The world turned to white like the sun falling.

Gale force winds roared and screamed in pain, shattering the peace of Seireitei and Rukongai.

There was the sound of a distant mountain erupting into a volcano.

The air tasted like salt.

When the bright white light eased and vanished, Yamamoto-soutaichou knew what to do.

"Kyoraku-taichou, gather a squad of your most skilled fighters. Unohana-taichou, send a squad of healers with them. Go to the South District Sixty-two to investigate the situation. Kibo-taichou, Aizen-taichou, Gin-fukutaichou, and Diabolos-fukutaichou should be there for the report," he commanded his raucous who had shunpo-ed to the Soutaichou's office for orders.

"Anou," Kyoraku-taichou asked, rubbing the back of his neck trying to ease the tension there, "Whose got a zanpakuto that can blind the world?"

Yamamoto-soutaichou tightened his grip upon the cane in which his his own blade. He answered, "That would be Diabolos-fukutaichou."

Kyoraku-taichou could barely hold a shiver back. When the world turned white and the wind screamed like a thousand souls, all he could think of was just how similar this new zanpakuto's ability was to the Soutaichou. He was well aware that Yamamoto-soutaichou had taken on a new student to train heavily on very specific subjects but to hear that the apprentice has a zanpakuto so similar to the master ... it was terrifying.

"I'll go immediately."

It didn't take long for a squad of Eighth and Fourth Company members to form and go with Kyoraku-taichou in the lead because though the taichou himself was a lazy bum, no one could say he didn't train his Company members to be ever ready to be called to war. The Fourth Company members were the fukutaichou, with the Third and Fourth Seat following behind. The Fourth Seat being Rue Diabolos.

It took half and hour to get to the destruction. The closer they got, the most devastation was in the surrounding wood. Tree branches ripped away, trees themselves leaning unnaturally as if it were not the unleashing of a zanpakuto but a meteorite striking the earth. Soon, the trees were being ripped out of the ground from the force of the blast.

They found Aizen-taichou and Gin-fukutaichou a little worse for wear, standing just a ways away from the crater, the hole of pure emptiness that reached down further than anyone could guess. They were cut up, bruised, with scorch markings as if they barely survived the strike from above. Gin-fukutaichou looked uncharacteristically shaken from whatever events that occurred.

"Mind telling me what happened?" Kyoraku-taichou asked. Aizen seemed as composed as he could be with dirt and ash dusting his clothes. He said, "Gin-fukutaichou and myself were called for backup. When we arrived, both Kubo-taichou and Tristan-san of the First Company were surrounded by hollows of unusual abilities. Perhaps they were more suited to this environment than what is usually reported. To my understanding, Tristan-san lost focus at our arrival and Kubo-taichou took a fatal hit from his negligence. Tristan lost his life not a second after with his continued loss of concentration.

"Gin-fukutaichou and I went on the defense to finally purge the wood of resident Hollows. That was when Diabolos-fukutaichou of the Third Company arrived. I was about to use my own shikai to finish off the last of the Hollow when Diabolos-fukutaichou beat me to it. It is within reason that she did so out of grief and rage, seeing as how she had come to find the dead bodies of both her taichou and protege."

Kyoraku-taichou nodded his head in understanding. He asked, "And where is Diabolos-fukutaichou now?"

It wasn't Aizen-taichou who answered but Gin-fukutaichou raising a shaking hand to point in the direction of the massive, gaping abyss.

"Is she dead then?"

"Oh nah," he said, a shaky smile taking over his expression, "Still alive. Still ... alive." Aizen-taichou put a hand onto his subordinates shoulder, probably as an act of reassurance. Kyoraku-taichou remembered that Gin-fukutaichou use to be an old apprentice of Diabolos-fukutaichou and though the bright white light happened only once before, he could take a guess that this was the first time her apprentice actually witnessed the raw strength of her shikai.

He motioned towards his squad and pushed past the last of the destroyed trees to witness the epicenter. The chasm had to be more than a thousand feet in diameter, the edge smooth and nearly sanded down to a polish. It was so deep that the sunlight, though noon time, couldn't find the bottom. And standing in the middle of the hole, floating on steps of reishi, was Diabolos-fukutaichou.

Agito Diabolos stood in the most very basic kendo stance known as chudan, one foot in front of the other, her blade drawn and in front of her at her middle level. They saw only her back but everyone could tell that there was something horribly off. Her reiatsu, usually considered as warm as a fire, had gone as still, as cold, and as quiet as a candle. If she weren't standing before then, clearly alive, then they would have believed her to be dead.

"Sir," Rue addressed Kyoraku-taichou, "May I go to my sister?"

He nodded his head. There were no hollows to defeat. There was only one threat and that was the shinigami before them in the throws of grief. Rue shunpo-ed over to her twin sister, running on steps of reishi to get to her even faster.

She circled around to see her sister's face and was horrified. Agito was covered in blood. It sprayed across her face, dripped down her front and puddled in her lap. Her hands were stained red with red but her zanpakuto, having been resealed, didn't shake at all despite whatever emotional-mental trauma their master was going through. But what horrified Rue was the look in Agito's eyes.

Her twin sister's golden eyes, usually so clear, focused, and burning with an inner light, were cold. Cold as ice shards and just as sharp. Her pupils were pinpricks from adrenaline, haunted with a thousand yard stare. For some reason, the blood stains made her face look gaunt, her expression empty of anything human. Tear stains trailed down her cheeks but had run dry. If Rue were to describe her sister at this exact moment she would tell of a person so regressed into the darkness that they lost all human reasoning. How they clawed their way out of the dark, biting into the soft throats of her tormentors.

"Agito?" Rue called out softly, as if she were talking to an easily startled animal. Agito did nothing, wasn't even aware of the presence of her own twin. "Agito, can you hear me?"

Slowly, so slowly, Agito gave a nod so minuscule that Rue would have missed it if she blinked.

"I need you to put down your zanpakuto," Rue encouraged. Agito's fingers tightened over the handle of her blade and a whine escaped her throat like a wounded animal. Rue, as careful as anything, reached out her hand and placed a light touch on her sister's tight grip. Since Agito didn't lash out, Rue curled her hand around her sister's blade and eased the zanpakuto from her grasp which came much later than expected.

"It's okay," she whispered, "I got you."

It must have been some secret permission because Agito's body trembled with her muscles relaxing, her eyes closed and she fell into unconsciousness from emotional distress. Rue caught her sister and tried to keep her up above the chasm they were standing over.

"Help!"

The surrounding shinigami's rushed to help.

They were much too late.

...

Two days later, in the middle of the night, three shinigami men stood together at a cross road, abandoned by any passer by. They were waiting for their last to arrive.

"Mah, who could have know Agito's zanpakuto as that scary?" Gin mused, "My heart almost stopped."

"Powerful though she may be," Tosen said, "I do not believe she is a needed asset to our cause."

"Wasn't it your first time meeting Agito?" Gin questioned.

"She did not impress me," Tousen said before turning to address his master, "Aizen-sama, may I ask why you have brought this woman into the fold?"

"Why indeed," Aizen mused, "Agito, wouldn't you show your face to us?"

Both Tousen and Gin startled when they realized that they were not as alone as they believed. From the darkness, Agito seemed to emerge, shadows dragging their fingers along the contours of her form. In the weak moonlight, her golden eyes nearly glowed.

Her presence hadn't been felt and Tousen was disturbed to know that she could so easily slip past his awareness. Gin was mostly concerned with her expression, so devoid of emotions that it left something cold within him.

"Agito here, is our War Lord," Aizen explained to the entire group of shinigami traitors now gathered together for their first meeting. "A battle protege unlike anything the world has ever seen. Exemplary strategist in military tactics and governing. No one has admitted it, but should war come upon us, the Gotei Juu-san would rely heavily on the flexible planning of Diabolos-san. There's even been rumors that should Yamamoto-soutaichou step down, the next soutaichou would name her as their successor.

"When the time is right, she will build us an army and win this war," he praised. Through out his entire explanation of credentials, Agito did nothing. Didn't show a single hint of whatever was going through her mind. To Gin, who had known and studied his old sensei more than Aizen did, found this deeply unsettling.

Agito was fire. Why did he not feel the heat of her presence?

Aizen turned to introduce Agito to the rest of the group, setting up their place within the fold for the century to come.

"Agito, meet Tousen Kaname, he will be our eyes in places we cannot see. His high standard of morality aligns with our cause and in time be our compass as to the road of righteousness. Or judge, jury, and executioner." Aizen's high praise for Tousen was completely false but no one was willing to break Tousen's disillusionment to how much regard his master had for him.

"As for Gin Ichimaru," Aizen said, "He is my fukutaichou, my right arm. He will not be commanding my armies or leading any charge for his strength is not in being an example. He is our spy, assassin, and psychological warfare specialist. Our cloak and dagger." Aizen didn't have to introduce himself or what his own specialty would bring to the destruction of Seireitei because it was an unspoken acknowledgment that they already had.

Aizen didn't have to have followers. He was powerful, smart, charismatic, and cold blooded enough to do all of their jobs without complaint. But they were his subordinates for a reason. Gin Ichimaru, though he had volunteered his services to him, was a most cunning individual. So cunning that had he not brought the boy to his side, he would be concerned for a knife to his back on behalf of Gotei Juu-san. Tousen Kaname was physically blind so naturally immune to Aizen's most devastating power but his mind was already clouded with ideas of grandeur and easy to fool. Agito Diabolos, would have made a most terrifying enemy.

In the Shinigami Academy, Agito had attended a class for war time strategy. The class didn't use real events, strategies or histories, only focusing on imaginary examples and squad based scenarios. But Agito Diabolos showed a rare gift. Most shinigamis crippled themselves with human morality and the law. On Agito's first report, she had thrown away all ethical limits mentioning the use of biological weapons, psychological manipulation, torture, guerrilla tactics, napalm bombing, and chemical warfare.

The Academy Sensei was horrified. They had turned to Aizen-taichou, a guest teacher of calligraphy and philosophy, hope for a shared thought of natural disgust at the immorality the young student exhibited. On the contrary, Aizen saw talent. But he also saw a formidable enemy. To face an army at her beck and call, one with her brilliant mind working to destroy him was a terrible thought. So he caged her and forced her to his side.

Aizen's subordinates were a collection of his own weaknesses and potential enemies.

"What is our next step?" asked Gin.

"Agito will be promoted to taichou of the Third Company," Aizen decreed, "Unless you do not have Bankai, Agito-chan." It was a question shaped as a spear, ready to skewer her if given the wrong answer.

"I do," Agito said, her voice rough and growling from days of neglect and abuse.

Aizen smiled, so very pleased that his plans were falling so easily in place without any delays from his pawns. He said, "Gin will request a transfer to become Agito's fukutaichou. From there, I believe you'll just have to wait patiently for my orders. Tousen, continue as you are giving no hint of your true loyalty to our cause and connections."

It sounded exactly like a dismissal so it was to no one's surprise that Agito turned on her heel, intent on being the first to leave.

"Agito."

She stopped. Aizen wasn't through with her yet.

"Turn around and look at me." She heard the unsheathing of a zanpakuto and though her instinct screamed at her to do the same, her fingers barely twitched to draw Michael. Instead, she just turned to look at Aizen and company without a single hint of insubordination.

Aizen had drawn his blade but the blade was pointed down, not drawn in ready combat. HE said, "Shatter, Kyouka Suigetsu."

The world rippled like breaking glass as Agito Diabolos fell under Sousuke Aizen's spell of complete hypnosis.

The night sky warped and split apart, light and darkness vomited together and spilled onto the ground.

Or whatever constituted as a ground in this hallucination.

The moon turned into the vicious fangs of a canine growling and threatening to eat the universe.

Stars rallied together and raged war with the constellations.

Stardust swallowed black holes whole and there just beyond reality she was barely hanging onto with her fingertips did she see god.

No, not God. The gods.

Unrestrained power.

Consciousness without form.

Wills of unfathomable measurement.

All colors.

All light.

All dark.

No names.

She took only one glimpse of the enormity of them and the insignificance of her before crashing back down to Earth. Aizen had released Agito's hallucination when he realized that something was very, very wrong.

"What did you see?" he demanded. He only wanted to pull him into his spell. He didn't care for whatever hallucination she was seeing so he didn't give her a specific vision. He had allowed her mind freedom to believe whatever it wanted to believe. Usually, the affected person with so much freedom would immediately turn to their darkest fears but something went very wrong with Agito.

For a brief few moments, Agito's hair turned gold. Her eyes blood red. Her skull pressed through her thin skin and even as she began to illuminated the night by bio-luminescence, the shadows clung to the edges of her, making everything sharper, crueler, inhumane. Around her shoulders was the faint outline of golden wings, spreading as though in flight. He broke his spell and watched as her ... transcendence ... eased back to her normal form

"What. Did. You. See?" he demanded once again.

She giggled.

"I don't know," she said, still giggling even if tears of hysteria escaped her eyes, "I really don't know."

...

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