Saelien

[Kirani Juujisei]

Name: Saelien
Alias: The Cold Lord, Thanatos, Death
Age: 3015
Gender: Male
Birthday: 5th April
Height: 6’0’’
Weight: 180lbs
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Black when depowered, blue when at true power

Rank: Primera Fraccion

Constitution
-Strength: 10 (Saelien isn’t a pushover, but physical strength is not his speciality)

-Endurance: 15 (Although he can choose to ignore injuries through will, Saelien’s body cannot handle too much damage before beginning to fail)

Dexterity
-Agility: 25 (Speed is one of Saelien’s greatest weapons – he believes in ending things swiftly)

-Accuracy: 25 (Saelien often acts as an assassin – accurate, decisive blows are desirable)

Resurrección
-Attack: 20 (There are no destructive explosions or the like involved with Saelien’s release, and the damage he can do is largely limited to sword strokes. His swords are, however, amongst the most dangerous of all blades)

-Defense: 5 (Saelien can create structures with which to protect himself in his released form, but they are not particularly reliable. The blades that he creates are also rather brittle in nature)

Natural Abilities
-Offensive: 14 (Saelien’s cero is slightly below average in power, compensated by the fact that is bala is stronger than would be expected)

-Defensive: 5 (On the other hand, Saelien’s hierro is far from being the strongest, and although he has a potent defensive technique in Phantom, it has consequences attached)

Perception
-Intelligence: 25 (Saelien is amongst the most intelligent of arrancar, weaving plots and crafting plans on a daily basis)

-Willpower: 21 (Saelien has objectives and has his own beliefs – there is nothing that will change him or get in his way)

Presence
-Charisma: 20 (Saelien is a charming, often friendly individual to friend and foe alike – such a figure is much harder to hate, after all…)

-Leadership: 15 (Saelien can and does often lead, but he dislikes the idea and prefers to have others do the leading, with him as the puppetmaster)


Appearance: X

Having once been a hollow with icy cold abilities, Saelien takes a rather fitting form as an arrancar, for even the slowest should quickly realise at least some of the nature of his power. Saelien is above average in height and rather slim, possessing a lightly muscled and lithe body, both strong and quick – this might not be immediately obvious to others, of course, for Saelien is not a brute, nor does he show off the strength he wields through visually impressive displays...and of course, his clothes obscure such things. However, he is a killer, an assassin, a stealer of life and a bringer of cold; these are the things that have contributed to this form.

In his movements, Saelien betrays not a hint of any of that – many assassins or even skilled swordsmen look dangerous, deadly, individuals that are not to be taken lightly. With blades sheathed they have an aura of strength, and with blades drawn, a penumbra of mortality, but in all his actions, Saelien is casual, relaxed, apparently thoroughly unconcerned, and from looks alone, one could almost never perceive murderous intent from this man. This usually even carries over to combat situations, leaving his actions rather difficult to predict; he is always graceful. For all his intentions, Saelien appears like a beacon of peace and tranquillity, calm as a breeze of wind.

A glance at Saelien’s skin reveals him to be rather pale, like one who has never seen the light of day, but more…almost like a ghost, something not quite human at all – and were one to touch Saelien’s skin, they would discover that he is rather cold, nothing like a living person but instead more similar to ice. Cold…like death itself, as if ice has replaced blood in his veins. His body is also completely unmarred by scars and the like, a figure of perfection; the reason for this is less to do with his lack of fighting, and more to do with one of his natural abilities. In theory, he could be covered in scars, could be a figure showing terrible signs of injury, a cripple…but he is not. A personal choice of his.

Saelien’s face is a smooth and pale visage, near ethereal in appearance – one could not mistake that this is a man despite everything, but human? Perhaps, perhaps not. Furthermore, trying to place an age on Saelien, simply from his looks, is rather difficult. One look might suggest the arrancar is youthful…but the second could betray the deep knowledge hiding within the icy blue eyes of Saelien. Such eyes are cold things, possessing unusually bright irises, gazing on most others without warmth, without compassion - only crystal clear vision - often conflicting with the apparent personality of the man. For those who believe that the eyes are the window to the soul, staring into Saelien’s might reveal the chilling truth of the man…for you will see is the cold and an old, cunning intelligence.

Completing this image is Saelien’s hair, which is also normally a light shade of blue – thus, Saelien is a man who would not look out of place in a world of ice. However, when Saelien is in a weakened state, his hair colour is instead black – a visible sign of his weakness. It is also remarkably long and most often left in its natural state; flowing and elegant, for this is simply Saelien’s preferred style. On occasion, however, Saelien may choose a different style…but only on occasion.

As might be expected then, his clothes are fine indeed; nothing like the regular uniform of the arrancar in Las Noches, and instead something of his own, personal design, all coloured various shades of blue and white. After all, why would he wear the standard uniform, when he spends so much time outside the palace? On his right hand, Saelien wears a silver ring, inset with a small sapphire gem…and around his neck, Saelien wears a seemingly polished chain of white ceramic, completed with another azure crystal – the remains of his hollow mask, of course. His hollow hole is entirely concealed by his clothes…for it is quite standard, a hole through the body where the heart should be – apt for a man that can be described as heartless.

Saelien apparently does not carry a Zanpakuto…but this is not quite the truth. His Zanpakuto is not a sword and is more similar to a dagger, thus is often sheathed and concealed within his clothes, only to be drawn when Saelien fully intends to release. In times when Saelien plans on merely fighting, however, others might mistake the other weapons he carries as his Zanpakuto; carried in twin sheaths to either side of his body, Saelien has thin blades of ‘ice’ to fight his opponents with, rather than using his Zanpakuto. These are, in fact, the same blades that Saelien is capable of summoning in his released form…but whilst sealed, he is incapable of repairing them. When Saelien has planned to kill another, or when he is walking into a dangerous situation, he also carries a few ‘ice’ knives as a precaution.

Personality: Saelien is an individual both remarkably simple and yet rather complex. His every action and word is dedicated to one eventual goal, and yet even the most perceptive would fail to see the final objective Saelien desires to complete. Said goal is one fitting for an arrancar with cold powers, so often associated with death; he desires, chiefly, an end to all powerful spirits, with himself being the only real exception. Shinigami, arrancar, hollows…and even the spiritually aware humans that possess great strength are his targets. A lofty ambition, one that requires patience, cunning…and Saelien possesses these things in abundance. He is the kind of individual that would happily sacrifice a century to moving his plans forward infinitesimally, perhaps even for the mere hint of future developments. Calm, unconcerned, there isn’t any force in the world that can perturb Saelien; everyone and everything can die, after all, and if someone wishes to cause trouble, then they can be disposed of…eventually, at least.

But on the surface, to the world around him, Saelien is a wholly different man than might be expected. He might desire death and oblivion to enemy and ally alike, but that does not mean he is some cold and lifeless executioner, an emotionless harbinger of doom and dread. Quite the reverse; he is a being full of life, wishing to bring death unto others. Saelien is, as arrancar go, a rather likable one. Always polite – even if momentarily descending to deliver a carefully placed insult or threat – Saelien sees no reason for any other form of conduct. However, although he may be polite, one should not be fooled into thinking that Saelien is overly honourable or truthful…of course, Saelien has no problems if others have such an illusion regarding him. He is, ultimately, pragmatic, and will take the best course of action to suit his needs. If lies are absolutely necessary, then they will be used, and if someone must be stabbed in the back, then alas, so be it. Credit due where credit is due, Saelien does try to avoid such unsavoury things, for overly complicated webs of deceit and betrayal tend to snag the creators eventually.

That said, it would take a very great fool or someone overly trusting in Saelien (and ah, surely the two are one the same?) to believe he is an innocent creature, to think he is of little importance, for Saelien has no qualms with allowing his intelligence to be seen and experienced. He isn’t above dropping hints and certain warnings into a conversation to tempt and bait; he has a mission, a complex one, and allowing others to know that much is acceptable. Indeed, half the fun is watching them try to figure out his motives, conjuring up their own incorrect conclusions. However, Saelien is also suspicious of all others; he knows quite well that the only person he can fully trust is none other than himself, and all others, be they Numeros or Espada, are infinitely more dubious and fallible. For this reason, there isn’t a soul alive that truly understands Saelien, for there isn’t a soul alive that Saelien has any close relationship with, and he prefers the situation remaining this way…being an enigma is far superior to being a known value.

Needless to say, Saelien is rather arrogant and proud; his pride and his arrogance stem mostly from his mind, so formidable and mighty, and his natural abilities. He is smarter than most in things that he cares for (personally believing less in ’most’ and more in ’all’) and with his powers, he can treat his own death with nothing more than contempt, for a situation where he would be in any real threat of dying is virtually unthinkable. Naturally, this leads to Saelien having no fear whatsoever, and why should he? Dying is more an inconvenience than anything else, physical harm is ultimately meaningless, and his allies mean nothing to him. Their loss is at worst an inconvenience, at best a triumph. He has no friends, no need for things like love…and so he has no fear for the safety and lives of others either.

By default, all shinigami are his ‘enemies’ (but if any were willing to become ‘allies’, then Saelien would be the very last who would turn them down – he isn’t about to discriminate in such matters), but they only become true enemies, real annoyances if they actively oppose him personally, actively hinder his nefarious plans. Only for a true enemy will Saelien bring himself to fight seriously; whilst it is true that in any fight, Saelien will seek to defeat and preferably kill the opponent in the fastest, most efficient means possible, he would much rather not fight at all. In favourable circumstances, Saelien would only fight those he deems true enemies…in the end, this means that it is a very select few who may ever see the wrath of the released form of Saelien. Saelien is otherwise mostly reluctant regarding battles, doing his best to stay away and let others do the work. A mastermind of death should set everything up…but the killing itself is best left to the pawns.

But, to the other likeable aspects. Saelien isn’t exactly a man of few words; he enjoys the sound of his own voice, and engages in conversations most often with delight. Even to those he intends to kill, Saelien can be quite charming, and furthermore, although he has not a care in the world for love, the beautiful ladies of the arrancar, shinigami and even humans are hardly going to be ignored. Of all beings, they are the last on his list of individuals to see dead…for they are worth so much more than the rest when alive. Saelien also enjoys a few indulgences; the man is rather fond of wine and a few select foods from the mortal world. When truly relaxing, Saelien might also be found reading, or perhaps even walking around on Earth, peaceful, calm…and so very unlike his fellow arrancar.

Strengths: Saelien is efficient and pragmatic, as well as being very intelligent. The resulting combination is something very dangerous, very deadly – Saelien attacks to kill, or at the very least cripple, with no mercy. He does not stop, nor does he take unnecessary risks unless they are virtually guaranteed to pay off (and thus, he barely views them as risks at all). Some might call Saelien arrogant, and their words might ring true, but that arrogance does not manifest in battle; he will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. Together with this, Saelien is not only very, very fast, but he is also a master swordsman, as well as being nearly as dangerous without a weapon in melee combat – he knows exactly how to kill a man easily, after all. Saelien also cares little for wounds if they cannot kill him; if a wound can be ignored, then Saelien will ignore it.

Weaknesses: Saelien’s strengths in combat lie in his offense; defensively, he is not nearly so strong. His hierro is weak and his swords brittle; as a result, he must use whatever he can to avoid attacks, for any attacks that do hit are guaranteed to cause harm. Thanks to this, it is entirely possible for any reasonably strong shinigami to harm Saelien with kidou and their Zanpakuto’s. The brittle nature of the swords also makes it difficult for Saelien to reliably block the weapons of any powerful opponent, their attacks liable to crack the blades and break them with consecutive strikes. Furthermore, his relatively weak physical strength means that, against individuals of comparable reiatsu, he generally cannot engage in a contest of brute strength and hope to win.

Abilities: Saelien possesses most of the regular arrancar techniques. He knows cero and bala well, having good skill in using them – his have their own colour different to the typical red, and are instead a pale blue. He does not know Negacion and worse, he does not have good hierro, but he does know Pesquisa and Garganta.

An interesting quirk of Saelien’s, if not a power in itself, is the degree of control he possesses over his reiatsu, provided he is not under stress. When not in battle, Saelien is capable of eliminating normal reiatsu emissions – he cannot be detected by normal means when he wishes to be. However, fully preventing the detection of reiatsu is impossible, and so there is an imperfection. When Saelien is suppressing his reiatsu like this, there will be a manifestation of cold around him with a radius of over a dozen metres. This cold is impossible to ignore – the temperature will drop by 30 degrees simply by entering the area of effect and thus, Saelien’s presence is known.

In addition to the standard techniques, Saelien has a unique power that makes him who he is.

Aparición (Phantom): The ability that makes Saelien who he is, Aparición allows Saelien, at a certain cost, to survive any attack that could take his life, any mortal wounds…provided he sees them coming. It also has other applications for subterfuge, but these are, whilst used often, not quite as important to Saelien. A moment is required to activate Aparición, at which point Saelien is able to separate his very essence from his body; although he may be a spirit, what reiatsu he has left at any given time and his mind is capable of separating itself entirely from the flesh, becoming an incorporeal, invisible construct that can neither attack nor be attacked. It possesses reiatsu, but the Saelien’s ability to suppress it remains in effect, thus others cannot truly sense it. The old body is left behind, and depending on the circumstances of Aparición being used, different things may occur.

Provided his body ‘lives’ – as in everything that should function does – then Saelien is entirely capable of returning to it…but only during a short period of time. Saelien has approximately three days from leaving the body via Aparición to returning to it before the process becomes entirely impossible; after the time limit has passed, as only fitting for the Lord of the Cold, the body will rapidly turn to ice, becoming a glittering statue that will likely never melt, potentially never break, and a perfect image of Saelien himself. The exception to this is if the body is already dead from injuries by the time the limit is up, in which case it will simply disintegrate into dust. Otherwise, his body is essentially kept in stasis until he returns, or the ice takes over.

Saelien is far from helpless if his body is slain or ruined, however. The spirit, the essence, is capable of forming a new body for itself, identical to Saelien’s old form – minus, of course, any injuries or imperfections the last body had at the time of death. Whilst it does require raw materials, these are easily found – any corpse or corpses of sufficient size can be shaped and moulded into the appropriate form. In theory, Saelien could use his old, dead body…if it did not turn to dust upon death. Using his reiatsu (which will be restored over time, thanks to the essence absorbing spiritual particles from the air around it), a perfect body can be formed over the time of three days, at which point Saelien can enter…and so return to the world again in physical form. These bodies, once created, function exactly the same as Saelien’s previous body would in stasis.

The one significant downside to this power, however, is that Saelien will lose power should his body perish. He can restore the power given time, but he requires a significant amount, and much power will be lost through the technique. Should he lose a body at Espada class, the next body will be of mere Fraccion class. The power drop-off levels out after the first death, however – should he lose a Fraccion class body, then the next one will be only slightly weaker. To restore his full power requires several months, and it does not restore gradually – the power will build up yet be inaccessible until, all at once, it will return to Saelien.

For all the power of this ability, Saelien has never once revealed the true mechanics of it to another – he prefers such things being kept a secret, whilst his near immortal nature can be hinted at yet never outright stated.

Zanpakutō Name: Cocytus
Sealed Zanpakutō: Saelien’s Zanpakuto is, quite obviously from the first glance, not a weapon designed to be used much in combat. Taking the form of an elegant stiletto without a guard, the sword Cocytus is best used to stab opponents, if it must be used at all; the lack of any form of guard limits the potential applications of the weapon, after all. Seemingly forged from pure silver, the blade itself is perfect, unmarred, with sharp edges and a wicked point. The grip of the Zanpakuto has an intricate design, also formed from lustrous silver, and at the end of the weapon, a small sphere of sapphire is inset. Most often, Saelien carries the weapon hidden within his clothes, sheathed in a thin coating of frozen reiatsu – this coating is formed by the sealing of the sword, and for this reason, Saelien generally only draws the Zanpakuto when intending to release.

Incantation to Release: Condena, Cocytus (Condemn, Cocytus)
Resurrección: Requiring no special action other than holding the Zanpakuto in his hand, Saelien’s release occurs the moment the words are spoken…and when those words are said, a great sphere of whirling, flowing blue energy envelops the arrancar, and remains there as protection, as well as a barrier to the inquisitive gaze of curious eyes, for the few moments it takes for the release to be complete. At this point, the energy is reabsorbed by Saelien. Saelien’s clothes from his sealed form remain in his release state, but the colours change completely; all the blues are drained away to leave his clothes a solid white. His once blue eyes are transformed, the irises now becoming a deep red instead, returning to blue only when Saelien is using a great deal of reiatsu. Over his hands, and up to his elbows, Saelien now has a small amount of what appears to be protection in the form of icy, blue armour. Overall, there are few changes to Saelien when he releases, a testament to how close to human he once was as a hollow.

This form is, unsurprisingly, not without weapons; upon releasing, two blades identical to those Saelien carries around whilst sealed are created (for they are the very same type of blade, they simply do not vanish when the release does, making them useful to keep around). The blades are remarkably thin, almost transparent, and slightly curved, each possessing a single, monomolecular edge. The rest of the weapons are more similar to regular swords, albeit made of ‘ice’ – circular guards and normal enough hilts, although the hilts lack wrappings of any sort.

There is a curiosity that occurs when Saelien releases his sword – the air around him, and extending on for quite a distance, is filled by a very light mist…a mist that obscures no vision however, for the mist swirls around Saelien when he is close and remains as a coating on the ground otherwise, brief wisps rising up every so often before falling down once more. Together with this, there is a faint sound in the air of crying, of sorrow, of suffering…for this is no mere mist – it is a gathering of countless souls that Saelien has taken over his long life.

Technique Name: Ira del Amo Frío (Wrath of the Cold Lord)
Technique Category: Utility
Technique Range: Immediate/Close/Medium/Long
Technique Description: Ira del Amo Frío is the main, fundamental ability Saelien possesses in his released form and, together with the reiatsu boost, it is all that is often required. The ice that forms Saelien’s swords and armour is not, as some might suspect, frozen water, but instead pure reiatsu given an icy form through Saelien’s abilities (hence it all being referred to as ‘ice’). Naturally, this has rather different properties; it doesn’t melt easily, and is surprisingly hard and strong – features more important when considering the armour that partially covers Saelien’s arms. The armour is significantly more durable than Saelien’s hierro – with this said, it is not a reliable defence and tends to break down shortly after fighting begins.

With the swords, this is less important. The thin edge of the ice blades means that reiatsu can be focused to immense densities along the cutting side, meaning that in terms of cutting and slicing ability, the swords are frightening indeed. They might not slice through certain Zanpakuto’s (although the sealed blades of those noticeably weaker than Saelien, perhaps even some Shikai, might not prove so resilient – such is the way of reiatsu), but they certainly can cut through the vast majority of armour types like hierro…and cutting normal flesh and bone is no more difficult than cutting air. This comes at a price, however – in putting everything towards offense, defence is sacrificed entirely. Clashing blades with an opponent will usually take a chip out of the blade in question; a blow too fierce, to strong, will shatter the ice blade completely. It is entirely possible for Saelien to bisect attacks such as cero with his icy blades…but if he chooses to do so, most ceros will prove sufficient to destroy the blade in question. Of important note is that these weapons are at their most durable when Saelien is holding them, thus providing reiatsu from his body like a current. If removed from his grip for sufficient time, the thinness of the blades makes them absurdly easy to shatter. Said thinness also results in the blades being remarkably light; this makes them ideal for dual wielding.

The chief function of this ability, however, is control. Saelien has a certain degree of control over the ice generated in his release; he cannot make the ice dance or fly, but he can change the state the reiatsu is in at will. For example, in a simple application, he could turn shattered fragments into a freezing gas or liquid, or any liquid produced to gas or solid. It is important to note that he only changes the state; he cannot cause the reiatsu to take forms other than those it would take naturally in the state it is in. However, through careful micromanagement and creativity, Saelien can utilise this power to reach maximum lethality.

Technique Name: Yermo Congelado (Frozen Wasteland)
Technique Category: Utility
Technique Range: Immediate/Close/Medium
Technique Description: A complementary ability to Ira del Amo Frío, Yermo Congelado gives Saelien some control over the battlefield and the opportunity to bring all his deadly skill to bear on his enemies. Whilst a certain amount of Saelien’s ice is created via the release of Cocytus, further generation of ice is possible through Yermo Congelado – although it requires Saelien to remain still for a variable amount of time, depending on the amount he requires to be formed. When Saelien does stand still, however, he can cause great walls, pillars, and various similar constructs of ice to grow around him, within a radius of fifty metres. These constructs are, however, in themselves, harmless. It takes a few moments to create walls of ice that would qualify as barriers – this is applicable as a defensive technique, then, only with prediction and anticipation on Saelien’s side rather than reflex alone. Naturally, the ice is used less often as defences than as mere supplies for the state-shifting powers of Ira del Amo Frío.

Technique Name: El Guardián de Muerte (The Keeper of Death)
Technique Category: Utility
Technique Range: Close
Technique Description: Saelien is death, and whilst most of his powers reflect the cold nature of death, he has one ultimate power that truly shows why he is known to the ancients as the God of Death. When an individual lies dying, their reiatsu drained, or simply doesn’t possess much reiatsu (such as a mortal) then Saelien can, with a touch, tear free the very essence of their being, and take it away. The fortunate are merely absorbed by Saelien – this technique is so much cleaner than the messy biting and chewing required by most of his brethren to consume souls. The unfortunate, however, will have their souls left to float around Saelien as a haunting mist, inescapably bound to him, until he seals his Zanpakuto, at which point they will be locked inside Cocytus until the sword is released again, allowing them to roam free as mist for a short time once more. No one, not even Saelien, can make any real use of the mist – no one could absorb it for extra power, for example - it is simply there as a reminder, and a sign of doom.

However, Saelien alone can interact with the mist, with the souls. Should he be able to remember a certain individual who has become a part of the mist, he can separate their essence from the rest and communicate with it – the souls left within Cocytus that manage to keep their sanity are few, and so most will be no more than agonised souls. Those who Saelien wishes to make use of, those that have information and knowledge that he could use, are given tantalising hope of salvation – Saelien alone can free a soul to move on in the spiritual cycle. It is only his will – no power can free them, and Saelien’s death will not free them, only curse them to mindless, purposeless eternity. For this reason, these doomed souls tend to tell Saelien the truth…and Saelien is surprisingly merciful to those who speak the truth.

A final thing to note is the fate awaiting those sealed within Cocytus – the suffering that each soul undergoes is determined by Saelien before he seals his blade, assigning each soul a personal torment based on his creativity at the time, or simple condemnation to a world of ice if he does not care to grant a special existence to a soul.


History:

HOLLOW

Hope I’m on the list of people that you hate

Saelien’s mortal life can be summed up swiftly; he lived briefly, and died painfully. Born into extreme poverty, with no father – the man having died already in some conflict, some war – and a sick mother with one foot in the grave, the baby that would one day become Saelien perished from a combination of disease, thirst and hunger…a rather unpleasant death indeed. Perhaps some children could have moved on to Soul Society, perhaps shinigami could be quick and efficient in performing the konso, saving their souls, but alas, hunger was all Saelien knew whilst alive, and the spirit did not remain a plus for long before the chain corroded, and so it became a hollow. A baby it might have been in life, but hollow instincts, the strength that came with being a hollow, and the immense hunger of the creature drove it into a frenzy, feeding on humans, souls, and other hollows without hesitation.

It was only after an unfortunate encounter with a shinigami that the hollow stopped the massacre of the humans that had ever so briefly been his people. The shinigami attempted to end Saelien’s life, and the inexperienced hollow lacked the skills to straight up defeat the shinigami…but it had enough speed to flee the area, to retreat to a new world that its instincts drove it to seek out – the Hueco Mundo. Here, Saelien would discover that the taste of hollows was far superior to the taste of any human, and it would be here, as the years went on, that Saelien would begin to develop, slowly creating a mind in the centre of the raging chaos of its hollow existence.

It was a slow process. Saelien had received no teaching, had not had the time to receive much other than pain from his human life. Furthermore he had been born in a time where people knew very little in general – the technology in such ancient times was poor indeed. Saelien initially didn’t even know how to speak, but as he cut down hollow after hollow after hollow, such abilities began to develop and it was clear, even at this stage of his life, that he had mental capacities far beyond those around him in addition to having some natural flair for battle, a distinct talent in killing. These talents were noticed by some hollows, and they brought Saelien to their hollow colony to live with them, to learn from them, to assist them in finding great and delicious meals.

Such an arrangement was perfect, really. Saelien learnt about what he was, what the world he had come from was, what the world that opposed them was. He discovered his powers – powers beyond mere tooth and claw. He began to explore the limits of his intellect, but ah, he was restricted by his form. Mere hollows could do little, were of such an inferior evolutionary level that power and cunning and all things that could make a man great were locked away. That would not do. As years passed and Saelien developed a personality, it was one that sought power, dominance…even as a hollow, he knew he would be destined for greatness, and he knew he didn’t care who had to die to make that a reality.

The first of Saelien’s powers that he truly began to control was not his ice type abilities that would later become his standard weapons. No, the first was his ability to absorb souls – not like the other hollows who devoured their kin, but instead a power to rip away everything that made an individual ‘them’ and leaving behind an empty husk. One by one, hollows in Saelien’s colony began to fall victim to this power – the others discovered them bearing a few, dangerous wounds, but nothing fatal, and they could not understand why there was no spiritual presence left in the body. They could not understand why there was even a body left – that was not how the Hueco Mundo, that was not how spirits, worked.

Together with this, Saelien practiced suppressing his reiatsu. He became very good at it – good enough to surprise any hollow he cared to – but it was not perfect, filling the air with cold any time he managed to stop reiatsu from leaking out of his body. The hollows of his colony simply couldn’t do anything to stop him – they couldn’t even sense that his power was growing, and thus make conclusions about how everything was happening. No, they died, one by one, until a great panic overtook the colony and all the hollows turned upon each other, claws ripping away. The result of this was a buffet for Saelien – he simply had to wait for all the hollows to become wounded, and then swoop in and take their souls. This was exactly what Saelien did, and it led to the first of his evolutions – the death of his colony signalled the birth of a Gillian Saelien.

But, now, as a Gillian, there was no potential for subtlety. Being a giant prevented Saelien from hiding so well, and so he brought his power to bear and began outright hunting other hollows, using all at his disposal to ensure that they died, that they were consumed by him. He was a giant, sleek being of blades and ice, and there was not a single hollow that could truly stand in his path. They fell, one after another, until, eventually, Saelien made a second evolution. This was the sum of his Gillian existence – mere battle after battle, with no adventures, no subterfuge or great acts, just slaughter.

Things changed when Saelien became an Adjucas. A smaller hollow and quite visibly a killing machine, Saelien radiated danger and menace. There were some who were attracted to this aura, and Saelien did not kill them all. No, there were beings amongst them who were worth keeping alive – two female hollows that would later become the closest things Saelien had to allies, to friends, and a handful of others who wished to share in his kills, who wished to serve the being that walked the Hueco Mundo and left death in his wake.

It was as an Adjucas that Saelien began receiving true challenges – other Adjucas and other groups vying for dominance on the sands, fighting to kill their competition. Saelien and his companions killed most of them, with Saelien claiming the souls of the leaders and giving over the rest to his subordinates. One or two adversaries proved interesting enough to spare, to be allowed to join his group, and so the group grew stronger and stronger. Saelien became known as El Guardián de Muerte by his followers, and simply as El Muerte by his enemies.

Two further events of importance occurred around this time…one could even say three events if generous. The first was Saelien’s discovery of his immortal nature – after one particularly difficult battle, where he had been separated from his pack, Saelien managed to slay his foe but was left dying himself. It was with rage that Saelien denied his death, and attempted to turn his own power upon himself – he would die by no hand save his own. His soul was torn free from his now broken and ruined body that swiftly turned to dust…and yet he lived. He was able to wander the sands, and he was able to find his group and see them, see the look of fear in their eyes as they began to doubt that Saelien would return. But Saelien intended to return, somehow. He could not be seen, he could not be heard, but if he willed it his reiatsu could be felt. Yet that was useless. Saelien moved away from his pack, seeking an answer…

And he found it quite by accident, as he began to rage soundlessly when he returned to the site where he had fallen. The body of his adversary remained there, the soul plucked out, and as Saelien spent some time there, wondering, growing angrier and angrier, his leaking reiatsu merged with the shell and transformed it. The body shifted and twisted and began to become a figure of ice and, eventually, became a body just like Saelien’s old form. With glee, Saelien touched the body, his body…and found himself staring at the Hueco Mundo once more through eyes. He was only slightly weaker than he had been before, a problem solved through consuming a handful of hollows, and then he returned to his pack, which still searched for him.

Now certain of his invincibility, Saelien led the group to Earth to see how the mortals were progressing. And progressing they were! Civilisations now stood in the mortal realm, buildings and wonders that Saelien had never had the chance to see with mortal eyes. Armed with a wicked blade of ice, Saelien began to kill humans, reminding himself of the taste, taking souls here and there, and his pack spread out, revelling in the slaughter until the shinigami began to arrive. They had sensed the massive hollow presence and there were a dozen black-robed figures to fight Saelien and his pack. At this time, the pack consisted of Saelien, his two loyal girls, all of whom were powerful Adjucas, and a handful of weaker Adjucas. Leading the shinigami were two Vice Captains, one from the 5th and one from the 11th – an odd combination, Saelien would later discover.

Regardless, it was a close fight. Saelien fought against one of the Lieutenants whilst his female allies fought the other, and his minions hurled themselves at the seated shinigami. The weaker beings slaughtered each other, but the girls were defeated by their opponent and although Saelien was winning his battle, he could not have defeated two Vice Captains. Saving the last of his pack from death, Saelien, the two females and one other hollow returned to the Hueco Mundo, now knowing the power of the individuals they were dealing with…the power of their enemy.

Saelien needed more power. He began his conquest of the Hueco Mundo anew, but with increased vigour. Hundreds fell to his blades, and almost as many had their souls consumed or otherwise taken, and Saelien’s power swelled until, inevitably, he reached the ultimate stage of hollow evolution – he became a Vasto Lorde. The path was not without losses, but they were irrelevant – the last of his lesser pack members died along the way, being torn apart by the female hollows in a fit of anger and hunger…the hollows that were now his only allies in the Hueco Mundo. But Saelien was content.

The question was, what to do with his power? Gather more people to his cause, perhaps? Once, he might have considered that, but in addition to being strong, Saelien’s mind was now near at full potential, and he was remarkably intelligent. No, he would see how many others had reached a level of power like he had in the Hueco Mundo, and then he would act. Saelien’s hollow consumption rate slowed down at this point – he devoured only the strongest that crossed his path, leaving the rest to his…lieutenants. Years passed as Saelien searched for Vasto Lorde, and he encountered one or two…but they were all obsessed with setting up their own little empires, ruling over a few dozen hollow colonies. They had no vision, but Saelien would make them see. He didn’t leave any of them without making an impression – no Vasto Lorde would forget him after the wounds he left them with.

But he also left each encounter with at least one injury. He was greater than his kin, than his peers, but he was not all powerful. Yet there were no further stages of hollow evolution to secure dominance…or so he thought. His lieutenants did some research, their wings taking them to the far corners of the Hueco Mundo…and when they returned, they had a different form, a different shape. No longer were they hollows – they now looked like beautiful women…human women, and they told Saelien their discovery. There was more power to be had by ripping free the mask and embracing the nature of ‘arrancar’. They had done so to see the worth of it, to see if it would suit their master…thanking them for such loyalty, Saelien followed suit.

And so the Cold Lord was born. As an arrancar, Saelien was now greater than all the hollows, and he was immortal and capable of taking their souls. He was the closest thing the Hueco Mundo had to divinity, although they were blissfully unaware. Yet the Hueco Mundo was too feral to truly tame without making all the hollows arrancar, and Saelien now wanted to flex his power, to take a position suitable for one of his status and rule a land. So, he sent the girls forth with a new mission – find other arrancar like themselves, or hollows willing to become arrancar, and gather them into a group. They would have one year to do this, and in that one year, Saelien would create a place for them to rule…on Earth.

THANATOS

Don’t you want to die?
Walk beside me evermore

Humans were, by nature, superstitious. They believed in gods – beings that ruled the skies and sea and underworld, beings of lightning and fire and death. When Saelien returned to Earth, he was quite amazed by how closely such descriptions could match his kin, the beings of the Hueco Mundo…and it did not take much time to discover that they were, perhaps, partially responsible for this development in mankind. Saelien found a group of arrancar early during his return to Earth, and he found them being worshipped by humans…humans that could see them, humans that brought screaming prisoners in front of their gods and slit their throats, spilling blood and freeing the soul for the arrancar to devour. Saelien found this…interesting. Interesting indeed, and he was reminded of his old name when he walked the sands as an Adjucas.

Saelien joined the group, unleashing his spiritual power and near crushing the lesser arrancar under it. No doubt spiritual alarms blazed within Soul Society and, as Saelien expected, shinigami were deployed to stop him. No less than a Captain and a few lesser shinigami to assist him, but in their foolishness, the Captain had forgotten to remove their limiter. This was the first Saelien had heard of the limiter, of course, but he did not give time for the Captain to grow stronger, to reach near his level. No, he began a slaughter as the humans watched on – the mighty Captain fell to his cold blade, as did all his companions, and not a single wound was left on Saelien. When he was done, he near turned his blade upon the other arrancar, but they too had fallen on their knees – they had witnessed one of their kind with immense powers destroy a Captain…how could they not be in awe?

So began the second group that would follow Saelien. The mortals saw him for what he was – Death – and they worshipped him. It was revealed that they had powers, and they brought sacrifices and offerings and gifts to Saelien…these things he gave more often than not to his followers, for he had no need of sacrifices, no need of mere mortal souls. The power they contained was too small, too insignificant. Of course, word spread through the city he dwelled within, and through the land, those who possessed spiritual power as a human whispering and praying – gods walked the land and amongst them was Death, or what they called Thanatos, himself.

Saelien may have made a name for himself, and may have found some loyal followers, but he needed to truly establish a power base. His worshippers treated him with no small amount of fear, for whilst at first they may have just called him Thanatos, they soon came to believe it. He soon came to truly earn the name in their eyes. For he was always watching, always observing, and when he saw a mortal with a power too great – with too much potential – he snuffed the life out of them, and any who dared to help them, any who dared to oppose him. The humans came to realise that, for all their worshipping and sacrifices, if Saelien desired death for any man or woman alive then it would happen. Death claimed all.

But that was not all. Soul Society did not tolerate the loss of a Captain lightly. There was an investigation – another of their kind sent down to see what could possibly have happened, for after the battle with the Captain, Saelien’s reiatsu had simply…vanished. He was of course suppressing it magnificently, and this too added to the fear that mortals had of him. If he did not wish to be found, then he would not be found – all one would feel would be the icy hand of death before he claimed their lives. So there were shinigami prowling the streets, searching for answers…and armed with a blade of ice, Saelien hunted the Death Gods, blade flickering when they first shivered in his unknown presence, taking lives like a mortal took breath.

The other gods, Saelien had little contact with, but he could see their work. Great temples, great places of worship…he refused such things. There was the potential that the shinigami would make a connection, and he would not let the hand he had had in the shaping of the world be known through architecture. Those who wished to meet him would either arrive under his terms, set by his arrancar, or would meet him in a far more fatal way. Quite simply, through fear and his blade, death ruled the streets, death ruled the city, and the only ones with the power to change that – the shinigami of Soul Society – eventually gave up on the situation when they lost too many agents to an unknown force. They could not dedicate any further resources to such an enigma, in a place that was not a spiritual nexus.

It was after this that Saelien returned temporarily to the Hueco Mundo, and brought the rest of the arrancar, including his lieutenants, to the mortal realm. What began was an era of worship – in return for souls, occasionally their own, the empowered mortals were given the chance of greater strength, of increasing their numbers through the generosity of their gods. Saelien had already been established as death, and when mortals were dying, he took his true form and claimed their souls, promising the mortals that he was sending them on to another world – when in truth, he was simply adding to his collection. His lieutenants were not so ‘kind’, and they prowled fields of battle and fights, finding those who were dying from wounds and feasting upon them. To the mortals, they became known as the Keres…a name that would stick with them forever.

There was only one significant battle over the years, over the decades that turned into centuries, as Saelien acted as Thanatos. He moved from city to city, his followers joining him, and the numbers of his forces grew, but there was one human that he eventually encountered that refused to bow to his will, a man who called himself ‘Heracles’, and he chose the most foolish of all choices – he fought Saelien. This man, this Fullbringer, had a simple enough power, but one that Saelien had not expected – so used to seeing interesting and odd abilities from that race, the power to simply be faster and stronger than whatever opponent he met was an odd one. And dangerous.

With that power, the mortal was able to surprise Saelien, dodge his strikes, and land the first blow against the arrancar, against Death, in over two hundred years. His fist struck Saelien in the chest, cracking more than one rib from the force, and causing blood to drip from Saelien’s mouth. His worshippers looked on in awe and terror, and Saelien knew that tales would be told of this day, tales of the man who had been able to overpower Death itself. But, victory was not for the mortal; he may have been faster and stronger, true, but he lacked protection against Saelien’s blades and, importantly, attacks such as bala and cero. When Saelien realised that this was a battle that could not be won easily with his blades, he simply lashed out with his spiritual powers, and the might eventually beat the brave warrior down.

Yet the human struck Saelien a few more times, leaving him wounded. Saelien claimed the soul of the mortal, showing all who witnessed the battle that even with strength and speed and courage, Death still ruled, Death was inevitable, and Saelien would always win. The corpse was given to the Keres, who had the body devoured before the blood ran cold. To restore his body, and the strength he had lost in the battle, Saelien slew two of the humans – for they were so very expendable – and took their souls. It was only here that his worshippers began to realise that there was little to be gained from serving Death – they were as much food as the beings they presented before him, for Saelien cared naught for the lives of anyone, anything, save himself.

So began the first Fullbringer Rebellion against Saelien. The humans chose to fight Thanatos rather than serve it, rather than to accept the inevitability of it all, and they clashed with the arrancar serving Saelien. It all ended in ruin for the humans – some escaped, but the rest were butchered by the arrancar. The battle laid waste to the land around them, however, and the power that had been unleashed attracted the attention of Soul Society once more, who did not waste any more time – they sent down two Captains to clean up the mess, and when the arrancar detected this, they realised their time on Earth was at an end. Looking back on the mortal world with what had evolved from mere contempt of the Fullbringers to disgust, Saelien returned to his world…and began to consider a new plan, a new vision for the future.

SUPREMACY

No angels, no saviour
Your pain will last forever

Saelien spent half his time now in the Hueco Mundo, leading his group, and the other half on Earth, observing how the culture progressed, keeping up to date with all the information, all the changes, and reminding the mortals of who he was. He did not search for those who had escaped him before – no, he simply travelled across Greece, taking souls and ever being proclaimed the God of Death and so offered more by the cowards who wished to live on. Once, Saelien might have viewed those efforts as foolish, pointless even, but now…now, the mortals who came before him and offered to kill others to please him had their own lives taken. The mortals who wanted to extend their lives by pleasing Death didn’t deserve to keep on living.

For only death could please Death. Saelien began to ponder what to do with his existence – he could take the mortal realm if he wished, he had seen how to do so, but he could not hold it, not so long as Soul Society existed. How then to get rid of Soul Society? They were much too powerful for his group to deal with, and only really a matching organisation in the Hueco Mundo could deal with such a problem. Saelien did consider, for a time, simply increasing the numbers of those with him until he had an army worthy of the name, and then striking Soul Society.

But that too was no good. The Hueco Mundo was designed for the strong to rule, but the weak were more than willing to backstab and cheat their way to the top. He couldn’t criticise that – he didn’t frown on any way a man had to use to achieve victory, but that was how it was. He was the closest thing the world had to a god, a true immortal – worshipped as Thanatos, with the power to survive death and the power to claim souls for his own, yet even then he could die, and in a world like Hueco Mundo, ruling a large army certainly increased the chances of that.

It was his Keres that gave him the idea that would later define Saelien. This idea led Saelien to appreciate the Keres even more – even though they were already his most trusted subordinates, his fiercest warriors and the closest thing he had to lovers even if he did not return the love they had for him. They became worth keeping alive in his eyes…for the idea they gave him was to kill all things. He was Death, was he not? If ruling a world of power was difficult, then ruling a world of the weak was the obvious solution. All powerful beings had to die – those with power like his and anyone near it. Anything as strong as his Keres would be left alive, and the rest would be damned.

IMMORTAL

Oh I’ve made up my mind
And oblivion shall reign through the night



RP Sample: Well, wasn't that unfortunate. Here he was, enjoying a little trip away from the darkness, away from the ever present gloom of the Hueco Mundo - escaping the synthetic light of Las Noches in favour of more natural light - only to find that fate, it seemed, had other plans for the day, and those plans did not include Saelien having a peaceful time on Earth. He found that almost depressing - one moment away, a chance to walk around and, ideally, avoid other spirits completely, be they arrancar, shinigami or hollow, all denied through a (whilst not entirely unforeseeable, but still unlikely) chance. He should have been the last one to be spotted by a stray shinigami, for even if they were weak, he should have been able to sense their reiatsu, whilst they couldn't do the same with him. Avoiding shinigami was a terribly easy task for one such as him once that was considered, because when they only had their eyes to rely on, well, what chance did they have, really?

Unfortunately, one could not so easily detect the reiatsu of a shinigami when they were wearing a gigai. On the other hand, if one could see Saelien, then they would find him quite strikingly not a human, and act appropriately. Now, he understood that it was in fact the rare shinigami that wandered around Earth in a gigai, on patrol, and there was usually only one per town, perhaps a few per city. What were the odds? Well, no matter how slim they were on paper, that was the reality for today. He had been merely sitting on a rooftop, under the rays of the sun - contrary to what some might have thought, he wasn't adverse to heat or sunlight, because in the end, he would always end up cool anywhere on Earth, being the Cold Lord - alternating between idly watching human activity nearby and reading a book. Not exciting, but not everything had to be so...and it was far more entertaining than the Hueco Mundo had been as of late - Espada being Espada, arrancar being…arrancar.

Alas, curious eyes had spotted him, and suddenly the spiritual pressures of shinigami had appeared, and behold! Two figures standing in the air before him. He could have run, of course. Sadly for the shinigami, he didn't feel much like running, and neither did they. However, they were but mere unseated officers, and he was, of course, Saelien. It was no contest.

Thus, Saelien had ended up standing in an alley – a surprisingly clean one, but an alley nonetheless, and quite devoid of life and inquisitive eyes alike - with two bodies lying against a wall, both breathing shallowly, both heavily wounded, and both staring up at Saelien with undisguised hatred and fury in their expressions. In stark comparison, Saelien had a somewhat disappointed look on his face - he was disappointed that he had been found, and equally disappointed that he had to act. A quick action, true, and he doubted the pair really understood what had happened before the blood started spraying. Not a drop touched Saelien's clothes, and the shinigami probably didn't feel pain. Better yet, their wounds were rather neat, precise...why, were it not for the blood, one would hardly tell the shinigami had been cut at all. But how often had this scene played out before? Arrancar being suddenly attacked by shinigami and defending themselves?

Not often. Shinigami were often refined, reserved beings, whilst arrancar were battle loving brutes. Sad but true. Truth be told, he had not really been attacked - the pair didn't have time for that. They knew he wasn't a shinigami, but they couldn't sense his reiatsu. Thus, confirming what he was wasn't so easy. They started off more curious than anything, but curiosity could be fatal, and Saelien didn't really want to answer their questions before being forced to kill them. Two shinigami like this were hardly high on his list of things to kill; they were not really on the list at all. However, as it was, it looked like they would die from exsanguination. Both had been cut at around waist level, but it was a deep cut, stretching from the side to near the spine, and importantly, it was a cut straight through their bodies. A human would already be dead, and even a shinigami would pass away within a few more minutes at best.

So why had he not left, leaving them to die? Leaving before more shinigami arrived, and he was potentially forced to take further action? Ah, this wasn't his style at all, killing people so directly, so...unnecessarily. Too easily noticed, and too much effort for him, really. This was a random act of murder from a different age in Saelien’s long life. Although it was fitting that the pair would die here - out of sight, away from both humans and spirits, unknown and left with only each other for company as they died. Such a sad story indeed. He was probably needed back in the Hueco Mundo anyway; he couldn't be gone for too long, after all. If he left others to their own devices, he dreaded to think what he would return to. Questions, most likely. Being the Fraccion to the Primera had its advantages, but the questions could have vanished and Saelien would not have complained.

But for some reason, he decided to stay. There was a certain look in his eyes that dared the pair to speak up, to damn him through words, but they didn't even try. Just glares filled with venom. He decided that if any other shinigami were going to arrive, it would be around about now - he knew they had systems in place to track the shinigami on Earth. As it happened, there was a...certain reason why he remained. There was an opportunity here, no matter how minor. If it wasn't worth his time, and shinigami arrived and merely attacked, he would just leave a few more bodies in the alley before leaving, but if not...well, maybe the day could become slightly better than being spent reading a book.

No matter how fine a book it was.