Ishida Ryūken fell silent.
He did not refute Shigure's words.
As the heir to the Ishida family, one of the last remaining pure-blood Quincy lineages, he had grown up surrounded by records documents passed down through generations.
Among them were accounts of events from centuries ago.
Including
The war between Quincy and Shinigami.
And the consequences that followed.
So he knew
What Shigure said was not false.
Seeing Ryūken's silence, Shigure shifted the conversation.
"Your surname is Ishida… correct?"
Ryūken's expression remained cold.
"What are you implying?"
Shigure replied calmly:
"Just that it reminds me of someone."
"A Quincy I once knew… around two hundred years ago."
His eyes held a faint trace of memory.
"Ishida Sōken."
The moment that name was spoken
Ryūken's pupils contracted sharply.
Because that name
Was not just familiar.
It was foundational.
Ishida Sōken
His grandfather.
The man who had shaped the Ishida family's path.
Two hundred years ago
When the conflict between Quincy and Shinigami escalated beyond control
The Gotei 13 made a decisive move.
They began eliminating Quincy in the World of the Living.
Not out of cruelty alone
But because Quincy disrupted the balance of souls by completely erasing Hollows instead of purifying them.
Left unchecked, that imbalance could collapse the cycle of souls itself.
It was during that time
That Ishida Sōken proposed a different path.
A doctrine of restraint.
A belief that Quincy should coexist with the balance, rather than oppose it recklessly.
Because of his stance
Some Quincy survived.
But at a cost.
From that point on
The Ishida family became outliers among their own kind.
Viewed as weak.
As compromised.
Even scorned by other Quincy pure-blood and mixed-blood alike.
Ryūken's voice lowered slightly.
"…You knew my grandfather?"
Shigure smiled faintly but did not elaborate.
He neither confirmed nor denied it directly.
Because there were truths better left unspoken.
Especially those tied to the darker decisions of Soul Society.
To say more
Would only deepen resentment.
Ryūken noticed the evasion.
But he did not press further.
Silence returned between them.
Then
Footsteps.
Two figures approached.
Shiba Isshin and Kurosaki Masaki.
Ryūken's attention snapped immediately to Masaki.
Just moments ago
She had been on the verge of death.
Now
She was standing.
Alive.
Stable.
"Masaki!"
He stepped forward without hesitation.
"Are you alright?"
Masaki smiled gently.
"I'm fine, Ryūken."
Her voice was steady.
Her condition
Restored.
But Ryūken's eyes narrowed slightly.
Because he could feel it.
Clearly.
Masaki's Reiatsu had changed.
It was no longer purely Quincy.
Within her spiritual pressure
He sensed three distinct elements:
Quincy power
Hollow Reiatsu
Shinigami Reiatsu
They coexisted
Not in chaos
But in a fragile, unnatural equilibrium.
This was the result of Urahara's method.
A forced balance.
Then
Ryūken's gaze shifted to Isshin.
And his expression changed again.
Isshin looked the same outwardly.
But everything else
Was different.
He no longer carried a Zanpakutō.
His Reiatsu was sealed.
His presence
Was that of a human.
Ryūken immediately understood.
This was the effect of the special Gigai.
A vessel that bound Isshin's Shinigami power and transformed his existence.
"…So that's the price," Ryūken murmured.
Relief came first.
Masaki was alive.
But that relief quickly gave way to reality.
A new problem had emerged.
Masaki's survival
Depended entirely on Isshin.
The balance within her soul was not self-sustaining.
It required Isshin's continuous presence.
If they were separated
The equilibrium would collapse.
And the Hollowfication would resume.
Which meant
Masaki could not leave him.
Ryūken's thoughts grew heavy.
Because that led to an unavoidable conclusion.
She could no longer remain within the Ishida household.
Not safely.
Not without consequences.
The Ishida family
Already under scrutiny from other Quincy factions
Could not harbor someone whose Reiatsu was so visibly altered.
A Quincy tainted by Hollow power
Balanced by a former Shinigami
Such an existence would not be tolerated.
And more than that
Isshin himself could not enter the Ishida estate freely.
His identity, even concealed, was too dangerous.
Ryūken clenched his hand slightly.
His emotions were complicated.
From childhood
His father, Ishida Sōken, had made it clear:
Masaki was meant to become part of the Ishida lineage.
His future wife.
To preserve the purity of their bloodline.
Ryūken had tried.
Tried to see her that way.
But he never succeeded.
To him
Masaki was family.
Someone to protect.
Like a sister.
And now
He had to send her away.
He took a breath.
Then spoke firmly:
"Masaki."
"You need to leave the Ishida house."
Masaki froze.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Ryūken…?"
Seeing her reaction, Ryūken continued calmly:
"If you stay… your condition will be discovered."
"And more importantly "
"You can't survive without him."
His gaze shifted briefly to Isshin.
Masaki lowered her head slightly.
She understood.
Of course she did.
This wasn't rejection.
It was necessity.
"…What about Sōken-sama?"
Her voice carried hesitation.
Leaving like this
Would not go unnoticed.
Ryūken answered without pause:
"I'll explain it to him."
"That responsibility is mine."
His tone was resolute.
No hesitation.
No retreat.
In that moment
Though neither said it aloud
Both had made their choices.
Isshin had given up his power.
Ryūken had given up his expectations.
And Masaki
Had stepped onto a path from which there was no return.
A fragile balance had been created.
But whether it would hold
Was a question only time could answer.
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