Deep in the abysmal myre of never ending void, wisps of darkness swirl in an oncoming tide of darkness. Back and forth, push and pull, it deepens within itself revealing only what it once was and what it would soon give birth too. Sanity, logic, feelings, emotion. They do not exist. They never had and never will. Constructs of life which foolish sentience holds dear, only to be extinguished again and again by its own selfish desires. Falling short of what it could be, destroying to create, creating to destroy. A never ending cycle of imprudent reverie that would only end in misery. It would be this darkness, that ebbed, and pulsated in the pit of nothing, a mass at the center of shadows, birthing that which would face this injustice to its realm. To its world.
The abyss seemed to flow with new energy and new life, as more and more wisps of floating shadow seeped into it's never ending rebirth. Revitalizing that which had been dead for centuries, that which would reawaken to find itself at the epitome of it's own grand design. A creature that could only shine through it's own demoniac self to forgo the shadows that bound it. The whirling which never ended. The tide had always flowed. The shadows always corrupting its physical existence.
Until now. The creature seeped from the swirling mass of darkness. Clawing its way from the never ending pit that was it's home for so long. Crawling, dragging, tearing it ripped through the wisps of pitch black, the swirling void and reaching up, its single hand finding not purchase to help it escape the bottomless mire, but life. Life that it strangled and sucked into its own being and adopted as its own.
The Shadows and and murk gave way to something inconceivable within the world of Remnant.
A darkness that it had long since forgotten. A threat that it has once thought forever bound.
A creature of unspeakable tormentous horror, now standing on the precipice of its own world.
Smiling.
The room itself was darkened to her liking. The only light showing was from her monitors as she studied the hovering images before her. Her hands flying fast across the keyboard, her bright blue eyes keeping track of the moving pictures before her. Different camera angles depicting different but similar scenes as she tried to keep up with what she knew.
The battle raging outside.
For more than a week now Milla and team CFVY from Beacon Academy had been battling what seemed to be an endless horde of Grimm. Consistently fighting for their and the lives of the people they protected. They were all tired now. The exhaustion apparent in their bodies and actions. Still they kept at it, continuing their barricades, their barrages, their defense, never once giving in to the force that wished to overwhelm them. Milla herself having been taken from the front lines due to damaged weaponry, now sat typing furiously at a keyboard, staring into the blaring bright screens of the scrolls in front of her. Her white high collar, baggy parka taking up most of her mass as she sat cross legged upon her chair. A furrowed frown slowly came into formation upon her freckled face. Her tech goggles reflecting the light of the screen. She visibly relaxed as the flashing screens seemed to simmer down. Her fingers typing a bit slower now. Yes it had been a week of consistent guard. Consistent killing.
It was as if this whole plan was doomed from the start. As if building this new village was supposed to fail. They almost couldn't keep up. Almost. CFVY had been able to hold the walls of Chlor up until this point, and with her help, Milla had been working tirelessly to create traps, and keep out the Grimm. They had simply been consistently overwhelmed. Now it seemed as if they were on the brink of disaster. Even a momentary lapse in concentration would let just one of them through. Something that CFVY and Milla both did not wish to see happen. The screen flashed again and her hands sped up their tempo, flying across the keys and lighting up her scrolls before her. Her body image creating an eerie shadow upon the wall. As the screens flickered so did the depicted figure. On the screens she could see the city. A heightened view as if from the clouds themselves. She could see the towering mountainous alcove that the small village stood within. The large towering cliff that stretched high above the city covering half of it in darkened shadow when the sun was just right in the sky. The rocky outcropping providing a natural cover from the shade, and more importantly the grimm for the people below. To the north of the village laid the ever twisting forest. The one that was home to all of the grimm, creatures that stumbled from the dark only to feast upon the restless souls that was the village.
No, not even a feast, a simple slaughter. Blood had barely been spilled thanks to Coco and her team's efforts but not all was fine either. Milla watched as the four of them down below on the outskirts of the forest, continued pummeling into the ravaging beasts that continued their onslaught. Always endless, always daunting, the grimm continued to push forth.
Beowolves, boarbatusks, and other types pouring in on the four figures, only to be steadily torn down. Some grimm seeing a chance turned and ran, others slipping through the cracks, rushing up the newly built wall that protected the villagers from the forest, only to be shot down by what Milla herself was controlling. Atlesian airships. The hovering dust engines loud, the wind whooshing bending trees and grass alike, slowly circling the small clearing that CFVY had decided to encompass. She, leveling anything that decided to try and get by. A warning light began flashing upon one of her scrolls screens. Red, Yellow and a mixture of iridescent flickers` rolled over the left screen until it finally went blank, registering nothing except for grey static. Fear peaked over the horizon of her mind then as she focused more inwardly towards her task. Fear that they wouldn't make today like the rest of the days. They had been pushed to limits that no hunter or huntress should have ever been pushed to. Exhaustion fell on her then and her focus was lost. It didn't matter that she gained control of the other failing craft, or that she found the source of loss for the first. She was tired. Her eyes drooping into a micro sleep that lasted only mere seconds. Time enough for the large nevermore to finish what they had started. Feathers rained down on the second craft interrupting all thought process' of recovering and firing upon its attacker. She watched the screen as the airship spun out of control descending into the shimmering green forest below. Then the second scroll blanked out as well leaving her stunned in silence. She sat for a moment staring at the screen, her eyes seeming to collapse in on themselves, her body heavy. It was as if she was deteriorating herself, falling away into the much needed dreamland that called to her.
She snapped up, eyes wide, body tense, mind alert. Though only for a single moment as she resisted the temptation of exhausted sleep. She needed to go, now.
Milla stood from the chair and rushed from the room. The wheeling seat crashing into the far wall falling over onto its side. She didn't care, she'd pick it up later, there were more important things to do. Opening the balcony doors she stepped outside, letting the bright sun beat down upon her pale skin. Through her goggles she looked out, north towards the wall, making the tech zoom in.
The nevermore had reached the city, flying overhead their large wingspans blanketing multiple shabby roofs in darkened shadows. Blotting out the sun. She could hear the screams for where she stood. The makeshift hunters HQ in the middle of the village. She turned and ran. She had to help. She had to get there. To save lives. In her frantic decent down the stairs a thought dawned on her causing her to stop for a moment. Letting herself breath for a moment. The sheer weight of panic slowly lifting, giving way to something more. Reality. She had no weapon. They had broken out upon the field of battle, shattering just as the airship that now laid crumpled upon the forest floor. She slumped against the wall, defeat, and hopelessness burrowing deep into her was nothing she could do. Without her back up the grimm would make it over the walls there was no doubt.
"Heh..so much for being a Huntress." Her words parted her lips, tasting the air around her filling the rest of her with the sense of dread. She had hoped that one day she could be a successful huntress like her father before her. Defeating the grimm, helping both people and faunus alike. Showing kindness where kindness was due and a hard fist when it was needed. Now all she could do was sink to the floor and let the exhaustion take her. Her eyes slipping closed in the brightly lit room that was the downstairs den. Just before they shut, a small glint caught in the overhanging light flashed lighting up her world and her thoughts one last time.
A dust rifle lay perched on one of the den's high tables. Parts and cartridges laid next to it, sprawled across the small surface. The glimmer caught the light and the light caught an idea. She could still help, still be useful. She stood and covering the distance she reached out for the weapon taking it in her hands. It felt just right as she slipped it up into the crook of her shoulder and practiced aiming it. She checked herself, her heavy parka made of a tightly knit kevlar weave, her steel greaves upon her shins and now the dust cartridges loaded upon her belt. She was ready to go out and face the threat that stood before her. Breathing deeply into her high collar she pushed open the door rifle at the ready.
The light of the sun mixed with the light of room behind her both getting lost, intertwining within one another so that she couldn't tell where which began and ended. Darkness covered her momentarily as the large shadow of the beasts flew overhead circling back towards the square, where it's brethren now awaited it. Firing feathers and tipping buildings with it's for front claws. The wind beating from their wings pushing down upon the ground kicking up dirt and dust alike, blowing away roofs and uprooting people from the earth. Milla ran. Her steps taking her farther and farther away from safety of the makeshift HQ. Quickly she rolled into an alleyway dodging a volley of sharpened feathers that rained down on the buildings and cobblestone road. Rocks digging into her back and upper shoulders, but she didn't feel it. Only mild pressure from the stone as her parka protected her. Once again she found herself back to the wall, breath heavy, sweat began to trickle down her forehead. She peered out of the darkened alleyway to make sure it was circling again. After she caught sight of the first ones back she rushed forth once more out into the open, her footsteps echoing off the stone road, reflecting off of the newly cement buildings around her. The streets seemed so vacant now, streets that had been lined with laughter and play were empty. No sound except that of her boots and the rancorous cawing of the creatures overhead.
Finally her adventures into the open brought her to a building with an attached fire escape. Her breath ragged now, her body tensing as she began to make the climb, forcing herself up the red steps and onto the tar roof. There she purchased, loaded the rifle, aimed. A barrage of feathers peppered the area where she had knelt to fire, sharp and hard the bullet like projectiles flew through the cement structure tearing holes throughout its walls and roof. Milla was unperturbed, two feathers had burst through her protective aura and now pierced her skin. Pain was now more present than it had been as she struggled to make her body move. One from the shoulder, one had pierced her jeans just above the knee. She ignored this pain, overcoming it and bringing the rifle to bear. She fired.
Blue and yellow shells flew from the barrel of the gun finding true homes in the creature's eyes and face. Electric sparks shattered ice droplets that had begun forming across its midsection pelting the things hide with more shards of ice. A multitude of combat efficiency which only years acquired at beacon could have taught her. Blinded and injured the flying beast swan dived out over the wall, landing in the clearing of CFVY. Its death cries screeching above the tumult that had been the rest of the grimm. She stood, letting the rifle fall to her side and onto the roof. She had been fighting here in Chlor for so long, almost nonstop. She hung her head, her black hair falling over her sweat dripped face, her breathing coming in ragged breaths. Subtle sounds pierced her world as the lids of her eyes closed letting in that beckoning darkness. Another rain of feathers pelted the building where Milla stood. The remaining nevermore seeking revenge for its fallen comrade. The roof collapsed. And the darkness that threatened to take her, engulfed her fully.