Chapter 2 - All Alone in a Distant Land

[WarJack]

Jack had been wandering through the nearby town in the aftermath of his first kill on the other monster. Humans, monsters and even the occasional dead person’s spirit were all devoured in his wake. He was unstoppable.

With powerful muscles on all 5 of his appendages, claws as sharp as steel that gleamed in the moonlight, all connected with scaled, thick, black skin and the way he would glide from tree-top or rooftop, Jack looked like a true demon.

After he had first devoured the monster, he could hear a faint chattering in the back of his mind. Jack dismissed it, in favour of attempting to sedate the bloodlust he felt.

He longed for the adrenaline rush. The fervour of battle. The screams of his prey.

Sometime later, long after Jack had lost count of how many spiritual beings he had killed and consumed, he’d noticed a chattering in the back of his mind. It had become so prominent that it had overridden his need to devour and consume.

Jack stopped his movements and sat down harshly on the pavement. The sun was rising on a new dawn and it had calmed him slightly, if only just.

Jack turned his mind inwards, searching for the source of the noise that filled his head.

Darkness. Eternal darkness clouded his thoughts. Every few seconds, the sound of mad laughter pierced through the chattering sound, but he paid it no mind.

Jack continued his searching, peering through the inky blackness of his inner thoughts. Going deeper, he become lost in his inner world.

Finally, he’d found it. In the depths of his mind, a blue spec glittered in the darkness. Jack reached out to touch it, seeing the familiar colour of essence, he grew excited. That excitement quickly turned to rage, as the noise magnified tenfold. It sounded like thousands of voices, echoing in a small space.

It was maddening. But there was something else. Jack felt like his powers had grown, also magnified by a massive amount. But the noise was deafening. Roaring in his ears like a train.

So in response, Jack roared.

-
Lying down on the roof of a nearby house, Bartholomew Kuma sat up sharply.

“A Hollow?” the lone Shinigami whispered questioningly, as he got to his feet. The roar had been loud, so the Hollow must have been close.

Stretching out with his Reiryoku, he could feel a Hollow in the surrounding area, skulking around while looking for a meal.

Bartholomew’s eyes hardened, he had always hated Hollows.

Stepping off the tiled roof of the house, he sprinted through the air towards the last place he felt the Hollow. He was a relatively inexperienced Shinigami, fresh out of the academy as a star pupil, Bartholomew had been assigned to Squad 7, under Captain Sabo.

His lack of experience was showing, as he failed to keep his Reiatsu in check. His Spiritual Pressure was emanating from his body like a beacon and anyone with even the slightest ability to sense Spiritual power could feel him.

-

Jack’s head snapped up, as he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. The chatter in his head had died down, fading away into the background. Like the noise you would hear in when walking through a busy street. It was present, but muted.

Jack could sense something, he could feel something powerful speeding towards him. He bounded forwards, leaping up a nearby tree. Settling himself on a branch, Jack laid in wait for his latest opponent to reveal himself.

-

Bartholomew knew something was wrong the moment he left the edge of the town. The houses had become fewer and fewer, until he hit the tree-line of a large wooded area.

He began to descend, but the moment his feet touched the ground, hit senses lit up, screaming at him in a panic. Fortunately, he had his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō since he’d first sensed the Hollow’s presence.

With a swift draw, his form augmented from countless hours of practice, Bartholomew held the large Hollow at bay, but he was rapidly being forced into the ground.

He knew his time was running out.

-

Jack pounced as soon as he saw his prey touch the ground. Leaping silently from his perch high in the trees, he extended his arms to their fullest extent and furling his wings inward for maximum velocity, while pointing his claws at the little man.

In the blink of an eye, his prey drew his sword his side, bringing it up horizontally to block his clawed strike. But the pressure was becoming too much for him, with each passing second, Jack’s superior mass, along with the fall itself, was pushing the little man into the ground.

Jack let out a piercing roar, attempting to stun the man, only to find himself flying through the air, into the side of a tree. The little human had rolled backwards and kicked him! Using his own momentum against him! Even more galling, it had happened in the space of a few seconds.

Suitably angered at this point, Jack flipped himself up from his spot on the floor - unfurling his wings in the process in an attempt to make himself look bigger - as he roared once more, in the direction of the little man.

-

Bartholomew had not remained idle in the time where he’d kicked the Hollow away. After rolling backwards and launching a devastating kick to the Hollow’s chest, he’d righted himself and began a chant.

All the while, his mind was processing the Hollow he saw before him.

It was large, easily 7 feet tall, towering over his 5’11” form. It had some kind of black, scaled skin, darker on the outside, but a lighter, almost grey shade of black over its chest and stomach.

It was the long tail that worried him though, it looked like it had a twin-headed scythe on the end of it; and that mother **** looked sharp!

Bartholomew shook his head, “Focus!” he mumbled under his breath. The Hollow was getting to his feet.

“Heart of justice, encircle the sinner! Be still and repent! Way of Binding #1: Restraining Cuffs!” he chanted, watching as the purple beam of light shot towards his enemy, who unsuccessfully attempted to dodge it.

The binding clipped the Hollow’s back legs, before wrapping itself around the tree the Hollow had impacted earlier.

Smiling grimly, Bartholomew tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō and began walking towards his bound opponent.

-

Panic. Pure panic.

The voices in his head had grown louder, as the fight had gone on. As soon as the purple light hit him, the noise in his head amplified dramatically. He was being screamed at to move, to free himself, to run, to get up and fight.

By this point, Jack’s ‘fight or flight’ instincts had set in. Roaring furiously at the little man with the sword, he snaked his tail carefully under the purple light that bound his legs together.

Pulling back with all his might, his tail easily severed the beam of light, which faded into nothingness. Another swing took care of the other piece of cord which had attached him to the tree.

This little human with the sword wasn’t a normal human, Jack decided. Normal humans don’t run around shooting beams of purple light at each other.

Nor do they stop large beasts like him and the others from smashing into them with the force of a train. With only a sword to protect them.

No, he decided, this little man was different. Jack could taste his fear on the air, oh yes. It was delicious. But there was a solid, steadfast presence that he despised. As well as an almost, routine feel - like it was just another day at work.

He hated that. Of all his prey, he’d enjoyed the adrenaline rush, the killing, the devouring and the blue energy. But the feeling he’d enjoyed most of all? The fear. The shirt soaking, hair raising, underwear ruining fear that he caused.

This little man did not fear him.

Jack roared angrily, louder than he ever had before.

He would show this little man the true meaning of fear.

-

As the two opponents stared each other down, Bartholomew realised this situation was different from the rest. Different from the countless Hollows he’d fought before. Each time he’d fought a Hollow before, he’d had teammates to rely on and a powerful Shinigami leading him, usually either Captain Sabo, or Lieutenant Takio.

Yes, he’d fought Hollows before, but this Monday night (now Tuesday morning) was his first solo assignment.

Captain Sabo had put his trust in him and he’d be damned if he let his Captain down.

All graduates of the Shinōreijutsuin – The Spiritual Arts Academy – are required to know the names of their Zanpakutō before they are allowed to graduate.

“I cannot allow you to terrorise the humans and spirits of this world any longer, Hollow. I swear it on my honour as a Shinigami and for the honour of Squad 7!”

Bartholomew mentally prepared himself to call upon his ally, who’d been by his side since the beginning of his journey as a Shinigami, whether he’d known his name or not.

Pointing his Zanpakutō towards the Hollow with his right hand, he raised his clenched left fist 90 degrees into the air, before shouting, “Come Forth! Shinjitsu no San Busaku!”

Bartholomew smiled grimly, as he felt his Reiatsu rise to its fullest extent.

-

Jack’s eyes widened dramatically. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The not-human’s power had increased immensely. He also seemed to be glowing faintly, as well.

Jack’s eyes narrowed once more. This changed nothing. He was going to crush this not-human into the ground, rend his body and devour his delicious power.

Bounding forwards, while leaning to the right, Jack raised his right arm and brought it down hard across the prey in front of him, aiming to incapacitate or even finish him where he stood.

Only he wasn’t there. And his right shoulder had been nicked. Roaring in confusion, Jack looked around, only to spot his prey 20 feet away, leaning against a tree.

-

“Confused, Hollow? I would be too. The First Truth allows me to create visions of myself. These apparitions are near identical to me and my enemy cannot know which one I am.”

Jack ignored the not-human’s meaningless words. He’d already figured out his silly trick. The clones didn’t generate any power, whereas the little man with the sword alternated between a dull blue and a lighter blue, glowing whenever he used a technique.

Closing the distance, before feigning a second strike where the little not-human stood. He watched him repeat his little trick. Jack could see him this time, moving with incredible speed towards his head, sword raised high.

But Jack was fast too. Whipping his body to the right, Jack brought his tail upwards, tensing his powerful muscles, he roared, yanking on his tail and diving out of reach of the twisting body of his prey.

He grinned in satisfaction as he felt the scythes on the end of his tail slice through sinew and bone, before grinning even wider at the inhumane scream his prey produced.

This was what he wanted. He needed his prey to feel the pain, the loss, the sorrow and the fear.

-

Bartholomew’s throat hurt from screaming, but not as much as his left arm was hurting. Or what was left of his left arm.

He was right, the Hollow’s tail was **** sharp! It had completely cut through his arm, even the bone, leaving a stump behind. His arm had been severed at just below the elbow.

“Bastard!” he choked out, growling under his breath; “Now let me show you The Second Truth!”

Glowing brighter, Bartholomew felt his body become more rigid and fortified. The trickle of blood that flowed out of his stump and onto the ground had ceased, as his wound had been closed by the technique.

Still distracted by the pain, he charged forwards towards the Hollow that had dismembered him.

Suddenly, his world turned sideways and he felt the large presence of the Hollow looming over him. His entire right side was screaming at him in pain, large claw marks littered his wounded frame, as he lay bleeding on the ground.

“It was all over so quickly” Bartholomew thought, before catching himself mentally, “No! Not now! For I will show you The Third Truth!” he shouted, raising his Reiatsu levels.

Pouring a massive portion of his Reiatsu into this technique, he felt the presence of the Hollow leave the immediate vicinity.

Getting to his feet quickly, he winced at the pain from his arm, his right side and his foot. He’d sustained a lot of damage and needed to retreat quickly, lest the Hollow come back and finish him off.

-

Jack was on top of the world. He’d never felt more powerful, as he clawed the silly not-human who rushed at him. Jack watched, elated as his prey fell and blood began to pool around him.

Not wasting the opportunity presented before him, Jack pounced on his prey, firmly planting his body over the little man, while digging his tail into one of his prey’s feet.

Jack would not let such valuable prey slip away from him. It was obvious this non-human was powerful. It didn’t take a great leap of logic to think that he had lots of blue essence to devour.

With the thought of consuming his prey firmly in his mind, the chatter in his head had reduced to slightly above normal levels.

As Jack prepared to end the life of his adversary and devour him, something strange began to happen.

“No! Not now! For I will show you The Third Truth!” the not-human cried, as a massive buildup of pressure occurred.

One moment, Jack was looming over his foe, ready to deliver the finishing strike. The next, he was flying into the air above the trees.

If the voices in his head were shouting at him in fear before, they were screaming deliriously at this point.

He couldn’t move, as he was levelling out on his impromptu trip into the air, peaking at 100 feet high.

Jack couldn’t think. The voices in his head were too loud. Their incessant chattering had become screaming.

He just wanted them to shut up, so he reached passed them, into the depths of his mind.

…He’d stopped falling.

Looking around, Jack realised he was standing - standing - in mid-air.

As soon as he touched the swirling blue essence in his mind, he’d felt more powerful than ever before, and now he’d accessed it again, in an attempt to stifle the screaming in his head.

Growling in delight, he immediately scanned for his prey.

…There! He could see the little man moving as fast as his wounded body could take him, out of the edge of the wooded area and towards the houses of the nearby town.

Taking a tentative step forwards, Jack felt the air beneath his foot solidify. Grinning ecstatically, he started walking, then running before finally jumping and gliding towards his prey.

-

As Jack landed on Bartholomew, his tail immediately struck the Shinigami in the legs, slicing through muscle and tendons alike, rendering them useless and causing blood to spurt everywhere.

As the pool of blood quickly grew around his downed body, Bartholomew choked out his last words: “I-… I h-have served as a faith-… faithful Shinigami, and I.. I am… C-content with that.”

The word seemed to strike a chord in Jack’s mind. Shinigami. He had heard the not-human say that word earlier.

Speaking his first words since he had died, Jack opened his mouth and with a deep, gravelly tone, spoke: “You are an interesting prey, little Shinigami. You are powerful and I will consume that power for myself.”

Not giving him another second to think, Jack lifted his right paw, mauling the side of Bartholomew’s face, before decapitating him with a slash to the neck.

Revelling in the ecstasy he felt, Jack eagerly consumed the Shinigami’s life-force, draining the dying body of its Reishi.

-