~~10 Years Ago~~
"Once upon a time, before the creation of the world of Vastel, there were eight guardian spirits. These eight spirits unanimously decided to create Vastel and all life within it."
"The Guardian of Nature and the Guardian of Earth both combined their incredible power to create the earth and the plant life."
"The Guardian of Water created the oceans, rivers, and lakes. The Guardian of Air breathed life into the animals, plants, humans, and faunus."
"The Guardian of Light's created the sun to shine his power throughout the land while the Guardian of Gravity kept all the creatures from drifting off Vastel."
"The Guardian of Fire kept half of the world warm while the Guardian of Darkness was entrusted with keeping the other half cool with his blue moon."
"With their combined efforts, the Eight Guardians of Vastel succeeded in creating a beautiful world and have all sworn to keep the peace and harmony throughout Vastel."
"However, as the Guardians watched the growth of humanity and faunus, so too did their attachments to the beings grow at a fast rate. Eventually, the Guardians had grown lax in punishing any mortal, be they human or faunus, for disrupting the peace of Vastel. The Guardian of Light grew weary of this and informed his fellow Guardians of the coming danger that could stem from their softness for the mortals. The Guardians should be punishing the mortals for any sins they commit, especially when it endangers the peace they had created."
"But the Guardians had grown to love their own creations and could not bring themselves to punish neither humanity nor the faunus."
"And as a result of their negligence, hatred was allowed to grow and root itself inside the hearts of humans and faunus. Wars broke out left and right between humanity and faunus during the 700th year of Vastel. Instead of giving thanks to the Guardians for creating Vastel, the mortals were too busy fighting and killing each other over small differences. The constant, blood-soaked battles devastated everything the Guardians worked hard to build: the animals, the plants, the sea, and even the air."
"The Guardian of Light became furious when this happened. He told his fellow Guardians of the coming danger, but their love for the mortals grew too deep. The Guardian of Darkness could also tell that their emotions interfered with their roles as protectors of Vastel's peace. Deciding that humanity and faunus had reached the point of no return, the Guardian of Light proposed a restart of the world of Vastel with the end of their own creations."
"The Guardian of Darkness was the first to object. He agreed that the wars spread throughout Vastel were their fault for not punishing mortals, but he didn't believe that mortals deserve to be wiped out for their mistake."
"The constant rebuttals from the Guardian of Darkness only succeeded in making the Guardian of Light more frustrated. The two then proceeded to fight and argue about their next action while the other guardians could only watch. With each second, the Guardian of Light became more and more furious until it had reached the point that he lashed out at the Guardian of Darkness in rage, and then…"
"…Then? And then what?!"
"That's it for tonight," Said a blonde-haired woman with icy-blue eyes before she closed the black book she had in her hand named "The Story of the Eight Vastel Guardians".
"Ah, it's already that late?" Asked a man with dark blue hair and ocean blue eyes before he looked at the clock which said 7:30 p.m., "Oh, it is that late."
"What?!" Shouted a young boy with blue hair like the man to his left and icy-blue eyes like the woman to his right.
"Don't "what" me, Nathan," The woman said firmly to the boy named Nathan, "It's time for bed."
""But Mom—"
"Your mother is right," Said the man next to Nathan, "The rest of this book will take a while to finish. We'd be up past midnight by the time we're done."
"But we were getting to the best part, Dad!" Nathan shouted, "Can't you read more for just a few more minutes, please?"
"We'll continue on with the story another time, Nathan," His mother said, "Right now you need your sleep so you can be up bright and early for tomorrow. You wanted to see Mommy's work, right?"
"Yeah," Nathan said before making a huffy pout with his cheeks, "But I also want to hear the rest of the story."
"I'd love to hear the rest of the story too," Nathan's dad said, "But I have a busy day tomorrow at work, so I need to leave early. Just do me this favor and wait for another time, will you Champ?"
"…Okay, Daddy," Nathan said, letting out a sad sigh.
That was when the sound of a phone ringing filled the room. Nathan's father took out his phone, "Sorry, I have to take this. Goodnight, Nathan."
"Goodnight," Nathan said before he watched his father pick up the phone and walk into another room.
"Yes?" He asked, "The weapon is ready for testing? Excellent. I'll be there early tomorrow, so I expect everyone to bring their A-game." He said as a moment of silence followed, "Of course. We'll deal with that issue when we get there. See you tomorrow."
"Mommy, what does Daddy do at work?" Nathan asked as his mother started tucking him in. He was not ready to go to bed yet so he is willing to ask any question in order to stay up.
"Oh no," His mother said, seeing through her son's plan, "I'll answer that question when we go to your Mommy's work first."
"No fair…" Nathan whined.
His mother gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead before turning off the lamp next to his bed. She walked over to the door before turning to Nathan with a warm smile, "Sweet dreams, Nathan~."
"Good night, Mommy," Nathan said as he watched his mother close the door behind her.
Nathan then lied down on his bed, still not feeling the slightest bit tired—not after that cliffhanger to the story of the guardians. So many questions ran through his little mind. Why would it be the Guardian of Light who loses his faith in humanity and faunus? How did the Guardians allow themselves to love mortals too much? And what happened at the end with the Guardian of Light and the Guardian of Darkness? Nathan couldn't come up with one plausible explanation in his head. All he can do now is wait until the next bedtime story session with his mother and father.
…
…
…
But that night was the last bedtime story session he had with them.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Present Day~~
Nathan opened his icy-blue eyes again; however instead of finding himself in his bed as the eight-year-old he once was, he found himself in his present day age: 18. His blue hair had grown a lot, reaching down to the middle of his back. He wore a simple, black suit, looking as if he had just been at an important event. Even worse is that he was in a heavily fortified truck with his arms cuffed by mechanical restraints and a shock collar resting on his neck while surrounded by several elite huntsmen.
"He's awake," One of the huntsmen said as he and the others kept their weapons up around Nathan.
"So he can sleep," Another huntsman said, "I didn't think that was possible."
"To think that Mr. Therion, of all people, would be one of them, and he was able to hide if for this long."
"So many questions are running through my head after that press conference and the incident on the Therion Industries rooftop before that."
"Cut the chatter!" Shouted the captain of the elite huntsman squad, "This…thing is not Nathan Therion. It is a potential danger to all the citizens of Astea Kingdom—perhaps even to the whole world, so look sharp!"
Nathan only silently looked at the huntsman with an emotionless face. He should be feeling fear or loneliness, but he couldn't express it.
"We're almost at Hunter Tower," The captain said, "Be ready to move the suspect to the elevator with quick efficiency. Men escorting from behind are to report even the slightest hint of suspicious activity."
"Yes, sir!"
Nathan felt the fortified truck screech to a stop. The back doors opened wide to reveal to Nathan an army of hunters and huntresses all standing in two straight lines that path up to the entrance of a tall tower coated in black and white.
Two huntsmen forcefully brought Nathan up to his feet and escorted him out of the truck. From there, Nathan had so many eyes watching him from all sides—the front, the sides, and even his back. He could sense the small hint of fear from the hunters around him, which isn't a surprise to him considering what he is.
Nathan was about half way to the tower until he heard the familiar voice of a female.
"NATHAN!" The voice screamed out to him.
Nathan turned to his right to see a woman with long, blonde hair tied into a single ponytail with ocean blue eyes. She was wearing a black winter coat over a scientist lab coat with brown winter boots, signaling to Nathan that winter was in season. Nathan only noticed now since he couldn't feel the winter cold at all.
"Elise…" Nathan muttered the name of the woman, Elise. He should be feeling happy to finally see Elise after so long, but he couldn't feel that emotion—not anymore.
"Doctor Therion, I must ask you to stand back," A hunter said, stepping out of line to keep Elise from reaching Nathan.
Elise became furious when she saw the cuffs and shock collar on Nathan and all the hunters with their weapons out as if there was a threat, "What the hell are you doing to Nathan?!" She shouted angrily.
"Ma'am, you are not allowed anywhere near this creature," The hunter said, still standing in Elise's way, "We do not know what it is capable of. For your own safety, please stand back."
"Creature?!" Elise asked, finally loosing it after hearing the man call Nathan that, "That "creature" is my little brother, you bastard! Get the hell out of my way!"
"Escort this woman out," The elite huntsman captain ordered, "She's causing a major scene."
As several huntsmen started dragging Elise away from Nathan, the woman started thrashing and kicking.
"LET ME GO!" She screamed, "LET ME GO OR I'LL KICK YOUR TEECH IN! MY LITTLE BROTHER DID NOTHING WRONG! NATHAN!"
Nathan could only silently watch as his sister disappeared from his sight. Anger was what he was feeling, but he couldn't express that feeling either. Neither can he express his sadness after watching his sister fight for him, even after what he did to drive them apart in the past.
"Keep moving," Ordered the huntsman behind Nathan before he harshly nudged Nathan forward with his weapon to force him to move his feet again.
Nathan was escorted into the tower all the way to an elevator once inside, the huntsman captain turned on his communicator and said, "We have Nathan Therion at the elevator."
A full second later, the elevator began to move up towards the top floor without the need for anyone to push a single button.
XxxxxxxxxX
~~Hunter Tower Council Chamber~~
Inside the blue-lit council chamber sat several people from all walks of life—human, faunus, male, female, they were all in that room. What separated them were the kingdoms they represented in Vastel.
The kingdom of Astea, the land that represents the Guardian of Air and is located northeast of Hunter Tower, is a kingdom that relies mostly on wind to produce its energy. Its capital, Fu Hua City, is located 4000 feet from the ground where Emblem Academy is located.
The kingdom of Morilia is a human-populated kingdom in the mountains, which is difficult to traverse for those who do not possess the blessings of the Guardian of Earth. As a result, this kingdom is mostly populated by strong men and women. The capital city, Molika City, is located at the top of Mount Morilia at 5000 feet where Corsent Academy is located. Aside from the mountonous terrain, there is also a volcano named Ulysses, which lies west of the capital and a vast desert known as the Molach Desert which lies to the east.
The kingdom of Ganvie, a kingdom populated by faunus, lies underwater in the Neria Ocean. This kingdom, however, is the most closed off ones among the four due to its extremely strict caste system that follows bloodlines above all else. Only those who are born into the middle class and above are allowed the right to attend Iseo Academy, located in Ocea City. To the south of Ganvie is the glacier known as the Anea Straights.
The kingdom of Narcia, a kingdom also owned by the faunus, is hidden within the trees of a lush forest known as the Rainbow Butterfly Forest. Only faunus who know the terrain can enter this forest without getting lost. The hunter academy in Narcia is named Blue Rose Academy in the capital city of Lapia. To the west of this forest lies the Tomb of the Goddess of Light while to the west lies the border to the Astea Kingdom, where the Tomb of the Goddess of Darkness is located. To the north is the Harmony Tree, where the Guardian of Nature used to sleep to regain her power.
Even though the four kingdoms are separate in terms of race, their leaders come together at Hunter Tower, located in Zero City, and discuss issues that affect all of Vastel and it's people.
The High Council is composed of the leaders of each of the four kingdoms in Vastel. Their authority is higher than the regular council and governs their respective kingdoms. Right now, the council is discussing about the events that unfolded a few days ago.
"To think that all this time the Kingdom of Astea would house such a dangerous monster," Said a Ganvie council woman.
"And it is more suspicious that this monster turned out to be the son of Therion Industries's former and deceased owner," Added a Narcia councilman as he turned to the council of Astea, "No one would have found him suspicious at all."
"I assure you, council men and women of Narcia and Ganvie," Said a councilman of Astea, "Fu Hua City has detection sensors spread throughout the city. Even though the sensors picked up and registered Mr. Therion as one of those monsters, the soldiers simply took it as an error in the machines."
"That is quite concerning hearing that from the most advanced kingdom in Vastel," Said a council woman of the Morilia kingdom group, "If a creature like Mr. Therion is able to easily slip past your defenses this easily, imagine how our own kingdoms fair."
"It isn't even possible for a monster like Therion to even exist," Said the councilman of Astea, "We don't even know how a human can be turned into one of them and still function like a human being."
"Perhaps this was all a lie to pull the dying Therion Industries's reputation from the grave," Laughed a Ganvie council man, "Ah, you humans never cease to amuse us with your stupidity."
"How dare you disrespect our kind, you filthy animals?!" Shouted an Astea councilman.
"Need we remind you about how the White Stars got their hands on Therion Industries's weapons?" Asked a faunus council man from Narcia, "Before he vanished months ago, Mr. Therion specifically allowed those weapons to fall into the wrong hands. He even fired one of his best workers just because he was a faunus. If you ask me, we should court marshal him here and now."
"But let's not forget about the incident ten years ago that cost us the life of both a heroic huntress and the man responsible for the weapons hunters use to defend all of Vastel from the Grimm," Shouted an Astea councilman, "And on top of that, Mr. Therion was an eight year old boy when he saw that Elder Grimm rip apart his parents! That whole incident, which scarred the boy and changed him into what he is now, was caused by none other than the Silver Dragons, the faunus terrorist group! We suggest you get the racism of your kind checked first before you all start criticizing others!"
At that moment, the council chamber erupted as almost everyone stood up from their seats and began screaming at each other in rage.
"ORDER!" Shouted the voice of an old man as he slammed a black slick onto the ground creating a loud and powerful shockwave that caused the room to shake a little and the councilmen and women to cease their yelling.
They all turned to see an elderly man wearing a hunter's outfit fitted only for those of the highest rank. The man was well fit and had an intimidation factor within his blind eyes, the left eye having a deep scar. In his hand was a long, black stick that he uses for guidance. Next to him were four other people, three men (two of which were faunus and one a male) and one human female.
Once he is certain that silence is all that he can hear, the old, blind man continued forward to his seat in the middle, as did the other people who entered with him follow into their respective seats.
"Mr. Therion will arrive shortly," The old, blind man said, "This will be a discussion about the issue at hand and the source of it, not about who is right."
"On behalf of faunus kind, we humbly apologize, Emperor Vizak," Said a faunus councilwoman from Narcia.
"And on behalf of humanity, we also apologize for our misconduct," Said a human councilman from Astea.
"Be seated," The man named Vizak said, "I did not ask for your apologies. You all should know better than resort to screaming at each other just because someone said something you didn't like. Either conquer your desires to be racists or get out of this city."
Everyone remained silent before they sat down at their chairs.
"Now then, Nathan Therion is almost here," Vizak said, "No one is to pass judgment until he explains his story."
The elevator arrived at the council chambers and Nathan walked a few steps out before looking around at all the council members of all different races and kingdoms in one room. The elite huntsmen squad led him to the very center of the chamber where all can see him.
Nathan looked up to where Vizak and the other four council members at his side sat. One of them was familiar to Nathan: A man with long, raven black hair that reached to the middle of his back. His eyes were a slight tint of purple with a notable scar resting on his right cheek. The man wore a white robe with the symbol of air written on its front.
"Nathan Therion," Said the male faunus council man wearing a blue robe that had a water symbol on it, "Welcome to the Hunter Tower."
"So this is where the Council of Vastel holds its meetings," Nathan said.
"Yes, and this particular meeting has all four representatives of the four kingdoms and the Emperor himself gathered here," Said a female human council woman wearing a brown robe with the earth symbol on it, "I'm sure you are aware what that reason is."
"Yes, I am aware," Nathan said.
Only the sound of mumbling among the other council members could be heard throughout the room after Nathan said that.
"So he really believes what he says."
"I'm shocked to hear that."
"Do you think it's all a prank?"
"Nah, to pull a prank that could draw the attention of the Emperor himself is just asking for solitary confinement."
"But this is the son of that human lady who got one of her squadmates killed. Perhaps it runs in the family."
"ORDER!" Vizak shouted, slamming his stick onto the ground again creating a shockwave.
Surprisingly, Nathan was unfazed by this shockwave.
"This shockwave…" Nathan said, finding this power familiar somehow despite never meeting Emperor Vizak before.
"Nathan Therion, it was quite bold of you to make that announcement you made at your press conference," Vizak said, "And not long after the incident on your company's rooftop."
"It's all true, Your Highness," Nathan said.
"All I hear are lies," Said the male faunus wearing a robe with the water symbol on it, "We can't seriously believe that a…creature like this has been living in Astea for this long!"
"This "creature" has a name, Director Altreve," The man with the air robe said, "I suggest you treat him with respect."
"You know this boy, Director Niamota?" Asked the council woman with the earth robe.
"I do," The man named Niamota said, "His mother, Eli Scaren Therion, was the top rank huntress and professor at Emblem Academy, and his father, Nitorin Therion, was the founder of Therion Industries who manufactured weapons that hunters use. Eli took this young man to my academy one day. He was so little and so innocent back then…"
"But he has changed, as you can obviously see," Said the male faunus council member wearing a robe that bears a tree symbol.
"If you want to kill me, get it over with," Nathan said, "As you said, I have changed for the worse. I am a threat to all mankind."
"See?" The council man with the water robe named Altreve said, "It's asking for death, so why should we even hesitate to grant it its wish."
"No one is going to kill you, Nathan," Niamota said, "Not on my watch."
"Director Niamota, careful with what words you use," Vizak said, finding Niamota to be too rash with his emotions, "I told you not to pass judgment until we get the full story."
"Ngn…" Niamota let out a guilty grunt, realizing that he must put orders over Nathan.
"He's right," Nathan said, "You all are people whose sworn duty is to protect all of Vastel. So do you even understand the weight of this situation, Director Niamota? Some might call you a traitor for uttering those words."
"I wouldn't be able to face your parents again if I ever let any harm come to you, Nathan," Niamota said.
"Niamota, why are you showing compassion to this…creature?" Asked the councilwoman wearing an earth robe, "We don't even know if it can comprehend emotion at this point."
"I still believe this is the same Nathan from ten years ago," Niamota said, "Nathan is far from being a—"
"Ha, Niamota has gone mad!" Altreve said as he laughed, "He now pities the greatest threat to Vastel!"
"Director Altreve, watch your tongue," Vizak said before turning to Niamota, "Director Niamota, watch your emotions. Now is not the time to be pointing out issues that should have already been fixed."
"…Yes, Your Highness," Both Altreve and Niamota said.
"Now, let us hear the boy's explanation," Vizak said.
"Yes, I'd like to hear it from this thing's lips," The plant council faunus agreed.
"Nathan Therion, your fate will be decided once we hear the truth from your side," Vizak said, "You are to give us the truth and nothing but the truth. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Nathan said with a nod of understand.
"First question," Vizak said, "How and when did you obtain this power of yours…and how are you still alive, if you are really alive, that is?"
"My power?" Nathan asked, looking at his restraints, "I don't know how I survived. One day I was a human…the next…" He stopped for a second before saying, "Ten years ago…that's when Mom and Dad were killed. If I were a human, I would be crying right now, but I can't. In fact, I can't feel any emotions aside from negative ones like anger and hate—even then I can't properly express them on my face."
"Nathan…" Niamota said, feeling awful from hearing that everything that happened to this once happy boy was true.
"That is what happened to me, High Council," Nathan said, "I have lost my humanity as a child, and now…I am one of mankind's greatest threats."
…
…
…
"That's how I became a Grimm."
Therion Arc: Chp 1. The Grimm
Opening Song: "End of Day" from Honkai Impact 3rd
Jurabi: Heeeeeeeeellooooooooo~! This is Espada Jurabi Therion bringing you my first ever RWBY story. I am honestly shocked that I am doing this so suddenly. This idea of a fic came into my mind while I was in college and I really doubted I would go for it, but then something just came over me and I just started writing.
So basically as you've read in the description, this is a Submit Your OC fic (SYOC). As the name suggests, you can submit your own RWBY OC to be a part of this story. There are several roles in the story that you can have your OC be a part of: Main character, a professor at Emblem Academy, a student at Emblem Academy, or an antagonist/villain. So let me explain each role:
Main Character: There are going to be a total of 8 main characters: 4 males and 4 females so it'll be two 4-man teams. Only ONE OC will be accepted for each person. This is to make sure as many people as possible have at least one chance for their character to be a main character. Nathan is my main character that I made and so he counts as a main character so there are a total of 7 spots remaining. 3 for boys and 4 for girls.
Emblem Academy Student: This role isn't as major as the main character role, but these will be the side characters of the fic. As such, there is no limit to how many OC's of this role may be submitted.
Emblem Academy Professor: For this role, the characters are required to be 25 years and older and there are 3 spots total. There are more than 3 professors at Emblem Academy, but these 3 are going to appear more in the story as the moral compass for the characters. Each of these professors is going to need to teach these certain classes: Combat Classes, Grimm Biology Class, and Tactics Class.
Antagonist/Villain: This one is tricky because it requires more from you than you might think it does. None of the submitted OC's I get can be main villains because people don't know the future of this story like I do, so for the time being villain OC's will be for minor arcs like character arcs and the like. If you think you can make an arc where your villain starts conflict, than I am more than happy to write that out.
So here is the OC template for this story and I'll be sure to place it on my profile for copy-paste convenience.
(Main Character/Side Character) (MC: 7 spots: 3 boys, 4 girls)
Name:
Species: (Human, Faunus, Robot, etc. If you come up with a new race you would like for me to add, feel free to tell me more about it)
Gender:
Age: (I prefer for the characters to be around 17 or above since they are in life-and-death situations. Be sure their role in life matches their age. Ex. 17-20 would be students while 21 and above would be teachers, or if there's a reason why their roles don't match their age, please explain.
Sexuality:
Appearance:
Faunus Quality (If a Faunus):
Clothing:
Personality:
Occupation: (Student, Teacher, Soldier, etc.)
Weapon:
Semblance: (Be careful not to give me anything that's overbearing. Semblances are meant to be used situationally; at least that's how I interpret them. I'll let you know if the semblance you provide me is a bit too much.)
Fighting Style: (Are they offensive, defensive, strategic, etc.)
Life Story: (Tell me as much as you can about your character's life. From the happiest to the saddest.)
Character Arc: (This is required for those who wish their character to be a main character. Your character must undergo a hardship, surpass it, and come back as an improved character. All that is needed to be explained to me is the development aspect from your character. How long the explanation goes is up to you and the type of conflict can also be decided by you. Angst and Drama are NOT required for character development. This should be simple if you know your own character well, but if you have any questions, be sure to PM me.)
Likes:
Dislikes:
Quirk: (What makes your character stand out from the rest? What "thing" is your character the type of person to do?)
Other: (If there's anything you think my template is missing but you would like to add, please put it here.
(Emblem Academy Professor) (3 spots)
Name:
Species: (Human, Faunus, Robot, etc. If you come up with a new race you would like for me to add, feel free to tell me more about it)
Gender:
Age: (I prefer for the characters to be around 17 or above since they are in life-and-death situations. Be sure their role in life matches their age. Ex. 17-20 would be students while 21 and above would be teachers, or if there's a reason why their roles don't match their age, please explain.
Sexuality:
Appearance:
Faunus Quality (If a Faunus):
Clothing:
Personality:
Weapon:
Semblance: (Be careful not to give me anything that's overbearing. Semblances are meant to be used situationally; at least that's how I interpret them. I'll let you know if the semblance you provide me is a bit too much.)
Fighting Style: (Are they offensive, defensive, strategic, etc.)
Life Story: (Tell me as much as you can about your character's life. From the happiest to the saddest.)
Subject: (Which of these subjects does this professor teach? Tactics, Grimm Biology, Combat)
Likes:
Dislikes:
Quirk: (What makes your character stand out from the rest? What "thing" is your character the type of person to do?)
Other: (If there's anything you think my template is missing but you would like to add, please put it here.
Antagonist/Villain
Name:
Species: (Human, Faunus, Robot, etc. If you come up with a new race you would like for me to add, feel free to tell me more about it)
Gender:
Age:
Appearance:
Faunus Quality (If Faunus):
Clothing:
Personality:
Weapon:
Semblance: (Be careful not to give me anything that's overbearing. Semblances are meant to be used situationally; at least that's how I interpret them. I'll let you know if the semblance you provide me is a bit too much.)
Fighting Style: (Are they offensive, defensive, strategic, etc.)
Life Story: (Tell me as much as you can about your character's life. From the happiest to the saddest.)
Arc in which they start a conflict: (Try to explain as best as you can this villains intentions and how the arc he participates in goes.)
Other: (If there's anything you think my template is missing but you would like to add, please put it here.
One last major note everyone needs to know: I only accept OC's via PM, not review. PM helps me keep track of the characters I get, plus I'd like for your OC to not be seen by other readers until their debut.
And that should be everything, as far as I can tell. If you have any questions at all, feel free to send me a PM and ask whatever you need to know and I'll get to you on that as soon as possible. If you find yourself interested in this story, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow. Thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the OC's I may receive. Take as much time as you need, everyone, because I actually am not going to decide until I finish this first arc with my main character. See you next chapter~!
