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Soul Tokens
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"Take a deep breath" His mother's words echo in his mind as he sat concentrating. His blade in front of him was stabbed into the wooden floor with his right hand on top of the pommel. Legs crossed, he could feel himself begin to drift in and out of consciousness, his mind wandering as to what his zanpakuto would be like. As his breathing began to slow he could feel the heat emanate from around him. Sticky, unnatural heat radiated from the palm of his now sweat-drenched hand and snaked all the way around his body.
His eyes shot open and darted around. He was no longer in his room, instead, the once sun-filled sky was covered in smog and ash as he stood upon a volcano. He stumbled back, falling to the ground, his heart beating quickly as he looked down at the magma below. He couldn't move, his body shaking in fear of falling into the depths. What would kill him first? The fall or the magma. He couldn't bear to think of it anymore, so he finally got to his feet, making sure not to step forward. He took a deep breath and began to turn but all of a sudden he was falling. He had felt a hand on his chest seconds before and now he was tumbling down, backward into the volcano and he couldn't stop it.
THUD! His back smacked against the magma but, it was solid. He sat up and looked down, slowly getting to his feet. There was magma below him, but it wasn't liquid. There was something invisible between him and it. He turned around, his eyes taking in every rock and crevice of the volcano, hoping to find someone or something to explain what was happening.
He was alone. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find the words. He tried again only for nothing. Alone and silent. Was this a test? If so, what was it? To see how long he could sit in silence, or maybe it was to see if he can get out. He looked up but all he could see was darkness. Ash had blackened the sky completely and the only light was from the magma below.
He began to make his way towards the rock in front of him, he had already taken in his entire surroundings and maybe with a bit of luck, he could scale the volcano and make his way up and out. He placed his hand on the crust and it was met by laughter. He wasn't alone, but where was it coming from? He spun around, trying to see if there was any sign of life, but it was just as empty as it once was. He opened his mouth again, hoping that the words would come to him, but they didn't. Hopelessness began to take over. Wherever he was, he couldn't escape. He reached into his shihakusho and removed his shark-tooth pendant and began twirling it in between his fingers. "I'm sorry dad." His thoughts echoed throughout the chamber, and it wasn't just sounding in his mind.
"Hello," He thought, the words manifesting outwardly and was met with a "Hello Caius" back. The voice was low and sultry and out from the crust of the volcano in front of him came a woman dressed in red. Two large, rainbow-hued wings spread out from her back dropping feathers as she walked, her blonde hair dancing like embers with every step.
Posted : October 4, 2022 10:29 am
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Soul Tokens
Topic starter
His heart began to race as the woman inched closer. The smell of cinders emanated from her, but it wasn't bad, it actually reminded him of home nestled up on the sofa. She stopped a couple of inches from him and looked up and down before letting out a soft sigh. "Not impressed?" She asked playfully. "What is this place?" He thought, the words still echoing throughout the volcano the minute they entered his mind. "A volcano" She responded jokingly causing him to roll his eyes.
"I meant why am I here?"
"You don't know?"
Caius rubbed the bridge of his nose, he wouldn't get anywhere asking mundane questions as they would just be answered with either more questions or stupid obvious answers. "I was pushed" His thoughts were pointed, and his eyes narrowed as he suspected the woman in front of him. "No, you fell" She retorted, her hand reaching up to touch her chin with one finger as she pondered.
"You wanted to be down here" She spoke as she began to walk around him, her wings brushing up against his arms causing an immense amount of heat around his body. "You thought you would be alone, so your body forced itself down." She placed a hand on his right shoulder as she stood behind him. She moved in closer, whispering in his ear "I'm sorry"
He jumped forward, his hand resting on his blade as he turned to face her, his face red as his heart raced to prepare for a fight. "Oh no, no, no" She waved her hands in front of her as she shook her head. "We won't fight. I'm here to give you answers" She placed her hands behind her back, feathers drifting to the ground as she began to rock back and forth."You are in your inner world," She said, moving her head to look around herself. "A volcano symbolizes how you wish to be alone. Surrounded by a thick crust, sheltering your warm interior" She moved to the right, resting her hand on the crust of the volcano before giving a soft sigh. "You want to get closer to people, but they are intimidated by you. Expecting you to erupt any moment" She continued, her head looking down at the magma below. "I'm not gonna erupt," He thought finally, his eyes not fixated on the ground. "I just don't know how to be around people" his thoughts softer now as he removed his hand from his blade and lowered it to his side.
"Do you trust me?" The woman asked, reaching her hand out to Caius abruptly and as he reached for it the ground beneath him cracked sending him into the fiery depths below. He began to panic, why would she do this? His body began to flail as he could feel his flesh begin to tear from his skin. Except, it wasn't. There was no heat or fire. No flesh being melted from his bone and certainly no need to flail. It was calming, soothing even. His body floating in the depths of magma began to ease as the tension he felt went away.
Memories began to flood his mind. On his first day at the academy, no one would talk to him. He could hear people whispering about him and laughing at him. However, he didn't care. He was going to pass and he would show them. Yes, he may have looked spoilt but everything he got he had gotten himself. A young man walked up to him, about to reach for his shoulder to talk to him but they had gotten scared and turned back. Caius didn't realize this, but maybe he was putting off an aura about him that drove people away.
During the graduation ceremony, no one congratulated him or approached him. He had a table all to himself because he had no friends or anyone for that matter to sit with him. He originally thought it was fine, they were jealous of his success, but now he felt sad. "Why am I alone?" He asked himself. "Why do I turn people away?" The thoughts began to flood his mind, the magma began to stir as the heat finally began to appear.
"Why did no one congratulate me?"
"Why does no one want to talk to me?"
"Why won't no one approach me?"
The magma began to boil and crash against the walls as his thoughts began to increase. The lava began to rise causing the woman to fly upwards and out of the mouth of the volcano. The heat began to eat away at Caius, but he didn't care. The heat was the only thing there, the only thing that would approach him would touch him. So what if he burned now, it's not like anyone would care. No one would probably realize.
"Solitude isn't a bad thing"
"I don't need praise"
"I've done everything myself"
"I don't need anyone"
The lava shot up as the volcano erupted, sending Caius into the sky. Embers filled the sky as Caius stood airborne, his body emblazed in heat. The woman looked at him, her eyes filled with glee as Caius' body began to heal from the heat and instead accept it. "You no longer pity yourself?" She asked, watching the embers fall from the sky as the lava escaped down the mouth of the volcano. "You always seek praise, but you need to praise yourself first" She smiled as she flew towards the man, feathers dropping into the volcano.
"I shall give you a sample of my power. When you begin to fully accept yourself and how gifted you are. You will get stronger both mentally and physically" The girl inched forward, her lips warm against Caius' skin as she placed a kiss on his cheek before whispering her name in his ear. "Jigoku no Shukufuku"
His eyes burst open as his body rose to insane temperatures. He was back in his room, his blade neatly resting on his lap shimmering as the break of the day hit it in just the right spot to illuminate his features. He didn't recall setting his blade on his lap, in fact, the mark from where he had stabbed it into the wood was still visible, but here it was. Maybe someone saw him meditating and moved it? Or maybe it had moved on its own, he couldn't be sure.
He grabbed his blade and placed it neatly into its scabbard as he let out a yawn. Rubbing his eyes a surge of heat came from his right hand, looking down at it, it was red like fire. Did resting his hand on his blade do that? It didn't hurt much, but maybe he should avoid touching his blade on the pommel from now on. He got up and looked upward "Jigoku no Shukufuku" He whispered. "Such a pretty name."
He grabbed his blade and placed it neatly into its scabbard as he let out a yawn. Rubbing his eyes a surge of heat came from his right hand, looking down at it, it was red like fire. Did resting his hand on his blade do that? It didn't hurt much, but maybe he should avoid touching his blade on the pommel from now on. He got up and looked upward "Jigoku no Shukufuku" He whispered. "Such a pretty name."
Posted : October 6, 2022 10:16 pm