AW - Scream

"I am not the owner of my own body, for I, when I am born, must complete it, nor do I possess things, for having got them, I must part with them again."

The last sliver of burnt-edge paper disappeared into the night sky, leaving behind only the fragrance of squandered knowledge and a swiftly-quenching flame. Cold eyes persisted to stare at the void space long after the final remains of the book had vanished, now peering into the endless black disclosed by the overt shōji door of their owner's personal chambers. A playful breeze slipped through the gap, billowing the azure hair of the shihakushō-bearing figure within. Seated in the seiza position, he slowly raised a cup of tea to his mouth, sipping from it ever so lightly without diverting his gaze from the lightless landscape before him even slightly. It would have been a very respectful, philosophical image of a cogitative man were it not for the smoldering embers of a Liezi copy lying before the latter.

Another gust of wind seeped into the building, catching the man's haori by its edges in an attempt to pick it up on its return to the paved streets of the Seireitei. Peacefully, the man stood up and closed the sliding door almost hesitantly, freezing in his position when it connected with the jamb, almost of he expected something dangerous to occur once the light thud had faded away. After a few endless seconds, the man turned around and folded open a second sliding door, leading deeper into the building. He closed it behind him, leaving any outsiders only to wonder whatever events transpired behind the custom-made nanmu walls. The wooden castle was truly a marvelous sight to behold, even for a Gotei 13 housing its value and appearance completely outclassed any other division's barracks. The new captain had the previous barracks broken down and rebuild from the ground on, importing an utilizing only the finest of goods and building materials. The third division had evolved almost into a separate class, were only the most proficient of shinigami could apply and undergo a specialized training regime while still residing in a setting of luxury and relaxation. Of course, every shinō academy graduate aspired to become member of said division, maybe even only for the enigma surrounding the barracks. They were no larger than an average man's house, yet it housed the entire division, even the unseated members. Surely it had to be the work of some sort of wonderful kidō spell, more ancient than the very foundations of Soul Society.

Or at least, that is what they thought.

Behind the second wooden layer, foot-thick walls of sekkiseki arose, which parted smoothly when the azure-haired shinigami laid his hand on them and uttered an abstract term. As soon as his body had passed through, the walls closed once again, and the figure of the man was encased in impermeable blackness. Light soon found its return, in the form of a glowing sphere of red energy. It illuminated the caster's features quite fiercely, casting long, horrifying shadows that slithered and convulsed with every tiny motion of his body. The man looked down and, likely by his intent, the floor beneath suddenly vanished into thin air, revealing a seemingly bottomless pit which the shinigami fell down without the slightest hint of surprise of anxiety. The falling seemed to last almost minutes, yet the man touched down on the ground with the grace of a ballet dancer, void of any force that would normally accompany such a downfall. Another whisper bloomed from his lips, and a thousand lights arose around him, unveiling an immense hallway that had been hidden beneath earth and darkness.

The Captain had come to visit the real Third Division quarters.