Chapter 1: The Debt and the Deed
Soren looked on as the battle raged in the valley below. This was it, their final stand. They either stopped the invasion here, or Remnant would surely be returned to the dark ages. They had managed to contain the outbreak of these dark and vile creatures for the most part, but the onslaught of the massive horde bearing down on the defenders below was proving to be too much. They were the last hope of a dying kingdom, after decades of slowly being pushed back, soldiers like him being trained only to fight to protect what little they had left.
The last commander of the Fallen Legion wore silvered armor from head to toe, a red cape attached to one shoulder, symbolizing his rank. Instead of a helm however, he wore only a grey cowl, covering his black hair and partially covering his pale face, leaving only his storm grey eyes to survey the battlefield. Grey cloth billowed out from under his armor, flapping behind him with his cape in the cold night wind. The moonlight glinted off of the silvery armor, even as he watched the moon shatter into pieces before his very eyes, drops of moon shard crashing down into the battlefield below, impaling both friend and foe, and seeming to give the dark beasts that they were fighting so desperately against more and more power, making them grow before their very eyes.
He knew it wouldn't be enough, that this battle was doomed from the very start. But with the kingdom under siege behind him, its walls crumbling from the meteor shower overhead, he could do nothing more but grip his great sword tightly, pulling out its accompanying dagger from its sheathe at his side. This was a weapon he knew well the familiar feeling of the grip calming him. He had slain hundreds, if not thousands of these creatures they called 'Grimm' with this blade, now imbued with the very moon shards that crashed down to earth around them, exploding into all different colors and types. His blade was blessed by the last of the living priests in his dying kingdom, allowing him to imbue it with the elements of the moon shards that they had gathered.
Even still, Soren could not help but feel all of this was for naught. The fear emitted by these creatures even making his own iron will waver. He breathed out a long sigh, watching as the last of the kingdom's defenders were slowly being pushed back by the monstrosities, which came in all different forms. Birds, pigs, bears, wolves, mythical griffins, horses, monkeys, elephants, snakes, and many others that he couldn't make out from his perch on high. Watching the last of the defenders be cut down, he knew that it was time for his Legion to fight. If they were to die, they would die in battle, and not cowering in their crumbling kingdom walls just waiting for the end. He raised his hand, giving his men the signal they had been waiting for.
Hundreds of soldiers, all with different armaments, from guns to swords and shields. Spears and Javelins to ball and chains. They were adorned in all forms of armors and garb, their one trait in common was dagger they all kept on them, a sign of their membership in the Fallen Legion, and they all integrated it into their fighting styles one way or another. He watched them all rush past him and slide down the side of the hill, surging into the ranks of the defenders, and crashing into the hordes of Grimm in front of them. They worked quickly, cutting down the initial waves they met with ease, but getting slower and slower in their drive with each successive wave that they encountered. Soren watched them engage, sighing softly. From his vantage point on high, he could see thousands more Grimm surging forth, red and purple portals opening and closing to allow more and more Grimm into the valley, where they came from he could not tell, but he knew that so long as the shards kept falling, so would more and more Grimm appear.
The last of his Legionaries, his lieutenant walked up beside him, gripping his marked dagger and gladius in opposite hands. "Now is the time sir, we don't fight now, we may never."
"Indeed Marcus, and that is what scares me, but we have no other choice. On my lead." Soren used the tip of his massive great sword, a meter and a half long, to hoist himself up from his kneeling position. He shouldered his great sword, resting it on his metal shoulder piece, in a groove he had indented for the specific purpose of doing such. After a quick survey of the battlefield, he pressed a button on his blade, channeling the pure flame of the moon shard into his blade, the flames licking off of the metal as he and Marcus began their slide down the hill, meeting up with the remaining forces at the bottom.
Things were far worse than he could have imagined when he reached the very front of their forces. Legionaries and Grimm were intermixed, no solid line could be held any longer, and it was on each fighter's individual skill and cunning to remain alive. Soren and Marcus ran into the fray, weapons at the ready. It took only seconds for the two fighters to be cut off from one another in amongst the sea of black around them.
Soren quickly went to work, digging his dagger into the ground as he ran forward, using it as a pivot to make massive, sweeping arcs with his fire imbued blade. He moved like a dancer in the waves of Grimm around him, those that drew too close were met with a swift death by the fiery arc of his blade. Beowolves burned to dust, Ursai shied away from the spinning death, and even the largest of scorpions had their protective shells shattered as Soren fought through their ranks with as much fervor as a hundred men. He seemed untouchable as he fought, his presence seeming to inspire the last of the weary fighters and Legionaries, their moral returning, and strength found anew, as a thick silvery mist seemed to emit from Soren's very being.
The movement of the beasts seemed to slow, and the fighters seemed to quicken in the mist, the tides of battle finally turning as one of the few users of aura in their midst allowed his influence to spread over the battlefield. Strong and lithe, Soren lead the charge into the largest of the Grimm that he could find, massive Ursai, towering Goliaths, and menacing Taijitu awaiting his charge. His adrenaline and sense of duty overpowering his fear of the massive beasts, and his sword never faltering, even as the last of the flames fizzled out, as more and more Grimm surged around him, he kept swinging.
It was not to last however, minutes passed by like hours, and the rapidly dwindling number of fighters tired. With each fighter that fell, the battlefield got ever quieter, the Grimm turning their sights on the nearest fighter that was isolated, and for each Grimm that was slain, two more seemed to take its place. The cries of the fallen could be heard, amidst the gnashing of teeth and howls of the Grimm. Soon enough, only Soren and Marcus stood their ground, the two finding each other in the mayhem. They stood back to back, Soren's blade letting the last of his embers flicker and die, his blade dulling from a faint slivery hue of moon shard, to a desolate grey. Marcus fared no better, the electricity of his gladius fizzling out finally. "This is our last stand Marcus, may those above watch over us, even though we have failed in our duty."
"Maybe so, but I would rather die in battle than in my sleep, or cowering in some room in the city, praying these things didn't find me. It was an honor to serve sir."
"On that we can agree. I only hope that some shred of humanity can survive to fight another day, succeed where we failed." Soren replied, hacking a Beowolf away as the remaining horde drew in closer, his empowering mist fading.
"Agreed, may some deity have mercy on their souls." Marcus said, gritting his teeth as an Ursa bore down on him.
It wasn't long before the two of them fell, the horde overpowering them after only a few seconds longer of fighting. Soren breathed his final breaths under his cowl, living only slightly longer after his loyal lieutenant fell. He had failed, his kingdom would crumble, the people and world he had sworn to protect had fallen, he could only hope that some shreds of humanity would eventually rebuild the world that he had failed to defend. No doubt they would be sent back to the dark ages, to a time he wished they would never have to experience again. With the last thoughts of his failure on his mind, the young commander of the Fallen Legion, now fulfilling its name in full, took his final breath, and moved no more.
The battlefield got eerily quiet afterwards, the Grimm leaving the bodies of the fallen where they were slain, sensing the fear of tens of thousands inside the crumbling walls of the kingdom beyond. The moon shards stopped raining down in the battlefield, and all was silent. The bodies of the slain lay motionless.
Through the battlefield walked a woman, her skin a pale white, and wearing clothes as black as the beasts who had slain the warriors. Her eyes were red with hatred, and black in the sclera, red lines dribbling down her cheeks like blood. They pulsed with her movements, as she surveyed the devastation around her. The battlefield seemed even colder in her presence.
"Hmmm. It seems they managed to delay long enough for some of their sniveling kind to escape. A shame too, it will be a long time before I can summon this many again. However," The woman looked over the battlefield, spotting the one who had given her beasts the most trouble. She treaded over to Soren's body, all life in the immediate vicinity seemed to wilt around her. She knelt down and looked at the body of the once proud warrior, surveying his weapon of choice, as well as his attire. "Ah yes, the last hope of humanity, you gave me quite the fright for a moment, it looked like you could have singlehandedly turned the tides of the battle to preserve your race. And while you did fight admirably, I must admit, you only succeeded in delaying your demise for a few hundred years, turning back the clock so to speak, and that is a major thorn in my side." She spoke to the body.
However, when I have resurged my power in several hundred years, you might be just the keystone I need to help my next set of pawns go about making all of this occur again, but instead of hindering my progress, you might help it, what do you say? A small price to pay for your life, and when the rest of humanity is wiped off the face of the planet, I might even raise the rest of your legion to walk the earth with you, my Grimm subjects bowing to your feet. How does that sound dear? All I need is for you to pledge your allegiance to me." She continued talking to the body of Soren, as if it was living. "Excellent, I knew you would see the 'light'." She cackled a bit at her irony.
Suddenly she stopped, putting a hand out and letting a black and white swirl pour fourth, the mystical energy combined into a dull grey, washing over Soren's body. It filled his entire being, closing his wounds, sealing the rips in his armor, and imbuing his sword with the dull moonlight glow that it had lost once again. The grey faded as the last of it seeped into his body.
After a moment, Soren twitched, a flicker of life present in his body. A moment later, the fallen warrior slowly rose. He used his great sword as a crutch, gripping his curved dagger in his left hand. His attire seemed to visibly change with the new presence in his body. The silvering of his blade and armor now faded away, leaving behind a dull grey instead. His cape darkened several shades, tatters of battle heavily defined throughout it. His cowl was largely the same, still covering his pale face and dark hair, leaving only his now cold and lifeless eyes to bear. A flicker of light flashed in them, before fading away, as if the spirit of the person he once was, was cast into the depths of his mind.
The woman sneered, seeing her work fulfilled. "Now, who are you, my new assassin?"
Soren looked at her for a moment, before responding calmly, coldly. "My name is Soren Gra." Soren knelt down on one knee, planting his great sword into the ground, and holding the handle with one hand. His other hand still held his dagger, gripping it and placing it over his heart. He bowed his head reverently to his new master. "And I am whatever you wish me to be."
The woman clapped her hands excitedly, but slowly. "Excellent. Soren, I am your master, your Queen, Salem. You will do whatever it is that my pawns request of you in the coming ages. Your very being lives to serve me and my lesser pawns. Is that clear?"
"Yes… my Queen." He said, still keeping his head bowed.
"Wonderful." Salem said, her voice filled with maniacal glee. "Now, your spirit has been empowered with a gift, and your weapon attuned to be much more lethal. I have given you the name that you will take for your weapon now that you serve the winning side. You will use it to cleanse this world of all that would stand against me. Rise, and tell me the name of your weapon."
Soren did as demanded of him, rising slowly, and lifting his sword to the night. The moonlight glimmered off the dull blade ever so slightly, but seemed to be absorbed by the blade as well. "This…is Purgatio Nocte…Cleansing Night." He said solemnly.
"Perfect. You will do nicely. Cleanse the world, one cut at a time. As my last gift, your weapon has been changed ever so slightly. You will have the power to transform it, in order to fulfill a far greater variety of tasks than you were before. You will have access to my own personal armory, in my realm, to re-forge your weapon to even greater heights." She offers a hand to him. "Now come, you will be held in my realm until the time is right, and as promised…" The Legionaries around him crystallized, sinking into the earth. "When your debt has been repaid, you will have your brothers in arms once more."
"Yes, my Queen. I am at your command. I look forward to the day I serve you once more." Soren said.
"Good." Her grin widened as he took her hand. A red and purple portal opened up behind her, enveloping her and the fallen warrior. After a moment, they disappeared from existence.
Soren passed through the allies of downtown Vale, surveying the devastation around him. Buildings were crumbling, the streets a mess, and scared people around every corner. It had been several days since he had been able to witness firsthand the fall of the once proud school of Beacon academy, his Queen's plan falling into place it seemed.
Now, after several days of surveying the city, he received a message, likely the last one he would receive for a while, if the rumors about the CCT were true. It was a short message in length, from his Queen's benefactor, someone she had recruited to her cause. Her name was Cinder Fall. Apparently from what his Queen told him, Miss Fall's plan had hit a slight hitch in the road, when some little girl from the school had severely injured him with a power she had not considered to even exist any longer, a sordid mistake that nearly cost her life. Thankfully, he was now finally active, after resting for thousands of years in the realm of his Queen, yet he hadn't aged a day.
The message was simple: "Capture these individuals by any means necessary, they are essential in the next phase of the plan. When you capture them, bring them to the place where you met the queen." Sounds simple enough, he pulled the files off of the message and onto his scroll, another addition he had gained from his reemergence into the world.
The connection died a moment later. The signal weakened to a point were even scroll to scroll would be a difficulty. He opened the first file: Ruby Rose. "Ah, this is the girl that put Cinder in her current state, I'll have to watch out for her." He looked closer at the file, reading it over carefully. 'Scythe wielder/Sniper rifle user, capable of high velocities with her semblance. Leader of Team RWBY. Notable Relations: Tai Yang Xiao Long; Father. Yang Xiao Long; Sister. Qrow Branwen; Uncle. Summer Rose; Mother.' He stopped for a minute on Summer Rose, chuckling quietly. He remembered the first time he was awoken, years and years ago. He thought the face of the girl looked familiar to him. "Well, well. Like mother like daughter it seems. Let's hope she puts up a better fight than her mother did."
He opened the next file. 'Weiss Schnee: Heiress of Schnee Dust Company. Rapier user, adept at dust and glyph manipulation. Notable Relations: Winter Schnee; sister. Schnee corporation.' "Ah, looks like we have a high roller here, no doubt she will be well protected by the family. I'll have to plan properly for her, thankfully her location couldn't be more predictable, no doubt her father has taken her back to their household, which should be an eyesore to all in Atlas." He muttered.
He opened the next file. 'Blake Belladonna: Former member of the White Fang. Cleaver that splits into two portions. Katana portion has a pistol built in, ribbon attached to the end, allowing the weapon to be used as a kusarigama. Highly elusive, semblance allows for clones of herself to take blows and deceive enemies. Faunus born. Notable Relations: Adam Taurus (Former).' "Hmmm, formerly associated with Taurus eh, one of Cinders own. Interesting indeed. She would've been a cunning ally. A shame, she will have to be captured like the rest. Elusive though, it might take a while for me to track her down. I'll save her for last." He closed her file, opening the next.
'Yang Xiao Long: Sister of Ruby Rose. Gauntlet user. Semblance allows her to go into a raged frenzy, granting her super strength and a fiery aura around her. Currently dismembered by Adam Taurus, right arm cut off at the elbow. Notable Relations: Tai Yang Xiao Long; Father. Qrow Branwen; Uncle. Raven Branwen; Mother (Missing). Ruby Rose; sister.' "Lost an arm eh? Easy prey. She goes down first, shouldn't be too hard to find." He swiped her profile to the background, pulling up the next one.
'Jaune Arc: Leader of team JNPR. Sword and Shield user. Semblance unknown. Traveling with his remaining teammates and Ruby Rose. What he lacks in raw fighting skills he makes up for in tactical cunning and battlefield awareness. Works best in a group.' "Hmm, shorter than the others. However, isolating him will make him far easier to take down, and no doubt the others in his little group will be far weaker with him out of the picture. I'll put him on mid priority, get him after I get some of the separated ones." Soren closed the file on Jaune, opening the last one.
"Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren: Close Friends, team JNPR. Former uses a hammer that converts to a grenade launcher, the latter utilizes twin submachine guns with blades attached to the bottoms. Ability to channel electric currents to muscles and use it as an outward force with her hammer. The latter has the ability to make barriers out of his aura. The two are nearly inseparable.' "Dynamic duo huh? Might be a tough pair to beat, but nothing I can't handle." Soren said confidently. He closed the last file, pausing to think for a moment. Why did Cinder need these 7 individuals? He could understand the Ruby girl, from a revenge standpoint, but the others just seemed like extra baggage.
He shook his head slightly. No, it wasn't his place to question. He just needed to do his work, and get what he sought back. The Queen and her assistant needed this done for a reason, and whatever it was he wouldn't question. He had no reason to ever question them before, why now?
He smirked. This would be an easy set of hunts, so long as he prepared and scouted out each target properly. In just a few short weeks he could have the one thing he desired back, his Legion. His power would grow and he could walk the earth in triumph once more. But… why did it feel wrong to him? Was this not what his purpose was? He could think about it later. For now, he had a debt to pay, and a deed to perform. Nothing would stop him from achieving his victory.
A/N: Hello and welcome to my second Fic here on FFNet. This one is going to be a lot shorter than my other fic, Twin Shadows (Which this is not replacing, but being uploaded in tandem with), is planned to be. If you haven't checked that one out than seriously feel free to go to my profile page and check it out there. I hope that this Fic ends up being as good as i planned on it being, and while this pilot chapter is a bit shorter, the others should be much longer. But as I say with all my chapters let me know what you think in a review, and what i can do to improve, and have a great week.