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Chapter 12: Kurayami I
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For Akashi, life at the Academy became an unrelenting crucible. Every moment, every breath, revolved around a singular purpose: forging a connection with his Asauchi.
The nameless blade rested at his side, an unassuming companion with the potential to become something greater, something that would reflect the core of his soul.
Akashi's obsession with it bordered on fanatical, driven by the knowledge that without a true bond, he would remain shackled by his limitations.
From the first rays of dawn to the dim flicker of lanterns at night, Akashi's Reiatsu enveloped the Asauchi.
Whether in the quiet solitude of his dormitory or the rigorous sparring sessions of Zanjutsu, his focus never wavered.
He would sit for hours with the blade laid across his knees, meditating, forcing his spirit to resonate with its silent steel.
Akashi even ignored some practical lessons, such as Konso, a technique used by Shinigami as a fundamental part of their roles in maintaining the cycle of souls between the Human World and Soul Society.
It is the process by which Shinigami sends Pluses to Soul Society from the Human World.
Akashi heard that some accelerated groups already had expeditions to the human world to perform Konso, such as the group of Himawari Momo, Renji Abarai, and Izuru Kira.
However, the expeditions weren't mandatory just yet. However, to graduate, it's mandatory to have a certain number of expeditions under your belt.
The first semester's schedule left little room for rest.
Theories and History drilled into them the legacy of the Gotei 13, the significance of the Soul Society, and the importance of their roles as Shinigami.
Much of its history was messing or glorified, but he listened intently nonetheless, memorizing every nuance and historical detail.
If he was to rise through the ranks, understanding the system was as important as mastering his sword.
In Physical Education Drills, he pushed himself harder than most and it was difficult to torturous at times exactly because of how much he pushed himself.
His body was accustomed to hardship; his years in the lawless outer districts of Rukongai had carved a hardened resilience into his frame.
It's, however, his lack of care for his body that made him excel, seeing his body and appearance as nothing but a tool for progress.
Hakuda wasn't his strong suit. In fact, he quite disliked it, maybe because he was lacking in it.
Even in Rukongai, when he had no blade, he let his nails grow, and used them or anything sharp as a weapon, everything that could act as a blade was a better weapon than his fists.
However, despite his lack of talent in the art and disinterest in it, Akashi still forced himself to learn it just in case someday he gets disarmed.
Zanjutsu, however, became his proving ground. Here, with his Asauchi in hand, he tested the bond he was cultivating.
Every strike, block, and parry was another conversation with the blade, another chance to deepen their connection.
However, there didn't seem to be any connection, his Asauchi still as silent as ever.
Imprinting your mark on your own Asauchi usually happens fast. It's communicating with your Zanpakuto spirit and gaining their approval which usually takes years to decades.
And Kido remained his greatest challenge. The incantations were very easy to memorize and recite the specific ones for the spell.
He found it easy to succeed. However, he must recite the incantation which takes a few seconds at least. It's not easy to do that in battle.
What Akashi was trying to do was achieve what Some shinigami can do, Shinigami that are so advanced that they are able to cast high-level spells by simply naming them.
The way spells work is by reciting the incantation which makes your Reiryoku flow in such a way as to form the spell before emitting it.
The Shinigami who have mastered named casting have memorized the flow of Reiryoku and they simply replicate it almost instantly to cast the spells.
It is way more difficult than it sounds, especially for advanced and complicated spells.
Few can master them, especially someone like Akashi whose own energy seems to still be rejecting him.
He often found himself frustrated but pushed on, knowing that every skill was a stepping stone toward his ultimate goal.
Outside the classroom, Akashi's life revolved around his Asauchi. He still interacted with his classmates, seeking advice wherever he could, although not as much.
He preferred the solitude of the gardens, the quiet corners of the training grounds, or his spartan dormitory.
Like an obsessed maniac, he spent so much time with his Asauchi that he started seeing it as his dearest friend, a mirror of himself and an extension of his soul.
His conversations with it, though one-sided, felt increasingly meaningful, and sometimes not so one-sided.
"I wonder why? Some of the nobles such as Shin are so much more talented than me, but they don't make use of their potential... They do the bare minimum."
He would whisper during late-night meditations, his fingers tracing the blade's edge.
"Do you think we can survive the future considering our aspirations?" He sometimes asks, and sometimes, his eyes brighten as he receives a response in the form of voices he can not understand.
The semester dragged on, the intensity of training thinning the ranks as quitters fell away.
Akashi pretty much no longer had any trouble with the training, as the more time passed, the less intensity there was.
By now, the intensity of the training was down, and the Academy life became very lax.
By the time the semester neared its end, he felt a subtle shift in his Asauchi. It was faint, like a distant heartbeat, but unmistakable.
Finally, one evening, after a particularly fruitful session of Zanjutsu, Akashi returned to his dormitory and sat with the blade once more.
He wrapped his hands around the hilt and closed his eyes, his Reiatsu flowing into the steel like a river.
Akashi felt it deep in his heart. This time, something responded... Something happened.
Akashi opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar realm, dark it was, cold it most certainly was... Is wet the right word to describe the ink flowing down his feet?
Akashi looked at the sky first only to see pure darkness, nothing but black.
He looked down and noticed that he was standing on a dark rocky platform, standing more elevated than the ocean of Ink.
Indeed, as far as the eyes can see, what surrounds the podium is nothing but an ocean of Ink.
The source of the Ink was at the very center of the platform. It was spilling Ink into the ground, the Ink flowing outwards in all directions, forming an Ink fall in all directions.
The thing in the center was an Elongated Bipyramid object with a hole in its center.
With the hole was what seemed to be a revolving black Sphere, from which the Ink spilled.
There, it hovered above the platform, in all its glory, attracting his curiosity and attention for he saw his weapon spirit nowhere, leaving nothing but the object to eye.
It was but a few steps away from him. He walked up to it very easily, yet Akashi didn't.
Akashi merely raised his hand, seemingly reaching out for it. It was so close yet so far away as his eyes started to zone out, and soon falling unconscious in the outpour of Ink.
The Ink shrouded him, dragging him into the abyss that's the ocean of Ink... Akashi couldn't handle the Voices.
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