The Next Day — Storm Castle
Jay was sitting quietly in his room, gently playing with the silver pendant hanging from his neck.
To anyone watching, it looked like a child amusing himself with a trinket.
But in reality, Jay was deep in thought.
"Since waking up this morning… I've been feeling something strange."
"It feels like something inside my body is slowly changing."
"Almost like… something is protecting me."
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach that mysterious presence.
There was also another thing bothering him.
"Jin has been looking at me strangely."
His twin brother had been glancing at him with cautious eyes, almost as if he were wary of him.
"Why is he acting like that?"
"Didn't he see that I was disqualified from becoming a Flagbearer?"
Jay shook his head mentally.
"Well… whatever."
For now, there was only one thing that truly mattered.
"I need to find a way to access the power the Soul King gave me."
While thinking about this, Jay absentmindedly continued playing with the Quincy Cross.
That Night
Later that night, Jay was sleeping peacefully.
In his dream, he imagined himself standing on a battlefield, cutting down enemies with a single strike of his sword.
But suddenly—
His consciousness was pulled somewhere else.
Jay had no idea what was happening.
Everything around him turned dark.
After a while, he began hearing a faint voice.
"…e…p… Jay…"
"…W…ake… up…"
"Wake up, Jay."
The moment the voice became clear, Jay suddenly opened his eyes.
But what he saw completely stunned him.
He was no longer a baby.
Instead, his body looked like that of a young man in his twenties.
And he was no longer inside Storm Castle.
He was standing in the middle of a vast, empty land.
There was nothing around him.
No trees.
No mountains.
No life.
Just endless, desolate ground stretching toward the horizon.
Jay slowly stood up.
After thinking for a moment, he began walking forward.
After walking for some time, he suddenly saw something strange.
A door.
A single door standing alone in the empty land.
Jay frowned slightly.
"A moment ago there was nothing here…"
Curious, he approached it.
The door looked ordinary.
But when he looked closer, he noticed something written on it.
One word.
"Black."
The moment Jay read it, he felt a strange certainty.
"This must be it."
"This is the place where I can access the power given to me by the Soul King."
Without hesitation, he grabbed the handle and opened the door.
At first, he tried to look inside.
But he couldn't see anything.
A curtain of blinding white light blocked his vision.
Taking a deep breath, Jay stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the doorway, the white light engulfed him completely.
For a moment, he couldn't see anything.
Then slowly…
The light faded.
And the sight before him was breathtaking.
Jay was standing in the middle of a vast ocean.
Yet he wasn't sinking.
Instead, he was standing on the surface of the water as if it were solid ground.
The endless sea stretched in every direction beneath a clear blue sky.
There were no waves.
No fish.
No birds.
Just endless silence.
Then suddenly—
A man appeared in front of him.
Jay was startled by the sudden appearance.
The man wore a long black coat that covered both of his hands.
He had black hair, deep blue eyes, and a pair of goggles resting on his face.
"You finally came, Jay," the man said calmly.
The moment Jay saw him, he immediately understood.
"So the time has finally come."
"The time to receive the power the Soul King left for me."
Even though he already had a guess, Jay still asked.
"Who are you?"
"And where is this place?"
The man looked at him quietly before answering.
"Hm. It seems you want to hear the answer directly from me."
"Very well."
"My name is Zangetsu."
"Black."
"I am the manifestation of your Quincy power."
"And now the time has come for you to receive that power."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"However, power without training is meaningless."
"So prepare yourself."
"Your training begins now."
Hearing those words, Jay suddenly remembered something the Soul King had said to him.
The Soul King had promised to give him his lifelong experience and techniques.
Back then, Jay had been confused.
He thought that meant he would receive the Soul King's memories.
But now he finally understood.
The "experience" meant something different.
He had to experience and learn the power himself.
However, one question still remained.
"Zangetsu… why are you here?"
"And why are you the one teaching me?"
Zangetsu seemed to understand Jay's doubts immediately.
"I expected you to ask that."
"As I said earlier, I am the manifestation of your Quincy power."
"But I am not the only one inside your inner world."
"There are also manifestations of your Soul Reaper, Hollow, and Fullbringer powers."
Jay's eyes widened slightly.
Zangetsu continued calmly.
"You possess the potential to become something far greater."
"A complete Soul King."
"That is why all of these powers exist within you."
"Once you fully master the Quincy power… I will merge with you."
"Or more precisely, I will return to your inner world."
Jay listened carefully.
After hearing the explanation, most of his doubts disappeared.
Zangetsu nodded slightly.
"Good."
"Now then… are you ready to begin your training?"
"It will take a long time before you can truly master this power."
Jay nodded without hesitation.
But before starting, he asked one more question.
"Are you going to teach me swordsmanship?"
Zangetsu shook his head.
"I know you want to become a swordsman."
"But now is not the time."
"You are still a child."
"For now, you will learn the basic techniques of the Quincy."
Zangetsu crossed his arms.
"All Quincy combat techniques rely on one thing."
"The manipulation of spirit energy."
"So the first thing you must learn…"
"Is how to control spiritual particles."
Jay nodded.
He already knew the basics.
Quincies were humans capable of perceiving and manipulating spiritual particles in the environment
"Sit down," Zangetsu instructed.
"Cross your legs and close your eyes."
"Clear your mind."
"And try to feel the spiritual particles around you."
Jay followed the instructions.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and calmed his mind.
Almost immediately…
He felt something.
Tiny lights floating everywhere.
Some looked like glowing fireflies.
Others shone like tiny stars.
They were spiritual particles.
Excited, Jay tried to control them.
But the moment he did—
His concentration broke.
When he opened his eyes again, Zangetsu was looking at him calmly.
"Did you feel them?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Did you try to control them?"
Jay looked slightly embarrassed.
"…Yes."
"But I failed."
Zangetsu nodded.
"That is normal."
"You failed because your method was wrong."
"You are not strong enough yet to control them directly."
"That requires time and effort."
He pointed toward Jay.
"Try again."
"But this time…"
"Do not try to control them."
"Call them."
"With your heart."
Jay nodded and tried again.
This time, after sensing the particles, he simply observed them.
After a while, he tried calling them.
At first, nothing happened.
But he didn't give up.
He tried again.
And again.
Finally—
The particles began to stir.
Slowly, they started moving toward him.
Seeing this, Jay felt extremely happy.
But gathering spiritual particles required intense concentration.
After several attempts, his mental energy was nearly exhausted.
"Stop."
Zangetsu suddenly interrupted him.
"Jay, remember this."
"Gaining strength is important."
"But understanding your limits is even more important."
"You are still a child."
"You have plenty of time."
"If you rush things now, you may damage your body."
Jay remained silent.
Zangetsu continued.
"Right now, you exist here in your spiritual form."
"That is why you appear as an adult."
"But your real body is still that of a child."
"And a child's body cannot handle too many spiritual particles."
"If you continue, you may regret it later."
Jay sighed.
He understood.
He still had ten years before the main events of the story began.
There was no need to rush.
Seeing Jay calm down, Zangetsu nodded.
"Good."
"That is enough for today."
"But remember this…"
"This is only the beginning."
"Your real training starts tomorrow."
Jay stood up and bowed respectfully.
"I understand."
"I am ready to face any training…"
"…Teacher."