Bleach Hereafter RPG

"What? You didn't understand me. Of course I know what a Fullbringer is," Hibano immediately defended himself, speaking before Leonina even finished her explanation about his race. The fact that he was bonded to his weapon spiritually and could control the souls innately present in matter was not news to him - he wasn't so amnesiac as to forget that. "I was just confused at you calling me this "Tamago" thing, I have no idea what that is."

Hearing the report from the medicians, Colonel Reinhard folded his arms, watching in silence. Most of the description was not particularly relevant to him, focusing on the minutiae of Hibano's condition, but the last sentence immediately caught his interest. According to the tests made by Leonina's team, he was a Gemicht Quincy as well - and from none other than the House Schwarzwald.

Right as Reinhard was about to ask whether he actually knew of the traitorous house, Hibano perked up and repeated:

"Schwarzwald..." Suddenly, he stood up. "Yeah, that... I think I know someone with that name. I don't know where they are, but... I'm pretty certain we know each other."

"...Are you serious? Or is this some sort of practical joke?" Reinhard called out, first staring at Hibano, then to Leonina and Schwan. "You just found some random Schwarzwald on the street? With this level of power?"

"...Are you serious? Or is this some sort of practical joke? You just found some random Schwarzwald on the street? With this level of power?"

"Sir, with all due respect we don't even know what a Schwarzwald is," Leonina protested. "We wouldn't have the motive or means to set this up as a prank, and besides, on my pride as a technician I swear the tests didn't lie."

"Evidently, he does know what a Fullbringer is, and has an inkling of what a Schwarzwald is," said the lieutenant. "Seriously though, what in blazes is a Schwarzwald, besides the fact that they're supposedly this extinct house?"

Schwan apprehensively raised a hand. "I may have heard a few rumors..."

"And you're only speaking up now? Go ahead by all means, I want to get to the bottom of this so I'll know whether to give the boy his sword back or not."

"It is said that House Schwarzwald betrayed the Empire during the war, and succeeding generations have been trying to redeem themselves ever since. I heard that the last heir was someone called Yael or something, but he's supposed to be dead, and was barely older than Hibano looks like now.

"What about the previous heads, do you think that they could be Hibano's parents?" the lieutenant pressed.

"It should be his father, since his mother's soul inside him has a Fullbringer's Reiatsu," noted Leonina.

"From what I remember, Yael had a half-sister who was born in the Living World," Schwan racked her brain for information. "It's highly possible that Hibano is yet another half-sibling, or maybe from a long-lost branch family."

"Yael... Yeah, Yael!" Hibano called out in the middle of the conversation between Leonina, Schwan and Reinhard. Hearing the name being mentioned immediately invoked a feeling of close familiarity, not unlike first reading about Niji's name in the news. "I've... met him before! If... if we're related, then he should recognize me - and maybe he will know something about what happened to me..."

His voice slowly died down, however. What if this is another Niji situation, where the relationship between him and the person he knows from his past is more complicated than he realized?

Reinhard listened to the reports coming from Schwan's memory in silence, with his arms folded.

"Good riddance," he commented bluntly when the lieutenant reported that Yael, according to the rumors, was already dead. In spite of the potential he had, becoming one of the youngest Soldats in the history of the Wandenreich and thus having a chance to redeem the name of his family, Lukas Yael chose to defect - and, so he suffered the price. Hibano paused at the report in shock, then rose from his seat and yelled:

"Wait, but Yael is not dead!"

The Colonel was the first to answer this shocking claim, turning his eyes towards the Fullbringer and shooting back:

"You know something the Wandenreich does not, boy?"

Staring at the three Quincies in front of him, Hibano briefly stayed silent. He himself wasn't certain where this came from. If someone asked him about Yael and who he was, the teen would not have been able to pin down anything. And yet, something about him just felt that Yael couldn't be dead.

"I... I just know it to be true, I don't even know how, or why..."

"Holy Emperor above, he does know Yael..." the lieutenant (whose name was Jansen) holding Hibano's sword exclaimed in exasperation. "But for how long, since the man has evidently been dead for some time? Schwan, Di Angelo, let's put our heads together; so much of this is still very confusing."

"If Hibano here is Schwarzwald on his father's side, then it's simple: Old Man Schwarzwald banged Hibano's mom roughly two decades ago and left his son to rot on Earth after he turned out to be a Fullbringer instead. Yael himself probably got shanked by whoever sealed Hibano's mom. Or maybe Hibano and his mom shanked Yael because of family drama and ended up like they are now as retribution," Schwan said. "Leonina?"

"Remember, the Shinigami remain the most likely suspects to have sealed Hibano's mother, especially since his Fullbring is an Asauchi," Leonina replied. "I on the other hand have a number of theories:"

"The first is that yes, Hibano is Yael's half-brother, and his family was also in the business of fighting the Shinigami. He gained his Fullbring as a spoil of battle, and at one point the Gotei retaliated and decided to commit war crimes."

"But it doesn't align with the DNA test, because according to the results, Yael seems to be Hibano's father, as impossible as that may be. And since it's not like the Shinigami kidnapped a dead man's child as a baby and somehow aged him up to maturity-- HOLD UP. What if Hibano is from the future? What if people from the future sealed Hibano's mother inside him as a way to give him enough power to time travel? What if they sent him back in time to prevent something or ensure something happening? It may be just as improbable, but we do know that Emperor Remus might have a similar ability..."

Jansen slowly rubbed his temples with his free hand. "I'm in over my head... Is this Terminator or something?"

And now, Hibano seemed certain that Yael was alive, and perhaps that was related to why he might have been sent back in time, were that the case.

Leonina and Schwan were increasingly devolving to insanity, spouting one crazy theory after another, matching up family trees, creating backstories for Hibano out of the effectively nonexistent information they had about him and casually dropping the idea of time travel as if that was not an even greater stretch. Not even the most powerful beings could outright travel through time, even Remus hasn't shown an ability like that.

"Wait, but I'm not-" Hibano tried to interject in the middle of Leonina, Schwan and Jansen's conversation, but he was suddenly shot down by Reinhard:

"Don't bother."

Right as Leonina finished her long winded list of theories on Hibano's possible origin and backstory, the Colonel's hand suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her away - even though he was severely holding back, his push held enough force to throw an ordinary person across an entire stadium. Two blue eyes shot a glare directly at the medic.



"Stop being stupid."

He turned directly to Hibano, though his expression did not lose any of its menace.

"Focus on reality, nor theory peddling. You've brought a filthy Gemicht, whose intentions and background are unclear yet power is beyond exceptional, into the Wandenreich. I am taking him to the Emperor. He will make the final judgment."

Over his shoulder, he briefly glanced to the medic squad. "You're free to come with us, but from now on, this kid is under custody of the Vorhut Division of the Wandenreich."

"The Emperor...?" Hibano muttered.

"Don't bother. Stop being stupid."

Leonina yelped in surprise and pain as the Colonel's push sent her petite frame flying back into the wall. Fortunately for the girl, her backpack deployed a huge airbag right before she reached the wall to cushion her from the brunt of impact, though the hit definitely knocked the wind out of her. The airbag deflated and retracted as Schwan and Jansen immediately rushed to help their comrade to her feet.

"Focus on reality, nor theory peddling. You've brought a filthy Gemischt, whose intentions and background are unclear yet power is beyond exceptional, into the Wandenreich. I am taking him to the Emperor. He will make the final judgment."


"I'm sorry, sir," Still bruised by the earlier hit, Leonina's eyes and expression were absolutely downcast. Not only had she taken a major blow to her confidence, but evidently the higher-ups were still clinging to their deluded notion of blood purity. Sure, Leonina was from an Echt house, albeit as one which already had a presence in Italy during World War II, she acutely felt disturbed by such an ideal. The Colonel's actions had already solidified her opinion of him - he was no better than the Fuhrer or the Duce she learned about in school.

On the other hand, Jansen was alarmed by the Colonel's statement. After all, going straight to the Emperor meant matters were very grave indeed.

"Right away, Sir!" he said. Then, turning to his two subordinates who looked just as apprehensive as he was, he tried to persuade them. "It's not like we can refuse a summons from the Emperor. Let's go."

The two silently nodded, while Schwan pointedly glared at Hibano. "Don't screw this up for us. Prove that saving you wasn't a mistake, or else."

"I'm... not sure what I did wrong, though..." Hibano muttered in response to Schwan - alarmed by her glare and her verbal concern about not screwing up in front of the Emperor. Still, he followed after the Vorhut Colonel. Two of Reinhard's soldiers approached him and began walking right behind him, taking guard. Their commander, on the other hand, sent out a few calls and ordered a few of his other subordinates to inform the necessary authorities along the way, then glanced towards Hibano. He still didn't know who the Emperor was.

"Remus, the Emperor of the Quincy, is the ruler of the Wandenreich, and everyone ultimately reports to him. This dimension - the fact that there are people like you or me still alive - exists thanks to him," Reinhard explained, in a somewhat dispassionate tone. "If you truly are a Quincy, he will offer you a place in the Wandenreich. After all, this is your true home."

Hibano watched the Colonel with confused, yet curious eyes. The Wandenreich solicited no response from his fragmented memory, not even a hint of familiarity. So, was he really a Quincy, like they say?

"General Aurum grants you the permission to speak to Remus directly, Colonel," one of Reinhard's subordinates suddenly called out to him, getting the Colonel to make a brief nod. They were quickly making their way through all of the levels of Silbern Fortress, hurrying past the narrow streets and gates, towards the very top, where the Citadel and the Throne Room were located. The entirety of Schatten Bereich was a blinding white that Hibano's eyes still struggled to accommodate to, and the heights of Silbern were imposing for someone who was making their way up the fortress for the first time.

While they still had time before their arrival to the throne, Hibano turned towards Leonina and asked:

"I... don't know about this. Will I even have a choice in whether I join or not? And... if I do become a part of this Wandenreich, what will I be expected to do? I have my own mission to follow, and I can't get so distracted..."

Leonina and the other two Quincy from her squad remained silent as they ascended the heights of Silbern Fortress - they knew proper reverence, after all. The squad would simply observe as the Colonel obtained the necessary permissions to approach and meet with the Emperor, even as he explained to Hibano who exactly the leader of the Wandenreich was. However, the officer's offer of recruitment to the amnesiac teen came with a huge caveat - whether the young Fullbringer would be capable of wielding the power of the Quincy after all.

Apparently, this had been weighing on Hibano's mind as well, and while waiting for the summons he took Leonina aside and brought up his concerns.

"I... don't know about this. Will I even have a choice in whether I join or not? And... if I do become a part of this Wandenreich, what will I be expected to do? I have my own mission to follow, and I can't get so distracted..."

"I can't say for certain, Hibano," the girl engineer replied. "If you can actually wield Quincy powers, you'll likely be brought in for training and expected to serve in the army, though you'll probably be assigned to a special unit instead. But with regards to your mission to free your mother's soul, there's a chance that we could even help you, especially if it's proven that both of you were victims of the Shinigami. But to be honest, I don't even know what would happen should Emperor Remus find out that you can't be a Quincy. We'd be toast for sure."

"How is that remotely fair? I can't choose to be a Quincy or not, and neither could you when you brought me here to save me from death..." Hibano answered Leonina's worries, though, in spite of how frustrated it made him, he avoided raising his voice. If their situation was already as precarious as the medic said, there was no reason to make it even worse than it already was.

"We're here."

Right as one of the Vorhut officers tagging along announced their arrival, and the guards of the Emperor's throne room stepped to the sides, Colonel Reinhard marched forward to lead Hibano and the Forschung officers into the hall - then, immediately threw himself down to his knee to show his respect.

An icy throne stood on the other side of the vast hall, and upon it sat the Emperor - whose appearance surprised Hibano. From how Reinhard and Leonina spoke of him, he expected someone intimidating, a tall, muscular conqueror who inspires fear in his subjects. No, it was a small child in a suit of armor, with a Zanpakuto resting on his legs.



It wasn't hard to tell that this person was... not quite human. His skin was pale white, his red eyes almost seemed like they were glowing, and the Reiatsu he emitted, clearly heavily repressed, was almost alien-like. Remus' arm rested on the armrest of his throne, and he watched the arrival of his subjects with curious eyes. Following everyone's cue, Hibano went down to one knee as well - after which the Emperor finally muttered:

"Speak."

"Your Majesty..." Reinhard began, placing his hand upon his chest, while still kneeling. "Earlier today, the team of Forschung officers you see discovered a dying man in the World of the Living and brought him to this dimension. Though he wields Fullbringer powers, they found out that he actually has Quincy blood, and may have fought against the Shinigami in the past. Someone with his level of power should not stay outside of the Wandenreich - and yet, everything about his past and his lineage remains a mystery. You can tell how powerful this person is, your Majesty - thus I found it only fitting to bring him before you, and let you make the final judgment on his fate."

Remus listened to the explanation in silence. He watched the Colonel, then turned his gaze towards Leonina, then finally to the captured Fullbringer.

"Stand up, child."

"I-um..."

It felt a bit awkward to be called a "child" by someone who was an actual child - but, as Hibano figured, the youthful appearance must have been nothing more than an illusion. Concerned, he rose to his feet - Remus then raised his finger. Watching Hibano from the side, it would seem like an invisible white laser dot pointer was directed at the Fullbringer's forehead, before vanishing.

"I see," Remus continued, now in a slightly softer tone. Hibano blinked, unsure if anything had happened. "I did not know a man could have so many tattoos."

"You-you're referring to Asura...?"

In reality, the Emperor had read his mind, and acquired the memories of everything that he had witnessed today - starting with his battle against Asura, and ending to this moment. As well as... a few other things. It revealed just a bit more information than what Reinhard had explained.

"So, you are a lone, missing child, led by nothing but the duty of freeing your mother, stuck inside your heart," Remus continued, staring straight at Hibano's eyes, in a manner that subtly, but instantly began to unnerve him. "Yet, you know nothing of who they truly are and where your mission may take you. No identity, no plans for your future..."

"You..." Hibano muttered, with a pause. "You don't actually know me..."

"Oh, you are correct. But, the Wandenreich might allow you to discover who you truly are." Hibano watched in silence, so, the Emperor continued. "You heard what they said - the blood that flows in your veins is that of House Schwarzwald. Once a family of traitors to their kin, but one who have tried to atone for their sins ever since. They recognized that their duty to help their Quincy kin stands above all else, and if you met your father, I am sure he would tell you the same."

"My father..."

"If you join the Wandenreich, and accept your place in my army, you may finally discover who he is. Who your mother is. You will find the opportunity to finally free her from your body. And above all else, you will finally fulfill the destiny given to you by your heritage."

The chips were finally placed down. Hibano looked away, gripped by uncertainty. Reinhard listened to the entire conversation, and though his expression remained the same as always on the outside, deep within, there was just a bit of fury building up.

This is the first time I see the Emperor be so aloof and sincere with someone... Just who is this kid, and what does the Emperor even see in him? Sure, he's strong, but he's still nothing compared to the Generals, or even myself...

"I... need time to think about this..." the Fullbringer finally muttered out.

"You have my permission to think," Remus answered, bluntly, then waved his hand. "Until you make up your mind, you are allowed to stay in Schatten Bereich. If there is nothing else to discuss, then you all are dismissed. Provide this kid housing in Silbern and ensure that no harm befells him."

After a brief, pained pause, Reinhard finally answered:

"Thank you, my Emperor. Leonina, Schwan, I'll leave your squad to that task."

Whatever concerns Hibano and Leonina had left were drowned out as they entered the Throne Room itself. They were told to approach the icy seat in the center, on which sat Remus, the Emperor of all Quincy. He looked impossibly young for someone so ancient, yet there was no mistaking that his power andf authority were the real deal.

Like the Colonel, Leonina, Schwan, and Jansen fell to their knees after approaching the throne. They listened as Reinhardt delivered his report to the Emperor, and soon after the Quincy leader ordered Hibano himself to stand up. The Forschung corps members braced themselves as Remus raised a finger, fully expecting to be vaporized on the spot for their insolence.

But the destruction never came. Instead, the Emperor's finger exuded a far gentler power: the ability to look into the hearts of his subjects. He started talking about how a man could have that many tattoos, presumably the "Asura"  Hibano had fought earlier. Leonina, Schwan, and Jansen breathed a sigh of relief, as it was known that this ability of the Emperor's only worked on Quincy, which meant that Hibano did have the potential to be a Quincy.

Following this, Remus continued to peruse the teen's memories, coming to the same conclusion that Hibano had very little of them. And yet, the Emperor saw this as an opportunity, ultimately deciding to recruit Hibano and let him stay in the realm while he made up his mind. And so, they took their leave, with Leonina and Schwan being tasked to provide Hibano with a place to stay. Jansen decided to leave as well, but not before returning the teen's Asauchi.

Leonina would lead Hibano down the fortress and into a vacant but well-furnished house. Taking a seat, she would invite him to do the same.

"This is where you'll stay for the meantime. And I do hope you will. The Emperor already said he'd help you free your mother's soul, so that solves your concern about focusing on your mission."

The journey out of the Citadel to the room designated for Hibano went completely silent - Hibano was still somewhat stunned by the meeting with Remus, and the other Quincies were, presumably, trained to not speak out of turn when speaking to their Emperor. Along the way, his Asauchi was finally returned to him - Remus' surprising open minded approach to him must have been enough for the Wandenreich to deem him a non-threat.

Only when they arrived to his new home in Schatten Bereich did Leonina finally speak. The house was spacious, and didn't seem to have been occupied for anyone in some time, its windows showed a spectacular glimpse into the aurora-like void that surrounded the floating Quincy home constantly. Briefly, Hibano stopped by the window, mesmerized by the sight.

Leonina assured him of what Remus had already mentioned to him - the Wandenreich were going to aid him in finding a way to free his mother's soul from his body, so there was nothing for him to worry about when it came to his mission.

And yet...

"I'm... not sure if it's so simple. Remus seems to know a lot more than I expected, but I am not sure if he knows that I can't just pull my mom out of my body. Only the power of the Hogyoku or something equivalent could possibly achieve the separation - and if the Wandenreich knows that this is what my quest requires, I'm... not sure how they would judge..."

Hibano sighed and sat down in front of Leonina.

"I'm... trying to look down at my memories as deep as I can. See if there's something that tells me from there that I've been a Quincy all along. I know Yael, and... a part of me is telling me that I really do belong me, but I'm not sure... I've never made a decision to join an organization this vast ever since I lost my memory."

After briefly lamenting to himself, he suddenly glared the Quincy straight in the eyes.

"You, Leonina... Tell me, do you feel at home in the Wandenreich? Do you... feel right to serve here? What goal do you hope for, in the end? What are you fighting for here?"

"Ah, that, the Hogyoku…" Leonina's face turned thoughtful. She'd heard of it, of course, but information regarding the artifact was ridiculously hard to come by. "I honestly don't know much about it, which is embarrassing for someone like me. From what I heard, it's an extremely powerful crystal that the Shinigami used to win the war against us. I have reason to believe that it's more than a simple death beam, and perhaps the Emperor sees it as a win-win situation: if we manage to take the Shinigami's greatest weapon from them, we'd gain an advantage over them. Helping you would be of no issue in that case."

Hibano then went on to ponder his connection with Yael, the Wandenreich, and being a Quincy; he wasn't sure if his remaining memories would agree with him. Leonina kept listening, and offered her thoughts after he was done.

"If Yael and the rest of your family are still alive, we could definitely spend some time looking for them if they would give us answers. And as for joining the Wandenreich, it's hardly uncommon to feel anxious about starting something new. It's part of life, and part of being a person. You're definitely a far cry from the shameless flirt of an Arrancar who doubted his own humanity, so I assume you'll have a better time dealing with your thoughts and emotions. After all, one never forgets how to feel or to live, no matter how many memories you lose."

"You, Leonina... Tell me, do you feel at home in the Wandenreich? Do you... feel right to serve here? What goal do you hope for, in the end? What are you fighting for here?"

Hibano stared the Quincy girl straight in the eyes as he asked this, causing her to become slightly flustered and avert her gaze. But she soon composed herself and give a confident answer.

"Of course I do. It's only natural, after all. Shinigami work for the Gotei 13, Hollows obey the Queen, and us Quincy serve the Wandenreich. We each do so to ensure our own survival and prosperity. And especially for the Quincy, our goal is to have a place for ourselves where we can live in peace. Not hunted by Hollows poisonous to us, nor persecuted by the Gotei who deem us a threat to the balance. This is our battle to live."

Hibano's stare into Leonina got her flustered, and that fluster surprised him - so, he glanced away as well. He did not intend it as anything more than an intent look into someone who's been one of his few sources about the Quincies in order to figure out how she feels about it all.

Leonina found herself at home in the Wandenreich. To her, it was only natural that everyone of the same origin align themselves to one organization that protects their interests - what the Gotei 13 was for the Shinigami or the Hollow Queen was for the Hollows, the Wandenreich was for the Quincy. Wait, there is a Hollow Queen? It made sense, though, Hollows arriving to the world of the living via their garganta had to come from somewhere.

She confirmed that they would be able to go after Yael and find him once he does become a member of the Wandenreich, as well. The Quincies were cutting a deal that answered more and more of Hibano's questions - and hearing that Leonina was at home there assured him somewhat that perhaps he could find a home there, too. It got him to briefly flash a reassuring smile, before returning back to his serious mood.

"This whole time, you've been mentioning bits and pieces about the Shinigami and the Quincy. You... talked about a war, briefly, and that it's the reason why the Shinigami may have been suspects in what happened to my family," he continued, moving on to another topic that nobody had given a clear answer to him on as of yet. "What's... the story there? What have we done to the Shinigami, and why are they hunting after us?"