Prologue

For many, life on Remnant can be pretty good depending on the circumstances of one's birth. Those born into the mid to upper classes, those born within the walls of the cities, and even those born human tend to lead the safer, for prosperous lives; the Schnees, for example, are seen as the pinnacle of high society . However for those unlucky ones, those born dirt poor, outside the safety of the capitals, a faunus, or some combination of the three, life can be rather difficult. Let us take a closer look at one such person.

Blake, a boy not long after his 15th, has recently suffered the loss of both his parents. His father, a jaguar faunus working in the Dust mines that profit the village he calls home. He died when the Dust ignited, causing the whole mine to collapse. His mother, a human owning a bakery not far from the village gates. She died when a group of anti-human radicals decided to rob and murder her for "the heinous crime of corrupting a faunus with her human taint." Normally he would be there to protect her from them but with his untimely demise only a few days earlier, they saw an opportunity and took it.

Now their child is left alone. Except he's not really alone. His cousin, a Huntress, graduate of Beacon Academy, will be coming sometime that day to take him home with her, to take him into the family she has built. She knows that while her family will be no substitute for his own, she hopes that he will feel welcomed and loved enough to help him through this tough time. When she arrives, she greets him with a hug commenting on how much time has passed since she has seen him last; but he is still, silent and solemn. Their reunion is cut short when screams are heard in the distance. Sirens blare and Grimm break down the gate.

The Huntress wonders what caused the Grimm to launch an assault like this before drawing her weapon and leaping to battle. You see, once the body of the mother was discovered, the townspeople were worked into a frenzied mob, for she was very loved in the village. The mob tracked the faunus guilty to their hideout: the basement of the leader's house. Thereafter the mob dragged them into the town square, beat them, and finally hanged them from the great redwood standing tall in the center of the village. It was this negative surge of emotions and those lingering after are what drew the Grimm.

Despite having his Aura unlocked through extraneous circumstances, Blake was not trained for combat in any way; so he ran and hid. Multiple times his path became blocked by insurging Grimm, causing him to dodge and evade to the best of his ability. In the end he found himself circled back close to the main battle. Sliding under a slightly raised porch, he took refuge and watched as his neighbors and cousin fought back the Grimm. Unfortunately, this was not just a simple horde attracted by the raw negativity of the village. This was a large herd of ancient roaming Grimm, migrating through the area. It normally would not have noticed the happy little village but recent events have drawn its attention.

It was not long before the villagers and even the Huntress, exhausted from battle, were getting overrun by the ancient horde. The Huntress was pinned, trying to hold back the stinger from a Death Stalker. Feeling herself weaken with every passing second, the Huntress looked to Blake with a look of regret mouthing, 'I'm sorry.' Her arms gave out, the stinger pierced her chest, and a white light enveloped the village.

When the light subsided, the Grimm were gone and many bodies littered the streets. The survivors emerged from the ruined buildings, some with dazed looks, others running to hold their beloved dead. Blake was of the latter, running to his cousin. To his surprise she still drew breath, short and quick as it was. He could see the large hole through her torso and knew he would be losing yet more family. She opened her eyes and locked onto his. With a final breath she smiled and spoke, "I'm sorry… I couldn't bring you… home… to Vale… to be… part of my… family."

And she died.

That day Blake used his Semblance for the first time, but it would not be until later that he understood it.