The Secret of Liberty [Julian, Solo]

Julian St. Vendemiaire was something of an independent man, and for that he was remarkably thankful. His captain had retired to pursue her own personal affairs, her independent research, and he could not necessarily blame her for that. If anything, it was something he admired, even if he would not ever vocalize something like that. He had been quite fond of her, and he was glad to know she had at least chosen to pursue something more productive.

He, however, still rather obviously needed to handle the matters of the 3rd Division. Realistically, he knew that it would be best to apply for the position that she had left vacant, but it would not feel right to do so when he was aware of exactly how inadequate he was for the title.

What should he do, then? He knew that bankai was, in all likelihood, well within his grasp. But that felt juvenile, as if he were expecting authority based solely on a single metric. And besides, he was handling research and development. Simply achieving a single release was hardly enough to justify leadership in that particular field.

Well, then he would have to pursue something else entirely. His research into matters of the zanpakuto had been going smoothly, if unremarkably. He still had many of the notes that had been left by his former captain, and that would have to be enough for him. Julian was thankful that his authority as acting captain was enough that he could request the necessary materials for his research.

A singular asauchi was all that he needed for now.

He understood the nature of a zanpakuto, understood how it connected to the soul and promptly reflected it. But the zanpakuto was just that, a reflection, an expression. It was a vehicle for power rather than an outright manifestation of it. Julian had studied his own zanpakuto, and the communal zanpakuto he himself had developed long ago, and he had come to a conclusion that he had to suspect might have been a rather dangerous conclusion to reach.

The zanpakuto was, ultimately, nothing more than a vessel for external power. The shinigami did not need to bond with it, did not even need to rely on it, he suspected. Was zanjutsu as an art nothing more than a crutch? Well, Julian would be lying if he said that he could make a claim that grand for certain. If nothing else, the Captain Commander seemed to indicate otherwise, but then again, was she not the outlier among outliers? She was perhaps the only shinigami alive for whom zanjutsu was, in itself, an expression of her nature.

Ah, he was finding himself off track now though. There were more important things for Julian to concern himself with than that, though it was something to consider for later. At present, he simply stared down at the asauchi on his desk, studying it. These blades were reliant on the bond with the user, yes, with the spirit they manifested. But the nature of the zanpakuto was still one which created a secondary pool of energy, one belonging only to the zanpakuto. They were, ultimately, independent entities.

It would not be outside the realm of possibility, then, to take his development further. A zanpakuto which was not merely communal, but actively replicated, which could be handed between those who required something further. It would even, in all likelihood, be a way to benefit those in the Gotei whose own zanpakuto expressed themselves in impractical or simply unappealing ways. Julian knew that even daring to step into this field was courting trouble, but it was not something he touched simply for the sake of his own pride. It was, rather, the best thing that he could offer to the Gotei. He would have no choice but to pursue it, and that thought steeled his resolve as he delved all the deeper into his study of the blade on his desk.

The spirit did not manifest into anything concrete until that bonding with the blade was finished. Julian knew that much, and he knew that the external factor was crucial in that forming. How else would one explain the differences between his own two blades? One was created by countless souls, dozens of men and women having molded it with their spirits. The other was Julian's, and Julian's alone. But the question was not what formed the spirit, for that much was common knowledge.

The question, rather, was if he could force the asauchi to develop without the need for that. If it was a matter of imprinting upon the blade, of molding it with one's own soul, then could it not be entirely plausible to simply mold it through external means? It would never replicate the power of a proper zanpakuto, that much was obvious. But it seemed unnecessary for this particular development.

The question, however, was how one would even go about this degree of control over the blade. Julian knew the more immediate methods, through jinzen and even through simply carrying it around. But that was simple, practically worthless in this context. He needed something, some way to outright control the blade. And that would be the tricky part, wouldn't it?