15 Two Sides of the Same Coin Meeting
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Esteban Vortice was pacing the desolate sands of Hueco Mundo, restless and uneasy a while later. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts,
'Should I finally leave this desolate realm?', He questioned himself, his gaze lost in the endless sands. Yet, as he pondered, a sudden shift in the ambiance snapped him back to reality.
A powerful spiritual pressure, the strongest he had felt since his transmigration to this world, permeated the air. It was eerily familiar, its potency reminiscent of his own.
The spiritual energy seemed to grow stronger by the second, emanating from a distant point, drawing him in like a moth to a flame, 'Could it be...?', Esteban found himself contemplating, a single name echoing in his mind, Coyote Stark.
His instincts took control, urging him to pursue the source. He remembered the information from the original series about Stark, the notorious Vasto Lorde famed for his immense spiritual power and formidable abilities,
'But even still, I never thought he would be this strong... Did I cause some kind of Butterfly Effect...? Or was he always this strong before he split and damaged his soul into half...?', Esteban mused, his curiosity piqued. His intuition already deducing his true strength now.
As he journeyed towards the source, he found his mind filled with speculation, 'Is it possible that Stark has just been born? Or did he just fully awaken only now?', The thought of Stark being a natural-born Arrancar Vasto Lorde, much like himself, added a layer of intrigue.
Such occurrences were never seen previously in Hueco Mundo, making the prospect all the more compelling. Excitement and anticipation bubbled within Esteban, a cocktail of emotions he hadn't experienced in a while.
Esteban pressed onward, a solitary figure against the stark backdrop of Hueco Mundo. His heart held anticipation and curiosity as he approached the source of the mighty spiritual pressure.
As Esteban moved toward the overwhelming spiritual pressure, memories of the information he had gathered about Starrk filled his mind.
He recalled tales of the hollow's immense power, a force so strong that merely standing near other hollows could end their existence, despite him trying to control it to the utmost of his abilities, much like his own formidable strength. It reminded him of his own struggles, the constant effort to keep his tremendous power under control.
He remembered the drastic solution Starrk had chosen. To curb his deadly spiritual pressure, Starrk had split his soul in two, creating a separate entity known as Lilynette Gingerbuck. A decision Esteban found baffling,
'To willingly weaken oneself, to divide and hurt one's own soul...', This division, in Esteban's view, had limited Starrk's combat efficiency significantly. He was aware that in the current timeline, Starrk hadn't yet made this decision yet.
And judging by the level of spiritual pressure he was currently sensing, he hypothesized that Starrk's might, from the original series, was also innate, not enhanced by Aizen's Hogyoku as he had originally thought, 'Could it be that his power was always his own, untouched by the Hogyoku?', He considered this new possibility.
Esteban could not help but feel a sense of admiration toward Starrk. Their stories, their struggles were so similar, yet so different. As he drew closer to the source of the spiritual pressure, he felt a strange blend of apprehension and eagerness.
The world of Hueco Mundo seemed to hush as Esteban neared the source of the formidable spiritual pressure, his heart pounding in his chest. As he rounded a rocky outcrop, his eyes fell upon a figure that perfectly embodied the lonely majesty he had sensed.
Standing tall against the stark landscape, a man with shaggy brown hair and a laid-back demeanor looked back at him. His languid eyes, a somber grey, held an abyss of melancholy that echoed Esteban's own. This was Starrk.
"Finally decided to show up, huh?", Starrk's voice was low and devoid of malice. It was a tone of detachment that resonated with Esteban, for he too knew the toll of existing in this desolate world full of isolation despite him being here for so short.
Despite his inherent aggression, Esteban found himself intrigued by Starrk's composed demeanor, "I sensed a powerful spirit...", Esteban began, his voice holding a strange blend of hostility and curiosity, "I didn't expect it to be another like me."
Starrk simply shrugged, his gaze remaining steady on Esteban. He was clearly not startled by the newcomer's existence, "Just another monster born in this world...", He muttered under his breath, his eyes reflecting a spark of curiosity at Esteban's imposing figure. A natural-born Arrancar Vasto Lorde like him, he sensed a few days ago, yet so different, so chaotic. In fact, probably born from the chaos itself.
Starrk's detached outlook on life intrigued Esteban. In Starrk, he saw a mirror of himself, albeit in a less active and more reactive, passive form, "So you've been here long?", Esteban probed, eager to learn more about Starrk's existence.
"Yeah...", Starrk admitted, his gaze unfocused as memories of his past weeks in Hueco Mundo played out in his mind. He told of the solitude, the burden of power, and the constant struggle of retaining his humanity. His voice was nonchalant, but his words painted a poignant picture, one that Esteban found incredibly familiar. His full power awakened today.
Suddenly, in the midst of Starrk's monologue, Esteban erupted into motion. His hand glowed with the deadly luminescence of a charging Cero. The melancholic atmosphere shattered instantly, replaced by a thick tension of an impending clash. Starrk barely had time to react, firing off his own Cero to counter Esteban's.
Their powers clashed, creating a shockwave that rocked the hollow landscape. They darted around each other in their by jumping around Reiatsu using their own spiritual energy for friction, faster than the eye could follow, using Sonidos to close the gaps.
Their Hierros clashed, producing metallic ringing that echoed across the deserted plains. Their fight was devoid of any special abilities, just raw power and skill, a measure of their basic capabilities.
Despite the aggression that Esteban was displaying, Starrk could see through the veneer. He recognized the intention behind the sudden brawl, and a ghost of a smile crossed his face, 'So, he wants to gauge my strength...', He thought, mirroring Esteban's moves and matching his tempo.
The standoff was tense, the silence echoing off the desolate expanse of Hueco Mundo. Their eyes locked in a mutual assessment, both combatants catching their breath. The dust kicked up by their clash hung heavily in the air, creating an eerie fog over the barren desert.
After a few exchanges, they stood at a distance once more, assessing each other silently. Starrk couldn't deny the strange sense of kinship he felt towards Esteban. He wasn't just another monster; he was a reflection of Starrk's own existence, his own loneliness. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Starrk felt a sense of companionship.
Starrk was the first to break the silence, a sardonic chuckle escaping his lips, "That was... unexpected...", He admitted, his hand instinctively moving to brush a streak of dust off his cloak.
Esteban gave a nonchalant shrug, the corners of his mouth turning up into an impish grin, "I was curious...", He stated simply, his gaze steady on Starrk, a spark of satisfaction glowing within. He realized Starrk's true strength already.
As the dust settled, they began to converse, this time with an unspoken understanding, a seed of camaraderie beginning to sprout. The solitary wolves of Hueco Mundo had found an equal in each other.
