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Chapter 15: The First Eldritch
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He pointed it downwards and held its hilt with both hands. Akashi moved his blade downwards til its tip made gentle contact with the floor... What is Kurayami, truly?
The black sphere within the hilt started revolving faster and faster, dripping more and more Ink, flowing through the blade into the floor.
It started with a pond of Ink on the floor, followed by the entire floor becoming an ocean of Ink.
The Ink; as if numerous leeches; climbed the walls, slowly but surely. Even the roof didn't escape the Ink's grasp, the entire room becoming black.
The process wasn't easy, illustrated by Akashi's ragged breathing and the sweat running down his face.
Still, he collected himself, held the blade tighter, and whispered to the abyss below him.
"Let There Be Shadows, Born From My Darkest Dreams, The First," It wasn't the incantation to release his Shikai.
It was a little bit different. Moreover, his Zanpakuto was already in its Shikai state and has been since he learned it, for some reason.
The Incantation was Akashi using Kurayami's true ability. Everything else he showed was merely a side effect of his Zanpakuto's true nature.
The ink boiled and ruptured before Akashi, its fluid surface deforming into something far more solid, something alive.
The mass twisted and contorted as though it had a will of its own, folding upon itself in unnatural ways until it began to resemble a humanoid figure.
It stood there, featureless, a black mass of ink in the vague shape of a person.
There were no eyes, no mouth, no ears; only an inky silhouette radiating the undeniable sense of a presence.
Akashi tilted his head, observing the figure closely. It was a reflection of something deep within him, the essence of his being twisted into physical form.
It didn't simply exist; it felt like it belonged. Slowly, a smile crept across Akashi's face.
The creature tilted its head in response, perfectly mimicking him. But how? It had no face.
Yet, as if answering his question, the featureless head rippled and reshaped.
A mouth emerged, dark and jagged, mirroring Akashi's exact expression. The creature now wore his face, his smile, his essence.
"The First," Akashi whispered, naming the entity. This wasn't just a creation.
It was the culmination of everything Kurayami represented; the birth of his Shikai's true ability.
As he stood there, Akashi reached inward, closing his eyes and connecting with his inner world.
He could feel it, the vast ocean of ink that had once stretched endlessly within him.
But now, it was almost dry. The creation of this entity had drained it, leaving behind only a shallow tide lapping at the edges of his consciousness.
The realization filled him with awe. This depletion wasn't a weakness; it was the cost of wielding true power. It speaks to the power of the First Eldritch.
For the first time, Akashi understood the nature of his Zanpakuto.
The power of Kurayami lay in its ability to absorb and weaponize darkness; not just the literal absence of light, but the conceptual darkness that lived within all beings.
Negative emotions, desires, fears, and twisted ideas. By devouring these elements, Kurayami could create shadows, though to call them mere shadows was an understatement.
These weren't simple constructs or extensions of Akashi's will; they were Eldritch Horrors, entities born from the darkness it consumed.
The entity before him; the First Eldritch; was proof of this ability. It wasn't just a weapon or a tool; it was a reflection of Akashi himself.
Every emotion he'd suppressed, every dark thought and desire he'd harbored, had been poured into the creation of this being. It was unique, entirely shaped by his own essence.
And because of that, Akashi knew something else instinctively: there could never be another like it.
Each creation Kurayami birthed would be one of a kind, molded from the specific darkness it consumed.
The First was tied to Akashi, a perfect representation of the shadows in his own soul.
It was his darkness given form, and for that reason, he could never create another based on himself. The well of his personal negativity had already been tapped.
This limitation wasn't a hindrance; it was the beauty of Kurayami's power. Each Eldritch creation would be distinct, each an unrepeatable entity shaped by unique circumstances and emotions.
To harness this power further, Akashi would need to seek darkness elsewhere.
Akashi contemplated the implications of his Zanpakuto's ability. If the First was born from his own darkness, what about the next?
The answer came to him as if Kurayami itself whispered it into his mind. There were two primary methods to harvest the darkness needed to create more entities.
The first method was straightforward but invasive. By making physical contact with an individual using Kurayami, Akashi could actively siphon their negativity.
The process was slow or fast depending on the individual's spiritual strength and the depth of their emotional turmoil.
The stronger their darkness, the more efficiently Kurayami could devour it.
Akashi realized he had already tested this, albeit unknowingly. When he demonstrated his Shikai to Aizen, Kurayami had instinctively reached out to absorb the subtle undercurrents of darkness within the captain's soul.
Though Aizen remained unperturbed, Akashi could feel the faint resonance of the process, confirming its viability.
This method, while effective, had limitations. Not everyone would willingly come into contact with Kurayami, and it would take time to extract enough negativity to create another Eldritch.
It was a tool best used sparingly, as direct confrontation could draw unnecessary attention.
The same could be said for simple killing. It makes the consumption process instant but draws too much attention, and is not nearly as efficient as the second method.
The second method was far more insidious and infinitely more effective. Akashi realized that Kurayami's power wasn't limited to direct interaction.
By creating an idea; an image or a concept born of darkness; he could spread that negativity like a seed.
Once planted in the minds of others, their emotional responses; fear, despair, anger; would naturally flow back to Kurayami, feeding it without any direct action on his part.
This was a revelation. Akashi understood that he didn't need to hunt for negativity actively; he could simply cultivate it.
By influencing the thoughts and emotions of others, by introducing ideas that provoked strong, dark reactions, he could create a constant stream of sustenance for his Zanpakuto.
This method was passive but limitless in its potential. The more widespread the idea, the more people it touched, the greater the harvest.
"Hey," Akashi muttered as he stepped closer to the entity he had created, his voice calm but laced with curiosity.
"Hey," The First Eldritch responded, mimicking his tone and inflection perfectly.
Its voice was smooth but unsettling as if each word resonated with the depths of a hollow abyss.
A faint smile tugged at Akashi's lips, and the First mirrored it. The perfect synchronization was uncanny, almost amusing.
"Hahaha," Akashi chuckled, folding his arms as he observed the creature with intrigue.
"Hahaha," The First echoed, its laughter identical to Akashi's, both in tone and rhythm.
Then it tilted its head slightly, as if contemplating something. "Just when I was complaining about intellect," It said, though Akashi hadn't spoken the words aloud.
Akashi's smile widened as he scrutinized the entity. The First felt alive; there was no denying that; but it wasn't autonomous.
Its every action, every word, was dictated by Akashi's will. It was a paradoxical existence: sentient in appearance, yet completely tethered to its creator.
The moment the First was born, it had linked to Akashi's consciousness on a level so deep that it was almost symbiotic.
The connection was absolute, allowing Akashi to control its every thought and movement with the same ease he moved his own limbs.
Yet the link came with a peculiar side effect. Akashi now existed in a strange dual state of mind.
It wasn't that his intelligence had increased; rather, it felt as though he had two fully functional brains, each capable of processing information independently.
The First acted as a second processor, doubling his efficiency and enabling him to multitask with unparalleled precision.
He could think through multiple strategies at once, weigh possibilities at twice the speed, and dissect complex problems as if they were mere puzzles.
It was thrilling. It was unsettling. It was something Akashi knew would take time to master.
The First tilted its head again, its inky surface rippling as it changed form. Its humanoid frame shifted, warped, and stretched as it reshaped itself into something new.
When the transformation was complete, a perfect replica of Rukia Kuchiki stood before him.
Akashi raised an eyebrow.
The First didn't stop there. Its form rippled again, shrinking slightly before taking on the appearance of Renji Abarai, complete with the bold red hair and tattoos.
Then, with an unsettling fluidity, it changed again, this time into Gin Ichimaru.
The eerie grin was so precise that for a moment, it truly felt like Gin himself was standing there.
Akashi frowned as he studied the entity. The transformations were flawless on the surface; down to the smallest details of their clothing and mannerisms; but something crucial was missing.
"It can't mimic their Reiatsu signature," Akashi muttered to himself, shaking his head, "So practically useless... Unless it eats their flesh."
With a deliberate motion, Akashi lifted his blade. The First, as if anticipating his intent, stood motionless, awaiting its next command.
Without hesitation, Akashi drove Kurayami into the entity's chest.
The effect was immediate.
The First was drawn into the blade, its inky form collapsing and spiraling into the weapon like water being sucked down a drain.
In mere moments, it was gone, absorbed back into the depths of Kurayami.
Akashi closed his eyes, focusing inward. Within his inner world, the First reappeared, seated at the center of the ink-stained void.
Though now separate from the physical plane, the connection remained. Akashi could feel the entity, control it, even use its second brain to think.
The experience was profoundly strange, as though part of him now existed in two places at once.
He opened his eyes, exhaling slowly as he tried to adjust to the sensation.
Settling into a seated position, Akashi rested Kurayami across his lap. He reached for a notebook, flipping it open to a blank page.
He began to write.
At first, the words came slowly, his pen scratching across the paper with deliberate care.
But as his thoughts flowed, the writing became faster, more fluid. Akashi wasn't merely jotting down notes; he was crafting stories.
These weren't ordinary tales. They were intricate accounts of eldritch entities, beings of darkness and despair.
He wrote of grotesque creatures that existed beyond comprehension, of ideas so unsettling that they could twist the minds of those who encountered them.
The purpose was obvious. Akashi needed darkness to fuel Kurayami's power, and one of the most effective ways to harvest it was to spread it.
By creating stories of horror and despair, he could plant seeds of negativity in the minds of others.
The fear, anxiety, and unease his tales evoked would naturally flow back to him, feeding Kurayami without the need for direct confrontation... So exquisite were his future creations, Akashi thought.
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