Chapter 8: Graduation and Musings

Time passed by and it was already the middle of the year. Shugo stood amongst the many of the sixth years that are graduating this year, and those that managed to finish their curriculum in less than six years like him. Granted, there aren't many that were from the same year as him that were present, but there are others who graduated within four years that were present, albeit still not many.

Right now, they were at the Assembly Hall of the academy. There were around several hundred students, most of which as mentioned above to be the sixth years. Within the Hall, on the stage at the front, stood the pinnacle of all who strives to be a Shinigami: The Head Captain of the entire Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni himself, accompanied with his Lieutenant Sasakibe Chojiro. Yamamoto stood at the front, on a podium, while Sasakibe kept a small distance behind the Old Man.

Aside from Old Man Yama and his Lieutenant, there were also Shiba Isshin, the Captain of the Tenth Division and this year's examiner (proctor). He was also accompanied by his Lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, and his Third Seat, Hitsugaya Toshiro. While the Captain rarely makes his appearance during the course of Shugo's study (despite his duty and responsibility), he was kept in the loop thanks to Hitsugaya that would often replace his Captain during visits to the class when the captain decided to…doze off, or if Matsumoto was knocked out after drinking too much the night before.

Such a thing happened much more often than not, hence Shugo was more familiar with Hitsugaya, compared to Matsumoto or even Shiba in that regard. Still, he had enough impression to have an idea of Shiba's and Matsumoto's personalities.

'Third Seat Hitsugaya… He is reminiscent of Papalymo, that the two shares in seriousness. Unfortunately, that also meant Lieutenant Matsumoto is much like Yda, or Lyse, when I first met her: aloof, and not exactly the brightest in intellect.' He mused.

He glanced only once at the two aforementioned people, before turning towards Shiba Isshin, who was rubbing the back of his neck and yawned.

'Captain Shiba… His nature reminds me of Thancred. More so than I would like, especially in his rather…compromising actions with the Lieutenant.' He chuckled, before just focusing on Yamamoto.

This whole thing was during Yamamoto's speech on the students that were present, on how they were graduating and about to step into the 'real world', so to speak. Of how they're to fulfill their duties as a Shinigami, to adhere to the rules and traditions of the Gotei and Soul Society as a whole. He then went on with the divisions of the Gotei 13, of how important which they choose to join, and the basic requirements to become an officer.

'In essence, to become a Seated officer, the requisition is that one must have exceptional skills in at least one of the four combat styles.' He pondered.

'But oddly enough, one must needs their Zanpakuto's Shikai beforehand in addition, should they wish to be an Officer ranked 10 or higher…' He frowned.

Granted, this was all based on what Old Man Yama said, and he already emphasized that this was in general. He never stated that all Divisions would go along exactly like that, though it would still be a part of the consideration.

'Anyroad, 'tis a matter for another time. The bridge shall be crossed when 'tis time.' He shook his head lightly.

.....

Before long, the speech had ended. After that, it was the part where Lieutenant Sasakibe called students forward who were deemed to be the best of their batch. One by one, students were coming up to the stage and were congratulated by the Head Captain. Only after mere nonces, however…

"Kurenai Shugo, step forward!" Chojiro called audibly enough for all to hear.

Shugo only sighed as he went through the side towards the small stairs and then up to the stage. As he stood before the Head Captain while the Lieutenant stepped back, the old man looked at him in the eyes. They were observing of his overall progress, but only for a preliminary idea on the current him.

However, his face would not betray any visible emotion. He simply had the look that he always had since arriving here: neutral. The only other alternative however, was his reiryoku fluctuations, and that was still based on what he was actively allowing to be felt by others: only three of the fourteenth whole this time around. That, however, was more than enough to make the old man nod in satisfaction.

"Very good, Kurenai. You're now a proper Shinigami." Yamamoto said.

"'Twas certainly… An experience, to learn something a bit new." Shugo remarked.

"I'm sure it was. And as per your letter, starting tomorrow, you'll be joining the Thirteenth Division." The old man chuckled, before saying that last remark.

Shugo only nodded. There wasn't much to say, since he already had discussed with Unohana almost a moon ago.

.....

(Flashback)

After coming to the Fourth Division to meet with Unohana and informing her of his impending early graduation…

"…So, what will be your decision, Shugo?" Unohana chuckled and asked.

"I…" Shugo paused for a nonce, before completing his answer to her question: "…will enlist in the Thirteenth Division."

Isane looked a bit sad for a moment. She had hoped he would join their division, and maybe, she would be able to move on from her body's height anxiety. This did not escape Shugo's notice though.

"Isane-san… I shall visit the Fourth when there is free time. Fret not. 'tis not as if I'm leaving the Gotei." He smiled, trying to reassure her.

Unohana could not help but smile, seeing the young man trying to console her Lieutenant. It was not out of mere pity, but it was a genuine concern from him. At the very least, he was not worsening her complex as it is. This was perhaps one of the precious things that she would treasure, especially now.

"I understand. I will notify Captain Ukitake of your impending enlistment into his Division after you graduate next month." Unohana nodded.

"My thanks… Mother." He turned towards her and thanked her; his last remark elicited a smirk from her.

"My, my… Perhaps I should really call you my son and give Isane as your partner as well…" She chuckled.

That made his face turned a darker shade of red, out of pure embarrassment. Isane giggled at the sight as well, before she too blushed heavily when she heard her captain's last remark. He then bid his farewell and left for his temporary room in the Temporary Residence inside the Division's Barracks.

The air for the rest of the night was certainly… hot for some people there.

(Flashback End)

.....

He mentally sighed at that last part. Unohana was really pinning him there, and Isane was equally helpless as well at the time. He did not know whether he should be amused or embarrassed at that point. Regardless, it is what it is.

He then went to the side as he joined the line-up of the best students of the entire graduation batch that were present, while the Head Captain and his Lieutenant called the few remaining students up to the stage. The drivel went on for a few more minutes, until the last of the accolade students were standing in the same line as he was. All of them, including him, had a haori that was given to them as a sign of their status as honor graduates.

"With this, the graduation ceremony has come to an end. Congratulations on your graduation, to all you students. May you fulfil your duty to Soul Society and the Balance!" Yamamoto ended the ceremony.

Soon after, Chojiro helped to coordinate the closing of the ceremony. The academy staff then directed the students below to the outside of the hall, where they had prepared to give the graduates their proper Shinigami Shihakusho. After that, they would normally disperse and began to pack their things before leaving their dorms (if they live in one) within seven days.

After an appropriate number of students below stage left, it was finally time for the honor graduates to be able to leave the hall. Before Shugo could, however, he was stopped by Chojiro.

"Remain here for a bit. The Head Captain wishes for you to meet your future Captain in a moment." The man said.

Shugo simply nodded and watched the other honor graduates leave the hall.

.....

Ukitake came to the Shin'o Academy's Assembly Hall, at the request of Old Man Yama. Accompanied by his two co-3rd Seats, Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentaro, alongside an unseated female officer of his division, Kuchiki Rukia.

Whenever he looked at her nowadays, she kept a rather stern, somewhat professional face. He sighed in sadness for her. Ever since the death of Shiba Kaien a decade ago, she kept her face looking like that, despite still being sociable with the others in the division, to a degree.

'Kuchiki…' He lamented the tragedy that happened.

Perhaps it was still thanks to Kaien's influence that she wasn't as stiff as she was initially since her assignment to his division was thanks to her adoptive family, the Kuchiki clan of the Four Great Noble Houses, shortly after her graduation as an unseated officer.

To this day, he never appointed anyone else to be his Lieutenant. Since his body was rather sickly, much of the administrative duties were done by his co-3rd Seats that would otherwise be done by a Lieutenant of a division. Regardless, he was here today at the behest of his old teacher.

As he and his entourage came into the hall, he saw the few people remaining within the hall. His old teacher and his Lieutenant were there, alongside Captain Shiba of the Tenth and his two entourage: Lieutenant Matsumoto and Third Seat Hitsugaya. However, when he looked at the last remaining person, he immediately noticed. The young man was still wearing his student uniform, albeit overlayed with an honor graduate haori. If that was all, it would've been fine. However, when he felt the reiatsu exerted by the young man…

'Impossible… He's… Already on a Lieutenant, no, nearing Captain-class?!' he was inwardly shocked.

As if the young man noticed, he turned around to see him. The others surrounding him also looked at him coming towards them. His old teacher greeted him.

"Ah, you've finally arrived, Ukitake." Yamamoto greeted.

"Sensei, I've come as you requested." Ukitake bowed in respect.

"Hohoho… There's no need for formalities for now. I assume you know why I asked you to come here?" The old man chuckled, before waving his hand and asked.

Ukitake pondered for a moment before answering, "Is this about that new recruit that will be joining my division, Sensei?"

"Indeed, it is. In fact, he's in front of you right now." Yamamoto gestured.

Ukitake raised his brow for a moment, before looking towards where his old teacher's gesture was pointing at. It was the young man. When he got a closer look at the young man, he finally made the connection: it was the former ryoka! Of course, he had seen him when he was first discovered, though he was the last to arrive at the site of his crash. However, he never interacted with the young man, hence his apprehension. Even after hearing what his old teacher, Captains Unohana and Sui-Feng, had to say on the young man, he still reserved his judgement.

"Sensei?" He turned towards Yamamoto and asked in shock.

"No need to worry. He has his own reasons, and I'm willing to vouch for him." Yamamoto shook his head.

Ukitake then looked back at the young man, who was now also looking at him. His gaze did not contain any malice, though it did hide something. He could ask about it later though. It was high time he meets with his soon-to-be recruit for his division.

.....

Shugo looked at the captain who entered the hall just now. It was clear that this man will be his superior from tomorrow onwards. His body posture was showing him a lot, enough for him to see that this captain was sick. Not a simple sickness, but something that seemed to be a life-long one. He was certainly a bit taller than him, but not by much.

He then looked at the captain's entourage behind the man. Something immediately jutted out to him.

'No Lieutenant?' He pondered.

He had heard of an incident that claimed the previous Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, but to think that nobody was appointed to the position since then… That certainly baffled him. It was not normal, based on what he had learned in the academy. Generally speaking, even if the division had lacked seated officers, there would still be at least a Lieutenant. This certainly defied that convention.

The captain this time stood only at a short distance from him, perhaps several steps away. He was looking at him. Seemingly after conversing with the Head Captain, the captain in question is about to greet him for the first time.

"Greetings, Captain Ukitake." He bowed lightly, in a traditional Hingan fashion.

That stunned the poor captain for a moment before he too greeted back in kind.

"Nice to meet you. I've heard of you, Kurenai-san. And from what I've been told, you're certainly something else." Ukitake greeted back with a smile.

"Likewise, Captain. I shall be under your care from the morrow onwards. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Shugo nodded with a slight smile.

After the initial exchange, the atmosphere between the two certainly mellowed out. Two of the captain's entourage came to the front to look at him, before one of them, a female with a short cut hair, exclaimed in surprise, "Wait… Isn't he that guy?!"

The other one that reminded him of a shop owner of a fish shop in Kogane-Dori, also looked closer at him, staring for a few moments before exclaiming what's essentially the same thing, though he blurted out his former status this time around: "Yeah, he's that guy who was operated by Captain Unohana! It's that Ryoka!"

The captain was sighing in distress, while the last one of his entourage, a girl with a black hair, purple eyes and a somewhat-stylized haircut, came close towards him and her hands was on her Zanpakuto, seemingly ready to strike him down. It seems like this girl didn't know of him, while the two were only surprised to see him here.

"Kuchiki, stand down! He's not an enemy!" The poor captain ordered in distress.

It took that one order to calm her down, as she lifted her hand away from her Zanpakuto, and she loosened up. That certainly allowed the captain to breath in relief.

'So, her name is Kuchiki… Or it may just be her family's name…' Shugo noted mentally.

"I'm sorry for that, Kurenai-san. She didn't know." Ukitake bowed in apology.

"No, please raise your head, Captain. 'Tis not your fault, for 'tis only a simple matter of her yet to be informed." Shugo shook his head, waving his hands.

"That could've ended worse, you know?" Gurenbana, who had kept her silence for quite a while, spoke.

This raised his brow as he looked down at his Zanpakuto to his waist at his left side. 'But it did not, no?'

"Considering other things, it might have. It's only less likely." She shrugged.

'I will keep that in mind, I suppose.' He mentally sighed as he looked away from his Zanpakuto.

"Speaking with your Zanpakuto already?" Captain Shiba asked, intrigued.

"Yes, Captain Shiba. Though she ever-so-often conversed with me." Shugo shook his head.

"Hoh, so it's a 'she'…" Isshin had this glint in his eyes.

Shugo shrugged, while Yamamoto looked at him with his lips were imperceptibly curling upwards. Hitsugaya, in the meantime, was visibly not pleased with his captain's possibly questionable future action, with a red angry tick appearing on the side of his forehead (akin to that of his veins popping rather comically).

"Is this a… Common occurrence?" Shugo asked, pointing at the raging Third Seat who was being held back by the well-endowed Lieutenant, while the captain was running away with a grin.

"Yes. It happens more than you'd think." Ukitake chuckled.

.....

Rukia didn't know what to make of the man in front of him. It was not about the man's appearance, no. Rather, it was the fact that this man was the ryoka that had appeared two years prior.

His bearings, if nothing else, resembles that of nobility. Yet there was this modicum of restraint that he seems to possess, whether be it on his own noble-like behavior, or his own humbleness in fact. Which one of it, she did not know.

'Regardless, from the words of the Head Captain, this man will be joining us, huh…' She sighed mentally and pondered.

She had yet to have much interaction with the man, but if the Head Captain was willing to vouch for him, then he should be no pushover. Meanwhile, in the background, Captain Shiba was still being chased by Third Seat Hitsugaya who managed to escape the holdings of Lieutenant Matsumoto.

'Shiba…' Her mind almost froze at the thought of that name.

While frozen in her own thoughts, she was suddenly snapped back to reality as the man suddenly dropped onto one knee as he held his head in what seems to be a searing pain in his head.

"GRAGHHH…" He almost screamed before clenching his teeth and withstanding the pain.

She looked at the Head Captain, who seemed to be unperturbed. Did he know of this? Meanwhile, his Lieutenant looked concerned to a degree, but was held back by the Head Captain, who shook his head and the Lieutenant stood back once more. Lieutenant Matsumoto and Third Seat Hitsugaya rushed towards the man, alongside Kiyone who had begun to cast some basic healing Kaido.

It took several moments before the man stood back up on his two feet, shaking his head a few times to seemingly clear his mind or some sort. Captain Ukitake was visibly concerned over this, while Kiyone had sighed out of relief that the man had recovered.

"What was that…?" Captain Shiba asked in confusion, his initial grin earlier had vanished.

"It's related to his…innate ability." The Head Captain gave a vague answer.

Innate ability? She never heard of anything that could cause something resembling that. She looked at her captain, only to find him also somewhat unperturbed, though he had this look of surprise.

Meanwhile, Captain Shiba decided to accept the vague answer. Third Seat Hitsugaya, in the meantime, seemed to have some suspicions on the man called Kurenai though he relented rather reluctantly to the Head Captain's answer. Lieutenant Matsumoto simply shrugged since she doesn't know that much.

However, Kiyone and Sentaro seemed rather… Contemplative. They were present with the captain when the ryoka intruded, no, blasted into the Seireitei two years ago, so they may not be so surprised with the man or his "innate ability".

'Perhaps I should keep an eye on him…' Rukia mused.

.....

Of all the times his Echo activated, this was perhaps a bit unexpected. Shugo was expecting something to trigger it from the people around him, but he was least expecting it when he was simply glancing at the unseated officer who was seemingly musing to herself. The flashback that he had seen from her memories…

'I see… That's why the division didn't have a Lieutenant…' He sighed.

It was nothing short of tragic. It's one thing to die in the line of duty, but for THAT to happen instead… It was truly cruel beyond reprehension. It reminded him far too much of what he had to do to Yotsuyu. He looked at the unseated officer with pity, but only for a moment before he glanced away.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Lieutenant-san, Third Seats-san." He bowed in gratitude.

Matsumoto for one looked very pleased, in fact, she was grinning quite a bit. Kiyone simply blushed, while Hitsugaya only nodded in acceptance of his gratitude.

"Ahem." Yamamoto cleared his throat a bit, audibly enough to catch the attention of the rest of the people in the hall.

"Putting aside what had transpired earlier, I asked Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth to come and visit the academy in order to meet this young man." Yamamoto said.

"While I'm sure some of you have questions about this man, however, it will be at the discretions of either me, Captain Ukitake or the man himself, if you seek answers." The old man then continued.

"Sensei?" Ukitake raised his brow.

"Kurenai here will explain his story to you in a more…private setting." Chojiro stepped up and spoke.

"No need for that, Lieutenant Sasakibe. I simply need to do this, in the interest of time." Shugo shook his head as he held his palm open.

Before long, a swirl of reishi began to gather on the open palm of his hand. This alarmed Kuchiki and Hitsugaya, as both were having their hands on their Zanpakuto, ready to strike the man down on notice. Isshin looked intrigued, and the same could be said for pretty much everyone else, aside from the Head Captain.

The reishi began to condense into a crystal of sorts. It was made in the image of the crystal he first obtained after slaying Ifrit, though only in shape for this case. A few minutes later, the crystal was shining, but not too bright after it was formed into a proper, complete crystal. It was hovering on his palm.

"What…is that?" Ukitake asked warily.

Shugo looked at the captain, who was very cautious.

"This, captain, is what can be called as a memory crystal. I condensed the surrounding reishi to create this crystal, and I've infused it with my memories prior to my…arrival here." He explained succinctly.

"However, mind you that this crystal will disintegrate after you absorb it. Of course, this can be done simply by infusing a small amount of reishi into the crystal. It'll then form a connection with you, and to say it in layman's terms, it will transmit its contents into you, before disintegrating itself as a security measure after it has completed its transmission." He elaborated.

"Is that method safe?" Hitsugaya asked.

"But of course! No one else than the creator of the crystal and the one who absorbs the contents of the crystal would be privy to its contents." Shugo nodded and answered.

"I'm not asking about that. I'm asking about whether it will mess with the captain's head or not." Hitsugaya pressed.

"Ah, so it's that concern. Worry not, the memory stored within it is considered something like a…playing record of sorts. It would be like seeing a…video, but only in the perspective of the giver. It will not cause any negative issues with the receiver's memories." Shugo shook his head.

This was something that he made based on the vessel crystals used to transport the Scions back to the Source from the First. However, instead of it being a permanent vessel that houses the information, this one is made from reishi, and will self-disintegrate after absorption, preventing it from falling into possible enemy hands, like it did with G'raha's into Elidibus' hands.

With such experience in mind, that kind of feature would be a given if anyone from the Scions decides to make such a vessel once more.

He handed the crystal to Ukitake, who was rather reprehensive at first, before reluctantly accepting it after seeing his teacher nodding. He then held it in his hand and infused a small amount of reishi into the crystal. It shone for a moment before the memories came into his head. He initially thought it would be an extremely painful experience, except it was a steady flow at a pace that was still within his body's tolerance, which meant that it would take several minutes with his rather weak body.

In the meantime, Yamamoto had them take a seat on the floor. Sasakibe had prepared a Zabuton each for the captains. Kuchiki, Kiyone and Sentaro were at Ukitake's side, all three were watching over him with worry in their eyes. Isshin sat down almost immediately after getting his Zabuton, rubbing his feet that felt sore after standing for a while during the ceremony. Yamamoto simply sat without much of a word, simply observing his student absorbing the crystal. Shugo sat simply on the floor. Even without a Zabuton, he was more than used to sitting on the hard surface of the wooden floor during his meditation sessions.

.....

Ukitake viewed the memory that had fully transmitted into his mind, not noticing the crystal in his hand disintegrating into nothingness. He viewed the memories as if he was seeing a movie. The many expressions he had, even with his eyes closed, were there for everyone else to see.

The peak of Amaurotine civilization, with the wonders of their creation magic.

The first apocalypse, before its reversal with the summoning of Zodiark and the subsequent sundering of the world and its inhabitants, save for three, after Hydaelyn emerged victorious against Zodiark.

Shugo's childhood in Hingashi before moving to Doma for some time before they fell to the Garleans.

Meeting his first love, Yotsuyu, just several years before they had to leave under the threat of the Garleans, forcing him to abandon her with only leaving her his promise.

His teenage years in Eorzea, meeting his would-be retainers and possible second love, and the subsequent Seventh Umbral Calamity during the battle of Cartenau.

The start of his journey as he began his career as an adventurer in Ul'dah at the age of 27, with the first few signs of his Echo ability surfacing before being recruited into the Scions and thrown into the whole Primal summoning and Garlean mess.

His triumph against the Black Wolf of Garlemald, Gaius van Baelsar and his many subordinates, earning him the title of the Warrior of Light.

The formation of the Crystal Braves, their subsequent betrayal, and forced to flee to Ishgard due to being charged with the supposed murder of the Sultana.

The uncovering of the conspiracy behind the Sultana's supposed assassination attempt, and the encroaching conflict against the dragons towards Ishgard that has been ongoing with said city-state for a thousand years, the Dragonsong War.

The reveal of the true cause of the whole Dragonsong War, the schism that followed, which was also marked with the death of Haurchefant at the hands of a Knight under the Archbishop, the subsequent quest to end the bloody war and vengeance against the former leadership of Ishgard, Archbishop Thordan VII and his Knights of Heaven's Ward, and the final battle against Nidhogg-possessed Estinien.

Then the view shifts to where he and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, alongside the Eorzean Alliance, went on the campaign to liberate the lands of Ala Mhigo and Doma from the rule of Zenos yae Galvus, the son of the emperor of the Garlean Empire, and the eventual aftermath of said conflict.

The subsequent rebuilding, the complications along the way which included one of the most painful points in his life (in which he had to kill his first love with his own hands due to complicated reasons), the ignition of another war between the Alliance and the Empire, and the Scions collapsing one after another, with him being the last (but also the only one to wake up from it).

From there on, he left for the First, where the man responsible for the collapsing Scions resided. And the events that followed would show just how important the shard was. The reversal of the never-ending light that has been ongoing for a century, the reveal of the events that led to the apocalyptic events in the shard known as the Flood of Light, and the true nature of the world and its true history.

The first important part was with the revelation of the true history of the original world. And with it, came the inheritance of the stewardship of the star, which was marked by Shugo's battle against Emet-Selch, whose true name was Hades, and with it, the restoration of a part of his soul since Ardbert rejoined with him to help repair the damage to his soul from the corrupt Light within him. The second part being the reveal of the history of the shard that led up to the Flood of Light, and subsequently cleansing the names of the supposed perpetrators. It was marked with his battle against Elidibus, who possessed the body of Ardbert, Shugo's shard in the First.

And from there, everything was unraveling. The return of the Scions to the Source marked the second coming of the End, with the Empire working actively to build towers across the entire world, under the helms of Fandaniel, a sundered ascian who possessed the body of the deceased Asahi. The final marking point of this was with the battle against Lunar Bahamut, who was summoned by Fandaniel beforehand. With the aid of Tiamat, the partner of the late primal wyrm, Lunar Bahamut was vanquished, and eventually, the true nature of the tower was discovered: to host captured beast tribe members and use them for summoning Lunar versions of their primals.

The view then shifted as the world soon burned. All hell broke loose, with events echoing that of what the Ancients faced during the End Days occurring once more, this time by the behest of the Telophoroi. His journey would see him travel to the island of Thavnair and the city in it, Radz-at-Han.

Subsequent events followed involving him having to search for clues regarding to where the signal was being broadcasted towards, and why it was growing stronger. After confronting Fandaniel, Shugo finally slew the bastard, and the new lead found him making his way to the moon, somehow. It was only thanks to the work of Rowena and the Garlond Ironworks that they finally had the means to travel towards the moon, in the form of a reverse-engineered small-scaled Void Ark, meant for space travel.

After arriving on the lunar surface, he was met with a rabbit-like beast tribe. And of another foe in the making, a nightmare known as Anima. After slaying the nightmare, he found another lead and eventually found the source of it. There was a massive obelisk on the moon, in which it served as a seal of sorts. And Zenos had already broken the obelisk.

After the massive surge of aether was absorbed by Zenos, it was then revealed that the aether was in fact, the host of Zodiark. However, compared to its prime, Zodiark himself had been weakened mentally, no thanks to Elidibus separating from him a long time ago. Zenos was able to overpower Zodiark, and eventually took the power for his own, gaining abilities that are equal to the most powerful of Ascians in their prime, or perhaps even surpassing them.

Hydaelyn then would reveal herself, and of her core, Venat. Shugo wasn't exactly pleased with how she caused everything in the first place, and of her rash action to cause the world into being like this, but he could not fault her in trying to stop the Convocation from sacrificing more of their already dwindling amount of people remaining, not to mention the new races that came after.

Accepting her powers, he would then become an equal in prowess to the current Zenos. The two would then have their final battle on the Lunar surface, overlooking the world that was burning, no doubt that the many people on it were desperately fighting against the nightmares coming to life once more after being stopped many millennia ago.

Their climactic battle was so massive that they would fight even in the middle of the void of space, with the impact of their weapons clashing against one another visible enough to be seen from the world's surface. As he delivered the final strike against Zenos, they were already back on the ground, with their final attack against each other forever scarring the planetoid.

And the view switched to his final encounter with his comrades, deceased lovers, Venat and Hades. Of his final parting words etc., before his inevitable departure after he agreed to leave.

Of course, the events that happened in between each point were also shown. The unearthing of the truth of how Bahamut was defeated during the Seventh Umbral Calamity (and defeating its subsequent attempt to resurrect itself, freeing a forcefully-bounded Louisoix in the process), the venture into the Crystal Tower and the sealing of the void rift atop the tower, the journey into the Void Ark and the subsequent battle against its inhabitants that culminated in the fight atop the hidden former refuge known as the Dun Scaith, along with the fight against the mechanical primal known as Alexander near the city of Idyllshire in the Dravanian Hinterlands, and the journey into a devastated Rabanastre in the occupied territory of Dalmasca that lead to the discovery of the ancient Ivalician capital of Lestallia and the discovery of the many legacies of Ivalice, including the Ridorana Lighthouse and the Orbonne Monastery, which led him to eventually fight against the High Seraph, Ultima.

Also was shown was his fight against Omega, a sentient superweapon from a distant star capable of simulating entities based on available historical data and known myths of said entities; The encounter with the machines known as Androids on the First near the dwarf town of Komra, the successful attempt to restore the lands and climate of the First with the artifact known as Eden, later revealed to be the first Sin Eater and formerly was the sundered ascian Mitron (including his battles against the recreated primals that were somewhat different than what he remembered, and the resurrected Mitron and later his ultimate form after merging with his lost partner, Loghrif), and his foray into the Bozjan independence war, pushing the 4th Imperial Legion out of a devastated Bozja.

And not to mention, the bizarre encounters such as meeting a supposed prince from another world and eventually getting the reverse-engineered vehicle of the prince that was made by Garlond Ironworks after helping the prince defeating the messenger known as Garuda, the many holiday events that was celebrated in Eorzea and the weird things that happened in it (which includes meeting this weird person known as Naoki Yoshida during the end of those holidays in a different plane), and the misadventures with the infamous Inspector Hildibrand across the world (and even into the First).

It was also shown how he obtained several mounts that were not normally available, such as the Fenrir bike that was originally from the defunct Strife Delivery Service, the Red Hare that was known as the steed of the first King of Doma, Ganen, the Grani known for only accepting those who pledges themselves to restore the night in the First, and even Ixion, the mighty steed of Rhalgr capable of shooting lightning from its eyes. That's to name but a few that he had.

However, the memories had shown what was available as the view turned black, and the memory ended there. Then, Ukitake slowly came back to reality.

.....

Ukitake slowly opened his eyes. He did not know what to feel after seeing that. It was extremely…incredulous, and he didn't have any other words to describe what he felt at that moment. His journeys were… Unbelievable, but it was simply impossible to fabricate. Even if it was, it had to come from some form of truth.

He was not even sure if any Shinigami would be able to do what Kurenai did in those journeys of his. But to fight literal deities, or people who were empowered by said deities? Perhaps only his old teacher could, but even then, he wasn't sure.

"It seems that Captain Ukitake has finished viewing the memory in the crystal." Shugo said.

Yamamoto then looked at Ukitake and gave a nod, with Ukitake also nodding. The two seemed to form an unspoken agreement that the information he had just witnessed from the memory crystal was not something that should be spread so lightly.

"C'mon, Ukitake-san, tell us what you saw!" Isshin nudged with a grin.

"You know that I can't do that, Shiba-san." Ukitake sighed and shook his head.

"Tch, stingy…" Isshin pouted.

Isshin then got smacked in the head by Hitsugaya.

"Hey, what was that for, Hitsugaya-kun?!" Isshin pouted again with a fake tear coming from his eyes.

"Captain, you know very well that Captain Ukitake can't do that. Even from just the method used to give him the information already shows how it's sensitive and can't be talked that lightly." Hitsugaya scolded Isshin who was put into seiza and was slowly shrinking, somehow, while continuously apologizing.

Yamamoto nodded at the sight, satisfied with Hitsugaya's deduction of the reasons from just observing.

'He'll certainly be a Captain in the future.' The old man noted mentally with satisfaction.

Rangiku only laughed at her captain getting lectured by a kid like Hitsugaya.

"Regardless, Ukitake has achieved the reason why I asked him to come. From tomorrow onwards, he'll be joining the Thirteenth Division. As to his position, I'll leave it to Ukitake's judgement." Yamamoto declared, before he dismissed everyone.

With that, everyone started going back. Ukitake and his entourage went back to the Thirteenth's barracks, but not before giving Shugo the directions to the Thirteenth Division's Barracks. Ukitake's group then went to the Fourth's for checking up his current condition. Yamamoto and Sasakibe just left without saying another word towards the First's HQ. Isshin and his entourage reluctantly left for their HQ, but not before congratulating Shugo for his graduation.

Shugo, in the meantime, went to the desks near the entrance to the hall. The lines were already sparse, and he picked up his full Shinigami uniform, which is called Shihakusho. It consists of a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, a pair of white tabi (socks), and a pair of waraji (straw sandals). Then, he went back to his dorm room to prepare to move out from there tomorrow. He didn't have much to begin with, so it was relatively easy when he finally arrived at his dorm room. After putting the things into his inventory (which he discovered during the month between his finals and the graduation ceremony), he went to the bathroom for a bath.

He sat down in the bath, as he took out the Tomestone once more. This time, he called it as a phone, since it's rather a mouthful to call it a Tomestone every time. He looked at the "signal" on the top right of the "screen".

He's been using terminologies from the Human World to name the various things that he had, based on what he had learned outside of the general education classes, since they were rather lacking in detailing the progress of technology used in the Human World, and from some of the memories of his other "self" that supposedly came from Earth as well, albeit a different one compared to the one in this reality.

Back to the "phone's screen", it was still showing basically "No signal", while there were "No messages" or "calls" for him on display. He then opened the "music application" and played the song that was often played in Amaurot, titled "Near Dark Waters". He didn't know the reason why its title was like such, but the music was certainly…soothing.

After half an hour of bath, with listening to that song on "loudspeaker" in repeat, he stood up and dried himself. This new habit was certainly something he could get used to. However, instead of wearing his student uniform, he wore his new Shihakusho, albeit only the shitagi and the kosode. He then turned off the "music" and then stored it back into his inventory.

It certainly reminded him of when he was still wearing his first armor as a Samurai that he received from Master Musosai, before he eventually switched to better ones sold by Rowena in exchange for some Poetic Tomestones. Though the comfortability still matched that of his old Myochin armor set.

He went onto his Futon after removing and putting aside the socks and the geta. His eyes closed after several minutes of laying down and just enjoying the softness of the Futon. Darkness soon claimed him, even though he swore he could hear Gurenbana giggling on top of him just moments before he was fast asleep.

He could only pray that she won't do anything to him while he was asleep.

.....

Ardbert sighed. He was used to the quietness within the inner mind of Shugo. Even with the addition, or rather, discovery of Fray within the place, it wasn't as disturbing, since Fray was basically the reverse side of Shugo, and he rarely, if ever, spoke. The problem however, stems after this one new being was born and resided in the inner mind as well.

Gurenbana, Shugo's Zanpakuto.

Born on an accelerated note compared to others, she was certainly eccentric enough, to say the least. She would flirt with Shugo every once in a while, when he was awake, but when he's asleep… That's when it gets worse. She would, more often than not, do risqué things to him while he was fast asleep. He had to witness it more than he'd admit.

Perhaps it was owed to the fact that her origins were mixed between aether and reishi, with some of the aether originating from the primals he defeated. Perhaps her rather bizarreness was due to the influence of certain primals' aether within her core.

'But then again, it might just be because of his lasting impressions of certain people…' Ardbert sighed at the thought of it.

All of this was based on what knowledge Shugo possessed. Since he's now a part of Shugo's soul, his knowledge on the matter was based on what he himself knew and what Shugo knew, and when compared, Shugo knew more than him, so there's that.

He then manifested into the real world, since Gurenbana had done so earlier, with her placing herself beside the sleeping Shugo.

"Hey, Guren." Ardbert called her.

"What is it, Ardie?" She turned and asked.

"Try not to make things weird for him, 'kay?" He deadpan told her.

"Sigh… It's not like I'm doing this just because, okay?" She shook her head.

That raised his brow. "Oh?"

"Well… Partly because for the fun of it. I won't lie on that one. The other one…" She looked down and was fiddling with her finger, before drifting off at the last part.

"The other one being…?" He pressed on.

"He just doesn't chill!" She puts on a pouted face. "Yeesh, you'd think by getting to this world, he'd just slow down and not being so… Motivated, you know? I mean, compared to what I saw in his memories, he's relatively slower now, but still… Aside from the shenanigans with Hildy and his banters with Y'shtola? I don't think I ever saw him being as chill since then! And that's if you don't count that Unohana Lady and Isane chick!"

He was certainly taken aback by her reason, and the way she spoke. It was certainly colorful, to say the least. Though, after pondering for some time, she wasn't exactly wrong.

"You ARE a part of him, so you at least know why, don't you?" Ardbert pointed that out.

She sighed. "True, but still, it never ceases to bug me. Especially with the powers he got now, it'd take a literal miracle to make him stop and chill for once. Haisshh…" She pinched her brow between her nose and shook her head.

"Eh, you know how he is. He won't change just because of that." He shrugged, knowing how Shugo is.

"Fine… You made your point. I suppose that's why he's my partner~" She shook her head, before smirking while saying the last remark.

Ardbert went back into the inner mind of Shugo, not bothering to argue for the time being, while Gurenbana stayed for a bit longer. She went back in just before Shugo woke up. And perhaps owing to his nature, Shugo knew that she came out, but as to what she did, he's completely oblivious since there wasn't any visible sign of it.