Seireitei pulsed with tension. Patrols doubled, communication channels buzzed with encrypted reports, and the spiritual air was thick with suspicion. But within the quiet calm of the Thirteenth Division's barracks, Captain Ukitake sat alone, his gaze fixed on a simple wooden box now resting atop his desk.
Inside the box was the fragment. Small. Silent. But humming with restrained power.
Aizen's delivery method had been flawless. Wrapped in layers of illusion, spiritual encryption, and subtle decoys, the message had slipped past dozens of patrol lines, untraceable. The orphan boy from District 80 had delivered it with all the quiet precision of a ghost.
And now, Ukitake understood.
He unraveled the layers, careful not to trigger the failsafes. Within, sealed by Kyōka Suigetsu's delicate weave, were documents—maps of secret noble house operations, details of experimental procedures, testimonies of fragment-bearer exterminations. And the crystal.
He didn't touch it. But he felt it.
"This is what they were hiding…"
Across the barracks, Captain Kyouraku entered quietly. "You felt it too, huh?"
Ukitake nodded. "And now I know why they ran."
Elsewhere — The Brothers' View
From their clifftop refuge, Aizen and Akira watched for the sign. A candle left burning in Ukitake's window. A code, ancient and quiet, passed through generations of those who resisted tyranny within Soul Society.
When the candle burned blue, it would mean success.
"I calculated a ninety-one percent chance of interception," Aizen murmured. "But the boy was faster than expected."
Akira exhaled slowly, his Bankai still humming faintly beneath his skin. "You're not worried?"
"I'm always worried. That's why it worked."
Back in Seireitei — Yamamoto's Office
Captain-Commander Yamamoto's eyes narrowed at the new report. Something had brushed the Seireitei wards—something subtle. A shift in spiritual flow. It had vanished before it could be tracked.
"Aizen…" he growled quietly.
He didn't yet know the evidence had been delivered. But he could feel the pieces shifting.
The Four Great Houses — A Stirring of Panic
Deep in the Tsunayashiro estate, a cold-faced noble snapped a scroll shut.
"They've sent something," he snarled. "We didn't catch it."
"Find it. Find them. Now."
Orders flew like daggers.
Climax
The candle in Ukitake's window flickered.
Then it burned blue.
Back in District 80, Akira and Aizen stood in silence. The night around them shifted. They had an ally now. Not many. But enough.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Mission Thread - "Ally Acquired" - STATUS: CONFIRMED.]
The storm was coming. But they were no longer alone.