DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STARCRAFT AND RWBY AS THEY BELONG TO EITHER BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT AND ROOSTER TEETH.
"SERVANT OF AMON! YOU SHALL NOT HARM ANOTHER SOUL! PURGE UNDER THE WRATH OF THE BLADE OF SHAKURAS!" The Nerazim bellowed as he charged once again towards the Hybrid Reaver.
"DIE, IN THE NAME OF AMON!" The Hybrid snarled as John threw himself up in the air, then bolted towards it, Twilight of Shakuras as bright as his eyes. The Servant of Amon, anticipating the attack, readied its claws, fangs and tendrils. Their sharp spikes were all pointing at John, ready to end the Dark God's salvation's nuisance. But before it could strike, John simply vanished into black smoke and reappear from behind. Taking the short confusion as his advantage, the Nerazim sent three slashes with his warp scythe before the Hybrid regained its senses. It used its tendrils to attempt to whip John away from it or if lucky, dismember him. However, as nimble he was taught to be, John jumped above a lower-horizontally swiping tendril, blinked away from another stabbing one and struck the Hybrid's leg. However, as durable these abominable amalgamations of the two psionic races were, it didn't faze the Hybrid as it simply retaliated by grabbing John's face and throwing him across the dock.
"JOHN!" Ruby shrieked at the sight of her teammate being flailed around like a ragdoll. The four girls' Scroll screamed digitally, signaling that John's Aura was practically nonexistent. Another hit like this would certainly result in his death. In the silver-eyed leader's mind, she was looking for answers. So far, John told her that whatever this creature was isn't something she was familiar with. But unknown or not, there was absolutely no way that her teammate could take it out alone.
Weiss was conflicted. She had been keeping John's explosion twelve hours ago to herself as she searched for Blake. During the time of the search, she had been trying to comprehend what the Nerazim had said. Beyond Remnant? Something worse than Grimm? Billions dead for power? Three consecutive wars? She wanted and needed answers. After finding Blake and finally accepting who she was, Weiss was about to ask this mysterious figure who aided the cat Faunus and her simian companion until this… creature of unknown origins appeared out of nowhere. The mystery man, revealed to be John, apparently knew what it was. What was happening?
Blake was confused in a fearful way. She had been running from everything she thought she accomplished, especially her redemption from her 'mentor''s horrid bloodsheds. She ran and ran, just because of one word: 'We'. If only if she would take John's words of saying it no more… how different would the situation be? She wandered around Vale, not knowing what to do until she met Sun, who recommended her to investigate a White Fang movement in the docks. When she got there, however, she didn't expect the notorious Roman Torchwick to be the mastermind behind this Dust operation. She thought that jeopardizing this operation would answer her questions, but then this creature had to appear out of nowhere and cause a massacre against the Vale Police. As John knew what this creature was, who was he? WHAT was he?
Yang was horrified of what she was seeing now. All she wanted to do twelve hours prior was to just look for her lost partner. In the end, everything except the John's snapping incident worked out until this… creature popped out of thin air and started causing a massacre against the police force. This was chaotic.
Coughing violently, John stood up and spat a wad of blood. His Aura was completely destroyed by the Hybrid's attack, thus meaning that another strike from this creature would be certain death. To ensue his survival during the fight, he channeled his psionic energy at his shoulder pad. As his eyes glowed green, the khaydarin crystal embedded on his said shoulder pad began to glow, which generated a dome of green hexagons around the Nerazim. This was the famous energy shield all Protoss warriors enshroud themselves in whenever they enter combat.
Feeling the barrier protecting him, John launched himself once again at the Servant of Amon. The Hybrid in return shrieked a terrifying roar as it charged onto the Nerazim. Calculating all the possibilities, John snapped his fingers at the Hybrid, focusing its vast psionic energy into a Feedback loop. Feeling its energy turn against itself, the creature screamed in pain. Taking the advantage, John slashed at its hide, especially its stomach. Leaving scars dripping with dark purple ichor, the Hybrid backed momentarily. John didn't relent as he blinded on top of the creature's head, ignited his warp gauntlet and started furiously stabbing its skull.
"YOU. DO. NOT. BELONG. IN. REMNANT!" John bellowed between each stab. Despite the devastating blows, the Hybrid merely considered this as an annoyance. It used one of its tendrils to grab Zeratul's disciple's leg and throw him to a building. Crying in pain despite his shield, John was surrounded by dust as the building collapsed on him.
"We need to help him! He won't last long!" Blake stuttered.
"You dunce! That thing just murdered fifty heavily armed police officers without relenting! How are we going to kill something that powerful?!" Weiss scolded.
"And let him die?!" Despite the Faunus's complaint, Weiss remained her scowl. However, in the heiress's heart, she knew that John needed help, but couldn't find the courage to do so. Just before Ruby could order her teammates to attack, she saw a figure jump from the dust cloud.
"John…" The silver-eyed girl whispered behind her breath as the Nerazim threw globules of raw psionic energy. Psionic storms surrounded and engulfed the Hybrid, making it stumble. John, who had landed quite some distance from it, reconfigured Twilight of Shakuras to Prismatic Cannon mode and pulled the trigger at the electric shroud of psionic energy. A beam of cyan energy shot from the Khaydarin crystal as the smaller crystals started to empower the beam. It was a slow process, but a patient hunter wins the prey.
"YOUR LIVES ARE FORFEIT… SURRENDER TO DESPAIR!" The Hybrid's voice sent another wave of chills throughout the docks. As the psionic storms died out, the Hybrid started to slowly march towards the Nerazim. It if weren't for the Prismatic Beam, John would've had barely a second to react as the Hybrid would have charged at him. Nevertheless, the Hybrid marched closer and closer to the Nerazim as the beam bore into its hide and carapace. Clenching his weapon tighter, John gritted his teeth despite knowing that it won't help his weapon attack stronger. However, this was to prove Amon that his resolve to stop him will never falter, and he will find a way to stop him until the very end.
However, the Hybrid thought otherwise as it used its massive clawed hand to swat the Nerazim away. John was sent tumbling across the floor until he landed directly in front of Team RWBY. He was too pained to get back to his feet. His shields almost depleted.
"We have to help him! Let's go, guys!" Ruby yelled.
"Let's do this!" Yang punched her palm.
"NO! Do not act foolish!" John exclaimed, but it fell on deaf ears as the four girls charged at the Hybrid. "No…" The Nerazim shook his head in despair. How can they be so foolish to charge at the amalgamation of the two most powerful species in the universe?
Come to think about it, the people of Remnant haven't even heard of the three races of the Koprulu Sector in the first place. However, it didn't matter as a dreaded Hybrid was in this very world and was perhaps toying with him.
John watched as Team RWBY commenced their attack at the Hybrid. Ruby was the first to reach the creature using her Semblance to bolt towards it. She slashed the Hybrid's hide with Crescent Rose, but its thick carapace simply shrugged off the reconfigurable scythe's blade like it was a fly swatter. The Hybrid retaliated with its tendrils in attempts to sever her in half or at least incapacitate her, but Ruby luckily used her weapon's recoil to move away from two colliding tendrils. She then resumed her attack by shooting the Hybrid's leg to distract it and swing around in blade configuration to deal actual damage. However, just as Ruby was about to bolt towards the Hybrid's head, the Servant of Amon calculated her trajectory and grabbed the silver-eyed girl mid-trajectory using its hand. Giving a gloating glare at Ruby's shocked expression, the Hybrid threw her to a pile of containers, collapsing them on top of her.
Weiss, despite the fear John sensed, did her all to support her teammates with her Semblance. She used her glyphs to elevate herself to what she assumed was a more advantageous location and struck the Hybrid with Myrtenaster. Try as she might however, the carapace of the creature simply made the rapier ricochet, making her attacks useless. Seeing that it wouldn't go anywhere, Weiss decided that supporting her teammates would be the best option. She used her glyphs to provide elevated platforms for Ruby, Blake and Yang to step on and attack and dilate time to make them go slightly faster so that they could avoid the Hybrid's tendrils and claws.
It wasn't until she attempted to use her glyphs to shield her team and stop the Hybrid from moving using the black glyph, but the Hybrid gave a scream of terror as everyone froze from their paths and her glyphs…
...shattered.
"Wha-" Weiss stuttered in utter shock, but she couldn't even finish expressing her emotions as the Hybrid's tendril swatted her away, taking out half of her Aura.
Swinging around, Blake attempted to distract the Hybrid using her body's movement. She landed onto the creature's head and used Gambol Shroud's sheath to deal as much damage as she could. Feeling the slight pain, or rather an itch, on its head, the Hybrid retaliated by using its tendrils to sever the cat Faunus in half, only to destroy an illusion of her as the real Blake latched herself onto the Hybrid's back. Configuring her weapon into katana mode, she rapidly swiped at the tendrils' roots in hopes to sever them, but five tendrils came after her, thus Blake had to abandon her attack and leave an afterimage to prevent certain dismemberment. She jumped on top of a crane to search for any weakness as the RWY of RWBY(J) fought on. Despite being shocked to see Weiss's glyph being shattered by a horrifying scream, Blake took the opportunity to jump off the crane and prepare to attack the Hybrid. While she soared down towards her target, she left multiple Shadow Clones of herself to alter her course and distract the creature. Just as she was about to strike, however, the Hybrid's tendril grabbed the Faunus's face, ignoring all of her afterimages and threw her to the ground.
Yang was furious. This… thing had just harmed her sister and partner. As if her previous attacks with Ember Celica weren't enough, her eyes turned from her usual lilac to red.
"YOU MONSTER!" The blonde bellowed as her hair ignited with her rage. She charged at the Hybrid with Ember Celicas fully loaded with Fire Dust ammunition. Using the recoil as propulsion, Yang launched herself towards the creature and began her first attack by a punch at the stomach. Despite the Hybrid not registering the pain, the blonde continued her fury via shots of fire and amplified punches. It wasn't until the Hybrid countered one of her punches by grabbing it with its tendrils Yang finally realized that her attacks didn't deal any sort of damage. Seemingly laughing, the Hybrid grabbed her hair using its claws hand and flailed her around for a few seconds untIl it let go, sending her to the concrete and breaking it.
"Oh, you've done it, motherfucker!" Yang swore as her fire started to burn brighter. "NO ONE TOUCHES MY HAIR!" Using her Semblance, Yang concentrated all the hits she had taken from the creature, which was only two, but VERY painful, and concentrated them to her fist. Giving a cry of rage, the blonde struck her fist burning with power against the Hybrid. Giving a shriek of pain, the creature fell back and landed on the concrete with a thud. Yang, surprised by how strong her own Semblance-powered attack was, inspected her fist, which was now covered with dark purple ichor and bits of black flesh.
"Eew, at least it's dead." Yang commented. Then she snapped out of her musing and ran to Ruby, who was now limping with Crescent Rose used as a walking stick. "Ruby! You okay?!" The blonde asked worriedly.
"I… I'm fine, Yang." Ruby groaned in response. It was then Weiss and Blake walked to the two sisters, each with their Aura seriously damaged.
"...I don't understand. Just what was that creature?" Weiss asked. But just before RWBY could ask each other more…
ROOAAARR!
The four girls, especially Ruby, who was about to check on John, snapped at where the Hybrid was, only to be horrified.
The Hybrid was still awake, seemingly ignorant of its recent injuries, notably Yang's impact point.
"Looks like it wants Round 2!" Yang jeered. But just before she charged, a loud shout of warning pierced the air.
"NO! GET OUT OF THERE!" It was John. "DO NOT LET THE HYBRID ABSORB YOUR ESSENCE!"
But it was too late.
Team RWBY sans John suddenly felt like their very souls be pulled away from their bodies as they collapsed in pain. The Scrolls beeped frantically, signaling that the four girls's Aura had been completely depleted. John saw white streams of light be sucked away from his teammates and be absorbed by the Hybrid. Instantly, its wounds healed as if there wasn't a fight before.
"FRIENDS!" The Nerazim boomed in horror as he ran to Ruby.
"Wh-what was that? My Aura… it's gone…" the silver-eyes leader groaned in pain.
"It has absorbed your Aura… this bodes Ill." At cue of John's words, the Hybrid laughed at their demise.
"WEAK… POWERLESS… SUBMIT!" The Servant of Amon gloated at the now powerless girls and the protecting Nerazim.
"Run! DO NOT FIGHT BACK!" John warned as the Hybrid went on all fours and charged at Blake. Seeing that the cat Faunus could die right now, John straightened himself and snapped his fingers, causing another Feedback loop at the Hybrid's energy. The creature paused at the spin, giving John enough time to run to the incapacitated Blake, grab her and Blink to safely.
Seeing one of its targets disappearing, the Hybrid focused its attention to Yang, who had just stood to her knee while panting. She was clenching her stomach by the recent pain that engulfed her. When the blonde looked up, all she saw was a large clawed foot right on top of her, ready to crush her to a paste. She closed her eyes, bidding one last sorry to her sister-
"PURGE, YOU VILE CREATURE!" John's voice boomed with fury and hatred as the foot landed somewhere else. Yang opened her eyes to reveal that John had made a nasty slice on the Hybrid's rib, making the creature stagger. She then felt his hand grab her arms as she was surrounded by black smoke.
"Are you alright?" John asked as the two were elevated from the effects of the Blink. Yang looked around to find that they were on top of a building with Blake hyperventilating next to her.
"Ruby! Weiss! What about them?!" Yang asked, seeing that her sister and the heiress wasn't with Blake.
"I am fighting the Dark God's thrall! I shall get Ruby and Weiss to safely as soon as I can!" John replied before he blinked back to the battlefield.
However, when the Nerazim returned to the Hybrid, he was utterly horrified at the sight he was seeing.
The Hybrid was grabbing the heiress's head and channeling some sort of malicious energy at her head. Weiss was screaming with pure pain and agony as Void Energy poured into her mind via tendril.
"ALL SHALL BE CONSUMED BY THE CLEANSING FLAME. SUBMIT TO THE SALVATION AMON SHALL BRING!" The Hybrid bellowed at Weiss's face as her screams became louder and frantic.
"LET GO OF HER! KRISOL'FAK ARAM (MY BLADE SEEKS BLOOD)!" The Nerazim bellowed as he sneaked by the shadows and unleashed his Shadow Fury. He blinked furiously while slicing at every hide he came across. That along with a stab at its head, the Hybrid shrieked in pain as it finally let go of Weiss's body. Seeing that she was twitching violently and Void Energy spilled from her rolled-up eyes, John picked her up and blinked her to where the Yellow and Black of his team was. Having no time to waste to save Ruby, John blinked back to see the Hybrid ready to pounce at the silver-eyed girl.
"SILVER EYES…" the Hybrid growled. "THE ULTIMATE NUISANCE OF THE DARK GOD… FALL UNDER AMON'S WRATH!" The creature shrieked as it returned to all fours and charged at Ruby's crippled form. Ruby attempted to retaliate by shooting as much rounds from Crescent Rose to stop it, but it was futile as all her bullets ricocheted from the Hybrid's carapace and she was too weak to continue. Ruby closed her eyes, awaiting her demise.
"Yang… mom… dad… Weiss… Blake… Jaune… John… thank you for everything…" Ruby whispered, tears dribbling from her-
"NOOOOO!" It was John. He threw himself to the Hybrid's charge. As a last ditch effort, the Nerazim summoned a psionic storm to stagger the Hybrid and strike his warp gauntlet at the creature's threat. The blade hit its mark, but consequences were made.
The Hybrid retaliated by stabbing the Nerazim with its claws, shattering his shield. To add to it, a tendril slapped his abdomen, sending his defenseless form tumbling towards Ruby.
"John…" Ruby whimpered as her teammate, now bloody and scarred, slowly tried to stand up, but failed.
"Ruby… forgive me…" John groaned as he, equally bloody and scarred as Ruby, grabbed her hand. He had failed everything. He had failed this world, his teammates, his headmaster…
Zeratul…
he just wanted to do something that could stop Amon's crusade from happening, and his emotions didn't help as the Hybrid was marching towards the two teens.
"Please…" John begged to nobody. He reached for help. He reached and begged.
He begged his psionic potential.
He begged his memory.
He begged his incomplete soul.
He begged them to help.
.
.
.
.
Then, it happened.
His soul felt like something linked. He felt a bond.
He felt power.
He felt energy emanating from his free hand. He turned to see bolts of psionic energy cackling from it. John was shocked. This power… it even made the Hybrid pause. What was this?
Then, he saw Ruby's free hand cackling with psionic energy as the two started to levitate. Then, an orb of cyan energy that warped the space around it formed on top of the two teens, which was pulling them in.
"JOHN, WHAT'S HAPPENIN-" Before Ruby could finish, her and John's body began to warp as they were sucked into the singularity. The orb became larger and larger until it became the size even to that of the Hybrid. Then, the globule of cackling psionic energy turned from cyan to rose red as something began to form inside it.
It started from the body, which looked like a levitating chest plate of Firstborn beauty. Then, armless gauntlets and clawed hands formed, which resembled the psi blades of a Zealot. Finally, the head formed, an alien-looking head with a bony crown and nerve cords on the back. It eyes flowed pure white and cackled with unstable and pure psionic energy and Aura.
John felt Ruby with, no, in him. In return, Ruby felt him in her mind. The latter knew not what was happening, but the Nerazim's conscious received a hint of the situation.
His soul felt complete. He realized what all of this is. This was his True Semblance, the culmination of Aura and Psionic Energy. His form was something the High Templar considered as the most honorable.
He, John Raynor, along with Ruby Rose, was an Archon. Now just any Archon, but his psionic potential of both Khalai and Void.
He was the Twilight Archon.
Realizing his identity and immense power, the Nerazim prepared to strike at the Servant of Amon.
"REAP WHAT YOU SOW." The Archon bellowed as a giant scythe made of psionic energy materialized.
The psionic being sliced at the Hybrid. Surprisingly, the Hybrid shrieked in intense pain as a large gash formed at the impact point. Unrelenting, John/Ruby fired a bolt of psionic and Aural shockwave that twisted with cyan and rose red. It impacted the Hybrid's head, exploding into blue fumes. As part of its carapace evaporated, the creature shrieked in pain.
Blake and Yang, who were taking care of the violently twitching Weiss's body, stared at the battle in pure horror and awe. At first, they were disgusted to see their team leader and mysterious teammate be toyed around by the creature that John called 'Servant of Amon'. The two, especially Yang, begged in terror to move away as the creature charged at the two, ready to end their lives.
Then it happened.
Something of immense energy, both Aura and unknown, merged Ruby and John together into some form of ethereal being. It had no legs, gauntlet hands without arms and a head that looked… alien. Then, it formed a giant scythe out of pure energy and started to fight the creature back. The three Scrolls registered something new.
ERROR: 186672/186672
It was the most Aura anyone had seen before, and from what the two girls saw, Ruby/John was winning.
Back in the battlefield, the Archon and Hybrid were fighting furiously over at the docks. The Hybrid, once winning decisively, was now pushed to the defensive as the new foe, the John/Ruby Archon fought brutally. Every attack the Servant of Amon made was blocked by the Archon via psionic energy and Aura. Its tendrils were severed whenever it tried to strike thanks to the scythe and gauntlet of raw energy.
"YOU SHALL SUFFER FOR DEFYING THE DARK GOD!" The Hybrid bellowed, but John/Ruby didn't give one thought of it. The Archon swung its scythe at the Hybrid's incoming clawed hand and sliced it clean, making the severed arm fly across and evaporate into orchid light. Its eyes showing satisfaction at the creature's pain, the Archon fired another psionic shockwave beam at its opponent's chest, blowing out more of its flesh.
To add the insult to the injury, the Archon grabbed the Hybrid's face. Psionic energy started to gather on the used palm as its brightness intensified along with its eyes. The Hybrid, shrieking in pain as it attempted to release itself from the hold, started to feel a buildup of psionic energy in its mind. It wasn't until John/Ruby let the energy free, the Hybrid's head exploded into a million pieces, spreading giblets of flesh and Ichor across the docks. With the loss of its face, the Hybrid's body fell limp on the ground until it disintegrated into orchid light. No traces of Amon's Servant remained.
The Archon, seemingly panting with exhaustion, looked at the building where Blake, Weiss and Yang rested. It then used Ruby's Semblance to blink/bolt to the roof while leaving rose petals, startling Blake and Yang.
"Ruby…?" Yang asked as she reached her hand towards the Archon. The psionic being in return leaned forward with eyes of sad energy.
"YANG…" Ruby's consciousness, despite sounding like monster, called.
"John?" Blake added.
"BLAKE…" John's consciousness called out. It then turned to Weiss's twitching body. "WEISS…"
"...what are you?"
"WE ARE AS ONE…" after the Archon spoke, its energy started to die out as the cloud and cackles of psionic energy and Aura shrank slowly. It's 'body' slowly disintegrated as the cloud drifted to the ground, then disappeared. From there, Ruby and John lay bent over hyperventilating. Their scars were nonexistent. It was as if they haven't fought at all sans the exhaustion.
"RUBY!" Yang cried as she ran to her sister and gave a crushing hug. "Do you even know how worried I was?"
"I… I saw John's mind…" Ruby simply replied. All eyes sans the icy blue ones turned to the Nerazim, who looked at the three pair of eyes.
"I shall explain everything. But first…" he turned to Weiss. "We must take her to caring hands."
"...she's slowly recovering. You should expect her awake in about five minutes." The nurse, a fox Faunus, said as she wrote on her notepad. After the gruesome battle against the Hybrid, John quickly took the crippled Weiss to the infirmary of Beacon via a Bullhead that Blake called during the fight. The girls and the Nerazim stayed silent during the entire flight as all John was focused on was Weiss. Her mind was filled with malicious Void Energy, which was causing a maelstrom inside her mind. Should the Hybrid have done more damage to her, the heiress would have died.
Although Void Energy is widely used by the Dark Templar, it can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. (A/N: Seeing that the Nerazim are attuned to the Void, it's kinda confusing between the Void Energy used by the Hybrid and the Dark Templar. So until I get a proper explanation, I'll stand by for a rewrite)
"Thank you." John thanked.
"Oh, thank Oum! Thank Oum!" Ruby sighed in relief, finally able to hear that Weiss was not going to die.
"Although, I've never faced something like this before. How can her own Aura attack her?"
"That, I know not." The Nerazim sighed. "Never have I witnessed something like this."
"That is true, Mr. Raynor." Ozpin's voice startled the Nerazim. "Whatever you have fought was something that shouldn't exist in Remnant."
"Indeed, headmaster. It brings terror in my heart pondering about why my enemies are present in this world." The Nerazim sighed in defeat. Sorrow and dread washed his body, knowing that this world is never prepared for Amon's onslaught. "It pains me to see the Dark God's influence in this world."
"Yes, it is." The headmaster sighed. "I suppose you've told your team the-"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
A sudden scream stopped Ozpin's words as the two looked at the bed to see Weiss finally bolting up from her disastrous slumber and hyperventilating. Ruby and Blake technically launched herself to the heiress to see if she was okay. John ran to the bed to inspect her. His eyes glowed green, his psionic powers scanning through every molecule of Wiess.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Yang asked. It wasn't until a few seconds later that John's eyes returned to normal and released the white of RWBY(J).
"No more traces of Void Energy… she's free." The Nerazim sighed in relief. "Thank the gods, for if the Hybrid had channeled more energy, you would have died." He paused, then reopened his words. "Weiss, While you were in the effects of the Void, what did your mind see?"
"y-you won't understand… you'll n-never understand…" Weiss stuttered. She was still hyperventilating and shivering with fear. However, she received an assuring hand.
"As I have said before, Weiss Schnee, I do understand. I've been in your situation before." Hearing this, Weiss took a deep breath. In her mind, John sensed doubt in her mind. Something was telling her to not trust him, but her other, the warm side, assured her that everything will be fine, and in return he would explain his side. And that side seemed to have won as Weiss nodded.
"B-but how can I know if you can understand and… and… believe me?"
"Don't worry, Weiss, we're your friends!" Ruby assured.
"You're not the only one who needs explaining." Blake said, eyes turning to the male member of her team.
"Indeed. As you do, I too shall share everything I faced… for situations have changed." John sighed.
A short pause followed. Distress was in Weiss's mind. She composed herself as she started to explain what she saw in her mind while that… creature seemingly inject her mind with malevolence.
"I… I saw so much sadness… My dad… all those dead people… I… I-I recognized all of their faces…" Tears started to fall from the heiress's eyes as she started to explain what had happened in her mind. To see exactly what she saw, John used his psionics to see into her mind.
'Her father… by the gods, that is quite amount of blood… and those corpses… perhaps they are Weiss's acquaintances…' John pondered.
"...I saw pitch black and stars… monsters… no… they're not Grimm…"
'Space… Zerg… Why would Amon's Thrall let her know about the Swarm?'
"So much death… I saw… I- I… I saw Remnant burn… Vale… Atlas… I… I don't know what those creatures with golden armor were…"
'Protoss purification. There is no way Artanis would do such horror.'
"Then… then those monsters… they-they tore down the academy… I saw them rip Blake apart… Ruby into shreds… Yang… no… no…"
'Hybrid… They attacked Beacon and killed… ugh, it bodes disgust even by thinking about it.' John shook his head in disgust. At this point, Weiss was wailing in pure sadness as tears now poured down her cheeks. The depression that the Hybrid gave her was too much. Sighing in empathy, John sat down next to the heiress as the rest of RWBY(J) sat around and gave her assuring words.
Noticing Ozpin, John stood back up and walked to him. He needed some words with him.
"So let me repeat what you've said: One of this Dark God's servants attacked my students, none other than Weiss Schnee?" The headmaster asked with a glare that wasn't meant for the Nerazim.
"Yes, headmaster. This is something not even I have expected." John replied with a sad sigh. "The matter has gone out of our hands. Not only did something Remnant has never faced before showed its face on this world, it slew the police force stationed in the docks. I fear what the people of Vale would think of this event."
"During the said attack, not only did fifty police officers die, five veteran Huntsmen were murdered. To make things worse, the entire surveillance network of the docks were disconnected." Ozpin sighed.
"Headmaster, I sincerely apologize about this incident." John sighed with dread. Could all of this because of his existence in this world? Could Amon have been watching him and Zeratul and deployed his servant here just to kill him and sow his seeds of destruction? Could his existence mean more blood will be shed in Remnant? "...Perhaps it was a mistake staying in Remnant in the first place."
"Mr. Raynor, of all the things I've seen of you, why is it that you think that you weigh so much responsibility on your shoulders?" Ozpin asked.
"Ever since I've followed my master after our exile, We've been having the fate of the universe held on our hands." Just as the conversation continued, Blake and Yang stood up from Weiss's hospital bed and slowly walked towards the headmaster and Nerazim. In their heads were swarms of questions that were yet to be answered. In Blake, it was why John would disguise himself in the docks and for Yang, what he meant during his apparent explosion on Weiss.
In both of their minds was the question about just what was that creature that didn't even remotely look like a Grimm.
"Alright, that does it! John, you're telling us just what the HELL that thing we fought at the docks was!" The blonde yelled out of frustration. To add it up, her eyes became from lilac to red to emphasize her anger.
"I'm with her. Why would you disguise yourself to help us fight Torchwick in the first place?" Blake added, but not as angry as Yang, but still frustrated about John continuously hiding his identity.
"J-John? Wh-what did you mean when you were yelling at Weiss twelve hours ago?" Ruby asked from behind. John decided to turn around to find the four girls of his team starting at him, with two pairs glaring swords at him. He turned to Ozpin to seek guidance.
"Did you tell them?" Was all the headmaster asked.
"I lost control after Blake ran away. I… I needed to tell them how bad the situation is." John replied. He gave one last look at team RWBY. All he saw was pain, anger, sadness and confusion. "...is this the right time that you've told me before?"
"Judging by the looks of your teammates… yes, I do believe so, Mr. Raynor." The Nerazim sighed at the headmaster's comment. It was time. He had told a part of his identity thirteen hours ago. Now it was time to tell them full. RWBY and JNPR…
They must know the danger of the future of Utter Darkness. John turned around to his teammates with a face of hardened steel.
"I shall explain everything in the headmaster's office. You four shall move as soon as Weiss is ready to move on her own." John said.
"Wh-what about Jaune and his team? Th-they were with-"
"I know, Ruby." John cut her off. "...and they deserve… no, they MUST know, only because I trust them. Once Weiss is alright, take them to the headmaster's office." Ozpin nodded at the Nerazim's words. "I shall prepare for the explanation." With that, John and Ozpin walked away from the infirmary.
Ozpin stared at John as he peered into the levitating crystal emitting green mist of the Ihan Crystal. It was rather familiar. He and Goodwitch, who was standing right next to him with a stunned expression due to the events in the docks, had peered through John's memories through that very alien crystal and saw the horrors and wonders of the space Remnant was at the edge of. Now, eight of his most trusted students are to be seeing into John Raynor's memories and learn about it too.
"Are you sure about this, Ozpin?" Goodwitch asked.
"It was his idea, although it's the small part of the picture." Ozpin sighed. "Seeing that John's enemies are in Remnant, it could make… our war bigger than we imagined."
"...I'm worried what James would think about this… not to mention the public. It would cause chaos like none other."
"Exactly." When Ozpin nodded, John seemingly returned to reality as he was no longer in a dazed state in front of the Ihan Crystal. He walked to the headmaster and knelt.
"All preparations are made, headmaster. However, there is still one thing that spins in my mind." John said.
"Go on." Ozpin nodded.
"Why would you say that we cannot take much action despite the situation?" When John asked, the headmaster gave a sad sigh.
"It would cause massive chaos. As you've said, these Protoss and Terrans have fought in countless wars before and for the Zerg there's the Queen, thus it wouldn't matter. However, Remnant has been in a time of peace for eighty years. Making preparations for any sort of combat would cause confusion and chaos in the public, thus attracting Grimm." John nodded at those words. It was understandable. It would be strange for the military to mobilize in times of peace without any explanation. "John, I would like to ask you one question."
"I am listening."
"Will your mentor be a part of this?"
"I have contacted master Zeratul back in my dorm while I was searching for my Ihan Crystal. He said that he will be awaiting to communicate with you… and my friends." John replied.
"Talking with an alien? Th-this is something unexpected." Goodwitch stuttered.
"It is almost a miracle to see a Protoss communicate with a Terran. Hierarch Artanis and my mentor are the few Firstborn to have good relations with Terrans, especially my father."
"Father? Do you mean James Raynor?" Ozpin asked.
"Yes." Just as John nodded, the elevator of the office chimed, signaling that somebody has arrived. With Ozpin's access in the form of a button, the doors opened, revealing eight very familiar students entering.
"Holy Oum, that lift was tight." Jaune groaned.
"Sorry." Pyrrha apologized.
"John had better have a good explanation. If not, I will consider this as a betrayal!" Weiss scoffed.
"Weiss, give him a break!" Ruby scolded. The commotion ended when Ozpin cleared his throat, receiving his attention.
"I see that all eight of you have arrived. Now before Mr. Raynor begins, We three must tell you that whatever's shown here is to never leave this office under any circumstances." Ozpin declared.
"Any information leaked beyond us will be catastrophic." John added. RWBY and JNPR looked at each other in worry. Just how bad is this? Just how sensitive was John's true identity? And what the hell is that thing that's levitating on the coffee table that was usually never in this office? "You must swear by your very soul that you will keep this secrecy at all costs. Otherwise, you are free to leave."
A short pause followed as the eight teens started to mumble at each other. John heard doubts, confusion as usual, frustration and worry. As he waited patiently, all eyes now turned to him, all having the looks of confirmation.
"We're ready." Ruby declared.
"My team says yes." Jaune added. John gave a deep sigh. This was it.
"Sit down." Ozpin instructed. As told, RWBY and JNPr sat around the coffee table with the Ihan Crystal placed on top. "You may each ask one question." John nodded in response. Ruby was the first to respond.
"Um… what were you meaning when you were yelling that time?" The silver-eyed girl asked.
"I was telling Weiss about the dangers beyond the conflict in her family. No, beyond Remnant." John replied.
"Then who are you? WHAT are you?" Blake asked.
"I am John Lidya Raynor, the son of James Eugene Raynor, the commander of the Raynor's Raiders. I am the disciple of Dark Prelate Zeratul of the Nerazim Protoss." That sparked even more confusion as RWBY and JNPR gave them strange looks. Yang and Weiss seemed to give slight anger.
"Where are you from? You claimed that you were from a tribe in a secluded area." Pyrrha asked.
"I was born in the world Shiloh, but raised in Shakuras. There, I've been taught the ways of the Dark Templar…" John paused in sadness. "...until the death of our beloved Matriarch…" He was then greeted with silence. Everybody would think that it would be due to sympathy, but by sensing, John knew that it was due to confusion. This broke when Yang's irises turned red.
"YOU TOLD US THAT YOU'LL EXPLAIN, AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING US THAT YOU'RE A FUCKING ALIEN?! STOP FUCKING LYING TO US AND TELL US THE GOD DAMN TRUTH!" The blonde boomed.
"Language, Miss Xiao Long!" Goodwitch scolded, but John raised his arm in denial.
"Yang, you are right. I am not from Remnant at all. That is the truth. Meeting you eight during your Initiation would what Terrans call a 'happy accident'. If you are wondering, I was sent here to reclaim my humanity." The Nerazim explained. However, Yang simply scoffed in response.
"What are these 'Terrans' and why would you need to reclaim your humanity? You're a human, and that's all that matters, isn't it?" Ren asked.
"The term Terrans refer to the humans that are dwelling in the Koprulu Sector, meant to differentiate from the humans of Earth. As for me, I have been raised by a species of aliens called the Protoss." John replied.
"So… um… does that have to do… anything with your Semblances?" Jaune asked hesitatingly.
"I…" John, for the first time in a time, hesitated. He really didn't understand how to explain it. "What happened with Ruby in the docks seemed to be my true Semblance. I do not understand how… but it happened. As for my other 'Semblances', they weren't Semblances. They were abilities that I could use with psionic energy."
"Psionic? What in Remnant is that?" Weiss asked.
"Psionic energy: The ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Using this, I have the ability to shield myself from harm similar to Aura, cast storms of raw psionic energy and grasp the energy currents of my enemies into a violent chain reaction."
"Then that finger-snappy thingy, that's it?" Nora asked.
"Correct. It is what the Protoss call a Feedback Loop. The High Templars of the Protoss can cast this ability without moving a muscle. Other than that, I have the capability to read and manipulate minds."
"Wait, so you're saying that you can read minds? Well I for one don't believe so. If you can truly read them, then prove it." Weiss scoffed. John sighed at the comment. When not in combat, he despised using his psionic abilities to exploit others unless necessary. That included reading other's minds as he only did so to look for enemy intelligence. He would have to explain that first.
"Before I do, I must inform you that I despise reading others' minds if not on combat. As you have any private information that you wish to not see the light of day, I must warn you that my mind reading powers can let me involuntarily know your darkest secrets." John warned. "I will need a volunteer." A short pause followed with RWBY and JNPR looking at each other. They were silently asking themselves if they were okay to let this mysterious sixteen-year old boy to read their minds. Faces of fear and worry were across their faces until Ruby turned back to John.
"I'm ready." John replied.
"Very well." The Nerazim nodded. His eyes started to glow green as his vision started to enter the girl's mind. Ruby gave a look of concern as seconds passed until John's eyes returned to normal.
"Ruby, the majority of your mind is focused on Crescent Rose and cookies. However, there is a large part of your mind that is thinking of the Hybrid."
"H-h... " Ruby stuttered with wide eyes. "W-well, you're right. He got it correct, guys."
"Wow…" Jaune awed.
"Well… I guess that confirms that." Weiss sighed. However, after reading Ruby's mind, more questions started to pour onto John.
"What are these… Protoss?" Pyrrha asked.
"What the hell were you referring to when you meant 'Three consecutive wars'?" Yang asked.
"How can you prove that you're telling the truth?"
"What was that creature that we fought in the docks?"
"How-"
"Enough." Ozpin came to the rescue with his interruption when the students started to ask the Nerazim too many questions to the point that it was him that was confused. After seeing that everything became silent, the headmaster turned to John. "Mr. Raynor, perhaps now's the time to show them… your memories."
"Memories? How is that possible?" Pyrrha asked.
"This is your answer." John replied, pointing at the Ihan Crystal. Everybody looked at the object with confusion.
"What is that?" Blake asked, staring at the levitating green crystal.
"This is the Ihan Crystal, something the Nerazim Protoss use to share the memories, experience and knowledge of an individual. In here is my knowledge prior to my arrival to your world."
"Well… how do we do that?" Nora asked.
"Peer into it. Ask the crystal with your mind. However, with the current situation, I believe that it is best to ask: 'Can you elaborate what John had said?'." The Nerazim replied. He then turned to the headmaster and assistant, who were approaching him. This confused John as Ozpin and Goodwitch had already seen his memories and the headmaster frequently asks more details about a fragment of his knowledge. But before John could ask Ozpin, he cut him off with a hand.
"Mr. Raynor, we going there again to make sure that we haven't missed any important information. We'll back off if you find it uncomfortable." Ozpin assured.
"...No, headmaster. All is fine." John nodded.
"Good. Goodwitch, shall we?"
With the eleven people sans John, Ozpin and Goodwitch sitting around the Ihan Crystal, everyone mentally asked what John told them to ask. When John sensed the same question resonate from the ten minds, the crystal started to emit green mist that slowly started to surround the office. Everyone's eyes started to daze as the view around them started to change.
A/N:
Greetings from Aperture!
Now, we finally see John Raynor's true Semblance, something what I would think would make him have the weakest Aura of the Koprulu Sector to perhaps the most overpowered guy imaginable.
This chapter was supposed to be combined with another that I am currently working on, which included the parts where John showed around his knowledge and memories via Ihan Crystal. However, I was too exhausted and it was lagging me to the point that I decided to split the chapter into two, which the first part is what you're seeing now.
I've received a review that the fic has too many plot holes. I'm terribly sorry about it, but I thought it would be rushed to simply explain everything early on. The Ihan scenes would explain the Beacon guys about the situation in the Koprulu Sector and perhaps clear out some questions.
In a meantime, here's a part of the next chapter:
Darkness. That was all they could see. Other than some green haze and some smoke that seemed to fog their already black sight, all they saw was darkness.
"Um… hello?" Yang called out, but all that was there was echoes. "Hellooooo?" Still, echoes.
"So these are John's memories…" Pyrrha commented.
"Wow, I never thought of him being empty. I thought they would be filled with pancakes!" Nora replied.
"Nora, please. John didn't want to show us his knowledge just because of pancakes." Ren sighed.
"I-I've never seen anything like this before." Weiss stuttered. "This is like… infinity. All I see is darkness."
"Remain calm, students. Professor Goodwitch and I have faced the same thing before when he revealed himself to him." Ozpin assured. At cue, a familiar figure appeared from the darkness and slowly walked towards the ten. It was the very John Raynor.
"En taro Tassadar, friends of Remnant." John greeted. "You wished to know who exactly I am. Thus, I will show you."
"Where are we anyway?" Jaune asked.
"You are in the projection my Ihan Crystal is showing you. Fear not, your bodies are still present in the headmaster's office. It is your minds that are with mine." The Nerazim explained.
"Well, can you just explain all of this to us now?" Yang glared. John in response gave her a hand of assurance.
"In order to understand who and what I am, I shall teach you all that I know of where I am from: The Koprulu Sector." John explained. After that, his eyes started to glow green as the view around RWBY, JNPR and the professors started to change. From the utter darkness came a dimly lit darkness glittered with stars. Blotches of color decorated small areas, being nebulae. The teens looked around their surroundings with awe. Never have they seen such a beautiful view before. To them, it looked like the night sky of a quiet mountain.
"Oh… wow." Ruby gasped at the view. Her silver eyes sparkled with the reflection of the stars.
"It's so beautiful…" Weiss whispered.
"This is a portion of the Koprulu Sector, the fragment of the fringe of our galaxy. Terrans call it, the Milky Way." John explained.
"'Milky Way'? Why would the humans of where you're from call a galaxy that?" Blake asked.
"That, I know not. However, that has no significance to what I am showing you now. For at this portion of space three hundred years ago, history was made."
Anyway, I hope this preview would get you... pumped?
Thank you from Aperture!
-AperturGaming011