Fulfilled

Just as Unohana and Isane Kotetsu stepped out of the captain's lounge and prepared to return to the Captain’s Office, hurried footsteps and a clamor of voices in the corridor made them both stop.

Fourth Division members hurried through the corridors, pushing stretchers, carrying medical equipment, and passing along urgent orders. The faint scents of blood and disinfectant hung in the air, the "battlefield" smells most familiar to a medical division.

"What's going on?" Unohana frowned slightly and approached the nearest division member.

The division member was directing others as they settled the wounded. Upon seeing the captain and lieutenant, the member immediately saluted and reported urgently, "Captain, Lieutenant, something happened to a Thirteenth Division patrol! The entire patrol squad led by the Third Seat was attacked by a special Hollow while on patrol... They were all killed."

Unohana and Isane Kotetsu's pupils contracted at the same time.

An entire patrol squad led by a Third Seat had been wiped out. An incident of that severity was almost unprecedented in the Seireitei's records in recent years.

"How could it have been so serious?" Isane Kotetsu asked in disbelief.

The division member's expression was grave. "Apparently, that Hollow had a very unusual ability. It could control Soul Reapers. Before the patrol could react, the Third Seat, who had already fallen under its control... defeated them from within."

Defeated from within.

Those words made Unohana's heart sink. It meant the patrol had not been wiped out because it lacked strength, but because its most trusted comrade had suddenly become an enemy.

"What happened afterward?" Unohana pressed.

"Afterward, Captain Ukitake and Lieutenant Shiba personally led reinforcements and finally destroyed the Hollow," the division member continued. "But before it was destroyed, the Hollow had already taken control of several patrol members' corpses and used them to fight back, causing numerous casualties among the reinforcements as well. And... Captain Ukitake's chronic illness flared up during the battle. His current condition is unknown."

Unohana's gaze grew grave. She knew Jūshirō Ukitake's physical condition well. If her old friend's chronic illness flared up in battle, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"And these wounded are...?" She looked at the stretchers being brought in through the corridor.

"They're all Thirteenth Division members who were injured in the subsequent fighting," the member replied. "The Hollow used the patrol members' corpses to attack, and many were caught off guard and wounded. Lieutenant Shiba also went through a hard fight to destroy the Hollow."

Unohana nodded. "Come, let's take a look at the medical department."

Led by the division member, Unohana and Isane Kotetsu hurried through the corridors to the central area of the Fourth Division's medical department.

The place was a hive of activity.

Dozens of wounded Thirteenth Division members lay in separate beds. Some were undergoing emergency surgery, some were receiving Kaidō treatment, and others had simply been bandaged and were waiting for further care. Groans, the clatter of instruments, and medical staff calling out instructions combined to create a tense scene of wartime medical care.

Unohana quickly scanned the wounded, her practiced eye immediately catching one crucial detail—

Most of their injuries were not lacerations or Reiatsu erosion caused by a Hollow, but... cuts and puncture wounds inflicted by Zanpakuto.

That meant their attackers had indeed been Soul Reapers.

Or rather, Soul Reapers under someone's control.

Unohana searched the crowd and soon spotted a familiar figure. Kaien Shiba stood beside a hospital bed, his left arm wrapped in bandages, though he seemed to be in good spirits.

She walked up to him and asked directly, "Lieutenant Shiba, from what I can see, most of these injuries were caused by Zanpakuto. What happened?"

Kaien Shiba turned around. When he saw Unohana, a faint, weary but still cheerful smile appeared on his face. "Captain Unohana. You're right. Today... we encountered a very unusual Hollow."

His expression turned serious. "That Hollow's ability was incredibly bizarre. It could burrow into a Soul Reaper's body, merge with them, and then take complete control of them. The Third Squad encountered it while on patrol, and because the Third Seat didn't know about its ability, it took control of him the moment they made contact."

Kaien Shiba's voice grew low. "By the time we received the distress signal and arrived, it had already devoured the Reiatsu of almost the entire squad. It used the corpses of the Third Seat and several other squad members to attack us."

He paused, then added an even more crucial detail. "And during the battle, we discovered another terrifying fact. The moment a Zanpakuto touched that Hollow's tentacles, it would... disappear."

"Disappear?" Unohana frowned deeply.

"Yes, disappear," Kaien Shiba confirmed. "It wasn't knocked away or destroyed. It vanished straight out of the wielder's hand, and even our ability to sense its Reiatsu was completely severed. We went through a great deal and lost several members before we finally found a chance to kill it."

His description made Unohana's heart sink to rock bottom.

Burrowing into Soul Reapers and merging with them, controlling Soul Reapers, making Zanpakuto disappear—the combination of those abilities pointed to one clear conclusion.

This was no ordinary Hollow.

It was... the product of an experiment.

Liu Hao's words echoed in her mind. "Aizen is conducting all kinds of forbidden experiments, trying to break down the boundary between Soul Reapers and Hollows... Kaien Shiba and his wife are victims of those experiments."

Unohana took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. She looked at Kaien Shiba and asked the crucial question. "Do you know that Hollow's name?"

Kaien Shiba was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Unohana to ask. He thought for a moment, then replied, "During the battle, I think it called itself... Metastacia. It wasn't very big, but it was highly intelligent. Definitely not an ordinary Hollow."

Metastacia.

The name matched exactly what Liu Hao had said.

Unohana's pupils contracted slightly. She gave Kaien Shiba a meaningful look, her eyes filled with complex emotions—confirmation, warning, and a certain... indescribable pity.

The look left Kaien Shiba somewhat bewildered. He thought to himself, What does Captain Unohana mean by that? Could she know something? Or... has she noticed what's going on between Liu Hao and me?

But he gave nothing away and simply continued answering Unohana's questions. "Captain Ukitake's chronic illness flared up, but it's under control now, and he's resting at the barracks. He should be all right."

"That's good." Unohana nodded and asked no more about the Hollow. "Stay here and get treated. Your injuries aren't serious, but you still shouldn't be careless."

She turned to Isane Kotetsu and instructed her, "Isane, stay here and help with the treatment. Make sure all the wounded are properly cared for. I'm going to step away."

"Yes, Captain," Isane Kotetsu replied.

Unohana gave Kaien Shiba another look, then turned and left the medical department.

Her steps were as composed as ever, but a storm raged in her heart.

Metastacia had appeared.

Just one day after Liu Hao told her everything, the Hollow that should have taken Kaien Shiba's life in the "future" had appeared ahead of time.

This was no coincidence.

Either Liu Hao's prediction had come true, or... Liu Hao himself was involved.

But Unohana leaned toward the former.

Judging by Kaien Shiba's reaction, he had clearly been mentally prepared for the Hollow's appearance. His relief that it had "finally come" and his confirmation that things were "just as expected" showed that he had long known the Hollow existed.

And the only person who could have told him was Liu Hao.

Unohana returned to the Captain’s Office and gently pushed open the lounge door.

Liu Hao was still asleep in bed. His complexion had improved a little, but he was still pale. His breathing and Reiatsu were steady, and he looked like an ordinary division member sleeping after overexertion.

But Unohana knew that this young man bore secrets far beyond his years.

She stood by the bed, watching Liu Hao quietly, countless thoughts running through her mind.

He only just told me, and one thing has already been verified... It seems that even if what he said wasn't entirely true, at least a large part of it was.

Metastacia has appeared. What does that mean? It means Aizen's experiments are underway, and the tragedies Liu Hao spoke of really could happen.

What comes next, then? Will Captain Isshin Shiba encounter White in the World of the Living? Will Captain Ukitake's chronic illness flare up at a critical moment? Will Kenpachi Zaraki fight me?

The questions circled through Unohana's mind one after another.

She did not wake Liu Hao. She simply stood there quietly for a while, then turned and left the lounge.

Some things needed time to be verified.

And some decisions had to wait until after that verification.

Liu Hao rested in the captain's lounge for another full day.

When he woke the following morning, he felt that his body had recovered seventy or eighty percent. Though his Reiatsu had not yet returned to its peak, it no longer hindered his normal activities.

He straightened his clothes, fastened the Imperial Sword at his waist, and pushed open the door to the lounge.

Unohana was not in the Captain’s Office. She had probably gone to attend to division affairs. Liu Hao did not disturb her and left the office directly for the General Treatment Center. His regular duties as the medical Fifth Seat had already been delayed for two days.

By the time he reached the medical department, the activity had eased somewhat compared with yesterday, but many wounded were still receiving treatment. Fourth Division members saluted and greeted him as they saw him, and he responded to each of them.

Just as he was about to start work, a familiar figure appeared before him.

"Fifth Seat Liu Hao!" Kaien Shiba hurried over, an anxious expression on his face. He grabbed Liu Hao's arm and, without giving him a chance to object, dragged him to a relatively secluded corner.

"Lieutenant Shiba, what are you...?" Liu Hao was somewhat confused.

"We encountered it yesterday!" Kaien Shiba lowered his voice, excitement and lingering fear in his tone. "That Hollow! Metastacia!"

Liu Hao's pupils contracted sharply.

He had not expected the Hollow to appear so soon. According to the "plot" he remembered, Metastacia should have appeared much later, or at the very least not at this point.

But reality had clearly diverged.

"That Hollow?" Liu Hao forced himself to stay calm and asked evenly, "What are you talking about? What Meta..."

Before he could finish, he saw the look in Kaien Shiba's eyes: "You know perfectly well."

Liu Hao's expression darkened.

He glanced around, confirmed that no one else was paying attention to them, then raised a hand and lightly patted the Imperial Sword at his waist. The gesture seemed casual, but Kaien Shiba immediately understood what it meant...

It was a reminder to watch where he was and what he said.

"If you want us both dead," Liu Hao said, his voice so low that almost no one but the two of them could hear, "then keep talking."

The words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over Kaien Shiba's head.

He abruptly came to his senses and recalled the warnings Liu Hao had repeatedly stressed: that memories could be peered into, that conversations could be overheard, and that revealing the secret could bring disaster upon them.

Kaien Shiba's face went pale. He scratched his head, his tone apologetic. "Well... I just wanted to thank you. If you hadn't warned us in advance and had Miyako withdraw from the front lines, yesterday she might have..."

"If your thanks means exposing me to danger," Liu Hao interrupted, his tone serious, "I don't think you're thanking me. I think you're repaying kindness with harm."

Those were harsh words, but Liu Hao had to say them.

He could not let Kaien Shiba continue the subject, could not allow any conversation that might arouse suspicion to go on.

Kaien Shiba opened his mouth, then finally lowered his head and apologized sincerely. "Uh... all right, I was wrong. I won't bring up anything related to it again."

Just then, Liu Hao suddenly sensed a familiar Reiatsu.

Gentle, steady, unfathomably deep... it was Sōsuke Aizen.

His heart jolted, and he instinctively looked back, but Aizen was nowhere in the corridor. The Reiatsu was coming from farther away. He had probably just entered the grounds of the Fourth Division Barracks.

But that was enough.

Aizen was here.

At this sensitive moment, on the day after the Metastacia incident, Aizen's appearance in the Fourth Division was no coincidence.

"From this moment on," Liu Hao said, his voice even lower and his tone unquestionably firm, "don't mention this again. Not one word."

Seeing how alert Liu Hao was, Kaien Shiba's expression also turned grave. He nodded without saying another word.

The two stood silently for a while before Liu Hao turned and walked toward the wards. Kaien Shiba followed quietly behind him, keeping a suitable distance. They looked like an ordinary medical division member and a patient.

But both knew that some things were different now.

As Liu Hao began making his rounds and checking on the wounded, that gentle Reiatsu drew closer and closer.

Finally, outside the third ward, Liu Hao came face-to-face with Sōsuke Aizen.

The Fifth Division lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, was with Aizen. The young lieutenant wore a worried expression, clearly here because of yesterday's casualties as well.

Liu Hao stopped and calmly saluted Aizen. "Captain Aizen."

His movements were proper, his expression natural, with nothing unusual about him.

Kaien Shiba followed behind. He was slightly startled when he saw Aizen, but quickly recovered and followed Liu Hao's example, saluting him. "Captain Aizen."

But turmoil rose in his heart.

Sōsuke Aizen... According to Liu Hao, he's the mastermind behind all of this. He was the one Kisuke Urahara accused a hundred years ago. And now he's here...

Kaien Shiba forced himself to remain calm and put on his usual cheerful smile. He knew that any unusual behavior now could arouse suspicion.

Aizen looked at the two of them with his customary gentle expression, but a nearly imperceptible hint of scrutiny flashed deep in his eyes.

"Lieutenant Shiba, Fifth Seat Liu Hao." Aizen's voice was steady and resonant. "I heard that a Thirteenth Division patrol encountered a very unusual Hollow yesterday, resulting in serious casualties. How are things now?"

It was a perfectly normal question. As the Fifth Division Captain and head of the rescue force, it was only reasonable for him to be concerned about another division's casualties.

Liu Hao did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Kaien Shiba and said naturally, "I'll leave that question to Lieutenant Shiba. I wasn't here yesterday, so I don't know the details."

It was an adroit diversion, handing responsibility for the answer to someone who had been there. It was both reasonable and a way to avoid the risk of saying something wrong himself.