Turn Back The Pendulum

Warning l May contain content such as: Gore, Offensive Language, Flashbacks, or otherwise boring material. Suggested audiences include those not faint of heart, and of a patient mindset.

001l Synopsis, Death God's Reincarnate [Flash-back]

From a 'god' to a man within the blink of an eye, yet no recollection of one's past beyond a mere glimpse into the looking glass. The soul had been torn apart, essentially thrown about the universe; however, sewn back together with a twisted sense of order. His mind had been made a jumble of thoughts and emotions, however accurate were yet to be fully determined. The man had since awoken within his newfound 'shell', and found himself to be revered at a glance.

Hitsuyona awakens to find himself encompassed by a blinding light, almost as if he had been entering the kingdom of heaven itself. He'd come to find his reaction didn't suite this while painfully blinking to this adjustment, his eyes feeling as if they'd caught on fire. While still unable to see, his sense of feeling and hearing was intact. He felt awkwardly cold, and could feel the goose bumps apparent on his skin. He was clearly confined within a construct of sorts, as shown by both feeling it, and a series of muffled indistinct conversation. The voices seemed to sound worried about sometime, but he couldn't make out the context.

Slowly the tension releases as the sounds of a loud crackling voices from within, leaving the clearly confused individual to enter a near sense of endangerment. This would have activated a defensive mechanism, if he'd been capable of movement upon this point in time. This had clearly alerted the earlier persons or beings that sounded as if they were running about, and their voices of hazardous approach had since heightened. Their screams and pitter-patter was becoming more so audible to the trapped man, and his hearing was becoming more clear as each given second passed.

"What the hell?" He could begin to move the tips of his exterior' yet, it was followed by a tightening constriction that followed the sounds of footsteps approaching. ""We must keep the poneglyphs form!" The scream was barely audible, but held enough merit to be heard as a heightened whisper of a worrying descent. Whoever or whatever they were, it would become apparent that the sought to keep the man within. He wasn't sure if it was entirely for the purpose of his imprisonment, or merely some hopes to keep whatever he were inside intact. In either case, this particular even was of little knowledge beyond his current predicament. Pain was certainly introduced in their attempts to reseal the cracking foundation of what had been referred to as a poneglyph, so much so that Hitsuyona's true fight or flight instincts became evident.

While there was little to no recollection of ones past to have recalled, his will to live had been exceedingly vast. Images of various scenarios began to flood the mind of the amnesiac, which came off as unrealistic dreams of a fantasy genre. He had no particular interest in the passive response of his mind to display them, as the man focused entirely on pushing outwards with all of his might. It wasn't only a display of his attempts to accomplish this via physical strength alone; rather, accompanied by a passive response of his spiritual might and will power pouring outwards from his body. This feat of might combined with his vigor sufficed in his attempts to live, and so did the poneglyph crumble beneath the feet of those who would wish to preserve it.

The blinding light had come to simultaneously cease from existence, leaving Hitsuyona with a distorted vision of his surroundings as he attempted to adjust to this new setting. His physical demeanor remained stable for a moment before falling to his knees upon the shattered construct beneath himself. He remains in this specific position for the time being, allowing his eyes to gaze the surrounding area. Little to his surprise, he finds himself surrounding by awe-stricken individuals who appear to be wearing lab coats. Their faces ranged from astonishment, to an appearance of absolute fear. Hitsuyona also noted that the were standing inside the confines of a velvet rope, which led him to believe this 'poneglyph' was some form of art or artifact itself. He hadn't much time to ponder this current situation though, before falling unconscious with his head laying limp.

"Retrieve the body, and report to the commander immediately!" A man had spoken forth, but wasn't found among the multiple persons surrounding the remnants of this object of importance. Whoever it may have been was clearly of a level of importance, as shown by the group of persons who quickly snapped from their astonishment to obey without question. A select few among them pick this unknown person up from the ground, and begins to exit the largely vast room.

WC l 786
TWC l 1,657

002 l A Miracle, Or An Omen?

The man had been removed from the inner-studies of the Headquarters he'd found himself transitioned into, and placed within a place the inhabitants called ' their worst nightmare'. The place where anyone goes when answers are sought, and the means of getting them are of little importance. It was a rather bland location, and held no decorations beyond that of four chains imbedded within its four stone-grey walls. Several hours had passed since his first appearance within this place, as the man slowly fades in and out of consciousness.

Within a semi-conscious state, the individual finds himself to be restrained, as his head aligns with the floor to see blood-soaked stone. He'd no recollection of a reason to believe it to be his own, yet found a feeling of pain that fills hid body in general. He felt weak all-together, as if moving was too much of a feat to accomplish. Htsuyona's head slowly maneuvers to gaze upon his appendages, and the theory of being bound was indeed confirmed.  

The young mans semi-opened eyes squint directly in front of himself to gaze upon an approaching blurry figure. "I see that you've awoken once more, perhaps this time you will answer the questions our people have provided you with." There was no immediate recollection of such questions, but then again, he remembered very little at this current point in time. Hitsuyona would attempt to speak, but there was nothing but a mere grumble to be heard, as drops of blood fly from his mouth to the floor. This is followed by a loud cough that brings about more fluid to the surface of this stained stone. "What are you talking about?"

The man before him only allows his facial expression to change slightly, which is followed by lightly shaking his head whilst reaching within ones pocket. It was clearly brass knuckles that the man was now placing upon his hands, and followed by getting within a close vicinity of Hitsuyona. "Then allow me to remind you!" The brass swiftly connects with the bound individuals jawline, causing his upper body and head to jolt sideways, as his neck clearly makes a cracking sound. However unlikely, this acted as a form of wake-up call to the young man, causing head to jolt back towards the man with eyes widened. His glare gave a deadly intent, and supposedly the response his counterpart gave would hint towards this being the first time he'd done so.

The two remain still while keeping eye contact for a brief moment, before Hitsuyona spits another mouthful of blood onto the floor. Something about his facial expression changed for a moment though, as if the hit jumbled a few memories of the last few minutes loose. He then remembers waking up a few times within this room, but the persons questioning before had given up their attempts to both waken and get answers from himself. He hadn't been hit until this very moment; rather, these injuries were sustained in his attempts to break loose from the object they referred to as a poneglyph. "Doesn't ring a bell." After the man would scoff, he begins to rear back his fist once more. This causes Hitsuyona's facial expression to shift once more, as his glare intensifies. "The first one's free, the second will cost you your life." To be honest, this reaction was almost entirely innate. He wasn't sure what brought it about, yet it felt like something he would have normally said. Everything thus far was almost instinctual with very little room for thought.

They both would pause in their actions for a moment before looking towards one of the stone walls present, which began to creak and open from the outside. It was a secret entrance of sorts, that a group of individuals now step through. "That will be enough lionel, I asked you to speak with him, not interrogate him." The individuals clenched fist falls to his side, the brass still apparent upon his grip. "This isn't over." The person would take their exist as the new visitors would begin to walk forwards. The two accompanying this man of some position had so far remained silent and solemn, perhaps guards of sorts. "My apologies, but that man was one of the many who devoted much of their time to decipher the poneglyph that you reduced to rubble." He stands a mere foot from the limp body of Hitsuyona, as their gaze would come to meet one another.

The captive found himself to see a prideful man before him, or at the least, a man who walked with a great sense of self. The individuals stance represented someone who was uniform, powerful, or otherwise well rounded in their knowledge of appearing to be confident. He couldn't help but believe this was the man running things around here, or of some higher status close to such a person. Hitsuyona locks his eyes onto this prideful being, and allows his hands to raise in attempts to make a gesture. " So sorry, yet these restraints remain present, no? He was sure they had him locked up for some reason, likely tied to the fact of this important slab of stone. Perhaps it was some crime to destroy such a priceless piece of rock, but he wasn't entirely sure why or what its context for such importance.

In either case, the man before him lets out a smirk before pulling a small rag from his clothing. He would toss this into the hands of his captive, allowing for a slight moment of silence. "Surely you understand the importance of this situation. You not only found a way within our facility, but was within a priceless piece of ancient history that was in the midst of translation, one of which had been within this facility for quite some time. It's very existence was only known to those of us who are present, and those who were studying its context. The prisoner takes the newfound cloth to wipe his face, feeling the rag become drenched in sweat and blood. It was some form of a kind gesture, however small it might have been, but it seemed this man had mixed motives. After letting out a small sigh, he looks to the man once more before allowing the rag to hit the floor. "This is the part where you ask how I 'snuck' in, or who betrayed you, right?" His gaze meets the blood-soaked stone once more, and for a brief moment he finds himself unable to control his inner thoughts.

The man's face tenses up for a moment, followed by a short burst of laughter, which leaves the 3 before him to find themselves confused. "I don't know who you people are, whatever the hell this poneglyph was, or even what part of the world I am in." His head begins to raise from its limp position, as the man pulls himself up from the sacks that bore upon his four appendages. His stance was weakened by a supernatural means of which he could feel, yet his attempts to remain standing in a faltered posture remained apparent. He stumbles in order to begin to fall towards the man, which causes his body to quickly halt as the chains fully extend. Their faces remain inches from one another with Hitsuyona's body angled in such a way that his arms and legs were completely behind himself. The red-stained turquoise hair slightly in his face as droplets fall to his face splattering upon his questioner whilst speaking. "I don't know a damn thing. Like my name, for starters."

For the first time since their entrance, the solemn figures who stood without a single movement step forwards, one of which grabs Hitsuyona by the throat. They clearly took his actions as a threat of sorts, at which point their 'leader' of sorts signals for them to stand off. One of the two felt a need to not entirely listen to this hand signal bringing forth the need to speak. "Sir, this man clearly is lying, or had some sort of devil fruit in order to complete this task. IT wouldn't be the first time they conditioned a person for invading this place." Their leader clearly didn't follow this same assumption, raising his hand towards the person who backs down immediately. "Fool! Do you really believe they could sneak under our noses like this? Wipe ones memory, and destroy the poneglyphs? The only persons capable , the marines, would have stolen the poneglyph for their own sake. Their obsession with them is far stronger than ours."

The man before Hitsuyona was many things, frustrated, confused, along with a mixture of resentment and disappointment. He wasn't a fool though, and wasn't entirely sure of how to continue about this situation. Torture had crossed his mind, but without knowing a purpose would be useless. They weren't senseless brutes who sought everything with force after all, and he had come to see many odd things throughout his life.

Hitsuyona would now at this point retract himself, and allow his back to allign with the wall, before falling into a sitting position with his arms stuck into a risen position due to the shackles. "Fine, I will bite. Do you remember anything at all? And age, birthplace, day of the week, year? Anything?" The prisoner could be seen to become agitated, as he formed a similar glare that the man who struck him received. His arms began to tense, yet he was not attempting to stand. One could have heard them creaking once fully extended. "I wont continue to repeat myself!" His body could be felt from those around him, as if his very self had begun to pulsate within themselves. The two surrounding the man who had been questioning Hitsuyona  falter and nearly fall to their feet, yet he stands still with a squint in his eyes. "Just as I thought, this isn't conquerors haki. He manifested his rage rather than willpower"

The stone holding the chains had begin to crack and give in, yet still remained intact enough to imprison the fugitive. This caught the group by surprise, most especially their leader, who seemed curious all the same. He felt like there was something different and odd about this man in front of him, one that he couldn't quite place his finger on. In either case, it had seemed they were all beginning to lose sight of their original purpose in seeking out these poneglyphs, and fighting the government in general. He had less to worry about that the marines hadn't gotten it, and was getting nowhere in translating this particular one than seemed to be entirely different from the others. Not to mention this man before him had something about himself that he felt could be of use, should he prove to be purposeful in joining the cause.

He looks to his two accompanying persons, who looked as if they'ed been hit numerous times by an invisible force. "You heard the man, he doesn't know a damn thing. Get him out of those shackels before he ruins the seastone and room entirely, we aren't to keep him here. The two confused individuals were in no place to argue , therefore go to follow his wishes. "Show him to a room, and make sure to keep an eye on him, he is to report to me tomorrow without being a captive to our home." A formal nod is made, while Hitsuyona looks up to them in confusion.

From a borderline fugitive preparing for torture, to a guest in this 'home' they all were present in? IT seemed far fetched, and Hitsuyona had begun to wonder just what these people were up to. They clearly had some agenda at hand, whether or not he knew what it was. These poneglyphs had some outstanding purpose, and it was beginning to seem as if they were going to formulate one for him in return. He couldn't argue the request to stay though, as his physical demeanor was rather stricken at the moment, and given the nature of those he'd met thus far going out on his own was just as risky as staying in comfort.

WC: 2,036
TWC: 3,693

003 l A Twisted Sense of Self

Days had passed since the fated arrival of ones travel between the planes, and his welcoming had yet to be discerned. There was an agreement met between the one and the many, so that he could obtain the memories he sought, and they the answered that were so desired. Their commander had since deemed this man to not pose any specific threat against the organization, and had begun to put the wheels in motion for this newfound individuals transition.

Hitsuyona once again finds himself within a questionable room, yet for a purpose entirely different than his previous presence. The stone walls did accompany all but a singular side, which appears to be a two-paned window that those within could not peer through. It was relatively cold within this particular room, as his breath could be seen escaping from his mouth with each given pant. He had been fully aware of the reasoning of the restraints that were placed upon each of his four appendages, and found these leather straps to be far more constricting than the chains he had bore but days ago.

Two individuals pace the room in preparation for what was to come of this day. They take place at machinery in the corners of this room, which have a variety of buttons and mechanical levers. They began to maneuver this complex machinery in a way that made Htsuyona believe they had no idea what they were doing. It was discomforting to an extent, but something he would have to live with upon this point. There would be no turning back from this, mostly due to having been restrained by all means of the term. Although, he didn't remember agreeing to the towel that gagged his mouth, but disrespecting the man in charge of things had a way about bringing unwanted conditions.

One of these two persons grab what appears to be a disfigured metal helmet of sorts from the surface of the machine they'd been attempting to prepare, before walking towards the general direction of the 'subject'. Hitsuyona turned his head to meet eyes with this person, who clearly wore a lab-coat and an unruly mop of hair. The very thought of what appeared to be mad scientist placing anything near his cranium was off-setting to say the least. IT wasn't until now that the soul begins to ponder just what he had gotten himself into. Once the cold metal begins to be place upon his head, one could hear a muffled sound of displeasure emitting from his covered mouth.  The scientist of course had ignored this attempt at speaking, as this was the purpose of having silenced the individual to begin with. Had they heard his cries the question would have presented as: "What in the hell do you think you're doing?".

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On the other side of the two-paned mirror stands a group of persons that gaze upon Hitsuyona as if he were a test subject. Among them were persons who held note-pads, and those who seemed generally intrigued. This audience mostly consisted of those who met this man first hand at the presence of the poneglyph he'd emerged from. Whether this had been due to an interest at the procedure about to take place, or a form of witness to the retaliation of his actions wasn't apparent.

Among them stands the so called commander, who now stands a mere foot from the glass. His gaze transitions from the man upon the table to the panel that lay beneath his arms. His demeanor shifts for a moment, as if a state of confusion during this passing of events had caught him off guard. In either case, ones hand could be seen nearing a green button that he would soon press. "Decrease the voltage." He would then release the pressure from this button, and turns to glance towards those standing behind himself, who had now quickly directed their attention to the floor or pads within their arms.

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Back within the room preparations are quickly made, and the men had since returned to the comfort of their whirring mechanisms. They seamlessly make adjustments to the nobs and levers in response to the commander's wishes, yet the comfort of Hitsuyona had still since diminished.  The turquois hair flips in an array of directions as the man attempts to look around the room towards the machinery they altered, and for the general direction such a sudden echoing voice had appeared from.

"Voltage? Hitsuyona had since began to attempt moving from the confines that kept him in place, as his knees and elbows rise significantly. He had begun to ponder just what this 'leather' really was, given his physical strength far surpassed the necessary  force to have stripped himself free of this temporary imprisonment. It was coming too late though, as the persons accompanying the mechanisms did look at the panel of glass for confirmation. "Proceed." They were given the confirmation they sought, and in the blink of an eye pulled two large levers simultaneously.

A pulsating shock is sent through the entirety of Hitsuyona, who now shakes vibrantly upon the metal table he found himself placed upon. The mans eyes had since rolled above his eyelids, and while he did continue to move physically, he had faded from a state of consciousness seconds prior. After a few more seconds his body would fall limp to slam onto the cold-metal that lay beneath the now motionless body. Following this sudden inability of the bodies unwilling movement, the persons did deactivate the machinery before approaching his current position. One of the men above Hitsuyona pulled a flashlight from his pocket, and begins to pull up an eyelid in order to flash its light across the retina of the man. He takes a moment to confirm his findings, before turning to face the mirror upon the wall. A quick hand notion lets the people know that the subject was still alive.

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Behind the glass stands their commander with arms crossed. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of this situation, but the colleagues standing behind himself were writing down a series of words on the notepads they'd brought to the procedure. This leader's head turns over his shoulder to peer at these individuals for a moment, and gives them a look that seeks clarification. "If the subject was positively effected by the electric currents sent throughout his brain, it may have shaken loose the 'barrier' he'd placed up of his own accord, whether it be through trauma or otherwise unexplainable reasoning in supressing ones own memories." This outspoken man would look up from is notepad to secure direct eye contact. "But if this amnesia isn't self inflicted, there is no telling if it would have actually worked." The man in charge of things turns back to peer through the glass at his 'subject' as the people began calling him. "Only time will tell."

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Hitsuyona had now entered a deep-sleep, in which his mind had begun to effectively dream for the first time since his transition into this world. This dream was a series of memories flashing before his eyes in a timely-manner, giving short glances into the many actions one had taken over the course of one of his many lives. Most of these said flashes of momentary actions were tied to a place he called 'Soul Society' within a number of these quick-fashioned re-caps. This 'person' he was seeing clearly wore a Shuhakusho, donned with a pair of dual wakizashi blades who he had curiously given a name as if sentient beings.

The man upon the operating table opens his eyes once more, jerking from its restrictive bindings that had been placed upon him with great force. His eyes seemed to have a different look about them, as if he had awoken from a slumber that was much longer than a brief moment. He was clearly in a state of confusion, pulling at the bindings with such strength that they tore from the table itself. A fraction of his prior memory had since returned, but the entirety of his identity wasn't apparent. A man who only had bits and pieces of his own life known, and seeking answers as to what the hell was going on.

He looks to the men who ad administered the electro-shock therapy, and appears by on of their sides almost instantaneously. "Take me back to the commander immediately." The scientist was stricken by a sudden fear in response to this strikingly hastened approach. He could see that fear in his eyes, and it was a glance that he now remembers bestowing upon a great number of individuals. Hitsuyona lets out a deep sigh, looking back to the glass panel that he felt was far from inconspicuous. "Tell me 'commander', is it truly answers you seek?"

It is said that those who consume a Devil Fruit become immediately aware of the power it bestows upon them, but in the case of this particular person, it had a longated effect in doing so. Until regaining a sense of ones self, he had been unaware of its existence until this moment.

Immediately following having asked the man this question, who he assumed to have been behind the glass of which he gazed into, Hitsuyona raises a singular hand to the very glass itself. A near transparent circular object begins to form around his hands, before greatly increasing in size beyond the sight of anyone within the room(s). In what one could only assume as an instant, the glass vanishes from the wall itself, now revealing Hitsuyona to be holding a labcoat as the glass shatters beneath the feet of the awe-stricken scientist who stand behind him. "I've traveled the planes, and returned with a gift far more valuable than that of which any 'man' can imagine."

WC:1,635
TWC: 5,328