Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Year: Unknown,

The beginning of all creation

During that age, all of creation was in a state of ambiguity. There was neither life nor death; progression and regression flickered to and fro. The primordial essence of the ‘universe’ existed as an infinite Void, extending endlessly in all directions. And for a long time it swayed. 

Swaying and swaying slowly; this waning and waxing world waited for a hundred million years to cool down. It first cooled into a more fathomable ‘Ocean.’ in which not-quite-life-forms sprouted, solidified into existence at the ‘will’ of the ‘Universe’. 

Eventually the Infinite Void-Ocean cooled down yet more and so the World came into being and so did the humans.  The Humans who had a Will of their own gave rise to an Entity. The Hollows, made from their own immortal Souls. Eventually, Hollows too became a part of the circulation of souls.

But before long, Hollows began devouring humans. And so, the circulation  of all Universe ceased. All those souls came together to form a gigantic Hollow, a Menos. The world became completely Still. 

Soundless. 

And then- 

A new life came into being. 

As if the world itself naturally rejected this Stillness, he destroyed the Menos and turned it into sands of reishi; which turned into Souls and thus, circulation began once again. Some speculated later that the existence of this being was the progenitor Chaos itself, to keep breaking and reforming the fabric of the Universe so it may be Transitional. Dynamic. So long as this entity would have Consciousness, the Universe would never be Still . Finite. Knowable.

It’s name was ų̶͚͕̼͈͕̬̟̔͐̆̿͐͘n̵̩͖̝͉͖͎̫̬̲͍͖̗͒̀k̷̘̞̦͔͑͆͆̕͘͝n̵̢͕̞̳̻̝̼̯͇̦̈́̉̾o̷͇͐̓͐ẃ̸̧̖̰͈͌̌ä̶͇̩̬́̊̐̌̈́͌̽͑̈́̚͜b̶̢̛͈͉̼̮͒̿̎̽͗͘̕l̴̡̮̻̻̤̩̥͉͕̗̬̊̈́͗̃̔̉̓̀̆̂͛̂̏͘e̵̟̖̥̙̿̿̆͐̽̓͝ͅͅu̷͈̮̗̭̍̒̃̐̐̑͊̑̾̀̐̕͝͝ṋ̷̩͖̖̦̰͕̼̞̤̙͈̺̳͐̓͋̒͐͑͑̃̇̾͌̈́͒͗̕̚͜ͅf̷̰̪̺͖̰̺̈́̀̈́͂̋̾͋͆͒̉̆̎̀̕̚͝ͅͅa̵̙̖͉̤͇͖͊̄̈́̌͗̐̏̕͘͝t̸̬̮͕͉̼̪̘̮̗͚͆̅͗͊́͐͊̄͒̔h̶̛̛̬̙̬̗̙̞͖̝̙̹̻̫͈̠̆̉̾̆̈́͘̕̚͜o̶̢̻̺̯͍͙͉͊̂̄́͂̓͛͘͝m̷̧̛͍͈̰̙̅̍̓̍͗̚ą̴͎̝̣̉̽b̵̨͍̰͔̥̙͖͈̺͌̇̏̄̋͐̉̔̽͑̆̆̅͘͘ĺ̴̛̰͊͐͗̂͒̒͊͂̚͘̚͠ẻ̸̢̩͇̳̙̞̞̮͔̻͕̱͍͓͎͚̒̂̈́̓̊̕͜ü̷̢͚̻͖̱̯͉̺̺̪̥̐̏͂͛̑͂̀̎͂͆͝ͅn̷̡̝͍͓̲̝͍͛̾͋̚h̷̬̫̍ḗ̴̡̬͎͈̺̣̞̘ā̷̺̍̀̍r̷̡͈͖̠͓̯̥̘̻̯͂̏͗̍̀͌̌̅̓̽̀̈́̒͝a̵̺͖̼͌̑͋͒̇̿̋̈́̾̀̄͛̕b̶̡̨̟̔̐̒̀̈́̓̊̿̄̒͑̚͘͘ļ̸̙̥̱͖͖̌̍̾͑͗̄̂̈́͂͆̒̂̕ẻ̷̤̘̬̙͇̦̻̾͐̿̎́͜͜͝ạ̵̡̱̲̠͈͎̣̰̝̻̙̦̈̓̿̆͌̏̈́̑̋̈́̏̕͘̕͜͝ͅļ̴̼͖̹̯̪̏̿̑̎m̸̬̟̘̣͍̫͎͕͚̭͎̬͚̰̂̏̽̚͘̕͠i̶̧̝͖̘͙̫͓͓̯̞̥͚͚̾̾͆̊̍͋g̵͓̞͈͖̮̫͖͍̣̘̓̇̕͠ͅh̷̨̡͙͓̫̣̥̻̙̻͖͆͝t̴͈̣͎̝̋̈́͗̏̔̈́̏͒͂̈́̈̕y̴͐̔͗̅̈́͆̀̓͘͜͝ ,  the Rei-o of the first era.

A time later, Others; with special powers, appeared, manifested from the Universe, knowing their own names, and possessing Great Power. Manako Osho, Kuchiki, Shihoin, Tsunayashiro and Others. But it is fair to say that the Rei-o stood out; his powers very close to Omnipotence and Omniscience. 

As the Rei-o continued to protect the world from the Hollows by annihilating them; to prevent the world from stagnating, the world itself began to slowly sink into chaos.

However, there were those who did not find this state of affairs agreeable. There were five of them. Although not as much as the Rei-o; they were strong. They were the original founders of the Five Great Noble Houses, including the Shiba family.

Each of them had different motives.

The Tsunayashiro ancestor was afraid that this mighty power would someday be used against them.

The ancestor of the opposing clan said that it was necessary to have a world that would serve as the lid to cover up the 'pit' that would later be known as 'Hell'.

The Kuchiki ancestor believed that a new order was necessary to solidify the world more.

The Shihoin ancestor said that it was necessary to form a larger circulation to advance the world, but that the path of that Chaos should be Ordered, Defined. A controlled Chaos.

And the Shiba ancestor wanted to explore the path of purification of Hollows rather than destruction; since they too had hearts.

There would be a Reishi world, a Kishi world, and also a Sand Paradise that would be the destination of the Hollows both worlds produced. Or, alternatively, other forms of worlds might come to being, but what was most important was to have worlds with a clear distinction between life and death.

Perhaps another form of the world would be born, but the essential thing was the clear separation the world of the 'living' from the world of the 'dead'.

In order to turn this division into a reality, what was required was the power of a man who transcended everything, but his power could not be controlled, neither used by them while he retained Consciousness. 

And so, a Decision was made.

Although the Shiba ancestor tried to talk the Tsunayashiro ancestor out of it, it is said that the Rei-o was tied up and sealed within the crystal. The rest of Soul Society's history was witnessed directly by Manako Osho, or as he had named himself Ichibei Hyosube.

Using, the Reio’s, powers of the Almighty as the 'keystone', the five of them created the foundation of a new world. Soul Society, the Material World, Hueco Mundo and The Gates of Hell at the very Center of the Universe from the Ocean of Primordial Essence. 

The Universe remained one, however, Life and death were separated by clear barriers at this Center whose borders were Vast and Seemingly Infinite, the Worlds now Tangible. The Soul Cycle ushered in a new era.

And then, one day, the ones who managed the Soul Society, came to be known as 'Shinigami'.

The Soul Reaper who was the ancestor of the Shiba clan opposed the Tsunayashiro clan continuing to forcibly seal the Reio away. ‘We must make known far and wide the sin we have committed and entrust our judgment to the world,’ the ancestor insisted. In addition, the Shiba ancestor had been searching for a technique to make their own body into a sacrifice in place of the Reio. The Shiba ancestor did rebel against the Tsunayashiro ancestor for sealing the Rei-o by force. He tried to find a way to sacrifice himself instead of the Rei-o.

Later, as a result, the Shiba ancestor was obscured from history by the Tsunayashiro family, and the remaining descendants ended up receiving a cold reception from the Five Great Noble Clans.

Perhaps it was because he could see the far-flung future.... Maybe he could not escape his fear; or maybe he found some hope in the new world.... Or perhaps… there truly could be no separation of the World so long as He was Awake. There was only speculation, for none could fathom his reason... But the Rei-o did not resist his sealing.

But the Tsunayashiro ancestor doubted even this non-resistance. 

Afraid of the Rei-o escaping from his seal by himself; he neither wanted the Rei-o to live nor did he want to kill him. Continuing this helix of contradictions, the Right Arm of 'stagnation' and the Left Arm of 'Progress' were torn off.

And yet that still wasn't enough. With the Tsunayashiro leading them, several of the ancestors spent a great deal of time carving out the Reio’s heart, whittling away his legs, scraping out all of his internal organs and removing them from his body.

Doing so, they destroyed his power; creating a king convenient for themselves.

Unable to have a voice over the governance or the economy, in a body that couldn’t so much as exhale, much less incite rebellion, he would continue to act as the lynchpin for the Soul Reapers. Though they are the ancestors of the Soul Reapers, the deeds they committed to create a puppet ‘king’ for themselves truly run deep.

The king would continue to remain the lynchpin without ever having a say in the workings of this world, while the real business is carried out by others.

This was the history of the Universe, Of Shinigami. And so this state of affairs would continue for a long time, the Ancestors assured of their own power over the Reio, would continue to live in this world built upon their Original Sin. 

However, the Reio still possessed a Will of his own, and would continue to influence the Universe and what would be known as Fate would call his Liberators to him. To, once again, Rebirth the state of things, as even the New World Order was not meant to last forever. No-thing ever does.

Chapter Text

Year: Unknown, 

Sometime post the Separation of Worlds

In Soul Society, there is a secret, well, not so much a secret as fact so unknown or obscure that select few are able to substantiate its veracity. At the very edge of Soul Society, the world of Reishi, about hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from the edge of Rukongai, beyond the Inland seas of Soul Society, beyond their farming fields, beyond even the Seemingly endless forest, exists an Ocean. Unreachable, by anyone other than the most Significant and Strongest Existences.

It is said like the oceans of the Human World, it has creatures of all kinds big and small. However unlike the human oceans, it is Infinite. The very edges of this ocean taper off into the primordial void of Creation, from which all things came into Existence. 

In this Void, as things are wont to do, a mass of reishi Condenses, and It doesn’t have a consciousness. Not yet, for it is not Ready. And so, for a long time. It Floats.  After. It takes form, humanoid and then finally Human. 

It comes to slowly. It’s senses awakening one by one, first the feeling of touch. The Void lapping at it’s bare skin, then the ⌇⍙⟒⟒⏁⌇⍜⎍⍀⏚⟟⏁⏁⟒⍀⌇⏃⌰⏁ taste of the universe, later the scent which it can comprehend despite the unformed air, its lungs breathing in the essence of the universe. And then- it Hears. The Heartbeat of the Universe, arrhythmic. Chaotic. Alive. At last it Opens it’s eyes and with it- 

Awareness. 

It- No, He. Awakens and the awakening is Quiet. The Universe is Vast and he is yet Small. So he drifts. Between a mix of awakening and sleeping he drifts for how long he doesn’t know. Time is not yet a concept relevant to him. 

Slowly, so slowly he almost does not perceive it a Power grows in him, but it is not yet of concern either so he accepts it  as is and continues to drift. At some point after the Power grows and hums and thrums under his skin and Pulls. And he is now Aware so he follows the Pull. 

And goes Upwards? He is not sure, but the thought is present. As he floats upward, the Universe… differentiates? It is no longer a formless infinite void… it is- Blue? 

(He does not know what Blue is but it is strange and different from the Void and he feels- Fear? Fear what is fear? Hesitance? For what?) 

Death. 

The whisper comes from the back of his mind. And he startles, turning around. But there is no one. He is confused. 

We are not yet slated to return to formless reishi. It- She? She says, Go forward. The will of the Universe keeps Us for now. There is no reason for fear. 

He does not know who she is or what death is but the pull is stronger and more insistent this time and with a greater burst of strength than before he shoots up above into the Water, which he tastes now, material and tangible? Salt. It is so different from the Void. More Present.      

He turns his thoughts back to his- Companion? 

“What is death?” His throat and tongue and teeth instinctively curling around the words. It is a novel feeling, one he hasn’t felt before, the vibration in his neck, as they form, the sound, so new, so different from the heartbeat of the Universe. 

Going back to what you were Before. She says in his mind. 

“And what was before?” 

The Void, where we came from.  

“It was us?!” He asks astonished.

We were it. And then we manifested. 

“But-” He considers, “If we were it. Why do we resist returning to it?” 

Her tone is a bit- scornful? As she answers, We resist the loss of will, the loss of consciousness, the loss of the ability to take part in creation and destruction at our own whim. If you were given a choice would you want to become that? 

Instinctively he recoils at the thought. 

You see? All things possess the Will to live and to act as  they please soon as they come into Existence. 

“Living things? We are Living?” Now understanding the concept of Death better he latches onto that bit of knowledge, “You mean there are others?! Like us?!” 

There is great sorrow in her voice for some unknown reason, heavy grief, No. None like us. Not for a long time. But they live, yes. They have Will’s of their own which they do not want to lose. 

Oh. He thinks, then he falls silent for a while. Taking in the New World. 

He explores Creation. Creatures big and small, far smaller and bigger than him. So much bigger, and some so small that he knows by intuition he should not be able to see at all. Instinctively he knows all their names. The only ones whose name he doesn’t know is the Voice. 

You will know when it is time for you to know. She keeps saying. 

Eventually, when he is done exploring, when he has seen creatures of every size and shape and learnt about the cycle of life, the nature of birth and death he ponders about other tings. How aside from forming from the void, there existed other means of coming into existence and the means of going back to it. Injury. Sickness. Death. 

Even aging which was a baffling concept to him.

“How can you just cease to exist if you have existed for a time?” He protests, as if she can do anything to change it. 

How can you come into existence from a formless void? She scoffs in turn, Just as all things must be born, so too they must fade back from existence and be born anew. 

The concept of hunger.

“Why don’t I feel hunger?” It has been nagging at him for a while. 

I told you, we are different. 

“So can I eat?” 

If you wish to, yes.  

“Oh. And why don’t they attack us?” He asks her, “If they require consuming each other’s bodies to live. Won’t I be a consumable thing to them?” 

He senses her hesitation before she answers, It is our Power. 

“Power?” 

The manifestation of our will, she says, Just as the creatures in the ocean use their tails and fins and teeth to hunt. So do we have our own power manifested from our own will, it hides us. 

“Hides? Why?” He frowns, where once the concept of hiding had seemed instinctive it now makes him uncomfortable, it is far too close to non-existence, like returning to the Void. Do they even exist if there exists no one who can perceive them?

We are not yet strong enough to defeat them should they try to eat us youngling. She snarks. 

“Can we get stronger?” He asks, “Can we do anything else with our Power?” 

Enough questions about it, all you need to know as of now is that it is keeping you safe, She is uneasy, Ask me about something else.   

Fine, he agrees, though he plans to get answers out of her eventually. 

“Growth then. Will I grow too?” He asks.    

He can feel her shrug mentally, Should the universe will it. Aging works differently here. 

“ ‘Here’ you said.” He observed, “Meaning, there are places other than here? Which are different?” 

You are far too inquisitive for a newborn primordial, she chides, but there is budding excitement in her voice as if she feels he’s asked her something… good?  But yes there is more to explore just as we came from the Void there is more than this ocean out there. 

And he can’t deny the fact that there is a budding desire to see more- more of what is out there. Of all the different aspects of Being he hasn’t seen yet and so heedless of consequence and without fear he swims upward. And up and up and up and up. He keeps going, he doesn’t know how long. 

The water keeps getting lighter and lighter as he goes up and there is a bubbling excitement in his chest, an indescribable happiness. He laughs, bright and free, so very free and She laughs with him, taking so much delight just from their existence and their journey to what lies beyond.  And the creatures grow more and more abundant as he goes, and he sees a new species attached to the floors of the ocean, growing out of them-

A plant. She tells him, they are alive but have little will of their own, they too grow and die. 

And it is joyful and this is what it seems existence was meant for and maybe this is why he Exists to see all this. 

The light is so much brighter now it’s almost blinding. Almost there, she is excited, We are almost there, I can feel it, keep going. 

And finally, at last he breaks above the water- and Oh- Oh. The bright thing in the- Sky? The Sun? It is almost too bright too look at but it is so beautiful and so different and novel and new. And- 

“Ahem-” He coughs, choking suddenly the water and the air not mixing well in his lungs, “Aah- Ahem- Ahem-” 

Oh! Oh I forgot, she is panicked, Cough out the water quickly, hurry! You can still choke! Air and water don’t go together! Especially in the lungs!

“Yes-” He croaks out weakly, attempting to get all the water out of his lungs,they assist by constricting themselves in impossible ways, “I had ahem- got that- ahem-” 

He dissolves into another fit of coughing, which eventually dies down and he finally, finally takes his first uninterrupted breath of fresh air. How different it is from breathing in the ocean. How novel.

Youngling. she laughs, high and sweet. So full of delight, Youngling we are here! WE ARE HERE!

“Mm. We are.” He grins, savouring the sun on his face, bright and warm and the Sound of this new world, “So where to next? I want to see the World.” 

The shore. She says decisively, it is the material and tangible end of the Ocean, that’s where we’ll go. 

And the whole world seems to be alive and breathing and celebrating this moment.

“Hai! Hai!” He laughs, cheeks pulled back so hard they hurt a little bit, “Onto the shore then!” 

Chapter Text

Year: 1487 C.E. 

He swims to the shore, guided by the Pull towards it, similar to what had propelled him towards the Ocean when he was in the Void. The world above is fascinating. The bright thing in the sky, the Sun. It changes it’s position as time passes, and with it the colour of the Ocean too. 

He cups a bit of water amazed, but it has no real colour at all. It merely reflects the colour of the Sun, it is a fascinating concept to him, such a simple thing, that could trick his senses, which he had found so reliable up until now. 

He is a bit concerned when the Sun begins to sink into the Ocean but the Voice assures him it will rise again in some Time. 

Just as things rise and fall, just as they are Formed and must return to Reishi so too does the Sun mirror that, each day it Rises and each day it Sets only to be Reborn anew. She tells him.

“Huh, so I will too?” He wonders out loud, “And then I will form again?” 

Yes youngling. It is the nature of all things, the Cycle of Reincarnation. 

His nose wrinkles in mild distaste, “Stop calling me that. You are as old as I am. Doesn’t that make you a youngling too?” 

When you are as knowledgeable as I am she sniffs in haughty disdain, you may call me a youngling too, anyhow, rest for now. You are prone to exhaustion now that we have come to the Surface. 

And yes, he had been noticing his limbs getting heavier, the waves trying to pull him back under, to the sure embrace of the Ocean.  

“Mm.” He notes a bit tiredly as the last vestiges of the sun’s rays play upon the Ocean’s surface, “This hasn’t ever happened before.”   

Better get used to it, she sounds so very amused, the further away we move from here the more we will be Formed and with Form will come Limit.  

“Maybe we should stay here after all then.” He says a bit sleep-drunk, the sun finally set and complete darkness surrounding him again, so much like the void. But no, not completely, he blinks a few times and even night above the Ocean is so magnificent, the Sky is so vast dotted with stars and galaxies and nebulas of every colour. It too is infinite, like the very Ocean he came from, part of the same void which he feels now resonating in his bones. And alright, nevermind maybe there are things worth exploring out there, just like this sky.

Form and Limit and Boundary serve their own purpose, She informs him, in form too there is creation and destruction, of all sorts. It happens much faster though. And besides there’s all sorts of new things to see! 

“You don’t have to convince me. It was merely….” He yawns, “conjecture. But how curious, for everything to be so reminiscent of the Void at Night. Might as well be back below the Ocean.” 

I’ll tell you a secret, She whispers, a quiet smile hidden in her voice, While all of creation has it’s Will and yearns to live, the smallest part of it remembers the Void too. The eternal dark from where it came,  and in the smallest part of your Soul, there is a desire, to be one with all creation again. And so, the closest these Living beings come everyday to this Omniscience is the Night, the Void lulling you into sleep and so into Non-Existence.

“Oh.” 

He is tired now, so he floats, he closes his eyes. 

Sleep, she says, the Universe will guide us the rest of the way. 

———————————————————————————

Awareness comes slowly, and the first thing he notices is that he is Warm. The second thing he notices is something soft but grainy pressing against his cheek. And he sits up and the Sun is high, right in the middle of the Sky. 

He is sitting in the water, but it is alarmingly shallow and there is an Ocean Bed but there is no deep waters accompanying it. And the Ocean bed is Soft? He turns back quickly and almost falls down, limbs not yet used to the lack of the comforting Ocean buoying him gently. 

“Is this the Shore?” 

Mm. Yes. Careful now. She cautions as he attempts to stand clumsily and… stumbles, Careful. The land is different. 

He takes a proper look at his surroundings then, the Ocean still Is. It is Vast and Infinite but the Land seems to rise out of it. And behind him… more plants? No, they tower far above the small things he saw in the Ocean, they are sturdy and strong and wouldn’t fall so easily. Trees . 

So many. He thinks, and they are so close to each other too. Plant life had been sparse in the Ocean and so were all other living things. Here everything was so- abundant. 

He takes in a deep breath, savouring the feel of this new and unexplored place, delighting in the novelty of it all. He closed his eyes and concentrated on hearing, and he could hear so many different sounds, humming and chirping and buzzing. But- but the Heartbeat is Absent. He can’t hear it anymore the Universe-  Where has it gone? The comforting Alive echo of all Creation. 

“Where is it?” He asks, panicked, “Where did it go?! Why can’t I hear it anymore?!” 

Calm. Youngling, calm. She says, it is to be expected. We are no longer close to the Void. We are in the Realm of Being now. The Heart Beat is buried underneath the sound of all things, Living and Non-Living and those who exist in between. 

“You didn’t tell me that.” It is a new concept, deceit, and it stings in his chest, in a way he doesn't like, “Why didn’t you tell me that?” 

It is not the way of our kind to be so connected to the Void for so long, if you stay Connected to the Beginning of all things, we will never be able to take True Form. 

He despairs, at the thought of not being able to hear all of Creation ever again, to always feel disconnected from the Universe in which he Existed, adrift but this time with no assurance that the Ocean would cradle him. 

No, she says vehemently, the Ocean will always cradle you. But it is time for us to leave, to see what lies ahead and we cannot do that still tied down by being Formless. 

“I would have liked to know that before I made the Choice.” He snaps, not wanting to hear her excuses, “Have you considered that I would have made it then too? Instead of being tricked into it.” 

He sits down again in the sand, going to the shallow edges, the waves gently lapping at his feet, mitigating some of the unease. The Ocean is still there, it is still present, still vast and infinite and therefore the Heartbeat was still out there, it hadn’t disappeared, he reasons to himself. 

Come now, She cajoles, there is a whole world out there waiting to be explored, what you have gained is far more than what you have lost. 

A few moments ago he would have believed whatever she had said unhesitatingly but he was wary now, and would be for the rest of their days together. 

However, the words do ring true, at least part of them, he can feel the Pull guiding him inland, towards the Forest. Towards newer horizons. 

Frustrated and annoyed he lays back down in the sun and closes his eyes, coming to terms with their new reality. 

The sand is drying on his face and it itches now so he lifts up a hand to brush it away when he notices he is covered, wearing a- Yukata. It shines golden in the sun. 

A gift, she whispers, you will need it going forward. 

He runs a hand over it, the material is impossibly soft, and reminds him of the Ocean itself. 

Mm. Yes. She agrees, The Void wove it for you. Like it did for the others before. 

“I haven't yet seen these others you keep talking about.” He points out, “And you've already tricked me into coming on shore. Do these others even exist? Or is that another lie.” 

So suspicious you are youngling, she cajoles, Come now, don't be so dour. You and I can set off into the forest together and find whether I am lying or not for yourself. 

He sighs, tiring of her cryptic words, “Very well then, let's be off on our journey. I wish to see these others you keep referring to besides, it is tiresome having to rely only on you for knowledge.” 

How cruel. 

“As was what you did.” He replies sweetly poisonous and then stands once again, the water and sand sliding off the Yukata, leaving nary a trace. Huh, that was handy, “Anyhow. Off we go now.”

The next few days? Weeks? Were mostly spent acquainting himself with the Flora and Fauna of the Forest. It was amazing how different it was from the Ocean. The sheer variety of everything- really. He even had his first taste of sustenance, foraged from a tree he’d climbed.  

Persimmons. 

They had been quite sweet, he’d gorged himself on them… and later discovered the perils of not pacing himself as he later lay groaning on the ground.  

“You are a traitor and liar.” He bemoans, “I never should have trusted you.” 

I felt it was more prudent for you to find out for yourself, all that the world has to offer, She is so very amused and he hates her, after all, you did say you wouldn’t trust blindly what I told you anymore. 

He hates that she is right, he would have insisted on finding it out himself anyway. Not that it was much comfort knowing that as he lay experiencing the first ever stomachache of his life. 

He picks himself up from the ground next morning, the Yukata miraculously clean as ever, devoid of any dust and repaired after he had ripped a bit of the lower hem when it got caught in a branch. It is baffling and he’s not entirely sure cloth is supposed to do that but he leaves off that train of thought for now and he travels. 

He does not know for how long he spends wandering. Years. And then Decades. The passage of time marked by the passage of seasons, yet another novel concept. And the changing terrain, grasslands, rolling hills and high mountains. He climbs to the top of the tallest one he can find once, just to see what was on the top of it. And what a magnificent view it was, to stand at the top of the world. Such a heady feeling.

The cold he got after jumping into a lake he found a little down from the top? Not so much. Illness was a foreign concept, it hadn’t touched him yet. The Yukata keeping him as warm or as cool as he required. Once again he wasn’t sure it was supposed to do that, no material or thing he’d seen so far had. However in his carelessness or maybe hubris he had taken it off, wanting to feel the water against his bare skin, reminiscent of the ocean. 

It was a mistake he soon found out, when he crawled out after a while. It was… not mincing any words terrible. Not at all like the Ocean. He shivered and shook in the cold, crawling back into the yukata, which warmed him up outwardly but did nothing to alleviate the cold which had seeped into his very bones, it was- was- indescribable , he’d never felt anything like to before and he never wanted to again- and he ached- his arms, his legs, his head- Oh void, his head ached so hideously-

“Hel—p.” He coughed as he lay on the ground, “Do some–thing.” 

I can’t, she said, and he despaired for a moment before she spoke again, But you can. 

“Wwhat d-do I d-do?” His teeth chattered. 

Reach into yourself, at the very heart of you. Reach into your Power, Our Power. 

He tries to do as she says, and focuses, deep into himself, deeper than his skin, his blood, his very self and into his soul and he finds it. Bright. So very bright. And Vast. Reminiscent of the Ocean.

Good. Good. Now imagine it spilling over, into your material self. In your bones. It’s seeping into you, warming you up from the inside. Healing you.  

He does as she speaks, and its a little difficult and nowhere as refined as he imagines but it works, the cold in his bones subsiding little by little and the chattering quieting down, his head no longer aching and finally, finally he breathes a sigh of relief. 

He looks up at the stars, night sky now illuminated with thousands of stars and the full moon hanging bright and large, pleasing to look at. The Yukata had him comfortably warm, and though he wasn’t entirely recovered he was now comfortable enough to ponder upon what she’d said. 

“Our Power. You said-” He begins. 

Oh must you right now, She snaps, You have just recovered. 

He ignores her and forges ahead, “Our power, so we are one. And we have power, I know it can hide us, as it hides us from the wild beasts that roam in the forest and who were with us in the Ocean, Can it do that for those Others too? The ones you said were out there. You implied it can do other things too, just as it healed us now. What do you know? Tell me.” 

It is not my place! There is real anger in her voice, And I can’t explain it well to you. I wasn’t born with all knowledge in the world either, else what would be the point in Existing. I only tell you as much as I know. Besides, our intuition tells us that the wild beasts are much simpler to fool than the Others will be.

“So we find these others.” He reasons, it is obvious to him, “And have them tell us.” 

I cannot protect you from them, she cautions, but does not deny that his purpose isn’t sound. 

“We’ll attend to that when that particular trouble arises, besides, you have taught me to be testy and cautious with even the most seemingly trustworthy beings.” He smirks. 

She sighs but does not protest further which he takes as agreement. 

“How much father away is civilization?” He finally asks.

She is silent for a while before answering, I don’t actually know, I’ve always measured it by what you instinctively feel. Where is the universe pulling you. 

And how ironic it is that she’s been using him as a guide, he just adds it to the tally of lies and half-truths she’s been keeping. 

“I resent you for telling me this when I do not have the strength to be angry about this by the way, just so you know.” He informs her primly. 

Her laugh sounds in his head and annoyingly the chiming and tinkling sound has a strangely soothing effect. Anyhow he focuses on where the Pull is guiding him and he knows where he has to go. Which is enough for now so he closes his eyes and sleeps, without a care in the world. 

The next  morning he sets off down the mountain and guided purely by the power of his instinct he travels, with her voice in his head his only companion, they travel much faster, guided by a purpose now. But the travel is long, years and years long, they were born so far away. 

And so he does walk, and he runs and he stumbles, for years. For decades, they travel together. He cajoles the Voice into teaching him how to heal the minor scrapes and injuries he occasionally accumulates when he is over eager and not careful, all the while quietly looking for– companionship perhaps, the quest for Knowledge now also mutated into a longing for a companion. 

The seasons fade into one another as the time passes before he reaches at- it seems like the Ocean again at first glance, it is certainly but he senses it’s- finite, nowhere near as endless as his. At the edge of the cliff, it expands, far as his eyes can see.

Ģ̵̞̤͖̫̰̳̥͓͊̉͆͂̓̆̉͂̑͗̏̇͌̓̕̕o̵̦̬̥̍̋̈́̓̀́͆̈́̍͐̇̄̓͆̚͝u̵̧̡̯͕̖̯͖̘̲̻̝͇̲͚̗͍͂̅̊̾̈̇̕͘ņ̵̥̺͇̠̘̠͈͓͕͚̬̋̄͜ť̶̡̛͎̙̪̤͈͔͉̱̙̩̇̄̐̀͒́͊́́̚͝͝o̸̢͕̱͔͈̫̬̺̮̥̪̪̭̯̿i̵͉̖̪̤̞̞̥̱̤̭̗̹̫͚̥͎̎̏̽̇̎̅͋͋͊͒̆͂̈́̓͘͝͝͝t̵̜͖̩̠̪̗̮̏́͑͗̅̾͂̈̓͆̈́̈́̀̃͝  something whispers, urging him into the- Sea, ĭ̴͇̖͔̞̊̒̏͛̔̏́̂̄̒̕ţ̵͍̃̽̀͛̍̈́̔͑͗̆̃͝͝ĭ̴̛̙̠͖̗͔̩̜̭̥̃̎͌̌̀̊̅͝s̶̩̫̦̯͍͍̲̜͉̫̲̀̓̿̍̀̍̃̍̃̓͆͠͠n̶̛̙̦̎̆͗͘͠ȩ̵̨̱̪͇̬͔̞̮̝̥̝͕͓̣̯͐͑̈́̇̈́̓͘͝ǎ̴̢̧̪̥͔͙̝̻̗̆̉̄̽̐̾̾ṛ̴̭̳̝̈́̀̐͆̌̒̑͑̚͘͝͝

And almost unconsciously he moves– runs really- and dives, unhesitating, unflinching into it’s waiting embrace. The sound of water rushing in his ears as he sinks, his lungs breathing in the water just as they do the air and he swims then, propelled by a current, or perhaps his own power. Or both? He cannot differentiate, does not care to for now. 

He is carried for hours. The universe eager, whispering in his ears, as the currents thunder and roar and mover faster, faster faster-

Ẉ̵̨̻͙̤̙̟̃̈̅̿͊̄̓̔̀̍̂̕ͅą̴̙̰̺̦͖͓̣̱̱̮̳̒͑̈́̏̈́̋̃i̴̢̖̯̗̯͍̪̩̗͍̯̮͖̲͐̅̄͂t̷̡͚͈̩̪̾̀ͅ.̷̢̧̧̠͖̺̖̫͍̤̂̌̅̃̄̿͆̈́̽̂̾̉̕Ş̸̜̮̗͖̙̬̞̩̎̃̐̃̋̾̌̔̿̒̚͘̕̕͘ṱ̸͎̻̣̩̦̘̙͕̱̊̀̋͊͋̚ͅå̷̡̨͙̫̬̳͎̫͈̔̀̃͐̋̈͝y̵̧͔̣̘͍̟̜̮̮͓̳̼̘̺͌.̵̼̣̪̻̗̖̏͜ ̵̼̳̻̩̺̣̬̙̳͖̯͆̒̉̀̀͌́̇̍́̕ͅḯ̶̧̙̤̰̆̊̊́̌̍͋͐̽̕t̴̾́͒̇̄̈ͅ'̴̣̹͊͛̓̎s̴̨͉̙̠͌ͅ ̵̰̤͙̤̤̪̙̉̏͘n̵̦͓̳͖̜̯͖̹͓̠͍̪̲̣͈̆̋͐̔̄ę̴̧̱͚͉̙̗̮̙̣͉̞͔̻̆̊͂̽̓̀̏͛̍͊̒̍ͅa̴͖͂̇̿̀͋̚͠ŕ̸̝̝̗̭̫̖͕̳̺̜͔͉̪̔.̷͎̭͖̠̘̰̯͔̱͆̈́  it crooned..̵̗̼̆̈́̑̂͑̊̋̎̽̌̕͘ ̵͔̪́͌̄̏̄̂̽̿̍̏͊̚͝S̵̨̳̳͚̼̳̠͖̙̠̿͂̋͌̇̄̋̃́͑͆̐̂̕͠t̷̟͎̣̖̹̹̻̰͋̆̌̊̓͒̌̐̓͊̔̈́̏͝ͅá̵͓̥̥̤̲̤̤͚̼̮͕͉̹̥̻͌̌̊̾y̵̢̢̟̯͔̞͍͎͎̪̗̜̫̔̇͗̓̏͐̇̑͛̍͝ͅẢ̵̢̛̦͙͕͉͚̣͍̩̜̥̝̇̉̾̕͜͜ĺ̵̢̫͖̗̱͔͙̞̮͍̖̈́̑̽̀̈́̇͗̊̅͑̀͝m̴̧̨̲̯̘̞̟̭̪̹̎̌͑͐̇͜o̷̧̨͎͉̫̞̰̻̬͖̣̖̍͐̓̈́̊͗͑̚͠͝ͅş̵̡̨̪̜̹̯͓͙̰͈̹̓̀̈͒͘͜t̸̫̰̗̪͚̭̳̲̺̮͍̄̆́͌͘.̵̨̨̞̑͊̅̊͘̚ ̵̟͍͕̰̮̰̺̬̞̼̪̳̓̑̍͑A̸͔̣̭̫̮̪̤̱̠͈̪̜̥̅̈̀͌̚͜l̶͖̺̝͚̖̯̥̈́̉͗̓̇̊͘m̶̳̮͓̮̬̣̈́̆̀͑͛́͘͘͠ọ̴̡̱͚̟̜̬̳͇̒̽̾̇̅͂̿͛͛̏̓̕͠ͅs̶̹̑̓t̷̟̖̭̠̜͍͇̣̜͕͕̫̒͗̔̓͗.̵̟̠̩̻̿̈͗̽̓̂̍̔͆͘͠ ̸̡̛͉̯͖͇͉͍͎̦͊̐͒͋̉́͌̚̚̕͠I̴̢̭̟̹̯͈͖̊̓̉̃͒͘̚̚͘ͅẗ̴̛͓̣͔̲͙͎͎́̂̃͊́̀̿̉̒̌̈́̾s̷̼̔͋̋͗͒̑́̈͗̂̚͝C̵̛̛̠̫̦͓͙̞̻̝̅͛̂́̈́̉͆͋̕l̶̛̞̱͎̜̹̟͚̼͙̼͍̠̭̄̔̂̐͗̅͗̔́ͅo̸̢͎̹̗͇̤͕͚̩̞͈͙̪͆̓̐s̶̨̻̺̘̳͖̣͓͗̆͜ë̴̱̯̫͖̜̫́̒̓̇͛̊͋̽̅̏̑̌͝

And soon he feels It. Power. Like his. Strong. Not like the beasts and the animals or the plants or the trees. He Senses it. Like Him. It is NEAR. And the currents continue to rush as the shore gets closer. The humming growing more anticipatory and intense– 

The water bubbles him up to the surface and the feeling of the Power is near overwhelming now. And so many- He is spat out onto the Shore. Expected and yet so sudden now surrounded by similar Power but now he could differentiate there were Many not just one. 

However that is all he notices in the moment, as much like the first time his lungs busy themselves choking and gasping attempting to divest themselves of water. It is a moment before he registers– Hands?! Like his own! Oh! How like his own!

Y̶̧̡̧̡̧̨̻̻͚̰̼̦͙̯̮̭͙̫͔̹̥̺͉͊͜ͅe̵̢̢̟̙͎͕̠̅͒͆͂͗̀̀͊́̾̌͆̀͊̈͐̽͋͌̎̚̚̚͝s̴̢̙̤͔̟͓͍̭̣̮̤̪̖͓̄́͝.̶̡̡͔̗̦͖̩̼̦͇͔̣̙͔̳̲͉̮̱͈̰̝̱̦̎̀͗͛̚̕͜͝͠͝͠Ỳ̵͍̼͍̞̘̰̳͇͚̭̖̭̥̘̖̀̋̀͐̌̅̈͝E̴̡̛̤̳͇̼̜̱̝̥̣̫̹͈̭͉̔̈́̽S̶̢̛̙̲̗̣͇̠̦͈̦̺̳͕̗̮͂̓͛̾͑͛́͌͗̏̓̚͝.̵̢̩̱͍͍̭͔͚̿̆̀́͗̍̈́̇́̋͠H̴̳̭̝̝̘̾͛̾̒͂̔̽̾̅̆̀̉̾͒̅̀̈́̐̚͠͝E̴̡̼̙͈͕̙̺̹̻͇̪̲̟̝̓̈̈́̇͘͝ͅR̸̛̤̳̅͗̏̅̂̇̃̀̔̍̈̄̀̇̐͛̿̾Ë̵̢̢̨̨̨̮̣͓͎͓͖͔̫̻̠̬̿̿͒̐̎̂ͅ.̵̧̘̩̫̩̖̯̆̾̿́̓͌̓̽͒̊͌́͂͘H̷͙͓͈̝͎͎͉͕̲͓̞̳̜̗͉̄̚͜Ȩ̶̦̫͈̻̪͙̺͖͕̓̄͐̈́́̿̈́̿̍̽̀́̚͝͠R̸̢͔̖̙̩͓̙͇̬͚̬̯̻͈̞̭̖̭̐̏̽̈́͗̅͂͂͒́̄͐̈́̈́́͒̈́̔̿͋̈́̓͜͠E̵̢̨̻̰̰̬̜̺̦̲̥͎̙͉͔̩͇͕͕̩͗̅̽̌̀͝ͅ.̴̨̧̢̨̙̮͙̫̲̩̲̙̫̩͖̱̳̼̈̔̊͑͑͑͒̓̓̇̑͑͛̈́̽̄̒̄͒́͒̈̕͝H̷̛͔̙̩͈̗̟̮͉̠̒͆́͑͑̋̎̅̏͂͐̉́̕͝E̸̢̛̛̛̳͎̖̘̪͖̩̰͈͓̟̼̝̾͑͂̏̔̎͒̊́̈̑͛̏̂͌̈́̒̄͘͝͝R̵̢͇̠̟̘̬͉͙͙͇͍͎͖̺̦͎͋̽̈́̿͜E̶̢̛̥̯͍̟͖͕͚͙̺̜̹̠̳̺̼̤̟͚̩͎͓̥͈̟͋̍̀̊̍̏͌̏̅͘.̸̡̨̨̡̡͉͚͇̫͖̦͚̻̰̻̼̻͕̞̩̣̎̀̿̃̽͒͌̾̆͘͜͜ͅ   the universe whispers, voice slowly calming, fading out, it croons, Ã̶͇̹̥͇̆̔͌̑t̴̹̲͚͚̘͊̍̃́́͊̏͗͝Ľ̸̢̡̯̬̻̳̦̦̰͚̹͕ǎ̸̧̛̤̤͎̼͚̠̘̻͓͚̩̹͖́ś̸̝͆̕t̸̡̨̢̢̲̣͍̟̻̖͖̲͒.̴̢̨̧͍̗̰̖̥̹̲̬͚̱̪̮̔͊͜͝

“Careful!” The voice, a new voice?! So strange and delightful! And speaking! Like Him!, “Suzume! Suzume come help me out! He’s choking!”  Another pair of hands joins the previous one, holding him up. Attempting to straighten him up, to help as he coughs and cough and then- breathes. 

Finally, FINALLY. He is able to stand and look at the ones in front of him. 

They are– like him. Similar. Same. With the same Power. And they too look at him with curious and wide eyes, like he’s something unfamiliar. Which is ridiculous. Because HE should be the one wide-eyed, they had clearly been with companions much longer. Honestly. 

“Who in Reio’s name are you?” The– woman? Woman. Asks incredulous.  

And the words rise in his mind unbidden, clear as the sky. Another unasked question answered.

“Sosuke.” He says, savouring the words on his tongue, what a magnificent feeling it is, to finally Know himself at last.

“I am. Aizen Sosuke.”

Chapter Text

Ok, so the very lovely Zaelya made some lovely Fanart for the concept of Aizen rising from the ocean like Botticelli's Venus, that I am kind of Obsessed with. And so without further ado:

May I present: 

The Birth of Aizen Sōsuke