Nexus Tempest

From Inga no Kusari wiki

Nexus Tempest ♂
Date of Birth	4th August, 1982 (29)
Place of Birth	Tokyo, Japan
Crezca	Tormenta Recinto
Player	Nexus Tempest
Hollow

Contents 1 Appearance 2 Personality 3 History 4 Combat 4.1 Strengths 4.2 Weaknesses

Appearance

Nexus Tempest has finally managed to evolve into his Gillian form, under Nexus’ will. This besides making the personalities that bit more stable has led to some quite significant changes in their appearance, unless Nexus is using his ability to disseminate his body. However, when in his true Gillian form he is a lot more intimidating than his fellow Gillians. The average Gillian averaging in height between 2 and 6 stories (20 to 60 feet) tall Nexus breaks this base line and stands about 100 ft tall. Whether this is due to the number of separate spirits that shared his original soul or due to his struggle against becoming a Gillian allowing him to attain a much greater power is unknown. Like all Gillian’s his form is wrapped up in a long black cloak however, that is where the similarities end. His Mask is the same as it always has been only now the horn and visor section are missing, as are the spikes out the back of his head. His eyes remain the same only much larger. The spikes coming out of the cheeks of his mask are still there, only now the tips of the pure white spikes are crimson and look as if they are constantly bleeding. This is Desmoralizador’s influence starting to shine through more prominently.

Unlike many Gillian’s Nexus Tempest is able to part the cowl that surrounds his body as if it were a nothing more than a cloak. Underneath is a skeletal body human in appearance for the most part. His multiple arms are gone replaced with a single pair of human appendages. However, his previous more monstrous form is not lost. His legs, though still skeletal, are the same as they were for his hollow form, the large taloned feet looking more prehistoric and lizard like. The razor sharp talons are possibly the most dangerous things in his arsenal now that each long talon is about the length of a small car. He is truly hard ignore and far from the stealth ambush predator he is in his other form yet the question becomes not how to prevent collateral damage in a fight, but, how best to limit it.

Nexus is unique in the fact that his form is based around that of his original human one. Only now it is more intimidating. He stands about eight feet tall and about two and a half feet wide. His body seems to be made of sculpted marble to give him a very artistic even if thoroughly menacing appearance. This is only part of the story though. Due to the way that Nexus came about the body also represents two completely different mind sets which make up the Hollow collectively known as Nexus Tempest. Initially he appears very calm, sophisticated and intelligent lacking the very basics of a hollow, namely the Hollow Hole, the animalistic nature and bestial appearance, he isn’t by any means approachable but, he doesn’t seem to be that much of a Hollow. His face/mask looks strangely wise, even with the spike like protrusions sticking out from under his eyes, angled slightly down. The white mask filled with cracks around the eyes and mouth that appear to be black and gives him an aged looked. A large horn, more like a wing of a space craft or blade of some archaic weapon extends at least a foot and a half up from his head with a second smaller one behind it that looks like a horizontal stabiliser on an aircraft. The back of the head appears to overlap the mask creating a helmet like appearance that extends around the side of his head, forehead and down the back of his neck. The back of the helmet like structure has four, foot long spikes sticking out of it that appears just as dangerous as the one sticking out the top of his head, the last spike protruding from the base of the skull just before the beginning of the neck. The sections on the forehead and sides of his head appear to be able to extend to further enclose the head, finishing the appearance of a helmet if needs be. The one on the forehead able to be pulled down over his eyes like a visor, his eyes themselves not the typical slits of a hollow but, rather those of the human he had been. The right eye a blood red orb, like that of Demoralizador, a constantly changing and swirling orb that seemed to be made of blood itself and continually moving, the left eye was a light grey, almost human eye, the pupil slightly elongated to give it a more bestial appearance but, definitely human.

Nexus broad shoulders weren’t rounded like a humans but, instead ended in a pair of spikes giving his torso a triangular appearance as it went from two and a half feet wide at the shoulder to two feet wide at the waist. There are no visible arms on Nexus, since they are constantly folded across his torso, slotting together and into groves in the torso perfectly to give the façade of being nothing more than a torso, head and legs. In truth he has three pairs of arms, the inner parts of which are covered in one to three inch triangular spikes designed for piercing and slicing through flesh and barbed hooks for latching onto the prey and tearing away flesh. While the arms are folded away the torso appears to be smooth and the Hollow Hole is hidden by the arms. However, when the arms open the chest is like a negative image of the inner arms, spikes that lock into the gaps and hooks to secure the hooks on the arms to the torso and make sure it looks as smooth and natural as possible when the arms are concealed. The Hollow Hole itself is hidden beneath the arms and is just to the right of the centre of his chest, where his true heart was. His hips once again appear to be triangular as to large spikes stick out either side with smaller one built up into the centre where the base of a tail seems to be. This extends up into the small of his back and down the triangular section of his hips which resembles the bottom of some form of samurai or warrior armour. The built up section appearing to sit on top of the legs themselves, which are broad and muscular all the way down to a pair of taloned feet, which appear to be a mixture between those of a human and a lizard, larger than would be in proportion with a human body they have five claws each that dig into the ground and a dew claw on the inside of the ankles.

Personality

When it comes right down to it there are at least two distinctive and separate personalities that drive Nexus Tempest. The First is Nexus, this side is what could be termed the more dominant and human side of the Hollow personality. He still lacks all but the most powerful emotions, but, retains some of his human traits, including his human intellect and unfortunately his moral compass which will prevent him from committing some of the more unthinkable acts, like attacking children or those he knows are parents, this also means however, he also rationalises it as allowing some to survive so they can produce the meals of the future. Further more, Nexus is smart, a lot more intelligent than most would realise. He knows his own limitations and he knows people and because of that can effectively hunt those who are of use to him in allowing him to become stronger faster. Using his statue like appearance he can whittle out those who have spiritual energy out from those who don’t only consuming those with high enough spiritual energy to be of use to him. Due to this human trait he is exceptionally good at leading and making use of the Skills of others around him, namely Hollows, when they are willing to listen. He also keeps tracks of those he doesn’t feed upon, keeping them as a reserve for when he can’t find food or when a Hollow under his command is in desperate need, his mind allowing him to plan things well into advance.

Due to the intelligence he retains from his Humanity, Nexus can also suppress the more overriding instincts of Hollows and think things out even in the heat of battle. He isn’t ruled by the hunger that controls most Hollows minds, or the abject rage or wish for bloodshed of others which would call attention to him. He is a slow, methodical and careful hunter relying on the fact that most would over look him, even Quincy and Shinigami if they weren’t actively searching for him. He has the capacity to know when it is a battle he can win and when it is best to run, as is often the case with the aforementioned Quincy and Shinigami, for if a description of him reached Sereitei his hunting would be made a lot harder for a significant time. However, because of this he seems to lack the ‘Killer Instinct’ that many Hollows have making him appear slightly weak as a leader on his own, the problem being that although a course of action may be the best one, it may not necessarily please the need to feed or fight of many Hollows that, if it wasn’t for his alternate personality, Tempest, would probably contest everything he did and attack him for the right to lead and the power that they would undoubtedly gain from defeating him. The problem with attacking Nexus being that though he can keep his mind in battle for a limited time, Tempest will always come through and he is a totally different kettle of fish.

Tempest retains some of Julian’s knowledge and memories but, no where near what Nexus can recall. Tempest’s mental aptitude is more along the lines of that of a schoolyard bully, he’s little on actual brains and relies on Nexus to create the plans before taking control but, he’s big on the muscle and knows how to win a brawl. Tempest isn’t so much ruled by his Hollow side, as revels in it. He loves to kill, inflict pain, feast on the flesh of mortals and the energy of the soul. He’ll rip people apart for the sheer hell of it and is probably better known to Sereitei but, the difference in appearance between Tempest and Nexus is considerable enough to be ignored when Nexus hunts and Tempest is smart enough to make sure no one makes the connection to the armless statues and the arachnid like figure he himself runs around as. Tempest has no qualms about who he kills and will feed on any soul that gets his attention and for the most part they will have some form of spiritual energy. He will attack all but, the hardest of opponents, those that even he can see he would stand no chance against, be them Quincy, Shinigami or even his fellow Hollow. He is well known for his despise of weakness and those he sees as too weak will become his food as will anyone who tried to oppose him or Nexus. Tempest in short is the more bestial side of the Hollow nature but, due to originating from someone who never technically died he has retained a fraction of intelligence that has allowed him to stay alive this long.

History

Prologue - The Parents

Separated by centuries and unbeknown to the pure soul that had risen to be one of Sereitei’s finest examples the Hart bloodline continued through the only surviving member left after the atrocities that fell upon the simple farmer and his wife after there daughter had rejected the Lord of the lands approaches. The eldest son had narrowly escaped travelling to the nearest town and continuing his life in the cotton mills of the quickly developing and industrialising lands of the England. Unable to offer any financial assistance to his parents and unwilling to return to such a deprived and hard existence he erased his past from memory and took to his new life quite easily, ignoring the screams and echoes that had once haunted him in the countryside until eventually one day they faded from his hearing once and for all. From here on the lives of the Hart’s followed a differing path from the humble and hard workers of there farming origins and became ruthless and seeking of reward, striving to be noticed and to constantly improve there lives unable to settle for what was pure and good and losing the innocence of Hart they had once all commanded. The throbbing call of the spiritual world buried under the weight of burden brought by success. They used there calm, level headedness to achieve and deceive in the real world instead of being content with the knowledge that they didn’t know everything and living a life where family came first. The single black sheep had become the archetype of the Hart family philosophy and those who found a more relaxed and content way of life now were regarded as dead beats and expunged from the family, forgotten about and left behind, as they began to regain the spiritual link they had once all felt with the world.

The present day Hart’s are widely scattered and all but one lost there inheritable name, either through marriage or legality to hide their identity so not to be found or associated with the failings of other Hart’s. Many had followed the less reparable paths to achieving their fortunes or left the family disgusted at what they had become only a handful were left in society and approachable, many of them those who had been emancipated from the family bonds to live a simpler life. Now only one member of the Hart family remains in view of the public, following a career driven path as a scientist for the pharmaceutical industry following the money, his contract always open to whoever can offer him the most money. Through this chain of job changes, money grabbing and globe hopping, he finally came into contact with someone he could co-inhabit with easily. The pair following similar paths finally met at a point that could be comparable to love, though with there hectic lives nothing could ever meet the true emotion. In a stroke of bad timing and fortuitous fornication a child was born, one that strengthened their happy family public image but, now weighed them down like a lead weight and a tether, a tether neither found agreeable. So, Julian was brought into a world without love, without patience and nothing and nowhere to call home. Japanese by Nationality, English by blood.

The Early Years

The young Julian didn’t have a happy childhood and far from a normal one. His parents didn’t want him and didn’t know what to do with him. He was packed up and carted away to somewhere new and exotic every month, his childhood vaccination interspersed with those for malaria, yellow fever, anti parasitic tablets and a cocktail of dozens of other drugs designed to help his fledging immune system to develop faster and combat the billions of bacteria, viruses and parasites he would come into contact with. By the age of three he had spent more time with doctors and nurses than his parents either to have vaccinations or to treat the myriad of side effects, diseases and complications that he exhibited on there travels, ending up with a medical file thicker than that of most middle aged adults. Many would have thought the child services would confiscate the child from such obviously woefully inadequate parents and yet they never lived in one place long enough for anything to be done. There son’s speech was messed up to say the least, mainly English with scatterings of Swahili, Japanese, Russian and Spanish depending on the country and the nanny they’d hired. By the age of four he had managed to regain a foothold on the English and Japanese languages which were those he most commonly associated with his parents, although he soon wished he hadn’t. With the grasp on his speech the howls and shrieks of despair and agonising pain began to infiltrate his hearing, at first muffled as if a slight ringing that drove him to cry in pain more than once as it became too high pitched or he started to slap his head to make it stop. At five he could hear them clearly and caused concern with his private tutor by complaining of cries of help and roars of pain and despair reaching him even the occasional voices of some unseen being. At one point the boy muttered the words that he heard and the blood drained from his instructors face. Such words spoken by a minor, resonating with a hidden depth and power had freaked her out. She’d resigned that very day to the despair of her employers, what were they to do now. Like anyone in their line of work they turned to drugs, managing to persuade a psychiatrist to diagnose their son with schizophrenia and prescribe him Lithium Carbonate, a mood stabiliser which soon left him docile and lifeless.

However, the medication only muffled the cries and dulled his emotions making him unfeeling apart from the sensation of something being dreadfully wrong. His parents were able to hire a new carer for him and found him yet another personal tutor; this seemed to have the desirable effect. He began to learn at a faster pace, stopped complaining and he became more manageable. He was clay in there hands, theirs to mould if only they could. However, even with the cries muffled his active mind and the accelerated learning had a negative effect, it also accelerated the progression of his spiritual ability as he began to tap into his imagination and the wealth of power that lay within and opening the locked door to the horrors of the world. At seven years of age he had the imagination and literary capacity of a person five years his senior and the knowledge of someone three years his senior but, that was when the shadows began to creep in on him. The hollows started as shimmers and the screams became louder drawing his attention, the shimmers became silhouettes, the silhouettes sharpened becoming more defined and outlined giving them a more three dimensional image. By the age of seven and ten months he could see the horrid malformed beings with the skull white masks clearly. He began to write about them, describing them to his tutor and parents their only reaction was to up his medication but, his tutor nodded understandingly and told him about the hollows, the souls of the departed and the Shinigami. The young lad had been enthralled listening to these stories of beings that only they could see, until that fateful night when everything changed and not for the better.

It was a cold dark and dreary winter’s night in the heart of the Australian outback, his parents working in a privatised based subsidised by the local military. The compound was secure from anything physical but, an attack from the ethereal hollows was a definite possibility and one that came to pass. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the moon lost and the tiny pin pricks of light that pierced the velvety blackness did little to illuminate the deserted desert. Julian had been the first one to hear it, the long drawn out howl of a hollow then the crashing of its feet. It wasn’t until he dashed from the room, white as a sheet that he saw the beast. A towering monster that loomed over the buildings, snake like, it was huge and terrifying sight that blotted out what little light fell to earth. The young Julian lost control of his bladder in his horror struck state, some invisible force constricting his trachea and larynx. In between the howls of the deadly beast he heard the soft crunch of sand underfoot and he turned to see he instructor calmly walk out his eyes fixed on the beast. He fixed his stance setting his legs and wrapping the long fingers of his left hand around the wrist of his right as he pointed his index and middle finger at the heartless soul. A massive pressure suddenly pushed down on Julian forcing his legs to quake and shiver and she strained the muscles to remain standing. Then he sensed a pull as if the pressure was being drawn towards his instructor, then the hollow struck and his instructor chanted. “Lancing Light” a burst of white energy coursed across the scene and struck the mask, cracking it but, doing nothing to deter the beast. The man’s eyes widened in shock as the taloned hands of the beast severed through his chain of fate and whisked his soul out of his body. The last words of the dying man the last things Julian heard that night before feinting. “Live on Kid.”

If he had been older Julian may have been able to understand what had happened that day and why his instructor had done it. However, even with his higher level of understanding emotionally he was still only an eight year old child and couldn’t help but blame himself for what had occurred on that day, leaving a stain on his soul and life there after. The single most shocking event of his life to date had struck him in such a way that no one could have predicted it. He lost his voice, a self imposed dumbness as if that day his vocal cords had been frozen. He still went through all the motions of trying to talk, his lips moved, his eyes were expressive and the air rushed through his larynx, but, his brain just wouldn’t accept that he could talk. The exposure to such a powerful force in such a horrific way had frozen his mind and stunted his spiritual growth. His parents tried everything they could with him, taking him to psychiatrists, doctors, therapists and nothing worked, even when the police tried to question him about the ‘murder’ of his tutor he remained dumb, just bursting into silent tears as the memory of events overwhelmed him. This was just the sort of problem that his parents couldn’t be bothered to deal with. The shenanigans of a spoiled child who needed to learn that life wasn’t always going to go his way, or so they referred to his dumb struck state when they believed he couldn’t hear them. They had tired of his presence long before and now could no longer tolerate it as a mild annoyance. They returned to the only domicile that Julian could ever begin to call home. A ‘small’, by his parents’ standards, building located in one of the Tokyo provinces. This was where they left him to a private hell that was only just beginning at age nine. They enrolled him into a private educational facility as well as paying a private tutor for three hours twice a week. Even if he couldn’t speak he wasn’t going to allowed to fall behind. A new live in carer was hired to make sure he was physically well, even if he wasn’t emotionally. His parents’ left him in the middle of the night without so much as a farewell a week after returning him to the country of his origins.

The following years were filled with nothing but fear and dread. Placed into a school with other children for the first time in his life he was unsure how to interact and with the restriction to his voice nothing seemed to go well. He picked up on how to use sign language pretty quickly but, his parents hadn’t foreseen the complications of putting a mute into a school filled with normal children. Being different at any age in school is hard, but, for one such as Julian it was especially difficult. Even when he was being bullied he couldn’t scream for help and when he told his teachers they simply brushed it aside as normal roughhousing, even after he ended up with a gash in the back of his head deep enough to see the white bone. He became more withdrawn and stopped complaining beginning to see it as his punishment for being unable to do anything to save his instructor. However, it wasn’t only at school that his life had become a living nightmare. His new carer, a young female wasn’t exactly the most caring of his needs or wants; she was more interested in herself and her pleasures. She soon learned how to emotionally blackmail the mentally unstable preteen. He felt dirty and used, stained by the blood of many more than he had once thought as he witnessed more and more hollow attacks and got driven deeper into a rut by his carer. He was in many ways the perfect victim unable to speak and with enough emotional baggage to bury an elephant, the torture went on for a year before one fateful night drove him out of his shocked slumber and threw him into the blazing white light of the winter moon.

Julian was curled up in his bed pulling the blankets up to his chin, shivering, not from the cold that was biting at the fingers of those walking outside on a windy night like this; it was the shock of another night with his depraved au pair. He was chewing on his lip try with all his might to remember what it felt like to talk, to find the help he needed. Nothing he had done would mean he’d deserve this, or so he told himself every time it was over, and yet she always made him believe the opposite when she coaxed him into one more, filthy act. However, whatever he had been through was nothing compared to the threat of death, the cry of the hollows came again, but, this time he could understand their meaning. It was a cry of hunger, a gnawing pain that ached throughout its body. His eyes snapped open and a small whimper escape him, the first sound he had made in two years and it was one of a fear that traversed even the horrors that he had already experienced and that oppressive sense began to crash down on him. It was the same crushing hollowness he had felt on that day. He dashed out of bed and stared out the window another whimper escaping his lips. Julian turned and ran from the room, grabbing a coat which was two sizes too big for him. The jacket covering the majority of his body and giving more warmth than the crinkled and too small nightwear that the carer insisted he wears during the evening hours. He then yanked open the door and fled into the inky black night, the clouds in the sky obscuring all the light and a thick fog inhibiting sight even further.

He dashed along back alleys fleeing the destruction behind him, lampposts and mail boxes being tossed to one side or bent at odd angles. The roar was getting close with every second, the strange slithering sound, the soulless howl and the oppressive nothingness all joined and reached a peak when racking claws slashed across his back. Blood began to flow freely from the wound, the crimson rivulets dropping onto the icy ground and spilling into all the cracks. Julian was sent tumbling head over heels, his movement stopping abruptly as he slammed into an iron fence. He sensed the beings approach in the thick fog rather than saw it and he knew it wanted to kill him just as it had killed his instructor years ago. The whistling of the wind caught his attention and a single word echoed in the night as the hollow spoke. “Victory!” However, Julian wasn’t going to be an easy kill, he screamed back a single defiant word, his voice rusty and cracking “NO!” the clouds broke apart, the clear light of the silvery moon shone down encapsulating the scene. Julian’s reiatsu flared up around him and the claws struck the barrier with such force that the creature was thrown backward its eyes expressing a mild surprise. Julian stared at the beast tears streaming down his eyes and waved his right hand a spell escaping his lips. “Lancing Light” in his adrenaline and fear driven state even without proper training the spell seemed to activate, a single spark flew at the hollow and exploded in front of its eyes. It wasn’t very destructive but it was enough. As it regained orientation it was too late. The cold steel of a Zanpakutō had pierced its skull from behind. The beast shattered into hundreds of glittering shards. Julian just sat shocked staring at the scene as the Shinigami dropped to the floor beside him standing slowly up, the glow fading from his hand from the weak spelled he’d cast without the incantation. The Shinigami appeared concerned but, as a second howl echoed through the streets he nodded and vanished to slay another of the abominations.

Julian was found an hour later shivering now from a combination of shock and the cold. By chance he had done what any startled child would do in fear for themselves, run to the police station. The gate he was pressed against was those of the local station and officers were at a loss when they tried to bring him in. The female officers approached first and fear shown in his eyes as he began to back away trying to running but, without the energy to, they finally managed to coax his name out of him in a croaking tone that scared the officers as they wondered what else could be wrong with this kid. They contacted the nanny and escorted him into the station to try and warm him up. Upon seeing what he was wearing they began to piece together the puzzle, the way he’d shunned the female officers and then there was the hysteria he exhibited when he saw his guardian. They placed him in foster care for awhile as they coaxed out more and more information and waited for his parents to return. Eventually they charged the woman with child endangerment, child molestation and due to his parents’ insistence, Breach of Contract. This was a start of a brand new dawn for Julian and he was focused. He was with his parents for three days and then the new Guardian came to take over. Julian was glad to see his parents leave for once. He had so much to do and a lot of which they wouldn’t approve of.

Adolescence - Igniting the Fire

Julian had spent his life fleeing from these creatures but, he knew after that day that running wouldn’t be enough. He was as pampered rich kid and although wasn’t particularly unfit he definitely wasn’t in as good a shape as he had to be. He was moved back to England in relative security to continue life in the country of which he was a part by blood alone. However, this meant a new life and a new start. He immediately joined a Martial Arts class, working on his ability to defend himself and others around him. He’d been force to mature to early but, the world was filled with people like him and they were needed to make sure the same didn’t happen to others. He concentrated on his combat and quickly gained strength. His average physical fitness increased to beyond that of an average person his determination driving him to become stronger and more involved in the world around him. He began to socialise and learnt more about people in general at the same time proving that he followed a different set of morals to everyone else. He became very out spoken and used multiple ways to move around obstacles that otherwise blocked others. Unable to voice his opinions openly he began writing letters to companies and articles for the school newsletter appropriately called ‘The Voice’. Though he was still only a teenager as he moved on in years his intelligence and inquisitiveness was well beyond what would be considered normal. By the age of sixteen he was following politics, statistics and everything that influenced the lives of the public and forced them to take notice and even action through the articles he wrote which were finally picked up by the local press. Hiding behind the name Oliver Horton he forcefully imposed his observations that stunned and horrified most onto the populace. He’d learnt to move about silently through training and learnt how to fight and knew when he needed to. He became a very offensive young man, but, anyone could see that it was in the defence of others not just for the pure thrill of battle.

However, despite the normalcy of living in England of the past six years he was uprooted and shifted back to the country of the rising sun. His parents had a semi permanent job in the area and as such felt it best to have him at ‘Home’ to complete the happy family Façade that they had painted to show the world when in truth they barely knew their own son’s name. However, this suited him fine. He needed to learn how to use a blade, fencing had been good, but, Kendo was another art and the more he knew the better able he would be to fight. Adaptability was key, in life that was the one rule that governed all; those who could not adapt could not survive. He took the exams and got into the best High School in the local area. He concentrated on his studies as much as his body for knowledge was power and a power he could wield to help those he could. This also allowed him to create new friends and learn more about how people reacted in different social situations. That way he could always find a way to excuse himself from an unwanted meeting or slip away unnoticed. He pushed forward with everything and once again became known as an investigative person, one many liked and that gave him an edge a way to gleam information from others. He contacted the local press on occasion when something caught his attention and his articles cost a company millions of American dollars which stuck his parents hard since they had been working for them. He never let that stop him though, without a true family unit he had no qualms about using them or ruining them.

During this time Julian honed the one thing that was left open to him, sensing that presence that signified the hollow or Shinigami. It was the only skill he had apart from being able to see them and even understand them on occasion. He disposed of the drugs he’d been forced to take for so many years hiding the fact that he’d stopped taking them. He sat for hours in his room, no music, no sound except those made by nature reaching out and sensing that pressure that had once instilled such fear in him, a fear he would never let himself feel again. He started to sense the spiritual pressure no matter what, in the background of everyday life, normal people walking along the street, the Shinigami that patrolled the area and the blight that was a hollow. This was the best he could do for now. He knew he was no match for a hollow and had no idea how to train himself to use the power he’d seen his instructor utilise. He only hoped that when the day came to use it he could.

At aged eighteen Julian began his campaign. He knew that the only way to find someone to train him or at least listen to him was to get their attention first. He turned his attention to hunting the Hollows and using his sensing skill to track them down. He needed to find someway to make people listen. However, whenever he found one it was soon silenced by a Shinigami. He began to battle the urge to attack a Shinigami just to get what he required of them. However, before he could do anything of the sort he was sent to England again. His parents had managed to get him accepted into an English Literature Course in Oxford University which cut his campaign short. He spent the day learning what it meant to be a writer or a poet, trying to find meaning in old texts and trying to survive like a normal student due to his stubborn pride, leaving his parents money in the bank to pile up. He started writing again under the name Oliver Horton as he hunted the injustices of the world, snooping around for stories that would gain him a notoriety he would need when he left. He also began using the name Adam Joules, to write stories based around the darker sides of the human mind and imagination. This brought him in a nice little income as he studied and would offer him a promising life after the course was finished.

Aged Twenty-one Julian stood outside in the school grounds as the ceremonies were conducted. He’d come out with a first degree honours but, what else would be expected of a spoiled rich kid. His parents looking pristine, faces gleaming with false pride and love as they reinforced their public image. Julian was sick of the sight already and it had only been thirty minutes. However, it was then that a shiver ran down his spine as the oppressive force that was the reiatsu of a hollow pushed down on him. It was coming from a distance but, its directionality couldn’t be mistaken. It was coming right for him. He stood, tense, nervous and oddly excited. He was called up onto the podium and he heard it, the howl crying out for food. This was cutting it close. As he accepted the diploma, he saw it. It was a small being to be sure and looked like a giant bat but, it was a hollow. It swooped down and Julian dove to the right just as the podium collapsed. He rolled his hat blowing away and he tossed the diploma in his dads lap as he jumped away again, a stream of cold air blowing over everyone in the front row. Julian waited and as it came for him again, he jumped bringing up the heel of his foot to crash down on the beasts cranium in an axe kick technique causing it to nose dive into the ground leaving a furrow in the ground as if a plough had just run through the grounds. He heard the muttering of a voice and looked up. A Shinigami was about to launch a spell. He looked back down and saw that after the first attack one of his fellow classmates had been hurled away from the podium and was now unconscious lying next to the struggling beast. Julian ran forward hearing the words echoing in his head and the hollow whispering that he wouldn’t make it. Julian dived over her and used the momentum to roll as the red energy ball struck and incinerated the hollow in an explosion that would have most likely killed the girl who he was now shielding from the raining dirt. The Shinigami had most definitely gone overboard on that one.

Julian stood head brushing himself off and heard a new voice one that was kind and understanding and somehow familiar. “Good work you’ve grown a lot in a short time.” He turned around and could have sworn he saw his instructor, the one killed by the hollow in the crowd that had gathered, then he was gone. Julian then pretended to feint hoping he wouldn’t have to answer too many questions.

Broken Bonds, The Manifestation of Power

A year later Julian opened Joules House, a lodging house he’d purchased and done up back in Japan, his parents disdainful when they heard that he’d had a second psych evaluation and dumped the meds had finally disowned him, something they’d done mentally many years before. Despite their general embargo on interacting with the real world Julian always seemed to give them a place to rest, and hide any gigai without question, his little lodging house became an unofficial meeting place for some of the lower ranked shinigami who frequented the city. As time went by Julian focused on three things, training himself and trying to release his true potential, the one he quite often heard the unranked Shinigami muttering about in his Lodging house. Two, try and get the truth out there about both the physical and spiritual realms via his investigative skills and writing ability, both through his Articles as Oliver Horton and stories as Adam Joules and Danni Heart and finally offer a home to Shinigami who otherwise have nowhere else to go.

Julian achieved his soul manifestation six months after his 22nd birthday. A very interesting encounter with one who could see the world for what it truly was even if he couldn’t understand the screams he slaughtered. The young man by the name of Jin followed Julian from his home intrigued by the high number of Shinigami present near his residence and the strange reiatsu he himself gave off. Julian soon realised he was being followed but, was more intent on losing the young man, slipping through alleyways and up fire escapes eventually slipping into the local newspaper office to drop off his article earlier than usual just to try and escape the young man. However, he soon realised that Jin wasn’t going anywhere and confronted him learning more about those who were neither Shinigami nor Fullbringer, those known as the Quincy. A Hollow soon interrupted their meeting and instead of killing the beast Jin pinned it to a wall screaming at Julian to kill it. This placed him in an awkward position since Julian had no way to achieve his fullbring. He closed his eyes diving into his mental realm only to be confronted by a Stoic Spirit known as Shadou Ranpu, a part of himself that Julian had sealed off from himself when he’d lost his voice so many years ago.

After being refused assistance from Shadou Ranpu he came out from within himself to see the Hollow escaping its bonds to attack a young female. Without thinking he dashed in to protect her and Shadou Ranpu was left with no other choice than to grant Julian the power he sought but, this came at a price which Julian would find out sooner rather than later. Shadou Ranpu had been reluctant to grant Julian his power for a reason and the last saddened and worried tones of his Soul Manifestation left Julian wondering what was truly going on.

Days, weeks, then a month passed, and Julian was taking more and more risks. The stories he was going after more and more sensational and in search for other’s like him and Hollows to defeat drove him into many treacherous situations and his behaviour became more aggressive and erratic. Releasing his Fullbring in a bookstore, fighting Hollows for the thrill of the battle rather than to protect and then came the day that he met her. A Quincy dressed in black, a young woman who’d slaughter a Shinigami for no reason. Julian had lost it and tried to stop her but, her death was the end result. His leg giving out too soon, meaning the blow to her shoulder pierced her lung rather than the intended target. Something dreadful awoke within him that day, something that had been lurking in his heart for years.

Shattered Reality - Realising the Truth

The very next day he’d just managed to get a scoop on a sensational story and slipped away into the crowd. He needed to get some groceries and it was there that the fateful meeting occur. A strange man by the name Adell who bore the title of the Prince of Fear from the Shinigami, a man who recognised the battle within Julian as one he had suffered through. He recognised the Hollow in whose shadow Shadou Ranpu had lurked, a Sociopathic being that loved to destroy the will of others as well as tear their bodies apart. Unfortunately the Shinigami didn’t take kindly to such beings, believing them to be nothing more than hollows and the appearance of a Captain of the Gotei 13 with his newly appointed Vice Captain was all it required to tip Julian over the edge destroying everything he believed in as those he had helped with every fibre of his being, admired even, had become his executioners. So started a battle not only for survival but, for control of his soul and one he wasn’t sure he could win, as Desmoralizador snatched control from him in the beginning of the battle making it an uphill struggle from then on.

Uphill struggle or no Julian was a determined young man and a lot more in tune with events than even he realised. His conscious mind, the part of him that he controlled by his own convoluted thought complexes had a lot of trouble accepting what had occurred and actively fought against the being that resided within. However, his subconscious mind, equipped with his own cool logic, intelligence and methodical thought processes was slowly but, surely accepting the change and seeing the reality for what it truly was, slowly leaking the truth of what Desmoralizador was to the conscious when it was more susceptible to the notions of the truth that he felt throughout his body. He fought the mask and the hollow power with all his might, but, his mind, was a different story entirely. He began to accept Desmoralizador as another aspect of who he was, able to resist his drives but, actively listening to him, although he would never let it on and rarely spoke to the being that resided within him. He began to pick up on small anomalies, overlaps in their conscious thoughts, plans and ways of dealing with things as well as their drives. Though he never admitted it to himself in the early months, he and Desmoralizador were scarily alike in many ways. Their intelligence and application of it in stressful and dangerous situation to create a plan, many times they went for completely different methods but, usually ended at the same end point and this more than anything frightened Julian.

He went off the rails, for a long while, he remained within the barrier at the Docks during the light hours usually asleep or silently contemplating the link between himself and the being that he now lived in constant fear and maybe even awe of, ignoring his companions and causing concern for them because of his nocturnal habits. As soon as dusk cloaked the outside world in darkness he would leave the docks and venture forth calling out to the Hollows that frequented the town, calling forth his soul weapon, and taking the fight to them. He could and did lose himself in battle, forgetting all his troubles and drowned his misery in the blood of his enemies almost forgetting about how those he had trusted and helped with all his soul had turned on him in an instant for reasons that were beyond his control. He couldn’t even figure out when this had all begun. However, he never lost the presence of mind to run when the reiatsu of a Shinigami came too close, despite everything that had happened he refused to attack those who had shoved him aside without reason, despite Desmoralizador’s constant demands for their blood, for a fight worthy of his power, not that he ever used those words, instead using Julian’s own thoughts and twisting their meaning around to suit his purpose as he spoke to the usually silent Julian, that was until one day when Julian returned to find Adell with Jin, waiting in the warehouse that had become his home.

This wasn’t that rare an occurrence, he usually just returning as they prepared to leave to do what they felt needed to be done while he secluded himself away to sleep and contemplate on the rays of dark light that had illuminated his mind during his evening excursion as he fought alongside Desmoralizador and was forced to see what he didn’t want to see, the blindingly obvious similarities in the pair of them which seemed to outshine the ever so minor differences and caused Julian to once again try and assess where Desmoralizdor finished and he began and how long the Hollow entity had been sharing his soul with him. However, today was different, the atmosphere heavy and thick with apprehension and expectation, as if something the three of them had been waiting for, for so long was about to come to pass. Julian’s mismatched eyes slid from one to the other and then Adell spoke and the atmosphere was shattered by what he had to say. He was asking what Julian had been waiting to hear ever since he had realised Desmoralizador had existed. Was the pair of them ready to learn to control the beasts that resided within their souls and utilise its power as their own. Julian didn’t hesitate and stepped forward immediately. Adell at first seemed hesitant, obviously worried about something Julian didn’t know about but, he wasn’t about to step down and the next thing he knew Adell had slammed something into his chest and he was tumbling through a pitch black darkness.

Ones mental realm is a shocking place, especially if you are not the only inhabitant, and even more so if you yourself compartmentalise everything. Julian had made his living by literally living several different lives and multiple lies. He didn’t only have to combat with the two entities born from his fear, fascination and will to survive, he allowed the very things he’d sworn to fight to consume part of who he was because like any child he had been afraid of the impending spectre of death that they represented and then create so many other personas around that to protect himself from seeing the truth until Jin lifted the veil and Adell pulled the rug out from under his feet. It was only in this lost state that he could truly confront the Hollow within and its power was terrifying. Not only had he provided it with two forms he had given it strength by already using its power as his own. The Shadou Ranpu was nothing more than a hollow when he confronted it, but, in doing so he found his true power and saw the light that illuminates the darkness that clouds a Visoreds eyes. The battle against Desmoralizador was long and arduous but, using the strength he had gained in his round with Shadou he was able to repel the being whose mind was so much like his own, an intelligence that was well beyond anything he had seen a normal Hollow exhibit and the long road to acceptance stretched out before him.

The battle was over with within an hour, his form hadn’t changed much from that of his normal released form but, it didn’t need too, his powers and those of the Hollow were intricately intertwined no matter what. He was never a normal Fullbringer he had always been a Visored, always known that something else was lending him strength and had always known what it was despite locking it away in the darkest corners of his mind. All that had changed was now it stood before him and he could see himself more clearly in the reflection it cast upon him. Over time they grew to trust one another, a tentative trust but, a trust all the same, the minds of all three awakened allowed Julian an extra sense in combat what his eyes refused to register those of his companions would see and warn him. The connection and acceptance between them grew. He felt invincible until he came across Vetro. The leader of the Mid’Nights tore through Julian as if he were nothing showing him just how little he had truly advanced. He had received the mask, but, never tried to learn about it, seeing it as a tool a way to combat what was out there and as a result had left himself at a serious disadvantage. He managed to escape and crawl back to the warehouse to tend to his wounds but knew he could no longer remain here, he had to go somewhere where the danger was less present somewhere he could relax and freely train. The next morning he was on a plane heading back to the country of his family’s origins, England. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Following is just in depth and shows the mental state of Julian to support the premise of Nexus Tempest, read either side of the lines and it’ll still make sense _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quest for Knowledge - Returning to the Beginning

Julian stared out across the sea that lay before him, his eyes downcast; he had come home for the first time in years. He’d left Adell and Jin behind in Japan for now and returned to the origins of his family. Great Britain, even now he could scarcely believe he had returned. Japan was the place of his birth and the only place he had ever truly felt was a Home of such had been in the provinces of Tokyo. However, spiritually he had always felt connected to the British Isles. It was where his family originated from, and England would always remain in the Hearts of the Hart. Even though he had no place he called home here, it still felt as if that was the word he should use. It was here that he had come to get to grips with himself. Ever since he had taken control over Desmoralizador something had been weighing heavily on his mind, something he needed to figure out. It had brought him here, the Brighton Pier. The pier itself had closed to the public hours ago and he had no business being here apart from the wish for solitude. The midnight hour had been struck and passed in the time he stood here looking out over the dark sea, the lights of thousands of stars reflected in its dark and murky depths. Julian looked down at his reflection, seeing not what many saw, but, a mixture of beings, even though he hadn’t summoned either Desmoralizador’s Mask or Shadou Ranpu, he could still see them in his reflection. The terrifying half mask of Desmoralizador when he had summoned Shadou Ranpu and the yellowish white of Shadou Ranpu’s bone armour covered his right arm.

He sighed and turned away from the reflection. He was becoming more like Adell with everyday, deep thinking, wondering about the purpose of it all. It just wasn’t natural. He looked up at the dazzling light of the night sky. He had come here to train, to find himself again and find out what had changed. Shadou Ranpu had been fluctuating recently, no, that wasn’t true, it had been different ever since he defeated Desmoralizador. Something had changed within him when he finally done what he had to, to regain control. He rolled his shoulders and pushed himself away from the railing. He’d come here because he’d sensed something, a spiritual energy in the place and it was deserted. He could try and grasp Shadou Ranpu once again and finally regain the control he had lost over it when he had received his mask. If that attracted anything, malicious or otherwise so be it, it wasn’t his concern anymore. He couldn’t let his fear of being discovered overshadow everything he did. If he had to fight the Shinigami, clobber a Quincy or slaughter a Hollow then so be it. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. He had no friends here, no enemies and no assistance if anything went wrong, just the way he liked it.

When he closed his eyes, Julian was dropped into a room that he didn’t wholly recognize, another chamber within his soul yet there was a being in there just waiting for him to appear. As tall as Julian, his right eye the crimson that was all too familiar to those who looked into Julian’s right eye, his left however, had the yellow iris of the Hollow, his pupil a Slit. Julian had seen his reflection before and knew that the eye of his half mask was the ice cold blue, like the flames that had surrounded him in his fight against the pair. He had since realized that, the power which he had released then and that of Shadou Ranpu and Desmoralizador was separated, not only from one another, as was obvious by the presence of the pair, but, also from his own power. Something he hoped to once again tap into. In his battle he had seen a glimpse of the future and the appearance of Shadou Ranpu had been forever changed. He had only broken off half the bone armour that had surrounded his entire body and now, his body was more that of the hollow than it had been originally. His arm and mask were the same but, his leg and abdomen remained encased in the yellowish white, a different shade from that of Julian’s own power. Julian had offered to break it away but, he had turned it down, saying it was a part of him now and there was no point in denying it.

“Lonely again are we Julian, why have you disturbed me once more.” “Because, I know something’s changed and I’m here to set it right. I feel that we’ve drifted apart and we need to find a way to pull ourselves back together. I have no way of doing this without you.” “So you’ve come to me, looking for solace, I’m afraid I can’t give it to you, things have to change.” “I know that Shadou, however, I don’t want those changes to interfere with our connection.” “What do you mean Julian, we have no connection, you use me as you see fit, there is nothing more to it, I am a too…” “NO you’re not. Stop acting like that. Yes I beat you, but, I spared your life, not to enslave you but, because I need you with me. I can’t do everything on my own. You were a friend to me and that’s what I need now. I’ve had enough with the stoic Shadou; I need your guidance and help to advance. I am not like the Shinigami who use their Zanpakutō as tools.” “Are you so sure about that, why are you here, isn’t it because you want more power, because you want to be stronger.” “No, I’m here to bring you back to me, the distance that we’ve traveled together is more important to me. I’d rather remain as I am but, with a friend than to gain strength and walk the path alone. Adell has done that and it simply isn’t who I am.” “Are you certain about that, look in your heart and find the answer.” “I already have Shadou, you’re my friend and mentor. I cannot move forward without you. We’re a team and I need your input. I may be in control of the body and the fullbring but, that doesn’t mean that I know how to use it or am too closed minded to realize I need help to learn how to use it.” “Do what you like Julian; actions will speak louder than words. Do as you wish and see how things progress.”

Julian was thrust backwards, launched out of the trance he’d induced and stumbled backwards into the railing. He tumbled over and grabbed it just in time to prevent himself tumbling into the cool ocean below. He took in a deep breath and let it out in one long, low sigh. What had Shadou Ranpu meant by what he’d said? Julian pulled himself up and over the rail before tumbling back onto the wooden deck of the pier. He stood up and shook himself. Actions huh, well, he supposed actions were the only way to get anything done. He rolled his shoulders and closed his eyes once more and began to summon Shadou Ranpu. Releasing his reiatsu, allowing it to dance around his form and began the sequence to form the bone armour. Tiny white particles began to glitter over his right side, floating in the air, hovering over his arm and just above his head. It looked majestic and magical millions of tiny lights converging on one place and then sudden, they all shot forward. They buried into the back of his hand first, covering it in a bone glove. Tiny little intricate slithers forming minute rings around the joints of his fingers and thumb, making it appear almost solid. Once the glove was completed, longer strands wrapped themselves intricately around his wrist, elbow and shoulder before the plates began locking into place around his arm. Each an inch longer and overlapping so that they cover half of the following plate as they spread up his arm. Smaller more durable rings fitting around the joints for maximum mobility and protection, finally the helmet formed on both the front and back of his head and slammed together locking together and encapsulating the left side of his head. The filter flowed down over his left eye and he felt the power of the weapon. Julian took in a deep breath as the two inch blade formed.

“Okay Shadou, I realize what you meant now, I can say I want you as a partner as much as I can but, you wanted proof for that statement. Well here it is. I’m going to lower my guard and allow you to show me what I need to do to move on. This is your chance to prove to me that you are who you say you are.” Julian took in a deep breath and allowed his arms to fall to his side, a presence entering his mind, a cooling, calm filtering through his form. A smile forming on Julian’s face as he abolished the barrier he’d placed up to prevent being taken over again. This was the greatest show of friendship and trust he could give. “Actions speak louder than words after all.” Julian and Shadou said at the same time “Let’s see what can be truly accomplished when we work together as a team. This is the beginning of a new chapter and let’s do what we can so we never have to look back again.” Julian couldn’t have agreed with Shadou’s sentiment more if he tired. Closing his eyes Julian dove into the depths of his soul looking and searching, these journeys had become even more frequent over recent months, as he conversed with Shadou Ranpu and Demoralizador. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. Searching the murky depths of his very soul and finally coming upon Shadou Ranpu, sat in his usual semi relaxed manner, on some form of skeleton, formed from the bones of some prehistoric being and seemed to make an excellent seat for the man that had become more distinct since his defeat and more withdrawn. It was this that Julian feared, if he lost touch with those who were a part of him, granted him their strength would he too begin to fail.

Once the presence entered his mind something changed, apart from the cooling feeling that ran through his body, something had definitely been altered within him. Shadou Ranpu had felt it to. As the pair closed their eyes once more the found themselves in the inverted world where the sky lay beneath their feet and the ground above their heads, this in itself was strange. They had never entered the realm without Adell’s help, but, then again maybe all Adell had done was open the door for them to pass through. Julian turned to Shadou their eyes meeting and Julian felt that same strange sensation. Shadou nodded and Julian turned towards it another door had appeared, this one didn’t have the feeling of the darkness that permeated the door through which he had come when he first entered this place. He knew, somehow, that the nightmarish realm Desmoralizador had dreamed up for him did not lie behind that door. Julian stepped forward and raised a hand to the door. As his hand touched it he was thrown back once more, streaks of light blue lightning coursing up his arm and across his torso. Julian stood up and brushed himself off. Shadou Ranpu meanwhile stood staring at the door, a perplexed look on his face, he turned to Julian his brow furrowed once more.

“What the hell was that? Shadou have you ever seen anything like that before.” “Julian, do you not recognize this energy, it was what you used against me and Desmoralizador the first time you entered this realm. Obviously it’s been locked away once more; it seems to reside in this realm, though neither I nor Desmoralizador have access to this place. The last time we were simply dragged here and knew that you were coming; don’t ask me how we simply knew.” “So what the hell is this place and why have we been brought here again.” “That I cannot answer Julian, it is something you’ll have to figure out for yourself. After all this entire place seems to be some form of sanctuary, look around you and see what I mean.”

Julian’s brow furrowed and he looked around and took a step back in shock. As he looked around the area, more doors appeared gateways through to other places. The blood red door behind which lay the nightmare realm, a door with a Hollow mask adorning it, another with a shinigami’s zanpakutō, then there was one with a Quincy’s bow, a scythe, Desmoralizador’s mask, a demonic looking skull with multiple horns adorning it. Everything seemed to be there and sealed off from it. There was even one showing the prehistoric skull Shadou Ranpu had covering his own head when they had met in battle and one adorned with the armour he wore in battle. He looked back at the door that had rejected him and walked up to it. Through the swirling energy at the centre he could see an orb of blue fire that seemed to be sparking off, energy dancing everywhere. As he drew closer his own body began to glow, his skin taking on the blue hue of the flames. He reached out once more and was knocked back once more. “I’m not ready yet am I.” He said in such a matter-of-fact way it was as if he was communicating with whatever it was. He turned and looked at the doors surrounding him. “Before I can gain that strength I have to unlock all that keeps it sealed.” He turned to the door adorn by the bone armour. “And this is where I have to start.” He turned to Shadou Ranpu “Will you help me; I will not be able to continue on without your assistance.” Shadou Ranpu nodded held out his monstrous hand and Julian grasped it without hesitation, shaking it heartily. He wasn’t going to give up no matter what happened.

Quest for Knowledge - The First Ordeal

The pair stepped towards one of the doors; Julian raised his right arm and pressed it against the door. The thing morphed, the bone armour disappearing from the door and two holes forming, one designed for a human hand the other for claw like hand of Shadou Ranpu. They looked at each other and nodded. Julian placed his right hand in the crevice and Shadou placed his into its respective slot. The door melted away and so did their surroundings. The doors, the energy, the calm serenity of the sanctuary evaporated away, to be replaced by an oppressive sense, the smell of sulfur and crimson walls. It resembled the nightmarish realm Julian had traversed to arrive in the sanctuary the first time, only this place didn’t have the same strength, the over powering mental pressure placed upon Julian to kill himself or others didn’t exist. Plus this place seemed to be surrounded by a single circular wall. The wall was pitch black and seemed to ooze down from the ceiling towards a pit in the centre, via four troughs in the ground. Julian walked over to one of the troughs funneling the ooze into centre pit and placed his hand to it. Pulling it out, the ooze clung to his arm, slowly flowing down his arm and dripping off at the elbow. He turned to Shadou Ranpu.

“It’s like tar; if we walked into the centre we’d probably be sucked under and drowned.” Julian looked around and furrowed his brow. “Hang on a moment I’m going to try something.” He closed his eyes and opened them again, summoning what little power he had and pulling the Reiatsu filter over his eye, seeing what lay in the reiatsu current. Strangely it wasn’t the usual turbulence but, stable showing the symbol that had been on the door and in the centre of the pit. Julian blinked and everything came back into focus. “Okay, I think what we’re after is at the bottom of that pit but, there’s no way for us to know how far down it’ll go, or whether we could survive.” Even as he spoke things began to change. A bubble rose to the top of the pit and burst. In the centre of which was a replica of Julian, in his usual bone armour, his arm encased in the off white bone, however, his eye behind the mask was missing there was nothing their just an empty socket. As he watch more bubble rose to the surface and Julian cursed. Shadou Ranpu simply ran forward and sliced through the new being. His longer blade made short work of the copy, his tail piercing a second.

“Julian forget about me and get out of here find the door and leave, I’ll hold them off for as long as I can, just run.” Julian shook his head and ran forward, dodging one of the clones and came up with a powerful blow to the stomach causing him to collapse forward winded. He ran to Shadou Ranpu’s side and squared off against a second being. “I’m not leaving you Shadou but, I need a way to fight here. All I have is the reiatsu filter.” Julian bit his lip and looked around. He knew he had no other choice. “Do what you can Shadou, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He pulled off his shirt and ran diving under a blade and plunging head first into the tar. He only hoped he was doing the right thing.

Julian pushed on his eyes useless in the darkness, stinging slightly from the chemical concoction that made up the filth he was currently swimming through. His hands flailed blindly, searching for whatever it was that he was supposed to find down here, whatever was locked behind that door which had been sectioned off from his soul and the power that resided there. He’d been under for thirty seconds and his lungs were already screaming for oxygen but, he knew the only way out of his current dilemma was to find whatever was hidden in these murky depths, if he failed he’d lose not only his mind but, his strength and he didn’t want to think what may take over then. He kicked his legs forging forward through the tar pit. Images began to flash before his eyes. His mother slapping him as a child, his cheek had opened up so easily back then. The engagement ring on her finger tore through his young skin like a knife through paper. He’d forgotten that moment, a memory he’d buried at that bottom of his mind. That was the first time he’d refused to take those God damn pills. He couldn’t remember how old he’d been but, he knew it wasn’t until many years later that he found the courage to stop taking them.

He swam deeper and felt the wind knocked from him, a small bubble escaping his mouth before he could clamp it shut again. A new memory awakening within him, his mother’s hand again, only now he was older. She held a report card in her hand. It showed a collection of A’s and a single B, an unacceptable failure on his part, something that should never have happened. It was something most parents would be proud of, but, this was the memory he held. They’d returned home for a single day, they’d heard from his nanny about his results and made this special trip. His father had stormed out in disgust shortly followed by his mother, although she stayed long enough to give him the stinging slap across the face, the shock of which had floored him. This wasn’t what life was meant to be. He cursed his mother’s name and continued on he had long forgiven her but, finding these memories buried here was painful. A mother was supposed to look after and protect her child not treat them like crap. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Here he was fighting through these memories searching for the very protection a mother is supposed to give during childhood.

It was only then that he felt it. There was something to the left of him. He fought the liquid that wanted to pull him down, into the deepest parts of his despair and hatred to drown him in his matriarchal hatred. His strength was being quickly sapped from him but, he wasn’t giving up. He had a friend above who had been willing to throw his life away to protect him and he wouldn’t let that sort of sacrifice go in vein. He pushed forward and felt his hand clasp around something, it was another hand. No it was a glove. He pulled it towards him. It was the bone glove that always formed first when he summoned Shadou Ranpu. He yanked it on and felt a strange burning sensation strength flooded his body and he kicked upwards, thrusting himself up and through the sludge at a speed much great than her realized, breaking the surface in seconds. The burning sensation spreading across the whole of his right side, he land and thrust out with a right punch, collapsing the nose of a duplicate before spinning round delivering a palm to the nose, killing it instantly. He made his way over to Shadou. “You alright Shadou,” Shadou was spattered with blood and gasping for air due to sheer exertion but, he was fine. “Yeah, just Dandy thanks Julian. What took you so long?” Julian chuckled and turned to him. “Mother issues” Was the simple answer that he gave. The pair came back to back and raised their fists ready to fight but, just as the next duplicate came, it all melted away again and they found themselves back in the soul chamber. Julian looked around puzzled, what had changed.

“Well it looks like you got something from the experience Julian but, I’m not sure what it was.” Julian frowned and looked down at his body. It was covered in billions of strands that looked like bone, the same yellowish white of Shadou Ranpu’s armour, only it was thinner and more flexible. He twisted his wrist and smiled looking over the flexible bone. It covered the whole of his right side, delving under the flesh on the left side. However, something was missing, the edge that made it look like a hollow, it was too intricate, too neat. Woven around his right arm and leg, laced over his chest and abdomen. It was incomplete. He had only gained half of what was meant to be. His strength was greater but, it wasn’t comparable to the true bone armour. The blade, though small was missing as was the half helmet that covered the left side of his head. He looked around again the multiple doors coming back into focus. The hellish blood red door through wish lay the nightmare realm that he believed to be Desmoralizador’s realm. However, as he looked over the face of it once more, a claw seemed to be etched into it, plates of bone and a helmet. That’s why it had felt so strange to summon Shadou Ranpu so recently. He’d passed through somewhere, where he kept a piece of who he was, memories and feelings that had somehow become attached to his weapon resided behind that door and he would have to step through it once more if he ever wanted to learn true control. Only this time he wasn’t alone.

“Shadou Ranpu, I have a feeling that this next door is the key. Everything changed after I walked through that place to come here. I seemed to become disconnected to who I was, from you and what makes up Shadou Ranpu.” Julian turned to his companion on this adventure, traversing the hidden parts of his soul on this journey of self discovery and power. “Will you join me or do I need to walk this path alone.” Shadou Ranpu gave a half smile, which was all he could manage. “Do you really need to Ask Julian?” The pair stepped forward and Julian raised a hand and the door shattered revealing the world behind it.

Quest for Knowledge - The Second Ordeal

This time the pair were sucked into the abyss before them. Instead of tumbling down through the heady blackness as he had the first time he found himself stumbling on to the banks of the crimson lake. The air was hot, dry and had an unpleasant metallic tang to it, the scent of blood so thick you could taste it. Limbs and disfigured bodies, fecal matter and pretty much anything that was foul had been added to the soup of blood, the stench so thick that it left a haze in the air. However, Julian knew what to do this time. His left eye turning a cold ice blue as the filter came down but, this time there was nothing, this was obviously going to be more difficult than the first door, but, what did he expect, things to get easier, they never did. This area was much larger than the first for one thing and there were a lot more things that could happen here. He scanned the banks to see if there was any way to cross without wading through the dead lake but, the crimson flames that licked at its edges hadn’t died down. He sighed and shrugged before turning to Shadou.

“I bet you wish you’d stayed behind now, don’t ya.” He chuckled at the disgusted nod from the part hollow. He’d almost thrown up when he first arrived here and managed to steel himself for the return trip, the smell already slipping into the background. He stepped forward his foot breaking the surface. He looked up and saw the horribly burned and rotted limb that broke through the constantly swirling crimson sky above the lake. Though disfigured it was obvious whose foot it was. As the clawed prehistoric foot of Shadou Ranpu entered it became more obvious as the charred and blacken bone broke through above. Julian shrugged and battled on moving across the lake, ignoring that which clung to him, not wanting to examine anything in this boiling pot of excrement, body parts and bodily fluid too closely. He came out on the opposite bank relatively unharmed though his stomach was heaving. He heard a retching behind him.

“God, why the hell is there a place like this in your mind, it’s so rotten and decrepit.” Julian shrugged; the air was filling with smoke and ash and was stinging his eyes and tickling the back of his throat. He licked his lips trying to keep them moist in a vain effort and pulled the filter down over his eye once more, the smoke cleared, nothing more than an illusion created by something and here in his mind he could see right through it. The pair were in the centre of a rock formation. It was then Julian saw it he. Grabbed a hold of Shadou Ranpu’s arm and thrust it down, the clawed finger and long blade entering perfectly. “Hey what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Shadou Ranpu said in a somewhat surprised and angry tone of voice. “There’s a marking in the floor, here your hand fits perfectly. Now, what to do next?” Julian sighed allowing his reiatsu to dissolve and a light emanated from the ground. Julian smiled and tried again. As his reiatsu peeled away from him something glowed.

Julian closed his eyes and focused on the armour surrounding his body, he gave it up, allowing the reiatsu to break away, long strands curled down and around Shadou’s hand and then shot out towards the stones arranged in formation around them. As the last strand streaked away and joined the final stone the whole thing lit up. Surrounding them were a number of pictures, ranging from a Zanpakutō, a bow, a scythe, a fist, blood droplets, a Hexagon, a moon, an inverted pentagram, a claw, a mask, a helmet and a sun. Julian smiled. This was another test; they all looked like weapons or something to do with the spiritual or conflict. Shadou Ranpu’s blade was currently pointing to the Zanpakutō at twelve o’clock. This was obvious, half of the symbols were about the Shinigami and Quincy, half was about the Hollows. This left the sun and the moon. Julian knew that it couldn’t be the sun, he was a Vaizard, he spent his life in twilight as he had done all his life, living in a self imposed exile. “Shadou, I’m going to guide your hand just hold on for me will you pal.” Shadou nodded and moved with Julian as he redirected it to the moon and waited to see what would happen.

The pair didn’t have long to wait. There was an explosion and the flames surrounding them cleared, a gust of wind blowing them out like a thousand candles the smoke dissipating also. Shadou Ranpu dug the claws of his right foot into the ground to anchor him, but, Julian didn’t have that kind of ability. He was blown off his feet by the powerful gust and would have been swept away if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Shadou, whose arm shot out and caught the band of Julian’s trousers before he could be over powered by the blast. The cause of which became obvious moments later. The flames around the lake had soared to five times their original height and then shot across the lake, crisscrossing to form a pattern that was indiscernible from their standpoint. However, as the wind passed them by Julian was able to get a good look at what was going on and what had happened. He cranked his head to the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. The outline of a Hexagon, could be seen, inside which was an inverted pentagram and finally the half mask that he was searching for. However, this was most certainly a trial by fire. Julian ran to the edge and looked over the banks before letting loose a long, drawn out breath. He turned to Shadou and looked up at the sky once again.

“Listen one of us has to swim through this muck and I have a dreadful feeling it’s me. However, I need you to guide me. Look up there and you should be able to see me as I swim through. I want you to tell me where I need to go. Okay.” Shadou nodded and looked up at the sky. Julian however, turned back to the crock pot of filth and didn’t hesitate. He dove head first cutting through the blood and under the towering flames above. He could feel the heat on his back and could feel his skin peeling but, he couldn’t give in, he couldn’t give in. He swam for as long as he could before returning to the surface to breath in the fetid and scorching air.

Shadou had shivered when Julian first entered the cesspit but, soon averted his eyes from the rippling crimson liquid back to the sky. He covered his mouth, trying not to throw up. A human carcass had appeared above him, it’s skin rotting, it’s face horribly burned and the flesh was bubbling up around the face as boils from the heat of the fire appeared, one of the eyes bursting and bare bone visible on the ankle, flesh slowly disintegrating., leaving little more than a skeleton in places. He was glad when it resurfaced. It was in between the Hexagon and the beginnings of the inverted pentagram. It was only when he heard the gasp for air that he shouted. “You’ve passed the hexagon, turn to your right slightly and you’ll be more in line with the target on the next stretch.” “Like this” Julian called back the feet moving in the wrong direction Shadou shook his head and called back. “No the other way, that’s it getting close, nooooow STOP!!” He heard a second deep breath and saw the melting carcass return in the sky. He shivered and turned away. This was all too sick.

Julian came up for air twice more readjusting each time before reaching his destination, his lungs aching. He’d swam for five minute stretches which had pushed his body to the limit but, it had been worth it, he was now in place the only thing was how to get what it marked. He took a deep breath and dove down in the murky depths forcing his eyes open. He finally reached the ground after what felt like forever and reached down to feel about. He found a strange crevice, the same shape and size of his hand. He was about to place his hand in it when he felt something grasp his ankles and pull him up. Julian twisted and came face to face with a rotting corpse that wore the same clothes as he was. Julian cursed he should have known something would interfere. It wrapped its arms around him and held him there, crushing the breath out of him. He had to fight. He flexed his arms and its grip broke. His foot came towards it, but, in the viscous liquid the kick did little. Julian had to think fast and kicked out once again, knocking it back and sending him zipping up back to the surface, stopping just sort of the surface as he felt the flames above him.

Julian turned and panicked seeing the beast coming up after him. This wasn’t something that he needed right now. He had to find a way to get rid of it. He closed his eyes and summoned his reiatsu. The bindings wrapped around him once again, tightening around his fist he waited for it to get close enough and then let loose. His hands grabbed it and dug into its shoulders. He swung his body round so the pair were parallel to the surface and his feet were resting on its abdomen the kicked with all his might into the stomach of the being sending its ugly arse into the flames. Julian then swam back to the surface, avoiding the flames, coughing and spluttering his lungs crying out for air. He spent a few minutes there, replenishing his energy before diving once again into the murky depths. He placed his hand into the lock but, nothing happened. Julian closed his eyes and focused his reiatsu into his hand, pushing it away from him into the lock. He was suddenly buffeted by air and he gasped in surprised. The dry stagnant air entered his lungs and he looked around puzzled. Where was he? He looked up at the crimson sky and instead saw the lake, the rocks and Shadou Ranpu. Julian blinked, he was standing on the sky, it was just as weird now as it had been when he first realized it when he entered the chamber where he’d met Desmoralizador and Shadou Ranpu. He could see the eyes of the helmet reflected below. Now what was he to do?

Julian rolled his neck and looked around, come to think of it why was he doing all this, he had wanted to get stronger but, he wasn’t really training was he. He furrowed his brow and thought about that, what would he have done otherwise. All he could really think of was Materialize and dematerialize his fullbring, which would have got him nowhere. This way he was learning more about his fullbring, about where his power came from and control over his reiatsu. So far everything had relied on his strength of will and control, maybe it was that which he was lacking. Was this truly what he needed there was only one way to find out. The Filter came down and the reiatsu of the surrounding area became obvious once more as did the moon created by the stone formation. He jogged across to the area above it and found a third lock. Julian raised his right hand once more and it glowed blue he placed it on the lock and the ground below opened up and Julian sank back through the sky and appeared once more in the centre of the lake, the flames turning blue and receding to the edges. He swam to the bank and pulled himself out of the water beside Shadou.

“Well, let’s see if any of this was truly worth this ruddy trip shall we.” Shadou nodded and followed to where the first lock had been, a hole now opened up in the centre. Julian looked down and sighed. He reached in and picked up the half helmet and then the ground cracked once more and he was sent tumbling back into the darkness, snapping too once more in reality. He found himself resting against one of the booths slouched down in a sitting position like some drunk sleeping off the effects of the booze. He shook his head, this was all too weird. His hand twitched slightly and he looked down at it, the bone still covering his arm. He took a deep breath and sighed. Nothing had changed. He felt so down hearted however, as he was about to stand Shadou Spoke. “Look again Julian, the way the edges of the armour are flickering. Banish it and try reforming it, use everything you have within you.” Julian thought that was slightly weird, he had used everything to make the armour in the first place although he guessed he’d thrown the ball into his court after all.

Julian banished the armour and immediately thought about reforming it. The armour broke apart into millions of tiny lights but, held in place creating a halo of silver lights around his upper quadrant. However, it felt weak somehow, as if it wasn’t any sort of power. Julian closed his eyes and searched his soul looking for the spark that he used to ignite this transformation and became breathless upon finding it once again, the flame was so much brighter more intense, the amount of control he had, had to utilize when searching himself had made him surprisingly stronger, strong enough to track the next form of the armour, that had been creeping in with every manifestation in some small way, he just couldn’t sustain it at his previous level. He released his strength, his power spiking to new heights and thousands of new lights formed around Julian, concealing his entire right side. Then they moved in slowly at first and then picking up speed. First tendrils of white wrapped themselves around his arm, leg and right side of his torso, a flexible layer of armour that allowed for a greater mobility, then the glove formed over his right hand as usual, but, the tiny intricate wires of bone now wrapped themselves around not only the joints of his arm but, also those of his leg. Then the plates began locking into place, flowing up his arm and down his leg at the same time. However, the leg stopped at the ankle. The talons of a prehistoric lizard dug into the floor and the bone began to form back until it came into contact with his foot and then covered it in the armour so that it joined with ankle plates, the nerves connecting the foot to the body flowing into the talons of the foot so that it moved as if it were truly part of the body.

Once it was complete the whole of Julian’s right side was covered with the bone armour and there was a knob of bone forming the beginning of a wing and tail, on his shoulder blade and at the base of his spine respectively. However, as he looked down at the glove, he noticed the blade missing and reiatsu flickering slightly and his bone helmet had yet to form. He sighed and concentrated, placing the palm of his left hand to his right, which was balled up in a fist he pulled them apart and bone grew to fill in the gap. By the end of it the blade was three feet long. The fingers of the glove glowed and extended slightly becoming claws and finally the half helmet slammed shut over the left side of his head, encapsulating it. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Julian said, a smile curling the visible part of his face.”

Quest for Knowledge - Accepting the Darkness

Julian stumbled, the mental journey had taken a lot out of him, however, as the third hour was rung, he knew he still had a lot to do and very little time to do it in. He could summon a mask yes, but, that meant nothing if he couldn’t sustain it. He took a breath and closed his eyes. He shot his right arm out trying to summon the mask but, nothing happened, something seemed to have changed from the last time he had called upon the mask, this was another obstacle that he had to overcome. He sat down cross legged. The last time he had called it forth was right after gaining control; he had reached out and concentrated on it, calling it into his hand. He raised his hand and closed his eyes. What had been different about that time, what had changed between then and now? He had been in the basement of the warehouse, him, Jin and Adell had just finished in their attempts to grant him control over the mask. He remembered coming too, the bone armour shattering and… That was it, he hadn’t summoned Shadou Ranpu at the time, but, surely it should be the same either way, he couldn’t see why having Shadou Ranpu summoned should make any difference.

“You’re a thick as ever aren’t you.” Came a voice that wasn’t all too welcome at that time. Although Julian couldn’t help but, feel a strange sense of relief that Desmoralizador was actually talking to him again after so long, it was the most welcome of sentiments. “What the hell are you talking about Desmoralizador, why should having Shadou Ranpu make any difference at all to summoning the mask?” Julian snapped back at Desmoralizador, he had come here to train and god damn it that was what he was going to do. “Well think about it Julian, it’s a mask, it covers your face, Shadou Ranpu already covers half your face, are you seriously telling me that you don’t think the fact that half your face is already covered is going to have an effect.” Julian fell quiet, how could this be, what was the point of having the mask if he couldn’t use it in conjunction with his soul manifestation. “I can help you if you wish but, you’ll have to free me Julian” this came as a shock, free him, Julian hadn’t realized he was bound. “What on earth do you mean Desmoralizador you’re already free aren’t you.” “You bound me when you took control, scared that I may try to over throw you again, but, without me free…” “I can’t use the mask because you’re powers shackled. Well I guess I have no choice.”

Julian closed his eyes once more and fell into the sky chamber, this was beginning to get fair to common but, it was the central area for moving between the separate parts of his soul, the pillar that connected all. Only this time he was alone, Shadou Ranpu had retreated to his own area once again, the door that hadn’t appeared the first time obviously led to the dark depths that Shadou Ranpu preferred, the lock on the door shattered allowing him entry to Julian’s centre, mind and soul at anytime. However, now he was looking for the one place he never thought he would wish to enter. He closed his eyes and sensed where Desmoralizador lay. He walked pass the door with the mask etched into it and the one with the skull eventually coming to one that simply had a pair of eyes that seemed to follow you wherever you moved, one pitch black, the other nothing more than a sea of crimson. Julian sighed. What was he to do?

Julian stood there contemplating his options but, he knew what he was going to do even before he got to this door. Why else would he have once again entered his internal sanctum? He had already gone this far, why not push it one step further. If he didn’t everything he had put Adell and Jin through would be for naught. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes; he stared directly into the pair of eyes on the door. Like his own they were mismatched which granted them an unnerving air that had nothing to do with the fact that neither had an iris or white of the eye to speak off, just an ever swirling orb of one colour or another. He raised his hands to the door and pushed, it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he pushed against it, the damn thing refused to move. Julian stepped back and looked above the door. Above the door hovered a mask, its eyes empty, it was the same black colour as the one he had summoned, the black horns pointing off at odd angles, the tips appearing to be bleeding. Julian ignored it for now and turned back to the door. All he had to do was open it and the bonds that bound Desmoralizador would be broken.

Raising both hands in front of him and concentrated on gathering his reiatsu into his a hands. A pair of sky blue orbs began to swirl in his palms. He then pulled and stretched the energy out, covering his hands in a thin, ever present layer, he pulled back his hand and shot forward with a double palm strike against the door, it trembled and creaked and a small crack formed but, was sealed almost immediately. He stared at it; he couldn’t believe it hadn’t moved. He closed his eyes and summoned the armour he’d collected on his last trip, the bone plates fitting into place up his arm. Once it had fully formed he opened his eyes once again, calling upon all his Reiatsu pulling on everything he had, the glowing blue orbs forming then stretching up his arms. Once again her shot forward with all his force. The door trembled and buckled but, didn’t give and within mere seconds it had once again repaired itself. He gritted his teeth and pulled back again, summoning the Reiatsu into his hand and slamming it forward, this time forcing the reiatsu that coated his arms to shoot forward as well, the door cracked, creaked buckled and something behind it became visible but, before he could get a good look it sealed itself again. Now Julian was pissed. He took a few steps back, repeated the procedure and ran at the door, the bottom half broke off and he let out a whoop of triumph, which was short lived. The broken door sealed itself off once again. The regeneration was too fast for him to slip through.

He stepped back and looked up at the mask. He banished the armour and ran at the door. Jumping he kicked off the wood which sent him up into the air allowing him to grab the mask before falling to the ground and rolling away. He didn’t hesitate; he thrust the Mask on his face and felt the power surge through him. He pulled the energies together. In his palms the sky blue tinge showed first but, it was soon interlaced with the black reiatsu of the Hollow mask. He pulled it back and took no chances this time. He ran at the door slamming his palms and the reiatsu into it. The door was blasted off its hinges and shattered into billions of pieces never to be seen again. The room was dark and Julian couldn’t see anything. However as he entered he was greeting with an all too familiar voice. “Well what took you so long Julian?”

Julian looked around bringing the filter down over his left eye, he was still blind, the filter didn’t help with that, but, it did at least allow him to see the current of reiatsu in the room and obviously where Desmoralizador stood, the area being the confluence of the reiatsu in the room. It was weird using the filter for such means but, it meant that it done its job at least. He shrugged his shoulders and moved forward, ignoring the rest of the room, mainly because he couldn’t see it. However, as soon as he had moved deep enough into the dragon’s lair the flames of a thousand candles that encircled the room flared up, revealing an oddly funny sight. Desmoralizador, with his great bulk and monstrous strength that came with it was sat, on a rocking chair in the centre of the room, attached to the wall by nothing more than a dog chain that had somehow become fused with the back of the helmet that he wore that had thus far prevented Julian from seeing Desmoralizador’s face. Julian burst out laughing and the behemoth stood up to his full height, towering even over Julian which was no mean feat. Julian looked up at the man and jokingly said. “Sit Boy” to his surprise the chain shortened yanking Desmoralizador into the chair. Julian collapsed trying to hold back the laughter. “That’s it laugh Julian but, as long as I’m like this you can only dream of using the true power of the mask. You can summon that little baby in your hand but, you can’t use Shadou Ranpu at the same time. Making it worse than useless.”

Julian fell silent, that wasn’t good but, did he really want this being running loose, with him locked up like this he felt safe but, he was unable to use the true strength he had obtained. The whole point of what he had gone through. He was supposed to be the Visored shield protecting them from the onslaught of their enemies, how could he do that if he couldn’t call upon the mask he fought to obtain. Julian stared into Desmoralizador's eyes. Sat down like this they were of equal height and Julian spoke first. “I will let you go; I never meant to imprison you. However, and I hate myself for asking this, I request your assistance. I know nothing of the power of the Hollow and could search blindly for eternity and not find the answers I need. I shall grant you your freedom in return for your assistance.” Julian no longer cared about this being, being a Hollow, now they were just another facet of who he was and he wanted to learn how to use the power it brought him. Desmoralizador simply nodded the hint of a smile in his eyes and reached behind him pulling the chain taught. Julian walked over to the chain and placed his hands on it. The Hollow and Fullbringer Reiatsu mingled in his hand and ran along the chain, causing it to glow and then, it disintegrated, leaving nothing but a trail of ash on the floor. Desmoralizador stood and threw a punch at Julian. Julian reacted without thinking, reiatsu surrounding his hand and capturing Desmoralizador’s fist. He looked up at the giant and raised an eyebrow. “It seems you have improved a lot in a very short space of time. Let’s depart this place and find the true mask that you need to wear.” Desmoralizador turned and stepped out of the candle light into the open blue of the central antechamber where their first clash had been. Julian sighed and followed, this was going to be another journey he bet.

Quest for Knowledge - Finding Ones True Face

Stepping out into the light of the antechamber was a bit of a shock for Julian, as was how easy it had been to actually free Desmoralizador, although he’d be willing to bet retrieving the mask that he required to use Shadou Ranpu in conjunction with Desmoralizador would be harder. Julian looked around and saw an odd sight, Desmoralizador and Shadou Ranpu talking. However, it was to be expected, Julian remembered how it was before, the three of them constantly talking to each other debating every decision, he missed that, it gave him three points of view to a situation and allowed him to make a judgment call. He walked up to the pair and froze as the pair turned to him, the door behind them becoming visible. There was a face on it, scored into the violet of the door. Half the face was that of a demon the other that of a human skull. Now he thought of it these, symbols weren’t the most cryptic, not they really needed to be. This was his soul and he’d be able to find anything lay within, with time at least.

“We cannot follow you on this trial Julian, do you understand what we’re saying. This is something you have to face alone.” The pair spoke in a creepy union the calm tones of Shadou Ranpu overlaid with the dark and daunting tenor of Desmoralizador’s voice, both of which resonated within Julian’s soul, as if they were simply fragments of his own vocal range, which as he thought about it, they probably were. He didn’t flinch as Desmoralizador moved towards him and removed the mask that he had forgotten adorned his face. Shadou Ranpu then walked up and removed the glove on his hand, stripping Julian of everything apart from his reiatsu, wits and filter. The pair turned to the door, the glove morphing into the skull helmet. Desmoralizador slipped it mask into it and then placed it against the door. With a flash of white and black, a yin yang symbol appeared on the door rotated and pulled apart allowing entrance to the area beyond. Julian stepped forward and bowed to both Shadou and Desmoralizador before entering the realm behind the door.

The door slid closed behind Julian sealing him in, and casting him into the pitch blackness of an eternal night. He stumbled around for a moment and finally realized like so many other things here this place must react to his reiatsu, he summoned it and it was immediately sapped from him, causing him gasp for air. What on earth had that been? It was as if something here was feeding off of him and his strength. Light finally flooded the room from above but, it simply illuminated half the room in the yang of the yin yang symbol. He narrowed his eyes, this was obviously the start of another test and he didn’t like the way things were going. Then a voice came from the shadows. “Well!”

Julian looked around pulling the filter down over his eye, only to have it stripped from him a moment later, the reiatsu sucked from the room. This wasn’t good to say the least. His only weapon had been effectively disabled and he was stuck in a half lit room, the veil of darkness over the other side appearing all but, impenetrable. He sighed, this wasn’t good. Rolling his shoulders and looked around, trying to see who had spoke and then from the darkness stepped a figure, the last person he had expected to see. It was himself, his face covered by the demonic black mask that he summoned to utilize Desmoralizador’s power. The pair of blackened horns that appeared to be bleeding, the jagged teeth and the crimson veins that pulsed with an eerie purple light making it appear alive. Julian didn’t know what to make of this, what on earth was going on here. Why was there a second him locked behind this door and then he felt a second presence. Turning to the right, another form of himself seemed to be rising out of the floor on the light side. His right side was deformed covered in the bone armour of Shadou Ranpu; his eye staring out of the helmet was a fierce yellow with a slit like pupil. The two approached one another and, to Julian’s surprise engaged in battle, swiping at each other trying to kill the other. This couldn’t be happening.

Julian dashed forward, bringing both arms up to guard from a right kick from both versions of himself as he slipped between the pair, the flesh on his right arm split by the blow from the Shadou Ranpu version of himself and merely bruised by Desmoralizador. Julian didn’t wait however; he snapped his hip in a sharp motion, generating enough moment to throw the kicks away from him. He continued the motion and clobbered the left side of armoured versions head. The force was enough to knock it to the ground but, the hard bone meant the resulting impact to his leg almost cause his leg to break. Julian however, didn’t stop, his body dropping low and his foot skimming the ground to sweep the legs of his masked self. As he fell Julian shot a foot out in a side kick motion striking him in the centre of the chest knocking him back into the shadows. It was then he felt the strike to his back, the left fist of the armoured form slamming into his back. Julian stumbled forward and dropped to his hands, kicking out behind him, catching his attacker on the chin. However, no sooner had it connected that he felt a kick between his shoulder blades causing him to flip over onto his back. A fist came down toward him, or to be more exact a blade. Moving his neck the blade sank into the floor. Julian rolled onto his hands avoiding an axe kick from his masked form and pushed off the ground leaping over the armoured form and as he passed the neck he wrapped his arms around it lifting him up into a strangle hold. This had the additional effect of forcing the man to straighten up just in time to receive a punch to the chest by the masked one. Feeling the shock of the blow through the man’s body Julian was glad he’d gotten out of the way in time. His momentum pulled him back and he flipped the being face first into the wall of the chamber. He then stood up and squared off once more to the masked one. He sighed and muttered “Why do I always find myself in these kinds of fights? I spend more time in combat with myself than I do others.”

Julian looked around him searching for the one thing that truly mattered right now, the mask. There must be something here. Maybe in the shadows that he had yet too… He dove to the right rolling away from a punch thrown by the masked one and cursed. He needed a way to do this without getting clobbered. However, even as he thought this he caught a glowing out of the corner of his eye. The armoured version of himself lay, obviously unconscious on the floor but, the armour was disintegrating, turning into billions of tiny white lights. Julian didn’t have time to watch however, as a punch slammed into his shoulder spinning him around. He fell to the floor and he used his hand to hold himself up, the momentum of the spin induced by the punch causing him to sweep the legs out from under the masked one. The pair both hit the ground and rolling away from each other. Julian however, was in the worst shape, his body battered, his strength low and his mind tiring. He’d been at this for hours first with Shadou Ranpu and now with this mask business. Julian stood up and soon wished he hadn’t. His mask version rushed forward throwing a punch at his chest.

Julian barely blocked it in time but, couldn’t stop the shot to the gut, the wind was knocked out of him and his guard fell to pieces. His fist came up out of nowhere slamming into Julian’s chest followed by a left hook to the face, a kick to the mid section and left upper cut, followed by a somersault kick that sent Julian flying. He landed and managed to get a guard up just in time grab the next strike. He spun around behind his opponent bringing his arm with him and flipped him over his shoulder dislocating his left arm. Despite this Julian had still taken the majority of the damage. His body was beaten, bruised and battered and even now he dropped to a knee and coughed, blood spattering the purity of the white floor. The light of that one area was cut out, and the darkness crept into the light. Julian cursed. This wasn’t good, he couldn’t think of anything he could do. He’d dislocated a shoulder and elbow but, even as he watched the beast ignored its own pain and yanked the limb back into place.

Julian bowed his head; he couldn’t give up, not now. He sensed the beast coming again and raised a hand catching the punch, strength flooding his body once more his eyes glowing slightly as he crushed the fist in his palm, Julian muttered in a determined tone. “This is my soul, this is my realm and I will not lose to the likes of YOU!” As he said the last word the halo of light that had once made up the armoured form of himself shot across the room, cutting through the back of the Hollow form, taking on a yellowish white hue as they did so and plunged into Julian, the armour forming around his body once more, starting from the glove. He stood up, bending the wrist of the masked form forcing it to one knee then, ploughed a fist into its face, knocking it back. Julian wasted no time. He drove forward delivering a barrage of gut punches before coming up with a right uppercut followed by a quick left hook, knocking it off balance. Julian then slid to his right delivering a powerful left kick to its abdomen causing it curl up and then leapt spinning, his right leg coming round to smack into the back of its head, driving the face into the floor, the mask shattering on impact and the body dissolving. The arena faded and he slipped through the floor landing back in the sky chamber. Exhausted, Shadou Ranpu and Desmoralizador stood there obviously midway through a conversation, a smile flickering over their faces “Well, look who’s returned.” The pair said in unison.

Julian dropped to his knees breathing heavily, even though the wounds weren’t physical and everything he was going through was only happening within his mental realm, it didn’t stop it from being just as, if not more draining than actual combat. At least in a fight he was only physically exhausted, with this he was mentally and emotionally drained also. He’d fought his own demons for almost five hours now and he was pretty certain that out in reality the first rays of the sun would shortly be peaking over the horizon and the first workers arriving to open the pier and get ready for another hard day of pleasing the public. He sighed and looked up at the pair that stood over him. They both bent down and pulled him to his feet. His ears were ringing and his eyes were heavy but, he felt no different. Had he failed or was there simply no way for the Hollow Mask and the Bone Helmet to work together. However, something felt strangely different. He looked into the eyes of the two that shared this place with him and saw there smiles. “Nice mask Joules, it suits you.” Julian blinked, had Desmoralizador just called him by a nickname. Shadou Ranpu dug his elbow into Desmoralizador’s ribs and the being exhaled sharply and looked down at Shadou. “What on earth was that for Shadowman.” Desmoralizador said in a slightly peeved, though non-aggressive way. “You just called him Joules his name is Julian you should show a little more respect.” Julian chuckled. “It’s alright Shadou, I actually like the fact that he’s calling me that, it sounds powerful. Besides, I need a way to distinguish the pair of you.” Shadou crossed his arms and gave Julian a disapproving stare before shrugging. “Whatever floats your boat.”

It was only now that Julian took the time to raise his hand to his face and felt the mask there, a smile crossing his lips, the jagged teeth of the mask moving with it. He could feel the slightly raised areas that gave off a slight pulsating warmth. His hands moved up to horns, the one on the right was the same as the original mask but, the left one came out and curled straight up, reminding he slightly of the horns Hellboy had in the comics. He ran his fingers over the masks contours expecting to find a seam of some form or another where the mask met the helmet but, there was none. He sighed and banished both the mask and the armour. He stood and bowed to the pair. They both knew what was coming, what worked here didn’t necessarily work in the real world and that’s what he was about to test. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

Julian stumbled to the railing and threw up over the edge of the pier his body feeling drained of all energy. He took several deep breaths and vomited again. Shakily Julian managed to stand and he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. The armour had dissipated during his journey. He took a deep breath and once again called forth the armour. The speed this time was much greater and blade was formed as the rest of the armour attached itself as Julian knew how to summon it now. However, once it was all formed he couldn’t summon the mask to his hand. He sighed, had he gone through all that for naught and then he remembered how Adell had summoned Greita mask. It was worth a try. He reached up with his right hand and concentrated his hollow reiatsu into the claws, they glowed black and Julian felt the power. He pulled the hand across his face scoring it with four claw marks but, the mask began forming behind it. The black mask fitted into place seamlessly along the helmet. Red veins coursing across the black and into the white. The veins pulsating purple making the mask appear alive. The infection of the hollow mask on the bone helmet causing the strange white horn to grow on the left, the blackened right one devoid of the bleeding red tip. The glacial blue filter remained over the left eye but, the crimson iris of the crimson one swallowed up everything obliterating the pupil and whites of the eyes becoming nothing more than a swirling orb of what appeared to be blood, which seemed to be looking at you wherever you looked at it from and yet looking at nothing at the same time. Julian felt the search of power that came with the mask and looked over the railings of the pier and into the water. A strange smile crossed his face as he looked into the water. How strangely appropriate, the light and the dark mingled together. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Beginning of the End

Julian returned with a greater power and connection to who and what he was, just in time to find out that he as well as Jin were being hunted by the Shinigami. Julian once the ultimate advocate for their work started to turn on them, wishing for their deaths. He was getting sick and tired of being hunted simply because he had the strength of a Hollow. There was a difference between the power and the being. Hollows were base creatures driven by instinct and nothing else, the Arrancer were even worse, they could see what they were doing and did it anyway and in such a way that made him sick to his stomach. He wouldn’t care if they just left humans alone, but, they didn’t and yet, the Visoreds like himself were hunted as one of them, even though they had never harmed a human being, he doubted Adell even had the resolve required to kill. He took it upon himself to seek out those who hunted him, laying in wait for them, ready to strike. This battle was more important to him now than it would have ever been in the past. Having actually met and accepted who they were Julian could not let himself or any Visored be simply brushed off as some Hollow Sympathiser, power hungry manic or any other depiction that showed them in the negative light of the blasted Shinigami propaganda. He summoned his mask and flared out to the night calling to those who wished to fight him and along came the enemy.

Julian strength was instantly noticeable as the superior of the two beings as the pair engaged in a battle over Rengyo City, only Julian hadn’t bargained on the shinigami’s tricks. Using a combination of the Shunpo the shinigami were so proud of and zanjutsu the shinigami pierced his soul sleep crippling his strength and bringing them onto even terms. Julian attempted to escape using a combination of a cero blast, a flash bomb and his knowledge of the sewer systems. Unfortunately the overzealous Vice-Captain was able to track him using the wound he had inflicted and simply appeared once more as Julian emerged from the tunnels. Knowing there was no way to escape the man for now he fought and ran, drawing out the battle as long as possible but, eventually like all battles he was overpowered. It seemed no matter how much he tried he always lost to those who he fought, no matter how much stronger he became the next opponent was always that much more powerful, skillful and persistent so that once he had perfected fighting his previous opponents he was being attacked by a brand new and infuriating one. However, such was for Julian but, luck, as always, was on his side. As the gate to Sereitei opened so he could be brought back for questioning a female appeared tall and powerful in appearance her position was obvious to Julian as Khal blinked seeing her there. “Elizabeth” Julian didn’t have time to register the remark as he felt his true strength return to him once more as it had been doing so slowly through the fight. He Shot off a single cero at close range side swiping and winding Khal long enough to allow Julian to slip away into the night, an unsealed Elizabeth following in his wake reacting out of instinct seeing and realizing who he was the moment their mismatched eyes met.

It’s strange how things eventually work themselves out in these kinds of situations. When Julian returned to the warehouse of the damned, as he was starting to think of it he entered the underground cavern, an area created or at least sculpted by spiritual energy and really shouldn’t have existed. Jin was already presented having lost his Shinigami awhile ago. The next thing Julian k new Jin was tossed across the room and he barely had anytime to react, the bone armour on his arm forming just in the nick of time as he felt strike hit him and the armour creaking and cracking under the impact. He spun in midair the armour fully forming over his body and the prehistoric foot digging into the ground to stop him in his tracks. It didn’t matter as a moment later a hollow like arm closed around his throat and began to crush his trachea. He was lifted by the neck forming a cero in his mouth his, Shadou’s and Desmoralizador’s last thoughts being, ‘If we die here, we don’t die alone’. Then they saw the mask and the all too familiar eyes behind it. The Cero faltered and Julian choked before the pressure was released and he fell to the floor gasping for air, trying to comprehend what he had just seen. He looked up at the man standing above him and was certain it was Adell and yet, part of his body looked to be that of a Hollow, What the hell was going on.

It was only as the Hollow form melted away and Adell reappeared that Julian realised what had happened. He barely heard what The King of Masks had to say at that point but, he got the gist of it. The control of the Hollow mask was only the first step to accepting what they were and what was to come. They had to realise what it truly meant to be a Visored and what their Hollow alternatives were. Julian closed his eyes and chuckled, he’d known all along in his heart and now it was out there plain as day for anyone to see and he’d even started to walk that path. He realised not just then when he was fighting Greitablanca, Adell’s Hollow but, for the majority of his battles since he left England he had been requesting the help not demanding, he, Desmoralizador and Shadou Ranpu were not subservient to one another but, more like comrades fighting for a same goal with equal control. The Hollow energy washed away and the mask crumbled. Was that what lay ahead, the true power, the strength that he sought. Could he truly control it, could he allow himself to delve that far into the darkness? Julian stood up, his eyes flashing, his crimson iris taking on a slightly darker hue, more that of blood, Desmoralizador’s power still flowing through him. He rolled his shoulders and looked down at Adell. There was no doubt in Julian’s mind about his answer. He’d touched upon that sort of strength just now, summoning the armour, the hollow reiatsu keeping it solidified. He wasn’t going to allow himself to be that weak again, Desmoralizador and Shadou were a part of him and had saved his butt more often than he cared to admit. Their personalities similar and dissimilar at the same time, everything he’d been fearing had been washed away the moment he touched on that strength. There was no doubt that he would take the next step, it was only a question of when and whether Adell could show them. “So, that’s the power I’ve been seeking” was all Julian said, his voice still resonating with the tones of the other two.

Julian was never one to shy away from hard work and now the path had been illuminated he followed it with all his heart. He wasn’t going to allow himself to slack off or waist time wondering about the ethics of it all, what it truly meant and whether what he was doing should even be attempted. For once he shut out his brain and listened to his heart. The heart that cried out to those who he had lost, who had been killed because he was too weak to protect them. The heart that roared out to those who had defeated him in battle and seen him to be too pitiful to kill and wished never to whimper again. The same heart that wanted revenge and to forgive, to kill and save, to protect and slaughter. The contradictions of his heart were hard to overcome and in the end he never did, he realized that he could not overcome that which had been buried there for so long and instead reached a compromise. Conversing with those who inhabited his body with him he was able to work through what had been eating away at him since he was but a child and found a way to work alongside and recognize his darker emotions and the existence of the beings that had been born in the darkness that he had created. After weeks of intensive training he finally relinquished the part of his soul that belonged to the Hollow and accepted it as his own gaining the power that it had. However, the final twist was to come three days later when he entered his final battle. It could be speculated that he was not yet in control of his new strength or that he was never in control in the first place only putting off the inevitable, but, the truth of the matter is that his trend never changed. As he became stronger so did his opponents and as always he lost before he had even stepped onto the next stage of development only this time it would cost him more than his life.

Confronting Destiny

When Julian stepped out of the warehouse on the day of the seventh of July he probably thought there was nothing special about it, he probably never dreamed that it would in fact be the very last day of his existence as who he thought he was. As soon as he left the confines of the barrier it was as if he was jolted awake and slammed back into the wall. A spiritual pressure so high that it rivalled that of Adell in his Hollow Transformation and now that Julian felt he had mastered it, his own as well, this wasn’t the only intriguing thing though, it was so familiar and yet so foreign. He smiled and knew what or maybe he should say who it was, the image of those eyes, those mismatched eyes that had the same fire flickering in the pupils as his. Whoever it was he had to speak to them, he had to find out who they were and why he had felt such unease in that split second he had hesitated before he had given the shinigami the slip. He shrugged off his jacket and shirt and slipped off his shoes. A smile curled his lips as the warmth leached from his feet and then gathered once again as he stepped up onto the platform he’d formed in midair. He climbed casually into the air heading towards the outskirts of town his right hand trailing lazily in the air slipstream next to him as the Hollow Mask formed in his hand.

Julian came to an area a few miles away from the out skirts of Rengyo, a woodland area secreted in what appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. Directly below where he stopped was a clearing and looking down he saw what had brought him here. A female shinigami, her long hair which was fluttering in the broken breeze through the trees was pulled back in a tightly braided ponytail, which, when it settled ran the length of her body stopping midway between her knee and backside. He raised the mask and perched it on top of his head as he dispersed the disk of shimmering reiatsu that had been keeping him aloft. Julain shot to earth like a rocket, all rippling muscle the only clothing he wore being his black jeans. He came to an abrupt halt about two inches from the floor. The Shinigami tilted her head back slightly looking up into his eyes, the movement seeming unnatural as if she wasn’t used to having to do so to look someone in the eye. Their builds and height were very similar even though they were separated by generations, the shinigami was obviously more feminine in her appearance and didn’t have the same width that he had but, it was spooky all the same. Julian had always known that there was a possibility that if he were to die he would come across some long dead ancestor but, he had never expected that she’d be so powerful or that they would meet under such circumstances.

“I daresay neither of us expected to meet under these circumstances” Julian murmured perching the mask on top of his head. He really didn’t come here with the intention to fight, rather to talk but, he wasn’t going to hide what he was. “Is this what we’ve become” Elizabeth asked looking at Julian with what was probably best called concern. “Not by any means I’m the only Hart that still has a heart so to speak. Most of my family are heartless business people or scientist looking out for number one and money. Those like me who actually care about the world are rather rare.” Elizabeth just stared at him. What did he mean about caring about the world, he had given himself over to a hollow, the thing that stood for what was instinctual and bestial if anything could be called heartless it was those black creatures with those holes in their chests. Shaking her head she had to wonder what had gone wrong. “You say you care you’ve allow yourself to be corrupted by the very essence of darkness, the beasts that feed...” “You mean Hollows, they do what their instinct tells them and nothing more, can actually understand their screams. I have been able to understand them, to interpret them since before I could see them. Most yeah your right are mindless beasts, but others are just trying to survive in this world while trying to find a way to escape their cursed existence. I was so frightened of them that I never noticed their plight was just like any living thing in pain.” Julian shook his head, how could anyone understand, most couldn’t even interpret those cries. Looking away he stated “We all have the capability of becoming a hollow, that’s a part of the human condition, that darkness we all harbour, mine just found a strength of its own and I was forced to recognize that. I would be a fool to not use the power that has been granted me.” “Power, it’s a curse, that thing will never leave you alone, it will constantly fight with you, you may think it’s your friend but, you have to realize that once it sense weakness it will try and take you over just like any other hollow, you’re not safe.” She sighed before looking imploringly at him “Let me help you, you’d be amazed what we can do.”

Reaching out to Julian her hand was slapped aside and Julian stared at her shaking his head, a shinigami was a shinigami after all. “You just don’t get it do you, Desmoralizador and I are two side of the same coin, he is me and I am him, you can’t separate the two of us without killing a part of who I am, believe me I’ve tried that.” He turned to leave but, immediately felt like he’d been smacked in the stomach as a power he had never felt before descended on him, as a stern voice came from the person behind him, too caring for its own good. “I’m sorry but, I simply can’t allow the family I died for to end like this.” She shot forward, her fist barely missing Julian’s cheek as he slid sideways the mask falling over his face. The two engaged in a battle that neither wanted but, taught each other more about the other than either could have comprehended. As he was struck backwards the mask dispersed. Julian had been trying to fight with his mask alone yet he wasn’t strong enough yet and this woman had decades no, more like centuries on him which he’d have to surpass with power. Raising his right arm the off white armour formed over the right side of his body as the left side of his head was encased in the skull like helmet. Seeing this transformation Elizabeth was slightly taken aback, she knew about Fullbringers certainly but, she couldn’t sense the hollow reiatsu she thought would accompany this change. Julian’s fullbring was after all based on the power that he had seen exerted by the hollows when he was young, wishing to emulate their strength and endurance. This was probably that led to the very first spark that became Desmoralizador. As Julian dashed forward she felt his left fist in her gut, forcing her back, she’d been so taken aback by his form that she had dropped his guard, yet their reluctance to kill one another was reflected in that very act since if Julian had wanted to ended this fight her could have easily speared her with the blade from his right hand. If only things had stopped there but, this fight once it had started could never be finished amicably after all the two Harts were too similar their stubborn behaviour and perseverance their most prominent features.

The fight raged on between the two in the deserted forest, kicks thrown, blocked, arms locked and bodies thrown, they had both poured their energy into physical martial combat at a limited range, basically meaning they were both excellent close quarters combatants. Elizabeth was forced to unleash Tiger Lily and Black Rose, her dual kodachi’s which became her reiatsu consuming gauntlets. Her strikes not only scaring the bone white armour but, consuming the very energy that it was made of, as her fist scrapped along his chest Elizabeth felt a shift she wasn’t ready for. Julian twisted his body grabbing her thorn covered gauntlet with his unprotected left hand as his right scratched across his own face. The mask he had previously worn reforming and merging with his helm, before she could react, her balance that had been pulled forward by Julian’s grab was sent flying back as his clawed and armoured right hand snapped back crashing with tremendous force against her face. This power boast had shifted things back into his favour once more. It seemed that no matter what they did the other could pull out a new trick to switch the tide of battle over again, yet at any point one of them could have stopped and avoided the dreadful end that awaited them both. Julian’s strength, speed and endurance had been gone to a whole new level than previously. Elizabeth had thought she understood the power of a Visored having fought Julian with his mask in the initial stages of this combat yet it seemed she had sorely misunderstood its strength. Alone the mask may offer additional power but, it’s true strength lay in amplifying the power already present in the individual. She continued to battle forward but, even as her shikai ate into his armour it reformed, she didn’t seem to even be making a dent in this beings power, she couldn’t think of him as a monster, not yet it didn’t matter what horrendous form that helm or mask of his took he was still a human being, he was still sentient and could be reasoned with. If only she could subdue him and make him see sense, this fight wouldn’t all be for nothing. On the other hand, as he battered her back once again she had to admit she couldn’t continue fighting him as she was she was going to up her game as he had his.

“Bankai” Elizabeth murmured meeting Julian’s challenge, the gauntlets on her arms growing to cover them up to her shoulder and a single wing growing over her right side that started to consume all the reiatsu in a 150m radius, feeding back to her. The effects that Julian had been battling only when she landed an attack began to constantly sap his strength. Stumbling he cursed pushing forward once more trying to fight on an even footing but, he soon began to lose ground once more now that he couldn’t escape the draining effects of her zanpakutō. He couldn’t even bring himself to use a cero, seeing that as dishonourable in this fight between the pair of melee combatants. He still had one power that he had yet to use but, he didn’t want to have to admit how powerful this person was and he didn’t want her to think that he had finally lost control. Yet his stubbornness pushed him to try every last thing he head. As he was pushed back once more he through his head back, his reiatsu bursting from him in a wave knocking Elizabeth back and his armour tore from his body, shattering into hundreds if not thousands of white shards before driving back into skin all over his body, blood seeming to ooze from the wounds covering his form as he grew even larger, reaching 8 ft tall and three feet at the shoulder, his muscles grew and purple pulsing veins appeared and as he opened his eyes once more the blue one had been taken over by a soulless pool of inky blackness. His hollification form, it was the first time he had managed to use it and it was already being drained by Elizabeth. He had one shot at this, a be all or end all attack to claim victory. Having seen the horrendous transformation of her descendant she felt she had no choice anymore. Summoning her full strength the woods around them began shaking, the trees uprooted, the ground cracking lower life forms simply crushed by their combined spiritual pressure. There was a single spark that cracked between them and they both shot forward. The clash between them was too bright to see what had actually happened but, both had remembered who they were fighting too late and tried to pull their attacks. This had devastating consequences for both of them, what happened to Elizabeth he doesn’t know but, this was the beginning of Julian’s agony.

A New Beginning, A Lost Soul

He awoke back at the docks he now called home but, he wasn’t him anymore, his fullbring was gone, yet his body was still partially pierced by the remnants of his hollow mask, he couldn’t recall it, reform it or dispel it and slowly but, surely it began to consume his soul. The damage his soul had taken when Elizabeth had attack was too extensive, it had cracked his inga no kusari and almost shattered his soul sleep. In truth it was only his strength of will and awareness of self that had kept him in his human form, yet that could only last for so long. Over three days his soul slowly cracked and succumbed to the hollows reiatsu. Finally it shattered the pieces reforming into a far more monstrous form, the minds that had once been a team of three were cracked and shared between two. When his eye opened once more Julian was gone, Shadou had be consumed and Desmoralizador had been converted, all that remained of them was this being that became known as Nexus Tempest. It left the town in which it had been spawned but, this soul wasn’t all that remained of Julian. His body still lived, found in the woods unconscious but breathing, even now it is kept alive in hospital in a vegetative state, although no one is holding out much hope of any kind of recovery. Nexus never entered Hueco Mundo, he still retained a near human intelligence even if his other self was far more brutal. He developed a method of hunting taking into account what he remembered of the human world and that of fullbringers. Rengyo town held too many memories for him and too many friends turned enemy that his memories would never let him attack. Yet, he searched for another town, one filled with fullbringers since thye inexplicably seemed to congregate in the same areas without even realising as if drawn to one another. The pair came across Okumichi City, a place that seemed to be nothing more than an all you can eat buffet for the pair. It was far from ideal after all such areas of high density spiritual energy attracted many who could fight, but, as long as they were carful and kept their collective head low they should be able to survive in this rather hostile environment.

Over the next five years he started to make a reputation for himself, not among the fullbringers, quincy or shinigami but, among his fellow hollows. A dangerous being, more inclined to eat you if you entered his hunting ground than share a meal, concerned with keeping himself hidden from the soul sensitives yet, feeding almost exclusively on those who had greater soul energy, only those with the capability to see him in an attempt to advance his strength even quicker than would otherwise be possible. A hollow who seemed capable of showing what could be termed compassion and concern for the humans protecting them in some cases from lesser hollows. Yet when there was no other choice the odd occasion when a group rallied together they inexplicably found themselves following Nexus’ lead, this was out of survival for them both. After all Nexus seemed to have a greater understanding of those who hunted them giving them a slight edge but, it allowed him to slink away when the battle begun, hidden among the other hollows so he himself never became widely known allowing him to continue with his ambush type hunts. Even his more bestial side Tempest understood the importance of this and always fought with this arms unveiled and visor up so that the form of the armless statue they took could never be linked back to the monstrous six armed hollow that would try and close the distance with its opponent and shred them to pieces. This relationship between Nexus and Tempest can never be compared to the type of relationship that Julian had with Shadou Ranpuu and Desmoralizador but, it is functional for them right now. The years have been kind them but, due to their unique hunting style they haven’t been progressing as quickly as some may think, yet it is also because of that unique style that they have yet to be caught, however, nothing can last forever and sooner or later that illusion and their cover will be shattered.

Combat

Strengths

Statue Mimicry: This is in essence everything that Nexus is. Since having his mind reformed into what it is know, his hollow body was created to reflect what was going on underneath the Mask. His body itself is more like a giant jigsaw puzzle, parts fitting into place precisely to give a façade of something other than what it is, restraining itself and trying to show some semblance of control when in reality it has none what so ever, an attempt to bring order to chaos and show both the intellectual, Nexus, and the bestial, Tempest, aspects of this very strange creature. The overall effect is that of some kind of modern art statue, something some art student did and has now placed on display for the hell of it. Nexus uses this in his favour having become a decidedly ambush orientated predator. When he stands perfectly still, even under moderate to intense scrutiny he appears to be nothing more than a lifeless statue. This allows him to go unnoticed for hours even days as he waits patiently for someone with the sight to come along and actually see him. Although they most likely won’t realise what he was until it was too late. He would be able to strike while their backs were turned or follow them to an area other than his hunting grounds to feed so not to draw too much attention to the area he liked to hide in since those who could sense his presence wouldn’t be fooled for long.

Hidden Hollow Hole: As mentioned his body tries to reflect the two conflicting parts of the mind, one decidedly more human than the other due to the unstable nature of this particular Visored. It is because of this that the body itself instinctively tries to hide the fact that it is indeed a Hollow, the mind not quite wanting to accept what has happened to it. As a result, the Hollow Hole which is located just off centre to the right of the chest isn’t always visible due to the way that the arms slot in to complete the illusion of a statute the Hole is covered over and hidden from sight. Only upon look at his back and noticing the slightly deeper shadows would one even be able to see the camouflaged hole, although when he attacks or enters combat and the arms move out and away from the torso it is all too easy to see the fist sized hole staring you in the face.

Knowledge of Life: Since Julian / Desmoralizador / Shadou Ranpuu didn’t exactly ‘die’ in the sense that most would use, rather their minds shattered and melded from Elizabeth’ last attack, Nexus retains all the knowledge that the separate parts that made up his and Tempest minds had. This means that he has the capability to learn, to assess and avoid situations while exhibiting some control over the animalistic nature of his Hollow nature. This can’t always be done unfortunately and Tempest will be let lose killing and consuming anything to gain the power it seeks be it friend or foe. This is most prevalent in combat when Nexus steadily descends into Tempest in battle, only able to keep his intellect for the first few minutes. (This is represented by four posts the fifth being purely Tempest)

Melee Combatant: As in life, Nexus is a formidable melee combatant, his once human limitations that replaced by those of the Hollow. His strength, endurance, stamina and agility are all well above normal for any humanoid being. His superior musculature and build have pushed him to heights that few could have thought possible in life, surpassing the strength of even Shadou Ranpuu in the beginning. Those who faced him in life will more than likely learn to fear him in this purgatory he now finds himself in.

Arachnids Armoury: This is the last of the strengths bestowed upon this lowly Hollow and allows him to take full advantage of his superior strength and the cunning he had retained from Desmoralizador. Due to the way his body formed, the curve of his chest that appears armless is in fact a façade since he in fact has three pairs of arms which are usually folded in front of him into specialised groves in his front hiding them away. When they are visible however, it is obvious they are more than simple arms, they appear to be more like the forelegs/arms of a preying mantis. The inner arms are covered in sharp blade like spikes ranging from one to three inches for slicing through flesh and barbed hooks for ensnaring an enemy and tearing flesh from bone. The torso resplendent with the opposite spikes and hooks to allow the arms to slide in and lock to the torso forming a seamless seal. It is this arsenal that makes him quite a deadly fighter and also why those ambushed by him rarely know more than the circling of a pair of insectoid arms before death, their body’s crushed from the strength of six arms and torn asunder by the blades and hooks.

Weaknesses

Ranged Combatants: This is a pretty serious weakness for Nexus, yes he may have a reasonably high endurance and strength with an extraordinary capacity to kill but, this means sod all if he can’t attack the person that he is currently fighting, anyone outside ten metres is usually safe from his attacks, although the gap will be closed pretty quick. They are able to whittle away at him from a distance and he has no way of attacking them himself. Further more his build that works in his favour in close combat works as a hindrance in ranged combat since those attacking him have a larger target to aim at. Worst of all though is when Tempest takes control, since he is nothing more than the amplified remnants of the animalistic hunger for blood and power that resided in Julian he will not back down unless given no other alternative, simply charging and constantly trying to close the gap until he has no strength left or is killed.

Soul Sense: Nexus relies on ambushing his prey to avoid long drawn out battles and as a result has developed a method of going unnoticed by appearing to look like some form of statue. The problem is those who can Sense soul energy or see the threads will not be fooled by this. They may have to get closer to him since he suppresses his soul energy as much as possible but, the façade is usually shattered within moments. Hence the reason he only attacks low level Fullbringers and green horn Shinigami, their sense so new that they don’t really realise what he is until they’re being crushed against his torso. He also has the problem of giving off a rather conspicuous soul thread. Since he didn’t die there are still slight remnants of the old threads tangled around his own giving the usual colour of the hollow a slightly purplish tinge since part of the Visored still remains within him.

Outcast Leader: Nexus is a strange Hollow and due to this he is disliked and even feared by other Hollows and yet is also revered as a leader. He will rarely be part of a group or gathering since his mere presence tends to make them uneasy. This is partly due to the fact that unlike a lot of them he has some intelligence and can suppress the desire to kill and feast and because of this has a tendency to appoint himself the leader of the group. However, the truth is it’s the other side of him that they fear. Tempest is not known for being discriminate. He will attack, kill and consume any soul be it Human, Shinigami, Quincy, or even Hollow. Add this to the fact that Nexus himself is not above consuming a low level Hollow just because and he can be viewed as a danger to all. Also because of this he spends the majority of his time on earth that can seriously impair his rate of healing and he will only return to Las Noches when given no other option because he is either starving and needs to feed on the spiritual energies in the eternal night or he needs to heal some serious injury or another. However, despite this and his preferred solitary nature other Hollows seem to be drawn to him looking for what could be termed leadership. This however, can make him stick out when he is trying to hunt/ambush prey and the larger concentration of Hollows in an area can make Shinigami more alert allowing them to spot his presence easier. So either he will be completely alone or surrounded by his brethren neither is desirable for a distinct lack or mass gathering of Hollows tends to make him that much more visible.

Blind Ambush: While he is waiting for someone of interest to come along for him to attack Nexus has to pull down a visor like section of marble coloured bone to give the impression of a helmet or a blindfold to hide his hollow eyes and complete the façade that he is indeed a statue of some kind. This unfortunately leaves him completely and utterly blind and unable to tell whether he has been spotted by someone he would rather avoid, someone who wasn’t fooled by his little charade. He has to rely on his Reiatsu sensing ability within a very confined area as well as his hearing and smell to tell him if someone is close enough for an ambush and whether they are worth consuming. Anyone outside a ten meter range is nothing but a faint blip and Nexus can’t really tell what they are so usually has to hope that he hasn’t been spotted. Although fluctuations in Reiatsu, sudden spikes, etc. will usually tell him to scarper but, by then it is usually too late to fully avoid the first strike.

Lacking Locomotion: In life Julian was known for being able to move at a reasonable pace, unfortunately this trait is lost in Nexus, yes his powerful legs can propel him forward but, it’s single drives, he can’t sustain any sort of speed for long and when lunging forward he, of course, can’t change his direction. He is limited to power walking or bounding lunges which eliminate his manoeuvrability when crossing distances. In combat his movements are more fluid but, they cover much smaller distances since in actual combat the speed of ones feet is usually irrelevant. He has put everything into powerful and agile attacks. It is quite often the case that his strikes move faster than he could himself. This is due to the musculature of his Hollow form, being more that of a coiled spring, able to unleash a tremendous amount of force at speed, but, only in one direction. In a contest of speed he would lose against most, hence the reason he uses ambush techniques, so he doesn’t have to rely on speed to get close to his prey.

Broken Humanity: This is another problem of not dying in the truest sense of the word and remembering your past. Nexus Tempest still retains some humanity and this hinders him from doing some of the more unthinkable acts, the human moral compass preventing him from following through with what has to be done. This means if he encounters anyone he knew in life he will be unwilling to or unable to engage in direct combat, instead resorting to trying to run not able to face those he had once known. It also stops him from feeding on children for the most part he will not touch or harm a child which also means that if he sees a father or mother of interest with their child they will be safe from his hunger unless he had no other choice. Similarly the opposite is true. If he witnesses anything like child abuse, rape, murder, etc. he will be driven to step in and consume the one in the wrong and protecting those he sees as innocent, even if the one he consumes has absolutely no spiritual energy. When he is confronted by two conflicting emotions, I.E. a father he had once stalked is abusing his daughter, Nexus will be driven Insane and will literally consume the entire family and then some until his mind can restore the balance.

Conflicting Consciousness: This is the eternal struggle between Nexus and Tempest the two personalities that were created from the three originals. However, unlike in a Visored this is two Hollow’s vying for control and the battle is forever going on. Nexus trying to suppress Tempest who is calling to Nexus own hollow instincts which in turn gives Tempest power but, that power is used by Nexus to suppress Tempest creating an eternal circle and constant mental conflict between the pair which neither can win and can reach a peak at any time totally blowing Nexus’ cover, interrupting battles and all in all causing havoc for the seriously messed up Hollow.