The soul

(A/N: Lot of work in real life, but have a free weekend after towmorrow. Enjoy the chapter.)

With the information they extracted from Zeke Yeager, they quickly found the remaining titan, Pieck Finger. She was in her titan form, walking on all fours with some kind of equipment on her back. Soldiers were standing around her, unloading whatever she had been carrying.

The fight happened suddenly and ended quickly as well, the soldiers corpses strewn across the ground. Pieck Finger was in no shape either, as Shinobu had her way with her.

While Shinobu was having the time of her life, Akane sat down a little farther away, her swords laying in her lap as she began to meditate.

Her surroundings quickly faded as the familiar forest view of her mindscape appeared in front of her. She walked to the giant tree in the center of the forest, expecting her Zanpakuto spirits to be there. And she was right. Tsukuyomi was leisurely sipping tea while Amaterasu was still sprawled out on the ground. The latter seemed to be completely out of it, as she was a panting mess, her breathing rapid as a red blush was coloring her cheeks.

"What is going on with her?"

Amaterasu was a indecent sight the behold in front of Akane's eyes. To a point she outright avoided looking at the former, as Amaterasu was desperately trying not to strip down, her arms and legs twitching weakly.

"Too many impulses. She's reaping what she has sown."

Tsukuyomi said as he scowled at the poor excuse of a Zanpakuto before him.

"Try not to indulge her too much. Her lust for blood tends to go beyond control."

Akane remained silent, knowing that what Amaterasu yearned for was also inherently a part of herself as well. Yet seeing the results of such actions happen in front of her did give her a foul taste in the mouth.

"I will keep that in mind."

Sitting besides Tsukuyomi, Akane accepted a cup of tea, as she stared at the brilliant stary sky. The sun had vanished along with Amaterasu's rationality it seems.

"I have questions..."

Akane began, letting the cup roll between her hands, watching the green tea swirl with the movements.

Tsukuyomi remained silent, edging her on to continue.

"The wounds I delivered to my opponent weren't healing properly, even with their regenerative abilities."

Tsukuyomi nodded in understanding.

"A power all Zanpakuto inherently posses. Something made less apparent in the world of the living."

"Elaborate."

Tsukuyomi put down his cup as he stared up at the stars, the full moon taking up most of the sky.

"Us Zanpakuto aren't native to the world you currently live in. We are weapons made in a place called the Soul Society. Most if not all Zanpakuto are made by a smith called Nimaiya Ōetsu, a Shinigami. While we, Amaterasu and I, were made by a man called Urahara Kisuke in an attempt to understand the creation of us Zanpakuto. In a deeper sense, the creation of a spirit through the forging of the weapons. We were regarded as failed products and meant to be discarded. That is when a fluctuation in Soul Society caused us to appear before you."

Akane couldn't help but remember the man with the striped bucket head. That man must be Urahara Kisuke. He seemed like an amiable man.

"To answer your question, a Zanpakuto is meant to fight Hollows, creatures that are corrupted souls. A Zanpakuto effectively kills Hollows, affecting their souls. When I say kill, it doesn't truly kill it. It purifies the soul, letting it return to Soul Society, keeping the spiritual balance. In this world, the attacks you make can injure the soul. This only happens if there is intent to kill, which you have surely noticed in your sparring sessions with your companion, Ban. Wounds inflicted on the living with killing intent by a Zanpakuto, will leave scars on the soul, making them harder or incapable of fully healing. This phenomena is something that shouldn't happen, yet it has in this world."

Understanding the effects this could have, Akane pondered on what to do next. If Tsukuyomi's words were true and not exaggerated, then she could deal lasting damage on even Logia users, never mind speaking about those with monstrous healing capabilities.

This was something that wasn't certain yet, as even if it worked on those that were as strong or weaker than her, it didn't prove the effect would be the same on opponents that were stronger than her. In the end it would all fall back on her capabilities with her swords and the power of her Zanpakuto spirits.

"Then there is another matter that needs to be spoken about."

Akane said, thinking back on the strange occurrences that had happened ever since she started her journey.

Listing a few things, Akane kept a close eye on Tsukuyomi to gauge his reaction.

"Ban, Shinobu, the appearance of this rather big island. They all come from different worlds. All these instances have only occurred around me. Tell me. What is the cause behind this."

Tsukuyomi remained silent, trying to say something but the words just didn't seem to register in Akane's ears.

"It seems you still aren't strong enough to know. But as it is happening more frequently, even in more distant places, I suggest you unlock my Bankai quickly. It all originates from a singular point in space after all."

Tsukuyomi winked, giving her a knowing smile. He had said what he could. Now Akane needed to unravel the rest herself.

Pondering a bit more on the words, a faint hint of understanding appeared in her eyes, disappearing as quickly as it came.

"It seems I have work to do. I will visit you and Amaterasu later. It would be difficult to master my Bankai without the help of my Zanpakuto."

Winking back, Akane flashed her fangs in a feral-like smile and disappeared from her mindscape. A fresh gust of wind blew through the forest, as the white temple in the sky began to illuminate dimly, a tremble going through the structure.

"Soon. We won't have to wait too long, my friend."

Tsukuyomi gently stared at the temple, the trembling stopping, the light shining ever more brightly in the dark but brilliant starry sky.