Repairing Nel's Mask

Liu Ziyun didn't rush to leave. He turned around and looked at Nel, who was still standing there, looking somewhat lost.

"Nel," his voice softened considerably, "Let's part ways here."

Nel paused for a moment, then her eyes widened, her little face full of reluctance. She ran to Liu Ziyun, looked up at him with her big green eyes, tears already welling up in them.

"No!" Her voice trembled with tears, her little hands clutching Liu Ziyun's clothes tightly. "Nel wants to stay with you! Nel doesn't want to be left here alone!"

Liu Ziyun crouched down to be at her eye level. He reached out and gently patted Nel's head, a gesture as tender as a father comforting his daughter.

"Then you can go with Ichigo." He gestured towards the door where Ichigo Kurosaki had disappeared. "He needs protection. Look at him, he's so clumsy, he can't even control his Reiatsu properly, he might get lost. Nel so smart, she'll definitely be able to help him find his way, right?"

Nel glanced back at the door, then turned back to look at Liu Ziyun, her little face full of trouble. She bit her lip, remained silent for a while, and then whispered, "But... but Nel wants to go with you... they're all so fierce... that red-haired uncle's smile is so scary, that black-haired sister always has a stern face, and that big uncle's silent look is so frightening..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible. She lowered her head, her small hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, like a child afraid of being abandoned.

Liu Ziyun looked at her, a gentle light flashing in his eyes. He crouched down, bringing himself to Nel's eye level, and then said in a very serious and gentle tone, "Nel, come here. I'll help you fix your Arrancar. That way you can follow Ichigo and protect him, okay?"

Nel suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "My mask... can it be fixed?"

Her voice trembled, a cautious tremor born of fear and shattered hope. She instinctively raised her hand and touched the broken skull mask on her forehead, her fingertips tracing the deep crack and feeling the incompleteness that had accompanied her for countless years.

Liu Ziyun smiled but did not answer. He raised his left hand and gently placed his palm on Nel's forehead. His palm was warm and broad, carrying a reassuring strength.

In that instant, Nel felt a warm power surging from Liu Ziyun's palm, like the warm sun of spring, like a mother's embrace, slowly and gently seeping into her mask, into her forehead, and into the depths of her soul.

Where that force passed, the shattered mask began to heal.

The crack that stretched from the center of the brow to the hairline was as if stitched together by an invisible hand, closing little by little and disappearing completely. Other cracks and defects on the mask also regrowed, filled, and repaired under the nourishment of this power.

When Liu Ziyun's hand left Nel's forehead, a brand new mask appeared on her head.

It was no longer the broken, ugly skull mask from before, but an exquisite and beautiful mask—pure white like jade, with smooth and elegant lines. On either side of the forehead, two round ram horns extended symmetrically, like the crown of the forest god in ancient mythology. The two ram horns emitted a faint light, appearing particularly sacred and solemn in the darkness.

Nel stood there, stunned, her little hand trembling as she raised it to gently and carefully touch the new mask. Her fingertips touched the smooth surface, the two warm ram's horns, and the forehead—where there used to be a deep scar, but now, the scar was gone, and the skin was as smooth as ever.

"Wow..."

Her voice was very soft, as soft as a sigh, but that sigh contained so much—surprise, emotion, relief, and a deeply touched feeling.

"It's fixed..." She touched her mask repeatedly, over and over, as if to confirm that this wasn't a dream. "The scar on my forehead is gone too..."

She turned around and ran towards Pesche and Dondochakka, a bright smile blooming on her small face, a smile as beautiful and dazzling as a flower suddenly blooming in the desert.

"Pesche! Dondochakka! Look!" she jumped up and down, shouting joyfully, "Look at my mask! Isn't it beautiful! Isn't it!"

Pesche Kadische and Dondochakka Bielstan stood there, staring at the new mask with two ram horns on Nel's head, at the little face without scars, at the eyes that sparkled with joy—they were completely stunned.

Their bodies were trembling, not from fear, not from the cold, but from an overwhelming and sudden emotional shock. Their eyes were wide open, their mouths slightly agape, as if they wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

They knew, of course, what the mask meant. They knew, of course, what the two ram horns represented. They knew, of course, that the little girl standing before them was once one of the most powerful beings in Hueco Mundo —the former Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

And now, the shattered, sealed mask has been repaired. The crack that hindered her power recovery has been erased. Although her power has not been fully restored, at least—at least the closed door has been reopened.

Pesche Kadishe's lips trembled, and he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Lady Nel... your mask..."

Dondochakka Birstein knelt directly on the ground, his massive body trembling, and tears welling up in his usually honest and simple eyes.

Liu Ziyun looked at them, at their hesitant expressions, at their speechless shock, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. His voice was calm and gentle, as if soothing two frightened little animals. "I know perfectly well where you come from. So, there's no need to be surprised."

Pesche and Dondochakka simultaneously looked up at him, their eyes filled with shock, fear, wariness, and a faint, almost desperate hope.

"Nel's mask has only been repaired," Liu Ziyun continued, his tone tinged with caution, "But her strength isn't so easily restored. In her current state, her power will gradually recover, and she will be able to switch between child and adult forms according to her will. So, there's no need to be too surprised."

He paused, his gaze softening further. "However, when her Reiatsu is too low, she will still revert to a child's form. This is an instinctive reaction of her body to protect itself, and it's also a self-protective mechanism of her power. You don't need to worry; it's normal."