"Wake up, little Kel."
The voice echoed through the sleeping child's dreams, and he groaned and turned over.
"Turning away from me isn't going to make me disappear, you know." The voice was kind, familiar. "Wake up now, you don't want to miss your father's leaving party."
That got Kel's attention. He bolted upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and grinning up at his grandfather. Acajou, or Aca as he was fondly called by those close to him, was about the only person who could wake the twelve-year-old without foiling his mood. Aca returned Kel's smile, wrinkles deepening on his aged face, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He reached over and ruffled Kel's hair, earning him a whine. He laughed at that and stood up, their wake-up ritual coming to an end. "Get ready, he leaves in an hour."
"Yes Grandpa." Kel nodded eagerly, throwing his sheets off the bed. He tried to rush to the bathroom, only to run into his grandfather's strong arms.
"Don't forget to make your bed, you don't want your mother to yell at you today, do you?"
"Of course not, Grandpa." Kel's shoulders slumped slightly and he turned back to pick up the hastily thrown blanket. Acajou glanced around the room, taking in the open book lying face-down next to the bed. He must have fallen asleep studying again. Aca watched him work for a moment then turned and left the room. He made his way downstairs, wooden steps creaking. The smell of breakfast tantalized his senses and he allowed it to lead him into the kitchen. His daughter was busy cooking the almost feast-like breakfast that would send off her husband on his hunt. It was customary for the spouse of the Hunter to prepare such a meal before they left, to ensure that they started their hunt satisfied and wanting for nothing.
There was no real reason to do this anymore, what with the Kingdoms setting up bases and checkpoints throughout the 'wildlands'. They were stocked with food and supplies, allowing village hunting parties to move from one to another as they saw fit. This allowed the parties to stay out longer, travel lighter, and receive urgent medical care in the event of a hunt going awry.
However, people still enjoyed eating as well as any excuse to do so while being showered with praise over how brave they were. As a result, the tradition continued to the modern day and no one complained.
Nilla was completely engrossed in the making of a mideak, a local steamed delicacy. It consisted of a rice flour dough base with shaved coconut, sugar, and dry fruits piled on top. Another sheet of rice flour dough was laid on top and the edges of the top and bottom sheets pressed together. It was steamed and served covered in sweetened condensed milk.
Acajou watched her work, churning out mideaks at a breakneck speed, hands flying from bowl to bowl, doling out coconut, cashews, raisins with practiced motions. She didn't stop to measure or compare anything and instead relied completely on her experience and estimation. She slowed down for the last mideak, taking her time in crafting it to perfection. She took a small, scalpel-like knife and carved out an intricate design onto the surface. It consisted of an evergreen tree with a single star above it, the symbol of their family. Kel had been young when he had asked Aca about the meaning of the symbol, and he had used that opportunity to tell Kel about the history of their village. He had expected Kel to be uninterested in the mystical folklore and to laugh at it, just like how his elder brother had done.
But unlike Jonquil, Kel had taken to history and mythology like a fish in water. Where his older brother hated the tales of ancient warriors and the old ways of Hunting, Kel paid rapt attention. After Aca's memory had been run dry, Kel had gone to the village elders and spent hours with them, listening intently to their stories of magic and creation.
They had painted a world before even the Grimm had hounded humanity, where magic was in the very essence of the world and humanity-built empires to last centuries. There was disagreement amongst the elders about the cause of the end of this Golden Age of humanity, with some saying that it was the Grimm that caused humanity's downfall, while others said it was the other way around: humanity's fall created a vacuum that allowed the Grimm to prosper. It had often led to raised voices and heated words as each elder put down his thinking and what his own elders had passed on to him.
These disagreements were downright pleasant discussions compared to the fights that were caused whenever Kel asked about magic. He knew about Dust, of course, and Aura. His father's occupation as a Hunter had exposed him to these from an early age. To him, Dust and Aura themselves seemed like magic, but the elders were very clear in distinguishing between the two. Aura was an innate expression of one's soul. When cultivated through metaphysical exercises, it could be coaxed to the surface and protect the body from physical harm. These auras were awakened and could be trained in any way that the user wished.
Hunters used theirs as shields first and weapons second. Healers used theirs to help those whose auras were dormant or low. Workers could use their auras to boost their strength. Awakening an aura was expensive, requiring intense focus acquired through months of meditation. It was also possible for someone with a large aura to awaken another's aura through resonance, but it was not a practice done lightly as it was draining and socially regarded as intimate. Many rich families paid to awaken their offspring's auras either for fast tracking them into defense academies or just for their protection.
These limitations meant that for the public, having an awakened aura was limited to those who either did the time, paid the money, or had someone close to them who could unlock it for them. Jonquil's aura had been awakened by his father and was in training to become a Hunter. At sixteen, Jonquil had been fighting Grimm in the area around the village for a year now. He had been gifted his sword on his sixteenth birthday and had immediately cherished it despite its simplicity. There were no fancy shifting mechanisms built in, no Dust chambers or channels, and no ranged mode, just a simple, straight blade with an unadorned black hilt and a wide crossguard.
Acajou had forged the blade himself, basing the design on the arming sword used historically in their region of Sanus which was mostly of Mistrali descent. One handed fighting was used by many Great War soldiers who preferred to use a shield to compensate for their lack of aura. Vacuo had used guerilla tactics and focused on the individual talents of each soldier, a result of their lower population and culture where chaos was a fact of life and accepted. Mistral had the highest population, resulting in large, mostly disposable rotations of soldiers on the front lines. Individual fighters, those possessing auras and/or exceptional weapon skills, were set apart. They rode chariots into battle as shock troopers, many firing bows to sow chaos as they broke the enemy lines.
Atlas had neither the individuality of Vacuo nor the population of Mistral and pushed their technological prowess, bringing machines of death into battles. These styles of combat resulted in a rock-paper-scissors fight, with Mistrali forces easily breaking the Atlesian lines, Atlesian forces destroying Vacuan outposts from afar, and Vacuan forces hitting the Mistrali from every angle, infiltrating and laying traps to kill key targets.
This cyclic deadlock was only broken whenever Vale engaged in battle. Due to their central geographic position, they had a jack-of-all-trades style of fighting, which allowed them to trade victories with any kingdom. As the war wore on, the survivors of each battle grew stronger and passed their combat styles onto the new blood, which cascaded into each Kingdom possessing distinct fight styles.
Vacuan Hunters used highly customized weapons suited to their preferred styles and semblances. Mistrali Hunters used 'traditional' weapons, such as swords, poleaxes, and spears along with sheer skill in arms to disarm and eliminate threats. Atlas had continued to experiment with Dust and aura, finding much success in combat applications. Vale had continued to expand and absorb, resulting in the highest variety in combat styles. Some said that this was the reason that Beacon was regarded as the best Hunter Academy, at least in terms of versatility.
"Hey dad." Nilla's soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Can you help me set the table? I'm almost done with the mideaks."
"Sure thing." Aca moved over to the colorful containers containing the delicious fruits of Nilla's labor: mapua and friend plantain chips, shallow fried potatoes, lumdado, kotash, haluva, and of course, mideaks. He carried them to the living room and put them in the center of the table. He kept them covered, ensuring their warmth. It would be almost an hour until they ate, after all. He went into the living room and sat down onto the sofa with a huff, one hand turning the TV on with a practiced ease.
'Construction on Mountain Glenn continues at a breakneck pace, with the transport tunnels opening just last week, allowing for faster deliveries of resources...'
Aca snorted. A fool's errand, attempting to build a city so far away from established human grounds. But maybe that was just his old-age pessimism.
'...The government of Vale scrambles to answer accusations of corruption and incompetence in the handling of the project. More at 11."
Kel rushed downstairs, his skin almost red with the effort he had put into scrubbing every inch of it. It was the cleanest he had been since, well, the last Hunt. His hair was immaculately combed and his clothes perfect. He bounced into the kitchen and latched onto his mother, driving her to laugh and hug him back.
"Good morning my little menace." She fondly ruffled his hair as he let go. "Ready to eat?"
"Mmhmm!" He nodded his head vigorously. "I could smell the lumdado from my room!"
"Not too long to wait. Call your brother and dad to eat and we'll get started."
"Will do!" He turned to run out but was caught by the arm. He squawked in surprise as his mother lifted him into a hug.
"I love you, my little lion." She whispered, squeezing him tighter before settling the wriggling boy onto the floor.
"Love you too!" He shouted behind him as he ran out before she could do anything embarrassing to him. Like fix his hair. He was old enough to take care of his appearance if nothing else!
He found his brother and father in the armory, where they were poring over a map. He peeked his head in, listening to their conversation. The desk was on the wall behind the door, allowing Kel only the ability to hear them.
"Didn't Sonahi's scouts say that they found a Ursa den over here?" Jonquil said, worry clear in his voice.
"They did, but according to Sunahar, it had been unoccupied for about a week or so. If there are no young in there, we'll only face adolescent Grimm at worst." His father's voice was rough, deep, and extremely comforting. One of Kel's earliest memories was that voice comforting him during a violent thunderstorm, the constant rumble of his voice anchoring him amidst the lashing of rain and the clash of thunder and lightning outside.
"But what if it's an ambush?"
His father chuckled. "Don't worry about me being ambushed. In fact, if everything goes right, I'll be the one doing the ambushing!" The door was thrown open and Kel found himself in the air, engulfed in the massive arms of his father. "Gotcha, you little punk!"
"Dad, no, stop!" Kel giggled as his dad's hand rubbed his head.
"You shouldn't be spying on us, Kel. This is Hunter business." Jonquil leaned back on the table, an irritated look on his face.
"It's fine Jon, let him be. He's just curious. You were the same at his age."
"Yeah!" Kel stuck his tongue out at his brother. "Listen to dad."
"Why did you come here Kel? Is it time to eat already?"
Kel didn't answer, but simply nodded and pulled his father along the hallway, drawing rumbling laughter from the large man. Jonquil chuckled and followed them to the living room.
The Hunters had left about seven hours ago and now the sun was getting close to the horizon. Aca was sleeping on the sofa, having fallen asleep watching news. Nilla had gone to a friend's house, and Kel was being coached by his brother in the art of sword fighting in the forest behind their house.
"Remember, keep your eyes on the sword when you're blocking, not on me." Jonquil explained calmly. "Again."
He swung slowly to his right, which Kel managed to block. Jonquil pulled the sword back and stabbed forward, smiling as he saw Kel dodge to the side. "Good!"
Kel perked up. "Really? Tha…"
Jonquil sliced the air and smacked Kel in the side, ringing his practice armor. "Keep your attention on your opponent at all times, especially if he starts acting friendly."
"Owwww, that was no fair!"
"Do you think anyone trying to kill you will be fair? Do you think the Grimm will be fair?" Jonquil left the question linger in the air for a moment before offering a hand to his brother. "Now get up, we're going to drill shields next."
Kel grabbed his brother's strong hand and started to pull himself up before they both froze in place as a piercing horn echoed through the village. The Hunting party was back already?
A second blast followed the first, followed by a third. Jonquil's eyes widened slightly before he grabbed Kel and hauled him back into the house. He pushed him towards the staircase and turned to lock the back door. "Go to your room, lock the room, close the windows, and don't make a noise until we get back."
Kel opened his mouth to argue but Jonquil's expression frightened him, and he followed Jonquil's orders to the letter. Jonquil heard the door slam and the lock click upstairs as he finished securing the back door. He headed to the armory where Aca and Nilla were armoring up already. Aca strapped his sword's sheath to his side, the metal of his armor clanging as it rubbed against itself.
Nilla was polishing a dagger and had put on her leather armor. She wasn't a Hunter, but she was competent at self-defense; you had to be, to not be a burden in emergencies. Aca nodded at Jonquil then went back to checking his armor. Jonquil pulled his sword out of the chest. It was gleaming, as it had been when he had cleaned it last time he used it. He pulled it out and started to change into his armor, pulling the leather underarmor on first. It would protect his sides from swipes, while not weighing as much as a metal covering all around. The heavier, bulkier metal was reserved for the torso and to cover his wrists. The wristguards made it harder to swing his arms but were a real lifesaver in combat.
"Ready?" Aca's voice was quiet, focused.
Jonquil was about to nod when a thought struck him. He picked up a Fire Dust crystal and pocketed it. There was no knowing when it would come in handy. He checked to make sure everything was in place before following his mom and grandfather out into the village square.
Kel knew his brother was dead serious when he had sent him to his room, so he didn't move or make a noise, even as he saw the wind carry smoke into the village. Gunfire could be heard from the forest and the shouting was indistinct, but still audible.
It wasn't until the tree fell onto his roof that Kel scrambled. With a great groan it tore through the roof above him and continued through the floor below him. Something exploded under him and the floor sagged downwards under the sudden shockwave.
The tree must have hit some of the Fire Powder under the stove! Kel froze as thoughts flashed through his brain too fast to decipher. Panic pressed down him heavily from every angle and he started gasping for air, the smoky air not doing much to help.
Some neurons in his brain not running around in a panic started to analyze the situation. Smoke rising from below rather than coming through the roof. Store of Fire Dust hit downstairs. Small explosion.
Run! His animal instincts dumped a load of adrenaline into his body and he climbed onto the trunk of the tree that occupied half his room. He grasped the rough edges of the bark and heaved himself up the tree and out of the house. He was running on autopilot, his muscle memory of years of climbing the only thing allowing him to make it out of the burning house.
The tree had been seemingly cut sharply by something, which had caused it to canter and fall onto the house. Kel shimmied across the rough trunk, suspended two stories above the ground. The trunk was bent at a right angle, thankfully close to the ground, and Kel hopped off. He rolled to his feet, just like his brother had showed him to, and scrambled into a nearby bush.
He could hear sounds of fighting coming from the village gate, the clanging of metal and the boom of gunshots sounding raw in the open air. The village was burning, and the forest was desolate; the safest place to hide from the Grimm would ironically be with the fighters rather than out in the open where his panic and terror would present a buffet to any Beowolf nearby. Course decided, he zigzagged from bush to bush towards the fighting, skirting the edge of the town.
Aca gasped in pain and sat back onto a tree. He grit his teeth as the underarmor chafed at the gaping wound in his side. He had been swarmed on all sides and had managed to hold the tide at bay for a while. Had this attack occurred just five years earlier, he would have managed to emerge victorious. However, time was a cruel mistress and his aura was long gone before he had missed the critical block. The stab wound was less deep as it was wide, cutting across many large blood vessels that ran along the side of the abdomen.
He had been pulled back by his fellow fighters and pushed aside to heal. There were no healers nearby, they all knew that, but they pulled him away from the fighting anyways. It wasn't a battle they would win, not fighting the foe they were engaged with. There was no sign of the Hunting party but with the strength of the foe they were fighting, the Hunting party would have been either blind or extremely lucky to avoid them.
All he could hope was that Jonquil had the sense to take Nilla and Kel and escape. All he could do was hope now. And so, he hoped with all his heart and soul as he slipped into the comfort of oblivion.
"Push forward!" Take them from the side!"
Kel froze, form hidden in the shadows of the bush. Human voices for sure, as the Grimm didn't speak. But he knew everyone in the village; this group was from the outside! Maybe they were a Hunter group sent to aid them?
His naïve thought died a stillbirth as he watched the group, dressed identically in black clothing with silver Grimm masks covering their faces, rush the village gates rather than help in the fighting. He glanced back to the direction he had been going in and then, making up his mind, followed the last of the dark group towards the village.
"Kel! Where are you?! KEL!" Jonquil's voice was almost hoarse as he shouted, searching the areas near their burning home.
"Kel! We need to leave!" Nilla limped close, half leaning on him. She had taken a grazing cut to her leg early in the battle but hadn't given it any rest. It hurt like hell and would take an age to heal but she couldn't and wouldn't retreat until she was forced to. Seeing Acajou fall had sapped her resolve and she had dragged Jonquil from the battle back to the village. Family came first and for all she knew, her husband and father were now dead. She wasn't going to let the same happen to her sons.
"None of you are going anywhere." A rough voice growled behind them.
Jonquil spun around to see a slim, yet tall, red headed man emerge from the shadows between two unburnt houses. He wore a black jacket, sword carried at his side, and that damned Grimm mask on his face. His bearing as casual, as if the carnage at the gates meant nothing to him.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Jonquil moved to stand in front of his mother, defensive instinct kicking in. He drew his sword and held his shield covering his body, able to deflect or block at a moment's notice.
"My name is Adam Taurus." He said coolly with his hand resting lightly on the pommel of his sword. "And I want you to surrender."
"That's not what I meant." Jonquil tightened his grip on his weapon as he analyzed the man. He was obviously a leader of some kind, from his unique appearance and weapons to the borderline swagger that he exuded as he paced towards them. "What do your men want from us? Food? Money? Dust?"
"You seem to think we are bandits." He chuckled. "While those are good rewards, what I desire is something else. Capture them."
Jonquil started at the last sentence as Nilla was dragged away from him. He whirled around, ready to end the life of the man who dared touch his mother only to feel the cold feel of metal on his throat.
"Surrender, now." Adam's voice was colder than his steel.
Jonquil dropped his sword and shield and let one of Adam's men lead him to the village center. Acrid smoke blasted his face as they passed through the streets. Blackened husks of houses flanked them, a morbid reminder to their failure to defend the village.
I'm a failure.
He looked around the square, seeing around five other people, all kneeling in front of the only standing wall in the square. He recognized all of them of course, but the utterly broken expressions on their faces was something that hurt him worse than any wound. He was pushed to the ground next to Haria who lived two blocks down from him. One of her eyes was swollen shut and the other's gaze bored into the ground. Her hair was torn out in patches and had mud, blood, and dirt caked in it. She looked up at him as he was pushed down next to her and then went back to staring at the ground. He wanted to say something to comfort her but couldn't summon any words past the bile in his throat. It was a miracle no Grimm had attacked yet.
"Humans!" Adam's voice boomed through the space. "You must be wondering who we are. We are the White Fang!"
A surge of pride rushed through him as he noticed not one of the captives deigned look at Adam. Adam however, didn't seem quite as happy about that.
"You will look at me when I speak, as one looks at their betters."
No one moved. Adam grunted.
"Very well. You brought this upon yourself."
One of the White Fang moved forward to seize someone from the end of the row. A quick glance revealed it to be Bhirati, the barkeep. He was dragged to Adam and pushed to his knees with his back to the man. His face was coated in blood and his left arm hung loosely. He hadn't gone down without a fight and quite a few broken bottles it seemed.
"My demand is clear. All survivors submit to the White Fang, and this man will be set free. If even one of you doesn't comply, I will kill this man."
His threat hung in the air, somehow heavier and more suffocating than the smoke. He turned his head to look at his mother who looked back at him stonily. None of the other four villagers even looked up at him.
He looked up at Adam to see the masked face turned squarely to him, the question clear.
"We accept." Jonquil spoke quietly.
"I'm sorry, can you speak louder?" Adam taunted.
"We surrender to the White Fang." He growled. "Happy now?"
Adam cocked his head. "I accept your surrender."
Jonquil waited for him to move, to let Bhirati go free. Moments passed, yet Adam stayed still.
Then in a sudden movement, he drew his sword and decapitated the man.
The reaction was immediate. The survivors made to rush Adam, but the White Fang was ready and constrained the captives before they could do anything. Jonquil felt rage boil over inside him and attempted to break free, but the White Fang member twisted his arms behind his arm, dislocating his shoulder. He was dropped to the ground and the member pushed his knee into the small of his back, pinning him in place.
"My condition was that every survivor surrender to us. One still refuses and tried to attack my men. Bring him forward."
Jonquil's captor grabbed his hair and pulled, lifting his head. His view shifted from the dirt to Adam holding a bound boy captive at sword point. His blood ran cold as he recognized the messy black hair, the strong jaw, and the eyes that usually contained such joy and curiosity. All that remained in them now was pain. Pain and anger.
"I had thought that my previous offer was something that even you humans could grasp." Adam sounded disappointed. "But now I see that my mercy is wasted on you animals."
Jonquil stared into Kel's eyes, ignoring Adam's words. There was no trace of the boy who he had been training just this evening left in those eyes, just pain, anger, and shock.
What was the fool thinking?!
Adam drew his sword and moved towards the first captive. A White Fang soldier grabbed him and held him down. As if I was could escape. He returned Jonquil's gaze as Adam reached the first captive. He hadn't been strong enough to help his family, but he could be strong enough to…
As the gurgling started, Kel's eyes darted immediately to the man, his brain immediately taking in the sight and flashing it into his memory. The blood, the slack look on the man's face, it was too much. He shut his eyes reflexively and hurled, his stomach emptying itself in seconds.
Adam didn't even stop his casual movement and traced his sword over the next captive's throat. Kel drew ragged gasps and shook his head, trying to dispel this nightmare, to wake up in his bed, to go downstairs and see his family going about their daily routine.
"Kel!"
Please let that be grandpa waking me up.
"Kel, look at me!"
His mother's voice brought his head up to lock eyes with her. Her gaze contained a ferocity that he had never seen before. She looked at his brother and then back at him, her gaze softening slightly.
"Whatever happens, we will be together again soon. All of us. Remember this, I will always love you. I shall be with you always." Her voice trembled halfway as Adam passed Jonquil, but she carried on with immense strength. "Always."
Kel couldn't keep it together anymore. The emotions within him were too much to handle, too wild to control. It was as if everything till now was simply the precursor to the real storm. Something twisted and broke free of him, the feeling spreading over his skin like a phantom fire.
He screamed, for pain, for loss, for the meaningless violence that had occurred here today. He screamed until he had nothing left inside. His eyes opened to Adam's mask staring back at him, with the same lack of emotions as he felt.
"That was the best show I've seen anyone put up. Congrats. I'll be sure to have a certificate drafted." Blood dripped off his blade as he approached the kneeling kid. He paused in front of Kel, head cocked, as if expecting something. Kel matched his stare and said nothing. Adam shrugged and did the same thing he had done to all the captives.
As the boy collapsed, Adam felt an uncharacteristic and extremely uncomfortable shiver travel up his spine. He stared at the boy's corpse for a moment before turning on his feel and walking swiftly away, barking orders to the White Fang.
Despite his best efforts, he could not shake the feeling that whatever he had said, this was most definitely not like any of the other executions. He couldn't quite place his finger on it and so did what anyone else would do: he ignored it and moved on, convinced that this chapter was done and behind him.
…
Kel felt something slide off him, lighter than gossamer yet more viscous than honey, the sensation registering as the oddest thing he had ever felt. Pain pounded his head and he groaned as he covered his eyes with his hands. The pain lessened as his eyes adjusted to the blinding light of the afternoon sun. A cascade of thoughts struck him as he sat up, feeling stiff as a board. What was he doing sleeping outside? He should be in bed. And how had no one woken him up yet? It was past noon!
{It's because they are dead.}
He whirled his head trying to locate the voice before the words finally registered. It all came crashing back, the attack, his capture, the executions…
"Oh god." He cradled his head in his hands and rocked, trying to get his unruly thoughts in order through the splitting headache. "What's going on?" Kel looked back up. "And who are you?"
{I'm you.}
Kel groaned. His headache was getting worse. "That doesn't explain anything."
{Sure it does. What do you want to know?}
"First of all, where am I?" Kel could barely feel anything approaching emotional pain through the shock that permeated his brain.
{Easy. You are where you were born. Your old village, before it was abandoned, and you moved to your current, or rather now ex, village.}
"If you are me, how would you know where we are when even I don't?"
{I possess all your memories and the ability to go through them logically, emotionlessly. You've only lived in two places in your life, so it was an easy comparison of known architecture and landmarks.
"Emotionlessly?"
{Yes. I do not possess emotions the way you feel them.}
"Why?"
{Because I am you. Your aura. Emotions are regulated by your brain, your mind.}
Kel stared into the ground. His aura. Was whatever happened when Adam… He groaned as a fresh onslaught of memories hit him. If whatever had happened had been his aura awakening, maybe that's how he had survived!
{But that doesn't explain how you ended up here.}
Kel's head jerked up. "You can read my mind?"
{I cannot. However, remember, I am you despite our different thought processes. I merely guessed your thoughts.}
Kel squashed the hundreds of questions that sprang up inside him at that moment, his natural curiosity bubbling to the surface. "Is there a way for me to see you?"
{Yes, you can, I am your aura. Normally, I am unseen, unheard, and unnoticed. As much a part of you as your brain. This, however is a different case.}
"Different how?"
{An old saying in Mistral is that aura is the manifestation of our soul. I believe a full quote from the textbook was "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee...". An aura unlocking ritual, according to that book. That is as far as my, or rather our, knowledge on aura theory goes.}
"You can remember all that clearly?"
{Only because it left quite an impression on you.}
Kel hummed in thought. He was supposed to be dead. A powerful Hunter and his band of goons had ransacked his village, destroyed their lives, and executed him and his family. Somehow, he had survived and had ended up at the place of his birth. For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Hmm. Unbound by death. Perhaps there was something here. Later.
"Hey, aura, err, can you show yourself now?" Kel blinked as the world was swept with a blue light and there was a man standing in front of him. He looked like Kel, but older, more mature. There was a confidence in him that Kel didn't feel. "What happened?"
{A guess, but this is most likely your perception of the aura of the world. Anything with a spirit or spiritual energy leaves an imprint upon the world which you can observe it at any time.}
"A result of our unusual…relationship?"
{Most probably. This is how I see the world. I am simply sharing my vision with you.}
"Do you have any working theories on why I'm still alive? I should be dead and with my parents, my…my family." His voice cracked slightly as the shock that had dulled his emotions since his awakening faded. The loss was fresh and stung. It stung worse than the pain of death had been. He could still hear his mother's last words…
{I do, but I do not think now is the time to discuss theories or reconcile your emotions. We need to find shelter before we decide upon our course of action.}
"As you wish, let's find shelter." Kel chuckled darkly. "But I know what I am going to do." It was the only thing that he was certain of in this living nightmare of a rebirth. The only constant in a sea of variables and confusion. A burning hatred, so deep and vast that it almost filled the hollowness inside of him. "I will find Adam Taurus. I will take everything from him. Then, I will make Adam Taurus wish he had never been born."
{Your resolve is admirable, but we need to be practical. You cannot simply rush in and expect not to be gunned down immediately.}
Kel nodded resignedly. "It will take time, but then again, we have nothing but time."
{Revenge is indeed a dish best served cold.}
Kel rubbed his hand across his face, a sigh escaping his lips. Something had clicked inside him when he had died, a resignation to his death. His motivations and wants were but dust in the wind now, the space they occupied a dull void that ached with each breath. It matured a person. And yet, he still ached for his village, his past life and all the memories. Visiting it was a fool's errand and would not help his goal. "Do you think we should visit the village?"
{We should be getting supplies, resources, and shelter. Not visit the burned husk of your former life, especially not when your killers are most likely still there.}
Kel knew he was right, but he wanted to argue, to release the frustration that bubbled inside him. "We could scavenge for weapons! Our armory still has some weapons in it we could use."
{The White Fang will have taken every weapon they could get their hands on. There is always need for weapons for a group like them.}
"Point taken. But as soon as we have somewhere to stay, I will go back to the village."
{Humph. You already know I think it is a bad decision.}
"I ain't gonna change by mind."
{Then I can't do anything. Let's go.}
The resurrected boy with the split aura took a quick look around and ran into the bush in his best impression at a stealthy run. Amber eyes watched him disappear into the thick underbrush. As soon as the bushes stopped moving, the figure made a sign to ward off evil and turned off the camera on their scroll. She replayed the recording, watching the boy lie rise from his prone position that she was sure had been empty when she had passed through the area. He talked into the open air for a few minutes before walking off. Something seemed off about the whole deal, but she wasn't the one paid to analyze the intel. She would digest whatever admin decided to trickle down to them and put this behind her. Pocketing the scroll she took off into the forest in the opposite direction, mind already somewhere else.
AN: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Please review with constructive criticism, and PM any questions, typos, praise, comments, rants, suggestions, or literally anything else.
Yes, there is world building going on and will continue in the story. I will try to stay close to canon with the world building, but will not limit myself to it.
There are changes from canon already, particularly in Adam's characterization. This Remnant is darker and more violent than RWBY's, and its terrorist organization behaves accordingly. Adam's characterization will be explored.
I'm sure some of you can get the references or inspirations for the world bbuilding. I'd love to hear your guesses on PM!
Anyways, that's enough of me ranting. Until next time, tata!