Post by Maxxy on Jun 15, 2009 21:58:55 GMT -5
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All About You[/color]
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Name| Lucius Vaaro
Age| 1564 years old, looks to be about 33
Gender| Male
Race/Species| Shinigami
Alignment| Light
Loyalty| N/A
Personality| Lucius is a calm, thoughtful person by nature. He often refrains from joining the front lines, preferring to stand back and watch events unfold, then analyze the experience and learn from it. He tends to speak in long, complicated sentences, a habit formed in the shinigami academy, and even a little before that. He has, however, been attempting to simplify his complex rhetoric, as in a moment of excitement he’ll speak so quickly that he’ll even confuse himself.
Towards newly met people, Lucius tends to be indifferent, but not unkind. He reserves his emotions and standing with the person until such a time that he knows them well enough, at which time he’ll either warm up or turn away from the person. Though his life has been long, he has had surprisingly little contact with others, and tends to be a little socially naïve. His indifference early on in a relationship masks that, for the most part, but sometimes he’ll completely ignore normal social standards.
With people he’s friendly with, Lucius is a good enough conversationalist. He listens well, and responds when a response is called for. Whenever he gets the opportunity, he’ll happily launch himself into intelligent debate, never losing his temper but always making good points. With his friends who are less interested in debate, he’ll gladly sit and talk, go out to eat, train for combat, anything, really.
One thing to watch out for is curt, short sentences. Among enemies, or people he’s not particularly fond of, Lucius’s sentences become short and rather sharp. While he’ll rarely launch into battle, Lucius isn’t afraid to display his blade to his enemies, in warning. “Watch your words lest you lose your tongue and your step lest you lose your feet.” When it comes right down to combat, Lucius fights as he does everything else. He keeps his distance for the most part; making sure all the fighting is done on his terms. He’s found that varying between offence and defense, depending on the situation, is the smartest way to fight, and that makes him unpredictably dangerous.
Appearance| Despite over a thousand years of Japanese culture, Lucius stands out amongst most people of Japanese decent as a Roman. He stands at about 5’10”, a little taller than most people around him. His skin is a bit lighter than most in his area of the country, but due to his time in the sun it’s dark enough to not stand out too much. His black hair remains slicked back, about neck length, though the natural curl to it makes it arcs up a little at the bottom. This leaves the front of his long face clear, so as not to obstruct his view through hazel eyes. A pair of small, ovular glasses rests on the end of his nose. Lucius is farsighted, so he can see fine, for the most part, overtop of the glasses, and only needs them to read. Some magical force or another keeps the glasses on his nose, even in battle.
Lucius tends to wear a variety of clothes while in his gigai, often suited comically well to the current situation. (At one point there was a hollow attacking around Christmas time that, once sent to Soul Society and for the rest of his days, had strange dreams of a shinigami jumping at him out of a “Peace on Earth” sweater.) However, all his gigai (He carries several) wear the same outfit, black dress pants and a long sleeved white shirt. He’s found that this basic outfit tends to fit most situations adequately enough.
While outside of his gigai, however, Lucius’s dress code is slightly more stand-outish. Any time he isn’t working on something, Lucius wears a pair of slightly off-white khakis, each leg ending in three dark blue tiger-like stripes. He also wears a pair of shoes that match the khakis in color, also marked with the blue tiger stripes along the top of the toe. He wears a dress shirt, dark blue to match the stripes, and on top of that he sports a canary-yellow tie, pinned down with a rather large, black pin that resembles a number 3 (though anyone who knew him well enough would know that the symbol represents his hollow mask.) The shirt that he wears is far from normal. Under the arms and at the joint of his elbow the shirt is pleated several times for maximum maneuverability. Also, along the inside of his sleeves there is a mechanism that can lock his arm into a comfortable position, which aids him in wielding the shikai and bankai forms of his zanpakutou.
While working in his lab on some invention or discovery or whatnot, Lucius changes his attire to something more suitable. He wears a long, white lab coat which loosely resembles a captain’s haori and seems to pay homage to his shinigami roots (including a number ‘12’ on the back, though on his lab coat it is in roman numerals.) He also wears a pair of black pants and a black body shirt underneath the coat. He wears either black shoes or sandals that also resemble a shinigami’s, depending on the situation and what he’s working on. Also, if necessary, he’ll wear a pair of lab goggles in place of his glasses.
History| Another Life, an Early Death
October 27, 444 AD (Or the equivalent). In the dead of night, a young woman dashes as best she can through the streets, heavy with child. She’s searching for someone; someone she knows will help her with the delivery of this child. The child was conceived by illegitimate means (‘Leave it at that,’ she’d tell anyone who she trusted enough with that much information), and no holy man or official doctor would touch the child with a 10 foot pole. She’d heard rumors, though. There was, somewhere on this street, a doctor from another country, not tied to their beliefs in god, who may be willing to help. Going to this man would probably be considered blasphemy. She was already damned, so what was the difference now?
Thunder crackled in the distance, and the sky began to open up, raining down on the pour woman as she rushed to the inn. She staggered in, but no one helped her. She started climbing the stairs, but the person at the entrance was too busy with whatever he was doing to care, or to give aid. Perhaps they simply passed her off as a customer returning to their room. At long last, out of breath and already feeling the pains of child birth setting in, the woman raised one fist and pounded on the door the doctor was rumored to be in.
Before the door opened, she closed her eyes. He wouldn’t be there. It would just be another man, bedding here on his travels, who would hit her and slam the door in her face. Another holy man to cluck their tongue and again damn her for forces far beyond her control. A noble man in the act of cheating on his wife who would take her in and kill both her AND her child, lest they spread the word of an event everyone knows of. When the door opened, she opened her eyes and looked up, seeing a fair haired man with equally fair skin, dressed in rather cozy looking sleeping attire. “Well, I say, you look like you need help.”
Either she wasn’t damned after all, or the gods had no effect on this man. He took her into the room, called for some hot water, and helped her birth the child. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d expected. Of course, she’d been expecting death, or for the baby to emerge with the horns of a ram, the skin complexion of a ruby, and a head the size of a watermelon. Compared to THAT, this was a walk in the park. The doctor was very helpful, walking her through every step. Before long, the baby gave out its first cry, and it was wrapped in a blanket in her arms.
The child was silent, for the most part. After its initial cry, it didn’t utter a sound, but breathed openly, as if making sure they knew he was alive (It was a he, the doctor had told her.) His eyes remained closed, and they would remain so for quite some time, he said. “So,” her savior piped up after leaving her alone for a few minutes, “What will you name him?”
Fate has a funny way of working, sometimes. Not so long ago, the woman feared that the child would be the death of her. Now, holding him in her arms, she felt as if nothing in the world could go wrong. She was just about to open her mouth to name the little illegitimate child, when fate (or perhaps the gods?) struck. Rather, lightning. Accompanied by an ungodly loud CRACK, followed by an even louder BOOM, a bolt of lightning struck the building, and soon anything that could burn, was. It’s rather unnecessary to describe the events immediately following the fateful bolt. The fire raged up in an unnaturally quick way, and the whole room was engulfed before either of them had time to recover from the sound. The woman was upset, but strangely calm. This is the gods’ punishment for going behind their backs. She closed her eyes and sat still, and when she opened them, she looked down upon her son. He still lay quietly, but his head was turned upwards to her, as if staring back at her, though he couldn’t see. He understood the same way she did. She turned to look at the doctor, who was now approaching her, mouthing the words “I’m sorry.”
Luckily for all the inhabitants of the inn; in a large city such as Rome, casualties are common, thus expected. A woman in black robes descended, the very next day, sighing to herself and walking into the smoldering the remains of the inn. She looked around, drawing her sword and setting herself to work.
The One Who Never Saw the World
When a child dies before it can fend for itself, it’s a sad, but interesting occurrence. For the most part, souls don’t need any sort of sustenance, so they can live throughout childhood without much support. The infant, for about a month, lay quietly in a box behind an empty building, simply sleeping and yawning. He was fairly carefree and silent, and yet during this months he examined everything around him, and even at that age he began learning.
After his first month, the child was adopted by a large, loose family. He was taken care of for several years by a pair of people who were used to raising souls. The ‘family’ was more like a community, taking up a whole block of buildings, living separately but always meeting on a weekly basis, to trade stories and other such things. Whatever the case, the child, now given the name Lucius Amatius Vaaro, due to his obviously roman heritage, was raised well.
Growing Up Dead
Lucius learned, when he was old enough (He aged almost as if he were human, rather quickly compared to some other souls) that he had come to live in the 23rd district of Rukongai, an upper middle class district. As such, he lived fairly comfortably, not truly spoiled, but not having to worry much about crime or poverty. He went to a local school that was run primarily by the family he had been adopted by. While not completely formal, he learned what he needed to learn. At the time, Latin was still a major language in both worlds, so he was schooled in both Latin and Japanese, and took only a few years to become fluent in both.
Languages aside, the school taught many other things, including the basics of life and death, and of reiatsu, shinigami, hollow, as well as the governments of both the Seireitei and those that exist in the real world. He was an astute student, and he studied rigorously, so that by the time he turned 20 he knew just about everything that the family had to teach him, and then some.
The Shinigami
When Lucius turned 50, he took the leap. He approached a small group of shinigami and reset his glasses on his nose. The move itself was calculated. A slight flash of light glinted off his glasses and signaled his approach. The shinigami turned and looked at him. Quickly, before they had the chance to study him further, he glanced into each one of their eyes. Four shinigami, two were indifferent, and in fact resumed their conversation. The other two were now his prime focus. One of them seemed agitated; the other was smirking to himself, though not meanly. Perfect. He took a quick gauge of the aggressive one. Sword on his left hip, he was right handed. His left side was turned to him, and with the length of his legs…
When he came within earshot, the first one (Let’s call him ‘Ichi.’, he thought) huffed loudly, and spoke his mind. “Get lost, we’re not accepting any new recruits.” Nonetheless, Lucius approached and stopped a good 8 feet away, standing at a recognizable but loose attention. The other one (‘Nii’) rolled his eyes. “Oh shut it, just let the kid speak.” Lucius now had his position. Somewhat in the favor of one, and out of the favor of the other. “I wanted to ask where I could sign up for the shinigami academy. Is there a queue for that near here?” Ichi began to laugh cruelly, while Nii tucked the corner of his mouth. It was Nii who spoke first. “Like my partner here says, they’re not currently accepting applications. The only way to get into the academy would be with a recommendation from a shinigami. And those are hard enough to come by.” Lucius detected something in Nii’s voice, something that suggested he was in the mood to give such a recommendation. Again, perfect.
Always the aggressor, Ichi took a breath and stopped laughing, though his expression remained quite jovial. “Yeah, and there’s no way some kid like you is going to be able to get in. So get lost and let us get back to our break.” Well, the only way to deal with an aggressor… Lucius turned to Ichi, tilting his head, his eyes bored, but intelligent as he stared at the senior shinigami. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression that everyone was allowed to join, but I expected they’d have some kind of standard. I see now I may have been mistaken.” Nii almost choked on his tea and coughed as he broke into laughter. Lucius bowed to the gentlemen. “Good day, sirs.” His eyes watched Ichi’s feet. He didn’t need to see his expression to know he was enraged. One ankle turned. One.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Perhaps because it had been planned out so perfectly. Lucius straightened up, still smiling serenely. Happy to see that his plan was unfolding so well. Ichi was shoving off on his left foot, and Nii was standing as if to stop him. He wouldn’t be fast enough, but he didn’t need to be. A cup of tea was knocked off the table as Ichi’s right hand swept across it, forming a fist, ready to strike. His right foot touched the ground. Two.
Nii had glanced to the side, and he caught the look in Lucius’s eye. He seemed to understand, and he relaxed a little. Lucius slid his right foot slightly backwards, testing the ground, forming a small divot. His left foot did the same, digging in just a little. Ichi was still charging, and just now his left foot hit the ground. Lucius wondered if the shinigami had noticed yet. If he punched now, he’d be short, and if he took one more step… Three.
Again, the right foot landed. Lucius was now inside Ichi’s striking range. The fist, cocked back until now, was being thrust forward, but it would never hit. Looks like 8 feet was just enough. Lucius pushed off as soon as Ichi’s right foot touched the ground. He didn’t move particularly fast, nor did he strike with any significant force. His single step, however, put him past Ichi’s striking range. They were right next to each other, the shinigami punching air, his right-handed punch throwing him off balance in his right-footed stance. And then, just as the left foot began lifting to regain some form of balance, two ankles met, and what little balance the shinigami had was gone.
Time flowed normally from there. While Ichi didn’t go flying head over heels in some fancy flip, he still looked utterly ridiculous, his balance thrown forwards and to the side, and he spun before he landed flat on his back. Before the dust settled, Nii, as well as all their companions, burst into uncontrollable laughter. And thus, Lucius Vaaro got a recommendation from the 20th seat of the 11th squad to join the shinigami academy.
The Prodigy
Due to the lack of accepted applicants, Lucius’s class was rather small. Even so, it was clear that he was a genius. He excelled at his classes, from swordfighting to hollow studies. He quickly went from simply learning the material and taking tests, to studying ahead and assisting other students. His combat teachers were amazed at the perfection of his form. From day one, he knew and had memorized 23 different kidou incantations, though he could only perform basic spells. The swordfighting instructor was perhaps a little over-excited about Lucius, constantly using him as an example of perfect stance.
Needless to say, Lucius was watched by several captains, but the 12th squad captain took a rather special interest. She noticed that while he knew everything down to a science, and that that was all it was, a science. What was most impressive about the boy wasn’t his kidou skill, nor his swordfighting form, but his capacity to learn and remember all of it. In a way, she laid claim to him. He was advanced twice over the years, so at the age of 55 he graduated, and was almost immediately accepted into the 12th squad.
The Girl in the Dream
The night after his acceptance into the 12th squad unseats, Lucius had his first dream. It was an odd experience, and as he was a very observant person, he realized that he was dreaming. There was something strange about the place, to be sure. He couldn’t really see the surroundings properly, but he could tell it was a room. A large room. But it was dark. There were no windows to filter light into the room, but there seemed to be a bunch of tables around, piled with stuff, and some kind of cone overtop of each one, but all he could see was the silhouettes, and for some reason he couldn’t get close enough to inspect them. So instead, he sat, and he thought. He inspected himself and the nature of dreams so much that he completely forgot the entire thought upon awakening.
Of course he didn’t get a full 8 hours of dream time to inspect dreams. About an hour in, he heard a small voice echo through the room from somewhere above him. “Geez, you’re boring…Can’t you at least tell me what you’re thinking about?” Lucius shook his head a little, trying to rattle himself back into lucidity and stood up, turning around and looking for the source of the sound. He finally located a girl sitting atop a nearby structure, kicking her legs idly. “Or move or something...”
“…Who are you?” Lucius was surprised to hear his own voice, almost as if someone else were speaking it. It took him a moment to realize that the room was incredibly echo-y. After a minute or so of silence from the young girl, he spoke again. “Are you my Zanpakutou spirit?” The girl giggled for a while before she chose to respond. Only now did he realize that her eyes were closed. He wondered for a moment how she could see him.
“Maybe. Or maybe…” She giggled and leapt off of the structure, streaking down at him. “Maybe I’m your inner darkness.” Lucius started, but only had time to move one foot before the girl was right in front of him. He closed his eyes and prepared for contact, but all that came was a light tap on the nose. He opened his eyes, and there she stood, giggling to herself, with her hand over her mouth. “Just kidding, Lucius Nii-San. I’m not your darkness.” Her expression was suddenly sly, somehow, though her eyes remained closed. “He is.”
He suddenly felt eyes watching his back. He whipped around and reached for his sword, which, even if it were there, it wouldn’t have helped. He was suddenly face to face with a giant white mask, which seemed to laugh as it charged at him out of the dark room. He fell out of bed and gasped for air.
Through the Rabble
Despite the nightmarish dream (Or was it a dream-like nightmare?) Lucius began performing his duties as an unseat 12th squad member. It started out rather like college, for a time. He figured he learned more in his first few months in the squad then he did from his 5 years in the academy. Of course, this being over a thousand years ago, there were no high tech gadgets and beeping computers, instead it was lines of files, information on all catalogued hollows for the past several hundred years, histories and stories of famous shinigami, information on every fighting style imaginable, maps, formulae for everything from alchemy to cooking (for those who need both elixers AND filet mignon.)
Even more interesting, however, were the innumerable gadgets made of naught but clay or wood, a few metal, one or two marble. These simple things that seemed like nothing more than knick knacks were, indeed, useful in the field. If one gazed through this, they would see trails of residual reiatsu, making it simpler to track a target hollow. This one could block, catch, and store reiatsu attacks, to be released at a later date. That one’s a paperweight. It was fascinating, all these instruments. Once he learned his way around, he was set to his first task. There was a Hollow running around the human world in the city of Venice, and it was nearly impossible to track. Its level of power was exceedingly low, so much that they were hesitant to call it dire, even.
“So…wait, my first mission is to…” His superior grinned a little bit. “You get to play hide and seek. Find him and record the information on him, send him if you see fit. He won’t be a problem.”
There were a lot of missions like that. And while Lucius felt a little bit ridiculous tracking down these minute little hollows, he did as he was told. Besides, missions were few and far between, he was mostly working in the development of new technologies. Eventually, he was moved up to the next stage. He accompanied squads of other shinigami, noting, recording, and naming the various, more powerful hollows that they faced, assisting in combat only when it was necessary.
Shikai: Who Are You?
“Luuuuuuciuuuuuuus niiiiiiiiiiii-saaaaaaaaaan~!” While he’d only heard it once before, Lucius knew he was back in the dark room, hearing the voice little girl. Immediately, he whipped around, looking for the menacing white mask which reminded him so of a hollow. “Ooh, don’t worry about him, he’s off hiding somewhere, I think. Let’s go for a walk!” Before he could respond, or react, the little girl had leapt off her structure and taken his hand and had begun dragging him towards the door…which he had just now realized was there. Where had THAT come from?
Upon the opening of the door, Lucius found that there was another side to the dream world he was in. It was bright outside, hills rolling off into the distance, blue mountains rising out of the horizon, the sound of a stream trickling somewhere, and nearby were several rocks, of varying size and shape. The little girl skipped happily over to the nearest one, jumping up with astounding agility and sitting down on it peacefully, kicking her legs and patting to spot next to her. With nothing better to do, Lucius moved over and hopped up, catching the edge of the rock and pulling himself up to sit.
“You’ve come a long way, Lucius! You used to be smart but weak, and now you’re…um….smarter…” Lucius blinked for a moment. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m still weak?” The girl looked uneasy, and she put her hand to her chin in order to think for a moment. “I’m saying…you’re not YOU yet. You don’t have your own style or flair. You’re brilliant, Nii-san, but you’re not using any of it to solidify yourself. Understand?” The silence following that was rather heavy.
“Who are you?” Lucius nearly jumped off the rock. He hadn’t said that, but it was in his voice...had he said it? Or had the girl asked him? Had he asked the girl, or…? “Who are you?” “…I see.” His own voice, asking him who he was.
“You know some Latin, right, Nii-san? I hope so, cause you’re going to need it to understand this. Sola Dea Clamorque, Fatum Novit. Offendo Suus Hostilis Severiter.” And with that, he awoke.
The next day, Lucius was sent on another mission. An unknown, powerful hollow was attacking Leningrad, Russia. He was sent, accompanied by several members of the 11th squad, to catalogue and dispatch of the hollow. When they found the hollow, the 11th squad members charged, surrounded, and began battling it. Lucius took careful note of its shape: large tendrils rising out of the back of a bear, constantly swiping at anything within range. And what’s more, hitting everything within range. Lucius snapped to attention, dropping the note pad. The hollow was throwing around the 11th squad members like rag dolls. He knew that if they could get a moment to release their zanpakutou, two of them could take it down, but they were all too busy dodging the slashing tentacles.
From somewhere, he heard a little girl giggle. Ooh, ooh, here’s your chance, Nii-san. He tried to remember. That advice she’d given him, the Latin lines she’d recited, was that the incantation he needed? “Sola Dea Clamorque, Fatum Novit. Offendo Suus Hostilis Severiter!” But something was missing…He drew the Zanpakutou, and for an instant he was sitting back on the rock, next to the little girl. She stared up at him, and he was lost in her eyes. He smelled something burning, saw flames leap around him, he felt the heat of an entire sea of fire. She didn’t utter a word; instead, Lucius’s mouth seemed to open of its own accord. “Seposita Turba!”
The blade in his hand widened, then split, forming two separate bodies of metal, one tube, one blade. Metal seemed to grow from the blade, and it attached itself to the tube. The shikai transformation was complete. Lucius leveled the blade at the hollow, who snuffed and turned to look at him. The tentacles whipped about viciously, throwing the 11th squad members away from him, slamming them into trees and rocks. It started lumbering towards Lucius, tendrils whipping towards him, attempting to hit, but for quite some time, Lucius was out of his range. Lucius could easily stay that way. He stepped backwards, gripping his sword with both hands, focusing his power on it, hoping it would react. And it did. At the tip of the tube, a small ball of reiatsu began to glow.
The hollow’s movements were slow; he moved two short legs at a time, apparently unable to move quickly because of the heavy tentacles on his back. Lucius poured more and more of his reiatsu into the zanpakutou, and the ball of energy grew larger and larger, and at last he felt he’d stored enough. He stopped, setting himself into a solid stance, and pointed the blade at the offending hollow. “Intero, Malum Gero.” The blade issued a large blast of energy, in the form of a circular bullet, that struck out towards the bear at a speed that the hollow simply couldn’t match. The energy struck home, in the dead center of its mask, and pierced straight through, exploding out its backside. The Hollow instantly disappeared into the next life.
Mission 43
Lucius’s attainment of Shikai boosted his status in the squad. Many of them got together to celebrate the occasion (Though Lucius knew they’d gather to celebrate ANY occasion.) Still, with shikai, Lucius was now eligible to advance beyond the unseats. He quickly applied and was accepted as the 20th seat, and over time, solidified himself in a “dodge and attack” fighting style. His intellect helped him move quickly up another 4 positions to 16th seat, where he was sent out on a fateful and life changing mission. His 43rd since joining the 12th squad. He was now 74 years old.
The mission was partially recon, but everyone knew that it could easily turn dangerous. Several officers from different squads were sent along with the 3rd seat of the 7th squad. They were sent to examine a rumor of a hollow that had appeared near a small village in Japan. The rumor, brought back by an injured shinigami and relayed just before he died, was that a towering, black figure with a gigantic mask had attacked a group of shinigami who were meeting to send information back to Seireitei. The description, though vague, hinted at the appearance of a Gillian class Menos. Lucius had been sent as a representative from 12th squad, in order to officially log the appearance.
Even as the shinigami entered the human world, they knew that the rumor was more than a rumor. They could see, no more than 100 yards in front of them, the towering black Menos. The 7th squad leader quickly leapt into action, pulling several officers with her, heading an attack. Several kidou specialists began peppering the hollow with lightning and fire, making sure to divide its attention. Lucius studied it from a distance, glancing through a device and writing information down. There was a problem. Even with powerful attacks, the hollow wasn’t taking much damage. It hardly even seemed annoyed at the shinigami attacking it. It began to move, nearly treading on the ground force attacking it. It was slow, but it seemed to be making a steady line for…Lucius?
He quickly jotted down a few notes and tossed the book aside, setting the instrument on the ground nearby. He drew his sword and moved to the side, and as he expected the hollow followed him. Damn, what was his problem? He glanced over his shoulder and up, and for a moment he lost his balance. The white mask seemed to be coming at him out of darkness, and indeed, the Menos was leaning down as if to get a close look. Lucius was on the ground, and was now beginning to panic a little. The hollow opened its mouth, and with a loud, mournful roar began to form a large beam. “S…Sola Dea Clamorque, F..Fatum Novit. Offendo Suus Hostilis Severiter…SEPOSITA TURBA!” He wasn’t sure what he was trying to accomplish, even with shikai he was no match for a Menos. The other officers were still peppering it with attacks, and even took a chip out of its mask. It didn’t slow down at all. Why was it so focused on him?
You weakling…
...That wasn’t Seposita Turba. If you won’t kill him, I will. Lucius’s eyes widened, and he screamed in a piercing pitch. He felt his body moving, but he couldn’t stop it. White plaster…or maybe it was bone...began to form over his face, and soon enough, his entire face was covered with a white mask. From there, he blacked out.
What happened next was described by the 3th officer of the 7th squad as an explosion of epic proportions. Lucius disappeared with a scream, and then a laugh, in a red blast that engulfed both him and the Menos. The official report omitted the fact that several of the other shinigami heard a word shouted out at the last moment, but it was whispered around for a while. They had all heard it. “Cero.”
The Darkness and the Escape
Lucius awoke several hours after the encounter with the Menos. He had no idea what happened, only that he was tired, and the room he was in was mostly dark. He looked around for a while, and then stood up. “Where are you, Turba? Are you here?”
She’s taking a little break. I’m the one who’ll be making you stronger from now on.
Lucius whipped around, looking for the source of the voice. Out of the darkness walked a rather tall man. The man wore a rather sharp, full uniform, perfectly white, outlined at each edge with black. (As a note, he looked very much like an arrancar, sans mask.) The man approached Lucius, examining him from behind a pair of glasses that looked identical to Lucius’s. He was soft featured, but he currently looked rather cynical. You’re too smart to be this weak. You have a lot of inner power there, little shinigami, and it’s going to get used one way or another. Either by you… Here, he grinned rather mischievously. Or by me.
Lucius started and sat up, breathing heavily and looking around. He was no longer in the forest, but in the village, in a shack. Seeing as the people nearby were sitting and eating dinner, he assumed that he’d somehow gotten there himself, rather than being brought in. He stood and left through the luckily open door. He couldn’t go back to Seireitei. He wasn’t sure if he knew that himself, or if the man in the suit was telling him. He’d have to suppress his reiatsu and hide here, and think from there.
Training
Over the next several years, Lucius moved very little. He had no gigai, so he couldn’t integrate himself into society. He couldn’t go back to seireitei, and he couldn’t actively pursue any but the weakest hollows. He couldn’t even call upon Seposita Turba. She seemed to be there, but was deciding not to react. Several times he dreamt of the man in the suit, every time being urged…warned to train.
8 years after his defeat of the Menos, an old man approached him. Lucius sat calmly as the old man walked on the road past where he sat. Even as the man turned and looked at him, Lucius didn’t move. Several humans were sensitive to spirits, and some had stopped, but only saw him as a hermit in meditation. The old man lifted his cane, and Lucius cracked his eyes to look at him, just in time to see the handle of it rap him sharply on the forehead.
He stumbled and fell back off the rock on which he sat, blinking and crinkling his nose at the sharp pain that had been inflicted upon him. “OW! What was THAT for you old…” The man was interrupting him and standing over him already.
“WHAT do you think you’re DOING sitting on the road like that, you impudent little brat! We’ve been looking for you for 8 damn years and you’re just SITTING THERE?!” Lucius blinked. If they were looking for him for 8 years, they were doing a crappy job of it. “COME ON you little brat, we’re going!” With that, the man tapped his cane on the ground, and they were suddenly somewhere else. Lucius looked around. There was a lot of open space, and a few large crags, and some towering rocks.
“Where’d you take me? Where are we?” The man pointed up. “You were sitting right there. Now we’re underground, in a hidden chamber for training the likes of you, who haven’t gained control of their inner hollows yet. We’re gonna make sure you get control, so you don’t blow any cities up anytime soon.” Again, Lucius blinked.
“So…I was sitting right there? And it took you…8 years to find me?” RAP. Lucius crouched, rubbing his nose. “Point taken…inner hollow you said? Could you elaborate on that a little? How do you know I have an inner hollow? Is that what he is?” In time, all his questions were answered. More people began to show up, and Lucius began to feel rather silly. He was the only one there in shinigami robes, but it was obvious that everyone there was a shinigami. Or at least they used to be.
“We are Vaizards. To be more precise, we are the Templars. You, too, are going to become one of us.” The old man seemed to be the leader, of sorts. He spoke for all of them. “You’re going to go into your inner world, and you’re going to fight your inner hollow, and if you win, you’ll be one of us. If you lose, we’re going to kill you.” Lucius tilted his head. He felt he’d have been better off sitting on the rock for the rest of his life.
Outside, Lucius had no idea what happened. He was completely absorbed with his inner struggle. Seposita Turba had made a reappearance, and she stood on her rock, cheering and laughing at the battle. The hollow held a sword that looked just like Seposita Turba’s released form, So Lucius was forced to release his, as well. The battle clashed, the hollow laughing almost constantly. You’re weak, boy. You’ll have to try harder. Keep this up and I’m taking your power. Lucius was getting rather annoyed. There was something wrong. The man in the suit wasn’t fighting, he was training. Lucius could feel his insignificance, his weakness in the face of the white clad man.
“What do you want from me, Hollow? If you want me dead, then kill me already!” Hahahah…Did those other Vaizards tell you that I would be trying to kill you? Hollows are such fools. Their greed clouds their judgment. But I know the secret. I know that to be the most powerful being in existence, I need something more than a body. I need you, and in order to become more powerful, you need me.
Lucius frowned heavily and began gathering energy at the tip of his blade. “I don’t NEED your help to become stronger…” The hollow charged, blade raised. He recognized the form; he was going to use Tutela Vesica. Lucius lowered his blade and brought it back, and at the last moment, the energy stored in the blade arced upwards, slamming into the blade the hollow held, and throwing it back above his head. “Volatilis Clausus!” The hollow smirked as Lucius’s blade carved upwards. ’Bout time. The blade sliced across the hollow’s chest. Lucius smirked a little bit, a rare expression for him. “But I’ll take it, if you’re going to offer.”
The Long Life
After gaining control of his hollow, Lucius seemed changed. Though always having been the quiet one, Lucius spoke and acted less often, preferring to be the observer. He trained and learned for some time with the Templars, but in time, he grew apart from them. The old man who had first brought him there passed away, of ‘old age’. It seemed he just thought it was time for him to move on.
He left the Templars, but he hadn’t lost touch. If they ever needed him, they knew which tea shop he owned, and in which town. Other than the occasional visitor, and one or two instances of incredibly powerful menos appearances, Lucius virtually disappeared from view. He became an observer of the world, working in his off time on various gadgets, never forgetting his time in Seireitei. He even built his own training area, similar to that of the original Templar training grounds. Even in his tea shop, he kept a low profile. It would do no one good to find the same man running a tea shop 200 years running. The years flowed, to the point that time no longer seemed an issue. Lucius befriended the inner hollow, and learned the workings of his powers more completely, and gave him a nickname that he appreciated greatly. Deadeye.
Self-training over 500 years, and then some, Lucius found himself ready to take the next step in his advancement as a shinigami.
Bankai: Appear As You Wish To Be Seen!
“Nii-san! Stop looking down. If you look down again, you’ll die. Keep watching me!” Of course it’s not that simple, nee-chan…not with your eyes open like that. They were floating, a mile or more over the ground of his training chamber. He was supposed to be walking across a path, laid by Seposita Turba. He was to watch her, make eye contact at all times, and step surely. Trust her completely. It wasn’t trust that bothered him, he did trust her, but every time he looked into her eyes he felt as if he were somewhere else, standing in the burning field of wheat, and every step would be one more into a sea of fire.
“Don’t look down, Nii-san!” He was surprised at her sharpness; her gentle nature seemed hidden when her eyes were open. She was more than a sister, more than the spirit of his sword, she seemed to be the goddess that his ancestors worshiped, the one hinted at in the incantation for his shikai. She was something to be worshiped and feared, an entity to cower from, not to walk towards across a sea of flame. So it wasn’t the lack of trust that held him in place, it was fear.
Still, there was no use standing in place. He lifted his gaze and met Turba’s, and again he felt the heat of the flame all around him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step, and then another. Slowly, but surely, he approached his spirit, willing himself forward, telling himself that the ground beneath his feet was solid ground, not sky, not flame. With every step, something changed. The heat felt more intense around him, the smell of wheat stronger, and what’s more…he felt more at peace. He was no longer standing in the flame, he WAS the flame, he emitted the smell of wheat, and the heat emanating from his body pushed clouds aside. The ever-present roar of sound that filled the burning field grew louder, echoed through his ears. He reached out and took the young girl’s hand in his own, and in a flash, he was back on the ground, with new words and new power flowing through his mind and body.
Reemergence: A New Purpose (1946)
It was another 920 years before Lucius re-emerged. Over that time, he studied and learned, observed and noted. He trained himself with both Seposita Turba and Deadeye. Most information about the world beyond the small town (at some point named “Karakura”) and the surrounding area he obtained through his contact with the Templars. He was sometimes astounded by the amount of knowledge they had, going so far as to learn of every change in Soul Society, so even today he’s up to date on the names of most officers in Seireitei, as well as the technology. He made a hobby out of inventing, creating all sorts of useful items, from varying gigai to small reiatsu bombs, as well as thousands of other useful trinkets and gadgets.
Reemergence is a loose term. It’s not as if he never left the underground. He took his walks, and even slew a small number of hollows, though he kept his zanpakuto sealed, and he always left before any other shinigami appeared. Any and all training was done within either his training grounds or, less often, among the Templars. No, reemergence isn’t such a literal word as that. Instead, Lucius’s reemergence came one day when he walked out of his tea house and ran directly into one of the Templars.
The Templar was a lower level one, a new recruit as it were. He was told that there was a slight increase in hollow activity, and it was predicted that the activity would gradually accelerate over the next few years, to the point that within 100 years, it was feared that Arrancar may become active. However there was a more immediate concern. In the past, Vaizard were a rare occurrence, to say the least. While they were still a rarity, the increase of hollow energy would cause more shinigami, and even one or two souls, to succumb to their inner hollow. They were now asking Lucius to help find potential Vaizards, help hem to defeat their inner hollows, and, if possible, to bring them to the Templars.
Oooh, Fun! He felt his two inner spirits chorus in absolute joy. You better accept, Lucius-nii-san! Helping people should be fun, and it’s not like you’re doing anything anyway! Turba was ecstatic at the opportunity to literally stretch her wings. She never made a fuss while they were training, but she was always bored, the other two could always tell. Hai, Lucius-kun. I’d like to get the chance to fight a couple of full turned hollows… A loud smack issued through his head. Aaaaah, and it’d be wonderful to help those pour souls too.
And so, Lucius became more active in current events.
A New Threat: Arrancar Djinn
Another year or so later (By this point in his life, Lucius measured time by months or seasons, depending on when he last looked at a calendar) Lucius walked out of his tea shop and began walking around the city, looking down at a rather bulky instrument. He made sure to come out without his gigai, as the war that was just getting started had ensured that most people of his age group (well, those who LOOKED to be his age group) were off preparing to fight. It wouldn’t do well to be drafted. Besides, until he made a more streamline version, the large, clunky monitor that tracked reiatsu would stand out.
He walked, not really paying attention to anything but the device. Lately, just as predicted, there had been a spike in hollow activity. Recently, even a few Adjuchas class hollows had entered the living world. Just last night, the device had picked up a blip of energy, immense, but too short to figure out what it was. He was now making his way through the streets, trying to pick up the signal again. And of course he found it.
It was actually rather faint, a strange reading. It showed as if he were extremely powerful, but extremely far away. However, it also showed that he was nearby. By taking in the buildings around him, Lucius figured about where he was. It was a low population area, mostly businesses that were empty at this time of night. Whatever he was tracking down must be hiding its reiatsu. And, no less, it was hiding it rather we-
Lucius stopped in his tracks and looked at the building he was standing next to. It was rather strange, a little short, compared to the ones around it, and the walls flowed like folded cloth more than bricks. Not to mention, that cornerstone looked a lot like a foot. And the fire escape looked a lot like a sword. “…Oh, sonova…”
“CEEEEERO!” Lucius leapt aside as the blast exploded into the ground. His shirt was seared rather cleanly, smoking just a little. The device clattered to the ground away from the two of them. He’d tossed it away from himself, hoping to save it from destruction. “Oi, you’re a quick little soul, aren’t you?” The being straightened himself up to his full, towering height. Astounding, had he ACTUALLY been trying to disguise himself as a building? Still, he looked rather imposing. The giant was dressed similarly to Deadeye, the white robes that looked like a more modern shinigami robe. His feet were clad in shoes that came to a point, each of which held a small ball. Looking up, Lucius could barely see the beast’s ears, from which a pair of golden earrings hung. In the future, Lucius would describe the beast as a giant genie, with a partial mask on the side of his face and a sword on his hip.
The sword was the height of a telephone pole, and 10 times the width. Of course it was enormous, but compared to the creature wielding it, it was more like a thick dagger. And currently, the giant dagger was sliding out of its sheath. The beast laughed. “It’s too bad you saw me, little soul.” He must think I’m just a soul, the fool thinks that just because I don’t have a shinigami robe on, I’m weak… “I’d have left you alone if you had kept walking. But now it’s too late for you! My name is Djinn, and I’m-”
This was getting old really fast. Lucius thought it would be best to interrupt him now, and let him know what he was dealing with. “An Arrancar.” Lucius had heard of them, and long ago had been in a fight with one, alongside some of the other Templars. He’d gotten thrashed fairly quickly back then. But now he was able to handle himself much better. He smiled politely and looked up at the Arrancar’s face, which was difficult to see from this distance, in the dark. Still, it could be said with relative certainty that Djinn was shocked. “You look like a Gillian class Arrancar. A hollow that’s removed his mask to gain shinigami powers. Yes, yes, I know all about you and your kind and your motives and whatnot. Now that we’ve skipped that whole lit-” The sword swung downwards and crashed into the street, causing a large upheaval of earth. “Tch…that was rude. Don’t you know it’s impolite to attack when someone’s talking?” Lucius stood atop the sword, near the hilt, his arms crossed and his head shaking.
“Now.” Lucius drew Seposita Turba from its sheath, holding it off to the side, as appropriate for a rapier. With a quick thwip, Lucius lopped off the tip of the arrancar’s thumb, to which he responded by roaring and throwing his hand upwards, sword and all. With a well timed crouch and leap, Lucius flipped neatly onto the hollow’s shoulder. He sighed heavily and leaned on Djinn’s neck; crossing his arms again, and holding the sword upwards, pointed dangerously but not threateningly towards the throat. “As I was saying. Now that we’ve skipped that whole little speech where you reveal what you are, I suppose I get to say mine? I mean it IS only fair.”
Djinn seemed to be in no mood to listen to a speech. He was hopping around in a ridiculous manner, holding his thumb to stop the bleeding. He’d discarded his sword some distance down the street, and was shouting out obscenities laced with cries of pain for his injured digit. It’d be hard making himself heard over the wails of the semi-incompetent demon, but damnit all he was GOING to give this speech. He NEVER got to do speeches.
“You were right. I am not a shinigami. At least, not officially. Officially, I am dead. However, as you can see, I’m doing quite well.” Djinn was still whining and moaning, but was now thrashing about, trying to swat at him but missing horribly, more often than not smacking himself in the side of the head. “’So,’ you wonder, ‘what must this man be, who can so easily injure one as powerful as myself?’ Well I’ll tell you-“ Lucius ducked down as a hand swept just above his head. “I am a vaizard.”
All at once, Djinn went from whining infantile beast to calm, furious warrior. A finger came into Lucius’s peripheral vision, and it swept out in an accurate arc straight at him. “Shimiat…” Luicus leapt off of the Arrancar’s shoulder and landed on the street, staring up at the beast again. In a flash, it disappeared, and then reappeared with it’s sword in hand. “…Sonido?” It had developed early in this one. Lucius slid his left arm behind his back and held Seposita Turba at the ready in his right, as if the two were about to fence.
“Vaizard, are you? Then that makes you a target. I’ll spare you, if you take me to your other vaizard friends.” Lucius almost laughed, but he noted how serious the arrancar was being. Still, he was being underestimated. The hollow was strong, sure, but he wasn’t invincible.
“Sorry, Arrancar. If you’re threatening the vaizards, then I have to take personal offence. If you live…go tell your friends that we won’t be beaten so easily.” Lucius flicked his sword downwards and it quickly whipped into its shikai form. Almost instantly, a small ball of energy began to grow at the tip of the barrel. The towering monster grinned down at the little shinigami, breaking out in a loud guffaw. Apparently, he considered himself exceptionally strong.
The gigantic dagger came down to point a just a few inches from Lucius’s face, and Djinn leaned his head down to some large device on his collar. He muttered something into it, but his oversized vocal cords sent the sound echoing through the streets. “Subject Djinn Vaizard Number 1. Power level…” He glanced down at the vaizard who was still standing on the street and sliding his glasses up his nose while the energy ball grew larger, squinting as if sizing him up. “Insignificant. Name…” He paused again, frowning at having to expend such effort. He looked back down at his foe and boomed his voice out. “Oi, what’s you’re-“
Woosh. The Arrancar stopped short, now being eye to eye with a stark white mask, blue accents almost jumping out at him. The eyes, they seemed almost bored. What’s more, the amount of power pouring out of the little man was almost holding the giant in place. The sword pulled upwards as he spoke. “Subject Name…” He knew whoever was on the other side of the communicator could hear the warbled voice through the hollow mask. “Varro. Varro Lucius.” The sword swung down and implanted itself in the Arrancar’s shoulder. The ball of energy had turned a red-black, and as soon as the sword connected, it arced it’s way down the length of the blade until it connected with the shoulder. “Sorry. Looks like you won’t be reporting back.”
There was a small delay, less than a second. Just long enough for the Arrancar to realize what was about to happen. From the cut, a line of energy traced down to the base of his foot, and from there, there was an upheaval of energy, engulfing the monster in a veritable upwards waterfall of energy. Lucius landed lightly on the street, sealing his sword and sheathing it all at once. He pulled a device out of his shirt pocket, speaking into it as his mask devolved. “Sorry for the bad news. Looks like the Arrancar are playing recon.”
All About You[/color]
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Name| Lucius Vaaro
Age| 1564 years old, looks to be about 33
Gender| Male
Race/Species| Shinigami
Alignment| Light
Loyalty| N/A
Personality| Lucius is a calm, thoughtful person by nature. He often refrains from joining the front lines, preferring to stand back and watch events unfold, then analyze the experience and learn from it. He tends to speak in long, complicated sentences, a habit formed in the shinigami academy, and even a little before that. He has, however, been attempting to simplify his complex rhetoric, as in a moment of excitement he’ll speak so quickly that he’ll even confuse himself.
Towards newly met people, Lucius tends to be indifferent, but not unkind. He reserves his emotions and standing with the person until such a time that he knows them well enough, at which time he’ll either warm up or turn away from the person. Though his life has been long, he has had surprisingly little contact with others, and tends to be a little socially naïve. His indifference early on in a relationship masks that, for the most part, but sometimes he’ll completely ignore normal social standards.
With people he’s friendly with, Lucius is a good enough conversationalist. He listens well, and responds when a response is called for. Whenever he gets the opportunity, he’ll happily launch himself into intelligent debate, never losing his temper but always making good points. With his friends who are less interested in debate, he’ll gladly sit and talk, go out to eat, train for combat, anything, really.
One thing to watch out for is curt, short sentences. Among enemies, or people he’s not particularly fond of, Lucius’s sentences become short and rather sharp. While he’ll rarely launch into battle, Lucius isn’t afraid to display his blade to his enemies, in warning. “Watch your words lest you lose your tongue and your step lest you lose your feet.” When it comes right down to combat, Lucius fights as he does everything else. He keeps his distance for the most part; making sure all the fighting is done on his terms. He’s found that varying between offence and defense, depending on the situation, is the smartest way to fight, and that makes him unpredictably dangerous.
Appearance| Despite over a thousand years of Japanese culture, Lucius stands out amongst most people of Japanese decent as a Roman. He stands at about 5’10”, a little taller than most people around him. His skin is a bit lighter than most in his area of the country, but due to his time in the sun it’s dark enough to not stand out too much. His black hair remains slicked back, about neck length, though the natural curl to it makes it arcs up a little at the bottom. This leaves the front of his long face clear, so as not to obstruct his view through hazel eyes. A pair of small, ovular glasses rests on the end of his nose. Lucius is farsighted, so he can see fine, for the most part, overtop of the glasses, and only needs them to read. Some magical force or another keeps the glasses on his nose, even in battle.
Lucius tends to wear a variety of clothes while in his gigai, often suited comically well to the current situation. (At one point there was a hollow attacking around Christmas time that, once sent to Soul Society and for the rest of his days, had strange dreams of a shinigami jumping at him out of a “Peace on Earth” sweater.) However, all his gigai (He carries several) wear the same outfit, black dress pants and a long sleeved white shirt. He’s found that this basic outfit tends to fit most situations adequately enough.
While outside of his gigai, however, Lucius’s dress code is slightly more stand-outish. Any time he isn’t working on something, Lucius wears a pair of slightly off-white khakis, each leg ending in three dark blue tiger-like stripes. He also wears a pair of shoes that match the khakis in color, also marked with the blue tiger stripes along the top of the toe. He wears a dress shirt, dark blue to match the stripes, and on top of that he sports a canary-yellow tie, pinned down with a rather large, black pin that resembles a number 3 (though anyone who knew him well enough would know that the symbol represents his hollow mask.) The shirt that he wears is far from normal. Under the arms and at the joint of his elbow the shirt is pleated several times for maximum maneuverability. Also, along the inside of his sleeves there is a mechanism that can lock his arm into a comfortable position, which aids him in wielding the shikai and bankai forms of his zanpakutou.
While working in his lab on some invention or discovery or whatnot, Lucius changes his attire to something more suitable. He wears a long, white lab coat which loosely resembles a captain’s haori and seems to pay homage to his shinigami roots (including a number ‘12’ on the back, though on his lab coat it is in roman numerals.) He also wears a pair of black pants and a black body shirt underneath the coat. He wears either black shoes or sandals that also resemble a shinigami’s, depending on the situation and what he’s working on. Also, if necessary, he’ll wear a pair of lab goggles in place of his glasses.
History| Another Life, an Early Death
October 27, 444 AD (Or the equivalent). In the dead of night, a young woman dashes as best she can through the streets, heavy with child. She’s searching for someone; someone she knows will help her with the delivery of this child. The child was conceived by illegitimate means (‘Leave it at that,’ she’d tell anyone who she trusted enough with that much information), and no holy man or official doctor would touch the child with a 10 foot pole. She’d heard rumors, though. There was, somewhere on this street, a doctor from another country, not tied to their beliefs in god, who may be willing to help. Going to this man would probably be considered blasphemy. She was already damned, so what was the difference now?
Thunder crackled in the distance, and the sky began to open up, raining down on the pour woman as she rushed to the inn. She staggered in, but no one helped her. She started climbing the stairs, but the person at the entrance was too busy with whatever he was doing to care, or to give aid. Perhaps they simply passed her off as a customer returning to their room. At long last, out of breath and already feeling the pains of child birth setting in, the woman raised one fist and pounded on the door the doctor was rumored to be in.
Before the door opened, she closed her eyes. He wouldn’t be there. It would just be another man, bedding here on his travels, who would hit her and slam the door in her face. Another holy man to cluck their tongue and again damn her for forces far beyond her control. A noble man in the act of cheating on his wife who would take her in and kill both her AND her child, lest they spread the word of an event everyone knows of. When the door opened, she opened her eyes and looked up, seeing a fair haired man with equally fair skin, dressed in rather cozy looking sleeping attire. “Well, I say, you look like you need help.”
Either she wasn’t damned after all, or the gods had no effect on this man. He took her into the room, called for some hot water, and helped her birth the child. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d expected. Of course, she’d been expecting death, or for the baby to emerge with the horns of a ram, the skin complexion of a ruby, and a head the size of a watermelon. Compared to THAT, this was a walk in the park. The doctor was very helpful, walking her through every step. Before long, the baby gave out its first cry, and it was wrapped in a blanket in her arms.
The child was silent, for the most part. After its initial cry, it didn’t utter a sound, but breathed openly, as if making sure they knew he was alive (It was a he, the doctor had told her.) His eyes remained closed, and they would remain so for quite some time, he said. “So,” her savior piped up after leaving her alone for a few minutes, “What will you name him?”
Fate has a funny way of working, sometimes. Not so long ago, the woman feared that the child would be the death of her. Now, holding him in her arms, she felt as if nothing in the world could go wrong. She was just about to open her mouth to name the little illegitimate child, when fate (or perhaps the gods?) struck. Rather, lightning. Accompanied by an ungodly loud CRACK, followed by an even louder BOOM, a bolt of lightning struck the building, and soon anything that could burn, was. It’s rather unnecessary to describe the events immediately following the fateful bolt. The fire raged up in an unnaturally quick way, and the whole room was engulfed before either of them had time to recover from the sound. The woman was upset, but strangely calm. This is the gods’ punishment for going behind their backs. She closed her eyes and sat still, and when she opened them, she looked down upon her son. He still lay quietly, but his head was turned upwards to her, as if staring back at her, though he couldn’t see. He understood the same way she did. She turned to look at the doctor, who was now approaching her, mouthing the words “I’m sorry.”
Luckily for all the inhabitants of the inn; in a large city such as Rome, casualties are common, thus expected. A woman in black robes descended, the very next day, sighing to herself and walking into the smoldering the remains of the inn. She looked around, drawing her sword and setting herself to work.
The One Who Never Saw the World
When a child dies before it can fend for itself, it’s a sad, but interesting occurrence. For the most part, souls don’t need any sort of sustenance, so they can live throughout childhood without much support. The infant, for about a month, lay quietly in a box behind an empty building, simply sleeping and yawning. He was fairly carefree and silent, and yet during this months he examined everything around him, and even at that age he began learning.
After his first month, the child was adopted by a large, loose family. He was taken care of for several years by a pair of people who were used to raising souls. The ‘family’ was more like a community, taking up a whole block of buildings, living separately but always meeting on a weekly basis, to trade stories and other such things. Whatever the case, the child, now given the name Lucius Amatius Vaaro, due to his obviously roman heritage, was raised well.
Growing Up Dead
Lucius learned, when he was old enough (He aged almost as if he were human, rather quickly compared to some other souls) that he had come to live in the 23rd district of Rukongai, an upper middle class district. As such, he lived fairly comfortably, not truly spoiled, but not having to worry much about crime or poverty. He went to a local school that was run primarily by the family he had been adopted by. While not completely formal, he learned what he needed to learn. At the time, Latin was still a major language in both worlds, so he was schooled in both Latin and Japanese, and took only a few years to become fluent in both.
Languages aside, the school taught many other things, including the basics of life and death, and of reiatsu, shinigami, hollow, as well as the governments of both the Seireitei and those that exist in the real world. He was an astute student, and he studied rigorously, so that by the time he turned 20 he knew just about everything that the family had to teach him, and then some.
The Shinigami
When Lucius turned 50, he took the leap. He approached a small group of shinigami and reset his glasses on his nose. The move itself was calculated. A slight flash of light glinted off his glasses and signaled his approach. The shinigami turned and looked at him. Quickly, before they had the chance to study him further, he glanced into each one of their eyes. Four shinigami, two were indifferent, and in fact resumed their conversation. The other two were now his prime focus. One of them seemed agitated; the other was smirking to himself, though not meanly. Perfect. He took a quick gauge of the aggressive one. Sword on his left hip, he was right handed. His left side was turned to him, and with the length of his legs…
When he came within earshot, the first one (Let’s call him ‘Ichi.’, he thought) huffed loudly, and spoke his mind. “Get lost, we’re not accepting any new recruits.” Nonetheless, Lucius approached and stopped a good 8 feet away, standing at a recognizable but loose attention. The other one (‘Nii’) rolled his eyes. “Oh shut it, just let the kid speak.” Lucius now had his position. Somewhat in the favor of one, and out of the favor of the other. “I wanted to ask where I could sign up for the shinigami academy. Is there a queue for that near here?” Ichi began to laugh cruelly, while Nii tucked the corner of his mouth. It was Nii who spoke first. “Like my partner here says, they’re not currently accepting applications. The only way to get into the academy would be with a recommendation from a shinigami. And those are hard enough to come by.” Lucius detected something in Nii’s voice, something that suggested he was in the mood to give such a recommendation. Again, perfect.
Always the aggressor, Ichi took a breath and stopped laughing, though his expression remained quite jovial. “Yeah, and there’s no way some kid like you is going to be able to get in. So get lost and let us get back to our break.” Well, the only way to deal with an aggressor… Lucius turned to Ichi, tilting his head, his eyes bored, but intelligent as he stared at the senior shinigami. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression that everyone was allowed to join, but I expected they’d have some kind of standard. I see now I may have been mistaken.” Nii almost choked on his tea and coughed as he broke into laughter. Lucius bowed to the gentlemen. “Good day, sirs.” His eyes watched Ichi’s feet. He didn’t need to see his expression to know he was enraged. One ankle turned. One.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Perhaps because it had been planned out so perfectly. Lucius straightened up, still smiling serenely. Happy to see that his plan was unfolding so well. Ichi was shoving off on his left foot, and Nii was standing as if to stop him. He wouldn’t be fast enough, but he didn’t need to be. A cup of tea was knocked off the table as Ichi’s right hand swept across it, forming a fist, ready to strike. His right foot touched the ground. Two.
Nii had glanced to the side, and he caught the look in Lucius’s eye. He seemed to understand, and he relaxed a little. Lucius slid his right foot slightly backwards, testing the ground, forming a small divot. His left foot did the same, digging in just a little. Ichi was still charging, and just now his left foot hit the ground. Lucius wondered if the shinigami had noticed yet. If he punched now, he’d be short, and if he took one more step… Three.
Again, the right foot landed. Lucius was now inside Ichi’s striking range. The fist, cocked back until now, was being thrust forward, but it would never hit. Looks like 8 feet was just enough. Lucius pushed off as soon as Ichi’s right foot touched the ground. He didn’t move particularly fast, nor did he strike with any significant force. His single step, however, put him past Ichi’s striking range. They were right next to each other, the shinigami punching air, his right-handed punch throwing him off balance in his right-footed stance. And then, just as the left foot began lifting to regain some form of balance, two ankles met, and what little balance the shinigami had was gone.
Time flowed normally from there. While Ichi didn’t go flying head over heels in some fancy flip, he still looked utterly ridiculous, his balance thrown forwards and to the side, and he spun before he landed flat on his back. Before the dust settled, Nii, as well as all their companions, burst into uncontrollable laughter. And thus, Lucius Vaaro got a recommendation from the 20th seat of the 11th squad to join the shinigami academy.
The Prodigy
Due to the lack of accepted applicants, Lucius’s class was rather small. Even so, it was clear that he was a genius. He excelled at his classes, from swordfighting to hollow studies. He quickly went from simply learning the material and taking tests, to studying ahead and assisting other students. His combat teachers were amazed at the perfection of his form. From day one, he knew and had memorized 23 different kidou incantations, though he could only perform basic spells. The swordfighting instructor was perhaps a little over-excited about Lucius, constantly using him as an example of perfect stance.
Needless to say, Lucius was watched by several captains, but the 12th squad captain took a rather special interest. She noticed that while he knew everything down to a science, and that that was all it was, a science. What was most impressive about the boy wasn’t his kidou skill, nor his swordfighting form, but his capacity to learn and remember all of it. In a way, she laid claim to him. He was advanced twice over the years, so at the age of 55 he graduated, and was almost immediately accepted into the 12th squad.
The Girl in the Dream
The night after his acceptance into the 12th squad unseats, Lucius had his first dream. It was an odd experience, and as he was a very observant person, he realized that he was dreaming. There was something strange about the place, to be sure. He couldn’t really see the surroundings properly, but he could tell it was a room. A large room. But it was dark. There were no windows to filter light into the room, but there seemed to be a bunch of tables around, piled with stuff, and some kind of cone overtop of each one, but all he could see was the silhouettes, and for some reason he couldn’t get close enough to inspect them. So instead, he sat, and he thought. He inspected himself and the nature of dreams so much that he completely forgot the entire thought upon awakening.
Of course he didn’t get a full 8 hours of dream time to inspect dreams. About an hour in, he heard a small voice echo through the room from somewhere above him. “Geez, you’re boring…Can’t you at least tell me what you’re thinking about?” Lucius shook his head a little, trying to rattle himself back into lucidity and stood up, turning around and looking for the source of the sound. He finally located a girl sitting atop a nearby structure, kicking her legs idly. “Or move or something...”
“…Who are you?” Lucius was surprised to hear his own voice, almost as if someone else were speaking it. It took him a moment to realize that the room was incredibly echo-y. After a minute or so of silence from the young girl, he spoke again. “Are you my Zanpakutou spirit?” The girl giggled for a while before she chose to respond. Only now did he realize that her eyes were closed. He wondered for a moment how she could see him.
“Maybe. Or maybe…” She giggled and leapt off of the structure, streaking down at him. “Maybe I’m your inner darkness.” Lucius started, but only had time to move one foot before the girl was right in front of him. He closed his eyes and prepared for contact, but all that came was a light tap on the nose. He opened his eyes, and there she stood, giggling to herself, with her hand over her mouth. “Just kidding, Lucius Nii-San. I’m not your darkness.” Her expression was suddenly sly, somehow, though her eyes remained closed. “He is.”
He suddenly felt eyes watching his back. He whipped around and reached for his sword, which, even if it were there, it wouldn’t have helped. He was suddenly face to face with a giant white mask, which seemed to laugh as it charged at him out of the dark room. He fell out of bed and gasped for air.
Through the Rabble
Despite the nightmarish dream (Or was it a dream-like nightmare?) Lucius began performing his duties as an unseat 12th squad member. It started out rather like college, for a time. He figured he learned more in his first few months in the squad then he did from his 5 years in the academy. Of course, this being over a thousand years ago, there were no high tech gadgets and beeping computers, instead it was lines of files, information on all catalogued hollows for the past several hundred years, histories and stories of famous shinigami, information on every fighting style imaginable, maps, formulae for everything from alchemy to cooking (for those who need both elixers AND filet mignon.)
Even more interesting, however, were the innumerable gadgets made of naught but clay or wood, a few metal, one or two marble. These simple things that seemed like nothing more than knick knacks were, indeed, useful in the field. If one gazed through this, they would see trails of residual reiatsu, making it simpler to track a target hollow. This one could block, catch, and store reiatsu attacks, to be released at a later date. That one’s a paperweight. It was fascinating, all these instruments. Once he learned his way around, he was set to his first task. There was a Hollow running around the human world in the city of Venice, and it was nearly impossible to track. Its level of power was exceedingly low, so much that they were hesitant to call it dire, even.
“So…wait, my first mission is to…” His superior grinned a little bit. “You get to play hide and seek. Find him and record the information on him, send him if you see fit. He won’t be a problem.”
There were a lot of missions like that. And while Lucius felt a little bit ridiculous tracking down these minute little hollows, he did as he was told. Besides, missions were few and far between, he was mostly working in the development of new technologies. Eventually, he was moved up to the next stage. He accompanied squads of other shinigami, noting, recording, and naming the various, more powerful hollows that they faced, assisting in combat only when it was necessary.
Shikai: Who Are You?
“Luuuuuuciuuuuuuus niiiiiiiiiiii-saaaaaaaaaan~!” While he’d only heard it once before, Lucius knew he was back in the dark room, hearing the voice little girl. Immediately, he whipped around, looking for the menacing white mask which reminded him so of a hollow. “Ooh, don’t worry about him, he’s off hiding somewhere, I think. Let’s go for a walk!” Before he could respond, or react, the little girl had leapt off her structure and taken his hand and had begun dragging him towards the door…which he had just now realized was there. Where had THAT come from?
Upon the opening of the door, Lucius found that there was another side to the dream world he was in. It was bright outside, hills rolling off into the distance, blue mountains rising out of the horizon, the sound of a stream trickling somewhere, and nearby were several rocks, of varying size and shape. The little girl skipped happily over to the nearest one, jumping up with astounding agility and sitting down on it peacefully, kicking her legs and patting to spot next to her. With nothing better to do, Lucius moved over and hopped up, catching the edge of the rock and pulling himself up to sit.
“You’ve come a long way, Lucius! You used to be smart but weak, and now you’re…um….smarter…” Lucius blinked for a moment. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m still weak?” The girl looked uneasy, and she put her hand to her chin in order to think for a moment. “I’m saying…you’re not YOU yet. You don’t have your own style or flair. You’re brilliant, Nii-san, but you’re not using any of it to solidify yourself. Understand?” The silence following that was rather heavy.
“Who are you?” Lucius nearly jumped off the rock. He hadn’t said that, but it was in his voice...had he said it? Or had the girl asked him? Had he asked the girl, or…? “Who are you?” “…I see.” His own voice, asking him who he was.
“You know some Latin, right, Nii-san? I hope so, cause you’re going to need it to understand this. Sola Dea Clamorque, Fatum Novit. Offendo Suus Hostilis Severiter.” And with that, he awoke.
The next day, Lucius was sent on another mission. An unknown, powerful hollow was attacking Leningrad, Russia. He was sent, accompanied by several members of the 11th squad, to catalogue and dispatch of the hollow. When they found the hollow, the 11th squad members charged, surrounded, and began battling it. Lucius took careful note of its shape: large tendrils rising out of the back of a bear, constantly swiping at anything within range. And what’s more, hitting everything within range. Lucius snapped to attention, dropping the note pad. The hollow was throwing around the 11th squad members like rag dolls. He knew that if they could get a moment to release their zanpakutou, two of them could take it down, but they were all too busy dodging the slashing tentacles.
From somewhere, he heard a little girl giggle. Ooh, ooh, here’s your chance, Nii-san. He tried to remember. That advice she’d given him, the Latin lines she’d recited, was that the incantation he needed? “Sola Dea Clamorque, Fatum Novit. Offendo Suus Hostilis Severiter!” But something was missing…He drew the Zanpakutou, and for an instant he was sitting back on the rock, next to the little girl. She stared up at him, and he was lost in her eyes. He smelled something burning, saw flames leap around him, he felt the heat of an entire sea of fire. She didn’t utter a word; instead, Lucius’s mouth seemed to open of its own accord. “Seposita Turba!”
The blade in his hand widened, then split, forming two separate bodies of metal, one tube, one blade. Metal seemed to grow from the blade, and it attached itself to the tube. The shikai transformation was complete. Lucius leveled the blade at the hollow, who snuffed and turned to look at him. The tentacles whipped about viciously, throwing the 11th squad members away from him, slamming them into trees and rocks. It started lumbering towards Lucius, tendrils whipping towards him, attempting to hit, but for quite some time, Lucius was out of his range. Lucius could easily stay that way. He stepped backwards, gripping his sword with both hands, focusing his power on it, hoping it would react. And it did. At the tip of the tube, a small ball of reiatsu began to glow.
The hollow’s movements were slow; he moved two short legs at a time, apparently unable to move quickly because of the heavy tentacles on his back. Lucius poured more and more of his reiatsu into the zanpakutou, and the ball of energy grew larger and larger, and at last he felt he’d stored enough. He stopped, setting himself into a solid stance, and pointed the blade at the offending hollow. “Intero, Malum Gero.” The blade issued a large blast of energy, in the form of a circular bullet, that struck out towards the bear at a speed that the hollow simply couldn’t match. The energy struck home, in the dead center of its mask, and pierced straight through, exploding out its backside. The Hollow instantly disappeared into the next life.
Mission 43
Lucius’s attainment of Shikai boosted his status in the squad. Many of them got together to celebrate the occasion (Though Lucius knew they’d gather to celebrate ANY occasion.) Still, with shikai, Lucius was now eligible to advance beyond the unseats. He quickly applied and was accepted as the 20th seat, and over time, solidified himself in a “dodge and attack” fighting style. His intellect helped him move quickly up another 4 positions to 16th seat, where he was sent out on a fateful and life changing mission. His 43rd since joining the 12th squad. He was now 74 years old.
The mission was partially recon, but everyone knew that it could easily turn dangerous. Several officers from different squads were sent along with the 3rd seat of the 7th squad. They were sent to examine a rumor of a hollow that had appeared near a small village in Japan. The rumor, brought back by an injured shinigami and relayed just before he died, was that a towering, black figure with a gigantic mask had attacked a group of shinigami who were meeting to send information back to Seireitei. The description, though vague, hinted at the appearance of a Gillian class Menos. Lucius had been sent as a representative from 12th squad, in order to officially log the appearance.
Even as the shinigami entered the human world, they knew that the rumor was more than a rumor. They could see, no more than 100 yards in front of them, the towering black Menos. The 7th squad leader quickly leapt into action, pulling several officers with her, heading an attack. Several kidou specialists began peppering the hollow with lightning and fire, making sure to divide its attention. Lucius studied it from a distance, glancing through a device and writing information down. There was a problem. Even with powerful attacks, the hollow wasn’t taking much damage. It hardly even seemed annoyed at the shinigami attacking it. It began to move, nearly treading on the ground force attacking it. It was slow, but it seemed to be making a steady line for…Lucius?
He quickly jotted down a few notes and tossed the book aside, setting the instrument on the ground nearby. He drew his sword and moved to the side, and as he expected the hollow followed him. Damn, what was his problem? He glanced over his shoulder and up, and for a moment he lost his balance. The white mask seemed to be coming at him out of darkness, and indeed, the Menos was leaning down as if to get a close look. Lucius was on the ground, and was now beginning to panic a little. The hollow opened its mouth, and with a loud, mournful roar began to form a large beam. “S…Sola Dea Clamorque, F..Fatum Novit. Offendo Suus Hostilis Severiter…SEPOSITA TURBA!” He wasn’t sure what he was trying to accomplish, even with shikai he was no match for a Menos. The other officers were still peppering it with attacks, and even took a chip out of its mask. It didn’t slow down at all. Why was it so focused on him?
You weakling…
...That wasn’t Seposita Turba. If you won’t kill him, I will. Lucius’s eyes widened, and he screamed in a piercing pitch. He felt his body moving, but he couldn’t stop it. White plaster…or maybe it was bone...began to form over his face, and soon enough, his entire face was covered with a white mask. From there, he blacked out.
What happened next was described by the 3th officer of the 7th squad as an explosion of epic proportions. Lucius disappeared with a scream, and then a laugh, in a red blast that engulfed both him and the Menos. The official report omitted the fact that several of the other shinigami heard a word shouted out at the last moment, but it was whispered around for a while. They had all heard it. “Cero.”
The Darkness and the Escape
Lucius awoke several hours after the encounter with the Menos. He had no idea what happened, only that he was tired, and the room he was in was mostly dark. He looked around for a while, and then stood up. “Where are you, Turba? Are you here?”
She’s taking a little break. I’m the one who’ll be making you stronger from now on.
Lucius whipped around, looking for the source of the voice. Out of the darkness walked a rather tall man. The man wore a rather sharp, full uniform, perfectly white, outlined at each edge with black. (As a note, he looked very much like an arrancar, sans mask.) The man approached Lucius, examining him from behind a pair of glasses that looked identical to Lucius’s. He was soft featured, but he currently looked rather cynical. You’re too smart to be this weak. You have a lot of inner power there, little shinigami, and it’s going to get used one way or another. Either by you… Here, he grinned rather mischievously. Or by me.
Lucius started and sat up, breathing heavily and looking around. He was no longer in the forest, but in the village, in a shack. Seeing as the people nearby were sitting and eating dinner, he assumed that he’d somehow gotten there himself, rather than being brought in. He stood and left through the luckily open door. He couldn’t go back to Seireitei. He wasn’t sure if he knew that himself, or if the man in the suit was telling him. He’d have to suppress his reiatsu and hide here, and think from there.
Training
Over the next several years, Lucius moved very little. He had no gigai, so he couldn’t integrate himself into society. He couldn’t go back to seireitei, and he couldn’t actively pursue any but the weakest hollows. He couldn’t even call upon Seposita Turba. She seemed to be there, but was deciding not to react. Several times he dreamt of the man in the suit, every time being urged…warned to train.
8 years after his defeat of the Menos, an old man approached him. Lucius sat calmly as the old man walked on the road past where he sat. Even as the man turned and looked at him, Lucius didn’t move. Several humans were sensitive to spirits, and some had stopped, but only saw him as a hermit in meditation. The old man lifted his cane, and Lucius cracked his eyes to look at him, just in time to see the handle of it rap him sharply on the forehead.
He stumbled and fell back off the rock on which he sat, blinking and crinkling his nose at the sharp pain that had been inflicted upon him. “OW! What was THAT for you old…” The man was interrupting him and standing over him already.
“WHAT do you think you’re DOING sitting on the road like that, you impudent little brat! We’ve been looking for you for 8 damn years and you’re just SITTING THERE?!” Lucius blinked. If they were looking for him for 8 years, they were doing a crappy job of it. “COME ON you little brat, we’re going!” With that, the man tapped his cane on the ground, and they were suddenly somewhere else. Lucius looked around. There was a lot of open space, and a few large crags, and some towering rocks.
“Where’d you take me? Where are we?” The man pointed up. “You were sitting right there. Now we’re underground, in a hidden chamber for training the likes of you, who haven’t gained control of their inner hollows yet. We’re gonna make sure you get control, so you don’t blow any cities up anytime soon.” Again, Lucius blinked.
“So…I was sitting right there? And it took you…8 years to find me?” RAP. Lucius crouched, rubbing his nose. “Point taken…inner hollow you said? Could you elaborate on that a little? How do you know I have an inner hollow? Is that what he is?” In time, all his questions were answered. More people began to show up, and Lucius began to feel rather silly. He was the only one there in shinigami robes, but it was obvious that everyone there was a shinigami. Or at least they used to be.
“We are Vaizards. To be more precise, we are the Templars. You, too, are going to become one of us.” The old man seemed to be the leader, of sorts. He spoke for all of them. “You’re going to go into your inner world, and you’re going to fight your inner hollow, and if you win, you’ll be one of us. If you lose, we’re going to kill you.” Lucius tilted his head. He felt he’d have been better off sitting on the rock for the rest of his life.
Outside, Lucius had no idea what happened. He was completely absorbed with his inner struggle. Seposita Turba had made a reappearance, and she stood on her rock, cheering and laughing at the battle. The hollow held a sword that looked just like Seposita Turba’s released form, So Lucius was forced to release his, as well. The battle clashed, the hollow laughing almost constantly. You’re weak, boy. You’ll have to try harder. Keep this up and I’m taking your power. Lucius was getting rather annoyed. There was something wrong. The man in the suit wasn’t fighting, he was training. Lucius could feel his insignificance, his weakness in the face of the white clad man.
“What do you want from me, Hollow? If you want me dead, then kill me already!” Hahahah…Did those other Vaizards tell you that I would be trying to kill you? Hollows are such fools. Their greed clouds their judgment. But I know the secret. I know that to be the most powerful being in existence, I need something more than a body. I need you, and in order to become more powerful, you need me.
Lucius frowned heavily and began gathering energy at the tip of his blade. “I don’t NEED your help to become stronger…” The hollow charged, blade raised. He recognized the form; he was going to use Tutela Vesica. Lucius lowered his blade and brought it back, and at the last moment, the energy stored in the blade arced upwards, slamming into the blade the hollow held, and throwing it back above his head. “Volatilis Clausus!” The hollow smirked as Lucius’s blade carved upwards. ’Bout time. The blade sliced across the hollow’s chest. Lucius smirked a little bit, a rare expression for him. “But I’ll take it, if you’re going to offer.”
The Long Life
After gaining control of his hollow, Lucius seemed changed. Though always having been the quiet one, Lucius spoke and acted less often, preferring to be the observer. He trained and learned for some time with the Templars, but in time, he grew apart from them. The old man who had first brought him there passed away, of ‘old age’. It seemed he just thought it was time for him to move on.
He left the Templars, but he hadn’t lost touch. If they ever needed him, they knew which tea shop he owned, and in which town. Other than the occasional visitor, and one or two instances of incredibly powerful menos appearances, Lucius virtually disappeared from view. He became an observer of the world, working in his off time on various gadgets, never forgetting his time in Seireitei. He even built his own training area, similar to that of the original Templar training grounds. Even in his tea shop, he kept a low profile. It would do no one good to find the same man running a tea shop 200 years running. The years flowed, to the point that time no longer seemed an issue. Lucius befriended the inner hollow, and learned the workings of his powers more completely, and gave him a nickname that he appreciated greatly. Deadeye.
Self-training over 500 years, and then some, Lucius found himself ready to take the next step in his advancement as a shinigami.
Bankai: Appear As You Wish To Be Seen!
“Nii-san! Stop looking down. If you look down again, you’ll die. Keep watching me!” Of course it’s not that simple, nee-chan…not with your eyes open like that. They were floating, a mile or more over the ground of his training chamber. He was supposed to be walking across a path, laid by Seposita Turba. He was to watch her, make eye contact at all times, and step surely. Trust her completely. It wasn’t trust that bothered him, he did trust her, but every time he looked into her eyes he felt as if he were somewhere else, standing in the burning field of wheat, and every step would be one more into a sea of fire.
“Don’t look down, Nii-san!” He was surprised at her sharpness; her gentle nature seemed hidden when her eyes were open. She was more than a sister, more than the spirit of his sword, she seemed to be the goddess that his ancestors worshiped, the one hinted at in the incantation for his shikai. She was something to be worshiped and feared, an entity to cower from, not to walk towards across a sea of flame. So it wasn’t the lack of trust that held him in place, it was fear.
Still, there was no use standing in place. He lifted his gaze and met Turba’s, and again he felt the heat of the flame all around him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a step, and then another. Slowly, but surely, he approached his spirit, willing himself forward, telling himself that the ground beneath his feet was solid ground, not sky, not flame. With every step, something changed. The heat felt more intense around him, the smell of wheat stronger, and what’s more…he felt more at peace. He was no longer standing in the flame, he WAS the flame, he emitted the smell of wheat, and the heat emanating from his body pushed clouds aside. The ever-present roar of sound that filled the burning field grew louder, echoed through his ears. He reached out and took the young girl’s hand in his own, and in a flash, he was back on the ground, with new words and new power flowing through his mind and body.
Reemergence: A New Purpose (1946)
It was another 920 years before Lucius re-emerged. Over that time, he studied and learned, observed and noted. He trained himself with both Seposita Turba and Deadeye. Most information about the world beyond the small town (at some point named “Karakura”) and the surrounding area he obtained through his contact with the Templars. He was sometimes astounded by the amount of knowledge they had, going so far as to learn of every change in Soul Society, so even today he’s up to date on the names of most officers in Seireitei, as well as the technology. He made a hobby out of inventing, creating all sorts of useful items, from varying gigai to small reiatsu bombs, as well as thousands of other useful trinkets and gadgets.
Reemergence is a loose term. It’s not as if he never left the underground. He took his walks, and even slew a small number of hollows, though he kept his zanpakuto sealed, and he always left before any other shinigami appeared. Any and all training was done within either his training grounds or, less often, among the Templars. No, reemergence isn’t such a literal word as that. Instead, Lucius’s reemergence came one day when he walked out of his tea house and ran directly into one of the Templars.
The Templar was a lower level one, a new recruit as it were. He was told that there was a slight increase in hollow activity, and it was predicted that the activity would gradually accelerate over the next few years, to the point that within 100 years, it was feared that Arrancar may become active. However there was a more immediate concern. In the past, Vaizard were a rare occurrence, to say the least. While they were still a rarity, the increase of hollow energy would cause more shinigami, and even one or two souls, to succumb to their inner hollow. They were now asking Lucius to help find potential Vaizards, help hem to defeat their inner hollows, and, if possible, to bring them to the Templars.
Oooh, Fun! He felt his two inner spirits chorus in absolute joy. You better accept, Lucius-nii-san! Helping people should be fun, and it’s not like you’re doing anything anyway! Turba was ecstatic at the opportunity to literally stretch her wings. She never made a fuss while they were training, but she was always bored, the other two could always tell. Hai, Lucius-kun. I’d like to get the chance to fight a couple of full turned hollows… A loud smack issued through his head. Aaaaah, and it’d be wonderful to help those pour souls too.
And so, Lucius became more active in current events.
A New Threat: Arrancar Djinn
Another year or so later (By this point in his life, Lucius measured time by months or seasons, depending on when he last looked at a calendar) Lucius walked out of his tea shop and began walking around the city, looking down at a rather bulky instrument. He made sure to come out without his gigai, as the war that was just getting started had ensured that most people of his age group (well, those who LOOKED to be his age group) were off preparing to fight. It wouldn’t do well to be drafted. Besides, until he made a more streamline version, the large, clunky monitor that tracked reiatsu would stand out.
He walked, not really paying attention to anything but the device. Lately, just as predicted, there had been a spike in hollow activity. Recently, even a few Adjuchas class hollows had entered the living world. Just last night, the device had picked up a blip of energy, immense, but too short to figure out what it was. He was now making his way through the streets, trying to pick up the signal again. And of course he found it.
It was actually rather faint, a strange reading. It showed as if he were extremely powerful, but extremely far away. However, it also showed that he was nearby. By taking in the buildings around him, Lucius figured about where he was. It was a low population area, mostly businesses that were empty at this time of night. Whatever he was tracking down must be hiding its reiatsu. And, no less, it was hiding it rather we-
Lucius stopped in his tracks and looked at the building he was standing next to. It was rather strange, a little short, compared to the ones around it, and the walls flowed like folded cloth more than bricks. Not to mention, that cornerstone looked a lot like a foot. And the fire escape looked a lot like a sword. “…Oh, sonova…”
“CEEEEERO!” Lucius leapt aside as the blast exploded into the ground. His shirt was seared rather cleanly, smoking just a little. The device clattered to the ground away from the two of them. He’d tossed it away from himself, hoping to save it from destruction. “Oi, you’re a quick little soul, aren’t you?” The being straightened himself up to his full, towering height. Astounding, had he ACTUALLY been trying to disguise himself as a building? Still, he looked rather imposing. The giant was dressed similarly to Deadeye, the white robes that looked like a more modern shinigami robe. His feet were clad in shoes that came to a point, each of which held a small ball. Looking up, Lucius could barely see the beast’s ears, from which a pair of golden earrings hung. In the future, Lucius would describe the beast as a giant genie, with a partial mask on the side of his face and a sword on his hip.
The sword was the height of a telephone pole, and 10 times the width. Of course it was enormous, but compared to the creature wielding it, it was more like a thick dagger. And currently, the giant dagger was sliding out of its sheath. The beast laughed. “It’s too bad you saw me, little soul.” He must think I’m just a soul, the fool thinks that just because I don’t have a shinigami robe on, I’m weak… “I’d have left you alone if you had kept walking. But now it’s too late for you! My name is Djinn, and I’m-”
This was getting old really fast. Lucius thought it would be best to interrupt him now, and let him know what he was dealing with. “An Arrancar.” Lucius had heard of them, and long ago had been in a fight with one, alongside some of the other Templars. He’d gotten thrashed fairly quickly back then. But now he was able to handle himself much better. He smiled politely and looked up at the Arrancar’s face, which was difficult to see from this distance, in the dark. Still, it could be said with relative certainty that Djinn was shocked. “You look like a Gillian class Arrancar. A hollow that’s removed his mask to gain shinigami powers. Yes, yes, I know all about you and your kind and your motives and whatnot. Now that we’ve skipped that whole lit-” The sword swung downwards and crashed into the street, causing a large upheaval of earth. “Tch…that was rude. Don’t you know it’s impolite to attack when someone’s talking?” Lucius stood atop the sword, near the hilt, his arms crossed and his head shaking.
“Now.” Lucius drew Seposita Turba from its sheath, holding it off to the side, as appropriate for a rapier. With a quick thwip, Lucius lopped off the tip of the arrancar’s thumb, to which he responded by roaring and throwing his hand upwards, sword and all. With a well timed crouch and leap, Lucius flipped neatly onto the hollow’s shoulder. He sighed heavily and leaned on Djinn’s neck; crossing his arms again, and holding the sword upwards, pointed dangerously but not threateningly towards the throat. “As I was saying. Now that we’ve skipped that whole little speech where you reveal what you are, I suppose I get to say mine? I mean it IS only fair.”
Djinn seemed to be in no mood to listen to a speech. He was hopping around in a ridiculous manner, holding his thumb to stop the bleeding. He’d discarded his sword some distance down the street, and was shouting out obscenities laced with cries of pain for his injured digit. It’d be hard making himself heard over the wails of the semi-incompetent demon, but damnit all he was GOING to give this speech. He NEVER got to do speeches.
“You were right. I am not a shinigami. At least, not officially. Officially, I am dead. However, as you can see, I’m doing quite well.” Djinn was still whining and moaning, but was now thrashing about, trying to swat at him but missing horribly, more often than not smacking himself in the side of the head. “’So,’ you wonder, ‘what must this man be, who can so easily injure one as powerful as myself?’ Well I’ll tell you-“ Lucius ducked down as a hand swept just above his head. “I am a vaizard.”
All at once, Djinn went from whining infantile beast to calm, furious warrior. A finger came into Lucius’s peripheral vision, and it swept out in an accurate arc straight at him. “Shimiat…” Luicus leapt off of the Arrancar’s shoulder and landed on the street, staring up at the beast again. In a flash, it disappeared, and then reappeared with it’s sword in hand. “…Sonido?” It had developed early in this one. Lucius slid his left arm behind his back and held Seposita Turba at the ready in his right, as if the two were about to fence.
“Vaizard, are you? Then that makes you a target. I’ll spare you, if you take me to your other vaizard friends.” Lucius almost laughed, but he noted how serious the arrancar was being. Still, he was being underestimated. The hollow was strong, sure, but he wasn’t invincible.
“Sorry, Arrancar. If you’re threatening the vaizards, then I have to take personal offence. If you live…go tell your friends that we won’t be beaten so easily.” Lucius flicked his sword downwards and it quickly whipped into its shikai form. Almost instantly, a small ball of energy began to grow at the tip of the barrel. The towering monster grinned down at the little shinigami, breaking out in a loud guffaw. Apparently, he considered himself exceptionally strong.
The gigantic dagger came down to point a just a few inches from Lucius’s face, and Djinn leaned his head down to some large device on his collar. He muttered something into it, but his oversized vocal cords sent the sound echoing through the streets. “Subject Djinn Vaizard Number 1. Power level…” He glanced down at the vaizard who was still standing on the street and sliding his glasses up his nose while the energy ball grew larger, squinting as if sizing him up. “Insignificant. Name…” He paused again, frowning at having to expend such effort. He looked back down at his foe and boomed his voice out. “Oi, what’s you’re-“
Woosh. The Arrancar stopped short, now being eye to eye with a stark white mask, blue accents almost jumping out at him. The eyes, they seemed almost bored. What’s more, the amount of power pouring out of the little man was almost holding the giant in place. The sword pulled upwards as he spoke. “Subject Name…” He knew whoever was on the other side of the communicator could hear the warbled voice through the hollow mask. “Varro. Varro Lucius.” The sword swung down and implanted itself in the Arrancar’s shoulder. The ball of energy had turned a red-black, and as soon as the sword connected, it arced it’s way down the length of the blade until it connected with the shoulder. “Sorry. Looks like you won’t be reporting back.”
There was a small delay, less than a second. Just long enough for the Arrancar to realize what was about to happen. From the cut, a line of energy traced down to the base of his foot, and from there, there was an upheaval of energy, engulfing the monster in a veritable upwards waterfall of energy. Lucius landed lightly on the street, sealing his sword and sheathing it all at once. He pulled a device out of his shirt pocket, speaking into it as his mask devolved. “Sorry for the bad news. Looks like the Arrancar are playing recon.”
