From One Vizard to Another

As the Vizard bled into the churned mud of the training field, his muddled thoughts attained a strange kind of clarity even as his emotions slid into a resigned sort of terror. Laskt thought back on his life as a Shinigami, the sacrifices he made and the sorrows he endured all for the sole purpose of keeping this monster contained. Maybe his Inner Hollow was right, maybe he was just restraining his inner darkness just because of a stubborn refusal to come to terms with the consequences of his actions, like Ulv herself had said. Laskt wanted to sob but couldn’t: hundreds of years wasted out his own stubborn pride and pigheadedness when the only thing holding his Hollow back from easily overwhelming him was the Hollow’s desire to know the reason behind his stubbornness. It was almost laughable if it were indeed true, although with his enemy’s heavy boot on his back and his body crushed almost beyond the point of breaking, Laskt didn’t much feel like laughing.

Outer World:
As the dark plate of Chikai spread farther and farther across Laskt’s body as the Hollow wrested more and more control over his physical body, Ulv and any others watching would notice the Hollowfied Shinigami growing noticeably more violent and unstable as, deep within his own mind, the reluctant Vizard’s iron resolve begins to slowly waver. Granted, even with the gradual power increase, the Hollowfied warriors was naught but a newborn in front Fenrir, no matter how hard he slashed with his blackened Zanpaktou or struck the being with his full strength. Howling insanely, Laskt flash stepped backward, and a sickening violet light began to emanate from his blade as the Hollow charged an immense amount of energy within to reduce this annoyance to atoms….

Inner World:
The Vizard could barely breathe, barely think as the agony of his body screamed through every synapse and nerve. Laskt’s fingers trembled on the hilt of his sword, finding a moment’s solace in the cool smoothness of the hilt, before the blade slipped from his limp grip. The Hollow just laughed, “It is alright mon ami, I would not expect you be able to respond. In fact, I am highly impressed that you managed to survive zis long.” The dark figure said, his voice cruel but oddly complimentary. Laskt simply closed his eyes, his body felt so…heavy.

The clouds above rumbled, then the sky split asunder.

A column of air erupted from the storm, slamming down into the ground a few meters away from the pair with the insane shrieking of disturbed air. The Hollow was thrown backwards from his prey, bracing an armored arm against the air pressure, his hand scrabbling for his sword. Laskt himself began to drift backward like a limp doll before a hurricane, coming dangerously close to the cliff edge….

All at once the winds cut off, leaving a single solitary figure, standing regally where the tornado once was. Laskt gazed through pain-wracked eyes at the figure, noting the woman’s perfect, unearthly beauty and flawless figure. The Hollow, for his part, ripped his black sword from its sheath, metal scrapping against metal with a shrill scream of protest.

“WHO ARE YOU TO INTERFRERE?” Chikai no Uragiru boomed, the Hollow’s voice unnaturally augmented until it shook the very stones. The strange, beautiful woman gave the Hollow a glance, titling her head slightly. At once, Chikai collapsed to his knees shrieking so loudly that glass shattered across the courtyard. The Hollow’s armor cracked and splintered with several sections collapsing entirely, while the black sword fell into the grass at his knees as the Hollow continued to scream in agony.

The woman sniffed slightly, gracefully turning away from the sight and walking towards the broken Vizard. Laskt glanced up at the proffered hand, immaculate and smooth in it’s flawlessness. “Stand” She said simply, the word perfectly enunciated. Laskt raised a single trembling hand, wincing at the fresh pain the motion produced. The woman sniffed again, taking the Knight’s hand and hauling him to his feet like one might a disobedient child. “Foolish prideful boy, you restrained this rude soul for this long only to try and engage a foe that clearly outmatches you on your own? Pride is not solitary There is a reason a lion's pack is called such, because pride knows when to call for help. When one dies, they die, and no amount of pride, self-confidence or self-sacrifice will change a thing. You will be dead, your pride deemed foolish.” The woman lectured.

Laskt glanced at her, “I apologize for my foolishness Madame, but I could not bear exposing anyone else to zis threat. It is my burden, and shame.” The woman sighed, “Child, one does not atone by driving themselves to death. It is only when one truly acknowledges their faults and moves on regardless that one truly atones.” She pointed a finger at him, “I will not defeat this foe for you. That is your duty. But to truly extinguish this threat, you must draw upon your partner that slumbers within.” And, just like that, the beautiful figure vanished in an eyeblink.

The Vizard stared at the spot where the woman vanished for a few moments, deprived of speech. Laskt had no illusions about his own strength: he had been surpassed many a time. But for someone to nearly kill Chikai with a mere glance…..it was utterly terrifying to think about. Unfortunately, the thought seemed to remind his body of his wounds, and Laskt swayed, gritting his teeth against the pain, somehow managing to stoop down and retrieve his blade.

Unfortunately, the brief pause had given Chikai no Uragiru time to recover, and the Hollow creaked to his knees, wounds closing rapidly. Laskt thought the Hollow would launch into another one of his rants, but the beast simply growled, raising a hand. At once, the cold and overpowering despair returned as the Hollow summoned his powers, focusing the energy into three floating spears of pure ice. The Hollow grinned, his smile visible in his cracked helm.“I won’t kill you, but I will make you suffer for that!” It shouted, flicking his wrist and launching the spears. Laskt parried the first and batted the away the second with the flat of his blade. The third he barely managed to dodge, the tip grazing his side.

Laskt fell to one knee, using his blade to prop himself up. The Hollow sighed, “You still resist? You must realize such a thing is futile, yet you still waste energy that you should save for the coming days of pain.” The Hollow raised a hand almost negligently, summoning a blast of frost that was sure to end the Shinigami’s resistance, leaving his mind enslaved forever.

The Vizard stared down the oncoming doom and closed his eyes. The Vizard felt tears leak out from under his closed eyelids, his fingers biting into his palms and drawing blood. It was not his death that made him grieve so, but rather his failure. Blinded by pride, by shame and regret, he had locked away this thing for centuries, never trying to understand it past the fact that its presence was a threat. Maybe if he had tried to interact with Chikai other than smothering it in his spiritual energy, it would have not grown so hateful, so unbearably powerful. Laskt had created this demon, raised it in fear, so it was his duty to bear whatever punishments it saw fit. Finally, at peace, Laskt smiled as the Hollow unleashed his blast.

From the summit of the world, a fire alights.

A blast of flame exploded from Laskt’s body clashing with the chaotic ice, the two forces cancelling each other out on every conceivable level. The Vizard gasped as if awakening for the first time, feeling a new surge of energy arise from within, holy flames trailing from his fingers, his grip on his blade becoming sure once more.

Chikai stumbled backwards, utterly shocked at the new surge of power.“No….NO! I KILLED YOU!” It shrieked, flinging ice spears and blasts of icy wind at the burning Vizard, as well as launching another wave of despair, of hopelessness, of loss. Laskt got to his feet, undaunted by the assault, countering each assault with more of his holy flame bursting forth from within. The Hollow stumbled backwards, “What, what are you?” It asked softly. Laskt closed his eyes, then opened them, the irises shining with a burning inner flame. “What am I?” He asked softly, feeling his spirit and mind unite in answer, “I am a watcher upon ze rim.”

Speechless and enraged, Chikai summoned all of his remaining energy, concentrating it in a point, a Cero to wipe Laskt off the face of the earth. Impassively, Laskt watched the buildup, listening to the Hollow’s insane laughter and incoherent threats, only for the weakened castle wall behind the Hollow to crumble, and collapse under the pressure, entombing his foe in rock.

The Vizard limped over to the rubble as the dust settled, wincing at every step. Miraculously, and impossibly, Chikai had somehow managed to stay conscious, weakly attempting to pry the rubble off him. Laskt stopped where he stood, raising a trembling hand and summoning a sphere of white fire, the flames licking his fingers like the tongue of an eager dog. “I am sorry Hollow, for what I did to you, the centuries of imprisonment, the isolation, the denial of your goals. I see now that that was wrong.” He apologized quietly, knowing that the words meant nothing.

Chikai no Uragiru laughed, the sound a harsh and disillusioned one. “I believe we both know ze meaninglessness of those words. You cannot even claim to have won zis mandate fairly, you had to resort to methods zat shattered your precious honor to defeat me. You are no knight.” The Hollow spat. Surprisingly, Laskt nodded, “I know I have failed. But if that is what it takes to purge the world of your depravity, I will do it without hesitation. I may be responsible for your state, but zat only makes it my responsibility to fix it. If I must burn you out of my soul to do zis, I will do so, even if it means losing my powers. Zat is my resolve.”

The two stared each other down for several moments, the holy flame casting dancing shadows on their faces. Chikai no Uragiru growled, then bowed his head. “I submit, you win this contest. However, do not think me an ally. All you have proved is that you need assistance to beat my ideals, not the other way around.” Laskt said nothing, his face firm. He raised his hand to annihilate his Hollow, but something stopped him. Guided by some instinct, Laskt took the flames, and twisted them, manipulating them in a intricate pattern that he wasn’t even sure he would be able replicate. The wounded Hollow was bound in a cage of pure flame, imprisoning him….for the moment. Laskt nodded to himself once, then fainted.

Outer World:
As the dark figure swung down his sword to unleash his Cero blast, the Hollowfied Shinigami suddenly stopped, clutching at his head and roaring in agony. The dark armor shattered, revealing a swaying Laskt, who proceeded to do what he did best. Collapse.