Fantasia Nevermore [2015 Revamp] [APPROVED 0-5++]

» Name: Fantasia Nevermore

» Race: Substitute Shinigami

» Age: 17

» Gender: Female

» Personality:

• Curiosity: Fantasia is a very inquisitive soul, always pushing forward for exploration, investigation, and learning. Looking at the facts; she was a small town human girl thrust into the overwhelming secret world of Souls—Shinigami, Hollows, and Demons, oh my. There is a thirst of knowledge about her to discover what the world truly has to offer, and she'll go at it eyes peeled and guns blazing. She won't always find what she's looking for, but that sure as hell won't stop her from trying. And as of her immediate being, curiosity is a major driving force behind Fantasia's antics and motives, second only to revenge.
  
  
• Oblivious: Fantasia Nevermore is not the brightest in the bunch, having lived a very sheltered life up until the tragedy of her family's death, and then after that she's never really acquired the knowledge and skills she's really needed past survival and combat. She had a goal—slaying Hollows—and developed herself to achieve that goal. Past that, she has nearly zero experience with anything. In fact, she is an incredibly dense individual, almost always missing any degree of subtlety or sarcasm. References go over her head, details are practically invisible to her, and her intuition goes about as far as she can sneeze. Yoruichi learned firsthand that she is very hard to teach due to this trait, as explaining complex ideas to her is a lesson in futility. Still, even despite this flaw, Fantasia progresses forward. She learns what she needs to if it's important.
  
  
• Vengeful: Ah, not the most pleasant of qualities about Fantasia; etched deep into the poor girl's mind are her tragic memories of loss, loss of her beloved parents. To hollows they perished in the most gruesome fashions, and such sights at such a young age were mortifying, shaping what would be of Fantasia's future self, for youth is the finest clay for molding. A lust for revenge would beset itself in Fantasia, a deeply inlying need for retribution, a goal to kill any and all hollows that she possibly can. Even as she moves to reform herself, this deep-seated hatred still lingers within her and brings a sickening feeling into the pit of her stomach every time she even thinks about Hollows.
  
  
• Respectful: Whereas Fantasia holds only contempt for Hollows, she holds respect for the Shinigamis that have saved her life in the past, overly grateful for the chances at life they allowed, and in awe over the great power they possessed. She holds respect for those who have passed into the afterlife due to the actions of the Hollows, by wearing only black clothing in a state of constant symbolic mourning; such an act has been traditional in her home town of Irokisa. She respects her elders and mentors as they are superior... Rubeus, her first mentor hadn't let her down even in their last moments together. She will strive to show the same respect to any future mentors that take her up as a student. And the elderly who have acquitted prestigious positions and lived through life for so long are more than deserving of Fantasia's respect; she is likely to defer to such people.
  
  
• Bipolar: Though it could hardly be called a disease in Fantasia's special case, the girl's shattered soul has a vivid effect on her personality, causing it to sometimes enter states of being that are prone to mood swings. Extreme, rapid changes of emotion with little to no explanation—it is not always easy dealing with the multiplicity of identity within her mind. One wisp of herself can at any time be feeling a certain emotion and overpower Fantasia, causing the swift swing in nature. This factor of her has been contributing to her distance from normal people, estranging her like the lone wolf. But the truth is, as long as she holds her Anima Stone close she is never alone. One thing should be said: This trait can make for interesting conversation on the occasion.
  
  
• Outspoken: Another reason why Fantasia doesn't make any friends is this odd mental illness caused by the fractional state of her soul. Sometimes, without being able to help herself, she will speak her mind aloud about what should have stayed in thought form. This strange antic makes her talkative to begin with, as her thoughts generally reign free through her mouth. It also makes her a pretty damn honest person, only because it's so hard to make a lie with this tendency. Forthright and expressive, Fantasia does not hide within her mind even if her words are harsh or critical. Let it be known though, that she is not incapable of hiding her thoughts away...
  
  
• Tenacious: Like a leaden bus plowing through all obstacles, Fantasia is a determined soul. It is her perseverance that helps hold together the individual shards of her damaged Soul, and thus what creates this harmony between her and her army of doppelgangers. From her roots, she was always a strong girl, picking her goals and striving for them no matter what. And she has shown to be resolute even in the face of failure; in the face of loss and defeat. Further securing obstinate antics are her duplicates, ever present and willing to help her in her tasks. With the strength of a hundred... there's a point A and a point B, and it's doubtful that there's anything gonna stop her from reaching that second point.
  
  
• Graceful: Graceful in victory, graceful in defeat, graceful in form. In more ways than one, Fantasia carries this trait. It is not obligatory for her to show honor and respect to those who contest her irregardless of victory or loss, but she appreciatively chooses to. She has a disposition to be generous and helpful to those who need it, even should they shun her for her strange personality. In another form of the word, Fantasia shows grace in movement and in combat. There is a beauty about her style that seems effortless, though perhaps only those respecting the way of the sword would notice it.
  
  
• Haunted: Her past was unforgettable, burned into her mind with a scorching hot brand. There isn't a day that goes by in which Fantasia doesn't think of her lost family or of the malignant Hollows that caused their deaths. She is plagued by these tragic memories in times of weakness, oft shifting her mood for the worse, whether it be vehemence or sadness displayed. There are many triggers that end up causing a sudden recall of these memories in Fantasia, the biggest one being Hollows of course. And my is it not pleasant when that happens.
  
  
• Likes: Shinigamis (Yoruichi especially, though she doesn't know her by name), Company, Swordplay, Revenge, The Color Black, Her Mentors, Lightning, Creatures with Wings, Song
  
  
• Dislikes: Hollows, Loneliness, Area of Effect Attacks, Threats

» Appearance: Let's start with the certain qualities of Fantasia that are particularly static at this point of her life: She is an average five foot and six inch tall female with a thin frame that boasts agility and alacrity. Despite being thin, there is a toughness in the girl's arms and legs that signifies strength. There is very little fat as muscle overtakes most of the mass. It is a combination of her childhood lessons and most recent lone training that gives her this attribute. The girl's weight is also below average with one-hundred and seventeen pounds—a majority of muscle as well. It could be said her kind belonged with the elves, when one took a vacuous look at her. A slinky waist, just barely qualifying her body as a visage of an hourglass. It is clear her chest has begun developing for her transition into womanhood, but it has fallen in line with the wizened figure she possessed, keeping small well enough.

Fantasia's face is a reflection of her elfin body; a narrow ovoid shape with a pointed chin, albeit a pair of soft and smooth cheekbones. Thinly-plucked eyebrows adorned the top of her face, curving delicately above the cloudy blue eyes that spoke a story of youthful enthusiasm, yet somewhat plagued by a deep dark past. Her celestial nose is the definition of petite, even though most of Fantasia's image already is. Paired with thin lips that lie unpainted on her face, it was generally held in a tight line that was seconds away from an innocent smile as it was a slight frown. Perhaps the oddest feature about her is the dark blue color her hair's taken. Under close study it seems to be natural, but it was not the blonde she was born with. Her hair naturally grows fast, but only up to a point, so Fantasia has long given up trying to cut it. It's long and straight down the length of her back, while bangs adorn over her forehead.

While clothing is subject to change always, she has a signature outfit she likes to call her hero's outfit: royal blue robes with golden trimming, then lightly armored where it does not sacrifice mobility. A belt hangs around her waist so that she may sheathe her blade, while a cape flows down her back merely for aesthetic purposes. Her choice of footwear involves high boots that extend above her knees, and are fairly malleable. In dark blue, fingerless gloves warm her palms with fine fabric, and stretch up nearly to her elbow underneath her sleeves. This outfit is representative of an aged nobility, regal in texture but clearly made for a champion warrior.

» Height: 5 feet and 6 inches.

» Weight: 117 pounds

THE BACKGROUND

Fantasia's past is a story of deprivation, of determination, and the inspiration to become something more. All are souls in this world, but Fantasia's shattered spirit puts her in an entirely different class. Beginnings, as per usual, were humble for the young child. In the small detached town of Irokisa, she was born but a normal soul to the Nevermore couple of Lilianne and Ganbaatar. Lilianne was an onyx-haired beauty full of compassion and caring. She possessed a stunning quality of empathy, primarily the factor for marrying Ganbaatar in the first place. Ganbaatar was a dusty brown-haired fellow of simple needs, living with bare bone essentials in the oft-avoided town of Irokisa. He never expected to have found love in somewhat like Lilianne, but the chance was given, and love bloomed.

As aforementioned, Fantasia was born to the pair. This duo raised her with healthy morals and set noble examples for her as she grew up. Despite the shanty-town of a place they called home, the family was able to get through the times graciously without relying on Yen. It was the perfect equation for a bright and sunny childhood, but things could not be so simple for long regarding the young child; her life would take sharp turns unforeseen in the warm shack they resided in, reading stories together by the fireplace. No, not in a place like this. Irokisa was bound for the Hollows, once it was clear the protection here was slim. Hollows; one key of many to Fantasia's identity.

One would think the place safe: the population was meager, and those occupying the grisly place possessed souls lacking in taste, at least for those who would devour them. But the Shinigami's were an extreme issue for the Hollows, and in the isolated town of Irokisa, it was very unlikely that one would even appear and if they did, whether it would be a hasty response or not. Lastly, like beggars in the haggard slums of a city, they could not simply choose their meals. The insatiable Hollows eventually found Irokisa a prime target for meal time, and the first attacks were calamitous for the denizens...

When the Hollow appeared before Fantasia's very eyes, she was only six. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and her parents jumped away in surprise with shocked expressions written over their faces. The beast looked humanoid, wearing a deathly black cloak of some kind, and a bleach white mask depicting a sort of monster you would only see in a nightmare. She pointed at the demonic entity and kept on screaming and screaming. Her parents tried as they might to console her, but Fantasia just kept screeching in terror. Why weren't her parents noticing the beast? Why wasn't anybody? Everyone was staring rather at her, including the expressionless dark holes of the masked one that made for eyes. For a second the beast seemed to contemplate Fantasia's reaction, but that second quickly passed as the chaos began.

Fire. So much fire. The buildings spat flame out of their windows as the heat overfilled the insides; the tar of the streets melted into a sticky black liquid as the fire streaked violently across it. They did not see it coming, the poor citizens of Irokisa, even though Fantasia had. What they did see was the fire, but it was too late by then. Too many had burned... in fact, Fantasia and her mother were forced to witness as Ganbaatar became the first victim of the Hollow's torment. Lilianne tried to cover Fantasia's eyes but it was for naught. They fled the open streets to get away from the spitfire created by this Hollow, with the burning image of the man they both loved in their own way, scarred into their minds. Eventually the Shinigamis would arrive, but the damage had been done. Fantasia screamed herself into unconsciousness, a coma from which she would not recover until a few days.

After that day they did not speak of the man again, as though it were an unspoken rule. The stories were rare and no longer possessing that joyous note. Both of them were locked in a solace of grievance for the following year. Hollows would come again, but often time would run into a prepared Shinigami. No one noticed the passing of these souls when no damage was done. Not even Fantasia did, as she secluded herself to the indoors for the entirety of the year, even as Lilianne needed to leave for work and grocery. It was a short time of a peace, a somber tranquility that did good for the broken child. It was only after the anniversary of the attack had passed that Fantasia was able to overcome her depression. She pushed herself, as inspiration took hold of her one fateful day.

"Child, you're only seven," came the strong baritone voice. As he turned around to face Fantasia, it felt like looking up to a giant, his shadow encompassing her entire stature. He had shaggy brown hair mopped over a contrastingly chiseled face, broad and powerful. She distinctly remembered the rough shave he had on at that time, one that older woman might find attractive. Fantasia stood before him for a different reason, that being seeking his instruction and training. When Fantasia kept her silence and maintained a strong erect stance in front of him, showing that she would not back down from this, he continued. "I don't think you should be messing with weapons like blades, or weapons at all for that matter. You should go back home, Fantasia."

He knew her name. This was a small town, and such a fact was not extraordinary. But she was furiously and stubbornly holding her ground. "I was the only one who saw the demon, but I couldn't do anything! I couldn't protect Ga—... him, from the demon." So small, yet the girl's voice boasted exceptional volume and power, something unexpected from the broken girl she had been mere days before. This man, Rubeus by name, took surprise but still pointed out the reality of the situation, and discarded the wild belief of a demon having started the fire. Fantasia's response was vehement: "You weren't there!" she screamed, and the two pairs of eyes leered at each other with stunning intensity. Silence ensued.

The truth was, Rubeus was as compassionate as Lilianne was. He was a stone giant with warm heart, especially for this misfortunate youth who lost her father so early in life. He kneeled to better equalize the height difference between the two of them, and met her defiant expression with a suddenly consoling grin. "You think you can become strong enough to slay demons with a sword? You think you have such power in you?" The question was promptly answered by the young girl with a booming 'Yes'! With utter conviction she believed she could acquire the power to protect the ones she loved. Rubeus acted out of the kindness of his heart, taking her up as a student initially just because of his sympathy.

As time passed, it became apparent that Fantasia's lessons were transitioning from acts of pity into genuine training sessions. She showed definite talent with the Gladius, considered a light sword compared to the other variants, but cumbersome enough for a youngling like Fantasia. Despite that weight, there was an unrefined grace and vigor about the way she swung the sword, that showed enough promise to convince Rubeus of her beliefs. Months would pass as Rubeus pushed Fantasia forth, faster than any student he had ever instructed. None of them had ever had the sheer dedication to train like this before, and it was refreshing. No, he still didn't believe that wildfire was crafted a by a nonsensical demon as Fantasia had tried to tell him, but he did believe he could make her strong.

When Fantasia turned eight, it was clear what effect her training was having on her body. Muscle was building up in her arms in legs, and she was losing the chubbiness of her youth to her brutal self-imposed exercise. But while at home and not distracted by her mentor Rubeus, her mind was allowed to wander. Sometimes it steered clear of the mine field that was her tragic past... sometimes it did not. One sad night, as she and her mother sat together to eat, Fantasia had begun to simply pick at her food absently. When Lilianne finally noticed her aloofness, she begged the question of what's wrong. Her response, deathly silent as a whisper, was "Why did he have to die?" At first Lilianne hadn't heard, and so more loudly she repeated the question. "Why did he have to die?!" And like a dam giving way to water, the tears began to flow.

But Lilianne was already pulling her into her lap, holding her and whispering consolation to her. Most people would not know the answer to the question, but Lilianne knew what to say. "No, Fan, he did not need to die, but I know him. I know he wouldn't have wanted us to die with him that day, and the fire had come close. In fact, I'm sure he did something the moment he passed away, something that kept the flames away from me and you." Fantasia looked up with moist wide eyes, surprised at the thought of that. Lilianne would stroke her daughter's cheek softly as she continued. "He loved you very much, and wanted you to stay alive more than he. And when the time comes, where you grow up and live your life, you will be reunited with your father, and me as well. And we'll all be together once again. How does that sound?"

It was something Fantasia needed to hear, especially then. Her spirit was beginning to recover from the traumatic experience, and things were finally looking up again. For the next few years she would continue her lessons with Rubeus, gradually transitioning to heavier and heavier blades to work with. She enjoyed the time she had with Lilianne and her compassionate tendencies. And Hollows had stopped attacking... however, that last fact had deceived the Shinigami into a false sense of security. It was only a matter of time before the Hollows figured out that they were not dutifully watching of Irokisa anymore. And when, not if, it happened, everything Fantasia had begun to heal would fall to pieces, and end up worse than before.

The afternoon lit up with screams, terrible terrible screams. The Nevermore family could hear it as they had dinner, and it was enough for them to become curious enough for investigation. And as Fantasia walked out the door of their humble abode, deja vu struck with excruciating force. Frozen in place, she was now witnessing another hollow. It was like a giant snake covered in black wraps, and it possessed a sinister white mask just like the first hollow. Just like the first, it looked at her in a moment of contemplation, or at least she thought it did. But the next thing she knew, everything was playing in slow motion, including the blood-curdling screech that came from the woman beside her. A scream like just the rest. As Fantasia slowly turned her head toward her mother, she instantly regretted it.

Agony assaulted the poor girl as she laid her eyes on the gruesome sight. From every pour of her body, blood began flow out of her as her body wrinkled up like a used wrapper. Stuttering flashbacks of her father on fire shifted back and forth in place of her mother, doubling the pain that stabbed through her gut and heart. She had to jerk her head away from it all, and the world would deafen itself to her, quieting her mother's scream. She opened her mouth to yell, but nothing came out. She closed her eyes, but it only magnified the terrible images she was witnessing in her mind. As hope was draining out of her, Fantasia forced a burst of hatred and determination up, and started rushing toward the serpentine Hollow. She had it in her head to kill this thing with bare hands, and the Hollow shifted its attention to the young girl, preparing to unleash the same blood magic it had released on her mother...

A crack sounded in the sky, like lightning. But there was no storm, no clouds. Something came down though, and it crashed right into the top of the Hollow's head with an impact so hard that the tremors could be felt in the ground below. A plume of debris rose, and dust clouds shot outward from the site of impact, knocking Fantasia back clear off of her feet, onto her back with a rough thud. The particles filled her lungs and sent her into a fit of coughing and hacking, all while she tried to recover her standing. She pitifully waved her hand like a fan as though it would blow away the dust, but eventually it would settle by itself and grant Fantasia a clear view of what had happened. No longer did the beastly Hollow stand—it was crumpled up in the crater now existing in the middle of the street, seemingly dead. A dozen meters up above it, just floating there in the air, was a purple-haired woman with dark skin.

Yoruichi being her name, she turned to scan the town for the destruction it had caused. Bloody corpses lay strewn throughout the streets and most people had fled the site of the deaths in fear. But she was surprised to look down and see the young blonde child standing hardly far at all, looking straight at her. Now, normal humans would not be able to see her, or the hollow for that matter, but this young one was clearly looking directly at her. Several feet behind her was the dead body of Lilianne Nevermore, and she felt a pang of pity for the girl, knowing what she must have witnessed. "I'm sorry, child," she said, knowing that the girl would hear her. With that, she shot high into the sky and away from this place. Fantasia try as she might to crane her head high enough to track the mystery woman's flight, but something snapped, and she fell to the ground unconscious.

Fantasia awoke to a cotton warmth, and opened her eyes as she pushed herself up. She was in a... a bed, tucked underneath a duo of blankets and resting against some soft pillows. To her side, morning sunrise light shone through the blinds of the room's only window, casting a yellowish orange light across the room. Given her poor stature, the sleep was comfortable to say the least. There were no nightmares this night, and in fact she got through the sleep in a state of dreamlessness. The thing was, she had awaken in a stranger's house, and a bedroom that was not her own. That begged the question where she was. Still clothed in yesterday's grimy apparel, she made her way out of bed and upright, trying her best to shake off the morning grogginess. She quietly shuffled out of the door, to find the one man she needed at that time.

She buckled down to her knees, placing her face in her hands and sobbing as hard as she possibly could, releasing all the sadness that had pent up the prior day. Rubeus immediately stopped what he was doing and ran to Fantasia to wrap his arms around her and offer whatever consolation he could. For several minutes this situation persisted, a sad time indeed. Not until at least five minutes did the young girl think of quieting down, but when she did it was pure silence that now pervaded the room, besides her occasional sobbing gasp. Rubeus whispered his condolances for the loss of her parents, but he himself was in an odd position. Before Fantasia had entered the room, he had been packing his belongings into a travel suitcase. He did not know what to do with the girl if he did not plan to take her with him. He had also never experienced parenthood, which further explained his discomfort with the situation. He was compassionate all right, but he truly could not take Fantasia with him. He could not support her as well as himself.

"I'm sorry," Rubeus finally finished in a low hearty voice, before standing and returning to packing his things. Fantasia would look up with teary eyes for a moment, understanding what he was doing. Exasperated, she accused him; "You're leaving?!" to which he answered affirmatively. "But this is your home! You can't just go! And what about me?!" Rubeus' expression was austere, as he knew this conversation was going to have to happen the moment he took her off the beaten streets and gave her a proper place to rest. He exhaled and focused back on Fantasia. Sometimes, life was just not fair.

"I must... we must go. You remember when you told me that a demon caused that fire in the streets? Well now—and maybe I'm out of my mind for this—I believe you. Because what happened yesterday was not natural, with people just dying in such a way..." He shook his head when he recalled what he had seen, before continuing. "Whatever it is, this place is not safe; not right. There is no more business for my dojo here anymore. And it's not only me... everyone is leaving now. You should too." There was pause, after which Fantasia posed the question, "Are you taking me with you?" It was so unfortunate then, and almost painful, that Rubeus had to shake his head in response.

"W-What? What am I supposed to do?! What about my training? What about my family?" Rubeus cringed away from the tiny yet fierce voice coming out of Fantasia. He was silent for a moment, and his eyes glanced at the silver glimmer in the corner of his eye. Hanging on the wall was a sword passed down through his family, something that he knew wouldn't continue since he would not find love. But he took a long look at the weapon, and walked toward it with solemn slowness. He gripped the the handle of the blade and unhinged it from the wall, waving it around through the air as if to test it. After that, she walked toward the young Nevermore with sword in hand, bringing it above his head... And he cut the tension as he brought the tip plowing down into the wooden floor before Fantasia, causing her to jump. "Pull the sword out," he commanded.

Fantasia didn't bother arguing, and she wrapped her hands around the grip and started pulling it her way. The sword hardly bowed, and certainly did not dislodge itself from the floorboards; it had pierced the ground pretty deep. So she got up, and took a firmer grip. With all her strength she pulled and pulled, and after a quick moment the blade came loose and she stumbled back a step, surprised at how heavy the sword was in her hand. As soon as she had succeeded, Rubeus barked another command at her, "Now perform the first form, just like I showed you." One of his early lessons—Rubeus taught her certain successions of swings, that were just like dances in Fantasia's perception. She hesitantly started the graceful feat of swordsmanship, performing it in utter silence while her mentor watched. She tried her best to keep her movements fluid...

When the silence drew on too long, Fantasia stopped and began to inquire about why she was doing this, but Rubeus interrupted and told her to continue the form until it was done. Puzzled, she completed her task, and ended it with a bow toward him. Rubeus had seen what he needed. "There is nothing more I can teach you young Fantasia. That sword is a Claymore, one of the heaviest and most powerful swords in existence, and you have just shown me that you can wield it with adequate grace and finality. You are only ten years old, and you have shown more skill than I ever could have dreamed of. I am so proud of you, Fantasia." He put his hand on her head, and rustled her hair like Ganbataar used to do... a warm sentiment. "I cannot take you with me, Fantasia. But I know you can find your own path now... I know it."

So that was what it came to. Fantasia stood on the doorstep, watching the man depart from the house that was now no longer his. She held his family's sword by her side, now able to call it her own; a parting gift. She watched the horizon until she could no longer see the giant of a man, and with great finality, she realized she was truly alone now. She looked around the block, noticing that Rubeus wasn't the only one with the idea to leave. Adults and children alike were departing from their homes, or packing so that they could in time. Fantasia, though, would return indoors, choosing not to go back to her own home and be reminded of the loss of her parents. She was in a state of indecision, simply allowing time to pass her by, every day peeking out the window to see yet another family leaving Irokisa in the dust. Sometimes she was afraid she would see another hollow, but every time that thought came across her mind, something in the corner of her eye would draw her attention and she would jerk her head in that direction to catch a brief glimpse of a woman's figure, just floating in the sky and watching over her. Or perhaps it was her imagination, recalling the purple-haired one again and again. She could not tell.

Though she did not allow the weeks to pass with lethargy; Rubeus had told her that her swordsmanship was adequate, and adequate was not good enough for her. She needed to become unmatched, so that she could defeat every Hollow that ever threatened her, or that ever threatened anybody. So she would practice all of her forms with the claymore, and attack the various inanimate objects within the house with the weapon for training. Then for exercise she would do push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks by the hundreds. Every day she felt as though she had not improved, she would double the number of reps she would perform the next day and from then on. If she so much as stumbled or dropped her sword while practicing one of her forms, she would repeat her set of exercise immediately as punishment. She was no slacker.

But while she showed her strength during the day, her weakness came out at night, crying herself to sleep almost every time. The only good nights were dreamless ones, because whenever the dreams came, they swiftly distorted into nightmares. It was often that she dreamed too, causing her to be afraid of sleeping to the point of losing sleep throughout the entire night. How long would this pitiful loop continue on? A full month, it appeared, as it came close to Fantasia's eleventh birthday. She would find herself under her blankets but unable to fall to sleep. She was sobbing into her hands, tormented by her very memories of love and loss—a typical night it seemed. But through the girl's finger shined a glimmer that caught her by surprise. She brought her hands away from her face to see the source of the sudden light, and it appeared to be originating from her claymore resting against the wall across the room. A sapphire light was pulsing from the cross guard quite sporadically, painting the walls blue with each oscillation.

From what Fantasia could tell, as she drew out from under the sheets and closer to the blade, was that there now happened to be a blue gem embedded into her weapon; it had never been there before. As she crawled closer to it, the faster and brighter the gem began to pulse, and the dimmer and more ethereal the rest of the world around it became. When she was at the edge of the bed, she gained a state of weightlessness as she was now thrust into a void who's only occupants were Fantasia and her Claymore. A voice invaded her mind, sounding so familiar, "You are not alone." Just like that, the gem expelled a blue mist that quickly took the form of Fantasia herself. Within seconds she was looking at a complete copy of herself. "You have us," it said, as two more doppelgangers were brought into existence around her.

At first she was obviously confused by these events, thinking this was all just in her imagination. "B-But... you're just me. You're not real." They certainly looked real, flesh and blood copies of her. The first clone responded, as the Earth returned to reality, and the laws of space returned to her perception. And it became clear that they were real and present within her world. "We are real, Fantasia, and we are all you. We, together!" One tilted her head at her, another gave her a small smile. They were present not just in reality, but in her mind. For something unique had occurred to Fantasia, and that was the shattering of her soul. It had not been destroyed, but simply split into many many pieces. These clones were all her, and it was because of that that she easily accepted this truth of "We", not "I".

She slept in good dreams that night, and woke the following morning with a conviction in her mind. She dressed all in black, in respect for those who have died around her, and she packed lightly for the lone travels she planned to take, finally leaving her home town of Irokisa. Her Claymore... she found a black strap she could use to attach it to her back, and the weapon's respective scabbard. Only black clothing, she would take with her for apparel; but she was not picky with the food, taking what she could to survive out there alone. By noon that day before her birthday, Fantasia would be out of sight of the place. And thus would her four year journey to a better place begin. She walked across Japan from town to town, city to city, learning what she could and finding ways to survive to the next day. Never did her self-imposed training cease, and now she had her duplicates to always be there for her both in the physical and the ethereal.

By the time she had turned fifteen, and had followed the rumors of a safe place to the massive town of Karakura Central, Fantasia had become a new girl, almost a woman. She was incredibly fit, and well practiced with her clones though such prowess came almost naturally. As for company, the only company she kept were her clones; after all, her new strange personality estranged her from nearly everybody, not allowing her friends. But she had what she needed! And this Karakura Central... she felt as though she could and might settle down here for a new beginning. Maybe she could find somebody to continue her instruction, or perhaps help her with her newfound power.

This is Fantasia's continuing story of deprivation, of determination, and the inspiration to become something more. All are souls in this world, but Fantasia's shattered spirit puts her in an entirely different class. Her soul is in shards, all held together by one powerful epicenter. A motive of love, of determination, of vengeance...

» Part Two: Skip forward a few years, and much has happened to girl, both fortunate and woeful. Fantasia began her quest, or rather her crusade against the Hollows, while not being all too concerned with her actual life. She sought the strength and the will to defeat her dark foes, while only maintaining the minimum to survive as a human being. Despite that, she pressed on inhumanly, at an inexplicable pace. Residing in Kurakara, she trained by cleansing the outlands of the city of Hollowkind, and was tutored by the mentor of heroes herself, Yoruichi Shihouin at the same time. For a long while this was acceptable, and necessary for Fantasia to understand what she was up against. But as time moved on, it became clear that this cycle could not sustain itself.

Not all hollows nor Arrancar were inherently evil.

It was not a concept that Fantasia could understand. All she could think of was of the past that haunted her, and kept reminded her that it was Hollowkind that left her without a family. This past colored her judgment with unwavering bias, one that not even her childhood hero, Yoruichi, could turn. It was this subject that drove a wedge between student and teacher, and caused the Shinigami to question whether she herself was doing the right thing. It was Fantasia who spoke out first however, recognizing that Yoruichi did not see eye-to-eye with her and moving on without her instruction. To her relief, there was no lashback from her decision, and the two parted on peaceful terms. Fantasia ventured forth alone.

Hollows were slain by the hundreds, to the point where Fantasia was taking jaunts to Hueco Mundo to destroy hollows in their own home. Despite her resolute will to forge on, her blade would give out from the sheer overusage of it. The faithful weapon given to her by Rubeus had shattered into fragments in the middle of the fight, ejecting the Anima Stone forcefully. With her weapon destroyed, Fantasia was beaten badly by Hollows, nearly ending her life if it had not been for divine intervention. In the darkness that threatened to consume her, one ray of light shone down and blasted the infernal creatures away from her. Once again, Fantasia was saved by a power so much greater than her. She could only look up to the light in the sky and plea. She plead for something, anything, to help her find her way forward. She wanted retribution for the loss of her family and so many innocent lives. She wanted salvation from the suffering of her past. And she wanted the strength to carry on.

Then like a gift of the gods, a sword floated down to her. It looked to be forged by angel's hands. Amongst the scattered fragments of her old weapon, this new blade landed gently in the center. An energy like she'd not seen before summoned the remnants to its empty core, and combined them into one whole again. The weapon called to her in an irresistible voice, bringing strength to a worn down Fantasia. She reached out for the hilt and grasped it, beginning a new arc in her life as the power of the weapon surged into her. Contained within the weapon was the spirit of an ancient Shinigami, like a prisoner finally freed from his bars. This sword was his Zanpakutō, made like a living organism as he possessed it. As Fantasia beheld the stranger, his story flickered like lightning before her eyes, to only her eyes. A man who was once of the same mind as she was that moment; a warrior who saw only evil in these dark hollows, and fought amongst his brethren in the glory of battle against this enemy. There was no thought in the crusade, only bloodshed. It was through this shortsightedness that this Shinigami and his companions were caught overconfident, trapping themselves in the depths of Hueco Mundo and unable to beat back the waves of enemies. This one watched as his friends were slain, and though he fought valiantly, he knew he could not win against the onslaught. In a last ditch effort he trapped himself deep within the metals of his blade, hiding the presence of his soul from the simple-minded beasts that assailed him. They could not extract him from the weapon, but neither could he himself. He became buried within the sands of the great desert, and fell to the dark forest below where he was forced to slumber for centuries.

He would be trapped here, but he would not be still; he could not be. He would learn to live with his new form, and figure out how to sense his surroundings, and how to use this new body. There was an abundance of time for him to figure these things out, a grueling process indeed. During this time, however, he could not help but observe the world around him. He came to witness the coming of the Arrancar, and the effect they had on Hueco Mundo. What was once a realm of heedless beasts slowly began to transform as intelligence was introduced. As reason rose, it turned out that not all Arrancar were villainous, as they could resist their hunger for souls. The mere presence of them affected even the Hollows to a degree, and the Shinigami saw all of this. As he witnessed the transformation of a world, his own beliefs began to shift as well. By the time that he regained his ability to fight once again, he no longer possessed the desire to. Existing for so long in the home of the Hollows gave him insight he would not have otherwise had, and he grew a conscience for the race as a whole. What he learned to discard his biases and judge others by their actions and not their kind. Not every Hollow, nor every Arrancar was evil.

The Shinigami's mind clashed with Fantasia's immediately, violently. The woman resisted the conflicting viewpoint, but she could not deny what the man had viewed. The memories were real, and the experiences were powerful. She was trying to resist the mixture of consciousness even despite the facts. She grew up alone because of Hollows, and swore an oath of revenge against them. She'd slain hundreds upon hundreds of them without a second thought just like the Shinigami had before. So why had he defected? There was no immediate reconciliation of her actions; Fantasia viewed his choice as giving up, and fought the very concept that there were more to Hollows and Arrancar. Yet, her Anima Stone was bound to the sword, and he was in her head. Grabbing the sword caused a new power to flow into her, altering her hair to the dark blue that the Shinigami trapped within had, and altering her energy to reflect the spiritual energy of a Shinigami. With this new blade, Fantasia had become the next Substitute Shinigami, following Ichigo Kurosaka himself.

The stranger introduced himself as Varius Adelbrecht, long-former Vice Captain of the Ninth Division. He would explain to Fantasia the repercussions of their melding, much to her dismay. He told her that she had become a Shinigami in a human body, a very rare occurrence but not unheard of. He told her that his sword, the Paragon, was now her Zanpakutō, with himself as the spirit of the weapon. Her powers were enhanced and influenced by Varius, giving her the means to achieve even greater things than she had before. However, his memories had clearly affect her and her morality, making her question her role now. She wished revenge upon Hollowkind, but now she grew out of her oblivious shell and learned empathy... Was what she wanted truly justified? What if they were innocent: Was she the monster then? This was the moment of truth for her.

Would she let her past control her, or move on?

» Anima Stone Name: Legion

» Anima Stone Type: External

» Anima Stone Appearance: Fantasia's Anima Stone takes the form of a broken sapphire, appearing circular when put together, but instead possessing dozens of short sides. The pieces of the stone are translucent and gleam with miniature rainbows when light hits it at just the right angle, as if it were raining within the sapphire. The fragments are small but many, and often sharp like thorns. As Fantasia's power flows through it, the fragments come very close to each other as if they could become whole with just a gentle nudge, but not quite in contact with one another. Only in her penultimate form does the Anima Stone become whole. Normally, the various shards of the gemstone are suspended within the core of Fantasia's blade, very close to each other but never touching.

» Anima Stone Abilities: Not a second goes by where Fantasia doesn't posses her Anima Stone on her; it is the source of her power and the source of her sanity. Appropriately named Legion, the Anima Stone grants Fantasia a sense of many—that is, she is not one but several. She hosts within her mind a score of duplicates, which she can channel outside of her self into a personal army of clones. They share the same mind, same thought, same motives, but are able to act independently of each other. It brings new meaning to the phrase, "an army of one."

Due to the lifelong symbiosis with the stone, it also has a profound effect on her personality. As long as the sapphire is in close proximity to Fantasia, she can hear the voices and feel the presence of her duplicates. She refers to herself as we instead of I because of this. Though if the Anima Stone is taken far enough away from her, she loses contact with them, and her mind becomes more barren. Such a situation would cause Fantasia more than just discomfort, as she has come to a point where she depends on her sense of "We".

Now given that all of her abilities play off of this theme of clones, there must be a set standard for these clones: They exist physically, able to interact with the environment just as Fantasia herself can. They also can individually be injured and bleed like her as well. They all possess her looks and whatever she has on her at the moment, especially including the Paragon. More things they share are combative attributes such as speed, strength, and fighting style. Their minds are completely similar and are linked to each other in the form of a hive mind—boasting perfect synchronization. In tandem with that connection of the consciousness is a connection of the souls, for despite being many, they are still Fantasia as a whole. Thus, each body is just an outlet for who she is. If the life of one is extinguished, she persists through the others. If she uses an ability from one, then the energy of all it utilized. Each clone of Fantasia is an equal to the original, and honestly, no one entity has the right to call themselves the original.

The greater numbers Fantasia is able to bring out in clones, the stronger the Paragon and its possessor grows. As time passes on and Fantasia's numbers grow, the weapon imbues its wielder with a passive strength, speed, and reflex boost, while also increasing the sharpness, weight, and durability of the Paragon. Each clone in existence grants a boost of 25% speed, strength, and reflex to the wielder's current total capabilities at the time. Each clone will grant a boost of 50% sharpness, weight, and durability to each sword. It may not be so much a big deal to begin with, but it can quickly get out of control for any opponents if too many clones are spawned.

The Anima Stone also is the medium through which Fantasia is able to use Soul Sorcery and other human-related abilities, and is also where the majority of her energy comes from. Ever-present for the Legion and every copy of it, is a singularity for energy, sapping all nearby sources of energy that aren't its own. In a wide fifty meter radius of each Anima Stone, energy is drawn in by a slow but unyielding tug. The energy taken is not very much at all, and therefore the effect is almost irrelevant to those affected... by one clone alone. As the number of clones existing at once increases, the faster energy is sapped from valid targets. Five clones draining the energy of a man at once could be equivalent to the feel of a constant jog. Ten at once would deprive like a constant sprint. Hundreds, a rare but possible situation, could bring a being down to his knees in seconds, deprived of energy. Luckily the more targets there are to sap, the lesser the damage as the effect is equally distributed between them all.

A small, sometimes overlooked ability of this aura is the "energy metabolism" it comes with. The Anima Stone acts like a filter for the poisons and corruptions that may infect a given type of energy. This ability inputs a special system of metabolism within each stone, that breaks down foreign energies and takes only the necessary power, before expelling all negative compounds of the energy absorbed. This makes it so that tainted or poison energy types will not interfere with the clones systems, and that the energy taken in is fuel and nothing more. This also works for all of Fantasia's abilities that take in foreign energy, making sure that her most basic power is not her greatest downfall.

• Juxtaposition: The most common method in which Fantasia can generate a doppelganger of herself is by drawing the blood of another with the Paragon. In an unbiased fashion, the sword saps whatever energy it can from the wound and utilizes it to form a clone of herself nearby. The amount of energy needed is actually pretty small, and therefore it won't have too astounding an affect on the victim, though the loss will still be relevant. Clones can use this ability just as well as Fantasia herself, crafting a recipe for exponential power. An easier method, known as Second Wind can also generate clones, but at a slower rate. Should she miss an attack with the Paragon by no more than one foot, then it will draw in a very minute amount of energy from the nearby target as it passes by. Should this be done three times, enough energy will have been collected to perform Juxtaposition.
  
  
• Repercussion: A somewhat effortless method of producing clones, yet also a dangerous one; this is a defensive and passive technique that automatically activates when the original Fantasia is struck by an attack. Granted the attack actually presents enough force to damage her, 20% of the energy and force behind the attack will be nullified and absorbed for the sake of clone production. After the attack completes, a number of clones will jump out of the female's body based on the power of the attack. Something small and simple that would leave anything from a heavy bruise to a moderate laceration to a crack in the skeletal structure, would bring a single clone into being. An attack above that power, up to heavy lesion or broken bone or injured organ, would bring two clones into existence. And anything more fatal than that would bring four clones into play at a time. Note that even if an injury suffered may not be exactly as those listed above, that anything along the same degree would apply. There is one exception to this rule, and that is the rule of death. A dead entity will not spawn duplicates, therefore, the absorbed energy will go to waste. It should also be noted that if there are very many clones already in existence, that Fantasia's defensive potential is very high, making it less likely that enough damage will be caused to create more.
  
  
• Phantasmal Split: Alone, Fantasia is a mediocre fighter at best compared to the otherworldly beings that grace her planet with her. She relies on her duplicates, an army at her command, to oppose her enemies. There will be times when it is too difficult to perform Juxtaposition by herself, and therefore she will need a gracious start—Phantasmal Split is that start, a simple ability that instantly creates up to four clones nearby, ready to fight. This ability is not something that can be used continually as it has a cooldown of five posts minimum, universal for each duplicate.
  
  
• Mimeo Nixus: This ability is a very phlegmatic action, where Fantasia or any one of her clones takes the time to charge spiritual energy into a light blue sphere of visible energy in front of them, and then containing it within a defensive membrane one meter in diameter. This creation will float in place, passively stealing energy from any source in the exact same way the Anima Stone does, and using that energy to create a clone of Fantasia nearby once during each post, including the post that the Mimeo Nixus was created on. Now, this foundry of duplicates can be stopped by destroying the membrane and causing the contained energy to explode in every direction with destructive power, though stopping the production. However, this membrane is a regenerating shield meant to keep all physical and energy based attacks at bay, up to a point. Able to take up to the focused trauma in any one point of the shield that a foot thick plate of solid titanium could, and replenishing itself during any point where it goes a full post without being damaged in the same spot again adequately enough, destroying this can prove a problem. She can maintain any number of these clone generators at once as her enemies will allow, indefinitely. However, this ability has a cooldown of three posts and requires a fairly generous amount of spiritual energy to be deposited into the Nixus.
  
  
• Overload: A passive ability applies to all clones when killed: any energy remaining within their phantom form will be utilized to craft an explosion, instead of letting it go to waste. So, at the moment of death a blue electrical explosion will occur with a wide range of twenty-five meters in every direction, shocking and burning any life forms in the vicinity while simultaneously blasting them away. Should they be within five meters of the explosion, the electricity will cause side effects to those successfully caught by it; the currents of electricity will persist within the victim's body, shaking focus and concentration while slowing reflex by half for several moments (seven posts minus one for each level of focus; Subtract one for beginner focus, five for grand master focus). Theoretically, if one or more of the clones are caught in this explosion, it could cause a chain reaction that amplifies the range and destruction caused.

SHINIGAMI SKILLS

» Hakuda: Fantasia's Hakuda came naturally, as opposed to from any degree of training. She knows the basics of combat from her roots: enemy weak spots, pressure points, opportunities of attack, and how to effectively strike and block. Past that, her skill in the department lacks, as swordsmanship is more of her focus than hand-to-hand combat. She has the strength and speeds to dish out devastating damage, but she lacks the technique that Hakuda practitioners possess, meaning that it is not an ability she can use to truly corner her foes with; she uses a rough and unrefined style of physical combat that can and will be smothered by the greater skill of others. Still, this Hakuda of hers is not to ever be underestimated, as it can catch another unawares if she does actually land her hits well. This grows worse with each clone generated by her, for despite lacking technique, teamwork is something she lives with and thrives with. At some point the odds of greater numbers will become so overwhelming that superior skill and tact will cease to matter. Fantasia has no specific Hakuda techniques to her name, but she is proficient enough in it to use it in makeshift positions, should she not have her trusty weapon with her. And, she can achieve feats of strength and speed that are truly amazing, where technique does not necessarily matter. Lifting a massive boulder or outrunning bullets are not out of her realm of possibility.

» Kidō: As Fantasia is as fresh as a Gotei recruit in terms of the Shinigami, her Kidō is just as crude as her Hakuda, if not more. What spells she has learned are basic, coming after the fact of Yoruichi's training, learned from memory alone. She has never had an official instructor before because she's never had the capability, but now she is a student. Therefore, she is a beginner in the art and cannot achieve any of the Kidō above number 25. Strangely, or perhaps not so much, her vast energies empower the destruction spells more than any other, doubling their would-be strength. Nor, does she seem to need an incantation for that school of magic, despite needing to recite it perfectly for any other. Overall, Fantasia barely uses her Kidō and mostly only to supplement her preferred method of combat with Zanjutsu. She has no custom Kidō of her own, and failed in her attempt to achieve Shunko while under Yoruichi's tutelage.

• Shōte: Hadō #1. Shō (衝, Thrust) is a Kidō spell. It is the first of the destruction spells that a student learns and by far the simplest. All it does is project an invisible kinetic force to knock a target way with considerable strength. But what happens when something so simple is taken to its very lengths? Fantasia is not very skilled in her Kidō arts, but she is a very determined soul. In her efforts to learn the art, she has honed in one the single spell of Shō with all of her might and all of her perseverance, to not only refine but master the spell. She has gone above and beyond the application of it to create an entire system based on the application of kinetic force. Shōte is the result of that, as Fantasia has etched the Kanji of Shō upon the back of her offhand with permanent ink. By channeling her spiritual energy through the ink, she can repeatedly use Hadō #1 at a rapid pace and with potent forces beyond the basics, essentially manipulating kinetic force on a massive scale around her. For up to a hundred meters, Fantasia can push and pull, stretch and crush, and perform many other incredible feats through telekinetic prowess, all by channeling the appropriate energy through Hadō #1. The limit to Shōte is the energy Fantasia can maintain, though for it being the simplest and easiest to perform of all Kidō... this can go a very long way.

» Hohō: It is impossible for Fantasia to have been trained by the Flash Goddess and not have picked up a thing or two about the Flash Step. In fact, the time spent with Yoruichi has allowed her to have become surprisingly proficient with the Hohō, in terms of both speed and efficiency. While not nearly as fast, Fantasia is beyond the level of even some Captains as far as Shunpo goes, arriving to a given point infinitesimally before they could with the technique. One will find that she is a difficult target to catch, often avoiding attacks by simply vanishing and appearing somewhere else. Inversely, it is hard to keep away from her as she can easily close the distance to a target in the blink of an eye. Another thing she picked up from Yoruichi is efficiency, allowing her to perform Shunpo more often and with less effort than what is standard. This could be attributed to her inner army of clones, as in a way, having the vitality of hundreds upon hundreds can really stretch her endurance a long way. One special trait about Fantasia's Shunpo that is merely aesthetic, is that her Shunpo comes with a very brief flash of light from both the initial and destination point. This makes it seem that the girl transforms into pure light itself as she moves at high speeds.

• Iaido: This is a specialized Shunpo technique Fantasia has learned from her previous master, Yoruichi. It involves focusing the application of the Flash Step into only one part of the body, specifically the arm. By concentrating the high-speed into the weapon arm, and using the utmost control and fluidity, Iaido can be used to chain together the drawing of the sword, a swipe of the blade, and the resheathing of the weapon all in one motion. If performed correctly with the Hohō, the entire procession can occur in the blink of an eye. She does not need to perform the entire maneuver of unsheathing and resheathing, as this ability can be channeled with just one simple swipe of the blade.
  
  
• Shinmetsu: This is a specialized Shunpo technique in which the user utilizes the enhanced momentum of the Flash Step to launch a projectile such as a throwing knife, at incredibly high speeds. It increases the piercing power of any sharp object, or the blunt force of any dull object launched by this technique. It also increases the travel distance in addition. For most, it is hard to even tell that a projectile is heading their way before it has already hit them, due to the ridiculous speeds.
  
  
• Utsusemi: This is an advanced Flash Step ability that moves at such extreme speeds that the human mind and eye cannot comprehend the departure until a second after. To onlookers, an afterimage will appear, and when attacked the afterimage may even appear to have taken damage due to the mind filling the image in with what it believes should have happened, when in reality the user has already disappeared from that location. In Fantasia's specific case, the light caused by her Flash Step can be amplified as an optional secondary ability, causing a literal flash of luminance from her afterimage that is utterly blinding. Direct sight with the flash could cause temporary blindness for up to three posts, even adversely affecting one's vision if the light reflects off of surfaces into their eyes.

» Zanjutsu: Of all of the four skills within a Shinigami's repertoire, it is Zanjutsu that Fantasia excels in most. She is a swordswoman, having practiced working with blades since she was a child. She's sacrificed so much in her life to master the way of the sword, and the work has paid off. Fantasia is extremely difficult to parallel in this art, as her sword dances elegantly around her in the midst of combat, easily deflecting the attacks of her opponents and weaving throughout just the right spots to always find the most vulnerable point. She falls in and out of a trance of utter focus, where the world around her moves slowly and all cylinders are firing in her mind. She's committed so much to her bladework that she's developed several forms of Zanjutsu by herself, and applies them to her fights like a true master. She is nothing short of a prodigy with the sword. It's granted her a much stronger connection with her Zanpakutō as a result, granting her the strength of the Bankai almost as soon as she acquired the weapon.

• Kaifu Kuryoku:The first and foremost of Fantasia's sword styles is the Resilience Form, otherwise known as Kaifu Kuryoku. As the name implies, it is a very defensive sword style that focuses more on the merit of survival than on victory itself. It addresses the pressure of wild and reckless offensives with efficient defense, and allows her to stand her ground when facing ranged enemies as well. Kaifu Kuryoku utilizes tight moves, consisting of subtle dodges and efficient parries, intended to provide maximum defensive coverage, and minimize exposure to ranged attacks. In this form the sword is moving every second in an attempt to achieve near-total protection, and expend as little energy in the process as possible by keeping the momentum going on and on. It stresses quick reflexes and fast positional transition in order to overcome the rapidity with which a foe can unleash their flurry of attacks. This minimizes the body's exposure and quickly covers up any vulnerabilities that pop up in mid-combat, which not only makes it practically impossible to gain an edge against Fantasia, but also allows her to hold her ground against multiple opponents at once. Fantasia employs this style in preparation for prolonged battles where she can observe and learn as much as possible about her adversary's technique while engaged in combat. As it is optimized for lengthy battles, Kaifu Kuryoku grants her the ability to gain control of a combat situation, creating multiple options for her: Eventually, she could choose to kill, disarm, or even reason with her opponent.
  
  The core tenets of Kaifu Kuryoku encourage Fantasia to place herself within the eye of the storm of combat, and then maintain a calm center, undistracted and undisturbed by the conflict around them. She incorporates powerful defensive techniques that are flexible enough to adapt to almost any circumstance. In focusing so much in self-defense, Fantasia sacrifices nearly all offensive capability. The tactics of this style involve the reliance on pure defense while essentially waiting out the opponent, holding back until his frustration or fatigue inevitably cause his or her defense to lapse. Then, she takes advantage of these mistakes with surprisingly offensive counter-attacks that may even defeat them in one swoop. In order to maintain this absolute defense, Fantasia relies vastly on her battle trances to keep up with highly aggressive opponents. She needs to utilize this form to survive early in her battles, as it is where she is at her weakest without any support to back her up. It becomes problematic and potentially fatal to use this style without impeccable focus, as it is the crux of Kaifu Kuryoku to place one's self in the eye of the storm. If Fantasia cannot maintain her absolute defense, then the heart of the style will become her downfall.
  
  
• Take Dakeshii: Seemingly antithetical to the defensive posture of Kaifu Kuryoku is the Ferocity Form, known as Take Dakeshii. This style is more of a state of mind than of a specific technique, as it requires Fantasia to channel powerful emotions into her every move, imbuing them with anger, sadness, or excitement. Then, instead of letting those emotions control her, she controls those emotions; controlled chaos. The result is an incredibly vicious form of swordsmanship that surpasses the former limits of her own strength and speed. With Take Dakeshii, Fantasia executes a never-ending stream of devastating slashes and stabs meant to overwhelm an opponent that would be considered otherwise her equal before the implementation of this style; it would be the equivalent of unleashing a heightened form. The movements of Take Dakeshii are highly kinetic and focus primarily on the act of pushing forward; she doesn't try to maneuver around enemies or hunt for vulnerable areas, but rather pierce through whatever defenses are in her way. Using this style, Fantasia tries to maintain a steady march forward, but her sword is a blur in action, nearly untraceable and easy to miss before it perforates its target. Her attacks flow into each other with liquid precision, driven by a barely contained explosion of emotion and spiritual force. The form's attacks appear to be unconnected, its motions seemingly unpolished to an inexperienced observer.
  
  The same emotion and energy that courses through Fantasia's every cell, also channels through the steel of her blade, allowing it to become more than just a sharp edge. It becomes an open conduit, able to accept opposing forces and throw them back at Fantasia's opponents. It absorbs the kinetic energy with every strike, preventing any ground from being taken from it, and then empowering the next attack with the stolen energy. It channels the attacks made against it through the sword and back out at will, like a mirror reflecting what touches it. It accepts the strengths of its foes and uses it against them as it pierces their heart, taking on their own attributes to become their downfall. This style is meant to overwhelm a single opponent very fast, with no degree of subtlety in its intent. It knows its obvious but it should not matter, and succeed anyways. Unfortunately, Take Dakeshii is an incredibly taxing style to employ as a result of the emotional exhaustion and constant draw of spiritual power that accent every motion. This is a form that is best used in short bursts, with transitions into others sword styles in between to prevent fatiguing oneself too early in the battle. Additionally, the membrane that controls the chaotic emotions that fuel Take Dakeshii is delicate, and can be ruptured. Losing that control transforms Fantasia's assault into a disorganizing array that lacks resolve and is riddled with weaknesses. And, the act of giving into emotions makes it all that more unlikely that she will even realize her folly. This makes Take Dakeshii the most demanding but most rewarding form that she's developed.
  
  
• Shoubu Danko: Yet another of Fantasia's forms is Shoubu Danko, or the Contention Form. It was developed with the idea of sword-to-sword combat in mind, paying attention to precision and efficiency over power. Jabs, parries and light cuts are used rather than slashes, blocks and chops, making Shoubu Danko close to fencing, but without the use of a rapier. The blade manipulation required for this form is very calculated, needing intense focus and expert timing. It is elegant, powerful and precise, relying on feints to confuse and trap opponents. These refinements allow Fantasia to attack and defend with minimal energy expenditure; switching between the two stances would be swift and effortless. What could be perceived as a mere parry could quickly turn into a lethal stab. Shoubu Danko also places an emphasis on footwork and positioning. It is a balance, with back-and-forth charges, thrusts, and sudden retreats; it emphasizes fluid movement and anticipation of a weapon being swung at its target, and so requires very smooth motion of both the blade and the body. One key concept is to never overcommit with any particular action, making it easy to fall back if the situation became awry, or if the blade was needed elsewhere imminently.
  
  There is a Coup De Grace within the repertoire of Shoubu Danko, meant to be employed when the opponent has made too grave a mistake or has been whittled down enough. Fantasia must make an observation and a calculated decision as to whether or not she has a sizable advantage. If that is the case, Shuukyoku is utilized. All of the energy she has saved up through her efficient movement will be expended, channeled into her sword to cause it to glow brightly. Then, she lunges with her sword at the opening with blinding speed, and unleashes an even swifter attack from the tip of her sword: A lance spears straight through them at the literal speed of light, perforating them with a one-foot wide hole. If Fantasia miscalculated in her judgment, then her opponent will survive and perhaps even evade the attack completely, and she'll have wasted a colossal amount of energy. If she is correct in her judgment, however, her opponent will fall instantaneously. Now, Shoubu Danko falls apart against any other opponent aside of a swordsman, as it simply wasn't intended for anything else. It is easy to overwhelm with quantity, either through numbers or strength. It was also intended to be used either when the odds were even or in Fantasia's favor, making it a poor choice if the odds were against her. Still, in those situations, she can simply switch out of Shoubu Danko and into another style, making this a relatively low risk form.

ZANPAKUTŌ

» Zanpakutō Name: The Paragon

» Zanpakutō Spirit Name: Varius Adelbrecht

» Zanpakutō Spirit Appearance: Fantasia's appearance today is attributed greatly to that of Varius Adelbrecht, the blue-haired knight himself. They share so many physical traits that it is surprising, and it is not so far-fetched to consider him a genderbent version of Fantasia. He is a very slender individual who possesses as much grace as he does flexibility. Anyone with a good look at Varius' frame can see the muscles packed tightly beneath his beige-colored skin, preventing him from appearing cadaverous at all. It is true that the man lacks weight and lacks size; he is only one-hundred and fourty-one pounds in weight when unadorned and that is a relatively below average mass to possess, and his height of six feet is not totally impressive. But appearances can be deceiving, and Varius' form does not convey just how physically fit he is. He holds himself with princely pose, practiced and efficient. Past just his body, the man has a full head of rich azure hair, long for a male as it reaches down below where his neck connects to his torso at the very back, and reaches slightly past her brow in the front. The locks are straight but kept in no particular style, and Varius wears a golden headband over it all. As for his face; it can be said to have a very boyish look to it, and it can also be said to have a feminine look to it. Neither is completely wrong as he has large blue eyes and a soft-skinned face. His nose is a small celestial, and his mouth is thin.

Varius wears an outfit very similar to what Fantasia does now, as it was the uniform of his crusade. Compared to the standard Shinigami garb, this outfit is much more colorful and gaudy. The material flows like silk yet was weaved for the robes of a warrior. Varius wears a blue tunic with short sleeves that he rolls up half-way from his elbows. The top hangs below his waist underneath a brown sash, and a subtle golden stripe runs down the center and the sides of the whole tunic.Wrapped around his neck is a cape of a dark shade of blue, pinned over his right shoulder by a ruby-socketed amulet. Exactly as Fantasia does, Varius also wears dark blue pants that are tucked underneath very long boots. The last and most important detail is the empty scabbard at his hip, where his Zanpakutō once resided in, but does no longer.

» Zanpakutō Spirit Personality: Varius, to this day, is an honorable man who always tries to hold himself in good moral. He is polite, always letting others ahead of him before he speaks, or acts. He gives every individual their due respect, whether friend or foe, and takes offense to unruly actions that go against this. There is a part of him that seems to be of royalty, and he may have lived as such in a past life for he carries himself with the cadence of a prince, and has inherited their mannerisms and sophistication, even to the degree of preferring tea over most drinks (A significant choice). He is not someone who wishes to tell a lie, and despises the cases where he must; this goes without saying for every dishonorable act. He is a true gentleman, and holds dearly onto the old chivalry of his time. Treating women with the utmost respect goes without saying.

Beyond mere honor, Varius once believed in a cause: the Crusade of the Shinigami. There was a small but infamous sect of the Gotei which sought to act more aggressively in the reaping of the Hollows, as not much was known about them in his time. They would mindlessly charge into Hueco Mundo to kill as many Hollows as they could manage, without really understanding the whole picture. It was a cause supported blindly, but no longer. Now, Varius was forced to witness the world of Hueco Mundo when it was not at war with Shinigami, seeing the uprising of the Arrancar and how they changed the world of the Hollows. He has taken a new stance, forsaking the Crusade and instead making judgments based on every individual. He has become wise through true experience, and seeks to spread this wisdom to those who would hear him. Bias is fallacy to him, and he seeks to erase it from his person, and from others as well.

» Zanpakutō Spirit's World: Imagine a great castle, legendary in its stature, but weathered by endless war. It is a massive structure of stone and metal, built to withstand the test of time, and yet it still has failed. The majesty is lost in the fires and smoke that plague it, the litter of the dead strewn all throughout it and around it. The tall walls are trivial, as massive holes have been smashed into their sides. From horizon to horizon all around this landmark is a wasteland of cracked earth and the graves of the fallen. It's tragically beautiful, and powerful. However, amongst the ruined castle is one ivory tower at the center, rising so high into the air that it scrapes the clouds above; its top cannot even be seen from the ground. This single structure stands seemingly untouched by age, as if built the day before. It is but a mere staircase that leads to a hollow cathedral at the top after many many flights of steps. That room is where Varius resides, and he stands his ground. For in this world, there is not a day that goes by where the terrors of the wasteland do not assault the castle, hoping to tear the great ivory tower down. Varius fights alongside the army of Fantasia to guard this place forevermore. Their skills remain sharp through this, for if they do not succeed in protecting the equilibrium at the heart of this spirit world, then it will collapse upon itself and be destroyed.

» Constant Shikai: Fantasia's spiritual power is more than one would expect: On the surface it is easy to underestimate her, yet when all of the potential of her duplicates are taken into consideration, the resulting pool of energy is staggeringly vast. Combined all together along with the spirit and experience of the imprisoned Shinigami, Varius, the Paragon has achieved a permanent Shikai state without the necessity of any release phrases or additional energy output. Shikai is maintained purely on the merit of her inner clones. This results in a powerful weapon that outclasses other Zanpakutō at her tier in their base form, with potent cutting power, impeccable durability, and unique abilities that would otherwise be sealed. The Paragon can easily overwhelm its enemies and force them into their own release states in order to effectively combat Fantasia. And just by wielding the weapon, the girl is able to move faster and strike stronger, as Shikai would normally achieve.

The Paragon comes with a slew of passive special abilities that make it unique without needing to utilize any techniques. The first of them is Featherballast, which immensely skews its weight in her hands when compared to its weight in another's hands. It is incredibly light for Fantasia to wield, as substantial as a feather and much easier to fight with because of that. However, this is paradoxical as to any other being or object in existence, the weapon weighs several megatons, and this persists as it strikes them even while Fantasia wields. The two different masses contradict each other simultaneously at all times. The second passive trait of the Paragon is Mirror's Edge, which is caused by the spiritual metal that it is created from. It applies a special ability to the blade section of the weapon that allows it to combat magical abilities such as Cero, Chaos Blasts, other Soul Sorcery, et cetera. Specifically among these abilities, the blade is meant to deflect long range attacks of a magical or energy or similar type—projectiles, waves, and beams can be parried by Fantasia's blade just as well as a physical attack could, essentially.

• Fate - Hierophant: When ordinary strength and finesse with a sword fails her, Fantasia's will prevails. It is through mere determination that she is able to manipulate the Paragon in ways beyond what she is capable of with the limits of her physical body. When the Hierophant is used, the sword will give a tell by glowing a molten white throughout the length of the blade, bright enough to light a room by itself. Then, it compounds her strength and speed, beginning to move in impossible ways and achieve impossible feats; the Paragon will have become one with inner clones of Fantasia to achieve the impossible. Strength-wise, Fantasia can empower her blade to crash against her foes with giant's strength, or more appropriately as though an army was putting all of their weight behind each and every swing. This could achieve a point where shockwaves are unleashed from extreme kinetics of the Paragon, capable of breaking up the landscape with collateral force alone, not even needing to come close to it for the waves to blast it apart. When directed, these waves could travel effectively up to a three-hundred meters before the destruction caused would begin to fall off. The sight of the calamity caused by the sword indirectly would hint toward the true power in the Paragon's swings, wherein everything else might as well be wet tissue paper, utterly obliterated by a good direct hit. Fantasia possesses fearsome strength through the Hierophant, but it is held back...
  
  Fantasia can amplify the speed at which her sword travels just as well as she can increase its impact, but never at the same time. She must choose between enhancing either attribute in the heat of combat, but has not mastered the knack of combining them. However, if she is willing to sacrifice the extra punch, then she can unleash the fury of her weapon at velocities transcending the Flash Step. The interval between each every maneuver of the Paragon is infinitesimal such that one would believe that the attacks existed simultaneously with each other. This technique cannot increase Fantasia's speed directly, just as she cannot increase her strength naturally; but, her body can endure the strain caused by wielding the Paragon as she wills it to such velocities. So long as she holds onto it, her body will essentially be 'carried' along with, giving the illusion that it is natural.
  
  Funnily enough, holding onto the Paragon is optional: It is Fantasia's will that fuels the core power of it, therefore she is able to move the weapon through the air without needing to even touch it. This ability has a limited range of a single kilometer and clearly weakens in potency the further the weapon is from Fantasia. It also lacks Fantasia's own strength and speed to supplement it while it is out of her grasp, but despite all that it still provides a dangerous threat that is not limited by the need for a human body to brandish it. It gives Fantasia the extra reach and flexibility she needs as a swordswoman, and also allows her to call her weapon back to hand if she is ever disarmed. It is important to note that using this too much at long range is unhealthy for Fantasia's sanity, as the Anima Stone seated within the Paragon is what keeps her stable through its proximity.
  
  
• Fate - The Sun: The metal of the Paragon is a strange one: It is very durable and can hold out against world-shaking forces. Its sheen steals away the attention in any room, as it were made of stars. Its form hardly disturbs the air as it moves so gracefully throughout it. The trait that defines it most, however, is its Fate - The Sun. The Paragon possesses an energy conductivity that thrives off the heat of battle itself. As two powers clash, there is always a residue of their energy that is dispersed throughout the battlefield, and it can be felt. When the two opposing forces are equal and strong, and the battle is good, this energy is strong and the Paragon feeds off of it. As the battle progresses and the fight gets more and more energetic, the blade of the weapon glows with molten white energy and surges in heat. The air around the weapon is distorted by the heat waves, and steam trails from the surfaces. Once this reaches a certain point and the sword is as bright as can be, it becomes near pure energy, the power of the sun harnessed in the form of a blade. It becomes effortless to slice through most things and melts them as it touches them. Contrary to belief, this great power cannot be countered by simply trying to overwhelm it, as the more attacks that are made against it the more energy the Paragon absorbs. Some attacks can be completely nullified by being absorbed. Rather, lapses in activity 'cool' the weapon off. The longer Fantasia goes without heated combat, the weaker this power becomes. Conflict drives The Sun, but both peace and subterfuge dissipate it.
  
  
• Fate - Judgment: There is one exception to the rule of being unable to combine strength and speed from the Hierophant: Fate - Judgment. Fantasia can imbue herself with the same light her glows with under the effects of her will, temporarily becoming something... more. For the duration of the post in which she activates Judgment, she—not just her sword—will be granted insane strength and speeds, and a body of fluid energy. In this state, most attacks made against her will simply pass through her or dissolve on contact, but in turn, she cannot harm another with her body. Only direct damage from her sword will affect others. She will seem to warp through the battlefield as though constantly using Flash Step, only appearing for an instance at a time to unleash a devestating slash or stab. The series of movements will seem more like a dance, and end with a dazzling finisher ten times the power of any strike before it. This leaves the girl exhausted afterward, and has a global cooldown for four posts among all clones.
  
  
• Fate - The Tower: It is not always feasible that every clone of Fantasia can be on the offense, leaving them open to perform other roles on the field of battle. Fate - The Tower is one of those roles, where a given clone plants the Paragon into the surface beneath her feet and holds her ground. She closes her eyes and meditates, absolving herself of all worldly distractions, making herself a very vulnerable target in the process. If she manages to persist in this state, though, then she will project a powerful aura through the battlefield, for up to two-hundred and fifty meters in radius. The first trait of the aura is that it "jams" any homing abilities from her opponents and causes all of their attacks to fly radically off course if they enter the dominion of the aura. The enemies themselves will find their every movement resisted against by a slowing force that cuts their speed in strength in half, while their balance goes awry and causes them to lose grace and accuracy. The second ability of the Tower makes it exceptionally difficult for foreign energy to enter the area while it is unmolded. "Molded" energy is energy that takes the form of an attack or defense or other ability; it has form and direction. If the energy lingers in the form of an aura, a poison, or simply idly, then the Tower will constantly repulse that energy. Any of this type of energy that remains within the range of the Tower will be exceedingly difficult to mold until it leaves, making it effectively useless. This grows worse the more the clones that are in this mode, which either increase the area of effect of the aura or the effectiveness of the aura in the same area. Where the auras intersect, the effects stack multiplicatively.
  
  
• Fate - The Chariot: Fantasia's skill with the blade combines with her agility to make her a very potent warrior, but sometimes it is better to forsake it for raw power; Fate - The Chariot transforms her into an unstoppable force bent on colliding with her target. It begins with a slow roll, with Fantasia revving up speed toward whatever mark she sets for herself, and after only a second, a shield of light forms in front of her and jets behind her in a way similar to a meteor entering the atmosphere. This shield is ridiculously staunch at the front, allowing Fantasia to smash through pretty much every obstacle and attack in her way even if they are more powerful than her. However, attacks from the sides may cause the shield to break, and her back isn't protected at all during this charge. Fortunately, while using the Chariot, Fantasia will hit her top speed in only a few seconds, breaking the sound barrier as she moves at Flash Step speeds. It is very hard to dodge this charge, but it is also hard for Fantasia to alter her trajectory much when she reaches max velocity. Fantasia can choose to smash through her target just as well as everything else in her way, also searing them with the barrier of light in the process. Alternatively, she can release all the energy created in her charge at once, releasing a massive explosion of light energy followed by a wave of kinetic energy. The first blast causes an area of twenty-five meters to rise to the temperatures of the core of the sun for a singular second as the wave of light expands outwards, disintegrating most things and causing flash fires on everything else. Then, the blast of kinetic energy causes secondary damage that can blast open even the strongest vaults, and the strongest barriers. After impacting everything within fifty meters with a crushing concussive pulse, it sends them flying away from her at wild speeds. Because of the nature of this ability and its power over skill approach, it requires a great amount of spiritual energy to utilize, making it best used sparingly.

BANKAI

» Paragon Unlimited: A form of the Paragon rarely seen due to the natural progression of power built into Fantasia's cloning, which already provides the ability to overcome foes through growing strength; Paragon Unlimited is the weapon she unleashes when it is all or nothing, and she is set to claim victory. To initiate the weapon's transformation, all clones of Fantasia must abandon their sword, usually by stabbing it into the ground in front of them. As they relinquish their weapons, they begin to dissolve into countless particles, which take the form of golden flower petals. The more clones there are of Fantasia, the greater the number of petals created, and each new clone is generated with their weapon already in Bankai form, adding to this number. By themselves, the petals cover the battlefield from the ground up, hovering on their own power, leaving little to no room to maneuver through them. Making contact with even a single petal would be a horrible mistake, however, as upon touching one it will cause a swift laceration much greater than the size of the petal, as if Fantasia had swung her sword at full force—this is just from touching a single unmoving particle.

Paragon Unlimited's attacks become much deadlier as the petals begin to move; Fantasia is able to freely control the movement of the petals with just her thought, as if they were an extension of her body. Given the lightness of these particles and the lack of human limitations, these petals can be propelled at speeds that escape the eye's notice, too difficult to grant a clear picture as they move about at ridiculous speeds. It is as though Fantasia's weapons had become a swarm of blades, each as deadly as the original. The Zanpakutō's ability to cut and pierce has become even greater, and less limited by Fantasia's movement. Furthermore, given her free manipulation of so many particles, she can draw them together into various forms such as a shield to block attacks or a hammer to smash through something with blunt force. She can even create a storm out of the petals to desecrate an entire battlefield in seconds. Given the fleeting nature of Fantasia's clones, one thing she can do during her Bankai is dissolve her very bodies into more of these golden petals, and revert them back. So long as one body remains whole, this can continually be done.

A final, and finer ability of Paragon Unlimited is to form the shape of Fantasia's original Shikai once again by combining enough petals into its shape. The formation will grow solid, returning to the colors and metals it was made of. This sword, while Fantasia still maintain's Bankai, glows brightly with white light, reflecting the power of all clones in one. Any slice or stab or smash it makes will be made with the combined strength of all of Fantasia's duplicates at once, which result in the most devastating attacks that she can utilize in a fight, capable of ending things in one attack. However, maintaining this weapon, especially multiples of this weapon, cause a constant and heavy drain on Fantasia's energy. The reason? Fantasia's identity is defined by the shattering of her soul into countless shards. Thus, the act of fusing them all together is unnatural to her and something that cannot be maintained for long.

Regarding the nature of these petals further; they seem to reflect light very distinctly, and cause an area to lighten up as a result. They also allow Fantasia to see from their point of view as if they were her eyes, so it can be assumed anywhere these petals cast light, Fantasia can see. The petals will float and move only very slowly when not given commands, but still provide a constant threat. While being manipulated, they cannot travel further than three-hundred meters from the nearest clone of Fantasia, in any direction. Considering that even when separated these particles are still part of the Zanpakutō, any of the weapon's former abilities can be applied to them as well. Finally, despite the appearance of flower petals, these pieces are still made of metal infused with Fantasia's energy, and the spirit of Varius among them.

SKILL SHEETS

General Skills

• Durability: Advanced
  
• General Speed: Advanced
  
• Strength: Master
  
• Weapon Skill: Master

Racial Skills

• Hoho: Advanced
  
• Kidō: Adept
  
• Zanjutsu: Master
  
• Hakuda: Advanced

Will Skills

• Willpower/Determination: Master
  
• Mental Deduction: Advanced
  
• Pain Endurance: Master
  
• Focus: Master