Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY (duh).
A/N: I promise this is the only time I put AN before the story.
This is the pre-prequel of the Fifth Seal, which has somehow expanded itself into a trilogy. The entire thing takes place after Vol 3, and will become AU probably within the first minute of Vol 4.
This series is comprised of several one-shots aiming to give you some idea of what happened after the Fall of Beacon. The perspectives will mainly from random OCs that have little impact to the Fifth Seal. There will be tiny bits and pieces of hint regarding the whereabouts of the main casts, but they will not be the focus.
This pre-prequel is inspired by World War Z. I couldn't resist the urge to try out the same writing style. It will probably go horribly for me, but well.
I hope you will find this enjoyable. If not, you can always check back when the second book (which is tentatively named "The Estranged Dreams") is published. I will likely post the timeline of the event taken place in this pre-prequel once it's finished.
Thank you for giving my work a chance! Please read and review if possible.
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They called it the Silent War.
We thought it was fitting, for one reason or another. My neighbor told me that it got the name because people really stopped talking to one another after their hearts were consumed by the terror. One of my old squadmates said it was to remember all those silenced by the war forever. A guy I met at the bar claimed it was because of the territories we still hadn't recovered.
Officially, it was because of the communication blackout between kingdoms after the collapse of the cross continental transmission system. We couldn't hear what others were trying to say, and our voices couldn't reach them. An ominous silence descended on all of Remnant.
Most of us still had our Scrolls, knowing full well that they were nothing but fancy cameras without the CCTs. Most stubbornly held on to them, using the devices as journals, photo albums, or video recorders. It was a small comfort I suppose, one of the precious few we had then. But some threw theirs away, frustrated that they could no longer call or text their friends and families. Some were driven mad by the silence.
I think they didn't really understand.
If you listened, you could hear voices everywhere. The desperate refugees pleaded for shelter with their tearful eyes. The weary soldiers apologized to those they couldn't save as they clutched their bloody uniforms. The abandoned screamed their angry accusations by turning their back on us. You could hear it all without the people uttering a word. They were all sounds, the sounds of silence.
We lost so much in this devastating war. Friends separated, family severed, humanity shattered, and the peace we had always known burned to ashes. But we held on.
We held on strong through all the dark and hopeless nights. We held on through the blood and tears and pain. We held on and lived.
Even when our armies were slaughtered, our defenses broken, and the people we were supposed to protect mangled into a bloody mess before our own eyes, we endured and lived. Hell, we even lived through the Grimm Tide, which I'm still convinced should have been the end of all lives on Remnant.
We were survivors, but to what do we live for anymore?
Our sufferings didn't end with the war. We all have loved ones who didn't come back. Despite all the sacrifices, our enemies are still out there. Worse, there are already evils sprouting within our borders.
The world is still broken. We are still broken.
So why the fuck did we hold on?
I don't know if anyone will agree. Honestly, I don't care. But I think there is a reason why we never gave up. It wasn't what we'd all love to believe, for the sake of humanity. Nor was it what the government wanted you to believe, to create a better world for the future generation, for the children that one may or may not have.
We didn't go through all the heartbreaks because of a distant future when we couldn't even be sure if there would be a tomorrow. We didn't act out of complete selflessness.
I think we held on, so that eventually, one day, we can let it go.
- Unknown
"A Brief History of Modern Vale", Chapter 8, Section IV: The Silent War"
Introduction
The Silent War was a global war that lasted from Q.A. 80 to 83, characterized by the massive death toll and one of the worst Grimm invasions in recorded history. It was the most extensive conflict in the modern time, spreading to all corners on Remnant. Unlike the Great War (which many historians used as a comparison), all Human and Faunus contributed in the Silent War, including the Nomad tribes, the wanderers beyond the reach of the four kingdoms. It was said the one particular tribe was even involved in the great Battle of the Guardians, however the speculation was neither confirmed or denied by the Warden of the Guardians, Headmaster Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman.
The Guardians was a secret organization that only came to light after the end of the war, when the public became curious of the identities of those who saved the world. Headmaster Ozpin revealed himself and confirmed the existence of the organization, but refused to publish a list of its members. As such, the true purpose and influence of the Guardians remained a mystery. The refusal flamed debates in all kingdoms, some praising the nameless heroes for their services to humanity, while others actively voiced their concerns about a secret society that may have infiltrated all essential departments in the kingdoms. Despite Headmaster Ozpin's reassurance that the Guardians' only sworn enemies are those who would endanger humanity, including the Vindicate, many remained unconvinced.
The Vindicate, according to government official reports, was a group aiming to dominate the world. The origin of the organization was unclear, though historians believed to have found records of the group responsible for causing the war from as early as twenty years before and after the end of the Great War. While details on the objectives and history of the mysterious criminal organization remained a topic to be debated, it was commonly agreed that the group became active about eighteen years before the beginning of the Silent War. The group was not to be confused with the White Fang, a Fauna-based advocate turned terrorists group who were recruited by the Vindicate in their cause.
The war began with the Fall of Beacon in December, Q.A. 80, during the 40th anniversary of the Vytal Festival. The tragic events involving the fake-injury injury of one of the Vindicate operatives and the death of the first artificial girl, Penny, created shockwaves of negativity around the globe. Grimm overwhelmed the defense of Beacon Academy, and with the coordinate attack by the White Fang, befallen the CCT tower at Vale. The leaking footage caused even more panic around the world, which in turn attracted Grimm toward cities and villages.
The death count continued to climb through the first eighteen months before defenses were finally rebuilt. In the Great Retreat (from May to November, Q.A. 81) about 15 millions had died, marking it as the worst seven months of the war and the period with the highest fatality rate. During this time, all four kingdoms had at least half of their territories overrun. In the kingdom of Vale, many attempts were made to regain control of the situation, with the Cobblestone Assault being the first major success and arguably the turning point for the Vale front.
The war concluded at the end of year 83 with the Battle of the Guardians, which took place around the same time as the Grimm Tide that claimed at least 2.5 million lives. By the end of the war, more than 26 millions had died, but humanity had endured. The Silent War altered the political, economical, social, and military structures of the world. The effects can still be seen even to this day, more than twenty years after the victory. Some of the changes included…
[The page ended here.]
Fall of Beacon
On December 21, Q.A. 80, the Vindicate breached the security network of Beacon Academy and allegedly manipulated the random matching program to allow its agents to infiltrate the tournaments. It was rumored that the agents, who possessed special Semblance that allowed the user to confuse his or her target, used their abilities to disturb several matches. Under the influence, the two Singles battle during the top eight elimination turned grisly. The gruesome outcomes caused a hotspot of negativity in the academy, further fueled by the message prepared by the terrorists. Shortly after, the patrol for the festival were overrun by Grimm.
Headmaster Ozpin of the Beacon Academy immediately requested assistance from General Ironwood of the Atlas Academy. The general deployed the Atlesian android troops to defend the students and citizens from the assault. However, the White Fang also appeared on the scene, pushing the defense back to the school ground.
Some Hunter trainees participating in the festival joined to assist the effort, but were unsuccessful to defend the school as the Vindicate hijacked one of the Atlesian battleships housing the server that commanded the androids. The Vindicate took over control of the robotic troops, turning them against the trainees and the citizens. The battle ended with the fall of the CCT tower, leading to the Great Blackout that lasted for almost four years.
It was estimated that about 10,000 had died during the initial chaos. Some noticeable figures who had unfortunately lost their lives during the battle included the star pupil of Beacon, Pyrrha Nikos…
[The rest of the page was torn out.]
Chapter 1, Section XI: The Calendar System
Like the other three kingdoms, Vale adopted the Lunisolar Calendar as the official calendar system after the Great War. Although other calendar systems are still commonly used for agricultural, racial celebration, or religious purposes, all public organizations including governments, businesses, and schools are legally bounded to use this system.
Each lunisolar year consists of 364 days, 52 weeks, or 13 months. The names of the months are also unified, starting with March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, Undecimber, January, and ending in February. Each calendar season is 91 days, or 13 weeks, resulting in the following:
Spring: March 1st to June 7th
Summer: June 8th to September 14th
Autumn: September 15th to December 21st
Winter: December 22nd to February 28th
It should be noted that, the Day of Light is added to each year as a reminder of the ending of the Third Era and the beginning of the current Fourth Era. Officially, no month or weekday name is associated with it, but the fact that the Day of Life comes between February and March has made many associate it as "February 29". In addition, to account for the solar and lunar cycles, a leap day may be added after the Day of Life, called the Day of Light. Both days are considered national holidays in all four kingdoms.
The history of…
[The rest of the page was torn out.]
Chapter 8, Section IV: The Silent War
Aftermath
The first census conducted after the war produced the result of a world population of roughly 17.83 million, a horrifying decline from the 43.15 million before the war. Similar reduction also happened to each kingdom's' territory. The border of Vale…
[The rest of the page was crossed out. Underneath the crossed out text, Two neatly hand-written lines read]
Whatever you read from the official records will never come close to the real horrors experienced by the people. We are the voices unheard, the pain unfelt, and the death unknown. Are you ready to listen to our stories?
Are you ready to hear the sounds of silence?