Perfidiōsus: A Soul King Aizen fanfic

♚ Part 3 :: ( Reign & Ruin )

Initially there was a profound difficulty to distinguishing memories, dreams and premonitions from the immediate reality of his 'existence'. Each felt real and he lived them all at once and separately in a cerebral mess. Such was the confusion of 'being' to one who was extant in all places at all times; the curse of omniscience.

For a long while all he could do was stare blankly out of his divine shell, seeing nothing, but living through everything. Until, gradually, his mind began to adjust to the intensity of perception. He learned to cope by separating the multiplicity of divine thoughts into a more structured framework — palaces, which he could choose to enter at will rather than be dragged into the mind-mire that threatened to consume him whole.

With his cognitive self more focused, he found it easier to draw upon the overwhelming knowledge he now possessed. But that proved to be more of a hindrance than a help in some regards, as it brought with it confirmation of certain unsavoury truths. It seemed Ichibei was right: he was a facet of the Soul King. An existence that achieved sentience out of sheer outrage at his predicament.

If the flesh was weak, then he would make his own!

But in so willing himself into existence, a sacrifice had to be made: his memories. The ordeal of separating psyche from comatose cadaver had cast him out of the Royal Palace and left him fragmented. Nothing but an overwhelming power and an inexplicable hatred burned within him.

And so he fashioned himself a name and set forth into the world, only to realise that he perceived the world in a way that none other around him could. It led to an irresistible conclusion –– much was wrong with this existence, though he didn't quite know what. His was a form already too powerful and too aware of things; he needed to find a plane of existence where he could truly be known and understood for what he was.

In that moment, the concept of the Hōgyoku came to him. Upon its creation there followed a vision of a haunting cadaver, sealed in crystal and left to rot. This was the 'God' of this world and nothing had filed him with more revulsion. Not the mindless ants, nor the woeful state of this 'society'. No. This was the thing that offended him on an intrinsic level.

An overwhelming desire burned inside –– an act of pure deicide –– to kill; to cut off its head and claim its throne.

His throne.

Thus began the task of acquiring transcendent powers; a status that, at the time, he thought he needed to discover but in truth was merely to be recovered. And yet the Hōgyoku was an imperfect answer to the question, it granted him some of the power he needed but the grim truth was he would only be complete upon subsuming the Soul King into himself.

So, even if Kurosaki Ichigo had not subdued him, it was likely that Zero Squad would have been able to render him momentarily dazed and thereby give effect to this ploy to install him as figurehead to the world. There were visions that played out in his mind with much the same outcome. It seemed this crystalline prison was unavoidable.

But –– was it irresistible? Inescapable?

That was the question....

...

_________

"Greetings, your majesty," once more Ichibei invaded his solitude with his irksome, booming voice, "It seems you have managed to find your way out of the maze of thoughts and visions that plague God. Do you see now why the Soul King was incapacitated as he was? It cannot be easy to hold everything within one form..." he was stroking his beard again.

It seemed he was back in the present, no longer reminiscing about the past; the differences were slight, but he had learned to pick up on them. Without pause he seamlessly immersed himself into the moment, "No," the God replied, his voice devoid of its earlier rustiness, "I do not see why that thing was as ineffectual as it was. Certainly this existence is invasive and draining, but still he chose to never question it or to challenge your lot. He permitted every transgression you brought against him."