Truth, If Told So as to Be Understood, Cannot Go Unbelieved

Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believed.

--William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-1793)

The ward door closed slowly behind him. Sylvan stood in the doorway, a Blue-Violet Raven perched on his shoulder, and a black cat with a faint red stripe in his arms.

His black sleeveless vest was still stained with dust and blood from last night's battle, and the tattoos on his right and left arms gleamed faintly in the light streaming through the ward. He looked like a silhouette that had stepped out of an old painting.

Several pairs of eyes fell on him at the same time.

Kyōraku leaned against the headboard and nodded slightly to Sylvan as a greeting; Ukitake paused for a moment while flipping through documents, then resumed his normal movements; Unohana sat in her wheelchair with her hands folded on her knees, her gaze towards Sylvan gentle.

"Sylvan, you're here." Ichigo was sitting on the edge of the bed. When he saw Sylvan come in, he looked around the room and saw that there were no extra chairs, so he moved slightly to make room for Sylvan to sit down.

As the thin young man sat down next to Ichigo, Fon Shaoling stared at him, her golden eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

From their first collaboration in the dense forest last night until now, only a dozen hours have passed. In Fon Shaoling's eyes, he does have some skills, but that's all. In terms of Reiatsu, he's barely at the Lieutenant level. Based on that level of strength alone, she doesn't think Sylvan deal with Jiku'a.

Moreover, in her understanding, the East and West were governed separately and did not interfere with each other, rarely stepping into each other's territory. But now, not only had the other side come, but they were also swaggering to join the operation here, which was practically a slap in the face to the Gotei 13.

"Handing Jiku'a over to an outsider?" Fon Shaoling turned to Kyōraku, her tone devoid of any pleasantries. "Have you lost your mind?!"

The air in the ward seemed to pause slightly.

"Since the beginning of records, the East Tip Bureau, led by my Gotei 13, and the Western Branch Bureau, mainly composed of Inner London, have been governed separately and do not interfere with each other. Putting aside whether he can solve the problem, the fact that the problems of the East Tip Bureau need to be handled by the Western Branch Bureau is just a slap in the face!" Fon Shaoling was quite indignant and scolded Kyōraku.

"What's wrong with handing the Zanpakuto over to its owner? What does this have to do with the Western Branch Bureau?" Kyōraku, bewildered by the inexplicable scolding, glanced at Sylvan, who had just sat down. "Could it be that this kid isn't telling the truth?"

Sylvan met Kyōraku's gaze and nodded slightly.

Kyōraku understood. "They really didn't say anything. I really don't understand what young people are thinking these days."

Kyōraku didn't understand but respected, so he didn't point it out directly. However, he was now having a headache because the fact that he came from the Western Branch Bureau was too difficult to explain. After all, the Western Branch Bureaus really didn't interfere with each other. As long as Sylvan came from the Western Branch Bureau, he had no right to interfere with the affairs of the Gotei 13.

He looked at Fon Shaoling again. "Captain Soi Fon, don't misunderstand, Sylvan is no outsider. He provided some of the most crucial information regarding the Zanpakuto rebellion these past few days."

"We should naturally thank them for their contributions, but the boundaries between the Western Branch Bureaus must be clearly defined. The recovery of Jiku'a is our internal task, and there's no reason to let others clean up the mess." Fon Shaoling coldly, her arms crossed, the golden light representing the Suzumebachi flickering on her shoulders.

"Jiku'a- raven is Yexing Hu's Zanpakuto, and Yexing Hu is a member of my Second Division, as the captain, I am responsible for handling his Zanpakuto —whether it's reclaiming it or..." She paused, her nails tightening slightly on her arm, "... or some other method."

"Well said, Soi Fon. If we need to fight Jiku'a, I'll definitely lend a hand. Come to think of it, as long as we take care of Jiku'a Muramasa, it won't affect the mission, right?" Kenpachi grinned so widely he didn't even bother to suppress it.

Meanwhile, Ichigo whispered to Sylvan, "Sylvan, what are the Western Branch Bureaus? Besides the Gotei 13, are there any other units in Soul Society?"

Sylvan shook his head, watching the meeting closely, and Kaidō, "How should I know? Shaoling assigned me this identity as soon as we met, and I accepted it without objection. I don't know the specifics of the Western Branch Bureau either."

"You idiot, is it really okay to be so casual? What are you going to do if she finds out later?"

"I never admitted it myself, so it's not like I lied. If they found out, they found out."

Ichigo was speechless at Sylvan's reckless attitude.

Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control again, Kyōraku gave Sylvan, who was watching the show, a look. "You lied to yourself, and if you can't, I'll expose you."

Sylvan understood immediately and said directly, "But the key point is that this matter is not yours at all, Captain Soi Fon."

Sylvan's tone was relaxed, with a hint of arrogance, which made Fon Shaoling's gaze sweep over him like a knife. "What do you mean?"

Hearing this, Kenpachi silently leaned against the wall. Even he knew that Amber's matter was related to Fon Shaoling's matter. Judging from Fon Shaoling's performance at the Konsō Ceremony, it was clear that the two of them were practically together, even if they weren't. To Kenpachi, Sylvan's words sounded like he was looking for trouble.

Sylvan knew he couldn't show weakness in this situation. He took a step forward, and the kitten in his arms jumped to the ground, nimbly circling around his feet; the Raven on his shoulder spread its wings, a few bright and shiny feathers fluttering.

"Let me reintroduce Ego." Sylvan stood in the center of the ward, bowing slightly. "My name is Sylvan, and I'm just an uninvited traveler."

"My fighting style is different from that of a typical Soul Reaper —my soul and power are scattered across different fragments, each possessing a unique Spirit Body and combat abilities. My companions—" He raised his arms, his tattoos glowing in the light, "Are Rain, Oren, Rook, and Dagon."

He tilted his head, gesturing to the Raven on his shoulder and the kitten at his feet. "Rain and Oren, Captain Soi Fon already met them yesterday."

Fon Shaoling's gaze fell on Oren, who was sitting proudly on the ground with his head held high, looking at her with his silver eyes and his tail swishing gently. Although he still looked like the little guy she remembered who always loved to sit on her shoulder and rub his chin against hers, his demeanor exuded arrogance.

"Oren seems different," Fon Shaoling whispered.

"He was originally one of my soul fragments," Sylvan explained to her. "When we entered Seireitei, something went wrong; I was separated from my companions, and even our Soul Link was severed."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice came from the pepper shaker-shaped life support device, a mechanical mix tinged with inquiry. "Spirit Body differentiation... Soul Link, meaning you and these two animals are different individuals sharing the same soul? That's an interesting life form."

"Yes." Sylvan descended the steps. "I was forced to separate from my companions, my Reiatsu was reduced to almost nothing, and I even encountered Muramasa. When I was rescued and brought to the Fourth Division, I was even weaker than an ordinary member. Fortunately, Rain and Oren have been found, but—"

He paused, his tone turning somber. "Rook's whereabouts are still unknown, while Dagon has fallen into Jiku'a's hands."

"Dagon is the most unique of my soul fragments; his Spirit Body is closer to the void."

Sylvan surveyed the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Mayuri Kurotsuchi. "The fact that Toki -Jiku'a Zanpakuto, and even continuously replenish its Reiatsu when its master is gone, is very likely due to the characteristics of Dagon."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi fell silent, while the gelatinous substance inside the transparent dome above the pepper shaker slowly writhed, as if in thought.

A moment later, the mechanical voice sounded again, "Interesting. I conducted a preliminary analysis of Jiku'a at the research institute, and at that time I did detect a Soul Pulse that was not entirely the same as Jiku'a's own, but was highly connected to it. The source of that Soul Pulse has remained undetermined."

After hearing the explanations from both sides, Fon Shaoling relented and said, "Alright, since you're here to bring back your companions, I'll tentatively accept your reason for intervening. But then again, do you really have the ability to deal with Jiku'a?"

"On this point, my other partner Rook, is key." Sylvan looked at everyone, "Rook is a significant fragment within my soul, possessing extremely high Reiatsu and vitality, and his combat power is second to none."

As long as I find Rook, my lost Reiatsu can be quickly restored to about 65% of the total, and my soul will also return to four-fifths.

At that time, through the natural attraction between souls of the same kind, I will be able to take Dagon back from Jiku'a, and Jiku'a, deprived of its Reiatsu supply, will disintegrate.

"Can the attraction between souls work regardless of distance?" Tōshirō was the first to raise a question.

"No," Sylvan replied decisively. "The closer the distance, the stronger the effect. It must be ensured that I myself have direct contact with the Jiku'a when the traction occurs."

Therefore, even after finding Rook, I still need your help to create an opportunity for me to confront Jiku'a directly.

Kyōraku leaned back against the headboard, gently twirling his straw hat in his hand. "The prerequisite for this operation is finding Rook. So here's the question: where is your partner named Rook now?"

Sylvan paused for a moment, then shook his head. "The Soul Link has been severed, making it difficult to perceive the state and location... We need to search manually."

"I have a question," Fon Shaoling suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "If Dagon is stripped away in this way, what will happen to Jiku'a?"

Sylvan stroked his chin. "It's very likely that it will revert to its Zanpakuto form."

"Then leave the task of finding Rook to me."

She stood ramrod straight, her white Captain's Haori fluttering slightly behind her. "When it comes to finding people, no one in the entire Soul Society is better at it than the Second Division. Since Mr. Sylvan is the key to resolving the Jiku'a's problem, the task of finding Rook will be taken over by the Second Division."

Fon Shaoling's tone regained the crispness and decisiveness befitting a captain. "Marechiyo Ōmaeda!"

A voice answered from outside the door, Marechiyo Ōmaeda pushed the door open and entered, clearly having been waiting outside. "Captain, I'm here."

"You heard everything?" Fon Shaoling asked.

"Yes." Marechiyo Ōmaeda nodded solemnly, a small bandage still wrapped around his forehead, but he seemed to be in good spirits. "I will select the most skilled searchers from the Feimou Corps and the Patrol Corps to find Rook's whereabouts as quickly as possible."

Fon Shaoling nodded and turned to Sylvan: "Mr. Sylvan, please write down Rook's physical characteristics and give it to Marechiyo Ōmaeda. He's my Lieutenant. Don't let his appearance fool you; his skills and strength are guaranteed."

"Okay," Sylvan replied.

The atmosphere seemed to ease imperceptibly. Kyōraku watched all this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but glance at Sylvan again.

"This kid... he's clearly using the truth as his foundation and lies as his cover, drawing everyone's attention to the route he's prepared."

Rather than telling lies that are easily exposed, it's better to choose the truth carefully. He's quite the liar, isn't he? I didn't realize he had this skill yesterday..."Kyōraku glanced discreetly at Oren, who was now rubbing his Fon Shaoling against Aya's feet: "Could it be... that with the recovery of the soul fragments, his personality will also change? Becoming more and more like Amber?"

Ukitake and Unohana also realized that Sylvan was concealing his identity. Since Kyōraku didn't point it out directly, they were well aware of it as well, and they tacitly kept quiet.

Ichigo leaned against the bed, and in the end, he just scratched his short orange hair and looked out the window, as if he had no intention of getting involved in the matter.

"In that case, does anyone have any other opinions?" Kyōraku scanned the crowd.

No one spoke again.

"Alright, that concludes today's meeting." Kyōraku raised his hand, indicating that everyone could disperse. "Captain Soi Fon, I'll leave Rook's matter to you. Those of you who still have the capacity, please go to your assigned areas and eliminate the remaining Zanpakuto one by one."

Everyone stood up. Kenpachi walked up to Sylvan, paused, and looked him down at him for a few moments. "Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

Sylvan met his gaze without flinching.

"Never mind, I'll remember when the time comes." Kenpachi left with only this ambiguous remark before striding out of the ward.

The door closed gently.

Only Kyōraku, Ukitake, Unohana, Ichigo, and Sylvan, who was still standing in the same spot, remained in the ward.

Kyōraku spoke first, "Are you really sure?"

Sylvan did not answer immediately. He walked to the window and looked at the two figures walking side by side into the distance in the courtyard outside, as well as the treetops swaying in the wind.

After a long pause, he whispered, "I must bring Jiku'a back, no matter how confident I am."

"This is my responsibility." He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, his silver-red eyes swirling with something indescribable. "Some things cannot remain in the darkness."