Night Burst: Round Five [2:30PM TO 8AM CST]

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 8. Ascension to Power

When Desmond Hayden decided to join the Vanguard he first met his recruiter, then he met Azure Iramasha by chance the leader of the Vanguard aka his future boss. Hayden was surprised to say the least and visibly excited to meet such a powerful person, one that was willing to train him at that much to help him get stronger and used to the area around him including the forest. Now that was a strange thing to take into account considering the forest was the very place Hayden had lost his mortal life but he wasn’t bout to talk about that- after all he was stronger in some regards and ready to learn under one of the arguably best fighters in the world. None the less Azure told Hayden to meet him in the forest and there he had set up some sort of training that involved Hayden fighting hollows, pretty simple for a shinigami till Azure utterly murdered the Hollow then told Hayden to attack him with everything he had. Hayden did so but after he did Azure punched him with the force to shattered most of the bones in his torso telling him this was the way to get stronger- this left quite the impression on Hayden; the most important being you needed a little pain in your life to get ahead. Also Azure was unpredictable.

To say the least he entered into recovery for quite some time, but thankfully he was always a quick healer and this allowed him to be back in the field soon enough. He had gotten stationed in Karakura and primarly the forest to patrol it in it’s entirety which was a hassle to say the least but one he was excited to partake and be apart of, afterall this was his goal! Well this choice to patrol the forest was one that would also make his life quite a interesting one for one day on his patrols he met a young girl being chased… by a gillian. That was a fearful encounter to say the least, in his years this was the first time he saw one in a public area, the girl while he was fighting the Hollow ran but she had used some spell to do something but the point was she ran and left Hayden to deal with the threat on his own a tiring feat in it’s self. But this was one of the steps of getting him stronger and to be frank it made him start to see the forest as a bigger threat.

Hayden always had luck with finding lost girls in the forest it seemed for only a few days later on another patrol he felt the odd rise of spiritual energy deeper within the forest. Deciding to radio it in he went to investigate what was happening when he stumbled upon the sight of a young girl who looked his age fighting off a group of adjuchas, a feat pretty big in it’s self. Of course Hayden did the heoric thing coming in to aid them quickly dispatching of the weakened enemies before offering aid to the girl who held a stubborn attitude and aura. Through some talking he learned a bit about them and their name was Melissa or Mel- after a bit of more talking Hayden convinced them to join up the Vanguard quoting they needed more strong members; which she surprisingly agreed to. Perhaps this would be a good friend in the future.

But despite all the faith and good tidings Hayden was having it would all come back to spite him, for a day came that despite how much power he gained and people he helped he would fail. That day came when he met Wolf Lionus the man who would become a focal point in the tight ball of rage within him amplified after their fateful encounter. On a temporary patrol in the wasteland due to reports of high levels of spiritual activity they sent Hayden as a scout unit but when Hayden arrived to the town in question it was a literal massacre, everyone in the town was dead. But it wasn’t a ghost town for a single man was there in the center, the man who had committed this atrocity. Naturally, Hayden engaged him in combat with all his might releasing the rage within him that was building for years going so far as to cut his own arm off to keep fighting against wolf but in the end despite the massive amounts of carnage they caused from ripping the ground apart to Hayden losing his arm Hayden lost the fight… but he left a lasting impression on the man one that would cause him to grant him a ‘gift’. Grabbing Hayden by the next he would stab him in the heart with his hand implanting the essence of Death into Hayden granting him death matter, enough to keep him alive and adapt to his body- due to this his arm came but not before he passed out in a crater.

Hayden survived the encounter and was found by Vanguard forces and was immediately sent to Karakura for medical aid due to the severity of his wounds and the beating he received, but his condition managed to stabilize on his own due to the highly potent, but unstable, Death Matter coursing through his body. When he awoken he would find Melissa there to greet him surprisingly who actually showed concern over him something he hadn’t felt from someone else in.. years. It got the better of him and he came off a bit strong with how he felt about her father causing her to be upset, she couldn’t bare to see him go after her father straining their friendship. Hayden felt a ping in his chest, one that still sticks with him as he thinks about that moment; she was truly something else to him and one of the few goals in his life is to patch that bridge up. She made him understand what it felt like to be cared about again so she always held a special place within his heart.

Hayden recovery took some time but after it he began meeting various people, some many in fact that it was hard to keep up with. He recruited some more people into the Vanguard while trying to understand the new substance coursing through his veins merging with his physical being due to his Slayer nature. It was also at this time Hayden was strongly insisting on rebuilding his clan seeing as he possessed the abilities too and with the world in it’s current shape it proved much easier too. He began meeting other Iramasha and even a Sugi at one point leading to quite a list of people he was beginning to know, but this didn’t cause him to slack in his training. In fact the encounter with Wolf made him even more willing to get stronger; so much so that his rage was one of his pivotal aspects of his personality.

When he was not doing his job apart of the Vanguard more and more of his time went to his night time training increasing the ferocity of it along with how much he was doing it; propelling his body and mind to new heights. He learned to channel his rage into a strong state of focus to allow him to fight more effectively under it’s influence even going so far as to develope his own sword play style to complement his free flowing style. Everyday he was getting stronger enough to start turning the eyebrows of people such as that of Shatari Yuudeshi one of the Wardens of the Vanguard. This would lead to the two entering into an agreement to do a mission to help try to cleanse the forest of all the building up of negative energy and beings.

The Forest Revival was what the operation was code named and it was fitting at the time considering their duty and what they where aiming to accomplish with with it. But that was only apart of it all for when they got there with their forces it was a small scale war with various people fighting and what not; but the true handling was with Shatari and Hayden with their small group of elite warriors who was dealing with this quickly. But when Shatari zapped Hayden with some of his energy he exhibited a strange ability to expel the energy rather violently something he was known for since his encounter with wolf but… something went strange. Hayden began to feel sick and feel immense pain as his energy levels began to rapidly expand as his Death Matter began to go into a hyperactive form causing him to begin to leak energy and.. explode so violent he vaporized most beings within a one mile radius. It truly was a devastating event and when it subsided few were left, the operation was titled a success but when Hayden reformed he was extremely weakened and taken to a medical facility where they monitored him for days. Thankfully he was released quickly without any reprimand, but the rage and sorrow he felt was overwhelming for him personally due to all the innocent lives he had taken with that blast; these negative feelings where able to manifest in his inner world creating a hollow- but that wasn’t the end of it. Hayden blast had sucked in all the souls caught in the blast forming some type of super hollow within his inner world that was rekting his emotions even more than they already where.

The aftermath of all this was terrible to say the least, he also had to go test some sisters but that encounter ended horribly with him rescheduling and left a bad taste and impression on him and the sisters, this caused him to see help from the best experts on this sort of thing: Zin Yuudeshi. Scheduling a meeting was easy enough but he was the next person Hayden had to turn to leading to a new chapter in the Shinigami life, once he finally gotten control of his death matter it seemed another would arise and his inner hollow would be the next one. It was time to face the music and meet these troubles head on and defeat these beasts for they consumed him in both mind and heart.

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 1. The Father

Desmond tale does not start at birth, in fact it starts many years beforehand with his Father. At the very start of our tale Hayden wasn’t even a thought but someone who would play a key role in his story was his father and the lineage of which they came from. So before we can tell the tale of Desmond Hayden we must look back into the story of his Father; Erasmus Hayden. This story will begin in the mid years of Erasmus life detailing how who he was and how he met Hayden’s mother but also laying the foundation for what will be known as Hayden clan in the future, a family he will rebuild from the ground up and restore to glory. But for now, lets look into Erasmus.

In the year of 1989 the life of Eramus Hayden was something of wonder, the handsome bachelor had everything going for him to be frank. He stood at a even six feet with a slim but athletic build that came from his job and calling of traversing the world, researching the ruins of his family history. Black slick back hair and a charming smile hid the true power the man had, if one was to meet him they could chalk it up to another young adventurer or archaeologist but in truth this was only half of the story. Eramus possessed a strong connection to his lineage in fact he was one of the only true blooded Macto clan members left roaming the earth and at that he was a prodigy when it came to harnessing their power. He held the title of King of the Eight Gates due to this.

You see members of the Macto Clan where no ordinary humans but a small few who possessed a mutation that allowed them to harness the elements of the earth at the most basic levels, allowing them to manipulate them and at the higher levels manipulate themselves to become that element. Typically a member is confined at most six elements if they are truly skilled in usage and at that only using two at a time, but Hayden’s father was different maybe it was a new mutation or the earth seeing fit to provide someone with a wider range of abilities but he held the extraordinary ability to harness all elements of the world and use them simultaneously. Perhaps it was the destiny of the man to rebuild the clan but so far that's what it seemed at least for him, so the man committed himself to that life once he unlocked his powers for if he didn’t… who would?

The settling of our story takes place in greece, following the lead of a series of scrolls that he found on his last quest in ireland it seemed that a major temple was located somewhere under greece that held the secrets to rebuilding the clan. Naturally, this would cause Eramus to swift make his way to the homeland of his dying clan- the place where it all started was the place it should be revived right? Well he certainly thought so. In the scrolls it described ‘That where we first rose, the land where we met our ultimate failure, is where we will one day return.’ It doesn’t get much more blunt than that to be frank so with the knowledge of their home land he set sail for greece the only problems was he didn’t know where to search for exactly. But he’d cross that bridge when it came across it.

So in greece he searched, oh he searched for months trying to find a clue or some type of evidence that would point him to where he needed to be. No one can say he didn’t try but over the months it’s simply just got harder, while his will never truly died he did eventually meet something that would quell his search- the true downfall of all men: A woman. I’ll spare you the details of everything but this is what you should know; Hayden’s mother was a young woman one that was learning how to become a doctor in the future and was considered in her own right a medical prodigy. While searching in Athens for any connections Erasmus had well gotten into a scuffle with a Hollow and while he was moderately powerful he hadn’t had a meal in days and was growing weaker every day so while he dispatched the Hollow he had succumbed to his wounds in the streets- thankfully he was saved by Hayden’s future mother and little did he know his future wife.

He was taken to a small clinic one that Hayden’s mother aging grandfather would be the doctor off, the wounds to him where extensive from broken bones till the weakening from hunger so when he awoke he found himself not dead surprisingly but feeling better than he had in days. The first thing he always recounts understanding upon waking up was the smell of daisies- before seeing the sight of ‘the most beautiful woman I’d ever be graced with seeing.’ It was hard explaining how he got the injuries but he was able to make up some story about being jumped by thugs, though it was clear Hayden’s mother didn’t quite believe this. None the less he had come to learn her name was Bedelia translating to ‘The one who Ties, Together’. It was safe to say the a pretty face, a wise mind, and the lively aura to her cause Erasmus to fall for her, rather hard to say the least. The feelings were mutual and within the end of the year Erasmus was asking for her to marry him which she happily said yes to with her father blessing.

Erasmus knew being married would never allow him to keep up his quest, so with a heavy heart he decided to forsake his goals of reviving his clan. But on the night of their marriage Erasmus was ambushed by a group of men, restraining him before he could use his powers and rendering him unciousnous he awoken in a room with… his fiancee and her father!? It was then they explained they where the last remaining coven within Greece and when they saw the markings on his body it was clear he held lineage within the family- they told him they had to examine him to make sure he wasn’t some type of interloper or betrayer and found him worthy to be accepted into their coven. While he was conflicted he held a great happiness over the fact that he found a large collection of his clan very distant members but members none the less. So with that he was accepted into the ranks and the marriage happened perhaps they would never be back to glory but it was good knowing he wasn’t the last one out there.

The next year Desmond Hayden was born, the future heir to the clan. Also the man who would accomplish the task his father failed- but not only that to achieve much greater. Time to move on to how the clan was between the marriage of Erasmus and Bedelia.

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 2. The Clan

The Macto clan. A clan that has had a frigid history that rivals that of Desmond in the bigger picture, when Erasmus was inducted into this coven he was graced with the full history of the clan that Desmond would one day rebuild from the ground up; in his image. The clan life was a wide road of divergents and people breaking off till it was nothing but barebones, from their original ideals to their goals of nowadays trying to stay afloat in the modernized world and not alerting the world to their presence. The constant fear of being abducted to be used soldiers in wars they didn’t want to fight or their power harnessed in ways that broke their old tenets; so at the end of they day the blended with the outside world while isolating themselves at the same time. Hiding in public I suppose you could say.

One Thousand Years ago where current day Greece is, their was a meeting that forever changed the life of four men. At the Vardar River opening at the sea these four men pledged to make a group of people that swore to protect this earth while embracing the nomadic nature they all had, this was known as the Macto Communion by the few people that know of their existence. These four men all had extraordinary capabilities to harvest power from the earth and elements around them along with the abilities to give this to other people, these four men had all pledged their lives to this order, this family they now had. No one quite knew how they had these powers but in the modern era it was found out it was a select gene mutation they all had and could share among people but to natural possess this was one within ten million and for four of them to meet up must have been a fated encounter.

That’s the short version one could say of their history so let’s break this down and how it relates to the history of our very own Desmond Hayden. Throughout time the true beginning of the clan has been twisted and changed with few knowing the true beginning, but the definitive beginning was learned by Erasmus from the greek coven; just as the scroll said where the beginning was would be the rebirth. The four men names where Aegeus, Aeneas, Aesop, and Ajax- these brothers of unbreakable bonds would grow close so close that they could be mistaken for blood brothers. There was a time where they all believed each brother would be willing to give their life in the blink of an eye for each and everyone one of them. For the first few years they traveled the lands around them showing their way of life to people, at times being embraced and others being rejected with ridicule till they showed their abilities which surprised people. Sadly they weren't able to turn everyone to their ways but when denied they left peacefully unless asked for demonstration or their lives were in danger. Over the time they began to develope some tenets the clan was to follow; these would dictate their lives and those of the covens.

‘Comradeship’ was the first and the most important tenet to always follow, everyone in the clan and specifically your coven was family. You loved as a unit and mourned as a family when the time called for it, such was the way of the world as they saw it. If you held no love or family what was the point of wealth or power? Corruption of the soul stemmed from lack of love in their eyes and if they could provide that missing feeling perhaps the world would not be on a path of destruction. The next tenet stimmed from the fact that not everyone could possess the supernatural abilties they had and in that guard needed ‘Protection’, the next tenet in the order. To protect your family was the ultimate act and to run or show cowardice was the ultimate failure in their eyes, failure to act is what leads to the most evil in their eyes. The next tenet is considered by many ‘Druidism’ or ‘Love of Earth’ which can be summed up as respect the earth and nature as we all stim from it and the physical body will return to it one day. The next Tenet was a odd one but it was called ‘Destruction’ that came from the need to vanish that which stands in a path of it’s members personal goals, if you wished to become a legend then destroy and obstacle before you. The final tenet and one of the most treasured is what they call ‘True Freedom’ the ability to pursue your own goals without judgement so long as they didn’t harm the clan.

These tenets are the core belief of any coven and while some adopt some extra none will ever remove those to do so would be to deny their heritage. But as the years carried on nothing good could last forever, despite the success that they held it was due to turmoil as every story has. One of the four great founders or sages as they where herald disappeared for two years, no sign or word which worried the three other men but they thought nothing of it. Every man was allowed to pursue his own interest so perhaps he was on a personal pilgrimage now that the clan was established but this was not the case for when he returned he was no longer who he once was. Aesop was completely different in mentality and appearance for when he returned he began to systematically subjugated their covens through some type of infection that left them mindless vassals to do his binding- this couldn’t be allowed so in one final climactic showdown a civil war was waged.

The three others sages mustered the remaining forces to put down the lost covens while developing a technique to meet the tremendous power of Aesop. Sadly it would take the ultimate sacrifice to do so, due to this they would record their final thoughts and the instructions to perform what they could do should this situation ever arise. They had developed a box of various sealings and binding of chi and spiritual energy to seal their former friends, but they also forged a forbidden technique the very one that Erasmus would discover in himself; The Eight Gates unlocking. Each slayered possessed eight inner gates that could be unlocked for tremendous power when needed but each one took massive strain on their body- unlocking of the eighth gates usually ends in death which sadly was a risk they three needed to take.

The final climatic battle was massive, it took place where they first met; at the Vardar River. There was little words exchange but from the accounts seen the sky was ripped open as they said, the river parted, and the earth shattered. When the dust settled the three other sages laid on the ground sapped of all energy dying but had succeeded in their mission of sealing their former friend in the box. In their final dying moments they pleaded for the covens to find peace and hide this box- to never forget their tenets. So was the death of the three first sages and great men. The box was hid in an unspecified location with the instructions to what they did sealed in another location.

For the next few centuries their numbers declined with no one knowing how to re-unlock the hidden slayer mutation in people or grant powers. But through maintaining a hidden nature they where able to survive by bringing potential users in their ranks and making new covens. It was possible for a child to be awaken with powers if both their parents held the gene active or not. So as their numbers declined they barely are around now. This was the history Erasmus learned from; one which broke his heart and confused him- how was he born with the ability to open all eight gates and use all the elements? It was simple he was the only known descendant of one of the sages.

But Erasmus time was done, he had a wife with a child on the way. His life of adventure was at a end; so rather than take up a quest of aiding his people he would raise his son. He would show him the greatness they possessed and teach him to use their abilities… when he’s ready. It’s time to reveal the main character of our story; Desmond Hayden.

MorpheusDavol wrote:Chapter 3. Birth and Childhood

On the day 1990 July 20th was the birth of Desmond Hayden, the unknown heir to the Macto clan along with the child that would one day play a key role in the affairs of the world. But before he was known as the Fallen Soldier, Hero of Furor, or The Man Who Sunders Mountains with Rage he was but a innocent babe in the arms of his mother Bedelia. The origins of his birth and months leading up to it where met with happiness with his father Erasmus nervous and doing everything he could to ease the suffering of his wife best hecould by being there and just helping in general with whatever she may need. None the less Bedelia was always kind even with her slight mood swing and cramps but when the day finally came it was rather.. at a untimely moment.

It was a lovely saturday afternoon, Erasmus was performing some rites for the clan to wish a blessing upon all the members and was planning on reaching out to some covens in ireland. Just as he was on the phone with them he suddenly heard a loud yell for his name accompanies by his father-in-law bursting in with wide eyes before speaking quickling. It was something of along the lines of ‘You dolt your wife water broke we must hurry!’ So he quickly bid goodbye rather rushly to the other coven who seemed a little confused, but he rushed into the room to see his wife being carried to the car to take her to the clinic they owned. You see the birth of a clan member was a big deal so it couldn’t be done at a public hospital at the time due to the rites that must be done and ritual performed. It was alot of ceremonial stuff that just couldn’t be ignored.

When they arrived to the clinic it was a rush to say the least as they got the wet pregnant woman quickly into a room with various members of the coven waiting outside wishing rites and congratulation upon the couple which Erasmus said many rushed thank yous but his mind was on his wife. Once inside they were accompanied by what is called a ‘Preistia’ which is a usually the person besides the coven leader who performs the most sacred rites and guides the coven spiritually. The man would dip some type of herb in a oil and burn it chanting something that Erasmus couldn’t make out due to his focus on his wife but the smell provided a easing for the female and himself along with everyone in the room. He said a few more rites and blessings to them before stepping aside, it was time for the labor and get the baby out.

The whole ordeal lasted roughly sixteen hours before little Desmond was born to the outside world, a joyous occasion for the whole coven and when he was born the Preistia said one more rite before departing the room now that he could feel the slayer energy within him. As for the parents they both marveled at the sight of their newborn babe, the small child that was the offspring of their love and union- as for the naming it was clear he would take the last name of his father but for the first name? They had decided upon Desmond. The reason for this is Desmond means ‘Gracious Defender’ which was the person they hoped he would be one day for the clan. This was the birth and naming of Desmond Hayden, the unknown heir to the Macto and the man who’s rage would be known around the world one day.

Desmonds care was just like that of any other child for the first few months of his birth, his father and mother both cared for him getting time allowed off from both their chosen professions since they worked within the clan. His care was made even easier by the love and gifts given to them by the coven members, seeing as this was tight knit community everything was going pretty well. So for the first year of his life everything was good, Hayden father eventually returned to work with his mother taking care of him for the time being. It was good times when you looked back at how Hayden’s father life was two years ago but now he was making something of it; he had a beautiful healthy son that was exhibiting the behavior of someone with the gene.

When Hayden was roughly sixteen months old he was taking his first walking steps, it was a joyous occasion they filmed and in the modern time the few pieces of film Hayden has left of his family. His first steps was to his father before he fell down into his arms which was followed by his dad saying praise and laughing warmly, it truly was good times for the family and with that came happiness. The coven was alive and at the heart of it a child was always something worth experiencing and seeing. But when he hit the age of three things really began to change at the age of three.

During one night of a particularly bad storm the crying of young desmond could be heard in his bed, apparently the thunder was scaring him it seemed. But the strange factor was the more he cried the more the storm worsened, this occurences weren’t rare for kids who demonstrated their abilities early on leading the coven to find out his element was… lightning. It was hard at first to teach him to conquer that fear mostly due to how do you stop a child from being scared of lighting that controls lightning randomly? They had to get it under control before a mess was caused so to stop the problem they placed a temporary seal on his power; they agreed in the future when he was older and understood they would explain his powers and the family origins.

Everything was mostly normal at that point, these where the younger years of his life but we all know what comes next; it was time for young Desmond to enter into… school.

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 4. Schooling and teenage years

Desmond began schooling at the age of five entering into kindergarten which was surprisingly public school something Erasmus questioned the elders about if that really was a good idea, which granted knowing who they where could cause some questions to arise. But they explain the reason why they could remain hidden so well was because they blended into society so well and with his powers sealed for now nothing crazy would arise but it was important Desmond didn’t know the truth till he could be responsible for keeping the secret. That was easing for the now aging father who was now branching into his early thirties, maybe it was time to relax and let his son begin to experience a life he wasn’t granted. So lets looking to schooling and years Desmond spent in the school system.

Desmond entered into Kindergarten rather normally and was like the typical child, hyperactive and always getting into trouble because of stupid reasons like running when shouldn’t be. It was all harmless and in his elementary school days it was easy to see that he was a gifted reader learning to read far ahead of his classmates and understanding history well; doing so and so in mathematics on the average level but did fairly above average when it came to science. It was nothing of crazy signfigance but it did lay the foundation for his next few years in the schooling system. His elementary days he never truly made any lasting friends just hanged out with whoever he felt and whenever he felt- wasn’t everyone friend nor their rival when it came to his elementary days. But when he got into middle schooling was when we started to develope the Hayden we know today.

When Desmond entered into the sixth grade he began to finally develope into what we know today displaying the first signs of his stubborn behaviour when entering into sports, particularly wrestling. He was growing bigger and stronger everyday looking always a ge or two bigger then he really was and when he started to enter into physical training at the age eleven for his sports. It was nice seeing him grow up with the guidance of his father and mother along with what they called ‘relatives’ referring to the coven members Hayden didn’t know about yet. At any rate when he was wrestling and doing drills one could easily see the passion in his eyes when he committed to something refusing to lose on the mat racking up countless wins, even going to nations by the time he fourteen for his age and winning. As for his school work for his middle school years he maintained As and Bs respectivly mostly cause his father wouldn’t let him wrestling if dropped to a C.

Erasmus made it very important to teach Hayden structure in his life while allowing the child breaching into young adult to learn from his own experience but this didn’t mean he ran amuck, he taught him manners and to always show thanks for those who help him. He taught him that family and love was important for life and without it what was the point of achieving everything? His father played a strong role in his life so by the time he was into his ninth grade year he had learned a hefty bit about life and at that he was getting various offers for private schooling due to his athletic performance. But he choose public school everytime and when asked why by his dad he said ‘What’s the point of going to school with all those preppy people? I can get everything I want here.’ Something which could only make his dad chuckle.

By the time he was in tenth grade the coven had decided it was time to inform him of what he was and who they were to him, so they decided between the summer between tenth and eleventh grade for the young man would be the best time. So his dad told him they were going on a hunting trip which was only a small life, as they traveled to the wilderness in his dads truck Hayden drifted to sleep only to wake up at a clearing and see multiple people; those he knew from everyday life. Before he could ask any questions his dad stepped forward telling him to calm down and trust him for now while offering a smile- his grand father stepped forward telling Hayden he was apart of a very special brand of people and from that point he launched into a speech about their origins and what he was. Of course Hayden found this hard to believe but when his grandfather demonstrated their power by turning his complete arm to metal he was aghast. A man stepped forward in robes who was the Preistia that was their at his birth, tapping his forehead and riticing a rite Hayden felt a sudden surge of energy as his sealed powers were unlocked. So that was the day Hayden learned of his abilties and who he was; the day that forever changed life… somewhat.

Hayden took it surpisingly well, he shrugged it off saying it may be his lineage but it doesn’t define who he is yet; what was for him to decide which made his father proud how matured his son had gotten. The next year was his final year of highschool and with that came time to decide to what to do with life, something he hadn’t really given throught to like many people of his generation. One day at school he was approached by a recruiter saying he could offer things no college could; life experience. Maybe it was the glory he showed Hayden or the natural adventurer he was but he signed on for after high school… his parents were shocked to say the least.

The family talk about that was a bit awkward but one of the tenets of the clan was true freedom and if he wished to join the military then they would not stop him. So with that ended his schooling years to move onto the next part of his life; that as a soldier but also… the devastating event that would rock his core and plant the seed of rage within him. The events that happen next will not be pleasant. They will not be happy. You are warned.

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 5. Devastation

The year is 2009, Desmond Hayden just commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant within the greek military as a professional soldier rather than a draftee. This was the year everything went to shit for Hayden and arguably the world. This was the year the Ender War happened and how he became the seed of rage known as The Fallen Soldier. He would lose it all, every bit of the family he had and what he knew of the world sending him on a deadly path that would carry on even deeper into the afterlife. This is the half way point in the man’s life known as Desmond Hayden where we will see the darkness that bred into something deep into him; now lets look into the year before so we can get some back story.

The year 2008 was nothing special for Hayden, he was a cadet in training to commission as a officer for his nation to one day be deployed into combat as a leader among troops. He kept his powers underwraps but it was getting harder for some reason; as if the world was changing around him and he was the only one keen to it- he’s not talk about Hollows either no he had known about them since they unsealed his power’s it was as if something else was stirring the very workings of the world strange enough this was affecting him during his training. It didn’t truly get back till they reached the early months of 2009; the year EVERYTHING changed for the world including Desmond.

The world changed forever during that year; the battle with Ender as they called it caused the mass awakening of people with peoples and for the spiritual and physical world borders to collapse. This was bad and good for it allowed for Hayden not to have to hide his powers but at the same time the greek military was having troubles with all the reports of supernatural creatures and soldiers gaining new abilities along with those trying to dodge the draft now fighting back with said powers. The first year in Hayden opinion was Hell and trying to manage it made his head hurt but he did as he was told as a soldier; till he got a report that shattered his world. They regretted to inform him that Hayden’s home was caught in a terrible fight between supernatural beings and that the area has no reported survivors. After requesting a leave he went to check for himself.

Upon arriving at his old home and coven he saw the devastation up close, bodies were still being cleared from the mess and some he recognized as coven members- most likely also fighting to protect themselves. As he showed his military ID they let him through unknowing of his involvement with the coven most likely, as he searched for his family home he found it- it was nothing but rubble as he arrived. His parents were no where in sight letting him know that whatever transpired here involved them; believing no one could have survived he fell to his knees letting a cry out in rage while punching the ground. If he had never left home this would have never happened; he could have fought with them! He punched the ground till his knuckles cracked and blood leaked onto the ground; sitting on his knees his home- his world has crashed down on his head because of some stupid battle that had made every supernatural smuck in the world stronger. He was angry- angry at the world for allowing this, himself for ever have left, and pissed off that some super powered assholes caused this; this rage would boil in him and drive him forward to find out what happened here. That was the very day Hayden changed, he stopped using his first name using only his last name particularly easy with military use.

For the next three years Hayden did as he was told, fighting whatever fight they wanted him too when he demonstrated his ability to use lightning. His rage was unfixable and his thirst for revenge was insatiable. He wanted to make the world pay for how they wronged him, he wanted to make them feel the pain he was feeling- this pain kept at him for years. It wasn’t till 2012 that after reviewing the last three years of his life that he realized how foolish he was acting- none of the coven would want him this way so from that day forward he took a pledge. He would do what he could to prevent this from happening to good people, he’d be willing to throw away his life to make sure no good person had to experience the pain, lose, and rage he felt. But this is Desmond after all- sadly he wouldn’t get a happy ending but his story wouldn’t end there. From the ashes of his wrath, he would be reborn; with rage as a source of fuel.

The next chapter of his story will uncover the tragic death and rebirth of our hero; after all some men aren't meant to stay dead.

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 6. Death and Rebirth

In the early months of 2012 Hayden held that small mental revitalization which led to him having a stronger sense of justice and morals that were unshakable. He still was a soldier and fought the evil in the world such as Hollows or other evil creatures that brought harm to the good guys. For the first few months it was going good somewhat, it was hard to forget that he had lost everything and every time he thought of it his rage grew- so much so he had to mask it with a false happiness while on the inside he suffered slowly- he wanted to know who killed his family who took away everything he cared about and tore his world up. He was also so scared of what was happening in this new world and what was his place- how could he call himself a hero and not even be able to help those who needed it the most.

In mid july nearing his birthday is when the fateful event occurred that would forever alter his life- it was his death. Everyone has to die sometimes and some would say others were taken to early from this world, something Desmond believed about his family for at this point in his life he was truly alone. If he was to perish he would not be missed save for the combat capabilities he brought to the greek military and that was strained at that. He wanted to just find some reason to keep on striving for something but he just couldn’t despite how much he claimed to want to protect people- his rage ate at him and if he wasn’t careful would be his undoing in the long run. But at any rate lets delve into the how and when Hayden met his untimely end.

He was assigned to a overseas operation in the outskirts of Karakura as some type of diplomatic forces aid with helping clear out Hollows in the forest; due to his powers he was considered as one of the best in the greek military and a dual english and greek speaker. So the deployment was rather nice he got a first class air trip over their along with a bonus in pay along with paid for home in Karakura while the operation was in place; there he would see just how much the world change since the Ender battle and the amount of supernatural people and beings inhabiting the area which to him was a major damn surprise. He thought it wasn’t rare but the sheer volume caught him off guard at first, but he didn’t have long to admire his surroundings. Over the next few days he had standard operations of helping clear out the area of Hollows but it was a particularly bad incident which well was the end of him.

It was the early dawn with the sun almost rising signalling the near end of his shift, but one last call was made for reinforcements in a sector of the forest and Hayden unit was the closest so by default they rushed over to help. They were ill prepared to face the beast before them because what stood menacing over the corpse of a fresh soldier was a Adjuchas level Hollow. It’s eyes locked the soldiers for a moment before it roared dashing at speeds Hayden could barely keep up with- in a instant two soldiers were dead from bites and despite gun fire and specialized equipment it made mincemeat of the men quickly save for Hayden would could put up a semi fight. So the two went at it, Hayden barely surviving before moving a bit slow letting it launched onto his shoulder causing him to yell out in pain, laying on his back he knew this was it but he’d be damned to go out like this. So he reached to his chest gripping the pin on a assortment of grenades he kept for these last stand moments- if he was going down he’d be (trying) to take this thing with him. In a blinding flash he felt immense pain than… nothing.

The next time Hayden opened his eyes it was in the soul society- unlike most he actually remembered his previous life and with that he quickly looked around to see where the hell he was. Then it set upon him- he was dead just like everyone else here and he was what did they call it… a plus? Well that wouldn’t do for this soldier he couldn’t simply let his life end here. Inside him a rage still boiled in his gut that drove him to find some way to still be useful to find purpose and over the time of asking around he found out just how to… by becoming a shinigami.

He found out there was a academy that took in spirits to train them to become shinigami, making them stronger in the process but he also learned it would not be easy and would require him to study again along with take academics- all of this wasn’t stuff he minded. He knew it was going to be a long challenge to do this but he needed to seek out some way to become stronger to aid the world against darkness. Maybe it was a foul dream but needed to be reassured he meant something in life, he needed to prove himself to some extent and by joining the academy would be the first step. So the next chapter in his life was joining the academy.

MorpheusDavol wrote:

Chapter 7. Beginnings of a Shinigami

On his way to the academy Hayden mind wondered what would be before him and what it meant to become a shinigami, what would happen once he finished his training and how did he even get accepted? Well he would find out when he arrived at the place, once he did he would see there was a line dedicated to those interested in joining the academy. Getting into the moderately long line he would sigh look ahead to see what was in front of him, it seemed fairly long so he sighed shaking his head- he was going to be here a while it seemed. At least this wasn’t going to be a waste of time or anything, he would at the very least be able to figure out what to do in the meantime.

The people in the line ranged from the slightly strange to looking like they didn’t belong here whats so ever but who was he to judge? A man simply here to gain the power to protect people and feel like his life isn’t worthless in the process, while holding a ball of rage within him he refused to acknowledge. So as he examined the line he kept his judgements to himself while he lost himself in his thoughts. To think he died by his own hand and a Adjucha something that was so… unknown- who would even know of his death? He could only hope he killed the bastard in the process but that was unlikely… those things could take a beating from the rumors he heard. By the time he was finishing his thoughts he was arriving at the front to be greeted by the reception desk.

They asked some pretty standard questions like his height, weight, and a assortment of other personal details also if he held any supernatural powers, which to their surprise Hayden said as a human he did. This cause them to make a thoughtful noise in their throat asking what it was with Hayden replying he could manipulate lightning to a extent which intrigued them, the receptionist then pointed to a room with a door telling him he would be taking a exam to determine if he was acceptable enough for admission which cause Hayden to sigh- it was high school all over again in those regards. With not to excited vigor he went to the room and entered to take his exam, which took roughly an hour for the male.

Hayden for legal reasons can’t tell you what was on the test but he can tell you he passed with flying colors enough to get into the accelerated learn program or class one as everyone referred to it as, normally he would opt for the lower classes but he was eager to graduate as quickly as possible and learn to harness his power. It was just like he thought it was going to be realistically, lots of schooling about shinigami from how they worked to how to become one with a bit of military principle thrown in. When it came to wearing a uniform and learning he was quick on his feet just as he was as a kid and on top of the discipline he learned in the military this was a breeze for him- except when it came to doing Kido. While he wasn’t as terrible as the famed Renji Abari he was pretty shitty in his own right. But through effort and hard work he was consider at least relatively ‘ok’ at it.

Hayden’s academy life was very strict not because of the people or teachers that demanded it but because he forced himself to be strict, he would not lose his discipline in the after life. If anything his time in the academy strengthened his resolve, he dedicated his time to his studies and perfecting the combative aspects of being a shinigami from Zanjutsu and the sway of his blade to his Hoho and Hakuda. But where he truly excelled was with his sword skills and ability to flow or change his style of combat whenever it came to it; his focus in combat was both admired and feared by his peers holding a undefeated record in his training classes. This focus did not come without a price, for every failure he made it caused him to get angrier at himself feeding the rage in his stomach slowly building forcing him to place a even bigger mask on his face on the outside. But none the less after five years he graduated early receiving his Asuchi and he got to choose his division which of course.. he went with the 11th Division.
For the next 400 Desmond Hayden was a member of that division for the longest which was a perfect fit for him, he was used to a rough life that came with soldiering so he did as he was told. There he would learn over time the Gotei simply wasn’t for him and he believed their goals where to narrow and not broad enough for what he wanted. So when the year of 2015 came around he was debating leaving and by march he was already gone transferring to the Vanguard as a member of the initiative starting a new chapter of his life when he met a famous individual: Azure Iramasha.