Blessed Falls The Colors [Closed]

Rustling. That was all that could be heard by Sora in the midst of the woods. He decided he needed a break from everyday life after his encounter with the Espada and Lilly not too long ago, so he had decided to go on a wilderness sabbatical. And so far, he was feeling rather relaxed. He sat on a log, a camera hanging around his neck as he looked around, a water bottle in his right hand, in case he were to get dehydrated. He heard a rustling, only to find it was a squirrel darting off into a tree. He took off his beanie for a moment, setting it on the log next to him. He then took off his eyepatch, which had covered the right eye. He figured no one was out here, so he would be safe taking it off.

When he removed the eyepatch, his eye was revealed as sewn shut. The stitches themselves were gone, but the scar remained from the bad incident back from his days running with a gang. It felt good to get the eyepatch off once in a while. Usually he kept it on to not scare away people. Sora stood, resuming taking pictures, intending to use them later for inspiration in his art works.

The smooth sway of forests, the fresh air of Spring. This is what all people enjoy when they live in forests with their dream-home log cabins and their made-by-hand environment. This was the life that Iratze was supposed to live, peaceful and secluded; but no. It had to of rained the night before; what a wonderful Spring day with all the dampness of the cabin and the mud-flooded, outside ground. It was only days before that he had encountered his first demon, slaying it quite brutally in fact; this was something he could not forget. The years he was..."hallucination" or "going insane" he had just been hearing the demons and there had actually been spirits in front of his eyes. Upon exiting his cabin in simplistic sandles, there was a groggy sigh exhaling from his lungs. The distraught feeling displayed itself within the sigh, this was a sign of a bad day. He took his tunic and placed over himself, ready to tie the string on his leather pants to tighten them. He then took his leather vest, closing it off using buttons and leather string to tighten it. Iratze strapped the holster to his switchblade to his wrist, tucking the switchblade in which had fit very snug.

After preparing to head out for a much more weather-friendly environment, he made sure his cabin door was shut. From there, he slushed his feet through the mud, eventually touching some more solid ground in order to exit the forest. He had walked a ways away, still pondering on about why the demon had been classified as such. Why not him? He killed something. He watched it dissipate which had even proven to be more off an oddity. Iratze thought that maybe he was the demon and the "demon" he encountered was just a primate evolving just like humans. Touching the back of his neck he could remember the reaction of the night he left the Deitatus estate. " Mom...Dad...I love you..." he spoke to himself repetitively.

Iratze eventually caught glimpse of a person near a tree, with a wicked scar running to and fro across his eye. The man seemed peculiar, hopefully friendly even. He watched the man do something with the tree which looked like photography but he didn't really care. Walking to the man he nodded his head, waving with a friendly gesture. " Hey! Enjoying the sight of the tree?" a simply tone of kindness was protruded, the false hope that maybe someone actually would become his friend. He was doubtful yet hopeful at the same time about making a friend this day.

This wilderness sabbatical really was what Sora had needed, he found. The tree's, the brush, the flowers, they all put him at ease. Next to his house was some wilderness, but that was nothing close to what the woods offered him. It was as if it were just himself and his thoughts, something he rather enjoyed. He raised the lens of the camera up to his face, snapping a picture of a bird, as it flew off. Sora heard a man calling, turning to look at him. He dropped the camera, which luckily didn't fall, thanks to the cord around his neck. He instantly pressed a hand against the scarred eye, hoping to hide it from whoever was coming. To him, it was nothing but an ugly reminder of an ugly past, something that need not rear its also very ugly head at people. Keeping his eye covered, he reached for his eye patch, putting it back in its rightful place.

Once the elastic was placed around his head, Sora turned and smiled at the man in a friendly manner. "Oh, definitely! It's so peaceful out here." He said, as he turned and raised the camera once more, picking it up from its spot dangling about his neck. He snapped a few more pictures, before turning to the man, noting how he was a bit oddly dressed, but making no more mention of it to himself than that. "Come out here often?" He asked, putting down the camera, as he unstopped the lid to his waterbottle, taking a drink quickly, then putting it back on. "It's very beautiful out here. Almost makes me wish I lived here." He commented, looking around, before realizing he hadn't introduced himself. Luckily, he caught his mistake earlier than he had with Lilly. "Oh, I'm Sora." He said, smiling as he put his hand out for a handshake.

Iratze could noticed a rushed reaction to his greeting, the man quickly trying to cover up his scar before Iratze would see it. It was particularly suspicious but a man's secrets is a man's secrets when he is a stranger. Though the man seemed equally friendly, as well as appreciative of the beauty of nature. The trees outside of his area were so lush, sparkling with the bit of moisture left over. It was like a glaze that would soon fade, bringing sadness to those like the man before him who appreciate such beauty. Looking at the man, he smirked just slightly. Where most saw the wilderness and woods as a place for savages and homeless, those two saw beauty. But this never displaced the constant beckoning guilt of the previous events.

After absorbing the outer view, it was time to finally take in the social view. Sora, the new found acquaintance, had introduced himself, most definitely agreeing with what Iratze greeted with. Nodding, he kept a jovial tone,"Hello, Sora. I am Iratze Deitatus-" he cut himself off, knowing he made the mistake of revealing his name after that night, though he continued on with the introduction, " Nice to meet you. I, luckily, actually live here. The nature is kind, except for the weather. Damn rain dampens my log cabin too often. But the outer edge of the woods is always beautiful. The insides are generally muddy and unpleasant currently. I know. Just look at my sandles!". Stretching a bit, he wondered who this man truly was. Was he the nice, observant man he seemed or was he something much deeper? In order to find out, he intended on asking if he knew anything about the Deitatus.

Maybe the questions could trigger something, but maybe he could blow his chance and seem like a boasting ass. He felt his knife, which perfectly rested inside the holster which was concealed within his sleeve. There was no bulge, there was no sign of it being there. The knife was snug and hidden. From afar he could see a little girl on her knees, crying; though at a second glance Iratze could see a blue hue glittered across the girl. He dismissed it and pointed towards her, " Hey, is that little girl okay?". Iratze wanted to approach the girl but then he thought I just pointed out a spirit to a stranger....

Sora laughed at Iratze's predicament with the forest floor. "I could see where that would be annoying." He said, chuckling, as he checked his own pocket. He wanted to believe this man was good, but living out in the woods all alone was an easy way to pick off strangers, or lone travelers, He put a hand in his pocket, finding reassurance in the paintbrush that was there. He grabbed his beanie, putting it on as he turned to hear someone, off in the distance. Crying, there was a spirit girl with the telltale blue hue around her. He opened his mouth to say something, when he heard Idatze mention the girl that was crying. His eyes widened slightly, before narrowing once more, as he realized the man could also see the girl.

Sora, while not thinking too clearly at the moment, since he was distracted with the girl, idly said, "I don't know. Let's go over there. Hopefully it's not a Hollow." He said, as he began making his way over there, climbing over various logs and rocks that were in his way, as he pulled his paintbrush out of his pocket, gripping it tightly. He figured that the girl would draw a Hollow or Arrancar nearby, so he had better be prepared. He knelt down next to the girl, ignoring the mud that was staining the knees of his pants, as he asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, are you okay?"

Just in an idle stature of awe, Iratze stood with only a stare gandering over onto Sora. With a flick of his wrist straight to the ground a switchblade launch, only to be caught by the red-haired man before it landed. He was resisting the urge to join his "friend" but the fact that he had the same ability was what worried him. Could he be the same kind of abomination he was? A shattered path of trust emerged and the switchblade fired open. Standing with quite a bit of distance between the two, he could only mutter few words, " Who... Are you? I mean..." He took a more defensive stance, being quite alarmed by the fact Sora had the same ability to see spirits. What really got him curious was the fact he mentioned a peculiar being he had never heard of before. What is a hollow? he thought to himself.

He may have overreacted seeing as the man seemed kind to the spirit, but he didn't know whether to trust him or not. He himself was considered an abomination by his own, shuddering parents. Approached Sora, he retracted his switchblade and holstered it, wondering what was wrong with the girl. " If you don't mind....Can you give me a briefing as to what the hell a hollow is?" he said, seemingly more hostile than friendly. It was true, he was on edge since he had recently fought a demonic figure. First the demonic occurence, then he met a man who could see spirits as well. Now the actual spirit itself. Demons, in folklore, generally were drawn to other supernatural things. At least, this is what Iratze had read; which currently seemed true. Then, suddenly a very distant groan-like roar protruded from the forest.

Sora turned for a second, hearing the tone of the man behind him a ways get serious and rather on the offensive. He held his paintbrush tight, almost afraid he was going to have to use it for a second. The man could also see ghosts, but what's to say he was friendly? For a second, it almost didn't seem like it. "My name's Sora Watanabe." he stated. "I'm a Fullbringer." He stated, as he then listened to the man's next question, trying to think of the best way to answer that. He turned, seeing the young girl crying still, not having answered the question. If anything, after the roar, it had intensified. Sora rubbed his temple for a moment, a headache coming on as he was tasked with multiple things at once suddenly, or at least in his mind he was.

First off, there was the Hollow. Naturally, that'd need to be taken care of. Then there was the girl, who would need to be protected from said hollow until a Shinigami came to take care of it. And finally, there was the matter of explaining Hollows. It was all a matter of which to tackle first. Technically speaking, however, he couldn't necessarily tackle them first; he'd have to wait for the hollows to come to protect the girl, he could choose whenever to explain to Iratze about Hollows, and it would probably be best to let the Hollow come to him, since it didn't sound too far off. Well, might as well get the explanation out of the way. After all, the man was holding a knife, so maybe it was an item his own spiritual energy could change the shape of, like Sora's paintbrush? The man didn't seem to have vast knowledge of the Spiritual World, but then again neither had Sora until he had met someone to enlighten him, so to speak.

"A Hollow... is... well, a Hollow is a spirit that has become corrupt, and turns into a large monster, that wears a white hollow mask upon its face. It has a hole somewhere on its body, and usually eats spirits such as these. Some people revere them as demon's in western countries, but they're actually just spirits that have become void of all emotions and instinct other than to feed." Sora explained, as he held his paintbrush, waiting to hear the telltale sign of the Hollow coming closer. He wondered, should he release his Fullbring to attract the attention? Or should he wait to see if it comes by, and attack secretly?

Iratze noticed Sora gripping his paintbrush rather...firmly. It seemed to be an item of great importance as was Iratze's switchblade. A frustrated Sora had seemed to have been bothered by the flood of events; what with a defensively hostile man demanding an explanation, a spirit girl to protect, and the...hollows as his "ally" would have liked to call it. As the roars closed in, he took out his switch blade once more and held it in a vertical form infront of him. "As said by my parents, I'm an abomination with the Power of Deitatus." he said, his tone seemingly empty and distasteful. He called upon his Laminus Deitatus, transforming his switchblade into a greater sword with two blades forming a wide, DNA-type pattern that closed off at the tip. It's hilt was long, the guard being long and thin.

Eventually, Iratze would have to grab the sword with both hands in order to wield the beast. Although any other person would not be able to lift the sword, his ability allowed a more feather weighted version available to only him. The sword easily slid into the ground as soon as the tip touched the soil; though he prevented it from being stuck. Resting the blade on his shoulder, he locked his shoudler in the corner of the grip up against the handle, dangling his hand over the pommel to keep it propped up. Looking at his hand, he went from a calm extension of his fingers to a fiercesome grip that shook with a great force. It wouldn't be long before the hollow reached them. It was, in fact, much closer than anticipated. Seemingly, the hollow itself was close to the edge of the forest. "A Fullbringer...What...What is that?" he said calmly, yet fearful of what he might learn.

Sora stood, deeming the girl a lost cause for the moment. He looked to the switchblade Iratze held, watching as it turned into a long greatsword, slightly impressed by the design and size. It definitely looked heavy. Definitely something he would like to incorporate into his next piece of art. "A Fullbringer is what I am... and you, also, by the looks of it..." He said, as he raised his paintbrush in front of him, holding it so it was parallel with the ground. Immediately, it elongated, becoming roughly the length of a spear, as Sora placed the tip of it against the ground; a black liquid floating from the tip of the brush, and dissipating in mid-air. "Fullbringer's are people that can manifest the powers of Hollows, due to being attacked by a Hollow while in the womb of the mother. The Hollow leaves residue, and the Fullbringer's most sacred object becomes imbued with the power of the Hollow when it awakens within." He explained.

As he spoke, he began painting what looked like a crude circle in mid-air, the shocker being that there was no hard surface for it to be painted on to stick. He then appeared to paint what looked like flames, though black and see-through. All at once, as soon as Sora's paintbrush left the painting hanging in mid-air, the flames seemed to crackle to life, moving as if the circle were really on fire. "When it first appears, I'm going to launch this at it, as a distraction maneuver. Then, we can both attack it from various angles to take it down quickly." He said, speaking fiercely, as he began painting another spade-like object, taking his time with it.

Iratze nodded towards Sora, accepting his explanation for but he did intend on going more in depth once they had finished the event of a hollow battle. Holding his greatsword in the air, he decided to once again use his lance but before he could do so, he developed a burning sensation as his marks formed. Cringing, he shut his eyes tight and jerked his head up in pain. " Marcam de Numen" he roared with a deep, Greek accent as he spoke the ancient Latin. His marks finished burning themselves into his body, though they were far-spaced and in a common abundance though nothing too drastic. After words he made sure his greatsword transformed into the Lancea Numen. "Lancea Numen!" he roared again, yet again letting out his thick Greek accent. The roaring finally sent a message that notified them to prepare. From the woods, a demonic figure appeared. Tearing itself from the forest, damaging the beautiful trees, the gigantic, oni-like hollow appeared.

All Iratze could do was look at it in awe; it was definitely much stronger than the one from before. He raised his lance, spinning it afterwards and whirling around to the side of the hollow. " Whatever the hell you are going to do, do it now!" his tone was demanding although it was needed. A hollow was no object to play around with. It brought its hand up sluggishly, thrusting downwards with a hammerfist attack. In reaction, Iratze stabbed his spear into the forearm of the hollow, letting the pommel of it sink into the ground. This allowed the hollow's arm to get stuck which then formed a gateway for Sora's attack.

Sora nodded, as he watched, finishing painting the spade-like structure. It revealed itself to be a shield, one that constantly floated around Sora, no matter where he moved. As Sora heard the beast coming closer and closer, he touched the tip of his paintbrush to the burning lump, the lump seeming to stick to the tip. He swung around for a moment, the paintbrush following quickly behind. As he began facing the Hollow, his body stopped, but the brush kept moving. The burning lump was flung at the large Hollow, an explosion ensuing as soon as it hit something solid, be it the beast or the ground. While it was aimed directly at the beast, it was only moving moderately fast, so with enough speed it would be dodge-able. But either way, unless the Hollow had the ability to use Shunpo or Sonido, it would be caught in the blast radius, and burned; be it only a minor burn, or a severe burn.

"Now!" Sora shouted, as he himself began running towards the Hollow, approaching the left side of it. He was hoping Iratze was doing the same, as if not, then Sora might have been in a world of hurt. With the two of them, it would become slightly disoriented, and not sure which to go after first, giving them both an opening to attack it. However, if only one of them attacked, things might turn nasty, as it would be able to easily focus all of its attention onto that person. This isn't to say neither of them could handle it, but if you're trying to avoid permanent injuries, this is definitely the way to go.

The Lancea Numen Laminus Deitatus spun in the air briefly after being torn from the ground. The blast Sora created had caused Iratze to jump back a step, proceeding to catch his lance and use the momentum to form a javelin-throwing stance rather hastily. Lifting his lance higher, he made sure it pointed straight for the hollow's mask. Luckily, Sora had been distracting it, causing the hollow to be right in the line of fire for his Lance Numen's Draco Lancea. Reiatsu collected around the Lancea Numen as it began to levitate, shaking profusely. " DRACO LANCEA!" a final roar of Latin was flung out of the ginger's mouth, the lance flying towards the hollow. It was an average speed but it was substantial for a direct headshot. Due to the disorienting blast the hollow was hit with and the attack Sora launched, the lance easily planted itself into the hollow's forehead, though it nearly killed it, the lance once again did not pierce fully.

Rushing forward, the lance manifested itself back into Iratze's hand as he moved to the right of the hollow. He took his lance, bringing it up, once again gripping the handle near the blade, stabbing it multiple times into the hollow.

Sora nodded, seeing the large Hollow stagger back from the blow to the forehead that Iratze had sent at it. He ran to the side, stopping and sliding somewhat due to the mud, turning to face the Hollow directly. He made three squiggly lines in mid-air quickly, making it seems as if heat was coming from that area. He breathed in a large lungful of air, before exhaling slowly. The direct area that Sora had been breathing at began to melt, as if something superheated were next to the affected area. Sora began stabbing at it when his lungful of air was gone, and between the two of them, the Hollow fell easily.

Sora stood up straight, holding his paintbrush tip-down, blood starting to mix with the ink that was on the tip of his paintbrush, as he looked over to Iratze appreciatively, somewhat winded. "Good job." He said, as he seemed to regain his breath. He walked over to where Iratze was, inspecting the multiple stab wounds the Hollow had received from the man. He whistled low, somewhat impressed. "You... you ever thought of using your abilities for something good?" he asked. "Like protecting people and stuff?" he said, rather casually, as he brought his brush up, and swung it down, shattering the part of the mask that hadn't fully broken away when Iratze's lance had penetrated it, just in case it were to make a comback.

Iratze felt a bloodlust in him after the death of the hollow, but he easily dismissed it, disabling his Laminus Deitatus as the Marcam de Numen dissipated. A sense of relief brushed over the ginger-haired man as he looked in Sora's direction. With a rather casual yet straight-forward question from Sora, he was caught off guard. His powers were, before, considered to be that of an abomination's. His parents words would forever strike him at the heart. But the thought of helping people might be a way to gain trust from his parents. " My parents...They call me an abomination for having been born with a Marcam de Numen. The Mark of Deity. A prophecy tells that those of the Deitatus family who are born with this mark shall wield a great power. I see now that the prophecy was true. Yet it was never specific. If there was a continuation of the bloodline there would be no doubt the possibility-no matter how small- that another could be born with such a mark. See, I am just putting two and two together, so the prophecy may just be coincidental.

There seems to be more to it than I know. But Sora," he paused for a moment, looking away with intertwining emotions of sorrow and curiosity,"Do you think I am an abomination? Do you think my parents have every right to be scarred? Are they remotely correct about me being a monster?".

Sora listened to Iratze's tale and questions, a sense of pity overcoming the leader of The Family. He sighed when Iratze ended, thinking about how to answer the question. He put a hand in his pocket, the paintbrush shrinking back down to size in the other, before also being placed in his pocket. He turned from Iratze for a moment, looking up at the tree's. "Only you can decide if you're a monster." He spoke suddenly, turning back to look at Iratze. "Power isn't what makes people monster's. Greed does. Lust does." He said. "When one becomes too hung-up on material goods or themselves, that's when they become monster's. You seem like a good man to me. A monster? Not even close. You just seem confused about what you are." he said, as he walked to the other side, noticing the little girl was gone, with no trace of her spiritual pressure nearby. She must have been rescued, he thought.

"You and I are one in the same. The reason we are what we are, is because our mother's were attacked and lived to tell the tale. What we choose to do with the power we are given, determines whether or not we are monster's." He said. "That's why I save people. I've been considered a monster once before. Now, I devote my life to the better of the people, protecting them from the real monster's. I hope that helped you with your conflict." Sora said, as he grabbed his dropped water bottle from the ground, taking a large drink.

Although the wounds from what his parents had told him the night he killed his uncle would never heal, Iratze did agree he determines what kind of person he really is. It is ultimately up to him to decide how to follow through with decisions and what decisions to make. What kind of person one is is always based on their actions and their personality as well as their view points. He particularly hated hollows mostly due to the fact they are the true abominations; knowing only to feed, only to search and destroy. But what was odd is that he heard nothing about a hollow attacking his mother; at least nothing about her being attacked by anything.

" Sora...I never heard anything about her being attacked. She and my father always believed in the prophecy, that it was a possibility that one could be born with the mark. This birth mark is rare, and coincidentally I do have power." his tone was inquisitive. He looked at Sora with respect, but there was one thing he noticed, saving the world from demons does not net any profit. Maybe he had a job on the side in order to pay bills since saving people isn't exactly....legal. " What do you do for a living? Besides saving people from things they cannot see. That definitely does not get bills payed. I am lucky the government hasn't found out I have a log cabin in the woods, they would have probably arrested me and would destroy the house. I have no where to go anymore. I don't go into the city, they would recognize me, so I just go into the village for things." he stated, noticing he jumped subjects on accident.

Sora smiled, eventually the small twitch of his lips turning into a grin. His occupation was one that he enjoyed talking about at length. He crushed the now-empty water bottle, putting it into his pocket. He looked at the man for a second, before nodding, agreeing with what he said. "You're right. It doesn't pay the bills." He said, only saying that for a moment, trying to make the moment more dramatic.

"I'm actually a rather famous artist to the region." He said. "I paint in my spare time when I can, then I sell the art to pawn shops, art dealer's, museum's, etc. It helps me keep up with my bills." He said, shrugging as he did so. He glanced down at his shoes, frowning somewhat. Wearing white tennis shoes probably wasn't the best of idea's that have ever been thought. Not to mention he had a bit of Hollow blood on him too. He would definitely need to change and wash his clothes when he got home, maybe even needing a bath.

Shrugging, Iratze made the body language that always said "you do what you gotta do" and looked into the forest. He knew it was about time to return home, back to his muddy domain in a damp bed. He sighed, turning to Sora as he holstered his switchblade. " I have to go home...Ugh. It may be beautiful around here, but it sure is boring. Nobody lives nearby, I was even surprised you were around this general area." he shrugged, stretching a bit since he was worn from the fight. He was ready to make his leave, but for some reason there was some form of reluctance. It felt as if there was something missing, like something needed to be said before he left.

"Wait." Sora said, having gone serious as compared to how he was a moment ago. He had been tossing the idea of inviting the man to The Family back and forth. He wanted to, because he felt the man was a valuable asset, but at the same time, he was weary. He didn't want to blindly invite people who could potentially cause more harm than good. Eventually, he decided to take the risk. After all, nobody else was a part of it, so what was there to lose? "I've started an organization... The Family. We could use you." Sora said, his face losing any trace of humor that it had had earlier, now only having that serious look etched into his features.

"We're a group dedicated to the protection of the innocent's of Karakura and the surrounding lands. Everyone who joins will be spiritually aware, and like us. There's more types of beings out there than just Fullbringer's and Hollow's. But it's up to us here on the World of the Living to protect our own homeland." Sora said, as he pulled a card from his pocket. It had a paintbrush and palette off in the top right corner, with the words, "Sora Watanabe", followed by an address. "If you decide to accept, I live here. Just let me know." He said, as he handed the card to Iratze, turning to take his leave, a wave of his hand the only goodbye he would be giving if Iratze didn't need him for anything else.