Chapter eleven 'Truth and lies'

Lieam groaned and lifted himself up from the pallet he was on. He heard voices of Celen and Pyont arguing. He saw the bat like creatures just looking at the two not making a move. Celen made to move his blade at Pyont. The gold covered bat lifted her wings "Enough, Celen, Pyont, please stay your swords."

"Run, Pyont!" Lieam said lifting himself up and kicking Celen from behind. The man fell forward dropping one of his blades. Lieam picked it up quickly and held it in front of him.

"Relent, sheath your swords!" The gold covered bat pleaded.

Lieam pushed Pyont out the window and they landed on tree branches that led below. Once they were on ground, Pyont turned to the boy. "You bastard! You ruined everything!"

"I was only trying to protect you."

"I need no saving from the likes of you!" He yelled as he slapped the boy down. "By my cunning I survived being under Tosk's collar! And now a perfect opportunity has risen to restore myself destroyed by a Runt who won't stay silent!

A Nevermore flew down and took Pyont away to his death. Lieam stood frozen in fear, his mentor gone. He was alone again.

The bronze colored bat spoke to Celen as he leapt down from the branches. "Grimm shouldn't be this close to the Tree."

"Your job was supposed to keep the boy out of trouble, Shade."

"Your carelessness gave him a weapon."

"Point taken." He ran to Lieam and took his sword, using a hidden button on each he turned it into pistols and shot the Nevermores. "Better to leave weapons in the hands that can use them best!" He put the boy behind him. His one eye narrowed "You want to take the boy! Claim him first!" He cut the stomach of one causing it to fall. "Let this serve as a warning no one and nothing gets in without the permission of the High Priestess."

As the night grows ever older an important conversation is taking place. One that could decide the fate of Remnant itself.

"Please, Celen look at me." said the High Priestess to the grim faced solider. "Do you understand what I have told you."

"Pardon, Mistress Frieda but you asked to see Lieam?"

"I have indeed." Frieda said softly then she asked. "What is the tone of the Tree?"

"The Tree is divided, the words Pyont had said makes even the silent of us whisper. Both sides are afraid of what this might cost."

Frieda tapped her chin. "I thought as much, Lieam when will you reach the age of adulthood."

"I'll be eighteen this winter." Then he looked down. "I think."

"I see, under the circumstances I have to knight you as a full Knight, although training is lax."

Lieam couldn't keep quiet, he had to speak, wasn't he already knighted? Don't they already confirm Pyont's suspicions when they don't recognize him as a Knight?"

"Freida by playing along with this farce you dishonor everything I stand for." Celen said harshly. His one eye glared at the boy.

"You know what is at stake, what evil is growing in the world." Frieda replied in a calm tone.

"I understand what is asked but to Knight a child is an affront for every sacrifice from the past and now."

"Is your trust so easily broken?'

Lieam narrowed his eyes. He couldn't believe it, from what he had seen there was no help for Faunus' or humans. "You fight among yourselves! Hiding in a tree when people and Faunus' alike are starving, while they suffer! There is no help here only lies!"

Arguing in turns, Lieam was forced to look at himself for being worthy. Celen was right, Pyont was using his sorrow and his grief to create a lie. He had brought shame to a holy place and order. Once he said those words Frieda took his shoulder with her wing and told him "Worthiness begins when you know you aren't strong."

Within the hour Lieam was taken to the Knighting chamber. He saw several bats standing on branches others upside down with spears. Shade took a green cloak and put it on the boy. Frieda tapped his shoulders then she handed him unadorned armor.

An hour after

Celen took the boy down a path that led to the outside. His eyes wary and one of his hands on his short sword.

"Where are we going?" Lieam asked as they walked down stairs. "I'm a Knight now, for real this time."

Celen took out one of his swords. His voice in a hushed whisper but it was folding with anger. "Then shut your tongue brother Knight or I'll do it for you." Lieam noticed on Celen's belt was a black crossbow. "Hurry," Celen said pushing Lieam along. "They might know you're missing already."

Within moments a battle was made. Celen worked hard to only wound but when a silver colored bat held the boy, he threw his sword stabbing the head.

"You killed him." Lieam said as they ran. He wanted to look behind him, but fearful of stopping.

"He was going to kill you." Celen sighed as they stopped running, they were out of the forest and into the bigger world "I can't believe this, Frieda defrocked, a life taken at the Ash and our sorry tails on the run." he turned to Lieam. "I hope it's worth it."

Celen treated the boy like he was nothing but a temporary annoyance. He didn't need to take care of a child right now. He made sure he made every little thing the boy did an excuse to put him down. He narrowed his eyes and told the boy to cover his spoor, the boy replied he'll do it next time. In which Celen spoke if there was a next time. This boy will be the death of him.

"Why do you hate me?" Lieam asked shortly after.

"I don't there is a difference between hatred and contempt." He said. He stopped quickly causing the boy to trip over a fallen branch "And watch where you are going." The older man looked at the boy. "I've seen you with swords, they are not for you." he shook his head. "I've learned to dislike the recklessness of youth."

"But I've always worked with swords!" exclaimed Lieam. He looked up. "Barking spiders!"

"What!" Celen said then he sighed. "Another Grimm, hold on a minute." Lieam heard the Grimm screech and soon heavy wing beats as it flew away.

"What did you do?"

"I'll teach you later, right now," He cut off a staff from a tree. He tossed it to Lieam who almost dropped it. "You'll need to learn this."

As the days turned into nights. Celen no longer hated the boy, the boy was smart, he might someday survive on his own. After all the boy seemed to at least pass the trials Celen had laid out of him. Lieam leapt into the air and attacked. Celen had added stones on one end of the staff. He blocked it with his sword. "Good, but your trajectory tells me where you will land and so I meet you." He looked at Lieam with a thoughtful look. "Also you need to learn how to handle your semblance and aura more."

"My what and what?" He asked the mentor. Celen gave a small smile. From what he had seen the boy could tell his movements but only if his aura was low. It might not even be a Semblance it could just be intuition the boy had naturally.

"Your aura, it is your soul," he said, Celen made his aura show a dark grey. "This is my aura; it heals my wounds." He used his sword while speaking. "My semblance is whenever I get hurt I give more damage to my enemies." He stopped twirling his sword and looked at the boy. "Your semblance has awakened but not your aura. And yet even now it doesn't show. That is not how it usually works, normally it's the aura then semblance. I have only known one other person who had did it that way." Then he decided to tell him what it also could be. "Or it could just be you have high intuition when it comes to fighting."

"Who?" asked Lieam standing up. "Tell me please."

"That is a conversation for another time," Celen began walking away, "You better follow me or get left behind."

They past rivers and high hills. Training began every morning and after a couple of hours they would leave the spot they had stayed at and begin to move again. Celen did not want to be found by anyone: human or Faunus. Late in the night, Lieam had trouble sleeping. "Celen?" He asked but the older man groaned and turned away. "Hmm." the young boy saw the black crossbow and walked up to it, next to it was a book with leather backing and strange symbols. He opened it, as he read his eyes grew wide. He walked up to Celen and kicked him awake.

"What was that for boy?" he asked angrily then he saw Lieam's eyes. Oh, no, he found out, didn't he?

"You aren't the real Celen!" Lieam cried out. "You are a liar like Pyont!"

"Do not compare me to that man!" Celen yelled at the boy. "I am nothing like that deceiver!"

"Your name is Cassias!" Lieam yelled at the older man. "You took your brother's name and his life! Who are you really?"

Cassias sat down, he seemed to grow older as the boy continued to yell. He raised a hand to stop the tirade. "You are right," He watched as Lieam's eyes grew even wider. "My name is Cassias, one of three: Celen, me and Celek." He looked away from the boy. "We were the best of the best in our school of being Huntsman in training. I was the warrior, Celen was our shield and peace maker. Celek was our talker, a politician if you will." He sighed sadly. "You probably read our story in that journal of my brother."

"But why, why take someone else's name?"

"As you said I took my brother's life Celek." said Cassias. "I had the right and the skill to take his life, " He looked at Lieam and touched his left eye. "Yet he was my brother, we would have given our lives for each other. He was the cost of my pride and self-righteousness."

"And Celen?"

"After the battle, he left, he just disappeared." Cassias said. "No one knew where he had gone or if he was dead or alive. After years of searching I found him in a round hut he had made of stone. He was in the bed too sick to even stand. Beside him was a weapon of black. A black axe." He reached down and took the crossbow out from its sheath. He transformed the crossbow into a black labrys axe with a long black handle. "The Black Staff, my brother's life in hiding just to protect it. Until I came along and well he gave it to me."

Lieam said nothing. He couldn't think of anything to say. Cassius seemed to regret everything. He looked down and said softly. "I'm sorry."

Cassias put Black Staff in its crossbow form and they began to travel again. A noise could be heard. Lieam looked at Cassias. His eyes telling the older man what he was thinking. The older man took his weapons out. A huge Nevermore began shooting its feathers at the two.

"Damn it," yelled Cassias. "I thought I got rid of that bird." He turned his weapon into pistols. He began to shoot at the bird. He hit it several times, Lieam jumped up with his staff "Get away from us!"

The Nevermore turned and shot its feathers at Lieam. Cassias gave a loud curse and jumped on the bird, but as he jumped the bird caught him with its beak and threw him on the ground. Lieam watched as Cassias fell to the ground. He lay there not moving, knocked out.

"No!" He ran forward and took the crossbow. He summoned his aura for the first time. A silver aura rose and the Black Staff transformed. Lieam swung it at the Nevermore, the bird creature cried out in pain as he cut at the beak. The Nevermore made its feathers shoot out even faster. Lieam twirled the weapon around blocking the bolts. He walked forward as he did so, as he came closer he cut the Nevermore. It fell forward, its beak hitting the ground. It gave a gasping breath and died.

Lieam held his arm, every time he tried to move his arm, it hurt. "Cassias!" He yelled as he walked forward. "Cassias!" He found the older man trying to move. "Cassias, don't move!"

The older man looked at Lieam then at the Black Staff. So, the Staff had chosen its wielder Celen had been right, a silver aura would truly awaken the weapon. He stood up and walked up to him holding his chest. "Come on, Boy!" He ordered. "We have to keep going."

"But you're wounded."

"Ha!" laughed the old Huntsman. "I've been through worse than this Lad." He watched as the boy handed the Black Staff over to him.

"This is yours." Lieam said kindly. "I had to use it, sorry."

Cassias handed it back to him. "It's yours now, you can rename it if you want." Seeing the boys' face he replied. "Its name is Nero Gwailen: The Black Staff."

Lieam looked at his weapon, finally a weapon that was all his. Not borrowed or given only for training but a real weapon. He didn't know what to say.

He felt something etched on the blade it seemed to follow the symbol he made up when he was younger. Why would a weapon he never seen in his life have a symbol he made up?

"Don't say anything." Cassias said with a smile. He made a splint for Lieam's arm and then he put it in a sling.

They traveled for several days, and each day Cassias knew he was going close to death. He laid down to rest as Lieam set up the fire. He watched as Lieam read from his brother's journal. The boy continued unaware that he was being watched. "A true Knight chooses Mercy over an act of war." Lieam raised an eyebrow. "What was he talking about?"

Cassias chuckled as he heard Lieam try to decipher the real Celen's words. He watched as the boy put more wood into the fire with his one useful arm. He had taught the boy how to use one hand to use the weapon as well as his swords. Lieam would be in good hands by the time he got to Vale. He closed his eyes.

The next morning.

Lieam yawned and turned to Cassias. He poked the older man. "Hey, get up!" he said. "You are usually up before me." He poked harder. "Come on!" He looked at the older man. "Cassias!" He began to shake him. "Come on, this isn't funny!"

Lieam knew that the older man was dead. He tried to bury the man but with one arm. It was hard but he finally did it. He had the older man's weapons on his belt side. He took a sigh and began to leave. He looked at the grave cairn one last time and walked away.