Runeborn; Prologue
The world was born in ash, grey and desolate, bleak and devoid of life. From the ash and dust rose heat, passion and will. Life, like a phoenix, rose, born into this world from the remnants of civilisations long since dead. Yet, like all but the brightest of lights, shadows are cursed to follow the path of the lit. From these shadows were born the Grimm, the manifestation of sin within the soul, projected outwards and into the light, a plague upon those who sought out the light. Man and Faunus united to stave of the darkness, and through their combined efforts, a language was created.
Man combined The language of the Faunus with their own power, the power of Dust. The Faunus were daughters of Nature, and Man the sons of Creation, thus these attributes portrayed themselves within their strength. The language of the the Faunus was one of Nature itself, a woven speech that could be heard by all living things. The Dust of Man was energy, pure and passionate, whithin the Dust was held Man's desire, strength and will. Yet at their hearts, men were corrupt beings, driven by a desire for dominance, so they betrayed their Faunus friends, using their own language to cast them down. Man crafted Dust with the words of Nature, creating an alphabet or power. With each rune Man would create, their strengh would grow, and slowly they gained mastery over all things. They used this power to conquer both the Grimm and the Faunus, creating what they believed a "free world". A monument to a people in power, for only within the light can true darkness exist.
Centuries passed, Man dominated all things, and slowly the bloody past was forgotten, written out of history by a people ashamed. The Faunus slowly lost their heritage, assimilated into mankind, their language lost to but a few words passed down, names and titles. The power faded from the world, lost in the darkness of time.
"Awwww, one more chapter pleaaseee~" Ruby cried.
Yang closed the story book and looked into her little sister's eyes. Silver as the moon, and twice as bright, they shone with life, and hope. Of all the stories she had this had always been her favorite, especially the stories of the first heroes that followed. Never the less, it was getting dark, and Ruby had to go to sleep. When Dad wasn't home, Yang had to make sure Ruby followed the rules, or else they'd both be in trouble if uncle Qrow came by to check on them.
"Sorry Rubles, but that's it for tonight, I'll read more tomorrow ok?" Ruby nodded and tucked her chin under the covers. Yang patted her head a smiled.
But once Ruby was asleep, Yang would stay awake for hours, waiting for Dad to get back from whatever mission he had taken that day. Sometime it would take just the afternoon, sometimes he would take two; three days, but Yang liked to stay awake for when he came home. She would look out at the stars, and imagine herself going with him, fighting at his side. She would be starting at Signal next year, then she would be on the way to becoming a full blown huntress. But Ruby was still too young, Yang didn't want to leave her behind, but if there was one thing she had learned from her venture into the woods to find her mothers trail; it was that she can't bring Ruby with her wherever she goes.
After several hours wrapped in her own thoughts, Yang finally began to fall asleep. Ruby's soft breathing could be heard, rhythmic and calm. Yang got into her own bed and listened to the rise and fall of Ruby's chest. There would come a day when the two of them would be huntresses together, fighting off the Grimm side by side, a day she could not wait for. Ruby was talented, even in their small sparring matches Yang knew just how well Ruby could fight; she learned faster than anyone Dad had ever met, aside from maybe Qrow, and her enthusiasm was unmatched. Yang was two years older and she could still barely keep up, Ruby was already working on controlling her semblance and Yang had only recently found out about hers. A smile graced her lips as she fell asleep, pride swelling in her chest. Her sister was going to be a hero, like the one's in the stories, there was no doubt.
Yang began to dream immediately once she fell asleep. She dreamt of a girl running through the trees of some unknown forest, her long black hair streaming out behind her. She was being chased by something, but Yang couldn't tell what it was, but the ears on top of her head were twitching constantly, nervous. The girl was a Faunus. Yang wondered who she was, and what had happened to her. The cat Faunus paused, ears twitching furiously, then snapped her head around and locked eyes with Yang, her eyes were shockingly yellow, like Yang's hair.
"Go." The Faunus whispered, urgently. Yang didn't know what else to do than nod, this was nothing but a dream. The Faunus began to run again, sprinting into the shadows, then the scene changed.
Now Yang was standing at the foot of a great castle. The bridge had been lowered over the moat, and Yang crossed. What she saw inside frighted but intrigued her, thousands of people both Men and Faunus swarming around stalls and small huts. As Yang observed she realized that all of the Faunus she saw were chained at the ankles. They were slaves. The scene changed once more. Yang was in a room, a man sat behind a desk, black hair and silver eyes. He reminded her of someone but she couldn't remember who. He seemed troubled, dark circles stained his eyes, and his mouth looked small, his lips thin.
Another man walked into the room. He was grand, dressed in gold and carrying a variety of blades. "You've done the right thing, Captain" The man said. The tired man at the desk shook his head fervently, he tried to speak but no words left his mouth, only a strained choking sound. The tired mad was missing a tongue. The scene changed again.
Yang saw the girl again, but she was not running anymore. Once again the cat Faunus looked at her, with her piercing yellow gaze. The Faunus girl looked tired, but seemed to have evaded whatever had been following her.
"I told you to go, why have you come back?" The girl asked. Yang shook her head, she was not in control of her dreams.
"This is not a dream. Yang."
Yang shook her head again, of course it was a dream, she was sleeping.
"You must leave, or they will find you. Send your spirit back to your home, we will meet someday, I promise you."
Yang nodded, unsure of what else to do. She felt herself slipping back out of her dream, spinning slowly back to the world of the waking. As she was falling, the Faunus told her one last thing.
"Protect the red one. Keep her safe"
Then Yang woke up.