A Stranger to Yourself (Elyss Solo)

The means for a Shinigami to speak to their Zanpakuto is simple: meditation. Though, meditation isn’t easy for everyone; especially one with such aggressive thoughts such as Elyss. The redhead has been sitting for about an hour now focusing her mind to try and attempt to contact her Zanpakuto, but she’s had no luck. Ever since she had returned from her near death experience, she’s felt empty inside. Her Zanpakuto and the power it gave her had both disappeared after that day. She’s been trying over and over again to communicate with the strange ancient looking man she’s seen and heard before in her mind, yet no progress has been made. It’s frustrating to say the least, but what is even more frustrating is the strange occurrences. There’s something else; another voice? It was different from the seductiveness of the Hollow inside or the gravelly baritone of her Zanpakuto. She can’t quite place it, but this time, she wants to hear it again. Maybe trying for her Zanpakuto wasn’t the correct decision. Maybe this new voice has some answers. Maybe it's the problem. There is only one way to find out.

Elyss takes a deep breath sitting down on the grass beneath her feet. Whenever she had wanted to escape and be alone to think on her own, she came to this spot outside of the Rukongai. She found the plains around her leading into the labyrinth of trees all around serene. This small hill has become a sort of favorite landmark. And, so, she finds herself crossing her legs placing both her Zanpakuto on her lap and closing her eyes to enter into a deep trance. She didn’t try to focus on the weapons on her lap, but she reached out with her mind to something else questioning her own sanity reaching out for something alien to her. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long before her head felt pressure against it, not just physically, but spiritually her mind is being squeezed before suddenly feeling light and empty; a laughing in the distant that causes her to turn her head, but in that moment, the world around her changed.

She is no longer on the plains meditating. She is standing on some rocky structure staring off into an endless void where more rocky structures like the one she stands on floats aimlessly; some even crashing into each other crumbling or becoming one. Though, Elyss couldn’t help but notice the fog about her; a familiar haze that reminded her of the few times she looked out from the castle her Zanpakuto claimed as its domain, and as she reaches outwards taking uneasy steps forward, she notes how it disperses the more and more she moves. Soon, she is staring down a jagged thin rocky pathway that leads towards a castle; an all too familiar castle. Elyss is rather awestruck by the sight of the large ancient building from outside. Within, it appears as nothing but a crumbling relic, but from her viewpoint, it is a massive giant of ornamental Japanese construction; a true ancient landmark surrounded by a dreadful void. Elyss takes a deep breath and steels herself as she continues forward on the winding path that sounded as if it may crumble under her feet as some of the floating islands of rock smash into the castle causing some of the building to fall into the endless abyss below.

The walk was lackluster. Expecting something to go horribly wrong, Elyss was on guard the whole journey to the castle, but nothing occurred. There was only an eerie silence with each step echoing and dying off into the nothingness around her, but, now, it is time for her to enter into the castle. Before her, shut and seemingly unopenable, are two large doors. Elyss feels a bit of hesitation, but slowly presses her hand to them and, without her even pushing, they open slowly, methodically, forebodingly. The inside is a familiar sight. This is the main entrance to the castle that is made of old bricks with 5 cylinders on each side reaching high up to the ceiling with a tarnished red carpet in between that leads to the ancient throne. Despite how glorious the outside is, the inside is far from worthwhile. Elyss walked in with her eyes on him.

He sits on his throne. The man or thing in her head; a being of ancient looks. Elyss runs her eyes up and down his form once more. He is armored as always appearing more as some skeletal monster than an actual person with near empty eye sockets, old wrinkled skin of grey color, and grey hair that covers his face and fall from his head unkempt. Is this really her Zanpakuto spirit? He must be. During it all, he was the one who came to her when she needed it most. Yet, he felt off at this moment; estranged and alien to her. His visage stings her eyes. He exudes and unnatural pressure of dominance and contempt. Though, it feels bottled up as if waiting for someone to tip it over the edge and spill it over into this whole dimension.

“Why haven’t you let me in?” Elyss asks moving her gaze around to anything but him. His appearance fills her with a strange dread; a building anger in this situation that seemed to grow uncontrollable from her desires. She doesn’t quite understand why, but it is there, and the silence that follows only add fuel to her fire. There is a scratching nose suddenly like two surfaces being grinded together, but she is soon to realize that that is her own teeth.

Why is she getting mad? She didn’t come here just to get mad. She came to get answers to why her powers aren’t working, or for why she feels so empty. There is a foriegn voice in her head that she knows nothing about, yet it felt so familiar. It had soothed her rage so easily with just a single word when she had lost herself against that criminal.

“Still, isn’t it best to try and help me achieve whatever it is you want? You’ve cut me off not only in your presence but power as well. Even coming here… There was another voice… It sounded familiar…”

It was more than familiar. It was comforting like she had known it her whole life. Yet, she’s here attempting to consolidate with the man on the throne hoping he would understand and return to her so that they may grow together. She even tells him of the other voice wondering if it is something she should be concerned with, but still, there is nothing. The man sits still like a state staring down at her as if she is nothing more than an ornament in his halls. It angers her greatly; more than she wants to admit. Though, she lets it move her body forward. There has been so much that has been bogging her down, aggravating her thoughts, and confusing her greatly. Right now, she wanted to grow, learn, become better, but it seems her own soul wants nothing to do with it.

“Is that it!? Nothing! Not a word? You’re just going to sit there and look down on me?”



She finds herself right at the throne; her eyes alight with rage, and her body tense as if ready to fight. [color=#C51212]“Say something you damn bastard!”[/cpolor] She lifts her arm, balls her hand into a fist, and punches at the knee of the sitting man, but as her fist connects, it passes right through. This catches her off guard, causing her to stumble forward as she falls onto the throne and phases through it as well. Once she begins to rise again, she notices that the environment around her has changed.

She is now surrounded by red smoke encircling her blocking her view of everything to her left, right, below, and even the sky. “W-What the hell?” She mutters standing up and begins spinning on the spot looking for some explanation to this. This is weird. She reaches out to the smoke realizing that she will not see anything. It burns running through her fingers like a raging fire cooking her digits, but it also feels her with a warmth.

“Elyss!”

She turns her head quickly hearing what sounded like her name; the voice familiar to her from the little times she’s heard it, and she sees in the distance in the red smoke a shadowy figure far off. Quickly, her body turns as she starts walking that way wondering if she’ll finally meet the individual behind that voice, but suddenly, her foot doesn’t find purchase on another as she falls straight down into… water.

She’s back to that moment surrounded by rampaging waves in the middle of a burning sea. She recalls the time where Ulv had showed her the true expanse of her fury. Knocked back and forth by the raging sea, Elyss is left to wonder what she is doing in life. Her mind is beaten by thoughts of all her failures and setbacks. She is filled with extreme emotion of hatred as the sea burns her skin setting her ablaze in raw mental fury. This was a horrible idea. Letting herself dive into her own mind this deep was a mistake that is ultimately going to drown her and set her further back in her progress of conquering her fears; her fears of becoming something uncontrollable.

How many times has she failed at controlling her anger? How many times must she reminded of how out of control she is? She doesn’t want to live like this wondering when the next time she’ll destroy her own body in pursuit of something that doesn’t even matter. Self Doubt. Her biggest issue. It’s what fuels all her other issues, even her anger. Maybe she should just give up. Quickly, she can feel her thoughts melting away due to the intensity of the waves ravaging her body. Her eyes close as she goes under and lets her thoughts melt away.

Though, before she fully went under a hand submerged into the waters grabbing her throwing her onto a small platform. At this, Elyss’ eyes opened, and she sat up quickly noticing that she is on a raft with a new person. She also noticed that the sea around her is calm unlike a few moments ago.

“Giving up, huh? Rather uncharacteristic of you.”

That voice. It is familiar, smooth, soothening. Elyss looks and sees a man, or is that a female with long jet black hair tied in a large ponytail in a kimono of red colors. This new person holds a katana similar to Elyss’ Zanpakuto in their hands sitting cross legged on the raft.

“Ah. Finally, we meet. Took a while, but I guess you had to sort through all that mess in your head, huh? Man. I’ve been lost out at sea for so long.”

Elyss is taken aback by this new individual. She still has no idea what is going on, but it doesn’t feel wrong to her. “Who are you?” She asks causing the mysterious person to laugh.

“You know me, my queen.”

At that Elyss blinks before sudden realization hits her right in the face taking her breath away as she gasps. Though, before a word could escape from her mouth, the petals of dragon lilies emerge from the sea around them encompassing both the man and her.

Her eyes reopen back on the small area she had sat down at empty and alone. Elyss looks down at the swords on her lap and sighs.

“So, that’s it…”