ORDER is the FIRST to DIE

**Date Started:** December 1st 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Next Role-Play**: N/A
**Users Involved:** User:AbysmalShadows
**Setting:** Soul Society, Valley of Screams, Human World
**Characters Involved**: Minamoto Kuchiki, Sabi Yoshitatsu (NPC), Kentaro Nakayama (NPC)

## Enigmatic Waters

Sabi Yoshitatsu was a man of science. He was pioneer in many fields and had contributed greatly to the modernization that was ongoing in Soul Society. However marginal it may be. But he was first and foremost a man of science. That was why after graduation from the Shin'o Academy he happily accepted his position at the Twelfth Division.

Years passed, and their work continued until that fateful day. The Vanishing, they call it. When all the major players from the Thousand Year Blood Year disappeared without a trace. The entirety of their leadership was gone, and the Gotei 13 was crippled and nearly brought low at that time. Yet they endured, they continued to diligently work and somehow they've managed to make it this far.

But not everything was as it seemed. No one could understand what caused the **Vanishing**, much less the implications it would have on the stability of the Three Realms. An emergency meeting was immediately scheduled for several Divisions namely the Second Division and by extension the Onmitsukido for information gathering, the Fifth Division after having absorbed the Kido Corps, and lastly the Twelfth Division were all tasked with investigating any possible causes, and to monitor the stability of the Three Realms.

It was a task they all struggled to keep up with. So many unknowns, so many questions, they didn't even know where to begin. So much of the information they needed was either redacted or simply forbidden. They had been working blind almost the entirety of the time. Even now it felt like he was grasping at air trying to hold onto answers he didn't even know the question to. At the moment he was monitoring the fluctuations in the dimensional boundary that separated Soul Society from the other two realms.

Suffice to say, what he was looking at did not match any known pattern, energy signature, nothing about what they thought they knew of how things worked. None of it made any sense. The Fifth Division sent an envoy, a Minamoto Kuchiki to help coordinate between the different divisions, and to help consolidate a lot of the back and forth going on. He was apparently knowledgable enough. For a Noble. Looking at the man he was unsure of what to think. Intelligent, and shrewd he certaintly had the visage of a noble, but personality wise he was far from it. Most nobles were arrogant, full of themselves and eschewed the greater splendor of science in favor of tradition and rules.

Minamoto was none of those things. He was inquisitive. Always asking questions, never satisified with an answer, endlessly searching for something beyond the truth in front of him. He admired that. As a scientist he could appreciate such an attitude. Especially now with everything so uncertain. Looking at the data stream in front of him, he struggled to understand what was happening. None of it made any sense. All of their models, and predictions had been worthless! And it wasn't for a lack of trying, there was so much they were barred from knowing they couldn't ask the right questions. He hoped that this Kuchiki envoy had an idea.

"Sir, I'm not sure what I'm looking at." Sabi stated as he gestured towards the data stream on the holographic interface he was examining. He felt the looming presence of Minamoto peer over his shoulder, the man's eyes darting back and forth as he analyzed the information. Sabi continued, "Our current readings indicate some degree of instability, but there's no pattern to the fluctuations and nothing we've been able to observe indicates that the dimensional boundary is at risk of tearing sir."

Sabi waited for the Kuchiki to answer, as silence followed his report. Looking up he saw why. Minamoto's face wasn't one filled with the exhaustion of endless nights of fruitless research. What he recognized in those eyes, was the same thing he saw in his own whenever he found something ''new'' to research. It was the face of someone who just found a mystery they couldn't wait to unravel. How he longed to feel like that again.

He was abruptly torn from his thoughts when the Kuchiki spoke. "Those fluctuations you were seeing? See if you can find any correlation between the dates and times of those readings with recent Hollow attacks, Shinigami battles, or significant events. Such as the new ranking of a seated officer. You may find something there."

Sabi blinked. The Kuchiki *knew* his name!? For a brief moment his heart had been gripped by raw terror, it was never a good idea to get involved with the nobility and any noble that you knew you personally was a someone that could destroy your career and your life. That is until his brain caught up with what the Kuchiki said and quickly began to ponder the implications. Was there a correlation there? Did... did that mean that the dimensional boundary was somehow linked to the presence of strong spiritual bodies in either side of it? What does that even mean!?

"R-right sir!" He stammered out. The Kuchiki stood up and folded his arms behind his back and began to head out. That is until he stopped and turned slightly, his face barely visible. "Continue to monitor the situation, and also," He fixed the rest of the scientists with an authoritive glare, "I want you all to continue collecting information regarding the new generation of Shinigami, especially if those correlations are positively conclusive." The Kuchiki then walked out of the research facility. A weight he hadn't realized was on his shoulders lifted, and Sabi breathed out a sigh of relief.

## The Gate of Tomorrow

Kentaro Nakayama did his best to stifle a yawn. Guarding the Senkaimon was a duty fulfilled by the Kido Corps, even after they got folded into the Fifth. As far as he was concerned it was a shit duty. He was basically a glorified rickshaw service sending Shinigami off on their merry way to whatever grand adventure awaited them. Was he resentful? Sure, a little. Only the talented members got the real important jobs. Like this asshole here.

He looked at the nobleman walking towards the gate, so goddamn self-assured, it pissed him right the hell off. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he sent one of those snobbish bastards somewhere off in the Dangai, never to return. Thinking about it, the answer was obvious. They'd execute his sorry ass before he could utter he could even blink. Kentaro hated the noble bastard right then and there. His life was so much more worse, hell even just being born into a noble family guaranteed actual power. He knew that nobles had stronger spiritual power being their own brand of special. Didn't even have to work for it, not like the rest of them. Man if he wasn't stuck here-

"Nakayama, while I do not mean to intrude in your thoughts, I do require use of the Senkaimon Gate." Kentaro nearly jumped out of his own skin, how the fuck did this noble bastard get so close without him knowing? "R-right. W-where are you head off to?" Goddamit he couldn't believe he stuttered like an idiot. Kentaro did his best to school his features and act professionally but something about this noble bastard just rubbed him all the wrong way. Maybe it was the creepy eyes looking at him like he knew every goddamn thing, or maybe it was the chills running up his spine at the pressure exuding out from him. Oh shit, he got caught up in his own thoughts again didn't he?

The noble only smiled at his discomfort. "**The old path where dead gods tread**." The moment those words left the nobles mouth, Kentaro's eyes nearly bugged out in shock. Now he wasn't alone, the other guard at the gate damn near stammered out a refusal himself. "S-sir, entry has been barred, you can't-" He was interrupted by his rebuttal when the noble pulled out from his overcoat a talisman. Not just any talisman, *the* talisman. In the Kido Corps, certain high ranking members are provided unique talismans symbolizing their position and authority, and that particular talisman he was gawking at, informed him that he never in a billion years did he ever want to get tangled up with this guy. A beautiful gold embroided talisman inlaid with an intricate image of a mountain, and a raging ocean in the reverse.

It was an **Umisenyamisen** (海千山千, "*ocean-thousand, mountain-thousand*") talisman; only the highest ranked members of the Kido Corps carried those, and they are not given lightly. They were spooks of the Kido Corps, they handled the missions that don't officially exist. As far as that talisman was concerned he could anywhere and do anything with the full authority of the Kido Corps and the blessings of the highest members of the Gotei 13. He couldn't get the gate up fast enough, before wishing the Kuchiki a quick good luck.