Zeke Singh Santbarn

Zeke Singh Santbarn, previously known as "Xero", is a renowned ex-Gun For Hire who left the "Game" upon his wife and child being contracted out to a competitor. This turn of events has spurred him down an alternate path, one that is bloodsoaked nonetheless yet decidedly more "righteous" in nature. Contrary to what one may think, Zeke has openly stated that it is neither vengeance nor revenge that drives him but rather his roots as a and his newfound pride of his lineage. Zeke's current activities are shrouded in "shadows" following his involvement with a certain group of global activists.

Appearance
Zeke's physical appearance has changed drastically over the years, from a more wild feel during his more youthful years to the current "refined" appearance that he holds. Currently bearing his natural blonde hair short, soft crystal blue eyes that have been known to shift between a pale gray and tortoise in color, a strong "moviestar" jawline, well-kempt eyebrows, and golden light brown skin that naturally seems to have a slight tan, Zeke can be considered a highly attractive individual by most standards. With a somewhat under the average height of 5'9", Zeke still manages to carry himself with the surefooted confidence of one many times his size and with his uniquely casual grace that can only be described as pristine he radiates a strong sense of calm and control that oft draws people to him; this sense of confidence may originate from the athletic build he possesses, his lithe toned muscles evidence of both the care he exercises when it comes to his physique and the training that is required to maintain such a body. While in his teen years, Zeke's appearance varied wildly from how he currently appears; his hair allowed to grow rampant and dyed blue with a single black streak, softer facial features, and a eyepatch worn over his left eye at all times gave Zeke, then known as Xero, a somewhat "pretty" appearance that managed to also seem untamed.

Zeke's taste in clothing is somewhat formal, often seen in suits of varying blacks and grays or simple combinations of slacks, buttondowns, and ties. While this is not absolute, this is what he is seen wearing in public most frequently, although the casual pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt have been worn on rare occasions. Despite his formal dress, Zeke always seems to move quite effortlessly even while in battle; this may stem from how accustomed he has grown to having to move quickly in such clothing but nevertheless is a testament to his grace and sense of balance for him maintain high levels of maneuverability in combat while wearing a suit and dress shoes. While his preferred clothing leans toward the formal it does not, however, necessarily gravitate towards the expensive as he has been noted on several occasions to simply shake his head or scoff at the ridiculous sums of money some people dole out for designer suits they wear once in their lifetime. Despite this distaste for this practice, many of his suits are tailored specifically for him although he gives his business exclusively to the proudly dedicated tailors and seamstresses who's trade has been passed down through their families for generations as opposed to the the haughty designers who cater to royalty and the like.

Zeke has always been one to take pride in his appearance, meticulously picking over himself to ensure that he looks nothing short of pristine. This is evidenced not only in the care he exhibits when arranging his clothing but also the deft hand used to comb through and arrange his hair each morning. Zeke's scrupulous attention to his hair and overall appearance can be seen most often within the moments before he sets off on a task and, in truth, is almost always present, evidenced in his shifting of his cuffs or straightening of his glasses in a subconscious manner that makes the movements nearly seem casual. This practice extends even to his behavior before a confrontation, oft found stripping down to nothing but his pants so as to preserve the carefully made craftsmanship of the tailors responsible for his suits.

Personality
"Words build bridges into unexplored regions."

Zeke is typically a rather "to the point" individual, his choice of wording and his very mannerisms implying a somewhat relaxed business-like manner under which a natural charm lies. Due to this Zeke has never been one to dance around a subject, much rather preferring to simply dive into the heart of any issue at hand, a trait that is both valuable and at times detrimental in nature. While business-like Zeke manages to avoid coming off as terse or clipped, his speech seeming casual while still cutting through the bulk of needless small talk and maintaining a slight natural charm that oft serves to allow him to escape trouble. This direct and silver-tongued manner of conversation is made to seem casual by the utter lack of formalities in most cases, very rarely dropping a "sir" or "madam" while speaking whether it be to an equal or a superior. His manner of speaking has been said to be highly persuasive, able to easily sway crowds and solitary minds alike with carefully woven pieces of speech meant to cut directly through the moments of uncertainty many experience when on the receiving end of any speech meant to convince one to do something. As such he's attained the position of head of the Silbur division of Project Renaissance, being responsible for many of the new recruits dedicating themselves to the Project and their training to be of use.

History
"If violence wasn't your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it. That is why I am here, I'm the final curtain call"

- A young Zeke's final words to a target

Zeke was a renowned hitman and mercenary operating under the alias of "Xero" during his teenage years, at which time he discovered his lineage, and up until the age of 22, leaving the "Game" when his wife and child were contracted out to a competitor. He was known for his ruthless demeanor, ability to carry out any contract he was handed, and his tendency to leave behind "Xero" collateral damage, this reputation consistently landing him high profile contracts from various governments and interest groups around the world. While this reputation definitely came with it's perks, it was undoubtedly this that placed a target upon both his wife and child. Within the month of their death Zeke left the game for good, within that week he began delving further into his research of his heritage by making use of the contacts and resources he'd acquired during his 9 year stint as a mercenary to locate various texts and artifacts from his lineage. It was in this manner that he created quite a stir in the shattered world of the Quincy, consequently attracting the attention of Project Renaissance and various other organizations. The majority of "offers" made from these world powers were met with a swiftly executed death, it was in this way that he honed both his skill and raised his prospective value to any organization that he may aline himself with and consequently raising the danger he posed to those he did not. In this manner he was met with not only increasingly lucrative offers but also rapidly escalating violence at the rejection of these same offers. Strangely it was the group that made nary an offer nor a threat that he sought out, eventually aligning himself with Project Renaissance as his skill in not only combat but swaying others to his opinions through speech became rapidly apparent and led him to become the head of the Silbur division, taking over the responsibilities of both recruiting and training Quincy while bringing his own "underworld" connections to add to the resources of the organization.

Equipment and Inventions

 * One of the signature items of the Quincy and arguably the most crucial, the Quincy Cross is the focus for the direction of their reishi absorption to create their unique spiritual weapons and just as the weapons vary from Quincy to Quincy the crosses themselves have been known to show variety in form. In Zeke's particular manifestation it takes the form of a cross overlain by a pentacle and has been seen to be worn as everything from a ring, to an earring, to the classic pendant.


 * These high quality German manufactured guns have far surpassed their original performance specs due to years of modification during Zeke's time as a mercenary followed by further modification upon joining Project Renaissance and are only able to be compared to their original counterparts based on appearance. With everything having been altered on the gun from the trigger pull, to better conform to a rapidfire style during a gunfight, to extended magazines able to hold 15 rounds, down to the grips meant to perfectly conform to the specific holds of both Zeke's left and right hands. Zeke's skill with these guns has reached such heights that one may simply consider these to be an extension of his body, his skill in dualwielding these firearms seemingly taking as much effort as brushing one's hair away from their eyes. One of the most notable modifications to these weapons occurred during the first month of his joining Project Renaissance, a slight alteration of the barrel and magazine to allow him to chamber  to be fired at targets when throwing them would simply be impractical or when distance does not allow them to be deployed in the traditional manner. This modification allows Zeke to deploy Gintō beyond the speed of sound, exponentially shrinking the window any given target has to react. Whether it be Gintō or bullets that lie in the chambers of these weapons, the deadliness of these firearms are not to be underestimated.


 * Zeke is currently in possession of three of these versatile weapons and is seeking to expand his collection, making use of both his own network and that of Project Renaissance to pinpoint potential leads and acquire these valuable artifacts through nearly any means necessary. This is the same zest that goes into his procuring of any Quincy artifacts that he catches wind of, enthusiastically searching out bits and pieces to form concrete leads. The usage of the Seele Schneiders wielded by Zeke shift between blades, arrows, and a "battery" during combat.


 * Type X3 Glasses: Purchased for the equivalent of 115,800 Kan in human currencies from a in the  and said to be one of the most "complete" models of Gin Tonbo glasses. These glasses appear to be typical eye glasses, albeit an extremely finely crafted pair, yet in truth serve both function and style. This particular model of Gin Tonbo glasses are designed to be extremely durable while serving as a variable scope and thermal vision able to be adjusted at the will of the user, each of these being highly valuable traits when dealing in ranged combat. The zoom feature of the glasses allows Zeke to rapidly focus his vision on a single point while receiving various data from a HUD in the lens such as distance, velocity, temperature, and rate of acceleration while retaining a high level of clarity in his vision. While the thermal vision feature is able to detect minute differences in temperatures and the sensitivity of which is able to be adjusted with a 60second calibration period.


 * Kakusan Ken (拡散拳, Lit. "Diffusion Fist"): A pair of extremely lightweight gloves formed by threads of soul-synthesized silver that are quite similar in both appearance and feel to that of a pair of silk gloves while holding the durability of the soul metal. In function these perform similar to both the Seele Machen wielded by Miko Samien and Raphael and the Seele Schneider without housing any special abilities that the Seele Machen possess. These gloves were designed by Zeke in an effort to allow him to maintain combat against spiritual beings without making use of his spirit weapon but instead hand to hand combat. They function by loosening the bonds between spirit particles they come into contact with during every strike, the effect growing exponentially as additional strikes follow. The nature of the strike has a significant effect upon the type of damage that is done, ex: Closed Fist punches loosen the particles in a dense column that follows the horizontal nature of the punch while chops slice easily through spiritual beings such as lower class hollows with ease similar to a sword slash. While Zeke has yet to be foolish enough to test the durability of these gloves with such reckless activities as attempting to catch a Cero the gloves can be said to remain highly durable due to both the material they are crafted from and the unique weaving of the metal meant to disperse any opposing force equally around the surface of the glove instead of allowing it to focus on a single point.


 * Zeke carries several Gintō upon his person at all times, having devised a process to create them himself after examination of the tool, the small silver capsules oft being passed to hold medication or any substance of the like to avoid suspicion and always stored within quick arms reach for easy deployment.

Powers and Abilities
Great Spiritual Energy: While the levels of Spiritual Power that Zeke possesses may not be on par with entirely spiritual beings such as Hollows, Arrancar, or Shinigami, the amount that he bears is formidable nonetheless due to the Quincy trait of manipulating foreign Reishi granting him immense levels of mastery over his own stores. Zeke prefers to make use of his Spiritual Energy with great finesse and restraint, using only what is needed to preform a task as opposed to going full force at the slightest of provocations. Due to the tight leash he keeps upon his energy he is oft rendered undetectable via Reiryoku sensing, appearing to possess no traits that could mark him as anything different from the other Humans around him.

Reishi Absorption: As with all Quincy Zeke, possesses the ability to absorb and manipulate foreign Reishi in the environment thus allowing him to easily supplement his stores with those of an opponent and causing him to become more of a threat the longer a battle continues. This trait makes fighting Zeke, or any powerful Quincy for that matter, within the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo particularly dangerous as he can break down the very environment to be used in battle. While the World of the Living does not possess the vast levels of Reishi that the other two planes of existence do, due to the World of the Living being made up of atoms as opposed to Spirit Particles, there is atmospheric or "Free" Reishi to be found everywhere, typically the further removed from industrialization the greater the amount.

Masterful Reishi Manipulation: The level of control Zeke has displayed over Reishi is nothing short of mastery, able to effortlessly form various constructs and projectiles from the Reishi under his command. Whether it be condensing Reishi to make a quick wall for deflecting the impact of an opponent's attack, firing off bolts of Reishi, or simply gathering it around his feet to enable him to walk or stand on air such things seem to simply come without thought as if it were second nature.

Naturally Perceptive Tactician: The years Zeke spent as a mercenary have honed not only his senses but his ability to perceive and keep track of his environment, including those in it, to a fine point. He has displayed near superhuman levels of perception in battle, ducking strikes coming from perceived blind spots or taking down targets that were not in his direct line of vision. This "Mercenary's Mind" comes into great effect during combat as strategies constantly form and alter themselves upon the fly as the battle progresses. Zeke is not one to have a plan set in stone but rather one that constantly shifts and adjusts as time goes on, tailoring itself to account for the environment and any changes or outstanding traits the opponent may reveal.

Keen Intellect and Quick Wit: While not one to flaunt his intellect, or much else for that matter, Zeke possesses it in spades. Despite being highly intelligent, he has very little formal education in the way of schooling as he dropped out the instant the opportunity arose due to simply finding the pre-scripted teachings of the schools neither challenging nor interesting. His experience has come from going through things first hand, whether it be doing his own research into a subject or learning that a standard AR-15 holds exactly 30 bullets unless it's a drum magazine in which case it likely holds 100. He has lived by his wits for the majority of his life, relying on quickly gathering, processing, and understanding any information or stimulus that comes his way for survival. So while Zeke is a rather uneducated individual by way of schooling he is one who is highly intelligent, possessing a sharp wit that few rival and even fewer are able to cope with in combat.

Fully Ambidextrous: While some may not see this as a skill, Zeke being fully ambidextrous (meaning he doesn't favor one hand over the other) allows him to easily adjust midfight should it be necessary