[Rue's POV]

Before even opening my eyes I knew that I was in another place from where I've always known.

There was a brisk breeze whipping around. I was lying on the ground and there was something tickling my nose and cheeks, grass? It smelled like salt water and the stench of drying seaweed.

And then there was the rumbling. I had to open my eyes in order to see what the hell it was but even after I opened my eyes, I didn't know. I was ... on a grassy knoll. The grassy plains stretched on forever with no trees and no horizon. It was a gorgeously sunny day with few white fluffy clouds. What the hell? Where's the rumbling coming from?

I turned around and I saw the edge of the world.

I was on a cliff!

I threw myself down on the ground and crawled to the edge, not trusting the wind to not suddenly pick me up and toss me over. The cliff was huge! Straight down with no path to walk to the beach's shore. Yeah, that's right, there was a beach. A beach of white sand and grey stones. The ocean was a slate blue. No matter how sunny the day was, I could see the fog and mist from afar, making the ocean seem dark and foreboding.

That rumbling sound from earlier? It was the ocean rising up, crashing down, and dragging the shore into the water. The grey stones made the sound of a thousand little cymbals in chaos, but in union. The more I watched and listened, the more I noticed how each time I breathed in, the ocean was dragged back, when I exhaled, the ocean crashed back down.

'What are you doing?'

I screamed.

What? I didn't expect there to be a voice I didn't know!I flip over on my bck before up and away from the cliff edge. When I finally look at the person speaking I was shocked to see my zanpakuto.

They were beautiful. I say they cause ... they were both? There was no possible way for me to guess if they were a boy or a girl. They were completely nonbinary! And it didn't feel strange, it just felt like them. They were beautiful.

They wore a beautiful toga of seemingly spun starlight tied at the waist with a cord of gold. Their pure white skin [like, paper white] glowed as if made of crystal. They had a gorgeous mane of golden hair flowing down to their bare feet. Their eyes weren't really eyes as they were two stars stuck in someone's face, glittering like the most precious of diamonds. Their face was s perfect and beautiful that it should e scary but there was something about them to make it ... not so.

Agito would kill me if she knew how I felt.

On their back was six wings. Three pairs of the more gorgeous wings I have ever seen. Their feathers weren't really bird feathers as they were pearls and opals lovingly carved into bird feathers. Pearls and opals! They glimmered with an iridescent shine of the rainbow.

"You're beautiful..." I whisper because it's the truth.

'Of course I am,' the spirit said, their wings preening under the attention, 'I'm me.'

"Are you my zanpakuto?" I asked.

'Maybe,' the angelic being said, 'Do you want me to be?'

I didn't answer them because what a weird question. The spirit approached me and took my face into their hands.

'How strange,' they said, 'Humans look so strange.'

"You're strange," I retorted back.

'I'm not strange,' the being said, 'I was here before you even had a chance of existing. I have seen more than what your puny mind can comprehend. In reality, I am not the strange one. You are, tiny one.'

"Tiny one! My name is Rue! Rue Diabolos!"

The being laughed, their wings ruffled and together the sound was like a thousand church bells ringing from a joyous celebration.

'I like that reaction!' They said, 'I shall call you endearing names from now on, Rue Diabolos.'

My name on their tongue jogged my memory.

Oh no! Agito! Byakuya! Everyone!

"Please! Tell me your name!"

The spirit was so startled by the exclamation that the ringing bells turned into a sharp whistle for a second. 'My name?'

"Yes!" I cried out, "My sister is in trouble! She'll die if I don't help her and there's a hollow! Please, tell me you name! I can't just go back with only a zanpakuto!"

'Zanpakuto,' the spirit said, their words trying out the word on their accented tongue and finding it strange, 'Oh yes, Shinigami from your dimension use spirited blades, don't they? And you need a weapon. Fine. I'll give you something.'

There was a sharp ringing of a bell, like a warning, and suddenly there was a weight in my hands. I looked down to see a zanpakuto in my hand, still sealed. The hilt was a pretty gold that sparkled in the right light, and the hand-guard was a rapier hand guard the color of ivory, made to look like a crashing wave over my hand. I look up to see my zanpakuto looking quiet pleased with their-self.

"And your name?"

'Do you really need one?' the spirit questioned and I was fed up with their playing around.

"Yes! I need you name to call you!"

'I won't give you my name,' said the spirit, 'But I will give you a name you will know me as. I am Gabriel, Beloved One.'

"Gabriel?" I asked because I knew something about that name, "You're one of the angels only mentioned by name in the bible!"

'Smart girl. Much smarter than your twin sister, the Beholden One,' they commented, 'My sibling is with her and I do not envy either of them.'

"Are you The Gabriel though? The messenger of the Lord? The one who is said to spread rumors inside the devil's army during the Rapture?" I asked. There is a lot more I can mentioned about the infamous angel Gabriel. Gabriel hummed a tune before saying.

'Much too smart. Don't you have a sister to save, Beloved One?'

And just like that, I'm falling backwards again off the cliff back into the real world.

~~~