...Made To Be Broken. [Milestone]

Like a champion boxer defending his title, Lucas won twice. Twice he fought Shinigami who sought to end him, or at least he believed they did, and twice he defeated them without taking their lives in return. He never let this stop him from doing his job of recruiting other Quincy, either.

Saya in particular truly tested him. Hers was an assassination attempt, one full of deceit. There was no honor, only the goal of killing Lucas as quickly and efficiently as possible. Maybe she got impatient, but despite her ruse, Lucas survived and drove her away. But do take note: He came very close to killing her, and perhaps the only thing that saved her life was Saya's miraculous save at the very end.

The fight with Shigure is a similar demonstration of both Lucas' opinions on Shinigami and the Balance, and his ability to keep his promise. It only made the battle that much more difficult, but he overcame. He defeated Shigure as well, also without taking the man's life.

Along the way he recruited Benjamin de la Cruz, met Cressida, Anna, and even brought Rick Rogers on board -- who would prove to be invaluable later on.

The big moments for the closing of this Arc include the half-TBTP and half-present-day thread called See You Later, Dad. In it, we visit the day that Lucas' grandfather died by a Hollow. We got to see what Edward, his father, was like before this crippling loss -- and why it turned him into the man he is now.

Which is what, I think, provides the needed context for The Assassination.

In this thread, Lucas is forced to defend against an absurdly powerful Shinigami with two other Quincy at his side. Despite their minor successes, it's looking like Genki will outlast them all and win. This is the most desperate situation that Lucas is put into and, with the help of Genki's Shikai forcing him to confront a deeply hidden and ugly secret, it becomes a transformative moment.

Lucas chooses to let go of his father's fear and stop letting it control his own behavior. He throws away the promise he made to his father as proof of that, and decides to kill Shinigami whenever neccessary.

Starting, of course, with Genki.

This particular ending, I think, is powerful. It's not just a change in the heat of the moment, but a conscious choice made possible by that moment.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the Arc as much as I do, as this is one of the first where I can say I'm distinctly proud of the result.

Consequences, like always.

Lucas has a lot of fallout to deal with the next time he sees his father. In that last thread, The Assassination, you see he has some mixed feelings about the Queen to handle as well. Not to mention that he has two allies, Rick and Aidan, to catch up with after such a monumental moment between the three of them.

The biggest question mark here, though, is Lucas' fate at the end of The Assassination. While his part is over, along with his Arc, the thread itself is ongoing at the time of this writing. Although in its final stage, the exact fate of Lucas is uncertain.

That's a first for me.