RWBY: The Destroyer Reborn
After Natsu destroyed Acnologia, the great dragon had a moment to look back on his life, as he regretted what he had lacked in life. Ankhseram hearing his plea, grants the dragon of destruction a second chance, just not in this world. Seventeen years later he has been reborn as Jaune Arc, his memories awakened by Pyrrha, as he strives to become a Savior...instead of a Destroyer.
This story was a challenge that was given to me by 'Jaune Uchiha the one with Swag'; I would like to thank him/her for giving me this story Idea and hope it lives up to his/her expectation. Enjoy.
Chapter I: The Destroyer Reborn
The battlefield was torn and broken as Acnologia stood before the battered team of Fairy Tail. His breathing ragged and pain filled, as his wounds were severe, fatal and bleeding heavily onto the ground. It took nearly all of his strength to remain conscious as before him stood Natsu Dragneel, the adopted son of the Flame Dragon King and the resurrected brother of Zeref Dragneel the Dark Wizard.
The boy had grown powerful since he last saw him; so much that it was too much for the ancient dragon slayer to handle. He was now reduced to his human form as Natsu glared at him from across the battlefield. His wounds bleeding just as heavily as his, but not enough to stop him as Natsu stood his ground against his foe. Acnologia chuckled as he smirked at the boy before him.
"Impressive...you're the second person to ever actually injury me...and maybe the first to kill me. What a fight this has been...who would have thought that I would actually be beaten by such lowly creature's?" he said as he gestured to the rest of Fairy Tail. Natsu growled as he charged a powerful flame in his right hand.
"This ends here Acnologia! I'm going to smack that grin right off your face!" he roared as a powerful flame surrounded his form and he swallowed a huge amount of air. Acnologia grinned as well as he too swallowed a massive amount of air, magical energy building around them as the ground beneath them cracked and splintered in their wake.
"FIRE DRAGONS! ROAR! / DRAGON SLAYER! ROAR!" both men yelled as they launched massive beams of fire and energy towards each other. The energy colliding in a massive display of raw power and brilliance as the two warriors fought for their lives.
Acnologia, however, had grown numb to the world, as he could no longer hear the roar of his own voice or the roar and cheer of the boy and his friends as Natsu's attack slowly consumed his. He could only watch as the pink haired boy's flames slowly consumed his body before he was blown away by the massive attack. His body flew through the air as he slammed into the side of a mountain, a large crater embedding the mountainside, as every bone in his body shattered like glass. His entire body racked with pain, as every bone was broken and his ribs fracture and pierced his lungs.
But at that moment in time, for some bizarre reason, he felt happy.
He was happy that he finally felt a battle that he had waited for so long to fight in, so long for a battle to die in like the rest of his dragon slayer brethren who died thousands of years ago. He opened one eye as he watched as Natsu's friends rush towards him, smiling and cheering as the boy collapsed into the arms of a beautiful golden-haired maiden. A warm and gentle smile on her face as she cradled his head in her lap and looked down with a loving look in her eyes as Natsu returned the look in full force.
For some reason that even he could not explain, his mind wandered back to years ago when he was like Natsu once. Young and foolish without a care of the world around him, except for the one person who had stayed by his side. Until the dragon civil wars came, and he lost the one person he loved to a Dragon.
It was then that he vowed to slay every dragon with his power and bring the world to peace. But after many years of fighting and bathing in the blood of dragons, he was consumed by the power he had and wanted more for himself. He lost his human form and transformed into a powerful dragon and proclaimed himself Dragon King.
He hunted down every dragon he could find and slain them with his magic, forever etching his crime into history as 'the Dragon King Festival', the day he stopped being a human.
And became a Dragon...
He then spent the next thousand years by himself, forever wandering the world for a new challenge or to slay the remaining dragons that escaped his wrath. His former life as a human long forgotten and the face of the one person he cared for the most was forgotten to the fore corners of his mind. Though at nights he would feel a strange feeling in his chest, a feeling he could not describe, or no longer remember as he had given up his humanity long ago.
It was at the moment that Acnologia was struck with a strange feeling in his chest. A feeling he had long since done away with years ago. A feeling that deep down inside of him wished he could feel once again.
Regret
It had been so many years since he had known that meaning of that word. So long since he had ever felt a hint of remorse for the things he had done, for the lives that he had taken and the friends that he lost. The lover he could no longer remember and the life he no longer had...
All for the sake of power...
His consciousness began to fade as felt the pain that racked his body soon began to overwhelm him. In his final moments on Fiore, all he could only think about was the life he had lived, the regrets he had made...and the life he had wished to live...
When he awoke he found himself in a strange place, as the world around him was completely white, his black cloak was the only colour that contrasted against the white surroundings as he looked around the strange place.
"What is this?" he asked himself, as he looked the strange place. "Where am I? What's going on here?" he continued to question as he searched the strange place.
"Answer me! What is going..." he stopped as he looked down as he noticed his left arm attached to him. Which was impossible, as the Fire Dragon King Igneel had torn it off him before his final battle. He could still remember the pain that coursed through his body as the dying dragon ripped it from him and he took his life in exchange. It then dawned on him where he actually was and why his body no longer felt any pain and was restored to normal.
Which was impossible, as the Fire Dragon King Igneel had torn it off him before his final battle. He could still remember the pain that coursed through his body as the dying dragon ripped it from him and he took his life in exchange. It then dawned on him where he actually was and why his body no longer felt any pain and was restored to normal.
"Ah...so that's how it is...I died..." he lowered his arm as he shrouded himself within his cloak and he looked around at the endless white that met him. He sat down on the floor as he placed his fist under his chin and sighed.
"I guess this is my sentence then? To live in this vast space of nothingness for all eternity for the life I've lived?" he looked around at the complete isolation he was in and sighed as he closed his eyes.
"I guess it is a fitting punishment for someone like me. I never did like the idea of sharing the afterlife with others; I preferred to be on my own anyway..." his mind then wondered to his last moments, and how that pink haired boy was embraced by the blond maiden.
"...Still...I wonder what it was like to have that sort of life, to be accepted like that by other people. To have someone you can...love? I wonder, would I have been able to experience that?" he thought of the blond haired girl and the pink haired boy as he imagined what it would be like to have that kind of relation.
"...Do you want it..."
His eyes instantly snapped open as he bolted to his feet and summoned his magic in defence. But found no one as he continued to search the vast emptiness. Searching every corner for the source of the mysterious voice.
"What was that? Is someone here?" he asked as he continued to scan the area.
"...I asked do you want it? Would you want a life like theirs?..."
The mysterious voice spoke again as Acnologia whipped his head left and right for the voice. "...Who are you? And what do you mean by that?" he asked as he could have sworn he heard the voice chuckle.
"How silly of me, where are my manners. My name is Ankhseram, you must have heard of me haven't you?"
Acnologia's eyes widened slightly as he looked upwards, expecting to see a figure before him. But instead, all he saw was white, as he could still not find the source of the voice.
"You're Ankhseram? The god that curses those who break the taboo with an unending life, to have the things precious to them die from your curse?" he spoke as the voice hummed in acknowledgement.
"That is correct, though to be frank, I rather dislike placing a curse on mortals. But unfortunately for those who had broken the Taboo, I am bound to punish them for their crimes"
The voice said as Acnologia raised an eyebrow at the disembodied voice. "Never would have guessed sympathy from a God like you? Seeing as you cursed that Dragneel boy," he said as the voice released a sigh.
"Yes, one of my more...regrettable decisions...but he had broken the law, and I was forced to place my curse upon him...but that is not why I have brought you here..."
Acnologia looked up to the voice as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You summoned me here? What reason could you possibly want from me?" the voice chuckled again as a swirling vortex appeared before.
"...Because I know what you really want..."
He glanced over as he saw the world of Fiore, though not the same as when he left it. It was different, with the people he had once fought had aged to roughly ten years older than when he last saw them.
The familiar pink haired boy that he fought was now a full-grown man, as he sat in a park with the blond haired woman with two small children at their sides. Each of them inheriting one trait from their parents as both pink and blond hair child ran across the grass as they laughed and played, while the two could only watch in happiness.
A small jolt sparked inside his chest as he watched absently from the vortex. The smiling faces and loving eyes that the two shared between each other caused something to stir within the ancient dragon. Something he had not felt since he had discarded his humanity long ago...
A longing for love
"Despite everything you have done, despite the beast you had become, all the many times you would deny it. Deep down you wanted what he had. You wanted a life of happiness and love. But forsaken it for power long ago..."
Acnologia could only stare as the two embraced themselves, and shared a gentle kiss as warm smiles graced their faces, and the faces of their children.
"But It's not too late for you..." the voice spoke as Acnologia looked up to the voice and back at the vortex.
"You can still have the life you secretly wanted, it just won't be in the world you came from..." Acnologia continued to stare, as strange feelings swirled in his chest. Feelings he had thought long since buried, or forgotten to the sands of time, but clearly, they had not.
"You have a choice now, you can remain here for all time in your loneliness for the deeds you have done. Or you can choose another path, a second chance in another life, with a new start...the choice is yours."
Acnologia shifted his gaze to the portal as an internal struggle took place within him. Should he decline this proposition, remain here in this empty space for all eternity as he had been doing before? Or should he finally gain the life he never had, with someone who could love him for who he was like he did so long ago?
"Why are you doing this for me? What do you get out of it? And why another world?" the voice seemed to chuckle as Acnologia growled at the sky.
"You noticed, very well. The world I am sending you to will be thrown into chaos. Lives will be lost and people will die as Darkness consumes them. A friend of mine has asked a favour of me and asks that I send the strongest warrior I have...that being you"
Acnologia scoffed as he glared up to the sky "And why the hell should I care about this? Why should I be a part of a war that's not my own? I already fought in one war and I'm not looking forward to fighting in another."
"Because it will be your only chance to have the life you truly wished for. And when you are reborn, you will not just be a visitor in another body. You will be a whole new person, you will be tied to that land and its fate...so I suggest that you take this offer...or spend eternity in oblivion" He closed his eyes as he released a soft sigh before turning back to the sky and nodded.
"Answer me this, what will happen to my powers? Will I keep them or will they be taken from me? And what will happen to me?"
"First you will be reincarnated, you will no longer exist as Acnologia, the black dragon of destruction. You will be reborn as someone new, with new memories and a new life. As for your powers, they will return to you when your soul is reawakened, thought it will be seventeen years from your rebirth. You will have access to you old memories...but you will no longer be the same, you will be someone...new"
Acnologia sighed as he scratched the back of his head, "Fine, I'll take the deal. I'd rather not be like I am now, a fresh start might be good for me..." he looked down as a thought came to his mind. "This new life of mine...will I find happiness there? Or will I just repeat the same mistakes?" the voice was silent as if not knowing what to say.
"...I do not know...that will be your choice...are you ready?"
Acnologia looked over to the portal one last time, as the happy faces of Natsu and Lucy smiled once more as they embraced their children. A happy aura surrounding them as Acnologia turned away and then nodded to the sky.
"Do what you have to do..." he raised his arms to his sides as he stood in the middle of the white space.
"I'm ready"
The floor breath his feet began to shine as the world was basked in a massive glow of light as he slowly felt himself fading into the light. Small fragments of his skin began to break away, as the light consumed him; a peaceful look on the old dragons face as the last thoughts that crossed his mind was the hope that he could find the happiness he truly wanted...
Remnant, Emerald Forest, Seventeen Years Later
Loud gunshots echoed within the forest as two figures stopped to hear the sound. One was a red haired girl, wearing bronze and leather armour. While the other was a boy with blond hair, blue eyes and dressed in a hoody, jeans and small pieces of armour.
"Did you hear that?" the boy asked as the girl nodded.
"Gunfire, it sounds like our friends have met some opposition, we best keep moving," she said as she continued forward through the forest with the blond boy closely behind her. The boy behind her was named Jaune Arc, a boy from a family of legendary hunters and warriors, but considered to be a failure in their eyes.
Together the pair was taking part of an initiation exam for a prestigious school of huntsmen and huntresses. A school hailed as a shining Beacon for new students who want to achieve their dream of becoming huntsmen and protect the world from the forces of Grimm. But in truth, the only reason Jaune came to this school, was so that he could prove something to his family. That he was not as weak as they thought he was, and that he could be a great huntsman like his father or his ancestors and no longer be looked upon as the black sheep of the family.
But upon his arrival, he was gravely mistaken as he was flung, literally, into the forest before him. With no training, no experience and only the weapons that were once wielded by his great grandfather over eighty years ago...it wasn't going well.
Luckily he was saved from falling to his death by the timely intervention of the girl he met in the locker room, whose name was Pyrrha Nikos. Apparently, she was a four-time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament and the top graduate from Sanctum Academy. She was calm, cool and collected as she led their way through the forest.
He was so lucky that she saved him and deiced to be his partner when another girl he met in the locker room had plainly ignored him and left him to his predicament. Together the pair travelled through the forest, as they were in search of a ruin hidden at the north end of the forest, and were tasked with retrieving a relic from its keep. Unfortunately, the pair seemed to have gotten lost as they roamed aimlessly through the forest, hoping they would either run into another group or the temple itself. Only time would tell.
Moving a branch out of the way, Pyrrha was unaware of how close her partner was behind her as she released the branch and it smacked the poor boy across the face.
"Ouch!" he said as he fell over and grasped his face.
"Jaune! Oh gosh, I am so sorry!" she said as Jaune only shook it off.
"It's fine, it's just a scratch," he said as he slowly stood up, while Pyrrha eyed him strangely.
"Why didn't you activate your aura?" she said as the boy looked confused.
"Huh?" was all he could say as the girl looked at him with confusion.
"Your Aura," she said as he chuckled slightly.
"Gesundheit" Pyrrha then looked slightly worried as she stood before the boy.
"Jaune, do you even know what aura is?" she asked as the boy suddenly looked a little nervous.
"Psch! Of course, I do! ...Do you know what Aura is?" he said as the girl only smiled and shook her head as she got ready to explain.
"Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?" Jaune narrowed his eyes as he heard these words.
"Uh...yeah actually, I kind of get that feeling all the time," he said as the image of a strange man draped in a cloak flashed in his mind.
"Well, with practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals," she said as Jaune looked around the forest.
"What about the monsters?" she shook her head as she looked out into the forest as well as if expecting to see one of them.
"No, The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness, and we are the light." she explained as Jaune nodded.
"And that's why we fight them?" he asked to which she shook her head.
"It's not about why; it's about knowing. Understanding dark and light help us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting" she said as Jaune's smile widened.
"It's like a force field!" he said as Pyrrha only chuckled slightly.
"Yes, I suppose you can see that way," she said, as she then got closer to the boy.
"Uh, Pyrrha, what are you doing?" he asked as she placed a hand on his face.
"Relax, now close your eyes and concentrate..." she said as Jaune looked concerned but slowly complied as he closed his eyes. The world around them grew silent as the two were slowly covered in glowing light. Pyrrha a vibrant red and Jaune a bright white. Pyrrha then began to chant mentally as she placed a hand on his chest.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee," she said as she concentrated and brought out the white light that was in him...
But then something went wrong as the white light suddenly turned to vibrant blue as the image of a terrifying Dragon appeared in her mind as the sound of the roaring beast echoed in her ears. She cried out as she stumbled back from the boy as she hunched over in pain.
"Pyrrha! What's wrong!-!" but before he could help her, he stopped as his body suddenly pulsed within him.
He cried out as his body was covered in white and blue flames. Smoke slowly began to rise from his body, as he fell to his knees and clutched his stomach in agony. To him it felt that every bone in his body was rattling within his flesh, as the inside of his brain felt like hammers against steel.
"Argh! W-what's happening to me!" he yelled as he body pulsed and his muscles began to expand as he cried out in pain.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled as she finally managed to shake off her pain as she made her way to the boy. But before she could reach him, the boy flung his arms open as he screamed out into the heavens. A large pillar of blue flames shot high into the sky as an unearthly roar echoed in the forest.
From the cliffs at Beacon to the darkest depths of the forest, everyone grasped their heads as the inhuman roar rung out through the forest.
Ozpin and Glynda had to hold their ears as the roar vibrated their own bones.
"W-what is this!?" Glynda yelled as she hunched over in pain, the headmaster himself faring no better as he too fell to his knees.
"I don't know! I've never heard anything like this!" he said as he managed to open his eye and look out at the large blue flame that shot off from deep within the forest.
Yang and Blake had to cover their ears, as well as the roar, sounded throughout the forest. Yang felt as if her skull was vibrating while Blake was forced to her knees, the roar almost burst her sensitive eardrums as she held her head in pain. The roar itself almost made her feel something primal within, that told her not to face whoever made that massive roar, least she perish to its might...
"What is that!?" Ruby yelled as she held her ears as well.
"I don't know!" Weiss yelled, as she too had to hold her ears and block out the noise. The beowolves that had surrounded them seemed to growl and howl in pain, as they looked in fear of the large blue flame, before bolting from the forest. "But whatever it is, it's scaring the Grimm! And I don't think we should be here when it stops!" she yelled as she and Ruby looked up to the large blue flames.
Ren and Nora could only barely gaze up as the roar ravaged their eardrums, and had scared away the second Taijitu that had been attacking Ren. The loud animalistic roar of what they could only describe as a primaeval beast that seemed to drive away any Grimm from its vicinity.
"Ren! What is that?!" Nora asked, as for the first time in her life she was afraid of something, while Ren could only stare at the burning blaze.
"I don't know, but I hope it's not against us!" he yelled as the flames took the form of a roaring dragon, as its massive wings spread into the sky.
While back at the epicentre of the flames, Pyrrha could barley only look in muted awe as the blaze swirled around her partner. His body completely enveloped by the blaze as the image of a roaring dragon towered before her. And then just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared as the blaze completely dissipated and left a large crater in its wake.
Her ears were still ringing as she slowly balanced herself on the base of the tree as she slowly regained control of her senses. Her head pulsed as she slowly managed to stand up.
"Jaune...Jaune! Are you all right!" she called out to the smoke that drifted through the forest. At first, no one spoke as fear gripped Pyrrha's heart.
"Ugh..." until a small moan reached out of the smoke as Pyrrha sighed in relief as she made her way to the crater.
"Jaune, are you all right?" she asked as from within the smoke, a shape began to emerge. She was immensely relieved to see her partner alive. But stopped as glowing blue eyes glared out from the smoke. Her first instinct instantly made her drew her weapon as she aimed Milo's rifle at the vague shape in the dust. Until the shape emerged from the dust and the boy fell to his knees.
She was instantly relieved to see he was ok, but instantly she noticed that there was something different about him.
For one, his muscles seemed to have expanded slightly that his hoodie appeared to be straining itself to contain his new form. Not only that but for a moment she could have sworn she saw blue markings across his exposed skin before they faded away and he was left with his original skin colour.
"Argh..." the boy said as he slowly stood up. "Pyrrha? What, what just happened?" he asked as he looked at his stunned partner, "Did I get taller?" he asked as his new height towered just above her own.
"I-I do not know, I'd never seen anything like this. Your aura was massive! Almost primal! I think your body couldn't handle the strain and forced your body to undergo a massive change," she said as she looked over the boy's entirely new physic.
"It's...it's incredible, "Jaune looked down at his hands as they glowed softly with a combination of blue and white aura.
"Wow...this is...this my aura?" he questioned as he admired the softly flickering of the blue flames. "Was it meant to do that?" he asked the girl only shook her head.
"I'm not sure...but from the looks of it, you have it under control," she said as he looked down at his hands. While Pyrrha noticed that the small cut he had on his cheek was completely healed over as if there was no trace of scarring anywhere.
"Are you going to be ok now?" she asked as Jaune only nodded. He then took a step forward but wobbled slightly as she quickly managed to help him keep balance.
"Whoa! I guess I am still a little dizzy?" he said as she nodded in understating.
"I know you should take it easy, but we should keep moving, we can't allow ourselves to remain still for much longer. Not with the Grimm around," she said as she scanned the forest for any signs of the beasts.
"You're right...we need to keep moving," he said as Pyrrha nodded and picked up her fallen weapons and sheathing them to her back. She looked back one more time as she faced the boy.
"Are sure you're ok?" she asked as he nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get going ok?" he said as she stared one last time before nodding and began heading deeper into the forest.
But as he followed the girl into the forest, he couldn't help but feel something else was different about him. Not only his physical change something deeper inside him, one he just could not explain. Images and flashes going off like fireworks in his brain as he saw brief flashes of strange people and terrifying beasts. Strange words and a sense of familiarity as he shook his head and continued to follow his partner.
'What the hell's happening to me? ...And who is Acnologia?" he wondered as he continued his journey through the forest.
Meanwhile, far off in another dimension, two figures sat in front of a small ornate table, as a game of chess was set before them.
"I thank you old friend, for sending me one of your pieces," the figure said as he held up a black knight. "But are sure he can be of help? He was a problem in your universe was he not?" the being as he placed the chess piece on his side.
"He was, but that is not his life anymore. He has a new life, with new memories and a new devotion to your realm. All that remains of his former is his power, which will help you tip the scales on your own board," he said as the figure nodded.
"Indeed, Salem has caused too much trouble in my universe and has far outlived her expected life. Death has grown impatient and I grow tired of the many lives she has taken in her selfish need to extend her own. But I have seen the future and none of my warriors will be ready when strikes her first blow," the other smiled as he looked at the black piece.
"Well, hopefully 'The Black Dragon of The Apocolypse' can give them a fighting chance?" he said as the other narrowed his eyes as he stared at the piece.
"We shall see my friend...we shall see..."
And scene, well here is Chapter I of The Destroyer Reborn. Tell me what you all think. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I was fulfilling a challenge given to me by Jaune Uchiha the one with Swag, and I did it more as to see if I can dip my hand in a Fairy Tail / RWBY mash up.
I am still focused on Restart and The Remnant Knight; I just needed to fulfil a promise I made to a friend.
Bare in mind, this does not make it a crossover; I am merely having one character reincarnated into another in the RWBYverse. No other characters from Fairy Tail will appear in this story if I am not still focused on other stories.
So please leave a review and tell me if I should continue? See you next time.
Sincerely Masseffect-TxS