Ōetsu Nimaiya tilted his head to the side.

“What’s that all about?” he asked aloud to an empty room. He focused, hummed, waited but...

“Well that’s new, you know? Really wrong... wrong and wrong!” Where did that blade go? It was funky. Ōetsu wasn’t the kinda man who lost track of one of his swords! He grumbled and turned a few times. Sure, the blade hadn’t exactly done much to be known for but still, his swords were damn good.

Those idiots down there never appreciated what they had until it ‘took shape’.

Ōetsu scoffed.

You just didn’t diss the Nameless Blades. Now one was just gone. He could usually feel the pieces or have a vague idea of dust or rust or really funky effects but just gone?

That was weird. He closed his eyes and decided.

He’d wait one year and if that blade didn’t step into the Soul Society so he could get a good look at it... he’d...

Ōetsu tapped his chin.

He couldn’t just leave and sending orders down was just a hassle.

Then again... he just had to claim it was a small research trip. They were creators and powerful folk. As long as the request was made with due time, it should be fine.

Ōetsu would go see the punk who lost one of his swords personally.

---

Chisai whimpered in his sleep as if tormented by demons. I felt bad because the Zone was pressing into my own mind. The sheer difference between a G and F Malice Zone was more than just the levels.

The very air was heavier... it was as if he had trouble breathing at times. I kept asking Portal to show outside and glared at the oversized bird pest that was still sniffing around.

Cloudshadow. Hollow. D-1: A spirit consumed by negativity and turned into a mindless creature. Despite lacking true selection of powers, his skin and feathers are tougher than steel and moves at speeds far greater than a human. As all Hollows, their ability to be hidden to the naked eye, ignore most modern weaponry and consume others to grow strong make this threat rating much higher than other creatures

Hollows were messed up. Watching what was once a peaceful spirit snuffle like an animal on the scent of blood was sad and bleak at the same time. I wonder if Menos would be D-10? Maybe each evolution would be its own rank? Vasto Lord/Espada might be ranked.

Or would the ranks begin to really spread in the numbered ranks? A B-2 would just be crushed by a B-6?

What I needed were examples. Some named Reapers to compare but I wasn’t eager to jump into that party yet or anytime soon. I was struggling to handle one passed out Reaper who looked like he might cry if I look at him.

I frowned at his shivering form.

“Who sends a poor medic with a sealed Zanpakuto, barely any strength, and no backup? I know Soul Society is cruel but Unohana didn’t seem the type to discard her own squad,” I said confused. Even if she was a bit of a... tiny mass murderer who learned to heal only to make her opponents last longer so she could get a decent fight.

But besides that, she seemed to care about her squad to an extent! Well, putting the original Kenpachi Unohana to the side for a moment. I Observed the Reaper, Chisai.

Chisai Shirudo. Reaper. G-3: Chisai has been a reaper for ten years. However, he has not combat experience since he was rejected out almost every squad bar the fourth. He is of poor rebirth and struggles with the most basic of Reaper skills. His Sword is unnamed and shows no signs of beginning to bond. His name translates to ‘Small Shield’. It was a name given to him by his own friend when he had none.

Observe might not be levelling fast but hot damn was it giving the juicy details now. I paused.

That or those in the party are easier to read than strangers. An interesting little feature that.

I saw the System was reading Chisai, a box flowing past with symbols I didn’t get.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I tried to ignore the pressing air of this zone.

System has not had a reaper in her files yet. She is learning how best to utilise and boost connection but his clay weapon is taking a little time.

I raised a brow.

“You mean his Zanpakuto?” I asked and the System flashed.

Yes. System refer to it as a clay sword because it is in the most basic terms... what it is. It is a perfect blade of clay that the user holds and uses. Shaping the clay with thoughts and soul. Every user leaves different marks but in the end... they all make their own unique blade.

The analogy wasn’t actually too far off.

Of course, the clay stains the skin and even gets under the nails of the user. As much as a user may try to think they are the sculptor... the clay is moulding them just as much as they mould it. It is a beautiful weapon.

“They are kinda cool,” I had to admit.

System will be your Zanpakuto. If anyone asks, just say that your body is your blade and then stab them with your acid stinger.

I snorted, the humor actually helping me more than I thought in this place.

“I believe that is a Resurrección, not a Zanpakuto release,” I debated.

I went to the Safe Zone line to see if I could spot what roamed in these parts. I was nowhere ready for an F-rank zone but knowing would be handy.

One lets their demons free as an expression of the true monster self. The other holds it together with willpower and wields it as a weapon. You speak of power as if they are different. They aren’t. They just rest on the each end of the spectrum.

I gave the System a point for now because I was too busy watching... something.

The Safe Zone haze blurred most things. But the city beyond was pretty clear. It was a janky version of Ichigo’s inner world but the buildings curved up at one side as if following a wall.

Between the buildings... a tall thin thing moved. I almost panicked and though Menos but it wasn’t that. I poked my head out to see the city was in pulsating red light and shadows. The Safe Zone was inside an empty roofless water tower.

The creature was nothing like I had ever seen. The reason I mistook it for a Menos was that the long black body but instead of a cloak, the black frame was made up of slow tendrils that looked like ribbed pipes. They all connected to a round black ball at the top. It moved and the giant red eye surveyed the area. The pulsing red lights all over the city were these mobile... watchtowers.

It had no mouth or ears. It was like a giant Sauron tower but moving. A spider with the body a screaming man, his mouth stretched wide to show gleaming silver eyes in the space. It scuttled along, the body still having human limbs that flopped uselessly. It was like the spider was wearing the man as a costume or had grown inside and gotten too big.

I Observed them both.

Dark Wanderer. Monster. F-2: A tall artificial creature whose eyes can see through most basic stealth and illusions. When it has a target in sight it will scream with enough force to make one deaf temporary and draw in their pets. They can narrow their gaze for thin laser attacks.

Marrow Spider. Monster. Minon. E-9: A creature made when the Dark Wanderer catches a victim and inserts an egg into their spine. The spider grows and takes over the body, crushing the victim from the inside. They are fast but they rely on their own Dark Wander for energy. No one knows where the eggs come from.

I slowly pulled my head back in then turned to the System box.

“What the everlast goose-stepping gobstopper fuckery is this place? That’s disturbing. System, this place needs to burn!” I said very seriously.

System doesn’t make the trauma. The symbolism and tragedy are all present beforehand... if a little... overstated.

“Spine spiders. They grow out of your spine and work you over like a chiropractor having a divorce and having no one else to take it out on,” I pressed, knowing I was freaking out.

Wait until you see an E-rank zone. This is just the tip of the iceberg but the good news is that for every disturbing one, there is two more filled ninjas or knights or something silly. Trauma and Malice isn’t just death and destruction. Sometime it#s years of hating one's boss.

I gave another look outside and saw the ghost was clear. I closed my eyes.

“This place is getting to me. Making puns under stress. King, you carry Chisai,” I said and I went outside. Cloudshadow the Hollow was nowhere to be seen.

King had little trouble carrying Chisai until we entered the real world... blessed pressure-free world, then King looked confused as Chisai just phased through him.

Right... spirit.

Having no idea what to do, I tried using Spiritual Infusion on King. It sort of worked! His outer armour glowed and when I used it on my shield to lift Chisai again, he didn’t sink through King this time.

Bland Spiritual Infusion has reached level 6! Longer affected time. 4 levels until skill evolves.

My only worry was that I know felt like King was a beacon to hungry hungry Hollows. I did not wait around for villain of the episode to come back. The alley was only about ten minutes away and the refreshing feeling of the trainyard nature made me feel... safer. I placed Chisai against the tree and wondered if I was doing the right thing to bring a Reaper to my base. If he reported the weirdo humans with the big bug? I was done for.

But leaving him in the streets or even above ground felt... too cold. The odd thing was that my senses were pricking at something. Not quite spiritual but warmer. I turned slowly until I refocused on Cider.

The tree was giving me... vibes.

You have learned Magical Sense!

Magical Sense. Passive. Energy. Lv.1: Detect ambient magic nearby you! All energy feels the same at this level.

The tree moved ever so slightly and a fully grown apple dropped and I caught it without thinking. Then the vibes were gone.

I looked at the fruit.

Cider Apple. Item. F-1: A healthy apple that increases recovery of the body and fills the stomach as if eaten a whole meal. HP recovery increased to 1 every minute. Does not stack.

Well, stalk me and call me Snow White. A magic apple. Effects were pretty tame but for an F item it was not bad at all! I wondered if I could feed the apple to the Reaper the man himself began to stir.

“No...Ma’am! Nothing... to report,” he mumbled.

I poked him.

He groaned.

I poked him again and one eye opened. Chisai was an interesting looking guy. His brown hair was in a knotted ponytail down to his neck. He wore a normal reaper’s outfit but had a necklace of a sun on it that dangled down in sight. His green eyes stared at me for the longest time, not quite understanding.

“You’re not Captain Unohana...” he stated slowly.

“I guess the lack of sword, lady bits, and the physical body gave me away? Oh I bet it was my hair, never quite could knot hair,” I admitted sadly. Chisai impressed me by not freaking out but taking everything in slowly as if reattaching himself to reality.

“You saved me,” he said and blinked at me. I was about to smile until his eyes rimmed slightly with tears. He didn’t sob or snot but just stared down with tears falling down his cheeks.

“I’m... sorry?” I offered.

“I put you in danger because I was weak. I hope you can forgive me,” he said, voice solid as if he weren’t two steps away from a breakdown. I gave him the apple and grinned.

“Shinigami like apples, right?” I winked and the young man blinked, confused.

“I guess... thank you,” he said, accepting the food. He nibbled it, blinked and then devoured it as if he hadn’t eaten anything before. I was really damn curious how that worked... he was a spirt but he could eat real food? Where did the food go?

How do you work, Reaper?

Chisai saw I was staring and withdrew into himself.

“Where am I?” he asked shyly. He was coming to life second by second. I’m not sure if the apple helped or the fact I wasn’t trying to eat him.

I explained where we were and how far he was from the alley. I didn’t overshare yet. I wanted him to process everything. He’d have questions but I hated it when ‘teachers’ in anime or shows expected students to go on a death course or survive deadly battle to just get some insight. Some basic human decency and patience was a pretty good start. Chisai looked happy to see his Zanpakuto within reach. I knew it had no name as of yet but even I could see how his ‘Clay Sword’ meant a lot to him.

“Where did you take me to escape from the Hollow?” he wondered. I sat down next to him and held out my hand.

“How about we play some questions? You get one and I get one? But no state secrets and no personal stuff just yet,” I offered. It was a bad deal really. I knew more about his Society’s secrets than he would ever have known.

‘Known’ because he would have died in canon. I know now this was who Rukia replaced in the coming months. The fact they waited until a rotation change instead of the no reports made me lose just a little more respect for them but that was nothing new.

“I’m Russel Rivers,” I offered. I saw Chisai mouth it silently. For some reason, my name came out as the exact English version instead of a translated version. It was the same for their names. I guess it would be weird if I went around going “Hey Number one protector/Strawberry’

“Chisai Shirudo! A pleasure,” he bowed slightly. His manners were impeccable. I resisted the urge to pat his head.

“Well, we were in a place that my powers let me access. It’s a subspace of negative energy. It’s a handy hiding spot as you saw,” I explained carefully. No lies but not the whole truth. I wanted to like Chisai but you didn’t just tell him you symbolically battled negative echoes and feelings because it gave good loot and helped the local community feel better. He thought that over.

“I see. It was quite fearsome. Thank you for hiding me. Please ask your question,” he encouraged. He was really enjoying talking to me. He had his whole posture shifted to me and while he still struggled to meet my eyes, he was drinking in the peaceful moment like it was something rare.

“You said you were being punished for being here, can you explain the details?” I pondered. His face fell.

“It’s not a subject I would like to discuss but I can if it-”

“Do you like chocolate or strawberry ice cream?” I said suddenly and he tilted his head like a damn puppy.

“Strawberry! I like sweet flavours!” he announced. He didn’t bring up my subject change and was smiling again.

“Um... who was that ant?” he tried. I didn’t mind that and pointed to King was tending to more flowers. Chisai stared, enchanted. I called King over and Chisai pressed against the tree but didn’t go for his sword.

“This my friend and summon. He is the hardest working, most heroic bud I have ever met!” I announced. King touched Chisai’s face with his feelers and Chisai chuckled as if tickled.

“Ah, a familiar. I was wondering why he was so big. I suspected Squad 12 had released something in the air again...” he mused. The more I talked to Chisai the more I was sure he had been sent here to die.

I pushed down the burst of anger and focused.

“So, what’s your strength? Sword or hand to hand or healing?” I asked lightly. Chisai didn’t even hesitate.

“Kido. It’s magical arts that we Reapers use. I’m okay with some attack but I’m better at basic shielding and healing but even then I’m not as good as others,” he ducked his head as if waiting for criticism.

“That’s really cool. I’m a defender myself and can’t heal at all. King here is strong and is an amazing cleaner,” I said, pretending not to see his posture. I gave my hands a bit of pyro and Chisai was in awe.

“I didn’t know human magi were so common anymore. Oh, are you a nature spirit user? A spirit of fire? Perhaps you use a...” Chisai turned his voice to a whisper.

“A different afterlife or gods? I once heard Hawaii had a volcano goddess,” he said with interest. I raised a brow as I cancelled the spell.

“I’m a bit of a ‘bit of everything’ I pick up things from the negative zone which can have a lot of different sources. You know about other afterlives? I assumed they weren’t common knowledge or are they?” I blinked.

Chisai looked suddenly guilty.

“I might have... cleaned a few buildings and founds reports never quite sorted. They spoke of angels or winged women. A lot of it was marked with vague boundaries and land gained and lost over the years but... I found more over the years!” he burst as if he had been dying to talk to someone about it.

“Soul Society, the Spirit world, shares the dimension with many smaller cultures that live in an area with vastly mutated spirit particles. It’s like they rose somewhere between when Soul Society was founded and 2500 years ago. Some argue to be older. I only know because an outdated map showed vague locations. It’s really interesting because of everything shifts in the spirit world. So all these other ‘afterlives’ move sometimes years away and sometimes come near like washing close on waves. I didn’t understand how it all works!” Chisai said breathlessly and I stared at his excitement.

“Like a giant sea of souls with afterlives as islands, whoever controls the most sea... gets more souls,” I said and Chisai looked suddenly nervous.

“You’ll... you won’t tell anyone I told you that right?” he asked quietly. I winked.

“You keep my secrets, I keep yours,” I offered with a hand. Chisai looked suddenly determined as he shook it.

“I’ve never had a secret entrusted to me before... I’ll do my best, Mr Rivers!” he promised. Was that because he was a rambler or because he had no friends? Either way that felt sad.

“Where have you been sleeping and resting between fights?” I asked and Chisai shrugged.

“Trees, benches, sometimes empty houses,” he listed. I stared.

“W-what about food?” I pressed as the tree moved slightly above us in an unfelt wind.

“I had to steal bread but I collect dropped coins where I can and put them in the registers. Sometimes I find fresh food in these metal containers,” He said brightly.

“I really like the burgers!” he said with a giddy expression. That was when I remembered that an on the run Rukia lived in a closet and had to wear stolen pyjamas. This was the fate of the reaper that was cut off.

I leaned in seriously.

“Chisai... you live here now,” I said and he looked around in surprise but then tried to politely turn me down.

“You’ve fed me and saved me. I cannot accept so much kindness. I am truly happy to have met a wonderful mortal. Even if the rest of the journey has been cold I’m going to remember you for years to come as the one good thing I experienced in my time here,” he bowed again and stood to leave.

I grabbed his hand and he seemed to almost let me as I didn’t phase through him.

“This is more than about kindness. I’ll worry and you’re still injured. Wouldn’t your Captain agree that accepting aid is a smart thing to do? If you truly feel indebted then you can help me in my Negative Zones as a healer or you can help King garden but don’t leave,” I pleaded.

Chisai looked like he was struggling. It was time for the critical attack.

“I don’t have many friends. I don’t want to lose one I just met,” I said, meaning it honestly but knowing I was still cheating. Chisai’s face crumpled.

“I guess... a few days won’t be so bad. If the Hollow comes back, I’ll protect you!” he smiled and looked shocked at his own words.

“I can also instruct you about Hollows and basic Reaper things. I don’t think anyone will mind!” he cheered up.

It was most likely illegal in like 20 reaper laws but screw them. This was my reaper now. Deep down in my lizard brain where all my muchkins lived... I wanted to power level the little dude.

Even deeper down in my childish brain.

I wanted to see him release his Shikai.