Disclaimer: Still don't own it
This is a rewrite of a fic that I released a few weeks ago; this time with a major story overhaul and a focus on the world of Remnant. This will be primarily a Bumblebee story with a White Rose element so expect romance at some point later in the fic; also expect some dark themes and a possible rating change depending on how much I can push the envelope. Updates will be probably be every week since I try to be one chapter ahead; though I do have another story in the works which will also be released soon. Please review so I know what you guys think; enjoy!
Blake Belladonna cautiously made her way to the source of the light.
As she stalked in the darkness of the trees, she made sure to study her surroundings in case this was a trap.
She knew full well that the White Fang had tracked her to the Emerald Forest after their latest encounter a few days ago; forcing her into hiding. Though it was only grunts she had dealt with so far, it was only a matter of time before Adam himself joined the hunt and that was something that she just wasn't prepared for. Though she did her best to try and get ready for the inevitable encounter, mostly by killing Grimm haunting the remains of Beacon Academy, he was just too strong for her. It was only by chance that she had come across the patrol of White Fang elements with their being too many for her to deal with; thus she was forced to run. It was by luck that the ones she did get rid of had spare dust on them so that she could resupply herself; also raiding some of the stores at her former school. However, if this kept up she would have to risk eliminating another patrol in order not to run out.
It had been three months since the fall of Beacon and all Blake could do was run as far away as possible; trying to hide from her problems. From what snippets of information she had gathered, Vale was blaming Atlas for what had happened even though it was because of Cinder Fall and her lackeys that were responsible; as well as her former partner Adam and the White Fang. Vale had raised up a citizen army to defend its borders and recruited many of the Hunters and Huntresses to help in it's fight with the Grimm that were now within the kingdom's territory; though it was a uphill battle at best. Communications were still down between the kingdoms and there was too much mistrust to reestablish the network. She had not heard much on what had happened to her former teammates though she did know that were all back at their homes; recovering from the scars of that dark day. Blake knew that Team RWBY was now officially broken and it was more than likely that she had played a large part in that; having been the first to run away.
She still felt it was the right call though; she needed to run so that Adam couldn't finish what he had started. As much as she wanted to be with Yang and comfort her in losing her arm, effectively ruining her career as a huntress, Blake knew that staying away from her partner and her best friend was needed to protect her. Her heart ached for not being able to send a message explaining her reasons to the blonde; out of fear that Adam would use that against her. If his focus was solely on Blake then Yang was safe for the moment; living a happier life back in Patch where it lay far away from the troubles hounding Remnant. While she hoped that Yang would understand, it was more than likely that the blonde would believe that Blake had abandoned her; which was understandable given that she could not communicate with her. She just hoped that her friend would be smart and stay home; knowing that her crippled state could not protect her from the new horrors out there.
As for Ruby and Weiss, she hoped that they would do the same.
After circling the campsite for possible traps, she found that there was no one and slowly made her way towards it. As much as her instincts told her that something was off about all this, given that only a fool would camp in the middle of the woods where Grimm could be roaming, the desire to warm herself up was too great. It had been a while since she had felt the warmth of a fire, having been forced to hide in the shadows of the night when she rested, and Blake hoped that whoever created the fire would be friendly; or at least not the White Fang or any of her other enemies. Getting as close to the clearing as possible, which was strangely free of trees as if they had been cut down, she saw that it occupied by only one person. A human dressed in a pair of shorts with a blue shirt sat on a log facing the fire and she could see his eyes were closed; possibly sleeping though it mostly looked like he was meditating. Something was off about it given that there were no weapons in sight though he could have his weapon concealed like all Hunters; maybe it even being small enough that she just could not see it.
"Skulking about in the shadows like that is unbecoming of you Ms. Belladonna; why don't you come in the light so we can talk," the strange man suddenly said as he opened his eyes and smiled. Before she knew it, the young Faunus was instantly gone from her place in the woods to now standing in front of him on the other side of the fire.
"How did you do that?" Blake demanded with both alarm and shock, drawing her weapon and preparing for a possible ambush. There was a possibility that he was a hunter sent to track her down; having been hired by Adam to do so.
"That is inconsequential for the moment; what is important is that you hear what I have to say so sit down," the man commanded in a polite but firm voice. For some reason, Blake did so though she did it unconsciously and even before she realized it.
"Who are you?" Blake asked guardedly, her weapon still in her hand and ready to strike with need be in case this turned hostile. Even though the person looked human and normal, there was definitely something off and he did not even seem like a hunter.
"Another trivial question; what is important is that there is something that I can do for you and your current predicament," answered the mysterious individual with a predatory smile; which was both unnerving and disarming at the same time to Blake. She had the overwhelming urge to run but an inner voice suppressed it.
"I don't understand; how can you help me? You don't even know me besides my name," stated the Faunus as she sat down and stayed alert. This whole thing was mind boggling but she was now more than curious; as well as apprehensive.
"I know everything about you my dear; from you being orphaned at a very young age to your time in the White Fang as well as what happened during your enrollment at Beacon Academy. I also know what happened after with you running away and abandoning your team," answered the man with a smirk that rubbed Blake all the wrong way; no pun intended. She was now wondering if he was a bounty hunter though his attire didn't suggest that; unless it was deliberately designed that way to give her a false sense of safety.
"I didn't abandon them; I am trying to protect them from my past. If you really know me so well then you know all about Adam Taurus and what he is capable of," objected the other woman with intense fervor. She was tired of the idea of that she had just left her friends without a good reason; though a voice in the back of her mid also made the accusation.
"Excuses; you ran and when Yang Xiao Long needed you the most. I am not here to condemn you but saying that you ran just to protect her is a lie; even if you believe it," the individual pointed out rather firmly and as if it were a fact. While Blake was prepared to argue his words, she felt they were a distraction from why he was here.
"Just what do you want?" Blake asked with a heavy sigh in her voice. The campfire was going to draw people here soon or later; whether they be White Fang or Grimm.
"Walk with me," the man commanded, suddenly standing up and walking into the trees. Before she even thought about it, the teen started to follow him into the darkness.
He was rather easy to follow and it almost seemed that the trees parted in an effort to get out of his way; even though Blake had to go around them. There was something unsettling about the individual and his presence conveyed a coldness which seemed to affect the environment around them. The silence in the woods seemed to continue and it disturbed Blake to no end on how she couldn't hear a single creature; even hearing an echo in her steps. It was then that the teen noticed that the trees were now different; their leaves gone and their branches dead. The ground was free of green grass and only dead earth remained; feeling rough against her feet. There was no way that they were in the Emerald Woods anymore and she also knew they had only traveled for a few minutes; making her wonder if this was all a dream. Everything felt real enough though and she hurried forward to catch up with the man as they reached a clearing.
"Where are we?" Blake asked as she stared at what awaited them once they moved past the tree line. She could only stare at wonderment at the scene in front of her and if it weren't Remnant's broken moon above, she'd think she was on another planet.
What lay before them was a large stone building though more of a ruin now; evident by the crumbling rock of the structure. Shaped like a pyramid and surrounded by large columns, two of which had toppled over, the tip was gone and there were holes on the sides. A single walkway led up to the entrance and Blake could make out symbols overlooking it, though she couldn't know for sure until she got a closer look. There was a courtyard of sorts though the various broken stones didn't seem to indicate what they once had been; though she could tell they might have been stone seats. All around was sand and dust; not a single thing alive to be seen which gave off an eerie feeling. In all her studies as well as travels, Blake had never seen such a structure and wondered how soothing like this could evade explorers and other curious beings; especially since it was obviously built by a past civilization. The history of Remnant was full of them; lost in the sands of time.
"Along time ago, before your world's moon lay broken, there was a war. An intense war that devastated many and left cities in ruin. That temple was once ruled by a faction of that particular war; a faction that fell in the final days of the conflict," the mysterious individual answered with a general lack of emotion in his voice. The way he spoke, it almost seemed to Blake that he had witnessed that war firsthand.
"Why are you showing me this? How can such a structure be missed by anyone in the Kingdoms?" the teen asked again; even more curious now. Granted there were still large parts of the planet inaccessible because of the Grimm but someone would have at least come across this by now.
"Because Ms. Belladonna, inside that structure lies a power that had long been forgotten over eons; deliberately hidden by beings older than your civilization," he answered with a smirk that sent chills down her spine. He once again began walking with her trying to keep up; heading towards the abandoned structure.
"And you are offering me this power?" Blake inquired though more as a statement than an actual question. The logical part of her brain was telling her that something was wrong about all this but it was drowned out by her curiosity.
"Yes; though it is not for free. With this power, you have to do something for me," the individual simply said as they strolled into the courtyard. Blake wasn't surprised that there was a price since she knew full well that everything in life required some sort of payment.
"What is it? I am not going to hurt any innocents," the teen pressed firmly; deciding to set a line that she would not cross. She had read enough fantasy books to have some idea of where this was possibly going.
"No my dear; you are in luck, what I want just happens to fall in line with your needs," the man stated with a smirk as he suddenly stopped to look at her. Blake had to step back slightly as she got a good look at his eyes; they were pure black.
"You see," he continued as he once again headed towards the entrance of the building, "Adam Taurus is just a pawn in a game along with Cinder Fall; they happen to be working for someone who was manipulating things behind the scenes. By eliminating this person, you happen to ensure that no one like Adam and Cinder threaten things again." As he finished talking, they had entered the ruin where they came across a surprisingly intact central hub.
It was cold inside the room and the air gave a smell of decay as well as if something were dead somewhere. There wasn't a soul in sight, not surprising since it appeared that none had been here in a very long time, and there was shocking lack of debris anywhere unlike outside. It took only a few seconds for Blake to see that there was a pedestal in the center of the room with a crystal on it; her Faunus eyes able to pierce the darkness. The floor seemed to dip around the pedestal and the teen was surprised that there was a pool of some sort of liquid surrounding the object; having no idea how deep it was. The walls contained various symbols and even pictures depicting various scenes; mostly of figures fighting one another or some sort of large monster. The crystal itself looked to be the shape of a small heart and almost appeared to be floating on the pedestal; it also illuminated a dark red color that gave off a small light that reflected off the liquid on the ground.
"What is that?" Blake asked in awe and something seemed to draw her towards the crystal; almost calling to her. The man once again smirked as he became pleased by the Faunus being tempted by the power in the room.
"That is a Blood Gem and it will give you all the power you need to destroy your enemies. Be warned however, it will also create a bloodlust that you must learn to control or you will lose yourself to the violence," With that, he was gone and left Blake alone in the abandoned ruin before she could ask him to specify.
Blake must have stood there for a while and contemplated on what she was going to do with her thoughts a mess. There was a rather loud voice in the back of her mind telling her that she should just walk away and leave the stone where it was; to find another way to solve the problem of Adam and the White Fang. However, he was just too strong for her as well as Cinder Fall; both of them being out of her league. She was surprised to learn that there was someone guiding their actions and really wished the man had elaborated a bit more before he had vanished; especially for why he wanted that person dead. Blake had come to the conclusion that the man was definitely not someone with good intentions; making the situation she was in even more muddled than it already was. She looked over at the crystal again and once again, she was tempted and the thought of her friends was enough to consider walking over to grab it. She had run to try and protect them, especially Yang, and knew it was only a matter of time before they were swept up in whatever dark plot their enemies were initiating.
With that thought, Blake made her decision walked towards the crystal.
She got up to the pool of the strange liquid and to her horror, she saw that it was blood; having no clue how it could still be here after all this time. Taking a deep sigh, Blake stepped into the pool and cringed; seeing no other way through it since the leap would still take her into it given that part of the pedestal was submerged on closer inspection. Wading into the blood, she found that it went rather deep and went to her ankle and took another step; finding that it was the same with the other foot. Now fully in, she slowly took large steps; the blood eerily splashing as she brought her foot up. It was rather silly when she thought about it since her clothes were already now messed up, having not cleaned them in a while, but them being covered in blood was something else. After a minute, she was right in front of the pedestal and Blake reached out and took the crystal in her hands. The air seemed to become still and the sudden silence put her on edge.
A few seconds later, the crystal in her hands started to glow a bright red and became hot against her skin. Blake tried to drop it but couldn't and she cried out in pain as it became hotter and hotter. Around her, the blood stirred and looked to gather around her, climbing up her body as if it were alive. She tried to run and the resistance caused her to move at a crawl to where she could no longer move. Fear gripped Blake's heart as her desperate attempt to drop the crystal was useless; still burning her hand and somehow forcing her to grip the jewel even more. As the blood climbed higher up her body, the teen lost her balance and fell backwards into the pool; causing her to scream out in terror. She thrashed about in order to try and get up but as the blood covered her head, all she could do was choke as the red liquid filled her mouth. Once she was fully submerged and her thoughts going to her friends since she thought this was the end, all that could be seen in the pool was the red glow of the Blood Gem.
Outside and looking down from the Cliffside, the mysterious man waited for something to happen.
"Was that wise My Lord? A power such as that could be a threat in the hands of someone like that who is not part of your grace," stated an armored figure in a deep tone who stood behind the mysterious man who had brought Blake to this place. Covered from head to in a dark-colored armor with a large blade sheathed on his back, he bowed his head in reverence.
"It is of no consequence; she poses no threat to me whatsoever and is now a useful tool to deal with Salem for good," the man replied with a wave of his hand. As far as he was concerned, everything was going according to plan.
"I could deal with Salem now My Lord; bring her to heel easily," the Knight said in a determined tone. While the Queen of the Grimm was strong, she was nothing to a servant of the Abyss and the Darkness.
"A lesson must be taught so that the others understand what happens to those who defy me; Ms. Belladonna will be that lesson," the individual said with a smirk as he looked down and watched the Faunus teen emerge from the ruin with the Blood Gem in her hands. She was completely clean of the red liquid and headed away from the place; filled with a sudden energy.
And an unwavering darkness in her heart.
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