A Hollow Feeling [Solo SP Training]

Somewhere in the far recesses of his mind, Akki knew he was taking a risk. This Arrancar... there was a reason he was here, and even more of a reason he was sealed. How he had been sealed, he didn't know. The shell that had been surrounding him seemed to be of a different origin than that of the Receptacle- the name he had given the girl trapped in her own Shikai, forever teaching new passersby. Whatever it was that could seal an Arrancar had to be strong. As he was following his teacher, he couldn't help but notice the small black "3" that seemed to be tattooed at the top of his right shoulder. It was only noticeable due to the thick scar that ran vertically down the center of it, much like that of a stab wound. He paid it no mind, but took note to ask of it later. Whatever it was must have some meaning, especially if put there on an Arrancar. Slowly, the light started to fade away, and Akki had more and more trouble keeping the man's outline in sight. Three more steps, and the light all but disappeared, his teacher gone, only the subdued sound of his breathing- courtesy of the water-like ocean of Reiryoku- his only solace.

With no light, and Akki took a deep breath, on edge. Steeling himself against the inky black he took another step forward... into empty space. With the speed of a madman, he turned himself around and began to swim towards the surface, or whatever edge he had fallen off of. He seemed to be struggling for an eternity when he finally grasped onto a solid edge. Panting, he tried to pull himself up, when the whispers reached him.

”Akki... Akki... Let go... Come... Akki...!”

Still unable to see anything, the white-haired child simply held his grip firm, eyes trained in the unfathomable pit below, listening to the urgent whispers beckon to him.

”Well, you gonna go, or what?”

The voice had come so suddenly, he nearly lost his hold, until it registered that it was merely the Arrancar, eerily close to his face. He heard the being chuckle lightly, and the sound receded slowly below him, echoing madly off the walls of whatever pit lay at his feet. There was a gust of air at his back, and suddenly a firm grip on his wrist as he was dangled in the air over the abyss.

”Look, kid, ya said you wanted a teacher, right? Yer first one’s down there. I can’t teach you nothin’ if you can’t even control the basis of yer own power. Now, come find me when yer done, capiche?”

Without another word, the Arrancar hefted Akki like a child’s toy, and threw him down towards even thicker darkness. He seemed to fall forever, the seconds like minutes, and the minutes like days. He didn’t realize his eyes were closed until light began to pry its way beneath his lids. Squinting carefully, he began to open them slowly. When they refocused, what he saw made him open his eyes wider, trying to take in all he could. He was looking at images flashing by on the walls, entire scenes of people- memories of the past, events of the present, and, from what he could guess, of what was yet to come.

He was moving too fast to catch hold of too much, but at some point, almost the entire wall seemed to shift focus, and he saw two white haired individuals, each wielding two blades, and both wearing Hollow masks, though one seemed to be permanent, whilst the other just fit close to the individuals face. The Arrancar- or so he guessed- seemed off, however, dressed in the normal garb, but the colors were inverted, making his outfit mostly black, and the opponent was wearing a getup that was unfamiliar to him.

Before he could give it too much thought, the scene shifted, and Akki was looking at an image of himself, crashing into the ground. Puzzled, he realized too late that this was a VERY near event, as his body plummeted into the soft bottom of the Well, his world going black.



The weirdest dream played through his mind as he drifted in and out of slumber. A masked woman- A Vizard- pulling him from the ground, tilting her mask up to reveal a beautiful face. Darkness faded in again. Another brief moment of sight, his head tilted, looking at another hole in the ground, this one glowing a pure white. Standing over the hole was the woman, this time her mask pulled to the side, like an ornament adorning her hair. For the last time, the world faded to black.

Akki awoke gasping, his instincts blowing full tilt. From his back, he rolled to the floor, landing on all fours, eyes darting back and forth with frenzied panic, his teeth bared, body coiled to spring at the first movement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slight flicker, and reacted, his legs pushing off the ground in unison with his hands, his body like a dart as he flew toward whatever it was. Midair, he saw a brief image; Blonde hair, and eyes of clear ocean blue. The face of an angel, heavenly and pure, skin pale and smooth. White clothing, close fitting, hugging every curve with gentle care. It had to have been an angel, because one moment, she was there, in all her radiant beauty, the next, like an apparition, she had disappeared, and Akki’s confused mind stuttered as he crashed into open air, skidding along the ground, turning so his back was to the wall as he looked around.

Slowly, his heartbeat began to level, his breathing becoming less panicked. With quiet unease, he composed himself and stood up slowly, puzzling over the image he had just seen. Grasping his head with one hand in mild bewilderment, he took a look around his quarters.

The area was roughly circular, about 100 feet across, from one wall to the other. There was little lighting, save for randomly shifting colors on the walls, and a large hole dead center in the room, from which a light of pure white fought back the inky darkness above. The walls were of clear crystal, reminiscent of the Receptacle’s Shikai. Taking in all this, Akki failed to notice the reappearance of the angel he had seen before, until she disappeared once more, Akki’s eyes catching the movement, though unable to register fast enough when she appeared again, this time hovering mere centimeters from his face, floating slightly above him. Despite his natural instinct to fight, Akki’s brain was stunned, no thoughts circulating, the neurons all ceasing to fire. His breath stopped cold in his lungs and his heart missed several beats as those intense blue eyes studied his, gently pulling the deepest knowledge from the depths of his being. Her face remained inquisitive for quite some time, and then a smile slid onto her delicate, pale lips.

This small change seemed to free Akki from her spell, and he remembered how to breath, exhaling deeply, which seemed to amuse her even more. A light giggle pierced the veil of silence as she touched her first two fingers to the top of her forehead, then drew them down abruptly. A smooth mask, much like the shape of a shield, slid down, a snug fit to her face, with no slits for eyes or a mouth, only a ridge down the center, where it wrapped to the contours of her delicate features. Before he could react, she reached out a single finger, and Akki felt an indescribable feeling as the distance between the tip of her finger and the center of his forehead decreased.

Instinctively, he realized what was going on, as he felt the familiar localization of Reiatsu redistributed to a single point, hers being the tip of her finger, and a monstrous amount of Reiatsu it was. The world began to slow, and all color began to fade, then invert, everything becoming almost like a photo negative, except her. His body began to feel heavy, and the air seemed to chill, his fingertips going numb. Panicking at this point, he hastily made an attempt to push some of his own Spiritual Power to the point of contact that was going to be made, realizing too late that he still had no idea how to control it.

With the sound of a cannon from deep underwater, the world came rushing back, except now it was aglow with blackened Reiatsu, and the girl had lifted her mask to rest on the top of her head, a wicked grin spread across her face.

“Perfect...” she murmured.

She moved too fast for Akki’s panicking eyes to follow. He felt a tug at the front of his shirt, and the cave walls blurred and turned end over end. He was stopped facing down, towards the pit of light he had noted earlier, his ankle held by the masked girl, whose crazed grin had reached her eyes, though it was difficult to tell as his Reiatsu washed around him like a shawl. She chuckled, a beautiful sound, and opened her hands, dropping Akki into the pit.

Akki had shut his eyes, for the first time in his existence, terrified of what might happen. He didn’t know how long or far he was going to fall, and curled himself up into a ball, ready for his life to end. It was kind of funny. While he fell, his ears rang repeatedly with the peal of laughter the masked girl had let out, over and over again. It took him a moment to realize that the sound he was hearing wasn’t just in his mind. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Looking down, all he saw was the pure light from the pit. He took his hands off his head with embarrassing slowness, and realized he wasn’t falling, but floating above the pit, his Reiatsu still clinging to him, but somehow more subdued, it’s black color now evened out.

He locked eyes with the masked girl, who was still giggling, and quickly averted his eyes, crossing his arms.

”Hehe, you’re cute.” she said.

The first words she had spoken, and they were to taunt him. He turned his slit pupils back to her and held her gaze, saying nothing, his body language suggesting his questions.

”Ooooh, the brooding type, huh? I love the quiet ones aha~!” she said, winking at him. He couldn’t tell if she was purposefully trying to draw a reaction from him, but he could feel his face heating.

”Alright, fiiiine. You wanna know why you’re here, who I am, and blah, blah, blah. My name... Well, I honestly don’t even remember anymore, but I know everyone else calls me Ika. The crude fellow up top,” here, she pointed to the inky veil above them, ’His name is Mittsu. He’s an ex-Espada, used to be third strongest of his kind. He’s an expert when it comes to Reiatsu and Spiritual Pressure. Every so often, someone like you comes along that piques his interest, or has no control, and if they ask, he’ll teach them. He just doesn’t have the patience for the basics, he feels they should be inherent. However, in your case, you have not one, but two stores of Spiritual Pressure within you, that you’ve never learned to even use. This is where I come in!” she said with a cheery smile, pointing a finger at herself.

”Now, me, I used to be like you... sorta. I was a Shinigami, part of 12th. My specialty, just like the Big-Guy-Up-Top, was Spiritual Pressure and Reiatsu. ‘Course, hearing about this place got me interested. Such a wealth of knowledge and unknown circumstance. Anyways, I’m gettin’ off topic, hm? The epicenter of this place is what you see right here. You’re actually floatin’ in it. That is the very spot that those two duked it out, a looooong LONG time ago. The magnitude of such an intense amount of Spiritual Pressure, all localized to one point, created... Well, easiest way to explain it is a recycling vacuum. It pulls in Reiatsu, and then feeds it back, in a much purer form. That’s how the Well was made. BUT it can be used for a different purpose.”

“See, when something that has any measurable level of Reiatsu enters the field you’re in, it no longer feeds itself, nor the environment. Instead, it acts like a parasite, and latches on to said ‘thing’, and starts recycling it’s own Reiatsu through said ‘thing’. The ‘thing’ being you. Right now, you could expend as much Reiatsu as you wanted, and you’d never run dry. This is exactly how you’re going to train yourself. Get a feel for your strength and your Reiatsu, and then start learning to control it, like a extension of yourself... Well, it is an extension of yourself, but you get the point. Anyways! Best of luck, cutie!”

With little more than a wink and a wide smile, she was gone, just like that, leaving Akki confused and alone, naught but the silence and warm swirling of his char-colored Reiatsu there for comfort. He took a few minutes to let his brain catch up with all the information he’d just absorbed, and took a deep breath. He had no other choice but to take this and run with it, though he had no idea what the first step should be. Gazing at the vapor-like mass surrounding him, he set his resolve. He was going to do whatever it took to get his brother back, in the fastest way possible. If this was it, then so be it. It was time to train.


Training begins here

The first step in any lesson was one of understanding. In order to be able to get anywhere with this, he first had to truly understand what it was. He’d learned there was no better way to do so than observe, and feel. So, that’s exactly what he did. He sat there, suspended over the unnatural phenomenon, and let his Reiatsu wash over him, soak into his bones, and then let it be pulled back out. Hours he sat there, eyes closed, only letting his own physical form feel and experience his inner power. After untold hours of laying there, just like that, he began to feel the ebb and flow of his Reiatsu as it coursed through him.

Every inch of him knew what it felt like, from the gentle kisses on his skin, to something akin to blood flow in his veins. It was a part of him, as he was a part of it. Just like Hibiki and himself, they were separate, but they were singular, all at the same time. He began to think of it as an organism, a predator. Dangerous if loosed or provoked, but still vulnerable. It seemed to have a will of it’s own, though it was intimately connected to Akki’s will. After another hour, he felt something click, like that moment when one recalls their first memory. Slowly, he opened his silver eyes, and let a smile slip onto his face.

Where before there had been thick curtains of black Reiatsu, slightly shaky and formless, a smooth satin silver now clung to him. He knew that it was possible for an individual’s Reiatsu to change based on their own self, so something inside of him must have changed as well, though, as of yet, he knew not what that may be.

He watched in wonder as the lunar-esque Reiatsu clung to him. He knew he understood it, on some unfathomable level. Now, the next step was controlling it. He inhaled deeply, and connected himself with the now familiar essence, establishing it as a part of his body, forming a place for it within himself. Ever so slowly, he began to to reel it back in, gently, anchoring it to his body. As he watched, the glow receded, though over the space of half an hour. Each minute seemed an eternity as he watched the smokelike essence enter his body, feeling its warming caress as it flowed through him, then settled in his core, churning slowly, like a calm ocean on a clear day.

He had done it. He had connected with the power that resonated within him, on a level that he never would have thought. However, he still had much he needed to learn about his newfound strength, such as how to use it. Closing his eyes, he set about the task, knowing that whatever was spent here would only be recycled once more, so he didn’t fear losing control. Taking a slow breath, he used his consciousness to gently stir at the Reiryoku that now rested within him, drawing it out slowly. Upon initial contact, the mass seemed to be wary, stemming itself and shrinking away. Without warning, Akki went for a full on attack, eager to get started, and only succeeded in overindulging himself, releasing almost the entirety of his Reiatsu at once.

Begrudgingly, he willed the power back in, stemming it off, this time within a few seconds, and thought for a moment about how best to go about this.

”Dammit... why won’t you work with me...?” he asked aloud.

”You never asked.” said a voice, soft-spoken and unmistakably female.

Akki’s eyes snapped open as he searched around the empty room, and found it was just that- empty. He knew he had heard a voice, that much was clear, though where it had come from, he didn’t know. He shuddered slightly, then thought on the words.

Never asked... he thought to himself. It couldn’t hurt.

Closing his eyes once more, he set about his task, softly asking his own Reiryoku to work with him, to allow him to use it. He felt sheepish, like he was talking to himself, and soon stopped, noticing no difference in himself, though the flow of his Reiryoku did seem a little smoother, but he wasn’t sure if that’s just what he wanted to believe. Following through with his craziness, he decided to give it another shot, extending his will to his core, where the erratic power lay, now more peaceful than before. However, this time, he was shocked when there was no withdraw. His Reiryoku didn’t retaliate, or shrink away from his consciousness. Instead, it nudged itself closer, until the two met. As soon as they touched, something extraordinary happened.

The world came into a much sharper focus, and sounds became crisp. The single point that his reiryoku had previously been focused had shifted, and now was spread throughout his entirety, extending even into his mind, a complete and total symbiosis. He grinned, ear to ear, knowing this would work, and held out a hand, palm up. He effortlessly began to gather Reiatsu into his palm, his mind shaping it into a sphere. However, he was still not used to his control, and rather than a small sphere, he held in his hand a large mass, the size of a large beach ball.

He felt his energy fading quickly, and without thinking, ceased all contact with the sphere. Like shutting of a light, his weariness was instant. He understood now why prolonged use of one’s Spiritual Pressure was taxing, and his had only been active for but a few moments. However, he knew he had at least enough control to go free his brother without killing himself. This fact in mind, he moved to the edge of the mass that enshrouded him, and rolled out effortlessly.

Immediately, gravity took hold again, and he dropped several feet to the ground, landing effortlessly, his body invigorated, and feeling stronger than ever. He tilted his head back, looking into the dense veil that hid the surface above him. He knew the only way out was up, and was determined to reach there, eager to get back to his brother. He could feel the untamed Reiryoku, the familiarity making him yearn to see Hibiki again, filling him with resolve. He crouched low, and focused his Reiatsu to his legs, then sprang up, firing off like a rocket, with much more force than anticipated. The picture wall passed in a blur, the closeness of the walls slowly receding, until Akki felt the difference in the air, the wide area of nothingness that gave him the knowledge that he had exited the pit.

Focusing Reiatsu to the balls of his feet, he stood- though shakily- in the air for a moment, locking onto the direction in which his brother could be felt. Once he had done so, he took off, eager to set his brother free from his crystalline prison. Soon, the glow of the site guided him, rather than just pure instinct. He arrived within a few minutes, to find Mittsu squatting on the floating perch of his old crystal shell. The lanky figure grinned as he twirled Akki’s blades between two fingers, watching him as he approached. Akki said nothing as he approached his brother’s prison, placing his hands on the thick crystal.

”How do I free him?” he asked quietly.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees, and from the corner of his vision, he saw the ex-Espada’s smile falter. His eyes moved to lock on the deep-set black irises that held his. Mittsu stopped twirling the blades, and huffed once, then leaned back, further relaxing into his position.

”You don’t.” was all he gave.

Akki couldn’t contain himself, the answer confusing him at first.

”But... You said... You said I had a week... That I could free him... YOU TOLD ME I COULD BRING HIM BACK!!!”

Mittsu’s eyes narrowed, and before Akki could blink, the narrow-faced individual was before him, his black eyes burning with what seemed like both hurt and anger as he leaned in close.

”I said you had less than a week. It’s been ten days. There’s nothing you can do to get him out, not at your level. Get it?” he asked, all traces of his playful way of speech gone, replaced by somber eloquence with the gravity of the news he was bearing.

Akki could only return his unblinking gaze, mouth opening and closing, as slack-jawed as a fish. He repeated the words over and over again in his head, trying to process the enormity of them. Then, something struck him.

”You said... Not at my level... That means there’s another way... right...?”

At this, a frown crossed Mittsu’s face as he straightened back up.

”Forget about it, kid, there’s no way you could manage it. Like I said, not at your level.” Mittsu turned to walk away, and Akki acted on impulse, his arm lashing out before his mind could process what he was doing, and grabbed hold of Mittsu’s wrist.

The Arrancar whipped his head around, and had Akki’s own blades trained at his throat, drawing but a tiny bead of blood.

”That’s not what I asked.” whispered Akki, his slit-pupiled gaze never leaving that of the ex-Espada’s.

After a few moments, Mittsu removed the blade from Akki’s throat, and Akki relinquished his grip.

”Your father... He’s Kaoseu, ain’t he? Kaoseu Enjel. He’s powerful... And still growing more powerful, even as we speak. Don’t pretend you didn’t have a clue he was alive, you’d have known if he was dead. There’s too much of him in you to not know. He’s just... changed. Anyways, I’m not sure on the specifics, but yer pops would know exactly how to get ‘im out. But to find him, you gotta go there.” gave the high ranking Hollow, using one of Akki’s blades to point at the thin crystal floor beneath their feet- the eternal opening to Hueco Mundo that was created long ago, proceeding the battle that was held there.

Akki’s stomach churned as he thought over the implications, knowing full well what he was going to end up doing, but still dreading the decision.

”So... All I’ve gotta do... is find my father...?” he asked carefully. There wasn’t a lot he would completely risk his neck for, but a chance to see his father again, and save his brother’s fate... He’d be willing to put everything on the line.

Mittsu snorted, a grin sliding onto half his face.

”You say it like it’s gonna be easy. But yeah, just find yer dad, and he should be able to give ya guidance.”

Akki nodded, looking down, and before his brain could process the words, he spoke, though quietly.

”Get me there...”

Now, Mittsu had a full blown smirk as he spoke.

”What was that?” he asked, cupping a hand over his ear, as if he hadn’t heard.

The young Shinigami’s head raised up, never a more steadfast gaze holding the Arrancar’s.

”Get me there.” he repeated, this time the conviction in his voice burned to his eyes.

Baring his teeth in a manic grin, Mittsu said not a word, only tossed Akki his blades. Deftly, the young boy caught them, and strapped them on, the familiar weight helping to alleviate some of his feeling of loss. Still not having spoke, Mittsu walked to the center of the floor, then turned, an expectant look on his face.

Akki looked at him quizzically as he approached, standing beside the crimson haired man.

”I ain’t gotta stay here, but that doesn’t mean I’m taggin along. I’ll stay with ya long enough to continue yer training, and teach you a few tricks, then I’ve got my own demons to face. Just a fair warnin’. Now, when we go through here,” said the Arrancar as he crouched, placing his right hand on the ground, ”Everything nearby’ll be able to smell ya. We’ve gotta get you hidden, and a bit of protection, so I’ll take care of that part. You just stay outta the way, and head for surface, capiche?”

Akki only nodded, too afraid of what his voice would sound like if he tried to speak. Mittsu only gave him one more look, then forced open a Garganta in the floor. Akki didn’t hesitate, jumping through and shoving off, propelling himself to the surface. He didn’t look back, only swam, but beneath him, he felt monstrous energies, several dozen, and flashes of light lit the waters, revealing horrors that only made the boy swim faster. Even as he swam, the clear waters tinted pink with blood. Akki felt a stir beneath his feet, and the displacement of water as something came at him, something fast.

Before he could react, he felt a vice wrap around his waist, and his upward speed increased. His feeble mind had yet to comprehend that he was probably dead, his lower torso most likely trapped between the jaws of some aquatic Hollow. He broke the surface of the water, and continued, the trajectory carrying him and his assailant to shore. He crashed into the white dunes, refusing to look down at what had to have been only his waist, no doubt his entrails hanging raggedly from his grievous wound.

A looming shadow approached from above him, and he could hear water dripping off the large form. He waited in silence, eyes closed, saddened that he would never see his father, never save his brother, that he was going to die in a God-forsaken wasteland. He took a deep breath, prepared for the Hollow’s final strike, letting the air escape when he felt the dull thump on his chest. However, there was no pain. He relished in that, and slowly opened his eyes, to gaze upon the last wound he’d ever receive- and then opened them wider.

What had struck his chest was not a barbed arm, or a piercing tendril, but a bloodied Hollow mask, with no eyes and a sharp, visor-like protrusion towards the front, making the thing about as long as his torso, if not a bit longer. The top and bottom jaws were disconnected, and lay there in his lap as he set up, realizing he still had his legs, in all their entirety. He turned around and looked into the face of his crimson-haired savior, who was dripping wet.

” ‘s the matter? Looks like ya done died.” said the ex-Espada, grinning wildly. On his back was now strapped a broadsword, easily as long as he was tall, and as wide as a small book. Not mentioning the new addition, the Arrancar held out his hand for the mask that rested with Akki. Without question, the boy held up both portions. Mittsu took both pieces, and looked them over closely, eventually nodding to himself. He tossed the bottom half to the Shinigami.

”Wear that, at all times. This guy was strong enough, it’ll keep the weaklings off yer tail, and the tough ones wary.”

Akki dawned the lower half of the mask without question. The large jaw seemed to shrink, and mold to his face, scaring him for just a moment, and his panicked eyes looked to his mentor, who was now fiddling with the upper jaw.

”Relax, it’s supposed to do that. Damn masks are like parasites, bonding as closely as they can with the host. Don’ worry, though, all it’s gonna do is circulate a bit of that guys Reiryoku through you. Not enough to hurt you, but enough to mask yer Shini scent. Heh, who knows, maybe some other stuff’ll happen, but you can take that thing off at any time. It’ll slide off like... well, a mask.”

Here, Mittsu had finished toying with the sharp pointed upper jaw, and tossed the finished product to Akki. Turning it over, he found that it was now lined with a ring that had been hollowed out of the bone itself, as well as a handle. midway down. Without thinking, Akki brought out some of the bandages he had left over, and tied a loose strand between the ring and the makeshift handle, then slung the whole thing over his back, point down. The overall size reached to the upper portion of his hamstring, a few inches below his buttocks.

Spoiler:

”Nice touch. That’ll block most lower level Cero, and pretty much any Bala less’n an Arrancar’s, but I’m sure ya can find more uses for it later. Now! First part of yer trainin’! I want you to make a sphere, and hold it. Doesn’t needa be big, but make it decent size, like a softball.”

Akki was slightly taken aback, not expecting to have to anything so soon. However, he obliged, silently communicating with his Reiryoku as he channeled it into his palm, slowly forming a small sphere, then adding to it, bit by bit, until it was the approximate size of a softball.

”Good. Now keep it, and keep up. If it goes out, you fail, and you don’t move on ‘til you get it, got it.?”

Without waiting, Mittsu took off, his lanky body moving him gracefully over the sand. Akki reacted the only way he knew how at this point, and followed.

Keeping up with the fast-paced Arrancar was tough work. Keeping up up with him and maintaining a steady flow of Reiatsu was next to impossible. Thrice, the mass almost flickered out of existence, due to lapse in concentration, or sheer exhaustion. 45 minutes. That’s how long he let his legs carry him as he drained his energy sustaining his miniature moon. It just so happened that that’s as long as it took for Mittsu to reach his destination, Akki trudging up next to him, the ball of Reiatsu flickering like a feeble flame.

They stood before a hole, ten feet across in every direction, a thick darkness sucking in the already pale light of the eternal twilight.

”Keep it lit. Our destination’s at the bottom, here, then you can let it out. Five minutes. ‘S all you need.” said Mittsu, then, without a word, he dove in, headfirst. Reluctant to toss himself down any more holes, Akki followed suit a moment after, his mind clouded by his aching body and occupied thoughts, his focus maintained on the sphere in his hand.

The five-minute-fall seemed much shorter as he landed deftly, letting his body roll as he kept his light alive, spreading the impact throughout his form. He stopped on one knee, next to Mittsu’s tall form, and stood, gazing at the sight before him, his jaw slackened with awe.

Before him rose several obelisks, each at a tilt so that they met in the middle. Where each point met, there was a massive sphere balanced atop, honeycombed with caves. Beneath the supporting obelisks, there was a bustling city, with various forms hurrying to and fro. Upon closer inspection, Akki almost let his light die out. The figures running around were a mixture- some Hollow, some Shinigami, some in between. It was almost too much to fathom.

Mittsu clapped a hand on Akki’s shoulder, grinning widely, a look of pride on his face.

”This is where the rest of your training will take place.” he said, leaning over, placing a hand over Akki’s sphere of light, the child still unmoving. ”Welcome... to Buryoutougen.” Without another word, he closed his hand into a fist, extinguishing the sphere and leaving the both of them in the pale light of the city as alarms sounded in the distance.