Arc I: The Raven's Pack

Chapter 1: The Proposition

Hueco Mundo.

A lifeless, barren desert kept alit by an eternal moonlit night. It is here in this world that spirits known as Hollows roam and claim the vast desert as their home. Unless it's to go hunting in the world of the living, the light of day was an anomaly to most who resided in this world. All Hollows live most of their lives in the Great Forest of Menos, going about their routines which revolve lazing about, hunting for tasty morsels in the world of the living, or feasting on their counterparts to grow even stronger or they themselves will be consumed. There are no known rules in the forest or in Hueco Mundo only the strongest are to survive in such a harsh environment but everyone knows that in this world, it's either kill or be killed.

However, it is above the darkened forest that the remainder of their life takes place and compared to said forest, Hueco Mundo is a harsh wasteland that serves as a reminder to those that death is a relevant factor in this world. In the words of a few who have lived longer in this world due to their natural ability to survive, The Menos Forest serves as a training ground while Hueco Mundo itself is the true test of survival. If one cannot last long within the small enclosure of the forest, than they will certainly die in the open regions of the desert itself.

In the distance was a Hollow that leaped across the bleached desert. A stream of fresh blood ran down its maw after it feasted on it's last meal and it quickly searched its next victim. It was an Adjucha-class Hollow that had the body of a lizard. It was roughly 10 feet tall with huge curved claws and small spikes on its body. It also had blood dripping down its jaw from its last kill but despite this the Adjuchas was still hungry so it can gain more power. As a young Gillian the Adjucha was intelligent, cunning, agile, and stealthy as it fed on its kind. Now as an Adjuchas it uses the skills even more as a mass murdering machine.

The Adjucha now stopped on a Cliffside which gave it a large vantage point as it surveyed the area. A low, guttered growl escaped the demons drenched maw as it scanned for new prey to feast upon before sensing something down below. It's sharp eyes quickly glanced down and it saw a small individual standing in the middle of the desert without any concern of its surroundings. Due to it's perfect vision, the lizard Hollow examined this unknown individual, taking in its appearance.

The being held the appearance of a normal human as it stood at a height of 5'11ft tall with long, translucent black, fading into white hair that stopped at its upper back along with bleached white skin with the exception of its hands and feet which were black with talon-like claws for nails. Its white body was adorned with black fur/feather-like tufts with a large pattern starting from its collarbone and stretching around the neck, a large patch covering each of its shoulders, and smaller tufts on each of its wrists and ankles. Around the beings waist was a bundle of this fur/feather-like material which took the form of a large robe that concealed its legs yet left its clawed feet exposed. It's face, like any other hollow, was completely obscured by a mask with two swept back horns which were black compared to the rest of the white mask though given that its back was turned the Hollow couldn't see the rest of the features the mask held. The one notable feature about the humanoid which made it stand out were a pair of large, black, feathered wings on it's back.

The Adjucha stared at the small being with a look of annoyance seeing that it was the only thing in its sight. Even for a Hollow its size, the being wasn't radiating any Reiatsu, let alone could it be considered to be an appetizer given its appearance. Though food was food and in this world feasting on those considered weak was beneficial for survival. Shrugging off all doubts it was having, the Hollow lept from the high ground and landed on the dunes below with a heavy thud. Whether or not the Hollow before him heard him didn't faze the Adjucha as it began approaching the inattentive being. After taking about three steps however, a gust of wind brushed against its smooth skin and then...a voice spoke.

"Turn back…"

The voice was ominously chilling to the bone, and the Hollow could have sworn that it came from its mind or the wind itself. Regardless of the warning however, the demon continued forward, its maw slightly opening allow a dark blue tongue to slither forth and slide it against its serrated teeth. Though as it took another step the Adjucha was greeted again by a gust of wind, this one stronger than the last one.

"It seems my words didn't get through to your simple mind."

Upon hearing the voice again, scanned the area as it tried to find out where the voice was coming from. Though no matter where it looked the Hollow didn't find any life and the only two here were itself and the small being before it. At that moment Adjucha snapped its attention to the smaller Hollow only to see that the humanoid demon had turned to face its antagonizer with empty eye sockets gazing into its red ones. Running down said holes were two black markings which stretched past its eye sockets down to the chin. The mask itself held no mouth leaving the beings face mouthless with the only features being hollowed out eye holes and what's more was its hollow hole. It was located in the center of its chest however it was filled in with mesh of black biomass of some sort as black and dark violet veins pulsated around it. The Adjucha merely stared at the small beings odd appearance but merely shrugged off any concern as it growled.

"This is your last warning. Turn…back."

The Adjucha furrowed its eyes as if agitated.

Was this tiny thing trying to threaten him?

"Tch…you would dare talk back to me you worm! You are nothing but a small rat in size compared to me." The Adjucha roared, "I have consumed hundreds of Hollows, some even more formidable even for me. You…are nothing but a mere appetizer to boost my power and you dare threaten me! Your death will be agonizing fool!"

Without any more to say, the Lizard Hollow sprung forward with blinding speed. It gaping maw releasing an earsplitting roar while its claws were outstretched towards the smaller hollow. It's hostility however was met when a dark blue projectile intercepted the demon and quickly evisceratedits upper body. Blood, innards and chunks of meat splattered across the sandy ground beneath before the remains of the Hollows corpse crashed onto the ground after. Its carcass trembled from the after effects for a few seconds before slumping lifelessly on the sands beneath it, its solid form slowly deteriorating into black spirit particles. The lone Hollow watched the body deteriorate into nothing and simply scoffed as it turned back too gazing at the crescent moon above.

How much time has passed since I've been here?

It feels like Years…Centuries…Eons…either way; all I've seen throughout this land so far is death. Just like all the others I've encountered that Adjucha was no different. Arrogant, boastful, and egoistic about their power and each of them still desire more and tempt fate by trying to kill me. As tiresome as it is…even I've fallen into the cycle of killing.

Well, to a certain extent.

Though this is the nature of this darkened world I suppose.

Kill or be Killed.

Though, I can't say that all of them are that way. Others that I have met during my life here have managed to steer clear. They at least have the intellect to understand that they stand no chance against me and in return I let them live. No reason to kill someone who doesn't wish to confront me with malicious intent.

I see no reason to since I'm a Vasto Lorde. Well, that's what they all called me if I can remember.

A name for Hollows who've attained the highest evolved form and something akin to the highest chain of command in the Hollow world as well. I know that we Vasto Lorde are few in numbers and throughout my time here I only know of two whom I encountered.

One of them was named Barragan Luisenbarn if I could remember. A pompous, wrathful, and ambitious hollow who proclaims himself to be "King of Hueco Mundo". A Hollow whose own arrogance knows no bounds and sees himself akin to a god in this world. I remember that I was "graciously invited" to have an audience with the King himself and how he gave me a 'Grand Offer' to kneel before him and serve under his rule as all Hollows should.

I chose my own option that day and I still remember the old fool's words.

"You will regret the day you were born you insignificant worm! Do you honestly think there's a place in Hueco Mundo that you can hide? This world is my land, I know all and see all! Run and Hide all you like but I rule over these lands! Those who oppose the God of Hueco Mundo will be executed!"

I still deal with that fool every waking moment and his underlings due to my 'Foolish choice'. Though not a day passes by that I regret denying his offer. A Hollow serving under another that claims to be king of a world filled with monsters.

What a joke.

King, God…it doesn't matter who you are. Everyone who thinks in such a foolish manner in this world is the same.

The second Vasto Lorde however, was one of many mysteries during our first encounter. My early stages as an Adjucha are still vague but this encounter is the one that I will always remember.

I can safely say, this Vasto Lorde was different compared to the rest I've met so far.

Dubbed as 'The Shark Empress', and a terror to most male Hollows, Tia Harribel. She was the first individual I didn't hold any hate towards nor did I feel the need to feed on her when I was younger. It's still odd and no matter how many times I dwell on that topic I can never come up with any conclusions as to why I reacted the way I did. To this day, I still don't know why. During our first encounter she was wary of me and merely kept her distance from me when we made contact with one another.

Yet I was persistent and followed her until she managed to elude me.

Our second encounter however...was when she tried to kill me. I can't blame her really, I'm a random Hollow and to her I'm another meal or another enemy. Though on that day everything changed when we were surrounded by those who decided to attack us while we were preoccupied with one another. Despite it being short encounters, it was those encounters…ironically…that made things interesting in my life.

After that incident I decided to follow her around a bit more but from afar and out of curiosity. She noticed my presence and kept her guard up every now and then but still chose to tolerate my antics but overtime she's allowed me to follow her around by her side as her companion. She's opened up to me as we traveled together revealing a kind, caring, compassionate side that I didn't think Hollows could have. She was the only female Hollow I've ever encountered in my life and compared to all other Hollows, she's showed me some form of...affection. Parting ways with Harribel-sama was hard but I didn't want to burden her after all that she's done. Thinking about it now; I hope she's doing okay. I haven't visited her in a while now that I think about it and I doubt she knows that I have evolved into a Vasto Lorde…maybe I should pay her one.

I hope I don't intrude her in whatever affairs she's…

…

…

'What's happening over there?'

There was something going on over the horizon which got my attention. I can see smoke drifting into the darkened night and if that wasn't there I could still sense the congregation of Hollows.

A rather large group of them.

Odd…the group has remnants of that old fools Reiatsu so they're his men; however they don't know I'm here nor have I given any indication where I am. Must be a hunting party than but they're going after rather weak prey; two of them if anything.

Now I'm curious.

Far off in the distance was a group of Hollows comprised of eleven Adjuchas and a Vasto Lorde that took the appearance of a wasp, the latter of whom was overseeing the situation before them as the Adjuchas surrounded two Hollows. These two of course were Adjuchas that held an appearance similar to bugs.

The first Adjucha had the appearance of a centipede who's lower half resembled that of the arthropods insects with bladed spikes for legs yet her upper body held a feminine human shaped torso as she possessed two large, tentacle-like appendages for arms which seemed to hold a similar appearances to a centipede though with a distinct lack of a head, and two large antennae sprouted from her head. It's Hollow hole was also located alongside the centipede half of her body along with pink markings etched on her armored body which matched her glowing pink eyes from behind her mask.

The second Adjucha had the appearance of a scorpion as her lower body held the arachnids form with eight sharp legs with bladed feet along with the long, segmented tail with a stinger attached to it and a pair of armored, grasping claws on her lower body yet her front, much like the centipedes, held a feminine human shaped torso had almost human like arms with bladed extensions coming from her torso and was painted in similar markings much like the centipede but with green instead of pink which matched her glowing green eyes behind her mask.

It was also noted that despite the different appearances, their masks were identical which was quite an unusual coincidence.

Both Hollows appeared to be heavily wounded and exhausted as they struggled to stand and defend themselves all while their aggressors snickered and sneered at the weakened forms of their prey.

"You thought you could steal from his Majesty and get away with your transgressions?" The wasp Vasto Lorde sneered in a raspy voice. "You two scavenging thieves have been a thorn for far too long. The penalty for that is death!"

The two Hollows backed away as the Adjuchas approached to deal the killing blow but the two bugs still had fight left in them. Two of the closests Adjucha's were caught off guard when the Centipede wrapped the Hollows between her bladed legs and unleashed a torrent of poison on the duo while the scorpion dodged a massive fist from one Adjucha and violently stabbed him with her stinger tipped tail as she injected the demon multiple times with her venom.

Despite their attempt to protect themselves from their aggressors, the two were immediately brought down by the Vasto Lorde who blasted them both with a weakened Cero. The resulting attack left the two heavily wounded with slight burn marks and were quickly surrounded by the remaining Adjuchas.

"Your attempts, while amusing are all pointless." The wasp sneered before glancing at his subordinates, "Finish them off."

"My...isn't this a sight."

The voice caused every individual to cease what they were doing when the voice filled their minds and it was followed by an approaching presence. Turning their attention to the source of this unnerving feeling building within them, everyone was greeted with terror and fear. All eyes landed on the infamous raven Vasto Lorde, who stood off to the side with a neutral expression. Many seemed to back away fearfully once their gaze had landed on the Hollow and even the leader of all of them felt a tinge of fear given that before them all was the one person they least expected.

"It's him…"

"The Shadow."

"The Night itself."

"Oh…this is bad."

"Is that really him!?"

"What's he doing here?"

"This isn't good, this isn't good."

"We should run while we can."

"He's going to slaughter us."

Due to his acute hearing, he listened to the whispers of dismay from the various Adjuchas gathered but paid them no mind nor did he seemed to display any concern for the situation as he observed the situation. Glancing over at the group of Hollows, he watched as they gasped or tensed up when his gaze landed on each of them as if inspecting each one of their forms. All of the Adjuchas looked as if they were going to run away all while the lead Vasto Lorde watched with vigilance.

Turning away from the gathered Hollows he turned to the two Adjuchas, both of them wounded and exhausted while gazing at the Vasto Lorde in fear just like the others before them.

"What are you doing here…Raven." asked the wasp-like Vasto Lorde in a raspy voice, his eyes narrowing as if trying to be intimidating but also to hide his growing fear.

There was silence, the raven still gazing eerily at the two weakened Adjuchas without so much as even blinking and after so long he turned away from them; placing his gaze on the wasp. The Hollow shuddered slightly but still remained vigilant and firm as he challenged the raven's cold gaze. Reluctantly, much to everyone's surprise he spoke.

"Oh…don't mind me. I'm just passing by, you can continue with your...event f you want."

The eerie voice passed through each of their minds yet after hearing those words, some of the Adjuchas calmed themselves while others still stayed on guard, especially the Vasto Lorde while terror seemed to heighten within the two bug Hollows. Even though his words were meant to show no hostility it still left most of the Hollows on guard.

"Even if you're passing by, you know very well you're wanted by his majesty after what you did!?" The Wasp insisted in an adamant tone but decided to be peaceful about the situation, "This here doesn't concern you Raven. None of us want to fight you and I know for certain you don't want to fight us. Even if his Majesty wishes for your head, I'm willing to let this encounter slide and forget you were here. So, let us just finish our hunt, and we'll be on your way."

There was a moment of silence after those words and everyone waited as the raven seemed to be thinking over the proposition that he was given. It was a long, silent moment, the stress and anxiety had already gotten to most of the lower ranked Hollows as some seemed to shiver and twitch uncontrollably and even the Vasto Lorde grew impatient and worried due to how long the humanoid remained silent. Though they were graced when a hum emitted from the being as it finally spoke.

'You do make a fair point and a rather generous offer. After all, this doesn't concern me whatsoever and this is your hunt that I have interrupted. So…I shall allow accept your kindness and allow you all to continue your endeavors'

Hearing that, the Hollows seemed to finally feel relief as each of them glanced at one another with looks reassurance. Even the Vasto Lorde himself relaxed knowing that they avoided a crisis with a Hollow that could end them with ease.

'However…'

Just as the relief had arrived, it quickly vanished as all eyes were on the raven who gazed eerily at them. Raising a finger, all of the Adjuchas flinched and backed away as everyone watched his hand warily until it was landed at the centipede and scorpion Adjuchas. The two of which who were staring at the Vasto Lorde with equal amount of fear.

'These two, leave with me as tribute.'

"WHAT!?" The leader practically shouted with a look of utter disbelief, "On what grounds are we obligated to give up our prey!"

'For wasting my time.'

It was then that the atmosphere around everyone slowly changed as the tense moment they once had now changed to one of hostility.

"You must be joking. What gives you the right to take our prey, our meal Raven!? By decree of Hueco Mundo, this is ours for the taking! You should go ahead a leave!" The leader growled with a dangerous look in his eyes.

'Give me the right? That's a new one. You honestly expect me to leave here expecting myself to not get anything after having my time wasted by a group of nobodies. Out here, there are no rules, no law. Everything that is law is made up by the pompous fool that you all listen to. All of you, are very well witnessing the presence of death and you are tempting him to reconsider his offer."

As the Vasto Lorde continued on speaking, most of the Adjuchas had grown furious and nervous given that they were already in a dangerous predicament while their leader watched with a placate expression as everyone listened as the raven continues his monologue.

'I will repeat myself and hopefully…you all accept my offer given the mercy I have left. You can all leave here with your lives intact as well as leaving these two here as tribute. In doing so I'll forget everything that's happened here and you'll continue with your lives. If not than…everyone here…dies.'

A gust of wind blew across the sandy dunes as the congregation of Hollows glared down at one another. It was than that the Vasto Lorde started chuckling, much to everyone's shock as some of his underlings wondered if he lost it but then he stopped his hysterical laughter and stared down raven Vasto Lorde with annoyance and realization.

"I figured it all out. Yeah…that's it. There's no reason for us to be scared or to fear you Raven. You wanna know why?" He declared with confidence before pointing a finger at the raven, "You're nothing but a fake!"

This caught everyone's attention, from his underlings, to the wounded Hollows, to even the raven Vasto Lorde himself who merely gazed back at the lead Hollow as if unamused.

"The feared and powerful Raven, the one who's decimated everyone in his path, slaughters those who bother him, and rules in the darkened desert is nothing but a fake! All you really are is a scavenger, a weakling who's reached such power by going after those who are already weakened after fighting and feasting on already dead victims! I mean really, if you wanted to you could have killed us instead of chatting about or better yet; you wouldn't even bother coming here to begin with."

"Yeah he's right." One Adjucha spoke up.

"No way he's that strong." Another added.

"Boss has a point."

"Yeah, yeah, this guy is probably a fake."

The morale in the Adjuchas slowly rose as they all stared confidently and eagerly at the lone Vasto Lorde before them, each of them wanting to tear him apart all while their leader gave the order.

"Go, kill the bastard in the name of his majesty! Make him suffer for his impudence!" He declared.

All of them roared out, their voices echoing throughout the desert as each of the Hollows charged towards their target, eager to sink their teeth and claws into him.

"Yeah kill him!"

"Kill the fake!"

"Take his life!"

"We have the advantage here not him!"

"He can't take all of us on at once!"

The Adjuchas closed in on the raven, roars and howls emitting loudly as they zeroed on their target. The wasp Vasto Lorde stood behind the pack, waiting for any opening so he himself could deal the final blow to the fool before him.

"The fool, even he can't fight all those Adjuchas and us all at once." The leader chuckled while watching his subordinates charge, "Those that defy his majesty will die and with his death things will be easier for his majesty without a nuisance like the Raven."

'Really? Then, the old fool is going to be really angry when you don't return."

The wasps eyes widened in horror as he quickly turned to see him adversary standing behind them. Without giving him a second to react, he quickly leapt away and took flight as he tried getting some distance away from the Hollow.

"How the hell did he get behind me!? I were staring right at him!" He thought before shouting at his underlings, "YOU IDIOTS! GO AND KI-"

He didn't finish his sentence when his got glimpse of his men, or what was left of them anyway. Their corpses littered the sandy grounds below, some of them were even beginning to dissipating into Reiatsu before his eyes.

"Wh-what? When did he-GAH!"

The wasp received a hard kick in the face before crashing into the sandy ground below while the raven landed soon after and slowly approached the down Hollow.

"I'm normally not one for small talk, but it seems Barragans men are growing weaker and weaker as time goes by. It's sad really." He said in a mocking tone as he stopped before the downed Vasto Lorde, 'Though, this is the choice you made so I don't feel any pity for you."

He was greeted with a cold, malevolent gaze as the Hollow quickly spun to face the Vasto Lorde and fired off a yellow cero from the tip of his Stinger bladed hand. The surprise attack engulfed the ravens body before he had any time to react and the wasp laughed maniacally. When he finished the attack and the smoke cleared, he saw the ground smoldering and no sign of his opponent.

"HAH! How's that for weak you bastard! Feel the might of King Barragan's strongest!" He shouted.

"If you're his strongest than I can't help but feel some pity for the old fool if this is what his army is capable of." A voice said from behind.

Terror filled the Hollow as he quickly spun around and was greeted to a finger pointed to directly in his face. His body trembled as he now understood the grave mistake he made and before he could utter a single word, his body was engulfed by a red cero and when it finished there was no trace of the Vasto Lorde. The battle was over as quickly as it began with the raven standing over the remains of those that tried to kill him. It couldn't even be considered as a fight due to how one-sided the battle was and how underpowered his opponents were. Both the centipede and scorpion merely gawked at their 'savior' and processed what had happened before uttering a few words due to their shock.

"H-he...he decimated all of them as if they were nothing. eight Adjuchas and a Vasto Lorde...slaughtered with ease."

"He...he saved us. Out of all the Hollows in Hueco Mundo, we were saved by him."

Hearing their voices, the Vasto Lorde quickly turned his attention to the two wounded Hollows as if startled by their presence. Due to his sudden reaction however, they quickly tensed up and shivered in terror as his ominous gaze had landed on them now.

"Sh-Shit! We shouldn't have said anything." The centipede said in worry as she struggled to get herself in a stance.

"S-Spare us p-please. W-we didn't mean to start any problems." The scorpion begged as she trembled in fear.

The dreaded Hollow was eerily silent as he studied the two of them for a second. He noticed the wounds on each of them. They weren't life threatening or severe but he knew that they needed rest in order to heal. Averting his gaze from the two he glanced over at the remaining bodies of the Adjucha he slaughtered and approached them without a word while the two eyed him with suspicion. He stopped before the bodies and examined them for a moment, leaving his back turned to the wounded females which gave them some time to whisper to each other.

"Wh-what is he going too do to us?" The scorpion whimpered, her body trembling in fear as he glanced, "He'll kill us before we even realise it."

"Fuck that, I'm not waiting around for my death. C'mon we have to leave now while we can" The centipede growled as she struggled to stand up but failed miserably, "Dammit, I'm too weak to even get up. Those damn assholes."

The scorpion tried doing the same, her body trembling as she tried to stand but collapsed back on the sandy ground in a heap, "I-I...can't stand up either. This is bad."

Before either of them could think of some idea or allow fear to consume them, they were startled at the sight of two corpses landing before them. Both of them ogled the bodies in bewilderment before glancing up at the Vasto Lorde who was meeting their confused gaze with a look of indifference.

"Eat."

"Y-You're n-not going too k-kill us?" The scorpion questioned, not trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"I'm not going to kill either of you. Unless you give me a really good reason to do so. Now eat, you're both weak by the looks of it and you need to regain your strength."

Despite being blunt and honest with his answer it didn't ease the tension between the three of them. Though due too their wounds and the growing hunger within, the two Hollows complied with his order began wolfing down the corpses he handed to them. The raven observed the two, watching as they wasted no time too devour the meal before them and felt strength returning to their once frail forms. Once they finished and ate their fill, both Adjuchas struggled to their feet again but this time without much of a problem like before. They still felt sore and the wounds on they received were still burning with pain but the two managed to endure it as they gazed at the silent Vasto Lorde.

"What are your names?"'

He watched them both, the two appearing hesitant as they traded looks of confusion and seemed to contemplate whether or not they should answer. As much of an annoyance this was the Vasto Lorde appeared patient with the ordeal but also seemed to be in his thoughts while waiting for a response

"Menoly...Mallia..." The Scorpion said softly

After uttering those words the two watched as he flinched for a second and turned to the scorpion. Realising that he probably didn't hear her, she cleared her throat and spoke again.

"I-I'm Menoly M-Mallia. You can...just c-call me Menoly if you want." She stuttered in slight embarrassment and nervousness.

"Menoly...that's a nice name you have." He replied sincerely, causing Menoly to fluster due to his comment. He noticed her expression change but didn't seem to care as he turned to the Centipede.

"Loly Aivirrne. That's all you need to know." Hissed the Centipede as she tried too keep a tough facade before Kiiro.

"I see. I'll try not to agitate you than Loly."

The Centipede or...Loly huffed in response to his generous words though still didn't seem phased to show any care. The odd introduction however quickly changed when the Scorpion, Menoly had spoke up.

"I-I'm sorry b-but...um…" Menoly stuttered, drawing in the Vasto Lordes attention, "Why would you ask us for our names. No better yet, why save us?"

"Y-yeah! Aren't you going to kill us, Vasto Lorde?" Loly taunted causing Menoly's eyes too widen with concern.

"L-Loly; don't antagonize him! You saw what he did to that group!" She shouted in fright.

"You're both weak...there's no reason to kill either of you without reason." He stated with a slight shrug.

"Why you B-"

"Thank you for your mercy, we're forever grateful." Menoly interrupted as she sent a glare over at her companion.

"A thanks is not necessary, I just happened to sense a commotion nearby and wanted to know what was going on. However, there is one thing that did catch my attention. What did you two do that caused the pompous bastard to send not only a hunting party but a Vasto Lorde after you?"

"And why should we tell you?" Loly questioned before earning a jab from the scorpion. She glanced over and noticed the hard gaze she was giving her and this caused the centipede too sigh as she begrudgingly replied, "We stole some food from Barragan's men. We were hungry so what choice did we have. It's not like anyone was guarding it."

"It seemed like the right idea. More importantly Hueco Mundo is a harsh place and every Hollow here is extremely powerful. Getting our hands on prey isn't easy, even with our combined strength." Menoly added in with a sigh, "We've done it a couple of times, most of which were successful but this time, I guess they wised up and wanted to know who was stealing their meal."

"Quite a huge risk if you think about it. The fact that you two are still alive for this long tells me that you've only survived on scraps correct?"

As much as it hurts for them to admit it, the two Hollows nodded in response and thus the Vasto Lorde thought for a moment given the predicament before him. He examined the two for a moment, noting that their Reiatsu isn't extraordinarily high, especially for Adjuchas and inspected their wounds.

"After the battle I can only assume their exhausted from running and defending themselves. Their tired and weak, leaving them here wouldn't be right and if I know Harribel-sama she would do the same thing in my position. I'll give this a try and see how this goes. It's up to them whether they accept this or not so what's the worst that can happen."

"I have a proposition for both of you." He began and noticed the looks of curiosity and caution that they were giving him.

"A-A proposition?" Menoly repeated.

"Correct."

"What kind of proposition?" Loly half-demanded.

The Vasto Lorde remained silent but hummed softly as he carefully thought of what to say which caught the Adjuchas attention. The two females were still trying too process the Hollows words as they began to wonder what he had in mind. Before they could ask him any more questions or get answers from him, he replied to the two.

"Well, since you two aren't aligned with Barragan and after the display I saw, I can't help but find it funny that you two were able to hold your own against a group of Hollows comprised of Adjuchas and a Vasto Lorde. I have seen many things in Hueco Mundo but something like that is rather interesting and rare but individuals who find themselves in that type of situation could easily find themselves dead or in the stomach of their oppressors." He explained, but to Loly's disdain she couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

"Yeah, so?" Loly replied carelessly, "what's that got to do with us?"

"I'm getting to that Loly. From what I gathered, I can tell that you two only have each other which seems too be a good thing, but it's still pretty dangerous to be all alone out here. Given the display I witnessed and the power I can sense off of both of you, neither of you would last much longer in this world. Normally I wouldn't offer this to anyone but...today is your lucky day. Why not come along with me."

The two were immediately surprised and thrown for a loop by the sudden offer he had given them and immediately they bombarded him with questions.

"You would ask us too go with you?" Menoly said in utter shock and confusion, "Wh-why? We can't offer you anything s-so...what would be the point of all this?"

"This has to be a trick Menoly. This sounds too good to be true, especially for someone such as himself." Loly insisted with a slight hiss, "No way the most infamous Hollow in Hueco Mundo would care for two nobodies like us."

"You're right and I can understand that your skeptical about my offer as well as doubt the words coming out of my mouth so I will not blame you." The Vasto Lorde replied with a sigh and turned his attention to the moon above, "However, I see no reason to lie or trick either of you. If I wanted you two dead than we wouldn't have this conversation to begin with."

That alone was enough to destroy any and all doubt or skepticism in the females minds as they took some thought in his words and glanced at each other.

"He does bring up a good point now that I realise it. Maybe he's being honest." Menoly whispered to Loly as she seemed to take some thought.

"I don't know." Loly whispered back with some sliver of doubt, "We both know how male Hollows are. There has too be a catch to this proposition of his."

The two glanced back to the humanoid Hollow and saw that he was still gazing at the moon with a look of indifference and seemingly unaware of the Adjuchas wary gaze. That's when Loly spoke up.

"Why ask us to join you? You're an all powerful Hollow that roams these lands without any equal." She inquired.

"Exactly, sad to say but...were merely insignificant in comparison too you." Menoly added, "We all heard the stories, we know that you attained the form of Vasto Lorde in a short amount of time and have killed a various amount of Hollows to attain such power. There's no reason that someone like you should ask for nobodies like us to follow you."

The Hollow turned away from the moon with a hum and turned to the two. They saw him nod slightly, which confirmed to them that what he also viewed them the same way.

"You two are right that I am a powerful Hollow and my words may bring doubt. However, you two may consider yourselves as insignificant and nobodies, I on the other hand don't see that." He stated, causing the two to look up at the Hollow with curiosity due to his words, "You see...I've met a lot of hollows in my time here, and spared none of them as an Adjucha except for one. This Hollow was a female Vasto Lorde that I...traveled with."

Menoly and Loly eyed him curiously when he said that sentence.

"A female Vasto Lorde?"

"And you traveled with her?"

He nodded in response, "Our first encounter wasn't on friendly terms I will admit due to the nature of male Hollows in this world, however I encountered her again and over time as I traveled with her I began to feel safe and fond of her companionship."

He turned back to the moon once again and oddly enough, Loly and Menoly seemed to follow his action as they too gazed at the only source of light in the sky. Then he continued.

"I left her soon after due to the different paths we took on our journey in this world and then I attained the form of Vasto Lorde. Yes I am powerful, but soon after everything started to...hurt. Being powerful means you're a target by those who wish too consume such power, you're feared because you're known for slaughtering those who cross your path, and...everything seems boring and lonely in a dangerous place like this." He stated softly, the last phrase catching the Adjuchas attention, "You said that you had nothing to offer me, but you're wrong. You two are weak and in due time you both will die sooner or later I will admit. However, that can change if you decide to join me. You two would be much safer given that you're traveling with a Vasto Lorde with a reputation that would dissuade those from attacking you when they realise your with me and...I could train you both if you'd like. That way you could handle yourselves when the time comes."

"You would do that for us?" Menoly's gasped, her voice sounded almost excited.

Loly on the other hand was still skeptical and narrowed her eyes, "What's the catch? I don't like the idea of you ordering us around."

A chuckle emitted from the Vasto Lorde, something he thought he could never do but was proven wrong. Turning back to the two he replied, "There's no catch Loly. No forced servitude or undying loyalty. You're both free to be and do whatever you want, all I ask for is companionship. Nothing more nothing less. More importantly since those Hollows belonged to Barragan they'll come back for you when they realise what happened. So it merely begs the question. Would you rather be with me or against me the next time the old fool sends another hunting party out here?"

The Centipede Adjucha seemed more convinced as she nodded, "Okay I get it...but let me ask you one more thing. Would you really train us?"

"Like I said, I see no reason to lie to either of you. If you both considered on joining me than I would like my pact to grow strong. You would also be fed well since I don't need to consume Hollows anymore and you will have my protection. So...do we have a deal?"

Not even hesitating, Menoly stepped forward and immediately spoke her mind, "It would be an honor to follow you so I accept your offer."

"M-Menoly, what the hell! You immediately accept his offer without taking any thought!?" Loly protested after seeing her companion accept without any concern, "We could be making a deal with the devil for all we know and you decide to accept it and immediately act subservient. He's asking us to follow him not be his slaves."

The Scorpion sighed and turned to her companion before stating her thoughts, "Loly just take a moment to think about this. You always talked about us getting stronger and achieving greatness which we've been striving for. We've killed weak Hollows or wounded with ambush tactics yet we haven't grown strong after consuming them. What happened today made me I realize that we almost died if it wasn't for him and instead of killing us like the rumors have said, he's giving us an offer and a chance to get stronger. He's had every opportunity to kill us and right now, I don't sense any deception in his words.

"Like I said, I'm not forcing you to be subservient. If you don't like what I say then you don't have to come with me. It's as simple as that." He interrupted.

"See. At least he's being honest with us unlike most Hollows we've encountered." Menoly chimed.

"Alright fine...I get it." Loly sighed, giving into her friend and turned to the Vasto Lorde, "I'll follow you and do what you say but don't expect me to be as accepting as Menoly. I want to get stronger too and knowing we're traveling with you seems to be the best course of action right now."

Menoly giggled after hearing Loly's response and was happy to know her friend could see the positive side in all of this while the Vasto Lorde nodded in response.

"I didn't think things would turn out like this but...I think I did something good. Harribel-sama would have done the same thing and...to be honest having some company would be nice." The Vasto Lorde thought.

"Good, now that everything is said and done, why don't we go. We wasted enough time here and given your wounds you both need time to rest and heal. We should be able to find somewhere to rest up if we go now." He insisted while wrapping his wings around himself creating a makeshift cloak and started walking off.

"W-wait! What about you?" Menoly said suddenly.

Her sudden words caused something to resonate within the Hollow as he halted his movements almost instantly and narrowed his eyes. He then turned towards the Scorpion with a puzzled look, thus causing her too explain herself knowing that her question was vague.

"I-I mean...if we're going to be traveling together then we should know your name." She said softly.

"She's right," Loly added in though in a displeasurable tone, "Unless you want us to just call you 'Raven' the entire time."

"...My...name…" The Vasto Lorde said softly, a hint of sadness in his voice which didn't go unnoticed by the two Hollows.

"I've been in his desert for so long that everyone just called me...whatever they wanted. Raven, The Darkness, The Night, The Coming Shadow...all of which had no meaning. Just phrases or titles. A name is what defines who we are as an individual but…I don't know my name?" He thought.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried looking back for any evidence of his past that could lead him to a name. Yet as far back as he could remember, he only saw the time where he regained consciousness as an Adjuchas. The first thing he's encountered and seen was this dark world filled with death and misery but other than that, nothing.

"...Do I...even have a name?" The Vasto Lorde thought as an unwelcoming feeling bubbled inside of him.

"...K...o...E...p...e"

A voice?

The words were distorted and faint yet he heard it. In the darkness that was his mind he heard something and slowly he was greeted with a vision. That's when he could see something no...someone. A woman, yet he didn't know who she was and her appearance was blurry and vague, hiding any facial details. However she radiated with this...aura. A warm, pleasant feeling washed over him as he stared up at the woman and before he could come up with ideas who she was. Despite his confusion and curiosity, he ears rang with her voice again as she spoke.

"...Ki...ro...E...ip...se"

He heard it again, the words still vague yet they were getting clearer. He narrowed his eyes as if trying to figure out what this woman was trying too say. Though his eyes blocked out any and all thoughts when he saw her staring at him. She was staring at him and smiling. A smile...a sign too show happiness and she was happy about...him. It confused the Vasto Lorde yet deep down, a warm feeling began taking root and he was greeted with her voice again.

"...Kii...ro...E...cl...ip...se…"

Those words appeared again and they were much clearer than before. He could slightly understand what she was saying and tried combining the words. Though that was all he received as the vision of the woman disappeared from his mind. The once warm feeling disappearing just as slowly as it appeared yet her words lingered in his mind as he repeated them.

Kii...ro...E...cl...ip...se.

"What do they mean?"

Kiiro...Eclipse.

"It sounds like a name."

Kiiro Eclipse.

"No...it's not just a name, it's my name!"

"Kiiro Eclipse."

The two Adjuchas were startled when the Vasto Lorde uttered those two words. He had been silent for a while and they weren't sure what to think of his unusual silence. Though when he finally spoke it had left shaken for a moment. They were greeted with his sharp gaze and stared into his eyes. They were still the same as they were before but and instead of the cold, eerie, and ominous darkness that his eyes had radiated before, they saw a sliver of warm light radiating from within. It was only a split second but the two were in awe, perplexed given the new feeling that washed over them before hearing the words that escaped the Vasto Lorde.

"My name is Kiiro Eclipse."

Author's Note: Greetings Royal Guys and Royal Gals Bladed Raptor here, So...some of you will probably notice that this chapter has gotten updated while others who are now reading this won't notice the sudden changes. Well for those who have read, just know that this story will be getting some fresh updates once in a while. I'm sorry I haven't been posting on this story for a while due to several issues I've been going through and right now as I reread this story I really wasn't fond with how it began. I know what I want to do with the later chapters but the beginning is conflicting with it so I'm busily rewriting new the previous chapters and updating them for all of you my friends. The Raven of Agony will continue I promise you, so please bear with me my friends and trust me, these chapter rewrites will be worth the wait I promise you. For now go about your days and enjoy them my beautiful and wonderful friends, I wish you all happy and wonderful days ahead of you and hopefully we can chat soon. Later!