The Tale of Two Brothers was an old story; far older than even The Four Maidens. As she eyes the two beings, Cinder Falls shockingly realized the truth of another legend. Only she of a few knew by another title: The Sons of the Sage.
Hello again. Upon the ending of some of the franchises I started with, I have to admit that I am not as well invested to other medias as before. So there are a few that may have caught my attention and maybe fewer for me to stay interested to continue.
But the season finale of RWBY Volume 3 was probably the most shocking and striking moment in a long time. So much that... lets say my muse took this long to reboot. Since then, I busied myself with writing other things to get it going again. And thus this one-shot.
Disclaimers: Now it can't be a spoiler anymore, so you get where this is heading. The only thing a fanfiction writer can claim is the defiance of destiny in their work, but even then they still must give credit to their rightful owners.
Destiny: The Cursed Eyes and the Will of Fire
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"Why am I here again?" Jaune remembered weeping of his incompetency after pleading to save Pyrrha before blacking-out from a searing pain in his heart. He woke up not in Vale but somewhere far more familiar. Leaving ripples as he ran, the blonde recalled how he came to this place a long time ago.
As a child, not all of his dreams are about one day being a hero and the usual childish drama. Sometimes Jaune would wake up in a shallowly flooded dark forest. Or as dark with large glowing ball overhead would be. He sometimes wondered if it what the moon look like whole.
As the young Arc grew older, a mountain became a new addition to the landscape. But no matter how long he trekked, it never seemed to get any nearer.
But the night after the initiation, he found himself at the foot of the mount. Stone steps and tall wooden pillars, it looks similar yet different with the ruins he fought in the other day. Jaune then found a large entrance guarded by wooden bars, but was wary to go any closer. For one was of his recent history of entering a dark cavern. That and a loud voice scared him awake, telling the blonde wimp to not come back till he grew a pair, whatever that meant.
He vowed to never go back but Jaune always seems to find himself near the gate, most often when he is emotionally distressed. The most frequent was when he revealed his deceit.
With how harsh yet truthful the voice was, Jaune thought it was the manifestation of his conscience. Despite his guilt, he argued and tried to defend his actions. But during its silence, the blonde knight knew he can no longer deceive anyone…, even himself.
But it was after confronting Cardin and his weakness that made a turning point in boy's life. He now accepted who he is and who he can become because of his precious people. He then decided to confront his inner demon.
The next nights whenever he found himself in the mountains again, Jaune gathered the courage to approach the cave. But he heard snoring to his surprise. He praised himself that he was only tossed back a bit when the voice shouted for him to leave.
Gathering his courage, the knight apologized to the being and said that he wanted to make peace with himself. He was shocked when it asked why it was involved with his self-realization; and thus started an unusual yet amenable friendship with the voice in his head.
They said hearing voices was a sign of insanity so Jaune was thankful that it was considerate to only converse when they were in private, which was also the time when he was instructed to meditate to train his Aura. It was still snarky but gave sound advises, which helped balanced Pyrrha's kind, but at times too gentle, encouragements.
"Jaune…" But now it held so much weight even the deaf can feel something is terribly wrong.
"What's happening?" He asked as those great red eyes seemed to lose some of its fire.
"It's Pyrrha. Her Aura is fading…" The boy was so focused on the situation that he missed something crucial. They both turned to what was distressing them. After the conversation with her before the dance, the dunce mentally kicked himself for what he thoughtlessly did. But Jaune never regretted the decision.
They found a spark that Pyrrha 'lend' to ignite his Aura. He asked his companion to place it on a tall pedestal…, a torch to act as a representation of the person the knight wants to be like. And a challenge to one day stand up there beside her as equals.
Now it was dimmed as he cannot make out any light left.
"She's…" "WHY!? Why?! Why did she have to do it?!" Jaune shouted as he punched the wall enough to bleed. He didn't want it to be finished, but he cannot delude what it meant. He kept hitting and cursing… himself.
"Jaune!" He stopped to listen, but doubted he can with his sorrow. "Don't just grovel there, DO SOMETHING!"
"What can I do?!" He shouted out the painfully obvious. "Pyrrha was the strongest person I know! But no matter what she said, she sacrificed herself for nothing! For a failure! A cheat! A coward…"
"You also forgot dense and reckless! Heck if I didn't know better, you may be related to a certain knucklehead I frustratingly knew!" He would have liked to hear this story but all he heard was insults due to already piling it on his own. Jaune looked up to voice his anger.
But what stopped the blonde was when he made eye-contact with the large being. That fiery gaze was still narrowed, but it held warmth as he looked at the boy with fond reminiscence. "But just like you, he at first fought for a selfish goal… But eventually, he surpassed obstacles because of the beliefs of others. I saw how that weak pathetic shit became a leader worthy of reverence." Jaune can't help but remember his own goal, struggles and how he came to be, wondering if he can really be like the person his companion praised.
"No one believed in him, hell even I had made it hard for him. But like a crude iron forge to mighty steel, there's a fire in his resolve that refused to bend. He never went back on his words..." with this the young Arc remembered his family… their Hunter's way. "…and never gave up from a challenge. He fell countless times but he staggered to rise…, stronger than before."
He stuck out a large fist between the gaps and patiently held it in front of his human partner. "I fought in the fires of war with my brother in arms… and I'll fight in the heat of battle once more with you, my brother in spirit!"
With that declaration, the knight's flickering will was rekindled as determination burned stronger. "Let's do this, Kurama!" and Jaune bumped his fist, opening the gate and letting light flood out.
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She felt weak… hopeless… Never did Ruby realize until now the true burden of her power. No... Her enhanced speed was the by-product of her true power. It all came crashing down so fast… like how much it felt like that one winter night that changed her view.
When the young girl knew that everyone was asleep, she snuck out to the place where the one person that she uncertainly loved… her mother's grave.
There Ruby bared how much she hidden behind her smiles. Remembering so little of her mother only worsens the girl's loss. For a moment, she felt anger for the world for taking away someone who loved her and the injustice that the motherless girl can never knowingly return the act.
It was also at the dead of the night that she almost reunited with Summer. A pack of Beowolves were drawn to her anguish. Ruby fought to the best of her ability but it was not yet tempered enough to weather the onslaught.
Ruby thought that she would finally see her mother that night. Yet… she remembered her sister… her father… her uncle… her family… How sad they were when her mother was gone… How sad they may be if she was too. It was there that the young reaper refused to leave them yet… She refused to give up and die there.
When she opened her eyes to show her defiance, Ruby stood there confused why they stopped attacking. But a claw close to her face made her swiped her scythe by instinct. But her apprehension grew as the head flew with agonizing slowness. Fearing for things to get any stranger, the readhead finished the horde and immediately head for home.
She silently stumbled to clean up. But when the girl looked in the mirror, she was too shocked to utter anything. The shaken face staring back did not have her mother's eyes. They were the colour like her namesake; vibrant and expressive. And those red orbs are showing how afraid she is.
Everything felt so surreal that she presumed it must be a dream. That belief was reinforced when the girl was counselled by a crow bearing the same eyes. She can't remember exactly how the conversation went. What she could recall was that it said her eyes were burdened with so many things; one was great power... that holds heavy consequences. It asked what the girl will do with such power.
Ruby may have been young but her resolve would have rivalled many, no matter how naïve it may sound. Yet the crow commended it with a sad smile. The dream then faded with a final advice: to never lose that light.
From then on, she trained and strived while keeping her secret to ensure that everyone will have their happy ending.
But now this very same power…, these eyes…, this curse…, will never make her forget this tragedy with perfect clarity. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
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Cinder can only smile sinisterly as plans came to fruition. Kingdoms are in chaos and the awakening of an unstoppable force, none was more satisfying now than to truly harnessing the intoxicating power that was promised to her. All had fallen before her heel from the chess-master to the invincible girl.
The look of hopelessness on these younger generation's scared faces only added sweetness to her distorted ecstasy. She even played with the young girl in red despite the ambiguous warning of her mistress about those silver eyes. Yet the look of rage when they turned crimson made the witch complacent to compare with that of her brute of a sister.
But her elation was slowly wearing down and became more concerned of their bout. Each assault becomes faster, strikes harder, shots closer, cuts… deadlier. Cinder took hold of the girl's weapon and made a great mistake when she looked into those fiery rubies. The girl no longer fought to stop her… but to kill.
The woman started to sweat and felt something she never thought to have experienced again… fear. So much that she hastily unleashed flames just to distance her. The scythe was destroyed but the girl was able to retreat with only her cloak scorched.
The Dragon Grimm grew impatient as it let out a roar for its spawns. Cinder felt her composure return as Nevermores and Griffons gather to finish this pest. But a bright light caught their attentions, worrying her as it was speeding closer. Then one Griffon was sent carrying as the flash jumped between Grimm, tearing limbs as it decimate the flocks. The few remaining gathered to dispose of the threat before they were encased in a miniature sun. Regaining their sight, she warily observed as a being of fire crouched before her.
"Pyrrha… No…" Her disbelief grew as she recognized the voice. The boy was burning but the fire doesn't seem to harm him or the body he was holding.
"Jaune… It's all my fault… I was too late... I'm sorry" The girl's attention was shifted back to the reason for her attack. She wept more than tears as she realized that death was also in her hands for being too weak to protect.
"No… It's our fault… We were too late." Jaune lamented as he tenderly held the one who, despite her passing, holds a place in his heart.
Then the burning blonde raised a fist to his fellow failure. "But let's make it right." He promised, which she reciprocated by touching with her own hand.
Unknowns were appearing and the plan can unravel unless she acted quickly. She conjured and hurled a fire large enough to extinguish the threat.
But what the Fall Maiden witnessed shocked her as the girl raised her palm and the flames just… stopped. The blaze followed the movement of her hand but what made Cinder stepped back was when she saw her eyes once more. It now was coloured like the blood that ran down her cheek, burning with unfathomable hatred. The witch can feel it growing, expressed by the fire the girl caught burning hotter… brighter… till it turned an unholy black, matching the reaper's dark promise. "I will… kill you."
The whisper held so much malice that it finally triggered a reaction as the large Grimm let out a shrill and pounced on the children.
"Stay BACK!" was the boy's roar as he swiped his arm and the Grimm was struck by a wall of golden flames. The Dragon was stunned for a moment but resumed its assault with renewed fury. The boy clenched his hand and knocked the beast aside, this time the flames took the form of a fist.
Barely dodging the large body, she followed the fiery claw as it was lowered in front of him, moving as if to shield them… or more precisely, the still form held in his arm. Doing so, Cinder caught the sight of who she thought was the least threatening of pawns. Gone were the uncertainty and cowardice hidden behind a thinly veiled illusion of bravery. Now those golden eyes burned with hidden and unmatched power. One strengthened by a mighty resolve that will take any odds.
Before the Dragon could attack once more, it was pinned down by the burning claw. The inferno grew and settled to form a snarling visage atop a powerful body with fiery tails lashing behind it.
The girl then raised her enclosed hand causing the black fire to rise as it was crushed by an ethereal force. An ominous weapon took shape as a dark apparition overshadowed her, waiting to execute its master's will.
Two powerful manifestations of contrasting birth so close to one another. One created to protect…, the other to destroy. Yet when they touched, they did not clash... but merged. For despite conflicting elements, they were empowered by the same fuel… vengeance.
The new Fall Maiden can only fearfully watch as her strongest pawn struggled under the grasp of these two titans. As she eyes the two beings, Cinder Falls shockingly realized the truth of another legend.
All over Remnant witnessed the lighting of a torch. One that signifies the coming fires of war… but some saw it as a beacon of hope.
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