A quiet chamber within Las Noches — lined with smooth mirrors, stone, and still air. There is no sound. No time. Just Aizen.

[Sousuke Aizen stands before a tall mirror. His reflection gazes back — perfect, pristine, unreadable.]

He adjusts the collar of his white coat with delicate fingers, not out of vanity — but ritual. Even in rebellion, there is elegance.

Aizen (thinking):

“Once, I bowed to captains who were blind. Served a system built on stagnation. I smiled. I obeyed. I let them believe.”

[He walks slowly around the chamber, each footstep echoing like a clock ticking toward inevitability.]

“The Hōgyoku does not grant power. It reveals it. I did not change. I only stepped into truth.”

[He stops beside one of the mirrors. His reflection ripples — for a second, he sees the man he used to be: soft-eyed, glasses resting on his nose, gentle smile.]

“Even illusions have purpose. That man earned trust. That mask gave me time.”

[He closes his eyes. The illusion fades. Now he is only himself.]

Aizen (quietly, aloud):

“When you strip away order… all that’s left is will.”

[He turns his back to the mirror — the only thing he allows to face him completely.]

“I am not a villain. I am an answer.”

[The lights dim subtly as his spiritual pressure pulses — not with rage, but control. Measured. Absolute.]

And without a word more, he disappears into the dark corridor beyond the mirrors — leaving only silence and reflection behind.