Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

' Intriguing ' he thought, standing at the threshold of the rift, eyes narrowing as he peered into the unknown. This wasn't the familiar world he had shaped over time. No, this was something else-something tantalizingly beyond. He reached out, probing the edges of this newfound existence, a discovery was made that sent a thrill through the cold, calculating void. 

A world of spirits, divided into different realms. A world where powerful beings governed the boundary between life and death. But they were not alone. This world was also home to other entities, creatures born of darkness and despair wearing white masks, and bow wielding warriors who sought to annihilate said spirits. To the presence hovering at the edge of this new world, these beings were not just guardians or hunters, they were a vast untapped source of power. 

A cold thrill spread through the darkness as possibilities began to unfold. This Soul Society, as it was called, was a realm filled with energy unlike anything encountered before. This energy, Reishi they called it, flowed through the spirits, sustaining them, fueling their abilities. It was a power ripe for exploitation, a force that could be harnessed to serve a far greater purpose.

He extended his hand, talons brushing against the boundary of this new world. The Soul Society, with its ancient traditions and rigid order, had no knowledge of the darkness now lurking at its doorstep. They were blissfully unaware of the predator that had discovered them, of the doom that awaited. This was no mere conquest. It was a mission-the world was broken and needed to be remade. Humanity was flawed, weak, and corrupt. The pain and suffering that plagued the world were symptoms of this inherent decay. And so, he would take it upon himself to cleanse the world of its imperfections. These new realms were no different.

These realms presented a fresh challenge. The powerful beings, bounded by strict codes of honor and duty, noble yet blinded by their rigid adherence to tradition. Their strength undermined by their inability to adapt and deeply rooted arrogance. Their pride blinding them. 

The masked creatures, driven by insatiable hunger and primal instincts, powerful but chaotic. Their lack of unity made them easy to manipulate, their single-minded pursuit of devouring souls left them vulnerable to deception. They were creatures of instinct, consumed by desires, and in their madness lay the seeds of their destruction. 

The warriors, with their relentless drive to eradicate the creatures, were disciplined and formidable, but their obsession was also their greatest weakness. Their hatred for the creatures blinded them to greater threats, and their reliance on their destructive powers made them inflexible. Their desire for vengeance consumed them, leaving little room for anything else, and in that narrow focus, they too could be exploited. 

Each group, so different yet so intertwined, were vulnerable in their own ways, and he knew exactly how to exploit those vulnerabilities. With dark intent, a new plan began to take shape. Each realm would fall into chaos. He would infiltrate these worlds, twist their inhabitants, and turn their own powers against them. The balance they fought so hard to maintain would be shattered, and in its place, his own order will take hold. 

They will all fall. These worlds will crumble. He withdrew from the rift, retreating into the depths. But even as he departed, his essence lingered. A creeping shadow that would soon descend upon the unsuspecting realms. They all had no idea what was coming for them. 

For he will become the predator he was always born to be...

Chapter Text

5th Division Barracks, Momo’s room, Soul Society

If you told Momo Hinamori she was having the worst week of her life, it’d be the understatement of the millenia. Long shadows casted across her quarters, dark as the thoughts storming her mind. All by her lonesome, all huddled up on her futon. The week's events weighed on her like an anvil; Aizen’s betrayal, the lies she’d believed, the unforgivable moment when she raised her blade against Captain Hitsugaya. To add on top of that, Shinigami on patrol have begun disappearing without a trace and Hollow activity dropped to near zero. The entire Gotei 13 were on alert. Unsurprisingly, Aizen was being blamed for it. The silence was oppressive.

Momo still refused to believe it. Captain Aizen must be being manipulated by that cretin Gin or someone else. He must’ve had a good reason for doing such awful things! Those thoughts only compounded with the unnatural chill growing in the air. The silence was oppressive. Unbearable.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

A low, rhythmic ticking sound broke through the silence. Momo immediately jumped up, drawing Tobiume out of its sheath. The air chilled like ice, a cold shiver ran down her spine. She stood up, her gaze darting around the room, her breathing shallow. “Hello?” “Who’s there?” she whispered, her voice trembling. The ticking grew louder as she got closer to her door. Slowly opening it, an old, tall, antique grandfather clock appeared against the wall across from her. Its dark wood, worn and twisted, the clock face cracked. Initial confusion gave way to terror as countless spiders crawled out of the cracks. Momo’s breath quickened with panic, her grip on Tobiume turning her knuckles white. She ran down the hall, yelling for help “Is anybody here?!?!” No response, just the dark empty void and continuous ticking. She ran to the barracks entrance, the ticking taunting her loudly. She slammed the sliding door open, only to find it boarded up. She tried slashing the boards, not even a nick. “Hadō #54. Haien!” she called out, launching the Kido spell out of her hand. Not even the purple fire could burn it. Tears streamed down her face with terror. “HELP ME!!!” She screamed. And then, she heard it—a voice, soft yet malicious. “Momo…” She froze, her blood turning to ice. 

She knew that voice…

Back in Soul Society…

Rangiku Matsumoto strolled through the quiet corridors, a gentle smile on her face as she carried a basket full of treats to Momo’s quarters. Ever since Aizen’s betrayal and the disappearances, Momo had been keeping to herself. Rangiku wanted to lift her spirits, even if just for a little while. Stopping outside Momo’s door, Rangiku knocked lightly, calling out in her usual cheerful tone. "Yoohoo, Momo! It’s Rangiku! I brought you some goodies. Just wanted to check up on you. Thought we could chat a bit?"

Only silence greeted her.

Rangiku knocked again, a bit louder. “Come on, Momo! Don’t make me wait outside like a stranger!" She chuckled softly, trying to keep the mood light, but the silence on the other side of the door left an unsettling feeling in her chest.

Worry setting in, she knocked thrice “Momo? Is everything alright?” Still silent. Her once playful expression turned into concern. “I’m coming in, okay?" As she slid the door open, her concerned expression faltered into apprehension. Momo stood in the middle of the room, back facing the door. Arms limp at her sides, body still as stone. 

Rangiku laid the basket on the ground and cautiously approached Momo. "Momo…" Rangiku’s voice softened, concerned that something was wrong. She walked around to face her friend…only for her heart to drop. Momo’s eyes were milky and clouded over, her expression blank and empty, her face drained of life. "Momo! Are you alright?!" Rangiku reached out, gripping her friend’s shoulders, a tremor in her voice. "Momo, this isn’t funny anymore!". Momo’s gaze still blank, apprehension turned into terror “Momo, snap out of it, it’s me, Rangiku! Momo!!”

Back to ?????

In the suffocating hellscape, Momo turned toward the figure, Tobiume in front of her, desperately trying to keep composure only to fail. “Captain… Aizen?” Her voice cracked as she called out, desperate yet fearful. Her heart dropped as he stood there. Calm and composed, his familiar gentle smile etched onto his face, but his eyes held a sinister glint she had never seen before. 

“Momo…” he spoke her name softly, almost tenderly, as he took a step closer. “There’s no need to be afraid? Don’t you trust me?” Her grip on her Zanpakuto tightened, her heart pounding like a steamhammer. “This… this can't be real,” she stammered, her voice trembling. The weight of his presence suffocated her, making it hard to breathe. “Y-you betrayed us… betrayed me…” Aizen tilted his head, his smile widening, but there was no warmth in his eyes—only cold amusement. “Ah, yet you believed me, didn’t you? Clinging to my every word, my every order. Even when I left you a simple letter, you followed it to the end, didn’t you? Almost killing your dear friend in the process.” Her mind reeled as the memories surged forward—the day she’d found Aizen’s supposed letter after his “death”, the one he’d left behind to frame Toshiro Hitsugaya. She remembered her own hands shaking as she’d raised her blade against Toshiro, a person who had been like a brother to her. The pain, betrayal, shame surging back like a typhoon.

"No… no! I didn’t… I didn’t want to… I-I thought…!" Momo cried, clutching her head, trying to block out the memory. “Oh, but you did, didn’t ya?” another voice rang out—smooth and sinister. To her left appeared Gin Ichimaru, his usual fox-like grin stretching wide as he looked down at her with mocking amusement. "You really thought you were so special, didn’t ya?" Gin’s voice filled with mocking amusement. "A loyal little tool, so ready to do anything for your precious captain. So ready to kill anyone he told you to." Momo hyperventilated as panic settled in her chest. Tobiume trembled in her hands as she tried to steady herself, their words cutting into her like a scalpel. 

"You tried to kill me, Momo. All because you believed a lie, too delusional to see the truth." To her right appeared Hitsugaya, his gaze cold and disappointed. “Shiro…” her voice broke, tears streaming like waterfalls as she took a shaky step back against the boards. “I… I-I didn’t… I-I was…” “Was what?!” Hitsugaya’s voice raised, yet still cold. “You tried to kill me, Momo! You’re nothing but a burden! Too weak to face what’s in front of her!” The world began spinning, her vision blurred from tears and agony. When she picked herself up, the shadows shifted, and there it stood…

Back in Momo’s Room

"Momo, wake up!!!" Rangiku’s voice was filled with desperation as she tried to snap her friend out of the trance. She had tried everything; snapping her fingers, shaking Momo, clapping her hands in front of Momo’s face. Nothing. She remained still as a mountain. “Please wake up, it’s me!” Rangiku desperately pleaded, voice breaking. As she continued pleading, Momo’s body began levitating off the ground, feet inches away from the floor, arms still hanging at the sides. Tobiume fell out of her grasp and clattered on the floor. Rangiku fell back in shock, eyes widening in horror “Momo…?” 

Back in ?????

The creature towered over Momo. Tall and monstrous. Its flesh, charred yet moist. Its face, twisted and grotesque. A cruel, clawed hand reaching out toward her, each finger elongated into sharp, deadly points. Momo desperately swung at it… 

SLASH-

…Only for the creature to block the strike with just two fingers, casually flinging the Zanpakuto out of her hands as it embedded in the walls. She could only whimper in fear as the talons soon loomed over her face. “Don’t cry, Momo” it said almost soothingly “It’ll all be over soon”. The talons then locked around her face…

Back in Momo’s Room

What Rangiku thought was just a bad dream turned into an incomprehensible nightmare. Momo’s limbs soon bent at unnatural angles with a sickening crack, her jaw dislocating, hanging slack in a silent scream. Rangiku hyperventilated uncontrollably at the sight of her best friend breaking like a gruesome marionette. Momo’s once gentle, warm eyes imploded, leaving hollow, bleeding voids. Rangiku could only scream in sheer horror, as her best friend’s mangled corpse fell to the ground…

Chapter Text

Hi guys!

I'm so sorry with the late update. I haven't abandoned the fic but I've been struggling a lot right now with school and life so i'm putting it on hold. Chapter 3 will most likely come out sometime in Summer. I'm so sorry if anyone is frustrated.Thank you for your patience.