Eero raised a perfect brow, his eyes a calm, unnerving heterochromia, completely devoid of the berserker madness they expected. "You should introduce yourself first before asking any questions; it's a common courtesy between good people. Also, can you tell me where I am? This place reeks of high-level defensive Kido." Eero reminded, his tone a quiet lesson, and then asked, glancing around, calculating the complex Kido structure woven into the walls of the huge space and the barrier around it.
Shinji blinked, momentarily thrown off balance by the child's formal demand. "Ahh, I am sorry for being rude; we are Visored and I am Shinji; that fat guy over there is Hachigen, and this short missy is Hiyori," Shinji realized, hurriedly introducing himself and pointing at the fat round man with pink hair and a mustache.
Just when he pointed at the short loli with a triple spiky ponytail, a shadow flickered across Hiyori's face. Her spiritual energy, usually a chaotic mess of impatience, spiked sharply.
Puft!!!
The sound of Shinji's body impacting the opposite wall was sickeningly wet. He flew back, spurting a spray of bright red spiritual blood from his nostril, fell to the ground, and slid toward the distance, leaving a shallow groove in the stone floor.
Bang!
"Who did you call short you bastard?" Hiyori's angry roar shook the stabilized chamber once more, her voice a piercing, high-pitched scream of outrage, as if she was ready to tear him into pieces for the perceived slight.
Eero mouth twitched looking at three of them familiar people and the similar scene he saw in the anime before.
"Well, thank you. I am Eero Infinity. You are right. In order to balance the power of Shinigami and Hollow in my soul, I created a new Hollow sword using the pure power of hollowfication, just like my Shinigami Zanpakuto." Eero replied, his gaze drifting to Shinji, who was already sitting up again as if nothing had happened, wiping the spiritual blood from his face with the back of his hand.
"What? But how did you do that? Creating a Zanpakuto is the essence of a Shinigami's power... it shouldn't be possible to create one so perfectly from Hollow power alone!" Shinji, Hiyori, and Hachigen... all three of their pupils shrank in unison, looking at Eero, asking astonishingly.
"It's simple because I was prepared; I knew that Aizen Sosuke would attack me. A single glance at his Shikai was all the confirmation I needed." Eero replied with a placid smile, letting the monumental statement hang in the air. "It's just that I didn't expect him to attack me so soon, just on my first mission after passing out from the academy."
Instantly all three of their eyes widened further; their gazes became more solemn, alert, and deeply calculating.
Shinji thought to himself, looking at Eero; his eyes flickered.
"How did you find out about Aizen, and why did you think he would attack you?" Shinji asked thoughtfully, his voice dropping, the usual sarcasm replaced with a hard, desperate edge.
"It's simple because I have a talent to see through all kinds of illusion; the Aizen Sosuke illusion ability doesn't work on me. It only affects the five physical senses, and my power operates on the spiritual, the sixth, and beyond." Eero replied, offering the simplest possible explanation. He then glanced around the complex, massive space, letting his eyes linger on the silent, smiling Hachigen.
"I can see this space was created by you; your control over the structural Kido is immense. You must be the master of Kido. Can you teach me the kido and how to create such barriers? Don't worry, I am a quick learner." Eero asked calmly, a hint of genuine curiosity finally entering his voice, and then glanced at the still-recovering Shinji and the fuming Hiyori.
"I will teach you, but what will you do? Probably Aizen must have made you a rebel right now in the Soul Society's eyes, just like he did to us." Hachigen nodded, his expression softening slightly, and then asked solemnly, testing Eero's loyalty.
"Nothing. I will stay anonymous and live freely here in the Living World. The Soul Society is a prison, a necessary evil, but I refuse to be a slave within it." Eero replied calmly, looking at him, his purple-gold eyes holding the cold conviction of a truly free entity.
Shinji, Hiyori, and Hachigen glanced at each other, their brows raised. Hachigen nodded in return and said, "Okay, I will teach you the advanced Kido and barrier application, but before that, you must join the Visored. Our lives are all tangled up now."
Eero nodded with a genuine smile and said, "I basically have nowhere to go, so please take care of me. Consider my membership confirmed."
"He he he, now you are a member of our visor; let's go; I will introduce you to the other members." Shinji then appeared beside him in a flash, throwing his arm around Eero's neck with a rough, welcoming affection. "Don't worry about Aizen. We're all dead men walking, but we're the strongest dead men you'll ever meet!" He spoke with a carefree smile and walked toward the outside direction of this space.
Eero nodded and allowed the embrace, following him out, looking at the stairs leading toward the upward direction. After climbing the stairs, they appeared in a huge, cavernous warehouse, which is decorated inside, and few figures are busy in it.
"Hey everyone, come here. I will introduce you to our visored new member, Eero Infinity." Shinji suddenly spoke, his voice loud and cheerful, calling them all near him.
"Infinity? What a unique surname; by the way, nice to meet you; I am Rojuro Otoribashi, but everyone calls me Rose." Rose, one of the Visored with middle-aged facial features and golden hair, commented, his tone smooth and artistic as he walked toward him. "Welcome to the Visored, Eero-kun."
"Hi, I am Mashiro Kuna!" Mashiro, a green-haired girl spoke with a high-pitched, childish excitement, practically propelling her head from behind Rojuro.
Eero nodded politely in her direction and then glanced at the remaining tall female with black hair, a single ponytail, and glasses.
"Nice to meet you; I am Lisa Yadomaru." She introduced herself, her voice a low contralto, adjusting her maroon glasses with a single, elegant finger.
"One of our members is on patrol; soon he will return, then you will meet him. Let me show you the place where you can stay at night." Shinji spoke, and then walked toward the corner area and showed him the small cabin in the end.
"You can stay here for a few days before we arrange a legal identity for you that will work in this real world. Don't go outside without your Gigai." Shinji instructed, and then walked away.
Eero nodded and then turned around and walked toward the small cabin, feeling the residual psychic hum of the massive protective barrier over his head.
…