Chapter 1: Small Beginnings
April 9th, Year 130 since The Split
The Estate, Alex
Alex stood on the terrace, looking out across the sea. He wondered what was out there. His father told him stories every night of the creatures of Grimm that inhabited each part of the world of Remnant. To hear of creatures like the Beowolf, the Nevermore, or the Nuckelavee would have left him in terror with recurring nightmares. However, his father made sure to mix in stories of the brave huntsman and huntresses who would dedicate their life to protecting those who could not protect themselves from the Grimm. Besides being physically trained to battle these ordeals, these warriors also possessed weapons of great power, each granting unique abilities to those who wielded them. Alex recalled that they used a material simply called Dust, which contained the same firepower as that of gunpowder. Combined with the weapons, Dust was a fair opponent of any enemy or evil that would reveal itself from the darkness. He had learned over time that to be cautious is to stay alive, however much the huntsman could keep the tide of Grimm at bay. Even as he looked, he could see a Sea Dragon, a Grimm of massive size, far out in the water. Though it was a peaceful morning so far, if Alex ever ventured too far out on the sea while unequipped for battle, it would bring a swift end to his childhood.
A little while later, Alex stood in the gym on the training mats, patiently awaiting his father. Along with his constant caution, it was never too late to start preparing on how one might deal with a creature in battle should a confrontation occur. Whoosh! Out of the corner of his vision, Alex dashed to the left, dodging a light aerial attack from his father. "Well done", his father told him while he regained his stance, "for while you are on time to our practice, it is always better to be prepared for an ambush of any kind. Now then, stand up straight and let us begin." Alex attempted to stand in a fighter's pose, but his dad did not seem satisfied. "The way you compose yourself now leaves you prone to an attack from behind. You must always be aware of what is all around you in a fight." Alex listened intently to his father's wisdom each day they trained, fearing for the alternative of not being able to defend himself in a fight. Though he was only a child now, he knew in just a few short years he would be able to defend himself better than some grown men knew how to. Alex stood there battling his father in hand-to-hand combat for about an hour, learning something new through every engagement. He either made too many or too few attacks at a given time, which left him vulnerable to counter attacks in different scenarios. When they were done, Alex and his father walked through the fields together outside for a while before going their separate ways to attend to their own errands.
"Alex!", his Mother shouted across the open expanse, "it is time for dinner!" Alex challenged her, "Come find me, Mother!" This was an old practice, since the time Alex learned how to walk. He would hide behind numerous bushes and trees nearby while she looked around for him. She did not fear for him because she knew he would not go far. As like every other time, he knelt down behind a row of bushes and awaited his discovery there. He sat there with his thoughts for a little bit, then thought of his mother. He hadn't even noticed that he could no longer hear her searching for him. Something had to be wrong. Everywhere she searched for him was within hearing distance. Before he could investigate further, a terrified shriek came from the trees a little further to the west. It was his mother! As he ran towards the sound, he heard his father shuffling through the fields, yelling out for her. He approached the scene, taking in the horror before his eyes. A beowolf had grabbed his mother and her pinned down. Alex's father shouted at the beast, "You get away from her!", but the beast paid no heed to the man. The mother, still screaming, shouted "Henry! Do something, help me escape this beast!" Henry drew out his scythe that he had brought along with him and swung towards the beast, attempting to bury it into the creature's head. However, the creature was well aware of its surroundings, however interested it seemed in Alex's mother, and lunged out of the way, leaving the scythe to land mere inches from Henry's lover. As the beowolf and Henry dashed around in battle, Alex ran to his mother's side, noticing that she did not look well. He could see the terror in her eyes. "Mom, I'm here", Alex said with tears starting to form. She smiled and held his face. "Alex," she said quietly, "remember me when I'm gone." He froze, shocked by what she had said. How could she say something so final? He was here now, he would protect her. With that thought, Alex heard a thump behind him and turned just in time to see a claw shove him to the side into a tree. The impact went through his whole body, his back flaring with newfound pain. He couldn't get up, but simply watch as Henry, who was now reengaged in combat, attempted to overpower the beowolf. The beowolf, instead of continuing to fight Henry, made a sudden dash for the mother and bit into her to grab her up. While doing so, it began to run towards a nearby cliff seeming to think it would be able to run down the cliffside which was riddled with narrow paths downward. If it got that far, neither Henry or Alex would be able to catch it. In a last-ditch effort, Alex saw Henry press a button on the scythe, causing the top piece to detach and fly towards the beast as a boomerang. In an incredible feat of luck, the boomerang sank home into the beowolf surprising it. However, this luck immediately faded as the result of this blow knocked the beowolf off its balance, right off the edge of the cliff with the mother still dangling in its mouth. "NO!", Henry shouted as he ran towards the edge of the cliff to look down. Alex crawled towards the cliffside as well, though he wishes he hadn't. He merely saw the beowolf and his mother lying motionless, neither one moving. His father scaled down the cliffside and stabbed the scythe tip into the beowolf's heart for good measure. He checked on his wife, elated to find a faint pulse. She was alive, but wouldn't be for much longer if they didn't find help.
Alex tried to stand. His back felt okay, so he took that as a good sign. As a child, he probably should be thankful that anything wasn't broken due to the blow he took. "You're awake", his father said quietly. "What's going on? Where's Mom?" His father looked at him with a sympathetic look. "Your mother is in a coma. The force from the fall gave her serious head injuries. The doctors say they will continue to monitor her, but it doesn't look good." With that last statement, Alex burst into tears and hugged his father fiercely. "It's not fair, Dad! Why do we live in such a cruel world?" "There,there", his father patted him on the back, "we shouldn't give up so easily. It isn't what your mother would want." "No!", Alex screamed, "I won't ever let this happen again, not to you or Mom or anyone else I care about!" He was past the point of forgiveness for the wrongs of the dead beowolf on which he could no longer exact his revenge. "I'm going to become a huntsman", he said with finality, "and I will hunt down every beast that would dare face me or any friend of mine." His father frowned, but sighed and chose his words carefully. "Son, there comes a time when every boy must decide for himself what he wants to do with his life. If this truly is the path you seek, then I will train you myself until you can attend Signal Academy. When that time has passed, hopefully you will be ready for Beacon Academy, where you can become a true Huntsman." Alex nodded, desiring vengeance in such a manner that he would one day become one of the best huntsman to ever live.
June 13th, Year 131 since The Split
The Estate, Alex
Alex stood looking over the funeral pyre. He wondered if things would ever be worse than this. His own mother, taken from him before he had even reached double digits in age. She had only experienced nine years, well eight, of his wonderful life with her. He had cherished every moment, but now he only wished he had even more than before. He stood only thinking that the beowolf that had caused this no longer roamed the world. An eye for an eye, a phrase he felt was fully justified in this case. He had no sympathy for any creatures of Grimm. He would hunt every last one of them down until the people of Remnant could live a safe life where the only cause for death would be old age from a long healthy life. As the pyre went up in flames, he turned and walked away, thinking of how he would never hear his mother's voice again.
August 18th, Year 140 since The Split
Beacon Academy, Alex
Alex looked up at the gleaming tower of Beacon Academy. He knew that was one of the centralized locations of the entire campus, where many of the secretaries did their work and even the Headmaster housed his office. He grabbed the pendant around his neck. "This is for you, Mom", he whispered to himself, "this was all for you." He felt down towards his belt, feeling for Ripe Harvest, his scythe that was handed down from his father. The weapon could coil itself like a rope outside of combat, and instantly form back into a straight spear-like weapon in an instant, leaving only the scythe itself to keep sheathed when necessary. With a great sigh of anticipation, he whispered, "Here goes nothing", and took his first steps towards the campus.