Chapter 112: The Memory Of Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck
"Sado?"
"Have you rescued Inoue already? That's wonderful—come over here, quickly."
Hearing the familiar voice cutting through the lingering smoke, Ichigo immediately guided Inoue and Nell through the thick, acrid haze toward the sound.
When they finally reached the cleared central area, their initial relief quickly transformed into shock. Ishida was sitting against a broken pillar, his left arm completely severed at the shoulder, blood still seeping through makeshift bandages.
"Ishida?! What happened to you?" Ichigo rushed forward, his voice tight with concern.
"Inoue, help Ishida immediately!"
"Yes, Kurosaki-kun!"
Without hesitation, Inoue Orihime stepped forward and gently touched the delicate hairpin adorning her head. "Sōten Kisshun!" she called softly.
Two ethereal spirit creatures resembling tiny fairies emerged from the tip of her hairpin, their gossamer wings shimmering as they formed a golden barrier that enveloped Ishida completely.
As moments passed under everyone's anxious observation, Ishida Uryū's severed arm began to regenerate miraculously, tissue and bone reforming until it appeared exactly as it had before the injury.
"Every time I witness Inoue's ability, I'm truly amazed," Ishida said, flexing his newly restored arm and testing its mobility with genuine admiration.
"No, it's not as incredible as Ishida-san suggests. If it weren't for me, Ishida-san would never have come to Hueco Mundo in the first place, and this never would have happened."
Ishida's praise caused Inoue to lower her head bashfully, her expression clouded with guilt and self-recrimination.
"Ha ha, don't worry about it, Inoue. Thanks to you, we can truly call ourselves friends now!" Seeing her distress, Ishida laughed heartily and deliberately changed the subject, giving her an encouraging thumbs-up.
Witnessing that Ishida harbored no resentment whatsoever about the incident, Inoue Orihime felt deeply moved and responded with a soft "Mm."
With Ishida's immediate crisis resolved, Ichigo took the opportunity to survey their surroundings more thoroughly. The devastation extended for nearly ten kilometers in every direction—scorched earth, crystallized sand, and lingering spiritual pressure told the story of an incredibly fierce battle.
"Sado..." After a long hesitation, Ichigo finally asked the question weighing on his mind. "Who exactly were you fighting against?"
His words caused both Sado and Ishida to fall into uncomfortable silence. When they noticed Nell clinging to Ichigo's pants, their shame became even more pronounced, and they couldn't meet his gaze directly.
"What happened here? You have to tell me!"
Both Ichigo and Inoue could sense that something was deeply wrong with their friends' behavior. Ichigo stepped forward, grasping Sado's shoulder firmly and shaking him. "What happened?"
Seeing that Sado remained unable to speak, Ishida slowly found his voice: "Kurosaki... Sado and I encountered resistance from one of the Espada on our way to Las Noches..."
"Espada?!"
The familiar designation sent a chill down Kurosaki Ichigo's spine. How could he forget those enemies—beings he couldn't defeat even at full strength, yet who had been effortlessly controlled by Fiander?
"Then how did you manage to escape?"
Ichigo asked urgently.
"Escape?" Ishida gave a bitter smile before continuing, "We didn't escape. Pesche and Dondochakka saved both of us."
"Pesche and Dondochakka..."
Ishida's words made Nell, who had been growing increasingly uneasy, step closer to them. "Then... where did those two go? Why... why don't I see them?"
Hearing the tremor of fear in Nell's voice, Ishida found himself at a complete loss for words. He froze in place, desperately trying to figure out how to answer this innocent child.
"Pesche and Dondochakka... they... died in battle," Sado finally managed to say, his voice heavy with sorrow.
"They asked Ishida and me to convey their final message to Nel-chan: 'In this life, being able to serve Lady Nelliel has been the greatest honor of our existence since becoming Arrancar. If possible, we truly hope we could continue serving you, Nel, in our next life. We're grateful that Master Fiander is taking care of you now...'"
Sado's words struck Nelliel like a blade piercing directly into her soul.
"Pesche... Dondochakka..."
Clutching the broken mask fragment atop her head, Nell's small body crumpled to the ground as she screamed in anguish.
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
"Nell!!"
Everyone immediately cried out in alarm.
At that moment, a torrent of suppressed memories came flooding back into Nell's consciousness like a devastating tsunami...
*"The mask is broken, her power is lost, her memories are gone... Lady Nelliel..."*
*"Lady Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck is dead. The one who remains here is no longer Lady Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."*
*"Therefore..."*
*"We will protect her from Nnoitra and Szayelaporro, from pain, from hardship, from all disasters."*
*"Protect this weakened Lady Nelliel, risk our lives to protect her."*
*"This is the only—the final—mission for us who regard Lady Nelliel as our master."*
What followed were memories of long years of wandering. During decades of exile, the three of them had roamed the periphery of the Forest of Menos. Pesche and Dondochakka had always done everything in their power to make Nell's life even slightly happier. But Hueco Mundo's harsh conditions offered little comfort—nothing but endless night and boundless desert stretching to every horizon.
There was no hospitable environment to be found anywhere...
Until that fateful day when Fiander, returning from the World of the Living to Hueco Mundo, encountered the three of them...
*"Master Fiander, they appear to be Nelliel and her two subordinate officers from when she was Espada."*
*"But Nelliel has become like this for unknown reasons. It seems she's lost her power, and the other two have also regressed from Arrancar to basic Hollow forms."*
*"Nelliel?"*
Fiander beneath the moonlight was still in his semi-Arrancar state at that time. In pursuit of the ultimate evolution of his soul, he had never chosen direct Arrancarification, instead suppressing that transformative power.
*"Pesche... that's Fiander Moros!"*
*"Number 10 in the Espada, said to be the earliest Menos Grande to achieve Arrancar status."*
Hearing Dondochakka's words, both former Fracción instinctively used their bodies to shield Nelliel from the newcomer's view.
*"Has her mask been torn away?"*
Observing their protective stance, Fiander mused thoughtfully, "With Nelliel's strength, I suspect she was brought down by you two weaklings?"
Pesche and Dondochakka offered no response. With unpredictable beings like the Espada, no one could predict their next action.
*"Was this the work of that bastard Nnoitra and Szayelaporro?"*
Fiander's words shocked both of them. After all, even Nnoitra wouldn't openly discuss such matters, so aside from a limited few like Aizen, the other Espada remained unaware of the truth.
*"You... how did you know?"*
Pesche instinctively stepped backward, responding in terror.
At that moment, Nell suddenly emerged from between her protectors, looked up at Fiander and his companion, and said with an innocent smile, "Hello! I'm Nell!"
*"Lady Nel!!"*
Pesche and Dondochakka still tried to pull Nelliel back behind them, but they watched as Fiander stepped forward, gently lifting Nelliel into his arms and studying her carefully.
Suddenly, Fiander smiled slightly. "Take them with us. From today forward, you're all under my protection."
With those words, he cradled Nelliel and began walking toward the distance without looking back.
Seeing their master suddenly taken by an Espada, Pesche and Dondochakka felt ice-cold dread, but then they heard Fiander's companion snort dismissively.
*"Really, though I don't understand what Master Fiander sees in you lot. However, since Master Fiander has spoken, I must obey. Follow me!"*
*"But... Lady Nel..."*
Pesche still hesitated, but then he saw the intimidating figure place his murderous face close to his own. "Who do you think you're talking to? Master Fiander is the strongest in Hueco Mundo except for Lord Aizen himself..."
Under the moonlight, Fiander walked slowly while carrying Nelliel, supporting her small form against his shoulder.
*"What's your name? I'm Nell! I'm happy you want to play with me!"*
*"Me?"*
The corner of Fiander's mouth curved into a mysterious smile under the moonlight as he replied warmly, "My name is Fiander Moros, and I'll be your big brother from now on!"
*"Big brother? Great! Nell has a big brother too!"*
*I will protect you, Nell.* The bright moonlight stretched Fiander's walking silhouette long across the sand, but in that moment, it also carried his thoughts to places far, far away...
***
25+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces