DEI O DEMONI [i]

The glimmering moonlight shone off the silver skin of the returned Queen’s cheek as she stepped out over the frozen drawbridge leading out of the castle. She’d left her attendants inside to go about her business on her behalf; it had been a long day and she needed to take a break from it all. The entourage that had left Las Noches with her, as well as all those they’d picked up during the journey from there to the castle, had arrived hours earlier, and dealing with them had been utter chaos. On top of that, the Shinigami… or rather, ‘Visored’, as he’d called himself… in the dungeon was no less a mystery to her than he had been when he’d arrived here… or rather, when she’d arrived to find him already here under equally mysterious circumstances.

She leaped over the side of the drawbridge, to the short drop to the crystalline moat surrounding the castle. The moonlight sheared through the crystal and reflected back up at a million million points, a kaleidoscope of colors shimmering up and consuming her, reminding her of the past and her convictions. She had failed to make this world anew once before, by listening to silvered words of a seemingly sympathetic Shinigami before. She would not make that mistake again. She knelt down, her knees resting on the cold glass-like surface, as she peered deep into it, past the glimmering colors and light, to a Hollow several feet below the surface; a Menos, by the looks of it, frozen forever in time and space from when Yajuu had been borne into this world, to and a war, at a grave cost. She held her hand out, nearly able to touch the tips of its outstretched claws, but it would be forever out of reach.

She wondered if it was still alive down there, perpetually conscious and aware of its existence, but unable to communicate or do anything about it. What torture that must be. She could only ever understand a fraction of what it was like.

She stood again, walking out past the crystalline moat, past the drawbridge, into the crumbling city beyond. Signs of life swept along here and there; a majority of the company that she had brought had settled up in the castle, but there was also a decent population set about occupying the city and beginning to rebuild. It was nothing like what this place had been in its full glory some decades or centuries past, but it would return to its former state soon enough. She would not fail this world a second time. Soon enough she found herself out at the edge of the city as well, peering out over the endless sands of the deserts of Hueco Mundo, of her home, her territory to be reclaimed. A grim smile crossed her face as she began to wonder what kinds of new beings had come to this world in her absence, what kind of opposition she might have for rule of this world.

It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she regain her strength quickly, and bring allies to her side. Then, any whom opposed her enlightenment and renewal of this world could be justly eliminated. She wondered, however, if there were any strong enough to do her will in this world that were not already too far gone to aid her. Only time would tell, of course.

And, as if on cue, she sensed a Reiatsu source approaching slowly from the horizon; quite a large one, at that, certainly larger than any currently in the city or castle other than her own and her prisoner’s. She wondered what would come of this, her silver hair flowing back with a gentle breeze as she began walking out to meet whatever it was that it was approaching.