The world reassembled around Ethan in fragments — wooden floor, the faint smell of disinfectant, and Unohana's calm presence dripping like warm honey over cold steel.
He woke coughing.
Unohana's shadow loomed above him.
"You lost consciousness," she said simply, as if stating the weather.
Ethan groaned. "How… how long was I out?"
"Three minutes and nineteen seconds," she replied. "Barely an inconvenience."
To her, yes.
To him, he felt like his soul had been wrung out and dipped in acid.
His body trembled uncontrollably — not from fatigue, but from the sudden aftershock that came when Akahana withdrew her power.
It wasn't physical exhaustion.
It was loss.
Like oxygen being stolen from the inside.
Then—
> [WARNING: SOUL DRAIN DETECTED]
[User's Reiryoku Flow: Severely Destabilized]
[Source: Spirit Akahana — "Recoil Phase"]
Ethan's breath stuttered.
Unohana's eyes sharpened immediately.
"Describe it."
"I—I can't breathe. It feels like my soul is leaking out of me."
Her lips curved. "Good. That means your Shikai manifested properly."
Good?
This woman needed a dictionary.
Ethan tried to sit up, but his spine spasmed violently. His vision blurred, and static filled his hearing.
The panel kept firing warnings:
> [User Is Experiencing Zanpakutō Drain: Stage I]
[Recommendation: Reinforce Core Attributes or Suffer Long-Term Damage]
[Note: This Is Normal. Mostly.]
Unohana's gaze drifted toward his trembling hands.
"Your spirit is greedy," she murmured.
The panel chimed again like an impatient teacher tapping the desk.
> [NEW PANEL OPTION UNLOCKED]
[ATTRIBUTE SHOP - ADVANCED]
Ethan froze.
That wasn't there before.
Unohana's eyebrow lifted — not because she sensed the panel, but because she sensed him suddenly tightening, sharpening, focusing.
"Something just changed," she observed.
He tried not to react.
Tried.
Failed.
> [ATTRIBUTE SHOP — AVAILABLE]
Strength
Agility
Endurance
Reiryoku Capacity
Soul Stability (NEW)
Recovery Rate (Upgradeable)
Nerve Adaptation (NEW)
Ethan's pulse jumped.
Soul Stability? Nerve Adaptation?
These were not normal game-like stats. These were things tailored to Soul Society's metaphysics.
His vision swam — Akahana's drain was getting worse.
Unohana crouched in front of him.
"If you cannot maintain control after invoking merely one of your spirits…"
Her smile was soft.
"…you will die when the others awaken."
He swallowed hard.
Ethan had known Akahana was volatile. Passionate. Explosive.
But he hadn't realized her power fed on him.
> [Akahana's Ability: Crimson Recoil]
Shikai Activation Cost: Moderate
Post-Activation Drain: Extreme
This Spirit Consumes Reiryoku Indiscriminately]
"That's… great," he muttered weakly. "Love that for me."
Unohana folded her arms. "You asked for power. She answered. Now the question is: will you match her, or be devoured by her?"
The panel pulsed urgently.
> [USER RECOMMENDATION]
Upgrade: Endurance, Soul Stability, Recovery Rate]
Warning: Without these, user may suffer permanent soul fraying]
Permanent.
He couldn't hide the panic creeping up his throat.
Unohana's eyes softened a fraction.
"Ethan," she said quietly, "your sword spirit chose to awaken now for a reason. Do not fear her. Rise to meet her."
He closed his eyes.
He reached into the panel.
And opened the shop fully.
The interface expanded in front of him like a holographic bloom only he could see.
> [POINTS AVAILABLE: 203,500]
Ethan blinked.
Unohana watched him carefully, sensing the shift in his spirit pressure as the panel's influence tightened around him — subtle, nearly invisible, but she was too perceptive not to feel the ripple.
"Your energy is… reorganizing," she murmured. "As if something is restructuring you."
Ethan froze.
Then fake-laughed. "Ahahaha totally normal internal… puberty?"
Unohana simply smiled like she was indulging a toddler.
He focused back on the panel:
Available Upgrades — Recommended (Ranked by Priority):
Endurance +50 → 2,000 points
Recovery Rate (Rank Up) → 4,500 points
Soul Stability +40 → 3,000 points
Nerve Adaptation +20 → 1,200 points
Reiryoku Capacity +30 → 2,000 points
Subtotal: 12,700 points
> [WARNING: Remaining PP after suggested purchases: 190,800]
Ethan's eyes widened.
That was more than enough. He could buy almost anything the Panel offered—and he didn't even know half of it yet.
> [RECOMMENDED OPTIONAL PURCHASES]
Shikai Affinity Boost +15 → 15,000 points
Zanpakutō Spirit Resonance +20 → 20,000 points
Spirit Communication Module (Beta) → 50,000 points
Combat Reflex Integration → 12,000 points
Temporal Reaction Enhancement → 35,000 points
Ethan hesitated, tasting the power spread out before him. He could rebuild himself. He could strengthen Akahana. He could prepare for things even Unohana hadn't imagined.
He gritted his teeth.
> [CONFIRM PURCHASE: Recovery & Core Stats Bundle?]
He slammed yes.
---
Ethan's body seized.
Not painfully. Not like Akahana's drain.
This felt like repair.
Like someone was stitching new strength into the seams of his soul.
Nerves realigned.
Reiryoku pathways widened.
A deep, stabilizing pulse spread through his core, anchoring him like a spiritual heartbeat.
Unohana's eyes widened — for the first time since he met her.
"…Your soul corrected itself," she whispered. "In an instant."
He coughed, body still shuddering.
"I… upgraded."
"Upgraded?" she repeated slowly, tasting the word like it was foreign.
He nodded weakly.
She leaned closer.
"Ethan," she said softly, "souls don't 'upgrade.' They evolve, train, fracture, or heal. But what you just did… bypassed all four."
He swallowed.
Unohana touched his wrist, feeling the change directly.
"…Remarkable," she murmured. "And reckless."
The Panel chimed again.
> [AKAHANA DRAIN: NEGATED]
[Recovery Skill: ADVANCED - ACTIVATED]
[Body Regenerating]
[Potential High-Signature Upgrades ]
A warmth spread through Ethan's chest.
He could breathe again.
He could think.
He could stand.
Slowly, he rose to his feet.
Unohana watched him with a small, intrigued smile — the kind she used when a puzzle became more interesting.
"Show me," she said quietly. "Show me what you can do now."
Ethan nodded, gripping his zanpakutō.
And in the depths of his soul, Akahana laughed.
---
The Panel pulsed again, smaller this time, like a heartbeat only he could feel:
> [AVAILABLE PP: 190,800]
[Suggested Focus: Zanpakutō Spirit Development / Shikai Affinity / Combat Reflex Enhancement]
[Note: Experimentation advised. Monitor Spirit Drain and Synchronization.]
Ethan's chest tightened slightly. The Panel wasn't just giving him power — it was guiding him. Suggesting. Testing. Watching.
> [NEW PANEL OBJECTIVE UNLOCKED]
[Forge Connection: Achieve 100% Resonance with Akahana]
[Optional Objective: Acquire Additional Spirits & Integrate Multi-Spirit System]
[Warning: Overextension may trigger Spirit Instability / High Detection Risk]
A shiver ran down his spine.
The path forward was clear: train, connect, evolve—and buy carefully.
Unohana's voice cut through the faint hum of the Panel:
"Your spirit is awake, Ethan. It will test you. But you… you have the capacity to control it. Do you understand?"
He swallowed hard.
"I… I think so," he whispered.
The Panel chimed softly, almost approvingly.
> [Observation: Mental & Physical Stabilization Confirmed]
[Potential Achievements: Multi-Spirit Control, Enhanced Shikai, Tactical Mastery]
He nodded.
This wasn't just recovery anymore. This was preparation for the impossible.
Ethan knew that. The Panel was already watching his next move.
And somewhere, in the hidden corners of his soul, Akahana waited—laughing, impatient, and ready.
Akahana Awakens Again
Her voice flared inside him like fire on dry oil.
"So you hardened yourself for me… good."
Her presence felt sharper, more defined — and less ravenous.
Ethan whispered:
"…Akahana."
His blade pulsed.
Not Shikai-level — just acknowledgment.
Unohana tracked every shift with frightening clarity.
"You are stable now," she said. "Good. Then we continue."
"Continue with what?"
She smiled.
"The lesson on surviving."
That did not reassure him.
But this time, when Akahana tugged at his reiryoku, he didn't collapse.
The drain was still there — but like a hand pressing lightly on his chest, not a vortex ripping him apart.
His upgraded Recovery skill kicked in immediately:
> [Recovery Rate: Advanced Tier — Regenerating Soul Fibers]
[Akahana Drain: Balanced]
[Status: Sustainable]
For the first time since awakening his Shikai…
Ethan could withstand her.
Unohana stepped forward, blade drawn.
"Then we resume where we left off."
Ethan exhaled once.
Akahana whispered:
"Let me burn."
The air sharpened.
Unohana stepped forward, blade already drawn — calm as a still pond, lethal as the depths beneath it.
Ethan tightened his grip on his zanpakutō.
His new strength pulsed through him — steady, warm, anchored.
Not overwhelming.
Not consuming.
Akahana whispered through his veins, her voice a slow-burning flame:
> "Let me show you what we can do now."
Ethan exhaled, centered himself, and moved.
---
A Step Too Fast
He didn't shunpo.
He simply stepped.
Yet the world blurred anyway.
Unohana's eyes flicked — the barest widening of interest.
"You accelerated," she said quietly.
That was an understatement.
The Panel chimed:
> [Speed Output Increased Due to Nerve Adaptation Upgrade]
[Warning: User Is Not Accustomed to New Motor Response Speeds]
[Recommendation: Calibrate]
Ethan's foot slipped half a centimeter.
Only someone like Unohana would notice.
She smiled.
"Adjust."
He swallowed.
Right.
Calibrate.
He steadied his breath… and Akahana steadied with him, no longer ripping at him for control.
A controlled burn.
For the first time, they were in sync.
---
Testing the Drain
Unohana's blade flicked toward him — silent, surgical, utterly impossible to evade.
Unless he cheated.
His upgraded Recovery and Soul Stability surged instinctively.
Akahana whispered:
> "Borrow me."
Her power washed over him — but not as a flood.
A measured pour.
A hand extended, not a grip around his throat.
He caught Unohana's strike on the flat of his blade.
The impact shuddered through him but did not break him.
He stood.
Ethan stared in disbelief.
Unohana's eyebrows rose a fraction.
"You withstood that," she murmured. "Even captains do not react cleanly to that angle."
The Panel chimed again:
> [Akahana Drain: Balanced]
[Spirit Output: Controlled]
[User Status: Stable]
Stable.
He hadn't seen that word in a while.
---
Unohana Pushes Back
She didn't give him time to savor it.
Her spiritual pressure expanded like a coiling serpent.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
Ethan staggered, his lungs seizing as the room compressed around him.
> [External Reiryoku Pressure Detected]
[User Endurance Mitigating 64% of Incoming Stress]
[Recommended Action: Reinforce or Retreat]
Ethan reinforced.
He pushed every ounce of reiryoku he had into bracing his soul — and Akahana poured her heat into the cracks, sealing them.
Unohana's smile grew.
"Good. You are learning to use her in defense, not simply destruction."
Akahana hissed, offended.
> "Destruction is still more fun."
Ethan muttered under his breath, "Not now."
Unohana's blade swung — faster than before.
This time Ethan reacted intentionally.
He wasn't faster than Unohana — no one in their right mind would make that claim —
but he moved correctly.
The Panel highlighted angles, micro-adjustments, predicted trajectories like a HUD only he could see.
> [Combat Reflex Integration: Passive Boost Active]
[Predictive Modeling: 27% Accuracy and Improving]
He deflected.
Barely.
But he did.
Unohana stepped back.
Her eyes gleamed like a predator finding a brighter prey.
"Ethan… you are evolving in front of me. Faster than you should be allowed to."
It wasn't criticism.
It wasn't praise.
It was fascination.
And that made his stomach twist.
---
Akahana's Second Surge
Heat flickered in his chest without warning.
Akahana's voice sharpened:
> "If she pushes you harder, I will answer."
"No," Ethan hissed inside. "Not another Shikai release—"
> "Not Shikai," she corrected. "Control."
Control.
The word felt foreign coming from her.
Unohana angled her blade downward slightly, reading the tension in him.
"She is rising again."
Not a question.
Ethan nodded.
"But you are not collapsing," she added thoughtfully. "Your upgrades… whatever they are… are stabilizing the recoil."
He didn't dare confirm or deny.
Akahana pressed harder, her power heating his limbs, warming his spine, tightening his grip.
But he stayed standing.
Not drowning.
Not fracturing.
Not dying.
Just… burning.
Controlled.
Unohana's voice softened.
"That is enough for now."
Ethan gasped, knees buckling as she sheathed her blade and let her reiatsu retract like a returning tide.
The pressure lifted.
His lungs expanded.
His vision cleared.
The Panel chimed:
> [Stress Load: Dropping]
[Soul Integrity: Stable]
[Akahana Output: Within Acceptable Range]
[Conclusion: User Can Now Withstand Moderate Spirit Surge]
Ethan collapsed onto one knee, panting.
Akahana's presence receded to a simmer.
Unohana approached him with that same gentle, soothing voice that always meant danger:
"You truly have changed faster than expected."
She crouched, meeting his eyes.
"And if this is the pace you maintain… you may survive the next spirit that awakens."
Akahana chuckled inside him, low and satisfied.
> "I wondered when she would say it."
Ethan stared at it, throat dry.
Unohana stood gracefully, turning her back to him.
"Rest for now, Ethan. We continue training tomorrow."
She gave him a soft smile that did not reach her eyes.
Akahana laughed again — a sound like fire cracking through bone.
Ethan swore he heard the Panel laugh with her.