ZeroWing
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Chapter 3 Wit's end (word count 1200)
The boy breathed heavily as he watched Kaizu's figure disappeared into the distance. He sits down and tries to shake off the excitement and enter a state of meditation. Ever since he was young, he learned to meditate in order to recover lost strength and numb pain. His disease in his past life caused severe pain in his muscles whenever he physically exerted himself. The pain was relentless, and often deprived Leon of sleep until one of his teachers taught him meditation. "All are but what we choose to perceive." The boy remembered the words of his mentor. Since that day, Leon slowly learned to focus his mind and drive out any unpleasant feelings and still feel refreshed in the morning. However, excessive kidou usage depleted the boy's mental energy, making it quite difficult to enter a state of tranquility even for an expert such as Leon.
Eventually, the boy purged his anxiety from his mind and calmed his racing heart. However, as he slowly entered a state of unconscious awareness, Leon sensed an unnatural emanation of hostile reiatsu. It felt as if the source was intentionally concealing his aura. As Leon continued to focus, he could sense that the hostile intent was not far from him. Something tells the boy that he is in danger. The boy opened his eyes, and his left hand grabbed his Zanpaktou.
Just then he saw the figure emerge from within the large hole that the slain hollow had made his entrance. The first thing he saw was an ivory mask, brandishing a wicked set of fangs and empty eyes. The boy's heart nearly froze. There was another hollow hiding within the tunnel! Neither Kaizu or Leon noticed it since it concealed its reiatsu and hid underground. The boy believed that he thought of everything. He was wrong. As the creature slowly emerged, Leon realized that it was about the same size as the previous one he and Kaizu slain. Except now the hollow's opponent is only one single exhausted Shinigami boy.
Cold sweat began to trickle down the boy's face as the creature began walking toward him, chuckling sadistically. "Think Leon Think!" the boy browsed through his mind to come up with a plan. "Darn it! I've got nothing to work with! Only if Kaizu were here!" The boy struggled to get back on his feet.
The Hollow towers before the defenseless boy, and raises one of his sharp claws high overhead. "This, this cannot be the end!" The boy tried to summon enough strength from his shaky legs to dodge the incoming strike. Then the Hollow swung. It was too fast. There is no time to dodge. It's coming toward Leon's head with lighting speed. It's only three feet away, but then strangely it stopped.
The stunned boy looked around, and realized he couldn't move his legs or arms. The world suddenly became very different. Everything, his body, the ground, the distant fighting, the hollow before him, everything all seemed blurred and out of focus. It was then he realized that the Hollow's strike had not stopped, but instead going forth in slow motion.
"Hey there kid! Did I surprise you? Let me assure you that you are not in a dream." a familiar voice called out from nowhere. Leon looked to where the voice came from, and saw a human shaped figure slowly rose from the ground. It was the same armored man that he had encountered days ago during his dreams at the Kidou library. "My name is Leon, not Kid!" the irate shinigami boy replied.
"Temper, temper." The armored man laughed in perfect stillness. "It's only appropriate for me to not address you by name, since you have not learned of mine yet." The man continued to answer in riddles.
"Then tell me you name! This is the third time I've asked!" Leon became frustrated. The boy felt uneasy carrying a casual conversation in such dire circumstances.
"It is the third time, and it will be your last time as well. I told you I don't give away my name. You, my friend will have to discover it yourself." The man answered. "By now you've probably guessed that this strange atmosphere is my doing. But it's far from actually stopping time. You could say it only slows the flow of time for you and I, which means that you still won't have more than 1 minute until that hollow splits your head open." The armored man smirked.
"If you are so good at slowing time, why don't you use it on the hollow? Then I can get away from him!" Leon shouted. "I can't do that. It only works on you and I, because we have a special connection." The man's voice was unstirred. "I really should stop giving you hints. I can only help you if you ask me by name, but you only get one guess." the man added.
The boy scanned his mind for name of the man before him, he thought back to people he had met in his past life, books he had read, past heroes of the Shinigami, but nothing is coming to mind.
"You are thinking too hard kid. You already know the answer. And here I am thinking that you are actually renowned for your intellect among your peers? I can't see how you came to be the smart one if you can't even figure this little problem out." The man spoke in mockery.
The claw was only inches away from Leon's head. Leon stared intensely at the armored man. Strangely he was not affected by the blurriness like everything else was. "Must be because that he is the user, which explains why he is not affected by the slowing of time." The boy tried to draw his Zanpaktou, but it will not move. "Curses! My body is still stuck in real time, I can't move a muscle!" Suddenly Leon's gaze froze as he stared at his Zanpaktou, it is in focus and unblurred. Leon could see every minute detail on his sword. "Ten more seconds kid!" The armored man's tone ironically lacked any feeling of urgency whatsoever.
"I think you had enough fun making a fool out of me HeiKen!" The boy stared angrily at the spirit of his Zanpaktou. "NOW GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS!"
Upon hearing the boy's shout, the armored man burst into laughter. "As you command Leon." He bowed gracefully and dissipated into thin air. It was just then that Leon noticed his Zanpaktou began glowing platinum white. His hands could feel an overwhelming amount of spiritual energy rushing forth from the sword. He could see the blade began to deform, hilt and blade. It began transforming into something larger and rounder.
It was then that the hollow's claws began to move faster. The effect of the time slowing was wearing off. Leon didn't have time to think. He swung his Zanpaktou upward in a desperate attempt to block the incoming blow.
Leon could feel a massive shock that shook his entire body. He saw a bright flash when his Zanpaktou made contact with the hollow's claw and the ensuing explosion knocked him unconscious.
The boy breathed heavily as he watched Kaizu's figure disappeared into the distance. He sits down and tries to shake off the excitement and enter a state of meditation. Ever since he was young, he learned to meditate in order to recover lost strength and numb pain. His disease in his past life caused severe pain in his muscles whenever he physically exerted himself. The pain was relentless, and often deprived Leon of sleep until one of his teachers taught him meditation. "All are but what we choose to perceive." The boy remembered the words of his mentor. Since that day, Leon slowly learned to focus his mind and drive out any unpleasant feelings and still feel refreshed in the morning. However, excessive kidou usage depleted the boy's mental energy, making it quite difficult to enter a state of tranquility even for an expert such as Leon.
Eventually, the boy purged his anxiety from his mind and calmed his racing heart. However, as he slowly entered a state of unconscious awareness, Leon sensed an unnatural emanation of hostile reiatsu. It felt as if the source was intentionally concealing his aura. As Leon continued to focus, he could sense that the hostile intent was not far from him. Something tells the boy that he is in danger. The boy opened his eyes, and his left hand grabbed his Zanpaktou.
Just then he saw the figure emerge from within the large hole that the slain hollow had made his entrance. The first thing he saw was an ivory mask, brandishing a wicked set of fangs and empty eyes. The boy's heart nearly froze. There was another hollow hiding within the tunnel! Neither Kaizu or Leon noticed it since it concealed its reiatsu and hid underground. The boy believed that he thought of everything. He was wrong. As the creature slowly emerged, Leon realized that it was about the same size as the previous one he and Kaizu slain. Except now the hollow's opponent is only one single exhausted Shinigami boy.
Cold sweat began to trickle down the boy's face as the creature began walking toward him, chuckling sadistically. "Think Leon Think!" the boy browsed through his mind to come up with a plan. "Darn it! I've got nothing to work with! Only if Kaizu were here!" The boy struggled to get back on his feet.
The Hollow towers before the defenseless boy, and raises one of his sharp claws high overhead. "This, this cannot be the end!" The boy tried to summon enough strength from his shaky legs to dodge the incoming strike. Then the Hollow swung. It was too fast. There is no time to dodge. It's coming toward Leon's head with lighting speed. It's only three feet away, but then strangely it stopped.
The stunned boy looked around, and realized he couldn't move his legs or arms. The world suddenly became very different. Everything, his body, the ground, the distant fighting, the hollow before him, everything all seemed blurred and out of focus. It was then he realized that the Hollow's strike had not stopped, but instead going forth in slow motion.
"Hey there kid! Did I surprise you? Let me assure you that you are not in a dream." a familiar voice called out from nowhere. Leon looked to where the voice came from, and saw a human shaped figure slowly rose from the ground. It was the same armored man that he had encountered days ago during his dreams at the Kidou library. "My name is Leon, not Kid!" the irate shinigami boy replied.
"Temper, temper." The armored man laughed in perfect stillness. "It's only appropriate for me to not address you by name, since you have not learned of mine yet." The man continued to answer in riddles.
"Then tell me you name! This is the third time I've asked!" Leon became frustrated. The boy felt uneasy carrying a casual conversation in such dire circumstances.
"It is the third time, and it will be your last time as well. I told you I don't give away my name. You, my friend will have to discover it yourself." The man answered. "By now you've probably guessed that this strange atmosphere is my doing. But it's far from actually stopping time. You could say it only slows the flow of time for you and I, which means that you still won't have more than 1 minute until that hollow splits your head open." The armored man smirked.
"If you are so good at slowing time, why don't you use it on the hollow? Then I can get away from him!" Leon shouted. "I can't do that. It only works on you and I, because we have a special connection." The man's voice was unstirred. "I really should stop giving you hints. I can only help you if you ask me by name, but you only get one guess." the man added.
The boy scanned his mind for name of the man before him, he thought back to people he had met in his past life, books he had read, past heroes of the Shinigami, but nothing is coming to mind.
"You are thinking too hard kid. You already know the answer. And here I am thinking that you are actually renowned for your intellect among your peers? I can't see how you came to be the smart one if you can't even figure this little problem out." The man spoke in mockery.
The claw was only inches away from Leon's head. Leon stared intensely at the armored man. Strangely he was not affected by the blurriness like everything else was. "Must be because that he is the user, which explains why he is not affected by the slowing of time." The boy tried to draw his Zanpaktou, but it will not move. "Curses! My body is still stuck in real time, I can't move a muscle!" Suddenly Leon's gaze froze as he stared at his Zanpaktou, it is in focus and unblurred. Leon could see every minute detail on his sword. "Ten more seconds kid!" The armored man's tone ironically lacked any feeling of urgency whatsoever.
"I think you had enough fun making a fool out of me HeiKen!" The boy stared angrily at the spirit of his Zanpaktou. "NOW GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS!"
Upon hearing the boy's shout, the armored man burst into laughter. "As you command Leon." He bowed gracefully and dissipated into thin air. It was just then that Leon noticed his Zanpaktou began glowing platinum white. His hands could feel an overwhelming amount of spiritual energy rushing forth from the sword. He could see the blade began to deform, hilt and blade. It began transforming into something larger and rounder.
It was then that the hollow's claws began to move faster. The effect of the time slowing was wearing off. Leon didn't have time to think. He swung his Zanpaktou upward in a desperate attempt to block the incoming blow.
Leon could feel a massive shock that shook his entire body. He saw a bright flash when his Zanpaktou made contact with the hollow's claw and the ensuing explosion knocked him unconscious.