longer pit against herself as a blockade on her way. The entire surface became extremely slippery whenever she approached, meaning it would still prove impossible to navigate on the other side for now... A lot of work remained, before she’d truly get the proper hang on this place.

She let out a short sigh, distraught by this development; a substantial effort had been made and the girl’s circumstances had managed to shift as a result, but there were no doubts the outcome hadn’t been quite what she desired either. Slowly allowing her consciousness to fade into nothingness, the whims of physical necessities calling her back, she was on the verge of leaving her inner world behind; her Zanpakuto’s name and therefore her Shikai persistently lingered out of reach, this internal journey stubbornly bearing none of its professed fruits just yet...

She would need some novelty in her approach.

[Luna Melrose]

The sun was high and the sky remained clear today, a perfect occasion to partake in some outdoor activity; one girl had taken the opportunity to go on a leisurely stroll this afternoon, a silver-haired lady in Shinigami attire with this short, loose Zanpakuto carried on the left of her hip and a large hooded cloak, almost taller than she herself was, covering most of her feminine frame. The traveler’s easygoing attitude made quite a few heads turn her way as well, bouncing alongside the trail without any care for her surroundings; given her short stature, she could’ve easily been mistaken for a lost child, had she not chosen to wear her formal shihakushō before coming here.

Her current location was one of the upper districts in western Rukongai, a district known for its storefronts along the road and an open market, providing a hotspot for all sorts of trading endeavors; Shinigami were frequent visitors given its proximity to one of the gates, while many of the businesses belonged to lesser nobles and affluent souls. Right now, these linear paths were busy and full of individuals, a ruckus which led merchants to attempt garnering as much interest in their wares as possible, signaling that this was the district’s rush hour; such a high turnover of visitors would be perfect for Luna’s present intentions, playing directly into the purpose of her arrival.

See~, she had a plan...

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The soothing presence of sunlight rays illuminated her bedroom and came from slightly above the horizon on this mundane morning, much like any other; the one it hosted had completed her sunrise preparations, and now engaged in an unusual activity this quickly after daylight’s appearance. Laid cross-legged on her mattress, Luna had become almost part of the room’s decor, having taken a meditative posture so early in the day; her Zanpakuto was left unsheathed in front of herself with its blade now laid bare, in an attempt for them to communicate together... “Sooo~, I had this thought”, she audibly mentioned; where was she headed with this?

Head downcast, her focus heightened, she resumed by divulging her aim and laying some groundwork for her logic; “The foundation for a lasting~ relationship is good communication, right? So~, I’ve been thinking that maybe if we reeeally~ push ourselves into it, that perhaps we could find a way to exchange our ideas more reliably than we currently do”, she exclaimed... The silence was deafening, but she expected no less from this interaction; “I’ll have some errands~ to run today anyway, so I thought, why not~ let you make the decisions and I’ll try to enact them~ as best I can? What do you think~?”. The woman felt affirmed in her proposal, which surely meant her Zanpakuto Spirit agreed to partake in this exercise.

“Great~!”, she uttered; “Let’s conduct this~ like a training session!”.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gazing at the many shops in her surroundings, her eyes eventually caught a glimpse of one she felt would play perfectly into their little exercise, her sweet tooth coincidentally enticed with a display of sweets, of various colors and shapes; her sight also landed on the savvy shopkeeper who had noticed this interest in his merchandise, and now waved at her to come forward. Gradually approaching the retailer after shoving her way through what felt like endless waves of other customers moving along the road, she finally came within earshot of the shrewd man; “Welcome, young miss! How may I help?”.

“Mhm~, I was glancing at your sweets~...”, she replied; “Of course! Which ones caught your interest?”, he asked in response. Ahead of herself were all kinds of confections, with numerous designs and flavors; yet, two in particular captured her attention, a fruity pastry of some sort and glazed scones. Picking them both up, she was about to decide, when... “...What do you~ think?”, the girl questioned out loud; “W- What?”, a perplexed merchant let out in return. “Not you~”, she plainly indicated, providing no further information about what she truly meant; thankfully, this vendor had experience dealing with Shinigami and therefore simply shrugged it off, aware already of how strange they could sometimes be.

Focused inward, Luna paid it no heed and simply attempted to understand her Zanpakuto’s answer; she felt anxious, agitated, curious, hopeful... It was hard distinguishing which of her emotions wasn’t her own but, eventually, she figured it out; how was she meant to interpret that, though...? Slightly scratching her head, Luna came to a logical conclusion she believed would be correct; “I’ll have one of the glazed scones~, please!”, she happily announced while thinking that since she’d never had one, her Zanpakuto had picked this option. However, a sense of gloom immediately overwhelmed her, disclosing that it was an inaccurate insight; oh no~, she hadn’t considered that what had initially attracted her interest to this shop were the many colorful baked products!

“Ahhh~!”, she fumbled around, “I- I’ve changed~ my mind!”; taking out this meager purse from the depths of her sleeve, she instead paid for one of the pastries and moved into the crowd while the pleased store owner waved enthusiastically. “Thank you for your patronage!”, he asserted. Meanwhile, her spirit wasn’t feeling festive at all; the lady was rather disappointed their efforts hadn’t worked as intended and fussed over what to do now. “How are we supposed~ to make this work...?”, Luna outwardly lamented; she knew their inability to transfer concise thoughts was a major handicap, but emotions offered no lack of leeway regarding how she would understand each message it would try to emit...

...Wait.

“That’s it~!!”.

She suddenly remembered a critical and as-of-yet overlooked detail in their interactions so far, one which had been superficial but might still offer a different, much more reliable form of communication between them; during its very first intrusion on her mind back at the Academy, the Zanpakuto had managed not to share feelings, but rather actual thoughts between them... What was different, at that moment? Actually, the singular distinction she could perceive was that unlike now, she hadn’t been guarding her beliefs and was concentrating very hard on a distinct rationale, allowing other thoughts to slip through and mix into her own.

Resuming her walk along the wealthy commercial district, she was quickly granted an opportunity to test this hypothesis; a fork conveniently appeared within her path, providing them another chance to entrust her Zanpakuto with a choice and attempt to decipher its response. On the left, the main artery continued further with lots of traffic and equally frequent shops, whereas the rightmost trail gave way to a somber, dark ambiance where illicit dealings were no doubts a frequent occurrence; racking her brains very hard, she pondered, perused, scrutinized, until... At last, her thoughts settled on the <left> one.

Moving along and ignoring this branch of the road, the Shinigami was confident she had finally interpreted its signal correctly; that was so much easier to understand, especially when compared with the capricious nature of her feelings! Sensing relief, she knew at that moment her perception was right and instantly felt thrilled with the results, aware that a manner by which they could communicate properly had just shown itself; her Zanpakuto was certainly in agreement, because what it now relayed was an upbeat mood.

Peppy and overjoyed, she enthusiastically addressed her short combat partner; “Alright~, we’ve found a plan! Now, let’s~ practice it further...”, the lady whispered. Luna was now extremely spirited, planning to hone their aptitude into something they could employ as a force of habit; “Let’s make it second nature~!”, she proclaimed much louder than earlier, leading a few of the bystanders to turn their attention toward herself... Today would be a lively one, full of hardships yet foreboding the rise of a new self.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

With the culmination of another day on the horizon, the dim lighting of dusk slowly yielding to escalating twilight, this afternoon’s uproars had died down along with the sun’s departure; there were now far fewer individuals partaking in the delights of shopping ventures, and several of the stalls were preparing to close, if they hadn’t already. The bustling and restless nature of this location was but a distant memory from the past, and became in the meantime an inevitability of its future, undeniable and predestined; although for now, there did remain a few patrons with an undying will and a desire to see the day through to its ensuing conclusion...

One such customer was a hooded woman, her cloak covering most of what appeared to be a shihakushō hidden underneath, casually scampering across the delineated path; she came to a stop after being told to <halt> by an unknown entity, giving quite the carefree look to a nearby shop’s merchandise. Laid here were various accessories, most notably a few hair combs with distinctive ornamental patterns of dazzling and elegant craftsmanship; mulling over her options for merely an instant, she settled on a comb engraved with <flowers> and pulled out a tiny wallet from within her lightweight coat.

“I’ll take this~, please!”, the girl cheerily declared; a quick transaction afterward and the item was hers to carry home, feeling rather elated by the purchase. Moving onward and following a trajectory leading her back toward the Seireitei’s vicinity, she had an ecstatic temperament, playing and fiddling with the hilt of her Zanpakuto buried deep within its tiny scabbard, its pommel a victim of her playful whims until she felt no longer compelled to dabble with it like a simple toy... Their journey together had now come to an end, as did most things in life, but it had nonetheless proven quite the fruitful little adventure.

They now had the means for dialogue.

[Luna Melrose]

Right on schedule, just like clockwork, the door opened and a group of researchers crossed the boundaries of this laboratory, located deep within the bowels of the Twelfth Division; nonchalantly discussing among themselves about the virtues of a given theorem, they simply acted as dictated by their morning routine, paying no particular heed to who, perhaps, might’ve already been inside the large room since long before their arrival... Concealed within the darkness was a woman, one of their many Squad members, dutifully invested in some sort of personal pursuit; given the unkempt state of her hair, it could be surmised these efforts had at least lasted since the day prior.

“Oh, hi~!”, she spooked the small crowd of scientists, who were until then captivated by their own doings and hadn’t noticed this spontaneous guest; looking in her direction, the display ahead was quite the sight and shocked them about as much as this colleague’s sudden appearance. Sitting atop a gigantic Zanpakuto set above numerous desks and tables, the girl seemed engrossed in some sort of experiment involving her own blade; using a small device resembling a magnifying glass, she continuously inspected and studied its sharp surface, supposedly seeking to further grasp its association with her soul.

“What are you doing...?”, one came forward and asked.

Without skipping a beat, a response came flying at them; “Well~”, she tried explaining, “I’ve been thinking how awesome~ it could be if I discovered a surefire way to unleash my Zanpakuto’s potential~! ...Wouldn’t that be far~ more advantageous than having to dabble in abstract insights~ and fabrications?!”. Her query surely wasn’t too uncommon in this fortress of logic, she thought, but unfortunately, she hadn’t been the first, nor in all likelihood the last, to attempt taking such a shortcut; those pursuits had historically ended with few results, and all sorts of hurt feelings...

Her coworkers knew this, which is why they weren’t nearly as enthusiastic as she was about this; “Wanna~ help?”, she requested with a perky, cheery mood. Met with awkward discomfort, they had no choice but to reply negatively, citing their workload as a convenient excuse; “Sorry, no-can-do’! We have lots to be’ doing, see?”, another Shinigami interjected. Brooding, Luna left them be, but not without showcasing her discontent, mumbling to herself; how could they possibly prioritize the Division’s collective interests over their own unending curiosity, she wondered? That was such an outlandish idea and lacked any merits, she thought.

They sighed; “Please, remain out of our way”, one from the group pleaded.

Huffing slightly, she simply resumed her little project; so be it then, she didn’t need anybody’s permission! Glancing at the metallic object beneath her feet, it sure had gotten gargantuan in size; she knew from her lessons in the Academy that a Zanpakuto’s size was influenced by the sheer quantity of spiritual energy a host had at their disposal, and that most Captains would carry around skyscrapers if they didn’t limit this intake manually. Using that fact judiciously, Luna had fed some reiatsu batteries for several months, and now artificially inflated its spiritual influx; temporarily, her sword had become much easier to observe and analyze through scientific methodology.

Her objective was concise and clear; she wanted to scrutinize its relationship with herself and the various reactions it might have while exposed to diverse unconventional conditions... Figuring out the interactions between her inner world and the outside could open up creative ways to move forward, if only she were attentive enough, which meant exploring them would be a worthwhile endeavor; her curiosity had been piqued, and she was now deeply intrigued! Besides, any discovery associated with her own spirit was truly welcomed, even if they didn’t directly contribute to the manifestation of her powers.

To that end, she picked back up where she had left off and started snooping around the outer shell of the blade with a small magnifying glass, an act which at first glance didn’t appear to be doing much; the truth of the matter was, however, that an inconspicuous bundle of wires slid down underneath it and met with some sort of large machinery she’d installed beforehand, an analytical process certainly underway. These were measures meant to gather crucial data about the spiritual density and arrangement of particles that were recorded using the attached scanning mechanism; with this, she could reliably track every outcome of her crazy experiments!

Satisfied with what she’d acquired so far, the young weasel got up and jumped down to the ground, swiftly returning to the massive piece of equipment that stood at easily twice her size; she was interested in what its display would now reveal to her, and therefore flipped a switch to turn it on immediately upon reaching the device. Shown instantly on the screen were multiple related numerical values, although they were of no importance to Luna; rather, what she looked at through the monitor was this broad desert inside which a lonely hourglass was at a complete standstill, the visual modelization of her inner world while she wasn’t within.

Now that she had confirmed this source of feedback was adequately calibrated, the time for trial and error had finally arrived! Taking a gadget she had previously prepared and left lying around on the nearby table, she approached the Zanpakuto and began messing with it, positioning the probe-like instrument at varied locations along its edge as if she were trying to find something; the object was actually a type of magnet specialized in the attraction and concentration of spiritual energy, which she wished to use in order to try intensifying the colors of her inner world again, by condensing the spiritual matter together.

Glancing toward the monitor while still moving the probe around its surface, the effect was immediately perceivable, but didn’t quite match her ambitions; instead of affecting the coloration in any way, her inner world had flipped to an entirely different orientation, with the sand drastically attempting to reorient in accordance with this new direction. Moving the device along the blade kept shifting this balance around, meaning that it was intrinsically tied with its equilibrium of reiatsu; interesting, indeed... Unfortunately, it also answered none of her current concerns.

Oh well~.

Switching to a different approach altogether, she happily scurried to one of the lab’s plentiful cabinets, a specific mixture in mind she needed to acquire; shuffling through the many bottles and other containers, she settled on one labeled ‘particle activator’, a dark blue, cloudy chemical concoction with a very distinct stench she recognized right away. Putting her safety goggles on as she’d been so fervently instructed many times before, she diluted some of it in water and also brought with her an alkaline solution, as a precaution if this somehow went haywire...

Retreating to the enormous sword’s vicinity, the scientist quickly applied a few drops of the liquid at the center of her Zanpakuto, eager to learn more about the aftermath of such an action; looking at the digital screen expectantly, it didn’t take long before these consequences were made manifest, the sands within her soul abruptly beginning to bloat and violently explode in a fiery display of fireworks. “Ahh~!”; horrified, she soaked the surface of its blade with some of the alkaline fluid and frantically rubbed away the activator from it... Thankfully she wasn’t inside while that catastrophe was occurring!

Thoughtful, there was one more undertaking she felt the need to study.

Although she’d kept it last on the list, and for very good reasons...

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gazing at the girl from the sidelines while they were themselves preoccupied with their own experiments, the small gang of researchers kept a careful eye on her movements, remaining alert to any risks that might impact their work; if anything came up that would jeopardize their jobs, it was both within their rights and duty to expel the offending party... “I’m starting to think she’s losing it”, one commented; “Pfft’, she won’t! Oh-no’ she-diiid!”, another joined in. For now, it seemed the worst she would do was distract them a bit, a captivating and welcomed attraction worthy of laughs.

Sadly, that wouldn’t last very long; deeply focused on their task during a downtime, most of them missed the signs of her next impulses, aside from one astute observer. “Weird, is-that-not’ a trial materialization nucleus? Look-look’!”; ahead, Luna had brought nearby a tall machine and triggered its main mechanism, the clear sounds and vibrations of power coursing through it being emitted by its frame as she attempted to now connect some sort of thick wiring to her katana. “Weren’t we explicitly warned not to utilize that prototype...?”, one of the Shinigami exclaimed; lifting up, they all realized the impending mishap, though it was wistfully a bit too late to intervene... “Wait, stop!”.

*Swoosh!*

“Hiyahh~!!”, the perpetrator suddenly yelped.

Abruptly, the entire area got filled with an immense volume of red sand, severely changing the landscape of this research laboratory; waves upon waves came gushing forth and had erupted from her position, the multiple workstations around this point of origin pushed aside into a loud crashing sound. A few seconds later, the girl’s head cartoonishly popped out from under all this rubble, inspecting the damages she had herself caused; most nearby pieces of equipment, notably the prototype itself, had been smashed against the walls, and a group of furious Shinigami were now headed her way... Uh-oh~.

Quickly reacting, the party had come to her aid, lending her a hand, although they certainly had different intentions as well; as soon as she was back on her feet, one of her fellow colleagues instantaneously got on her case, sternly scolding the rookie for what had just happened. “That-was sooo’ dumb. Like-like, look at the scraps’ na-ow!”, her Squadmate pointed with effervescence at the remains of the prototype she’d crushed; “S-, Sorry~!!”, Luna apologetically tried making amends, to no avail. Meanwhile, the remaining coworkers were deeply in thoughts, debating how they should handle this ordeal; “We should restrict any access to the wing until this mess has been cleaned up”, one of them expressed.

“You’ll have to take care of it”, he sanctioned the overactive woman.

Leaving her to it and returning to their initial duties in the neighboring laboratory, only one stayed behind, seemingly assisting her with this grueling task, albeit also perhaps keeping watch so she wouldn’t skip nor loiter around during it; “Still in one piece...?”, he queried, concerned about her state. Pouting, she didn’t deem fit to answer and remained unresponsive, rather focused on the collection of all this inert sand; her interest soon skyrocketed however, when she found small blue shards mixed in with the sand... Had that been materialized during her experiment? “Sayyy~, have you ever seen these before?”, she inquisitively asked the man in case it was part of lab supplies, a glint clearly visible in her eyes; “...No, never”, his reply quickly affirmed her suspicion...

Fascinating.

[Luna Melrose]

The busy Seireitei life was often mingling with daily activities out here, as this spot was frequently witness to Shinigami undergoing drills and expeditions; many others were also stationed nearby, which made this inn directly next to the northern gate a popular hotspot for those who regularly had business inside. Today was no exception of course, their outdoor dining area currently full of liveliness... Although, one soul near the back didn’t share this same pep, her morose mood glaringly obvious as she kept her head lying on the table’s surface; “...Are you okay?”, a waitress asked her, clearly worried about the young-looking girl.

“Uh-huh~...”, she dismissively answered.

Truth be told, Luna was feeling extremely down due to her ongoing efforts with her Zanpakuto Spirit and the progress they had made in achieving her first stage of release, or lack thereof; while she had reached some valuable breakthroughs early on, they were now stagnating and unable to properly move forward, despite the myriad of attempts to rectify these circumstances. She had the distinct impression some sort of hindrance held her back but none of her discoveries since then had disclosed the path leading beyond such frantic inclinations, forcing her to become increasingly reckless with them, a vicious cycle festering hopelessness in herself; she was simply stuck, unsure of how to proceed onward...

Leaning into her chair, stretching her legs under the table, fiddling with one of her utensils, she just wasn’t very attentive to her surroundings during this time of turmoil; perhaps that’s why another person could get the drop on her so easily. “Sup?”, a familiar voice had echoed from behind; turning around, the woman was met with the sight of one of her good friends. “Oh hiii, Sadako~!”, she replied while putting on a fake smile... Pulling out the chair in front of herself and sitting in a disorderly manner, Sadako wasn’t fooled by this facade and went straight to the point; “What’s wrong with you?”.

Her forlorn gaze and crestfallen face already said aplenty; “It’s just~, I’ve been trying to work on getting a Shikai and, and~ I’ve done soo much but, nothing’s worked~...”, she sighed then let it out all at once, each word freed from the confines of her mind. Her old classmate’s focus was fixated on what she had to say, and thus gave an earnest reply after she had completed her monologue; “Heh. Wouldn’t have thought an abstract hurdle could have you stumped”. While that might’ve ordinarily been interpreted negatively, this was a way to remind her of what she’d accomplished, in this case; “There’s always a solution, and you’re the best at finding them aren’t you?”, she was compelled to rack her brains, recall her other trials...

Interrupting this exchange, their friend Mayu had also arrived at the scene, her disheveled appearance no different from usual; “Tch. Late again”, Sadako walloped the latecomer across her cranium, “Even though we gave you a time to meet preceding our own!”, the friend revealed. “Whaaaaaat~...?!”, this new arrival blurted in surprise, unaware that such a plan had been made to counteract her usual tardiness... Gradually regaining her typical gusto, Luna matched the energy of her two good friends; there was no need to sour the mood on this uncommon occasion, especially while she was the only one feeling embittered.

She clapped her hands to attract their attention; “Let’s~ order!”, she then requested. “Okaaay~!”; “Sure”. This shop was known for its flavorful bites you could grab while traveling, taking advantage of its strategic placement on such an important artery; glancing at the lengthy menu and its multitude of offered options, there was an alternative available for all tastes and every preference was covered. In Luna’s case, she took interest in their octopus Takoyaki almost immediately as she desired something that would both be savory and satisfy her curiosity; octopus wasn’t a flavor she was used to, hence her decision to partake in tasting this peculiar seafood.

Soon ordering her meal from the waitress, she was impatient to finally dig into it; on their ends, her friends had also settled on their choice quickly, showcasing hints of their respective personalities through them. For Sadako, a plate of crisp, browned Yakitori made up mainly of meat with some juicy greens was coming, while Mayu expectantly awaited her shrimp tempura accompanied by a sweet, fruity sauce; now that they had tackled this matter, the small group had plenty of time to discuss, catching up with each other... “How have you both~ been doing since the Academy?”, Luna inquired, breaking the ice for such discourse.

“Ooooh~, I’m having soooo much fuuuun...!”, Mayu piped up; while her attitude was usually lackadaisical, there was currently glaring passion filling her voice. “My seniors are greeeeat, and they’re suuuuuuper~ friendly... It’s aaaalways peaceful, in the Fourth~”, she eagerly expressed; being a great medic with a love for human tidbits, it seems she was fitting right in with them and had no trouble taking care of daily duties, a relief to be sure. However, she soon rose to her feet and turned to Sadako, whom she addressed with a lot of excitement; “Buuut~, haven’t you~ joined the Fiiiirst...?! Congratulatioooons~!”.

That was a point Luna had also wanted to bring up, in order to learn more about how that Squad precisely operated; “Tch. Same old”, the woman commented, taking a laidback posture in her seat while also subtly looking sideway, avoiding their gaze. “It’s no different from the work I did for the Disciplinary Committee... Lots of paperwork and disputes, plus the occasional emergency”, she plainly stated; although their friend didn’t outwardly display the same enthusiasm, they both could tell this unceremonious description wasn’t representative of her true feelings and that such normalcy was very much welcomed... She enjoyed order and procedures, after all.

“How has it been on your end?”, she then asked Luna; “Heh. Though I doubt you’ve got any complaints”.

The scientist smiled gleefully, contemplating which story she wished to share first; there were so many~! “Mhm~! It’s been awesome~ so far; I get to do all sorts of experiments~ everyday and there’s never any~ downtime, it’s always exciting!”; of course, she skirted over what those experiments were, or how often she had directly caused a so-called ‘exciting’ event... Regardless, she wished to extol these new comrades to her old friends, and so slightly inflated her playful, giddy mood while talking about them; “I get lots~ of enjoyable research to perform and plenty~ of support to pursue my own... -And~, you wouldn’t belieeeeve some of the things they can do!”.

As she went along with her tales, Mayu visibly became enthralled by them but Sadako, on the other hand, peered at her like something else was on her mind entirely; “...You know, we can tell when things aren’t rosy. No need to keep that to yourself; we’ll listen”. “...Huhhhh~??”, Mayu uttered, evidently not sure why this had taken such a turn; sensing this, Sadako took the opportunity to explain what she’d seen, much to Luna’s dismay; “She was making quite the face when I arrived; apparently she’s having some trouble with her Zanpakuto Spirit”, the friend clarified.

“Ohhhhh~, is that sooo...? Tell us more, we’ll heeeelp~!”.

Now the center of everyone’s focus, there wasn’t much she could do but reluctantly oblige; they wouldn’t allow her to wallow in self-pity any further. Slouching back into her chair with her head resting against the table, she grudgingly answered; “My inner world has had a few~ abnormalities since the very beginning, and I’m all out~ of ideas on how to correct them... I can’t be~ bothered anymore”, she dismissively replied. A sigh escaped her lungs, but the woman quickly tried regaining her spirit; “I’ll be fine~, just... somewhat exhausted~. I’ll surely discover what’s causing~ it, and then I’ll find a--”.

“Tch. Did you even mention that to anyone else?”, Sadako interrupted, and she wasn’t the only one who felt a need to speak up; “Lunaaa~, you shouldn’t work on this aloooone...!”, Mayu added. Eyes aghast with shock, the target of their comments nonetheless remained silent, choosing not to interfere with what was being told and instead listening attentively; “Listen. Ask someone to assist you; there’s plenty who already had to tackle that kind of problem, and there’s a lot you can still learn from them. Don’t just stick to your own ideology”, Sadako tried steering her in a new direction.

Pensive, Luna grumbled a bit as she was not very optimistic this could solve her issue, nor did she think it would even send her on the correct path; “I don’t, think~ I can talk about it with just about anyone...”, she retorted, mostly mumbling to herself. Hearing her comment, Mayu interjected in an attempt to cheer up her friend; “Choose someooone~, you trust...! Just like nooow~!”, she clarified while frantically flailing her arms around, in a truthfully rather comical fashion... They both simply wished to express the value of an approach unlike what Luna was usually accustomed to follow, one instead reliant on another’s goodwill.

As the recipient of these profound and vivid feelings, Luna had to at least consider and contemplate their suggestion, knowing full well it had come from a place of care and sympathy; with their two gaze intensely focused on herself, she answered and gave them a glimpse of her heartfelt intentions, filled with sincerity and understanding. “...I can’t promise~ anything and I can’t say I’m convinced, but I’ll at least think about it~... If I feel there’s an opportunity to ask for guidance, I’ll be taking~ it”; hoping this would be enough to satisfy her friends, it seemed to have been the case... Sadako had leaned back into her seat, arms crossed, while Mayu puffed her chest slightly with a content expression, seemingly happy with the decision.

Soon came their orders from the waitress, and with them the end of their stay here; “Let’s go~; we’ve still got so much to catch up~ on!”, Luna petitioned. Acquiescing, the group of friends lifted and grabbed their respective meals, which they’d eat on the move while happily discussing of their daily pastimes and usual activities; they left the small yet busy inn, following the flow of its neighboring street while heading away from the nearby Seireitei gate, planning to each resume their Shinigami duties after this much-welcomed period of planned, mutual vacations.

During the brief intermission, Luna wondered...

Just who might she even feel close enough to share her hang-ups, like her friends had suggested?

[Luna Melrose]

The tension was high, and it felt like the air was about to be set ablaze; one could almost feel the bloodlust permeating this area, now that combat had become an inevitability. Just ahead, two individuals had taken their respective fighting stances and were ready to pounce at each other’s throats, if only the sparks were set alight; Luna Melrose, this short twig of a girl, was about to have a sparring match with a goliath known as Swordsman Kogane, the seasoned warrior who had formerly been her Kendo teacher...

That wasn’t an unusual occurrence, either; the pair had in fact kept in touch since her days in the Academy, and frequently resorted to such fights or other training efforts whenever their schedules allowed for such a leisure. This was to be expected, since each had found something in the other they couldn’t quite obtain from a different sparring partner so easily; for Luna, it was hard finding anyone who would willingly throw themselves in harm’s way during combat for the sake of testing her experiments, while Kogane thoroughly enjoyed her unorthodox fighting style and the unforeseeable moves she could dish out. Surprisingly, they were a match made in heaven, in that regard.

Standing firm with a Kendo sword aimed ahead, each of her senses directed at the opponent, she closely paid heed to any hints of his coming; her focus was honed on his own sword and, through heavy breathing, muscles tense from this thrill of battle, she remained alert toward his motions, one second after another, until the anticipated assault came her way. Suddenly, his body tilted forward, and the brunt of its weight was swiftly put on the leg he kept in front; she could feel the force behind it, and knew instantly what this meant...

An incoming offensive.

Immediately positioning her blade to the side, she had sufficiently practiced her reflexes over the year to at least follow this man’s movements, and therefore knew the telegraphed blow would impact the left of her body; while she usually would’ve lacked the speed to properly defend herself, the distance currently between them gave her some additional leeway to do so. Stepping forward during his attack, she sought to minimize the advantage his monstrous strength provided, while also eroding the engagement distance of these Kendo swords; she would force them both to fight from much closer than they were comfortable, which would usually give an advantage to the most experienced fighter...

...Except, this wasn’t a normal Kendo match.

*Klank!*

She held her grip on the sword firmly, and tried to endure the sideway strike that had just connected; his blade had lost a lot of potential force from the limited swing due to her entry inside the space of its pivot, but there was nonetheless far more kinetic energy behind it than what she could properly block. However, that was within her expectations, and she had a different means in mind to divert such a blow; extending the middle finger from one of the hands gripping her blade for dear life, she rapidly expelled a shockwave from its tip soon after both collided, momentarily breaking the teacher’s guard wide open.

Planning to use this opportunity, the woman then brought both of her wrists toward herself and pointed the tip of her sword forward; this was a perfect posture for a thrusting strike, which was in itself the best attack she could muster from such short range and with the limited space she had to gather her strength. “r’Ah~!”, she heard moments before the tip was about to make contact with his collarbone; following this, his entire center of mass flipped as he moved a foot backward and slightly to the side, which allowed him to dodge the incoming blow.

Far more importantly, though, was the fact that his sword, which he now held with a single hand, had now been positioned right over her head as a result of this motion, granting him a chance to soon follow it up with a downward slash; she wasn’t about to let that happen, and so attempted to aim her index finger at the man’s torso, out of which a jet of flames would likely soon erupt. That was seemingly foreseen by the man unfortunately, since he had a plan to counteract her action; Kogane had previously lifted his forward foot when he shifted his body, and would now slam it into the bamboo mat with all his strength.

“Uwaah~!”, the woman exclaimed as the surface beneath her feet began deforming due to the excessive force; she was about to lose her balance at this rate, which might prove disastrous since the girl would be left defenseless and unable to aim accurately while she’d fall. Thankfully, she had a way to remain stable long enough to shoot, all she needed to do was anchor herself to the ground using another weapon in her arsenal; using one hand, a nerve was shot and pierced into the mat to keep her upright, while the other hand was aimed at his abdomen... She wasn’t out of the woods just yet but was confident her inferno of flames would occur before his sword could reach her, which meant victory was on the horizon!

*Bonk!*

A stark pain was swiftly felt atop her skull as the swordsman’s elbow smacked down on it, giving her quite a shock and making her instinctively stagger backward in surprise, an act which led her to tumble and fall to the ground; she had miscalculated when interpreting his intentions and thought his blade would deliver the strike, while in truth the man’s elbow was his attack’s true delivery method. That blunder proved fatal, since she hadn’t taken the necessary measures to defend against something that’d come much faster, and because of that... She had lost.

Laying down, utterly defeated, Luna kept thinking how she’d need new tricks, if she wanted any hopes of developing further; “Hah. Sure got’better, kid. Can barely keep’up no more, an’ you’ve clearly stil’got juice in ya’...”, the experienced opponent verbally expressed, offering a hand to his sparring partner. She took it and rose to her feet, standing firm in front of the ragged man nearly twice her size; “You adapted~ well too, I’m no longer catching you~ off-guard with these”, she in turn commented... Without the element of surprise, they were evenly matched it seemed.

“Les’ have an’other?”, he plainly queried, ready to get going again already; “Say~, mind if I ask you...”, she however interrupted. “How, did~ you achieve Shikai...? I haven’t been~ able to make progress for a while, and I thought, maybe~ you’d have a tip for me...”, she asked with her eyes downcast; his former pupil had kept the words of her friends in mind recently, and came to the conclusion that if anyone’s insight might be helpful, it’d be his... He wasn’t one for theatrics or trickery, and simply spoke of events as he felt about them; for that reason, she could trust what he’d choose to convey.

A second passed, then another, and soon doubts began to arise; “F- Forget I said anything~!”, she tried to withdraw, faltering due to a silly moment of hesitation. “Oi~, kid”, he reeled her back in, a fist against the top of his chest; “Is’ all here... You need’ta make peace wit’ what’s ‘n’here”, the roughneck explained. She wasn’t sure what to think of that, which visibly frustrated the tall man and led him to walk over to her so he could grab the top of her head, focusing his gaze into hers; “Stop usin’ your noggin an’ pay attention’to what’s goin’ on down ‘ere”, he gestured toward her heart with his remaining hand, “Ya can’t smart ‘round ‘dis one...”.

Letting her go, she was apparently sulking as a result of the unpleasant manhandling; Kogane did however get his point across. Grabbing both of their Kendo swords, the bulky man set them aside against the wall and instead retrieved their two Zanpakuto, which had been left lying on the sidelines prior to their earlier fight; this next spar was about to take a colossal turn. “Leave yer eyes shut n’come at me, find peace wit’in yer own soul an’whatever ya’ do, keep yer brain outta ‘dis!”, he defined, handing Luna her own Zanpakuto.

“I’ll be fightin’ wit’ the blunt end”, Swordsman Kogane clarified.

Her sight remaining sealed, she acquiesced; “Alright~, I’m ready...”. Holding her Zanpakuto tight and close to herself, she honed her senses and would rely on her instincts to make up for this lack of vision... Almost immediately afterward, she suddenly felt a fierce impact against her legs on the <right> side of her body, flipping her nearly upside-down and breaking her stance entirely; “Ye’ gotta stop thinkin’!”, she heard him exclaim next to her ear, followed by an arm catching her during this fall. Regaining her posture, albeit with serious difficulty due to the newfound pain, she discarded any thoughts unnecessary to the task at hand...

During this clash, although it had admittedly produced disastrous results, she had received the sole answer required to know how she should proceed; her soul had responded to the imminent attack and attempted to lead her away from harm’s way, a response she simply hadn’t been prepared to carry out and embrace. Neglecting superfluous thinking, she sought to focus only on the present, leaving herself within the reach of her Zanpakuto Spirit’s guidance; this would help delve deeper into her own core, probing her heart for its true, sheltered feelings.

Steadying her breathing, she affirmed her consent once more; “I’m ready~”, the woman enunciated in no uncertain terms. Instantly, she intuitively knew a <blow> was coming <vertically>, and sidestepped away in a timely manner, moments before it struck the floor with all its force; however, it was soon shown not to be the end of his assault, as danger signals were felt from up <front>... This follow-up came too quickly to correctly dodge, which meant she needed to brace for contact; except, the thought of protecting herself using a <shockwave> abruptly invaded her mind, an idea she promptly initiated instead.

*Swoosh!*

She remained on her guard, yet took this opportunity to act of her own volition; namely, Luna took a step backward and opened some distance between herself and this alleged assailant, predicting another strike would soon be incoming. As she had surmised, the threat was laid bare and came <forward>, offering her barely any chance to react; she blanketed the area with a facade of <flames> originating from her finger and tried forcing the opponent to fall back, but quickly felt the unforgiving pain of an impact and realized what a grave mistake she’d just made... The attack she’d just attempted to defend against was a diversion, which her Zanpakuto Spirit hadn’t been trained to recognize.

Plummeting against an unknown obstacle as a result of the hit she sustained, the young lady let out a gasp and released the air she’d kept inward while concentrating, her eyes no longer closed due to the shock of such an onslaught; “Oi~, ‘ye al’rigt?”, Kogane offhandedly questioned, indifferent to her woes and feeling no rush to assist. “Y- Yeah... I’m fine~”, she replied after validating her current condition, only now realizing she had been propelled into the nearby Kendo equipment left aside in racks near the bamboo mat; “That was haaaaard~!”, she complained, “But I’ll admit~, it wasn’t futile”, then clarified.

“I’m ready to start over~ again...!”.

[Luna Melrose]

*Bzzt!*

A loud buzzing noise was nearly drowning all other sounds on this rowdy morning, reminiscent of an active construction site operating in the vicinity; that would be an astute assessment, given that Luna currently spearheaded quite the architectural project. Wearing a hard hat and wielding an electric drill, the girl was happily humming melodies while building some sort of structure, long before the sun was meant to rise; she was naturally still within the confines of her own quarters inside the Twelfth barracks, which had been furnished with a vast array of nonsensical lab equipment... Truth be told, her bedroom had been converted into a cozy laboratory by now, and could barely be classified as a living space anymore.

Within the boundaries of this private area, she had created an enclosure meant specifically to contain and fulfill her requirements toward a specific group of critters for which she had responsibility, an unhealthy obsession she’d developed amidst this Squad; trapped inside were several tiny Shinigami she kept as pets, some unfortunate collateral victims of their Compression Tag project. The corral resembled a manor-like dollhouse of massive proportions, capable of accommodating more than enough of their kind; however, a lot of it was still being renovated for now, barring access to some of its most attractive features.

This monumental setup was designed for the sake of running social experiments with those it held captive, a conditional, pocket utopia for anyone willing to indulge her whims; once finished, its simulations would automatically be capable of complying with any policy, restriction or social program she might wish to put in motion, offering a vast array of administrative tools she could use to gain powers not unlike those of a Godlike figure. Luna planned to make use of this and implement arbitrary divisions amongst its residents, meanwhile observing the decisions they would take as a result; social caste systems had proven successful numerous times throughout history after all, had they not...?

Of course, these efforts necessitated the means to track and oversee every choice they made during such experiments, which in turn required a surveillance system encompassing every corner of the apportioned space; she had plans to incorporate the necessary hardware through her construction ventures, but alas, that was sadly still lacking, meaning she was limited for now to studies merely needing manual supervision to accurately conduct... Her goal was to eventually snuff out any form of privacy but, until such measures were in place, she’d have to rely on good old, reliable camera feeds.

Today’s architectural undertakings were nested inside greater endeavors, aiming to prepare fundamental groundwork for her very first social study; she couldn’t wait to get started, and was so excited about what its outcome might be! Her dollhouse’s newest addition was a simple button, one she left attached to the panel acting as a barrier around this miniature building; if she’d installed everything correctly, it would act as a buzzer, letting the inhabitants know she sought to speak with them... With it, she wished to mold her reluctant lapdogs into passionate assistants, enforcing this transition by granting rewards or punishments as dictated by their actions.

This was an excellent example of operant conditioning, but first, she needed to ensure these mechanisms were now properly functional; in order to test that out, what better way than to push on the contraption? She began spamming the lone button, pressing it down and letting it come back up incessantly until a faint alarm became audible, which must’ve been blaringly loud to those within; it didn’t take long before a face she knew very well showed itself in response, only wishing for an end to all this noise... “Okay, okay; that’s enough!”, he exclaimed.

A man came into view, the first specimen she got permission to keep confined here.

“Hey-hey~, Reiii!”, she called out to this impromptu visitor, waving enthusiastically toward his silhouette; “How are you~? Liking your new~ home...!?”, she then asked, curious to know more about his satisfaction toward these living conditions. The scientist remained especially keen to the overall morale of her captives and would do everything she could to improve their experiences; “I was doing well and sleeping soundly, until you came along...”, he yawned, irritated. She meanwhile tilted her head, unsure why that might sour his mood; wasn’t the thrill of research reason enough to wake up early?

“Sooo~...”, she skirted the issue at hand, “I have a question~, and I thought I’d ask you”; Luna planned to have a quick back-and-forth with him regarding her efforts to unlock Shikai, since her interlocutor must’ve likely tackled similar issues during his own attempts. “Sure...”, he hesitantly replied, “What do you want?”; those doubts probably stemmed from how they’d initially met, which meant his agreement came from an intrinsic sense of generosity toward her, or so she thought... He was such a good, earnest man, she’d just have to someday corrupt his spirit by turning that morality against him!

Quickly moving her attention toward the lid atop their miniature mansion, it came undone and her hand reached down toward the minuscule Shinigami, grabbing him in one fell swoop; “W- What are you trying to do?!”, her poor victim worriedly uttered, attempting as best as he could to break free from her resolute grasp. “Shhh-...”, she assuaged his concerns, adapting the transit method so that he’d instead sit still inside her palm; cautiously carrying him away from the glass enclosure, she brought him to a nearby desk where they could talk at their leisure, leaving him free to roam on the furniture’s surface.

While that might’ve ordinarily been worrisome circumstances, the woman wasn’t troubled by this degree of freedom as long as they remained inside of her private quarters; she had taken several measures meant to ensure this room would remain sealed tight against potential evasion attempts, freeing her mind from anguish whenever she had to leave them to their own devices momentarily. The man knew that much, as he’d seen himself all the work she’d done to guarantee they couldn’t escape her bedroom’s boundaries; as a result, it was unlikely he’d attempt anything right now, while the risks outweighed any of the benefits.

Pondering how to motivate him into doing his best for her sake, she settled on the need for a little bribery; “Help me out~ and I promise, I’ll expand your habitat only after sunrise from now~ on...”, the devious girl smiled endearingly as she spoke, trying to entice him with what could only be described as her honeytrap. In response, the tiny officer sat down while facing her, sighing at the undisguised, manipulative incentive she’d offered; “I’d have helped anyway”, he groaned... “...And please don’t call it ‘your habitat’!”.

She brought her hands forward, and began gesturing; “So~, here’s the deal; I’ve been trying to reach~ the first stage of my Zanpakuto release, but my inner world~ has been in turmoil ever since I’ve been able~ to access it”. She motioned toward her heart, but then got somewhat crisp in body language when the harsh memories of her past began coming to mind; “My Zanpakuto Spirit is no~ help either, this seems entirely out of its control~; I’ve managed to calm things down, but there’s still some sort~ of issue. Colors are fade, temperature is freezing~ cold... That sort of thing...”, her words trailed off and leaned into silence toward the end.

“...Do you have any clues~, what might be wrong?”, she openly questioned, eager to earn some feedback.

Concentrating intently on his evaluation of her current plight, he however seemed reluctant to comment further on it, fearing perhaps a catch of some sort; “That’s a lot to ask of someone you barely know... Why are you suddenly trusting me?”, he queried, anxious to hear what she had to say. “Of course~ I trust you! I just have duties of my own~ I need to fulfill...”, Luna immediately asserted, hoping to nip those thoughts in the bud; she began pouting lightly, making it look like that should’ve been a foregone deduction... Plus, she really did trust~ him! Just, not quite trust he wouldn’t lead her astray, but rather that he couldn’t truly afford to do so, in his current predicament.

Reassured slightly and taking her goodwill at face value, the man began pondering just what might be the issue with her inner world, attempting to find an explanation that would satisfy her; patiently awaiting his input, she played around with a strand of hair in the meantime, restlessly wondering what another person might think of these dire straits. Not too long afterward, Rei returned not with an answer, but rather with a question of his own; “You’ve said that you mitigated the initial turmoil, right? How did you do that?”, he requested to know.

She wasn’t comfortable digging into this subject, but felt there was little harm touching on it at this point; “Mhm~, I looked back~ to my roots and reoriented my viewpoint, I think~... You could say I re-examined my convictions~”, she acknowledged with complete honesty. His expression lit up, recognizing the pattern from when he himself had to tackle similar issues; “Of course, why didn’t I think of that sooner?”, the man exclaimed, “I believe I know what’s the solution...”, he then stated.

“What do you think~ it is...?”, she asked, listening attentively to the conclusion he’d reached; “...You need to simply confront your past”, Rei told her sternly, as if that were a matter of course. Frowning somewhat, she didn’t appear convinced at all by this assessment and it must’ve showed, because his face was twisting slightly from fright at the thought of provoking this sly scientist; however, she soon became convinced of the legitimacy behind this statement, since he spoke of something he couldn’t possibly have known...

“You have unresolved trauma as well, am I right...?”.

He didn’t await her answer... He didn’t need to; “I’m the same, that’s how I could tell...”, Rei clarified. Luna kept silent for now, acquiescing with his reasoning but antsy to receive the rest of his rationale, admitting to herself he might’ve offered some worthwhile guidance after all; “You need to find peace with it; I don’t think it really matters how, but your soul remained chaotic because you haven’t settled the core of those hurdles yet”. He looked earnestly toward her, as if nothing else mattered anymore but to resolve this knot impeding her spiritual awakening; “Unlocking your ability only comes afterward”, he soberly commented.

“Mhm~. Fascinating...”, the researcher ruminated; she couldn’t easily tackle the problem, but at least now knew what would need to be addressed, she thought. “I’ll have to pay some old pals~ a visit...”, the woman affirmed to herself, paying little heed to the one who may still be listening in; “Anywaaays~, you kept your promise”, she switched the topic, rather bestowing gratitude for his support, “So I’ll keep my~ end of our bargain, too~!”. She was pleasantly surprised that such a reward was in order, but it was well deserved...

She quietly mulled over what the punishment might’ve been, had this not proven so fruitful.

[Luna Melrose]

The air smelled foul.

This was in fact the stench of death and misery, an indisputable odor permeating the reality of those who originated from the lowest level of affluence in a society; it was one they couldn’t escape, since each day here was filled with the desolation of a lifestyle reliant on the odds... As one of the furthest districts from southern Rukongai, such a scent had seeped deeply into this area, perhaps even with its own unique brand of grief and torment intertwined within; the rule of might reigned supreme this far from the Seireitei, and a bit of bad luck was all it’d take to lose everything in a flash.

By contrast, the one who had come to visit these outskirts was a young-looking short woman, her pristine appearance betraying her usual way of life, a long, hooded cloak concealing most of the lady’s figure; she walked solemnly along the beaten dirt path, each step conveying fearlessness and tenacity despite a cruel environment. This visitor wore a shihakushō and was evidently a Shinigami, which led her to catch a few glances from the district’s inhabitants, a faction with its share of enemies in this neighborhood; however, most knew better than to pick a fight with the Reapers without cause, and kept out of their business until they were gone.

Oddly, this Shinigami’s behavior quickly proved bizarre and had taken a surprising turn; while most would generally either patrol or simply pass by, this one had instead penetrated deeply into one of the district’s dark alleyways, her destination unknown. Where could she be going...? Crude ruffians began assembling, blocking the exits of this narrow passage in hopes of trapping the itty-bitty mouse, yet none of them took action against this unwanted guest; no, because everyone could feel the fierce, acute bloodlust directed their way.

They understood it wasn’t a bluff...

Coming to a halt in front of a specific ruined doorway, this sealed the deal and the crowd lazily scattered, leaving the girl to her own devices; nobody wished to interfere with her affairs when she was a patron of that precise store. Knocking against what remained of the wooden surface, she heard a rapid rattling from the other side before a gruff voice revealed itself, one she hadn’t heard for a while; “What do you want?”, the individual scornfully requested, unaware of who stood at the entrance. “Hey-hey~, it’s me!”; she could feel that a slight shiver of fright had just gone up his back, oh how delightful the sensation was!

*Klank!*

The distinct sound of a lock came undone and then, the door opened.

Soon, the fuzzy and coarse display of black fur came into view as a grouchy canine stood on the other side of this doorway, one of very few whose height was inferior to her own; “A- Ah, Luna! How’ve you been?”, he commented, startled and trying in vain to divert her attention away. “Good~!”, she replied, “Occupied, as I’m sure you can~ imagine...”; she gave very little fuel to their discussion, enjoying the efforts this beast was putting forth in his attempt to please her every whims. Perhaps his old boss ought to remind him who held the reins over this place...

“Of course, of course...! Come inside, tell me all about it”, he insisted on pursuing the inexistent discourse.

Moving forward with the intention to enter, this was interrupted when a broad shadow jumped out from the pitch-black interior, tackling the lady back a few feet further into the alleyway; “Uehhh-EIIII, ‘Na, ‘Na!”, the agitated creature yelled out. Lightly stunned, she nonetheless instantly countered with her own onset; “Stop”. This wasn’t a demand, but rather a command; her reiatsu had flared menacingly and, although it still didn’t pack much of a punch, the assailant reflexively flinched away, well aware of what this insinuated for its comfort and welfare.

“Wuh-wuehhh...”, the strange being whimpered; wiping off the dust and grime that had accumulated on her outfit, she then stood up. Ahead was a peculiar man standing on all four, his face covered by a wooden mask, a savage with childlike mannerisms yet incapable of speech; his name was Bark Face, someone who had been traveling alongside Luna for an insanely long period now... Grabbing hold of him by the edge of his mask, she pulled him back inside the ravaged building with an exasperated look on her face; even if he was easily much stronger than the woman and could’ve opposed this at any point, Bark Face would never bring himself to resist her... It simply wasn’t in his nature to do so.

She already knew that much, of course.

Stepping foot into the grim, murky interior space, Luna diligently inspected the room’s current decor and approached an old wooden table in its center, sitting on one of the stools located around the furniture; it didn’t take long for the dubious wolf-like figure to take another of the seats, while the masked individual diverted toward one of the corners in what resembled an act of penance. The atmosphere inside this little shack felt no different from when she’d left it several years ago by now, but the building also felt unfamiliar despite that fact; she felt as if her home had drastically shifted in meaning at this point, perhaps because her most prized possessions weren’t here anymore...

Glancing around the surroundings, her eyes were quickly attracted to Bark Face’s silhouette, or to be more specific they remained glued to what could be seen from here of his intricate, woodlands mask; she kept feeling shivers for some reason, as if this facade was severely creeping her out... Had she ever felt this way toward it before, she pondered? No... No, she didn’t think so. Something had changed, there was nothing that seemed fundamentally any different with it but she knew that appearances could sometimes prove deceiving; deep down, she instinctively picked up on danger signals, and decided to remain cautious until further notice.

It would be unwise to simply keep him further than an arm’s length either, so she motioned and indicated that he could move to her side; “Bark Faaace~...”, the woman softly murmured, causing him to turn around and leap closer. “Auggh-, Ye’Shh ‘Yesk!”, he blurted in delight, attempting to convey his contentment; she began to pet the man-beast’s hair once he got within range, meanwhile observing the state of his physical proportions. Although he’d always been somewhat malnourished, it seemed, at first glance, that he had lost a lot of muscle mass during her absence, making her doubtful the brute could still gather as much raw strength as previously possible; groaning slightly, she covertly took out a tiny white pill from her attire and fed it to him, a medicine he innocently swallowed.

As for what that was, it’s a question best left to one’s imagination...

Maintaining her heightened focus for any signs of peril, she nonetheless addressed her old acquaintance, who had kept relatively silent until now; “So~, how’s business?”, she queried, her piercing gaze intruding upon his thoughts. This man was Nolt Everett, an accomplice she’d been working with amid illicit dealings throughout the Rukongai and whose partnership with herself had now lasted for centuries; “Desperation aplenty, as per usual...”, the senile hound snickered... Business sure was booming these days, perhaps due to a specific event from recent history.

An intrusion by Hellions, ransacking the area to their heart’s content.

Not that she cared much about that outcome, she’d kept well away from any sinner’s grasp after all, but it was reassuring that her operations weren’t directly hindered as a result; the woman had been extremely lucky not to face these Hellions or their wrath on the battlefield, she could’ve been forced to fight for her survival if the timing had just been slightly different. Naturally, the consequences had been felt regardless; “...How’s our~ losses?”, she asked for clarifications. At that request, the outcast’s gaze darkened, his aura soon chilling yet mournful; “Terrible”, he grimly replied.

Focusing her eyes on him, she awaited an explanation; “Demand has gone up tenfold, but supplying it has become dreadful... We lack the manpower”, the man grouchily justified. So~ it was an issue of labor, huh? Her tone had gone serious and her mind went toward problem-solving those circumstances, but for now she simply needed additional information; “What~ have you done since then, to fix it~?”, she earnestly tried to pull out of him, her attitude offbeat with the ire her message carried... “We’ve sent those we could spare to draft any delinquents they might find but, given how many were killed, the new blood’s mostly inept... The black market in general was left in disarray by their blind violence”.

Although unfavorable indeed, Luna smiled candidly despite the terrible news; “That might actually~ work to my advantage...”, she murmured. Placing between them a gaudy letter with the recognizable crest of a noble family, the canine seemed to feel a shiver momentarily, as he came to a most deplorable conclusion; “See~, I’ve initiated contact with the Kasumi’Oji~ during my stay alongside them. Since we’ll be forced to reorganize our~ network anyway, I’d looove~ if you’d work with them to expand their grasp!”. Clicking his tongue, her accomplice was clearly irritated by this turn of events.

“You work with those rascals...”, he gnarled; “...Is that~ a problem?”, she replied without skipping a beat, the joyful grin she expressed barely concealing that he truthfully had no choice in the matter. Pushing the letter forward, toward him, she gave him a moment to open and inspect its content before resuming her demand; “Please~ follow these instructions, you’ll meet a young~ noblewoman named Ryoko Kasumi’Oji; I want you to obey her every whim~ and set things up how she desires... Her word is now~ law, for you”.

Sighing loudly, he didn’t comment and simply hid the document within his attire.

Instead, the old fence redirected the topic at hand; “I see you’ve made it into the Gotei 13”, he indicated while pointing toward her shihakushō, “...Found a cure to your condition?”, he then asked. Dejected, she languished in her chair, clearly showing the outcome wasn’t quite so practical; “I’ve found~ the Hollow in the Twelfth Division records, I know who~ was on my operating table that night too, but~ the solution has remained completely out of reach...”. Her downcast gaze slowly shifted into exasperation and annoyance, the results having obviously not been up to par with their expectations; “They even got~ Ena, too...”, she grieved.

“...Who?”, he inquired, puzzled by this unknown name; Luna quickly readjusted in response, not willing to offer anything he could latch on as a weakness. Adopting an upbeat, jaunty demeanor, she rather brought their discussion toward the Squad itself, as a diversion; “Oooh~! But they’ve got tons of cool~ gadgets and lots of room to spare~ for my own experiments! It’s even better than I would’ve thought~”, she affirmed. “That so...?”, the cunning criminal reflected, trying to gauge her reaction; she hoped that pulled the wool over his eyes but, even if it hadn’t, there would be little he could learn about that person either way.

Silence temporarily befell the pair, until Nolt broke this stillness by addressing the reason for her presence; “Skip the idle chatter, you wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t a need for it. Shoot; what’s the real goal behind this trip...?”. She had a wide smirk across her lips, reveling in this sense of mystery she had garnered since her arrival; they were associates by happenstance after all and neither quite appreciated the other, never caring for one another beyond the needs of their respective trades... Leaning forward, her glare was ice-cold as she peered into the ruffian’s irises, provoking an uncomfortable chill hastily spreading throughout his body.

“I’ve come here to borrow~ Bark Face...”, she whispered threateningly.

Slowly petting the top of this brute’s head, he was none the wiser about these intentions, and felt content simply living in the present; “Is that, so...?”, her fuzzy partner commented, taken aback by the suddenness of her desires and most importantly what they implied. “I’ll be going~ on a short journey and I’ll need him, for protection and other~ matters altogether...”, the Shinigami explained, a devious smile showcasing that nothing good would surely come out of it. “I’ll bring him back~ once we’re done, of course~!”, she added... Although that’s assuming he would still be in one piece by then, Luna thought.

“So~, that’s that for today!”, she cheerily concluded while pulling on the edges of the man’s mask to force him on his feet, planning to bring him outside the building and leave the vicinity alongside him; “Urghh?!”, the beastlike individual let out in return, stunned slightly by this abrupt outcome yet barely resisting the gesture at all. “W- Wait!”, the conniving outlaw urged for her to stop, “Where are you heading?”, he then questioned; however, while she often welcomed sparks of curiosity, in this case the scientist didn’t intend to indulge any such inclinations, neither from him nor anyone else.

“That’s none~ of your business”, she sharply uttered...

In fact, the young lady had even turned around, directly facing her partner of old and staring at him, with her emotions blaringly obvious; “That just wooon’t~ do, Nolt Everett... I can’t have you think~ you can just poke your nose anywhere~ you like, can I~?”. She lightly tapped one of her fingers on the doorframe at a constant rhythm, before resting her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakuto, in full view of the poor man; “Stop~ meddling in my affairs, and remember what’s~ at stake here... Surely you haven’t forgotten~?”, the medic queried.

The canine was clearly distraught and from his demeanor, livid too; letting go of her grasp on Bark Face’s facial cover, Luna moved over to him and menacingly took hold of his chin, locking a glare between them. “I miiiiight~ go nab me a cute little cub~ to experiment with, what do you think~...?”; her grin was betrayed by the acute, terrifying aura clearly perceptible through the air... Evidently, the woman held some sort of blackmail over him; “Trail me~, and you’ll find yourself faced~ with a fate much worse than death~...”, she warned, certainly not feeling facetious or whimsical at the moment...

He groaned and offered no further response.

What might that signify...?

[Luna Melrose]

*Crack!*

The rustling of winds was persistent.

Perched atop the top branches of a thin, yet tall birch tree, the tallest she’d found within this dense forest of broadleaves, a lone girl was fluttering along its motions, pensively looking toward the horizon; her dark robes and sharp blade kept against her hip betrayed this onlooker’s affiliation, a Shinigami dutifully taking their task to heart. Or, was she...? Whichever the case, she was undeniably searching for something, with every hint of movement in the distance momentarily attracting her focus; before long, the ghostly figure vanished in a flash, now once again traveling toward an unknown destination.

Truthfully, she wasn’t supposed to be here, since her official orders made no mention of this location; the young scientist named Luna had instead taken some so-called ‘creative liberties’ to ensure she temporarily made a short detour for her current whereabouts. The World of the Living was a marvelous region, she’d only allow herself to leave it after some rightful exploration of course! Although, that might just be a truly convenient excuse, in this case, given that her journey’s end was somewhere with which she had several, personal ties... Such an occasion didn’t warrant playtime, nor pleasure.

After all, one might say she was heading back home; moving freely from one treetop to another, a gust of chilly winds welcomed her and caressed her silhouette as she reached a clearing, her sight landing on the large, extensive cityscape lying ahead moments thereafter. This wasn’t just any city, it was Roskilde, Luna’s hometown she hadn’t visited for nearly a millennium... And on Odin’s name, had it changed! The emotions ran deep as she remained still, committing to memory this display from a bird’s view atop the air ground; “I- I’m back~...”, she meekly commented, internally thanking the fact that this town had survived its rough periods through history.

Lowering down from the expanse of this Scandinavian sky, she reached the streets below and settled onto a building’s roof, one offering a good outlook of the downtown area; the lady had a faint glimmer hidden deep into the glances she gave to her surroundings, readjusting the large mantle of Norse origins she wore on nearly every occasion out of a fear, illogical perhaps, that it may now leave her side. Roskilde had grown tremendously in her absence, and she just couldn’t get over the amount of infrastructure and luxury they had developed since her last visit! Were all towns in the World of the Living now like this...?

Oh, how she hoped that might be so!

Observing the bustling livelihood of modern civilization, quite a few things had admittedly caught her eye; first were every innovation these humans had somehow brought forward, an admirable quality defying in many ways her own common sense. Descending to the ground, she walked leisurely along the sidewalks, scrutinizing this scenery with every bit of curiosity she was known to foster; “Woooah~...!!”, Luna exhaled, taken aback by the marvelous wonders her homeland now hosted... From cars and traffic lights to mobile phones and other electronic devices, there was no end to the awe she felt as she aimlessly explored while examining each peculiar gizmo she found along the way.

Of course, the woman knew of such advances in technology and was generally well-versed in the history of this world already, but she was never given a chance to truly study these breakthroughs by herself until now; all her knowledge came from the observations contained in written reports and tales from her peers, she lacked firsthand experience. Even worse yet, the few opportunities she’d been given to visit the World of the Living were always alongside a team of Shinigami and following a strict schedule so far, which didn’t permit any excursions meant to satisfy this curiosity... Finally, she could reap the rewards of her restraint!

Beyond the machinery and scientific progress, however, what truly kept this inquisitive lady captivated on her surroundings were the people who currently enjoyed their days, unaware of a spirit’s presence among them; using that fact to her advantage, she scrutinized them thoroughly, paying little heed to any concerns of privacy they might’ve had. She was ecstatic, after all! These were her descendants, and these were the ones who had managed to bring about such progress... How did their lifestyle and values diverge from her own, she wondered? She would need to find out!

Although such activities might need to wait a little longer, since she wasn’t here for naught.

Rather, this young Shinigami had come to her homeland for a precise reason, and it wasn’t one she would be willing to compromise toward; Luna was here to directly confront her past once and for all, hoping this resolution would help unlock her soul’s innate ability... She sought to untangle the knots impeding mutual growth between herself and her Zanpakuto, and currently thought moving past her trauma was how she could truly achieve that result; the girl reached this conclusion over myriads of discussions and numerous sessions of introspection, convinced that a solution was now within reach.

To that end, she had therefore methodically walked around the city’s layout in search of a landmark that could be recognized from her time here, in an attempt to trace back the steps to her destination; “Where~, where~, where~...?”, she continuously commented, hurriedly seeking her way. This pursuit was relentless, until the sight of a shallow pond reached her, one that felt oddly familiar... Recalling her memories, there was such a body of water located near their longhouse, atop a short hill; turning around, the former Vǫlva could spot this slope previously occupied by their residence and reoriented herself, now aware of the right direction she needed to follow for her journey.

Traveling using Flash Steps far above the obstructions that accompanied land transit, she knew the general surrounding area and felt confident she could find Hjalmar’s longhouse, where her father had perished by her own hand; vaguely following the coastline of the neighboring fjord, this visitor soon found herself near a shore she knew well, the one where she had resolved to end her own life... Taking a moment to pay her respects toward Aura Melrose, who made an impromptu appearance on that day and halted her decision, she then continued further along a trail between the trees; this location should be extremely close to her destination, which naturally meant that beyond this dense forest, there should be...

Bingo!

A wide clearing revealed itself within the woods, an empty area devoid of trees and having for sole entry point a beaten, jagged dirt road which had seemingly remained unused for decades, at least; this was the site she sought to find, albeit very little of the previous building was admittedly still present. In fact, only some stones from the foundation were visible, and even those wouldn’t be if they hadn’t been dug out of the ground manually, a large excavation apparently taking place here previously; was this location perhaps an archeological site, now...? No matter, that wouldn’t stop her from carrying out her goal; walking to the center of this hole, she simply sat down, reminiscing on the past.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The stench was everywhere...

Dead bodies scattered across the floor, the scenery dyed red, she had made quite a mess of this place; on the ground ahead were the lord and his unjust minions, dignity a rare commodity they couldn’t spare on frivolity anymore. Was this massacre her own...? Yes, yes, of course it was... The wrongful, the unfair and the prejudiced reality she had been subjected to was finally broken; why else would she be standing on a mound of corpses? Her butcher’s work hadn’t yet met its end though, since one more still remained, firm and inflexible, the lone person who still stood amidst her carnage...

“RHHHAAAAAHHH!! W’AT HAVE YOUU’ DONE~!!?”; a monster... That was the only name apt for this man; turning around, his colossal mass was upon her in the blink of an eye and, just like that, one’s fate couldn’t be averted. A smirk split her lips just as fury begot retribution, and soon the demon’s limp body was laid against the rug, helpless; the lone victim she had spared, yet wouldn’t spare from suffering a future equal to her own torment... How else could she feel at that, if not sheer bliss? Forks and knives found their way into her grasp, and she let out a thunderous laugh, unhinged yet at long last free...

“Finally...~”, she indifferently commented... It was time to enact vengeance.

Ahhh, how long she had awaited... Taking her stance over the man’s torso, she had a role of her own that now required one’s undivided attention; foolish would he be to long for mercy when his own children was in constant agony, his treatment for sole fault and culprit. She would... Kill... Stifle... Finish... Defeat... Slay. Erase. Quell. Murder! Behead! Eliminate! Destroy! Butcher! Exterminate! Ruin! SLAUGHTER! ERADICATE! EXECUTE! ANNIHILATE! “Haa~ ah-, aaaah~...”; before long, her rage subsided, leaving for lone witness of her vile acts the mangled recipient of her hatred.

The Vǫlva was stained red with blood, her SIN now an immutable reality.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Her fist was clenched.

Flashbacks came to her gradually and with them, the emotions she’d been attempting to repress; the ugly, vicious thoughts she’d herself fallen prey toward had now returned, bringing alongside them humiliating memories, much like a flood. Her anger boiled, grip drawing out blood from how tightly contracted it was, until at last... It relaxed; looking at the remnants of the longhouse covered with a thin layer of snow, Luna had a dark, deep glint filling her gaze. Although, unlike her usual malicious glare, this had a very different feel to it; her sight was profound, exceedingly so in fact, and rather gave off a sense of acceptance, yielded by concessions and a compromise...

So~ what, if her fate had been sealed? She had to let go of that fact and look onward, to the horizon; the future was ripe with low-hanging fruits, all she needed was to remain vigilant and never, ever let go of her own prospects, no matter the cost... Her father had died, and that was inflexible! His chains had been cast aside, replaced with ones she would treat no differently; the young Shinigami continuously fought against that reality, when it rather suited her just fine! These sinful ways, her very own transgression... Instead of running away, she might as well run forward, with every intention to challenge those who had dictated a decree tarnishing what she felt was just and fair.

The threads of fate simply couldn’t bind one like herself.

“HHRRAAAAAHHHH~”

Just as she thought so, a chill ran down her spine and her blood froze over; “Tsk~...”, was that a Hollow...? Its sharp wail resonated throughout the surroundings and clearly came from the nearby residential areas; lifting up, she sighed, not really being in the mood to tackle any of her tasks at the moment. She could tell it would likely come this way if it sensed her presence, though, so there wasn’t much of a choice to make; taking the initiative, she’d get the drop on it and ensure no harm might come her way on the grounds that she’d have chosen to neglect its activity in the vicinity.

Just as a large, unseen arm slammed on the side of a building to the dismay of those below, whose spiritual abilities were insufficient to perceive this unwelcome entity, a dark figure adorning her usual cloak and a tiny Zanpakuto suddenly appeared in a flash against its facade, merely observing the heinous intruder for now; “Hey heeey~... How generous of you to reveal yourself, juuuust~ when I was inclined to vent some of my frustrations out~!”, she cheerily exclaimed. However, the mystery it held in store for her wasn’t one she was admittedly prepared for, on this occasion; “SHINIGAMI!!”.

“It’s the Shinigami! Kek-ek-ek...”; its snickering quickly got on her nerves.

“Just like HE had predicted!”.

For some reason, her senses had honed on those words and her guts screamed to be careful; Luna stood upright using the air ground to orient herself and now anticipated a fight, unsure of how to perceive this yet certain it presaged nothing good. “-Umm, excuse meee~...?”, she tried gauging what it meant; “Kek-ek, you don’t need to know, kek-ek-ek...”. The bulky Hollow then pointed its forearm toward her, slender claws aimed for her neck, and made a declaration; “I only need that head of yours for Melrose, kek-ek-ek-ek-ek!”.

Her stare immediately went ice-cold.

“Who’s~, ‘Melrose’...?”, she urgently prompted, recognizing the same pattern as when she had found her last name in documents related to Nꓯ-43; however, discussion was no longer feasible, and she was quickly forced on the defensive. “Kek-ek, I told you... YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW!!”, the creature howled while lunging for her; thankfully, a short burst of flames from her fingertip was enough to make it reconsider its decision, falling back momentarily... “It seems~, I’ll need to force the answers out~ of you...”, she warned, a threat she was willing to uphold; this mystery was one she absolutely needed to unearth, for Ena’s sake.

Remaining vigilant, their battle turned into a staring contest; neither of them knew of the other’s abilities and, since both combatants seemed the rigorous type, they each awaited an opening. Albeit, unlike Luna, the Hollow gathered spiritual energy into its sharp claws as well, seemingly planning a move of some sort; soon, this beast launched its assault with a flurry of slashes, sending the accumulated energy forward and leaving behind wind barriers in their wake. “Woooah~!”, the novice Shinigami uttered, a behavior unfit to the battlefield; she dodged using a Flash Step, then tried investigating these surfaces using a small pebble, annihilated instantly upon contact... The Hollow would favor a battle of attrition, in these conditions.

That situation worked to her advantage; after all, the devious lady never intended to be fighting it alone... “WOAAAOOOOOOAAAHH’~!!”, a battle cry reverberated from somewhere nearby; turning their sight to its source, a muscled man wearing a mask had just arrived on one of the nearby rooftops, one commonly recognized as Bark Face by Luna, a companion she’d brought along on this trip. Sneering, the scientist girl gave her adversary one last glance, knowing its demise was imminent; taking this as a sign she was up to no good, the Hollow refocused on her and that was ultimately its undoing...

The tribal leapt from his roof in a telegraphed motion, unable to make use of air ground, and slammed its victim to the ground in one fell swoop.

“KYAAAAAAAAAA-“, this unfortunate monstrosity screamed in agony, its bones and flesh torn apart by his onslaught; Luna soon reunited with the pair, addressing the Hollow with one last chance. “Will~ you talk, now? I can promise a gentle~ life as my test subject if you comply, but if you do not~... I’ll have to make~ it happen, by any means necessary”; “Kek-ek, I yield, I yiel-“, it immediately replied. From the corner of her vision, however, she noticed Bark Face hadn’t yet conceded; “H- Hey~!”, she tried pleading, but sadly too late. His fist smashed their captive’s head, ruining any opportunity for them to learn more... Luna was pissed, to say the least; not only had she lost her sole shot at solving this mystery, but she’d also warned him against behaving exactly like this beforehand, which meant he’d disobeyed her just now.

She would need to discipline him thoroughly; this was an unforgivable blunder which couldn’t be allowed to ever repeat itself.

That aside, she also needed to uncover the real identity of that so-called Melrose; it had become an urgent matter...

[Luna Melrose]

Academy grounds were one of many bustling, lively hearts of Shinigami activity in the Seireitei, welcoming within a plethora of eager students who brought with them ideas and lifestyles unique to themselves; she had nothing but respect for this institution, who had been hosting her until relatively recently. Once night came, however, Luna felt that this once proud Academy took on an altogether very different mantle, the usual lustre gone and replaced with an air of secrecy, vitality gone in favor of the unknown... With its doors locked, lights off and mislaid silence omnipresent, this school gave off a presence like no other, a challenge laid bare for any of its brazen visitors.

The cover of darkness was excellent tonight, and this was why she had chosen to infiltrate her old teaching grounds today; taking advantage of the occasion, Luna employed her everyday cloak and black shihakushō to move under the guise of night, sneaking into the premise while careful not to be spotted by inadvertent eyes. She had for aim a location in particular, the decrepit laboratory underneath where her first meeting with Ena had occurred, inside of which documents referring to a so-called Melrose originally appeared; if she still sought to find answers regarding that mystery, revisiting those clues then proved crucial.

Of course, entering the building might’ve previously been easy but, now that she wasn’t one of its students anymore, it would turn out exponentially more difficult; thankfully, the clever woman already formulated a solution for this hurdle, a plan she could use to get inside without employing the secret path commonly navigated during her many previous incursions. Obviously, if every entrance was locked and inaccessible, all she needed was the help of someone from the inside to facilitate her entry... Who else could be better suited for that role than Ms. Kaeda, her former History teacher?

Approaching the main gate, Luna noticed that a shrouded figure was nearby and casually jaunted past it, addressing the undercover instructor with pep and smile; “Hi-hiiii~!”, she loudly flaunted her attendance, leading her unwilling accomplice to be startled by this inherent carelessness. “Shhh-!”, she tried hushing the enthusiastic girl into silence, “Not so loud, Miss Melrose! I’ve left the door opened, as you’ve asked... J- Just, whatever you plan on doing, l- leave me out of it please...”, the educator pleaded; Luna inspected the doorway, then gave her an earnest reply, “Will do~! I do expect to find you here when I’ll come back~ though, okaaay~?”.

“Of c- course!”, the teacher lamented in defeat; there was little room left for debate.

Intruding slowly into the learning space, she waved her collaborator away; “See yaaa~!”, she said, closing the door behind her simultaneously. Now inside, the former student quickly began sauntering across the corridor, observing the scenery as she traveled; very little had changed since her studies here, which had admittedly somewhat disappointed the impromptu visitor... While reaching her destination was currently made easier because of that fact, it didn’t sit well with her when an institution focused on education began stagnating either; nevertheless, she arrived at the entrance to the first floor’s women bathroom, hosting a mysterious secret lab she apparently hadn’t yet explored to its full potential.

Carefully tiptoeing into the room secluded near the back of the Academy, she slipped quietly through the doorframe and made her way in; “Don’t mind meee~...”, the trespasser murmured softly. Confirming that nobody else was inside, she advanced near the large mirror and with her heart pounding, slowly reached her arm toward its surface, trying to verify whether a hidden space still remained behind; its length soon swallowed by the reflective facade, she gulped, then made up her mind to cross the mirror’s boundary... “Okaaay~ so, one~, two~, and-“.

“-Kyaa~!!”.

*Splat!*

Her face smacked onto the hard floor beneath her feet as a result of the mistake she’d made, an outcome no different from her very first visit; assuming she could pass through the entire wall was an embarrassing oversight that gave no heed to the section located below the girl’s waist as she crossed. Exasperated, she pushed the incident into a far corner of her memory and immediately moved on, toward another matter altogether; Luna approached the desk where she’d previously found many intriguing documents, and was quite surprised to find that they had been shuffled around...

Wait, had somebody else been here since her last visit?!

Eyes aghast, she hurriedly disturbed the orderly fashion in which things had been reorganized and instead left a mess in her wake, in an attempt to discover what exactly had changed; if someone interfered, then her chances to recover a clue had drastically reduced, and trying to delve further into the mystery would certainly not yield satisfactory results... Afraid that her objective might now be compromised, she dug into the drawers and frantically searched them all, analyzing thoroughly any written records she could get her hands on; most seemed trivial enough, but a small, damaged diary hidden at the back on the bottom row rapidly caught the spotlight.

Opening it, she found within various details about an experiment seemingly left unfinished; the small book mentioned very succinctly an attempt to stabilize a test subject, following what was vaguely described as ‘accidents’ involving it. The casual usage of everyday words indicated this was written as a personal diary rather than actual progress notes, and the lack of a conclusion regarding that topic implied that whoever this belonged to hadn’t yet completed such confessions; Luna wondered, thought, just what ‘test subject’ this text might be referring to? Giving another glance to her surroundings, the morbid answer to her query soon followed suit.

She gasped audibly.

“E- Ena~!!?”, the girl shrieked, shocked and confused; trapped inside a glass chamber and submerged in dark green goo was her unconscious friend, one she thought had died prior. “-Ena, Ena...! Hey~!”, she said while pounding against the panel separating them, trying in vain to wake her up; soon proven futile, she instead moved to the terminals attached to the large machinery, reviewing any tidbit of information that was put on display. The vital signs being relayed were stable, thankfully... Although, she was worried what this ‘contamination ratio’ of 40% in a corner of the screen suggested.

Inspecting the area yielded another set of documents, this time ones which looked a lot more official than their predecessor; inside were the sketch of a creature she recognized alongside a short summary of Nꓯ-43’s current status, foreshadowing nothing good... This report hinted that the poor woman had now been infected by the very same Hollow parasites that were responsible for her alleged demise, with her current treatment meant to prevent her condition from deteriorating, a stasis chamber of sorts; more concerning was the fact that, if these words were to be believed, her impersonator supposedly oversaw this medical care...

The further she read this, the less logical it all seemed; there were so many questions and inconsistencies lying around in that tale for her to make any sense of it and, making things even worse, it missed the mark on what she most wanted to clarify! Who was the person falsely adopting her moniker? Most importantly, why...? If only she’d gotten any trace of an explanation, then maybe she could’ve known what to do next, but right now Luna had nowhere else to turn; this room was supposed to at least provide a viable theory, but instead left her with a baffling enigma and many more inquiries... Why was her friend even here, alive and well...?

[smear:6699CC]“Kukukukukukuku-...[/smear:C41E3A] Wouldn’t youuu, like to know?”.

Jolted straight, Luna was bewildered, searching for the source of this unknown voice using her sight; “W- Who~ are you? Where are you~?!”, she urged for this guest to reveal themselves. “My sincere apologies, but such matters shall await a mooore... forthright occasion. For now, you may siiimply refer to myself, as Melrose...”, the mysterious conversationalist revealed; each hair across her skin curled up from a chill, the guttural voice leaving her with a strong, visceral desire to run away. “-So~, it’s you...”, she menacingly let out instead; “You~ stole my name, whoever~ you are...”.

“My myyy, isn’t that ironic?”, the stranger claimed, chuckling at that conclusion; “I am deeply touched by this looove you believe I hold toward milady’s identity”. Although Luna had indulged their discussion thus far, she could tell their flattering locution hid underneath an intense spite, with very little sympathy held at all toward her; this individual was undoubtedly an enemy, someone she would eventually rip to shreds... “...Cut it out~!”, she soon hollered, her annoyance quickly reaching a boiling point; “If you’ve got~ nothing productive to say about~ any of this, then hold your tongue~!”.

Snickering filled her ear; “Nothing produuuctive? Nooo, no! Quite the opposite in fact, I solely wish to lend my assiiistance, in your quest for knowledge... I intend to set youuu, on the correct path”. Maintaining her guard up, she retreated slightly into one of the room’s corners, near Ena’s glass receptacle; the Shinigami was frightened by this unseen entity, and instinctively knew better than to blindly trust any remarks they might attempt to lure her with. “...What do you mean~ by that?”, the young woman cautiously requested; “Kukukukukukuku-... We shaaall meet, once your abilities manifest”, the strange personality clarified, with mirth as its parting gift.

“Until then, you have nothing mooore to learn here... [smear:C41E3A]Luna Melrose”[/smear:6699CC].

“H- Hey~!”, she shouted to the void; silence was all she received in return, no matter how long she waited. Luna was shaken by the experience, and rightly so; this impersonator had not only managed to converse with her under the guise of anonymity, but also placated her with futility right when she herself had begun doubting her current endeavor... Scrutinizing the modest laboratory, she pointlessly inspected its surfaces in search of an explanation, be it wireless bugs or otherwise, but quickly came back empty-handed; there was a reason for that, unbeknownst to her, since the source of this booming voice had been fully inward...

When it became evident that she was alone once again, the scientist ruminated over that last statement she had been left with; could she truly assume the answers she sought would be revealed after acquiring her ability? Sadly, it wasn’t a matter of belief; she simply couldn’t afford to doubt that fact, not when this was the lone option she still had at her disposal. Placing a hand on the capsule enclosing Ena’s inanimate body, emotions welled up from inside herself; she was both relieved her friend was safe, saddened by her current predicament and distraught she’d need to leave her within the contraption, as the consequences would be deadly otherwise.

“I swear~, I’ll get you out~ of here...”, she promised.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

After handling the remaining orders of business, Luna left the premise in the same way she had entered, albeit admittedly with her mood slightly soured; she sighed as she returned outside, closing the doorway behind her as she did so, and saw that Ms. Kaeda had remained, stiff and awaiting instructions. The young woman bottled her emotions for now, and rather adopted her regular attitude; “Hiyaa~...!”, she addressed her former teacher, turned accomplice; “I trust no signs of your presence remains, Miss Melrose?”, Kaeda however interjected, locking the entrance once more, “I- I really cannot afford to have any of this fall back on my shoulders...”.

Luna chuckled lightly; “Oh~ no worries, it definitely won’t! After all, you’ve outlived~ your usefulness just now~...”, she announced, meanwhile adorning a creepy smile. In truth, she couldn’t afford to let anyone else learn of why she’d come here or what she’d done inside, at least not until she had safeguarded Ena’s safety; unfortunately, that therefore meant she needed to dispose of an inconvenient witness... “W- What do you m- m- mean!? Miss M- Melrose??”, the senior demanded, agitated and panicking at the implication behind these words; smiling innocently, Luna offered no response and instead made a simple gesture with one of her hands...

Not even a scream had the chance to escape Ms. Kaeda’s lungs.

Lying ahead were multiple hooded individuals, their face concealed and the blade of the one closest from herself bloodied at the tip; she didn’t seem surprised at their presence, and on the contrary must’ve been expecting them. “Please bring her~ back home; she’ll be wonderful~ for our experiments involving flesh”, the Shinigami plainly indicated; pensive, she further added a final footnote. “Inform Lady Ryoko I will not~ return tonight; I’ll remain alone~ for a bit...”; the silent henchmen nodded, then vanished in the moonlight.

She now had to regain her composure.