The Sea of Black Souls [Operation: Reflect; CLOSED]

ENTER NIZE SPLIT

The master of the Hollow Tree of Life and Birth was at his home. That was a rare case, being torn between both his fake life in Karakura as Human and working for Espada while managing his personal research on top of that. It was pure luck sleep was unneeded for his half-mechanic mind. And today was one of the days he decided to pursue his personal agenda. Precisely, the fact he had unknown enemies lurking in the shadows, doing who-knows-what and seemingly knowing the male while he didn't know them. And that was another problem, he still remembered nothing of his past. Nothing of being a Hollow or Human. Empty. Still. He had those few moments of deja vu, but it was nothing but feeling. And that was another thing. Nize still felt little to nothing. Yes, sometimes it there was some light feelings, once he got angry on certain blond, but other then that nothing. Still cold. Still mute. It wasn't like it really bothered him, but the feeling of being broken wasn't pleasant. This all brought Split to an idea probably never tried before by an Arrancar. His plan was to visit those souls stored inside himself.

Such he was now in the deepest of chambers again, with nothing but the noise of huge heart pumping blood in the background. His eyes was closed and he had sat down in meditative state. With both breathing exercises as well, as help from “Soul Drive” the male tried to open the door and let him in somewhere maybe no Arrancars had stepped in before. They usually forget. Nize had even forgotten. About all the souls residing in a Hollow and how hard one needed to fight them before being able to obtain freedom. Once Arrancar you forget. But now Split was ready to remember. He was ready to face them again.

The next moment he opened his eyes the male was in complete darkness. No...Not even darkness. It was just nothing. Nothing and a huge stream of grayish mass of liquid bone, forming faces, hands and legs time to time. He could see himself, his own limbs, so yes, it wasn’t darkness. It was just nothing. Nothing and mass of souls once being part of him. The male walked the gray liquid never touching it. And the hand formation from it tried to, but seemed to never be strong enough to dare in touching his body. At some point the male also noticed he wasn’t in his usual mechanical form, but rather in Ressurecion. Longer spent in that place made Split to start hearing voice. One over another, they spoke of lost chances, revenge never fulfilled, families left behind and such. These were souls of hundreds, if not thousands of dead. Miserable and lost. He still felt nothing regarding them.

But the Arrancar started to feel slightly irritated as the walk seemed pointless and forever. He thought he will know what he is looking for once there, but it didn’t seem to be the situation. His memories or capability to feel didn’t just lay around just that. No, sadly not. The male focused on his palm slowly creating ball of energy in it. Seemed his abilities were still working and it did feel like air was full of Reiatsu. He just couldn’t understand was it strange or not.

”Why should it? We are made of Reishi and we are inside you.”

That was spoken in joyful tone, voice similar to one Nize spoke himself in. Except it had emotion. It was a voice that had gone through both hardship and joy. Voice Split never thought of hearing himself. From the sea of bone it’s owner stepped out as if still alive. As if still in control. Espada’s uniform, white and fitted to perfectly suit his body. Black hair and white skin. Smile bright as sun and katana attached to his back. This was Nize Split so many learned to love and cringe about. It was who this Nize had dominated over control.

”Never thought to see you here, actually. Well, we are full of surprises, no?”

Nize furrowed his eyebrows while the other soul smiled warm and welcoming, snapping his fingers at the same time. Suddenly the sea rose up, quickly swallowing both Nizes in it. There wasn’t a moment to react and last thing he heard just before was something of a chuckle.

”Come on now! You can’t stay in coma for ever!”

ENTER NIZE SPLIT

It was weird, at one moment Nize was swallowed by the liquid bone mass and next he was out, still in nothing, but there was a massive presence somewhere down. Something so familiar and at the same time so alien Split for the first time desired to run away. A bit further in the black empty the other Nize floated, pointed in the emptiness below them. The black nothing slowly started to step away, revealing something hiding in it. That something was a Hollow of gargantuan proportions, thousands of different size mouths and eyes littering the formless blob of flesh and tentacles. Yes, this thing had tentacles, countless, each adorning one or another Hollow mask. There were gashes along the creatures body from which the liquid bone mass with souls flew out and into nowhere. Nize recognized this beast as The Source.

”Once defeated, it now lies calm and obedient. But do you remember how much pain it caused us along the way. Do you remember the suffering?”

The male asked with no hatred or hurt in his voice. Only slight amusement and light smile on his lips. Nize knew about what he spoke, but felt confused about the plural use. There was no “us”. Just “him”.

”You know, I wasn’t there yet. You were the one controlling the body, not me. You were the weak one.”

”You were there. Like I was with you since you left the pod. It was part of you that allowed me to fight. Cause we are all one, even if one leads.”

There was a huge growl as the huge blobs tentacles came at the two, the other not even attempting to fight while Nize tried resisting. Both were pulled in the creatures giant mouth, darkness again swallowing all. Next he knew they were in Hueco Mundo, the white sand being blown by a calm breeze and moon shining as bright, as it always had. For once Nize could truly feel his heart trying to escape from his chest while the other seemed unphased. No surprise there.

”Remember when we wondered these deserts alone. Weak and scared of everything. Desiring home, warmth of someone.”

Pass both dog sized Hollow, similar to how many pictured imps in story books, walked on all fours. Time to time the little thing would sniff air around him before moving forward. This was once Nize, Hollow body with no goal, but to survive. Though, the creature released a weird, excited noise, climbing in the hands of a large, muscular man with Espada’s uniform and broken jackal skull on his head. The Hollow wrapped both his hands and tail around the male and seemed happy. Hollow feeling joy without killing. Nize felt something only from memories, loneliness.

”Bi showed us what friendship, feeling of being wanted meant. He showed us the world wasn’t just what we saw from hunting and being hunted. He saved us.” Nize looked at the other, still clutching his chest from the strong emotion filling him previously. With a grunt, letting his gaze fall down on the white sand the male whispered.

”Not us...You.”

He heard the other tsk and suddenly something of a sand storm surrounded both just so it would clear moments later. They were still in Hueco Mundo...Or it’s memory, but now everything seemed darker, more heavy. And in front of both was huge pillar of white and black fire, small Hollow in the middle, grabbing his mask and pulling with all it’s strength. There was screams almost Human coming from it and heat almost unbearable radiating. Nize looked with wide eye, knowing how the bone of the mask felt to the touch or flames on his skin. ”It was just after...”

”Just after we killed Bi in The Sources madness. I would have never done it. It was all you. I never would be brave enough to die, but you were. Hollow is never one even if we feel like it. That’s our curse, though, we can overcome it to become something more. You tried to die to save others. You may not think like it, but you had control faster then you think.”

The Hollow ripped his masked and everything went dark.

ENTER NIZE SPLIT

As it again became bright Nize found himself still in Hueco Mundo, but now underground. More precisely, he was in a cave between upper level of the realm and Menos Forest. He knew that cause that was the base foundation of what was now The Tree of Life and Birth. This cave was home of Nize when he just had awoken as an Arrancar, confused and lost. While the male was looking around the other was standing, smiling his now annoying, ever cheerful smile.

”The start of our home. Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

Nize just looked at him with a raised eyebrow before entered his sight of view. The previous version of him, gloomy and laying on the ground, watching as everything around him slowly turned into pure Reishi and in blue flakes was absorbed in his body. Split remembered how much problems he had then with this ability, how impossible it seemed to control it and such, how hard it was to own anything. It was the main reason his clothing was the boys own spiritual presence, as anything else would just separate in Reishi flakes. He had no knowledge there were objects not made from energy material. Wait! Did he just said “he”. It was the second Nize, not him.

”That was a hard time for us, but we got pass it and now it causes no problem, being manageable even in Ressurecion. Remember how happy we were when we could hold a piece of rock for it to not fall apart?”

A kind hearted laugh left the other just before the something louder and much more uncontrolled filled the cave. It came from the flash-back Nize, excitedly jumping around, holding a rock in his hand like it was the most precious object in the world. There was screaming, laughing and continues murmuring of ”I did it! I did it!” And for some reason this sight warmed something in the Arrancars chest.

The scene changed, the Arrancar disappearing and in that place different version arriving. This one had a huge backpack, brimming with items brought from Earth realm. Alongside him Hollow dog was tagging along, wagging it’s tail and barking time to time. It was jumping, slightly getting in the way of the boy, but he didn’t seem to mind.

”Once starting, we quickly learned how to control our abilities. From simple Cero to creating Hollows, it came fast and natural for us. And we didn’t feel so alone anymore.”

Nize couldn’t handle listening to the other anymore and let out a volatile burst of Cero out of his body, disrupting the scene showed to him, that broke in small pieces, reveling the black nothingness again.

”Stop! No more! I don’t know what kind of game you are playing Nize, but don’t try pushing your life on me. This was not me.”

The soul just lowered his head, shaking it like a disappointed parent.

”You came for answers, but are too stubborn to take them. Can’t say I was better, but it is bothersome. I wonder how Rose handled me sometimes?”

Split wanted to say something, but there was a sand storm from nowhere and in the next moment he found himself again in Hueco Mundo, watching as different Nize was fighting few hungry Hollows. The boy was jumping like a spring toy, from place to place. It was amusing how slow he was compared to how the male now moves and that realization of improvement brought unexpected smile to the Arrancars face.

”It was your part and only yours that pushed us not to get stuck in one place. To be okay with what we had. Unlike me, you have always been a grower. Always full of energy and need to do something. Now, as I realize exactly what I am I can see what was me and what was you. Why can’t you?”

He wanted to again glare at the speaker, but kept himself from doing so, seeing it pointless. But then there was this question, could it really also be him. Could he have been there the whole time and not remembered that? It shouldn’t be. Nor Hollows, nor Arrancars worked like that. But then again...He hadn’t been a normal Hollow to start with.