"Je… Kain?"
Sombravida's voice trembled.
Jekain.
The Jekain he had known since the days they were mere low-level Hollows — the only one from his original group to become a conscious Gillian.
"It's… you?"
"Yes, my king."
The dragon-headed Hollow slowly raised his head.
"It has been a long time, my king. Are you well?"
Sombravida remained stunned for several breaths before steadying himself.
"…I never expected this. I never imagined that the Wind Whisper they spoke of… was you."
"For certain reasons, I was forced to abandon my former name," Jekain replied, lowering his head respectfully.
"I only never expected to meet my king again before entering Hueco Mundo's inner circle."
Sombravida exhaled slowly.
"Fate truly is unfathomable… If you had not concealed your identity, I don't know how that battle would have ended."
Memories of the Past
"My king… how did you come to be here?" Jekain asked quietly.
"And our former companions…?"
"They lost their consciousness," Sombravida said, regret flickering in his eyes.
"I can only hope they eventually reach Adjuchas."
Neither spoke further.
Both understood what that meant.
Introductions
Sombravida placed a hand gently on Nel's head.
"This is Nel."
He turned toward Jekain.
"And this is Jekain — my first subordinate. We separated during advancement. I never expected to see him again."
Nel inclined her head politely.
"Hello."
Jekain returned the gesture.
"Miss Nel."
Sombravida continued:
"I met Nel after helping everyone advance. Later we were chased by an extremely powerful Hollow. Nel forced her evolution to Gillian to save us, but she lost consciousness afterward. I followed her until she advanced again. Since then… we've been inseparable."
Jekain bowed slightly.
"Thank you for protecting our king."
Nel shifted awkwardly, clearly unused to such formality.
Jekain's Story
"Tell me about you," Sombravida said.
"How did you end up here… and how did you become a lord?"
Jekain exhaled slowly.
"It is a long story."
After separating from Sombravida, he entered the Central Forest. With his consciousness, hunting was manageable.
But over time, his success drew the attention of local lords.
"The lord of that region warned me," he said. "But I still needed to evolve. I limited my hunting but could not stop."
To survive, he constantly changed hunting grounds and built traps using Sombravida's teachings.
Eventually, he wandered into the territory of a violent newly-evolved Adjuchas.
It attacked him.
"I was close to advancement. Our strength gap was small."
Jekain used traps to distort its perception, shattered part of its mask with Cero, and bled its spiritual power.
After a brutal battle, he killed it.
"But before dying," Jekain continued,
"it issued a hunting order through the Gillian in its domain."
Sombravida nodded slowly.
"You've had quite the journey."
"I was gravely injured," Jekain said, "so I devoured it to recover. At the same time, I sensed my own evolution."
He burrowed beneath the sand and eventually emerged as Adjuchas.
The transformation allowed him to escape pursuit.
He altered his appearance and infiltrated the core forces, lying low while planning to grow stronger before entering Hueco Mundo proper.
"Instead… I found you."
Sombravida smiled faintly.
"Perhaps fate arranged it."
Sombravida's Near Advancement
"My king," Jekain said,
"your spiritual pressure has already reached the threshold of advancement. Why delay?"
Sombravida glanced at the fallen masks.
Nel immediately retrieved them.
"It's about time," he admitted.
Jekain's Loyalty
"My king," Jekain continued,
"I wish to follow you."
Sombravida studied him.
"You helped us kill two lords. How will you explain that? Or will you leave with us?"
Jekain bowed.
"My ability is sealing. When I deployed Shadow of Imprisonment, I sealed the surrounding space. It concealed spiritual pressure fluctuations and prevented escape."
Sombravida's eyes sharpened.
"So you asked my name only after releasing the seal?"
"Yes. The seal concealed my attack as well."
"But how did you know it was me?"
"I did not," Jekain admitted.
"Whenever a powerful outsider appears, I investigate. I feared missing my king."
He had repeated this hunt dozens of times.
"If I had not met you here… I would have continued searching until reaching mid-level Adjuchas — then entered Hueco Mundo to continue."
Nel could feel the sincerity in his voice.
Sombravida's eyes softened.
"You've endured much."
The Plan
"If you can still conceal the battlefield traces," Sombravida said quietly,
"you still have value inside their ranks."
Jekain understood immediately.
"You wish me to return… undercover."
Sombravida leaned close and whispered.
Jekain's eyes narrowed in understanding.
He nodded.
Return to the Core
That same day, Jekain returned under his alias Wind Chant.
Inside the massive tree chamber:
"Wind Chant! Why are you injured? Where are Varta and Casgard?"
"They were killed by the two Hollows," he replied weakly.
"Varta and Casgard are dead."
Shock rippled through the chamber.
The High Lord's spiritual pressure erupted.
"Explain."
Jekain's Report
Wind Chant recounted the prepared story:
They found the outsiders — one Adjuchas, one Gillian.
Negotiations failed.
Casgard attacked and was killed instantly.
Gasps filled the chamber.
A strength-type Adjuchas killed in one strike.
Why had such a warrior not entered the inner circle?
The answer formed quickly:
The Gillian companion.
After Casgard's death, Varta ordered Shadow of Imprisonment and threatened retaliation from the core lords.
Negotiations resumed.
The outsiders agreed to assist in the next Holy War.
They would accept Doruni's territory.
They would return Casgard's territory to the core.
But—
They refused tribute.
The chamber stirred uneasily.
"They will cooperate only for mutual benefit," Wind Chant continued.
"After the war, they will enter the inner circle."
The High Lord's eyes darkened.
"Arrogant."
Varta's Death
"Varta attempted further coercion," Wind Chant said.
"The Gillian said: 'Then settle it all at once.'"
A Cero.
Silence fell.
They understood.
This was not tribute.
This was a demonstration of power.
The Impossible Cero
"Describe it."
"It was not red," Wind Chant said.
"It was colorless… almost transparent."
A murmur spread through the chamber.
An invisible Cero.
A control-type Hollow had no chance to dodge.
Aftermath
"I released Shadow of Imprisonment and attempted to escape," Wind Chant continued, revealing his wound.
"The Adjuchas severed my arm with a jade spear."
"I do not know whether they remain in the Central Forest."
Silence lingered.
Two sub-class lords dead.
Two outsiders of terrifying strength.
Recruitment failed.
Conflict unwise.
If left alone…
They would become a buried blade within the forest.
A blade that might one day turn.