Under Every Grief and Sorrow, a Joy Runs Like a Silken Thread

Under every grief & pine / Runs a joy with silken twine.--William Blake<Songs of Innocence and of Experience>(1803)

The huge crater created by the Sōren Sōkatsui was still emitting smoke, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning high-density Reishi. The Sixth Division's side courtyard was almost completely razed to the ground, with broken stone slabs scattered throughout the courtyard, and the walls that were originally covered with ice crystals had long since collapsed.

The azure fireball illuminated the entire night sky as if it were daytime. When the light faded, a deep crater several meters in diameter was left on the ground. The soil at the bottom of the crater had been burned into a glassy, hard shell by the high temperature, with dark red embers still visible at the edges.

Rukia at the deepest part of the pit, her Shihakusho's cuffs and hem scorched beyond recognition by flames, the edges of the black fabric curled with dark red embers, and a few strands of hair scattered across her pale cheeks.

Her breathing was extremely shallow, and each rise and fall aggravated the double wound on her chest, which was frostbitten by ice and snow and scorched by flames. The fingertips of her ten fingers still bore the unique scorch marks left by the Reishi that had been burned—marks left when high-density Reishi surged from her palms during the complete chanting of the Sōren Sōkatsui.

"Rukia!" Ichigo slid down the edge of the pit, pebbles tumbling down beneath his feet. He knelt beside Rukia, reaching out his hand. Just as his fingers touched her shoulder, a violent and chaotic Reiatsu pressed down from behind him.

The Reiatsu was extremely strange, unlike the Reiatsu of a single soul. It was more like countless Reiatsu forcibly mixed together, repelling and tearing at each other.

Ichigo's pupils contracted slightly. He gripped the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu and slowly turned around.

Muramasa stood at the edge of the pit, with Sode no Shirayuki beside him, looking dazed. The night wind blew through the ruins, making his white robe flutter. Thick fur covered the collar of his robe, and his dark brown hair swayed slightly in the wind.

"You guys are really going overboard with your fighting." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the crackling sound of the flames.

Ichigo stared at him, Tensa Zangetsu horizontally in front of him. "What are you?"

"I am Zanpakuto." Muramasa's answer was without the slightest hesitation.

Ichigo frowned. "You're saying you're Zanpakuto?" He scrutinized the person before him—this person had no trace of Zanpakuto; his Reiatsu was chaotic and violent, completely unlike any Zanpakuto Ichigo ever seen.

"That's right." Muramasa withdrew his gaze and turned to Sode no Shirayuki. The hem of her pure white kimono was tattered from the Sōren Sōkatsui Pendant, with faint scorch marks remaining at the edges. He tilted his head slightly. "Sode no Shirayuki, leave this to me. You can retreat first."

Sode no Shirayuki glanced down at Rukia at the bottom of the pit. Looking at the wounded, weakly breathing black figure, she closed her eyes and said an apology.

The next instant, her figure vanished from the broken wall, leaving only a few extremely fine ice crystals slowly drifting down into the night sky.

Ichigo stared in the direction she had disappeared, his grip on Tensa Zangetsu tightening abruptly. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

Just as he was about to exert force with his feet, Muramasa blocked his way.

"Where are you going, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Muramasa locked his gaze into Ichigo's eyes with his deep-set pupils.

Ichigo's pupils contracted slightly. "How do you know my name?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?"

Ichigo's brow furrowed even more. "What? Who exactly are you—"

"My purpose," Muramasa interrupted him, "Is to liberate the Zanpakuto from the shackles of the Soul Reaper, nothing more."

Ichigo stared at the man before him, at the burning Seireitei reflected in his eyes, and pointed the tip of Tensa Zangetsu at Muramasa: "So, you're the mastermind behind this incident. Then tell me—how to restore Rukia's Zanpakuto to its original state!"

Muramasa turned his head, his gaze passing over the blade and landing on Ichigo's face, which was filled with rage. "Ichigo Kurosaki, what exactly is Zanpakuto?"

"What?"

"The Zanpakuto is another soul that springs from the heart of the Soul Reaper." Muramasa took a step forward, his words sounding more like a soliloquy than an answer. "The source of spiritual power is the same as that of the Soul Reaper, and it is always present in the Soul Reaper's soul. The Soul Reaper finds the power of the Zanpakuto hidden within their own soul, and communicates with it, synchronizes with it, and uses its power by knowing its name."

"And a select few Soul Reaper are chosen to materialize the embodiment of their Zanpakuto, subjugate it, and gain even greater power, achieving Bankai." He paused, glancing towards Ichigo and the direction of Sōkyoku Hill, "Just like you and the other Captain-level."

Muramasa pulled a hand out of his pocket, his fingers slowly spreading, his long, slender nails gleaming coldly like five extremely thin blades. "But—coexisting with Soul Reaper is not the only way for Zanpakuto to survive."

Ichigo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. "What exactly do you mean?"

"That means Zanpakuto also have their own consciousness."

"The consciousness of Zanpakuto?" Ichigo repeated the words, his brows furrowed.

"That's right." Muramasa withdrew his hand, his eyes locking onto Ichigo once more. "Zanpakuto are not part of Soul Reaper; we are also separate souls. We are equals to Soul Reaper." He looked at Ichigo's bewildered face, a faint, almost mocking smile playing on his lips. "You don't believe me? This is the arrogance of you Soul Reaper."

Ichigo gripped Tensa Zangetsu, recalling the pulse he felt from the blade with each swing, the synchronized heartbeat of Getsuga Tenshō as it erupted from its tip. Zanpakuto is half Soul Reaper —a fact repeatedly told to him since the day he became Soul Reaper. Zangetsu Urahara, and even Rukia all held this belief.

But the person standing in front of him now told him that the Zanpakuto was not his other half, but an independent soul that should have freedom.

"How could this happen..." Ichigo's voice was very low.

"It is precisely because these are facts that I exist." Muramasa explained his abilities, "I can understand the consciousness of Zanpakuto, I can converse with their souls, and I can make like-minded souls manifest physical forms. I can make Zanpakuto respond to my call appear in this world as souls that are different from Soul Reaper —this is the power bestowed upon me."

Ichigo Tensa Zangetsu horizontally in front of him, and a dark red Reiatsu began to slowly emanate from his body. "Why are your Zanpakuto responding to you!"

Muramasa met his gaze, a flicker of impatience crossing his deep-set eyes. "Because this is the will of Zanpakuto that has been constantly abused."

A very faint groan came from the bottom of the pit. Rukia, supporting herself on the shattered, glass-like hard shell, straightened her upper body inch by inch. Her sleeves, tattered and burned by the flames, slipped down to her elbows, revealing the overlapping frostbite and burn marks on her forearms.

In her hoarse voice, rasped from the burns, she said, "I... I never considered Sode no Shirayuki my possession, let alone abused her."

Muramasa looked down at her. "That's just your perspective." He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the direction where Sode no Shirayuki had disappeared. "Now, Sode no Shirayuki has answered my call."

Rukia dug her fingers into the glass-like hard shell that had been scorched by the high temperature, her nails leaving several very fine white marks on the smooth surface. She tried to stand up, but her legs felt as heavy as lead, and she fell back down as soon as her knees lifted half an inch off the ground.

Muramasa looked at her like this, then looked away, his tone returning to its usual coldness. "Don't force yourself. Your mission is over."

Rukia looked up, her purple eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think you escaped to the World of the Living on your own?" Muramasa raised a finger, the tip pointing at Ichigo. "I will free all Zanpakuto from the shackles of the Soul Reaper —without exception."

His gaze slowly shifted to Ichigo, a sharp glint flashing deep within his sunken pupils. "Therefore, Ichigo Kurosaki, it's necessary for you to come here as well. Welcome to my world!"

Rukia's heart clenched, her fingers trembling slightly as she turned to Ichigo, her voice trembling with barely suppressed tension. "Ichigo!"

Ichigo hoisted Tensa Zangetsu onto his shoulder, a reassuring smile playing on his lips, "It's alright, Rukia. You can rest here."

He took a few steps forward and stopped in front of the Muramasa, his short orange hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze. "I won't let you have your way. Let's go somewhere else."

Muramasa glanced at him. "Suit yourself."

The two figures disappeared one after the other at the end of the collapsed courtyard wall, leaving only shattered stone slabs, burning ruins, and a black figure lying deep in the pit, unable to even stand up.

Rukia lay prone at the edge of the pit, staring in the direction Ichigo had disappeared. She gritted her teeth, her fingers digging deeper cracks into the glassy shell of Ichigo. She wanted to chase after him, to pull out the Zanpakuto in the stone slab, to stand up—but her body wouldn't obey her commands.

The Sōren Sōkatsui she had just unleashed had almost completely drained her Reiatsu. Combined with the frostbite inflicted by Sode no Shirayuki and the burns caused by the Sōren Sōkatsui, her physical strength was now at its limit.

Just then, two figures rushed in from around the corner of the dilapidated courtyard wall.

Jūshirō Ukitake walked at the front, his white Captain's Haori billowing behind him in the wind. As soon as he stepped into the almost completely leveled courtyard, he saw the huge pit, several feet in diameter and several feet deep. The soil at the bottom of the pit had been burned into a hard, glassy shell, with smoke still rising from the edges.

He quickly knelt down beside Rukia, reaching out to support her shoulders. "Rukia!" His gaze swept from the frostbite on her face to the burns on her arms, then from the scorch marks on her fingertips to the bruises on her knees, his eyes filled with worry for his subordinate. "Cheer up, Rukia."

Rukia looked up at that familiar face, her lips moving slightly. "Captain Ukitake..."

Ukitake carefully helped her up and placed her back against a broken stone pillar.

"Such severe burns... coupled with this Reishi fluctuation..." He looked at Rukia, a hint of reproach in his eyes, "High- Sequence Hadō attacks at extremely close range should be avoided. I should have emphasized this many times. Why did you act so recklessly?"

Rukia lowered her head, looking at her still slightly trembling hands. "I'm sorry, Captain Ukitake..."

Ukitake sensed something was off about her tone—it contained a sense of loss welling up from the depths of her soul.

He softened his tone. "Rukia, what happened?"

Rukia told Ukitake what had just happened without embellishment. Looking at the scorch marks on her fingertips that were still throbbing, and at the Asauchi in the stone slab a few feet away, she said, "Captain Ukitake... Muramasa said that Zanpakuto respond to the call of the Shinigami because they couldn't bear the torment of the Soul Reaper. Am I really that bad?"

Ukitake. "Why would you think that, Rukia?"

"But what if I accidentally cause her pain without her realizing it while using Sode no Shirayuki..." Her voice trailed off, the last few words almost inaudible.

"Rukia..." Just as Ukitake was about to speak, a voice came from behind him.

"Muramasa's statement is strange, Rukia- senpai." Sylvan stood above the edge of the pit, leaning on his jet-black cane.

Rukia heard this address, she even thought the person standing in front of her was Amber. But when she looked up and saw the face clearly, she realized that the young man was thinner and paler than Amber, with more prominent cheekbones and a calmer, more reserved curve at the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

"You are..." Rukia's voice carried a very faint, almost imperceptible hint of confusion.

"This is Sylvan," Ukitake introduced, pointing to Sylvan. "He brought us a lot of intelligence about the enemy this time. Sylvan, please continue."

Sylvan nodded slightly, took a few steps forward with his cane, and slid towards Ukitake and Rukia: "Muramasa said that the Zanpakuto responded to the Shinigami's call because it couldn't endure the Soul Reaper's torment? That's strange."

Sylvan stroked his chin. "As far as I know, there isn't a single Soul Reaper in the Seireitei capable of Shikai right now—doesn't that mean that every Soul Reaper in the entire Seireitei who can Shikai is just abusing their Zanpakuto?"

Ukitake tapped his chin lightly with his fingers. "Yes. Even if there really is such a thing as abusing Zanpakuto, it shouldn't happen indiscriminately to all Soul Reaper Shikai. Unless— Shikai itself is abusing the Zanpakuto."

"Or perhaps it's because they possess Zanpakuto capable of Shikai that they're affected by Muramasa." Sylvan flicked his cane and countered, "Which of these two theories is more reasonable, Rukia- senpai?"

Rukia looked up at him, her pupils slightly contracting. "Then why did he lure Ichigo to Soul Society?"

Sylvan lowered his eyes, his fingers tightening slightly on the handle of his cane. "He simply needs a powerful enough Zanpakuto as a partner. Last night, he secretly went to Sōkyoku Hill just to recruit Jiku'a as a partner."

Ukitake froze on the spot, a look of near shock appearing on his usually gentle face. "What?"

Rukia was equally shocked. "Jiku'a?" She tried to stand up by leaning against the stone pillar, but Ukitake gently pressed down on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Ukitake's voice was low and grave. "If Jiku'a has been won over by Muramasa, it will be dangerous. That's Zanpakuto that can even shatter space and time."

"The good news is that Muramasa hasn't found Jiku'a yet." Sylvan's voice remained calm, but he silently tightened his grip on his cane. "The bad news is... Jiku'a was switched at some point, and what's stuck in the Sōkyoku Hill now is just a blank Asauchi."

Ukitake's pupils contracted slightly. "What... you've been switched?"

"Yes, their whereabouts are currently unknown." Sylvan frowned slightly, then relaxed, his eyes regaining their composure. "As long as Muramasa hasn't found Jiku'a, there's still a chance. The problem now is Ichigo —his Zangetsu isn't weak either."

Ukitake also understood that Zangetsu's mechanism was very simple, but it was also powerful because of its simplicity. It compressed Reiatsu onto the blade and then released it. As long as the Reiatsu was sufficient, the damage that Zangetsu could cause was not much less than that of Jiku'a.

"But..."

Ukitake looked at Sylvan: "In his current state, there's absolutely no way Sylvan could carry a wounded soldier through the Seireitei streets, where Zanpakuto are lurking everywhere, back to the Fourth Division."

Sylvan noticed Ukitake's hesitation. He touched the feather-like tattoos on his arm, which had been faintly glowing since he left the Fourth Division —the brightness was gradually increasing, and Rain's Reiatsu was slowly emanating from the depths of the tattoos...

"Captain Ukitake, you can go and help Ichigo without worry. I'll bring Rukia -senpai back to the Fourth Division."

"But... you..."

"I can sense that my comrade is about to wake up. With him here, getting back to the Fourth Division won't be a problem."

Ukitake looked at his arm with the tattoo that was now glowing and nodded. "Then I'll leave Rukia to you."

Ukitake turned around and used Shunpo the direction from which Ichigo's Reiatsu was coming.

Rukia leaned against the broken stone pillar, watching Ukitake's figure disappear into the end of the ruins.

Her shoulders trembled slightly from exhaustion, and her lips bore the red marks of cold and burns. "Sylvan, what you just said to Captain Ukitake — that Jiku'a was switched—is it true?"

It's true.

"Sylvan..." Rukia closed her eyes slightly, let out a sigh of relief, and looked at Sylvan with a wary gaze. "I have something I need you to answer truthfully."

Sylvan nodded. "No problem, Rukia- senpai."

"You said Muramasa up Sōkyoku Hill because of the Jiku'a, but what about you? What were you doing up Sōkyoku Hill last night?"

Sylvan stood opposite Rukia, the Featherlike Pattern on his right arm growing brighter, making Rukia even more wary. "Answer me, were you also there for Jiku'a Raven? And what is your purpose in obtaining Jiku'a?"

Despite her injuries, Rukia spoke with unwavering resolve, "Let me make this clear from the start, Amber is my friend and an important junior to me. If you try to harm Amber's belongings, I won't let you get away with it! Even if Jiku'a hasn't retreated to Asauchi yet, even if she had..."

"The Jiku'a will not retreat to Asauchi." Although Sylvan was treated coldly by Rukia, he was still somewhat pleased, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"What did you say?" Rukia somewhat surprised. Generally speaking, when Soul Reaper dies, their Zanpakuto gradually deteriorates and becomes Asauchi. It's inevitable that it wouldn't revert to Asauchi, unless...

Thinking of that possibility, Rukia even for a moment forgot all the pain in her body.

Sylvan responded at the opportune moment, "That's right, just as you thought, Yexing Hu is not dead yet."

At that moment, the tattoo on Sylvan's arm emitted a dazzling light, Sylvan noticed Rain's awakening. "Let's take you back to the Fourth Division for treatment first. I'll tell you the details on the way."

Sylvan raised his hand, which was covered in a tattoo of broken feathers, from which a pair of enormous wings unfolded, followed by a bird's head. The Big Bird flapped its wings, pulled itself completely out of the tattoo, circled once, and landed on Sylvan's shoulder.

Good morning, no, good evening, Rain.

"Good evening, Sylvan." Rain looked at Rukia: "Rukia- senpai, it looks like you've been through a fierce battle."

"This is..." Rukia was puzzled by the fact that a Big Bird had suddenly emerged from one of the arms.

"Captain Ukitake's introduction wasn't very comprehensive, so let me introduce Ego again. My name is Sylvan, and his name is Rain. We are both fragments of Amber's soul. Please take care of me during this time before Amber returns, Rukia- senpai."

"A fragment of a soul!?"