~Training The Empty Soul - Zalian vs Maika~

[Zalian]

~Long afar, on the outskirts of the Rukongai district, stood a tall figure in a field of the grassy plains. Not far behind this figure was the forest that led back to the Rukongai District while in front was the view of a large landscape of maintains as far as the eye can see. This scenery welcomed a cool and soft breeze in the air, emitting an echo of whistling sounds in the atmosphere. The sun was near setting and falling behind the mountain's peek. Before the sun could completely set, it gave it's last shine of light upon this mysterious figure.~

~From the lower bottom up to the hip, the figure wore an average Hakama like any other Soul Reaper. His footwear, however, was not worn with Tobi socks or straw sandals but rather a pair of metal shoes. His upper torso was not worn with a kimono but a dark metal armor. His arms were sleeveless, yet wrapped in black bandages to hide his skin appearance. As the view had risen up to show this anonymous' face, it was covered by a strange mask. One that hid everything but one single eye to his left face. This eye held absolutely no emotion, no expression...and no life in it.~

~It was the kind of look that contained emptiness inside him, yet somehow gave out a dark consuming vibe around him. It was as if all attempts to ever try and read this man was virtually impossible due to how lifeless and empty his eye appeared to be. This man was none other than Zalian himself, soldier of squad 6. His serene eye looked down to the ground at first but then raised it to look at the sun setting. Not a single thought passed through his mind. Just an empty gaze into the distant field. But as the wind blew roughly against him, the forest of trees behind him swayed at first but then suddenly fell as if they were cut in half. They indeed were cut in half as it obviously had shown that Zalian must have been training on them.~

Regardless, all his solo training was not enough to satisfy his need to progress and become strong enough to serve the 13 Court Guard Squads more efficiently. The grip on his sheath tightened, showing a sign of yearning for someone strong enough to bring him to his limit or perhaps even break beyond it. He stood there quietly, not uttering a single word, nor thinking of anything else but his desire to improve himself. He cared not who his opponent would be, nor how strong. The only question remained...who would be brave enough to stand up to the challenge? Only time would tell...~

 

[Zalian]

~Zalian continue to stand there quietly, watching the sunset over the horizon. The wind still blew a soft breeze against him as the bottom of his Hakama slightly swayed back, dancing with the wind. His eye, however, was unchanged as he stared blankly in front of him. The lifelessness that his eye held truly looked endless, yet full of mystery. Regardless of his gaze fixated on the scenery and the loud wind blowing against him, his acute senses did not ignore the approaching individual that was hiding within the forest. Zalian became more and more aware of this man's presence as he drew closer.~

~Eventually, the anonymous man stopped in his tracks but was close enough for Zalian to hear. The moment he greeted him, Zalian gave no response. Just an eerie silence as he stood there, continuing to gaze upon the scenery in front of him with his serene eye. It was only for a moment but he finally shifted his head slightly to the left of him as he peered his empty eye over his shoulder to find that the anonymous individual was undoubtedly a Shinigami. A strangely cheery one at that as he could easily tell. "And you are?" Zalian asked in a soft but sternly unenthusiastic tone.~

Character Profile

]http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=21637385  

[Zalian]

~Listening to this strange giggling man, who claimed to be an exile of some sort, Zalian found his short story all so very irrelevant. Regardless, he simply continued to listen as he stared at Maika with his serene empty eye, yet gave a small hint of disinterest as his eyelids slightly lowered and formed a boredom glare. He cared not of this man's story, nor his former rank status that he seemed to have subliminally boasted. Only the reason as to why he was here. Though the fact that this strange man claimed to have despised all of Soul Society and plots for it's demise slightly bothered Zalian. Nevertheless, he did well to keep that provoked feeling to himself.~

~Deep inside his thoughts, however, Zalian wondered if this strange man, known as Maika, may have deliberately stated about his plot just because he might have known about the rumors of him and his strong devotion to the law of the Seireitei. He wondered if Maika simply said it to provoke him into a fight. Whether his story was genuine or not, however, Zalian was not the type to easily assume or jump into conclusions, let alone lash out like most irrational people. With no reply at first, he simply turned his attention away from Maika and went back to staring at the scenery until... "So what is it that you want...Mr. Tsunimori?" he asked in a calm, yet sternly cold tone. "Have you simply stumbled here to introduce yourself to a stranger like myself or are you looking to recruit me to your trivial scheme of an establishment? If you are, I'm not interested."~

 

[Zalian]

~Slightly twitching his eye a bit, yet discretely with his back still facing Maika, Zalian shifted his gaze to the side, giving a now small glare of suspicion. This was due to the fact that Maika somehow knew of his former self that he once held and devoted his life to. Though at the same time, it came to no surprise. Rumors were likely presumed spreading throughout Seireitei. Either that or he must have kept files of him in Squad 12. Whichever the case was, Zalian was now reminded and aware of who this man really is. A former captain of Squad 12. There were no other explanations that could deduce such a conclusion. Regardless, this was all just a brief thought in the wind and with little concern as Zalian continued to stay silent, yet still discretely looking to the side.~

~Despite being reduced and cast a spell on him to revert back to a mere soldier, Zalian's devotion to the law of the Seireitei and his everlasting goal to serve the law was still just as unwavering as he once possessed back then. No matter how limited he may be, Zalian found his new limitations to be little to no issue at all. To him it was just another opportunity to improve himself in more ways than possible and to gain more experience through his newly reborn endeavors. The moment Maika had mentioned that he wanted to fight, it caught Zalian's attention. Turning around completely, Zalian finally stood facing Maika, staring at him with his cold and serenely unchanged eye. A look of emptiness and lifelessness, yet one that held much mystery and endless fright to many who are trapped and pierced by it.~

~Resting his left hand on his sheath, tied to his left side of his hip, Zalian slightly used his thumb to push and click the guard of his Zanpakutou out of his sheath by a small bit. This, in turn, showed Maika that Zalian had accepted his challenge. But from here on, he found no reason to exchange anymore words with Maika. To Zalian, he found using words, during the heat of battle, a useless tool and one that only serves as a trivial distraction that wastes valuable time. Once again, his serene and empty stare remained unflinching, despite hearing Maika boast once more, claiming to have killed the Squad 12 captain. No matter what came out of Maika's mouth, Zalian found his words to be of no relevance, but more so a futile attempt in trying to intimidate him. His stern and readied posture did not waver, nor did his cold and serene glare. The only thing that passed through Zalian's mind was a desire of hoping that this strange giggling man will have what it takes to push him beyond his limited boundaries and help him improve his powers to awaken once again.~