#soul king

This is ¼ of part 13 on the app

Chapter 12

Fullbringer.

Those who were born amid a connection between man and Hollow that has lasted since ancient times, those who were born out of the cracks.

As for why they came into being, excluding some among the Shinigami, there are few who know the truth.

To the Fullbringers themselves, just as the very concept defied logic, its significance was also incomprehensible; ‘power’ was bestowed to them from a reality which they had no say in, one in which their 'parents were attacked by Hollows’.

There are also those who consider these powers convenient, and thus they choose to indulge in it.

However, in the end it is mere borrowed plumes.

Those who simply continue to use their powers as they desire without even understanding the significance behind the extraordinary abilities that were bestowed upon them, eventually bring about their own demise.

Those who choose not to wallow in greed also possess power that no others had, naturally this caused them to drift away from the world, and as a result, the individuals who ended up remaining hidden from society were in the majority.

to go into specifics, the unique inherent ability that is born by distorting the nature of an object they hold a particular attachment to through the power of Fullbring, that is surely something given by gods —— or perhaps it can even be described as the stuff of the gods in itself; rather than being an exaggerated notion, one might be able to say it partially rearranges the foundation on which the 'world’s mode of existence’ is built.

As if saying it was one of their privileges to be able to raise an objection against a system of a world decided by others.


An attachment to something in one’s vicinity.

In other words, the innate abilities belonging to Fullbringers, is the very source which causes them to grow alienated from the world, and at the same time, it is also the chain that keeps these isolated individuals tethered to it.


Then what of those who hold no attachment?

Those who were unable to harbour the slightest fragment of sentiment towards the world, towards the various items among their personal effects, and ultimately, even towards their own life; Fullbringers who have refused to establish a connection, have feelings of love or even hatred, what kind of situation do they eventually arrive at as a result?

Michibane Aura was one answer to that question.

She is an extremely rare case, a Fullbringer of two consecutive generations.

It appears that her father was a Fullbringer by nature, and her mother an ordinary human being.

A chance meeting between her Fullbringer father and her ordinary human mother, a realisation of their hopes.

Joined in marriage by a love that endured hardships different to that of ordinary people, the two were bound by fate. ——

However, her mother, a mere human, came to be attacked by a Hollow.

Her Fullbringer father beat the Hollow back by making full use of his powers, but by that point Aura’s mother had obtained a serious injury.

They were able to safely deliver their unborn child —— but in return, her wounds were so severe that she ended up losing her life.

Could it not be down to the fact that he was a Fullbringer, the fact that the foetus was tainted with his blood, which ultimately attracted the Hollow?

The father who considered as much, continued endlessly to seek out a way to eradicate this power from within himself, even after Aura was born.

He isn’t the only one who would have to carry on like this.

After all, he feared that Aura too would be rejected by the world.



Then, ten-odd years later.

Towards an Aura who had quickly grown, her father raises his voice after giving a look of great joy.


—— “Rejoice, for both I and Aura may be freed from this curse.”

—— “There’s a Substitute Shinigami who goes by the name of Ginjō Kūgo, he’s gathering comrades.”

—— “I’m not sure what sort of thing a Substitute Shinigami is supposed to be, but that man, he’s a credible fellow.”

—— “Because he says, he will absorb the Hollow powers out of our bodies for us.”

—— “First, I shall test to see whether or not it’s safe. And supposing there were no problems with my findings…”

—— “Aura, then you can live a normal life.”


As she listened to those words which comprised of hope, jubilation, and the slightest fragment of anxiety, Aura tried to wrap her head around it.

—— 'Normal’, I wonder what that is.

—— Why?

—— Aren’t Hollow powers, the source of the Fullbring that father taught me?

—— Why must we hand it over to somebody else?

—— Do we have to eliminate it?

—— Then, once we’ve done such a thing, I’ll have nothing whatsoever.

—— To live a normal life, what does it mean?



—— Does this mean, the current me is not considered 'normal’? Father.



Aura who had been confined to a basement by the hands of her father, suddenly contemplated such things.

Aura’s father may have been broken by his wife’s death.

Even though he had confined his own daughter to the basement of their home, he by no means restored to violence, nor did it mean that he neglected her upbringing.

As far as her father was concerned, she was something that must be protected, she was all that was left of his beloved wife, that is to say, she was also his very reason of being.

He had to protect her.

From the Hollows, from the prying eyes of the human race, from the world itself which considered them heretics.

For Aura who was brought up within a fish tank-like room at the basement level of their mansion, her world was limited to this confined space and her father alone.

If it would only bring her sorrow to learn of the world, her father would make sure not to grant her even a single book.

Not to speak of a television, he didn’t even inform her of the vast expanse of space which lies beyond her room, she was merely taught such things as basic reading, writing and physical laws, and given training on Fullbring techniques in order to protect herself from Hollows.

Her world was complete with that alone.

A world that would never be encumbered, and relative to that, neither is it one that would ever expand.

A tasteless and odourless world.

A world without colour.

A world void of freedom.

A world where one is unable to even discern what difference there was between hope and despair.

Her father’s cooking was just about the only thing that roused her emotions.

Though she had memories of his delicious home cooking, her father had headed towards the location of the man known as Ginjō before it could form a foundation of her Fullbring as the 'attachment’.——



And he never returned again.



Even Aura with her limited knowledge is quick to understand that some kind of abnormality had occurred.

Nevertheless, she was not able to judge for herself what to do in such an event.

Hunger, it is said to be one of the most painful sufferings among the agonies a human being can experience.

For Aura who was at least made to eat her meals at her own convenience despite being confined, this first taste of pain was enough to splinter her immature psyche.

Even so, that she was not completely broken, was it the result of the Fullbring training which she had been initiated into by her father? Or perhaps, a benefit from the 'factor’ that has been present within her as a Fullbringer from the very beginning?

Either way, she succeeded in overcoming the situation before the point of no return.

When her sense of hunger reached its limit, she raised her hands to the walls of her water tank-like room, drew out its soul using her Fullbringer powers, set it to work, and then ——

In the next instant, those walls that confined her —— the tempered glass of her tank is reduced to sand entirely, disappearing from her presence.

With staggered movements, the young girl she was stepped out from the basement and towards the 'outside world’.

Remaining oblivious to even the fact that this was still part of the mansion known as her 'inner world’, she completely destroys the locks on the doors which were applied sevenfold, and continues walking.

The 'world’ she had grasped with her own hands for the first time, took the form of a portion of ingredients located inside the kitchen.

Having realised that it was something her father puts into the food he would prepare for her, she gave into instinct and devoured it greedily —— the taste of decay immediately resulted in her spitting it out.

Ironically, the only part of the 'world’ that offered her attachment, ended up being rejected by own body.

If it were not for that process, she may have been awakened to her own innate abilities which took 'food’ as her attachment and then lived out the rest of her life as an 'ordinary’ Fullbringer.

Perhaps she would have encountered the man named Ginjō Kugō, perhaps she would have battled Kurosaki Ichigo, or maybe it would have brought about a distinct salvation.

However, things didn’t work out that way.

In her world, something that entertained enough attachment to maintain a connection, never made an appearance.

Alternatively, though it was a skewed relationship, it may have been the case that her very father was the link that served as an attachment for her —— and yet, even he disappeared from Aura’s world.

Collapsing upon reaching the 'outside’ in the true sense of the word, she was lucky to be discovered by a passer-by and was thus given protection by the police as a result.

When they found signs of her confinement in her crumbling home, for a short while, the public were in an uproar over the perverseness of the father who imprisoned his own daughter, but soon after, even that uproar died down, and the girl known as Aura was completely forgotten from this world.

Perhaps feeling that the girl would be unable to go by a surname belonging to the sort of father who would confine his own daughter; at the hands of the relatives on her mother’s side that took her into the care of the Michibane family, she was to live her life after that as “Michibane Aura.”

A time span of several more years had passed since then —— she was being integrated into general social life.

To say she ‘was integrated’ is probably not entirely accurate.

Completely effacing her very being, she continued to pass the time like weeds growing by the roadside.

Her physical appearance was very beautiful, naturally it was no surprise that she attracted the eyes of both men and women without discrimination, yet even considering the idea that she hadn’t drawn the attention, perhaps it might also be her Fullbring that exerted some kind of influence on her surroundings.

It’s not like it was her intention to hide from the world.

However, given that she was unable to harbour any interest whatsoever towards the world, it’s only natural that she would remain placid in that kind of way.


Regarding her father whom she had nothing but trust for, the people around her would relentlessly slander him saying “he’s a wicked person” and “forget about such a man.”

If she considers it from the angle of her knowledge of life as a member of society which she later acquired, then admittedly her father could probably be regarded as depraved.

Aura had come to notice that as she matured, but now that things have come to pass, it made no difference to her.

As far as she was concerned, the real world was inside the confined space of that glass tank, but without any attachment being born there —— even in this 'new world’ which should have been stimulating, its entirety can only be seen as an extension of that glass tank.

Upon stretching her interpretation of the world, to her, there was no such thing as 'an existence with an attachment’ that was enough to force her 'Fullbring’ to develop —— Nevertheless, when Aura herself is asked about this matter, what she had was one sole answer.

“What is important to me… is the very Fullbring that I learned from my father. This saved my life. I was able to survive because of it. Nothing else is needed. I may be indifferent about my father. However, the Fullbring I learned from him, it’s my everything.”



And the 'architect of the question’ who had heard that answer, spoke whilst nodding approvingly.

“I see, yes I see, so this is how you’ve grown up huh? How very amusing.”

She immediately understood that the man who had flashed a sinister smile, is 'something’ different to the people around her.

'It’ suddenly appeared before her one day.

It could not be seen by anyone other than herself.

It was a being akin to the white monsters that would attack her from time to time.

The man, clad in strangely outdated garments, opens his mouth to speak whilst watching her closely as if in assessment.

“You’re able to hunt down even Huge Hollows at your age? Moreover, it’s highly intriguing that you’re using nothing but the basic techniques of a Fullbringer.”

So saying, the man kicked at the remnants of the white monsters that had been dealt with by Aura just a moment ago and now lay strewn around their feet.

“…Who are you? You’re not a human are you?”

“Oh, me? Where are my manners. I am what you people would call a 'god’. I am what’s known as a 'Shinigami’. Have you never heard of our existence from your father?”

—— Shinigami.

What is recollected in her mind, is not not the absolute being who governs death which occasionally appears in the likes of books that she had read on the 'outside'… but rather, the words her father had left with her in the end.

—— “A Substitute Shinigami who goes by the name of Ginjō, he’s gathering comrades.”

“…Ginjō?”

In response to Aura’s murmur, the man who claimed to be a Shinigami laughed in delight.

“Hahahaha! I didn’t see that coming! What a pity, what a great pity indeed! I guess it would be ideal if that were the case though. Both for you, and for Ginjō Kugō himself.”

“Who… are you?”

Confronted by Aura who, without even a tinge of emotion, raised this question carried in words that only entertained uncertainty, the man blithely contorted his lips even further whilst stating his own name.

“My name is Tokinada. Tsunayashiro Tokinada.”

“Tokinada…?”

“Are lowly humans always this rude? You should address me with 'sama’. That’s 'Tokinada sama’ to you. At present I’m still under house arrest, but the Human World is so very fascinating these days, I have a tendency to sneak out against my better judgement.… Well, that’s fine proof that the lot from the head house take no notice of the likes of me.”

Faced with the man before her eyes who gave an answer to a question she hadn’t asked, and on top of that, continues to speak of matters she couldn’t quite comprehend the meaning of, Aura tilted her head in confusion, but then ——

The matter he spoke of in the next instant, resulted in forcibly drawing her interest.

“Ah, that’s right, you want to know who I am, rather than my name and circumstances.”

Just as the friendly smile had emerged on his face, he easily let slip the truth.

“It’s an uncomplicated matter really. I am a descendant of the family who ordered the killing of your father.”


“…Huh?”

Aura’s countenance which was like a deadpan mask, is now thrown into immense disarray for the first time.

As if to say that he also found her reaction amusing, the 'Shinigami’ who introduced himself as Tokinada, assembles more words.

“Your father, his whereabouts is supposedly unknown… but in fact, he’s already dead. It won’t hurt to thank me for saving you the time and effort to go searching for him you know? If you wish to bawl your eyes out, that would be amusing in its own way. If you wish to revile me as the enemy of your father and kill me in an act of revenge, I’d still consider that fun. Kidō against Fullbring, shall we see which one will come out on top in a contest of skill?”

“…I don’t understand what you’re getting at. My father, your saying he was killed by your family? Why?”

“Hn? Oh, the reason? The reason huh. If I could answer you with 'there is no such reason’ then it might be possible to belittle your father’s memory even more, however I suppose I may as well answer you honestly.”

Tokinada slowly walked around Aura, at the same time he observes a fluctuation of her Reiatsu.

Although he could see her confusion, he could not sense any feelings of unrest caused by emotions like anger or sorrow.

As he examined her carefully with eyes that appeared as if they were gazing at a rare species, Tokinada uttered the answer to her question.

“It’s retrieval. What should be 'property’ that originally belongs to us, was fused with the souls of people like your father, and yourself.”

“……?”

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter does it? What’s the most important thing now? What of the detestable family of adversaries, who robbed you of the world inside that confined glass tank that was oh-so precious to you, who now stands before your very eyes?”

Hearing those words, Aura’s eyes begin to narrow.

“You even know about… my past?”

“Yes, but of course. Because I have been watching. I suppose the factor lay hidden on your mother’s side too. That it would be passed down for two consecutive generations, and what’s more, to be a Fullbringer at the same time, this is an extremely rare case. Naturally, you were observed. So, what will you do? Do you accept my challenge of a duel? Obviously I will put up a resistance.”

“…. There’s no need. To be honest, I’m not interested.”

Watching Aura as she readily shook her head, Tokinada laughs.

“Hahaha, that’s right, yes I thought as much, you probably don’t have that kind of disposition. In the past, when I tested a man who abandoned himself to sentiment, quite the opposite of you, I employed a more elaborate act. Yes, the way that man glared at me with his unseeing eyes, even thinking back on it now, it’s intoxicating.… Though, the concept of intoxication itself seems to be nonexistent to you in the first place.”

After talking about someone who was not present at the scene right now, Tokinada remarked as if treating Aura with contempt.

Remaining void of both indignation and fear towards this, Aura poses a question regarding her own fate in an unfazed manner.

“Do you intend to kill me too?”

“Yes, eventually. Depending on the situation, I may even spare you.”

“Eventually…?”

Towards the man who had declared that her own execution looms ahead, she harboured no emotion whatsoever as before, at the same time, Aura could hardly fathom the other party’s intentions and is thus bewildered. Or perhaps, that very bewilderment is the closest element to what constitutes an emotion permitted to Aura.

Tokinada reveals his own objectives to her in all sincerity. –

– As if to announce that he looked forward to how she would receive it, and whatever ending it would lead to.

“The 'factor’ that dwells within you; rather than retrieving it as components, it’s more interesting to put it into operation through a single unit, besides it looks like you would come in handy as a game piece under my control.”

“I would be… your game piece? What for?”

“You have no attachment to this world, correct? That being the case, we should repaint the world anew. If we forge a new world, then maybe you will come to find something you can harbour an attachment to along with it?”

Whether or not he was simply talking at random with those words, Aura who at the time was unfamiliar with the world, was unable to understand.

Like the snake who enticed the first of mankind, Tokinada gradually ensnares his victim with the thread that are his words.

“The heart and left arm ended up returning to that Quincy lot… but what exists within you is also rather unique. I want to turn you into my game piece at all costs. I shall give you something you desire. As long as it’s within my power to do so of course.”

“…Right now, there is no such thing that I desire.”

“Then, someday its time will come but until then you should give it some consideration. Also, if you are to become my game piece, when it comes to the way you treat others at least, you should do a little better. It doesn’t matter if you have to force a smile. Your faint smile, I dare say it’s likely to beguile both men and women alike.”

Disregarding the words of Tokinada who spoke of an unsettling matter, she continued with her questions as if keeping after him.

“What is it that dwells within me?”

In response to that query, the man grins widely as he reveals a certain truth to Aura.
.

.

.

“An organ referred to as the 'Saketsu’ (*Binding Chain)… which belongs to a being called the Soul King.”