Desert Sun

Based on the distance of this spiritual pressure, it was at least a few more days of journey. The hunt tested his endurance.

This was a landscape crafted by hunger, where the strong devoured the weak in a ceaseless cycle of survival. Yet Silas needed no sustenance; the Hōgyoku was fueling him endlessly.

Nights under the misshapen moon were filled with the mournful howls of roving Hollows and packs of grotesque creatures. Despite this, he pressed on with his gaze fixed on the endless sand.

Then, like a mirage, it appeared. No, not merely appear—it erupted from the desert floor.

A geyser power—a column of spiritual pressure that tore through the twilight like a stark scar. Before him, the dune he had been traversing split open, revealing a figure bathed in an unearthly glow: Starrk!

Even expecting the humanoid form of a Great Hollow, Silas couldn't suppress a flicker of fascination. The creature was tall, lean, and deceptively nonchalant. Long, pale hair framed a face etched with indifference bordering on apathy. Two remnants of a Hollow mask clung to his head like fragments of a broken crown, white against its skin.

There was a silent standoff between them.

Rather than predatory aggression, there was a hint of interest in Starrk's eyes. This was not a creature that saw Silas as prey, but rather something else.

Silas mirrored Starrk's calmness, saying, "You..." His voice was soft but resonating through the clearing air. "I've traveled a long way to find you."

The sands of Hueco Mundo shifted beneath their feet. Starrk's gaze flicked around, seemingly searching for someone else as he wondered, "You have it now?" His voice was low, with a slight fatigue to it.

Silas frowned, sensing a subtle dissonance within Starrk's spiritual pressure. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Starrk shook his head, making a slight, almost imperceptible movement. "No. Just... Normally, I'm greeted by more." He turned his back to Silas, his gaze drifting across the desolate landscape. "Why come here? What does a person like you want with a Hollow like me?"

Before Silas answered, he understood something vital: Lilynette wasn't present. Who was she? She was Starrk's other half.

Driven by deep loneliness, the original Hollow from which Starrk and Lilynette emerged found itself ostracized. Its overwhelming presence was fatal to other Hollows, forcing it into painful isolation. This fueled his deep resentment towards the weak, who were able to find companionship while he himself was denied it.

To escape this solitude, he split its soul, creating "Coyote Starrk" and "Lilynette Gingerbuck".

Neither remembered their original form before the split, but Starrk theorized that it resembled neither of them. He recognizes that their division was an act of desperation—a bid to weaken themselves in hopes of finally finding connection. If they couldn't join others, they desperately sought out someone equally powerful.

When they first formed, Starrk and Lilynette, despite being born from the same soul, introduced themselves to each other. Starrk's gentle offering of a cloth for Lilynette emphasizes their immediate bond.

Those two were virtually inseparable. But now that she wasn't here, it only meant that he hadn't split himself into two yet.

This was made even more apparent due to Starrk's original appearance. He wore light grey fur trimmings on his shoulders, arms, and legs, and had a fur coat on his back. On his left eye was a boney eyepatch. And on his chest was his Hollow hole.

No one in the Bleach had ever seen the "original" Hollow before the split. Fans speculated that Starrk and Lilynette combined during their fight against Shuinsui, which was their original form. They were right.

Silas took a measured step forward. "I came with an offer. Or rather, an opportunity. A chance to break free from this desolate solitude."

A flicker of surprise crossed Starrk's face. He turned back, his gaze piercing into Silas. "Free? From what?"

"This," Silas said, spreading his arm and gesturing at the endless wasteland. "From this emptiness, from a life devoid of purpose. Are you not a Great Hollow? Power courses through your veins, yet you languish here without your fellow brethren. Why?"

Starrk remained silent, a battle seemingly raging within him. His loneliness was as palpable as his immense power, a contrast that resonated with Silas's memories of what he was capable of.

"Because," Starrk finally spoke, his voice rough with disuse, "power like this... It isolates you. Everyone fears you. Everyone runs. No one wants to be near you."

There was no one in this world who could understand that feeling better than Silas. This wasn't just about power—it was about forming a connection.

Then Silas asked, "How would you like to be by my side and go to a place that's not cursed?"

"What will I do?"

This was it. This was what Silas was waiting for him to ask.

"Be among others like yourself and find a purpose beyond this mere realm." To strengthen Starrk's resolve, Silas said the same thing he told Lilynette once: "You can do anything... Go anywhere…"

Thoughts rummaged in Starrk's head. And Silas knew exactly what he was thinking.

"For some time," Starrk said. "I've been thinking of splitting myself into two so I would never be alone again. I thought this was the answer until... until you came along. I don't know how you plan to do this or where you're going to take me, but... you're the first beacon of light I've seen."

"Tell me, Hollow, what is your name?"

The entire time, Silas had never once called him "Starrk". That was a name he gave himself after the split, and both new creatures forgot their original name. Silas would be the first to hear it.

"Sol Desierto."

A befitting name for a character like this. It's a Spanish name that means "Desert Sun", which parallels his bleak loneliness and potentially dangerous power.

"Come with me, Sol," Silas said, extending an open hand. "Let me show you what these worlds really hold for those who possess true power."

Sol's gaze flicked between Silas's outstretched hand and the vast desert, his expression enigmatic. The choice was his to make—remain in this self-imposed, desolate realm, or grasp at this thread of change, a potential end to the aching loneliness at the core of his being.