~ Stepping Into the Future ~
In the center of the great city of Seireitei, the cleft mountain of Seireiyama towered over the rest of the city. The taller half of the mountain, bearing a shape reminiscent of an anvil, was known as Soukyoku Hill. A massive, straight-edged gorge split Soukyoku Hill from the other half of the mountain, as if a god had cleaved through the mountain itself in an age long past. The second half of the mountain served as the foundation for the heart of Seireitei. It boasted tall white towers, climbing high into the sky; the Central Forty-Six Compound, the Grand Arena of Seireitei, and the First Division of the Gotei Thirteen all existed there atop the mountain where they could look over the rest of the White City.
It was also home to the Cardinal Spirit Library, an immense but outwardly unremarkable building. Considered to be a neutral ground, it was here that the most influential leaders of Seireitei were being gathered. Three weeks after the conclusion of the machinations of the Vasto Lorde Prometheus, and fully one year following the deaths of Maria and Augustus LaSalle, the Central Forty-Six and the Gotei Juusantai were finally having the promised meeting.
It would be a meeting to decide the course of their relationship for generations to come.
Inside the library, the walls climbed high overhead, a cavernous and open chamber that reached fully five stories high. Every wall was a shelf and every inch of shelf was filled with books and tomes. Bookshelves towered overhead, the vast repository of knowledge almost daunting in its completeness. Suspended walkways and terraces held tables and shelves on higher floors, allowing prospective researchers to better reach many of the tomes as well as giving convenient places to sit and peruse the gathered knowledge.
From the entrance, there was a straight path, lined by monolithic shelves on either side. This path led to the center of the library, a circular area holding varied tables. Several steps led down from the floor proper to the sunken meeting area. For this meeting in particular, the library had been closed to all others. Special tables had been arranged.
For the Gotei Thirteen, there was a long, straight table with thirteen seats. In better times, each seat would be filled by a captain, but this particular meeting would necessitate some compromises. Across from the Gotei was a raised desk. This one held six seats, and there were six numbered paper screens in front of each. Only the judges of the Central Forty-Six would attend this meeting; the other forty members had already made their designs known and would be represented by the six. To the right side was another table, this one round, with five seats around one side. On the left, two smaller square tables sat.
The doors of the Cardinal Spirit Library opened, revealing Sayis Inuzuri, the Soutaichou of the Gotei Thirteen. The grey-haired man was clean-shaven, save for the neatly trimmed goatee on his chin, with his one-sleeved white haori sparkling. Moderately tall and broad-shouldered, Sayis struck an imposing figure. As agreed, he had entered unarmed, but none of the meeting members would be foolish enough to believe he was helpless. Though his reiatsu remained muted, he had many times over proven exactly what he was capable of. His footsteps echoing in the quiet library, Sayis headed straight for the center chair of the Gotei's table and seated himself, looking around at the other tables.
Though he was the first of the Gotei to arrive, five of the six seats at the judge's table were filled. Sayis raised an eyebrow at this. He had not heard that any of the deceased judges' positions had been filled, but was more surprised that there was one empty seat remaining. Behind the paper screens, though, there was little that could be made out of the shadowy silhouettes.
On the left hand side, Sayis spotted another familiar face. Isshisouden Tedika, representing the Kidoushuu as its Sousui, inclined his head slightly in Sayis' direction. The master arcanist bore bright red and dark blue clothing; a broad, raised collar framed the back of his head, with bright golden ribbing. Isshisouden appeared remarkably young for his lofty title. Behind dark blue bangs, though, his gold-flecked violet eyes suggested wisdom well beyond the youth of his face. Another point of interest was the scar on the man's cheek, in the shape of an inverted question mark. There was an empty seat next to Isshisouden, presumably intended for the Fuku Kidouchou.
At the other smaller table sat several white-coated individuals. Though he did not know him, Sayis recognized Iha Oudoutai immediately from his reputation. The diminutive man sat on top of the table, rather than in his seat. 'Man' might have been a misnomer, however; Iha appeared, at least physically, to be a child. A little under five feet tall, the President of the Spiritual Research and Development Institute seemed frail. He wore black hakama like the members of the Gotei, but had a unique white coat up top with pointed shoulders. His pale white hair was cut short; two tall horns poked out of the disheveled mop of hair, a not-so-subtle reminder of his line of work. With an unreadable smile on his face, Iha met Sayis' gaze through slitted eyes, without saying a word or otherwise acknowledging Sayis' scrutiny.
The final table was populated by the five Corps Commanders of the Onmitsu Kidou. Each was dressed in the attire of their respective corps, except for their Commander-in-Chief. The Soushireikan, and Gundanchou of the Keigun, stood at the center of his table. The man was taller than Sayis, nearly the height of Ishin, and in lieu of assassin's garb, he was outfitted in heavy black fighting robes reminiscent of the shinigami shihakushou. These robes, though, were edged in grey fur. Red cord wrapped around his sleeves, and a grey scarf wrapped many times around his throat. His hair was ebony, long and wild, and he had a thin beard on his weathered face. The heavy set of his brow left his eyes cast in shadow, but Sayis had no doubt that those eyes were even now boring into him. Five hundred of his Keigun assassins had sought to execute Sayis; they never came back alive.
Yoshinari Matsurine was not a man to forget or forgive such things.
The chambers remained silent, expectant. Sayis broke that silence by introducing himself. "I, Sayis Inuzuri, Soutaichou of the Gotei Thirteen, present myself before this council. Please allow a few moments for the remaining representatives of the Gotei to arrive."
[1100/1100]
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