Hey guys! So, good news and bad/neutral news. The good news is I got a new computer and I've started my new job! The bad/neutral news is that, with the job and college starting Monday, I'm gonna be kept pretty busy, as I have been for the last week, which kept me from writing. So, the story will likely be updated weekly from now on. Since today is Thursday, it will likely be a Thursday event (very fitting for this fandom). Until then, be sure to follow, favorite and comment your thoughts on the story. Enjoy the next chapter!
Dunden walked the halls of the castle, his mind replaying the words Aero had spoken.
I… I heard some of the servants talking… about what happened…
He passed a corridor and saw two older maids speaking to each other in hushed whispers.
Little Ebony…
Halos must have…
The two stopped talking when they noticed the black haired boy walking by. They bowed before him, but he continued walking, pretending not to notice them. He prided himself on his ability to remain composed, even if he came off as unfeeling, but he was certainly feeling something then. The kind of feeling that came to him very rarely, but always on this day.
Dunden kept walking until he reached the throne room. The marble columns were shining in the morning light, the red carpet was laid out, butlers and maids made their way busily through the room and the stone floors echoed every step they took.
At the far end of the long room was the king's chair. When Egil was king, the throne was adorned with every manner of precious stone one could imagine, but Halos always believed it was too flashy, even for a king, and had since removed them. The seat itself was empty, however, not just devoid of gemstones. Instead of in his chair, King Halos, dressed in a white robe with a rich, purple cape, stood by one of the large open windows. Next to him stood his general and oldest son, Risse, and the two were talking to each other. Neither noticed Dunden coming up behind them, but he could hear what they were saying.
"Are you sure you've checked all security measures," asked Halos.
"I oversaw them myself," said Risse. "Guards will be stationed at key points around the city and near the head table, both in uniform and incognito. Those entering the city have all gone through several checkpoints and filled out several forms of identification."
Halos nodded to his son, but still lowered his head like he was being burdened by something. Turning his head, he perked up upon seeing Dunden and a smile spread across his face.
"Good morning, Dunden," said Halos. "How'd your morning training go?" Dunden looked up at his father's beaming smile. As opposed to Dunden's own stoic expression, Halos always welcomed those to him from the moment they saw him. His greying blonde hair reflected the morning sun's rays, causing the ends to almost appear white in the sunlight. Despite being over fifty, his blue eyes still had a spark of life that drew others to meet them. It was like catching a glimpse of what Aero would look like, years into the future.
Of course, it would be just like seeing Dunden as well, if the old king dyed his hair black.
"Aero and I sparred 9 times. He got the better of me at some points, but I still managed to win seven matches."
"Impressive," said Halos. "I suppose you've come far in your training with Risse." Dunden turned to the general, a tall, grown man in black robes with hair as black as night.
"He certainly has skill with the blade," said Risse. "If only he were that skilled when it comes to dealing with people." Halos and Risse let out a laugh while Dunden grunted under his breath.
"I assure you both, my social skills are entirely satisfactory." At this, the two men just sighed.
"Dunden," said Halos, "you need to work on your expressions. "Satisfactory" doesn't always mean "good.""
"Exactly," said Risse, "you need to smile more." Dunden only looked forward, not changing a single muscle in his face, and the two men gave resigned to dealing with Dunden's emotional wall later.
"Anyway," said Risse, "where is Aero? I know Acrose gave the two of you the rest of the day off. I thought you two might spend it celebrating together."
"I came to see if there was anything needed of me," said Dunden. "As for Aero, I last saw him in the training room speaking with Summer." Risse's face lowered a bit at the mention of their permanent house guest. He looked slightly troubled, maybe even showing a bit of disdain, but Halos didn't seem to notice.
"My king," said a butler as he approached the three and bowed, "some of the visiting dignitaries are requesting an audience with you." Halos sighed went to sit on his throne.
"You two can leave if you wish," he said. "Something tells me I'm in for several long-winded speeches right now. I'll see the two of you this afternoon." Dunden and Risse nodded and started to leave when Halos spoke up again.
"Dunden," he said, causing the boy to turn around. "If you see your brother, tell him I wish the two of you a happy birthday." Dunden looked at his father and felt a small half-smile grow on his face.
"I will. Thank you."
Halos waved with his left and only hand as the two made their way out of the busy room, listening to the "oh, so proper" voices of the visiting officials draining the enjoyment out of their king's soul. The two walked for a bit past the groups of servants until Dunden spoke up.
"Risse," he said as he stopped. His head was lowered, keeping him from seeing the high prince.
"It's rare that you call me by my name," he said. "Something must be troubling you."
"Yes. It's about something Aero told me today." It was silent for a moment. The corridor was empty and Risse waited for his pupil to speak up.
"He said… a group of servants were talking about… about what happened to mother. They said… they blamed the king for part of what happened." Dunden raised his head up to see Risse put a hand behind his back and rub his chin.
"Do you know who these people are? They sound almost treasonous."
"No. Aero didn't say. He was probably worried they would get into trouble." It was no secret that Aero had inherited their father's merciful disposition. He would be the first to help others if they needed it, but he always seemed to help those who did wrong as much as he did the victims. It would be a dark day when Aero decided to give someone the exact punishment they deserved.
"If I find out who they were, they certainly will. If Egil were still king, they would likely be executed immediately." Dunden could feel the intensity in his brother's voice. The subject of what happened thirteen years earlier may have been known by everyone in the world, but it was still their family and that made it a very personal matter.
"At least we don't have to deal with that kind of punishment anymore. Grandfather really was a monster." Risse closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of what to say next.
"He may have been a monster," Risse said, "but that wasn't all he was. He was much greater than that."
"Risse," said Dunden, "what are you saying?" Dunden had always been taught that Totum suffered under his grandfather's rule. Slavery, oppression, execution for the smallest misstep. Every evil humans could imagine were commonplace during the first king's reign.
"Grandfather unified this world," said Risse. "Under his power, every warring tribe came together under a single banner. Civilization finally began to thrive."
"It wasn't his power though," said Dunden. "It was Omega's."
"Personally, I don't see the difference. The ability to wield one of those stones is almost as impressive as the stones themselves. The problem came when Egil became corrupted by his own power. He basked in his own greatness and conquered for the sake of conquering. Not once did he think about the people under him."
"And that's what made him a tyrant."
"What made him a tyrant, Dunden, was his lack of vision. We must never act needlessly when it comes to our people. Egil saw each action, both cruel and non, as a moment, not a means or an end. His world was taken because he never looked in front of him."
"Are you saying it's okay to be cruel?"
"What I'm saying," he said as he made his way down the hallway, "is that our world is fractured. We have power, but we choose not to use it." He turned back to Dunden.
"If we were to use it," he continued, "how much sooner would peace come?" With that Risse walked away, leaving Dunden alone to think about what his brother had said.
-x
Ruby was upset. Not in the "I-have-a-problem" way though. It was more in the "I-was-stuck-taking-tests-while-Aero-fought-and-beat-an-upperclassman-with-his-cool-weapons" kind of way. Right after she finished a brutal history test, everyone in the halls started talking about the newcomer taking down Yatsuhashi in the dueling arena. Needless to say, she wasn't happy she missed the fight. She crossed her arms and put on a pouty face, not paying any attention to who was in front of her.
"Ruuubbby," said Aero, surprising the oblivious Ruby and almost causing her to fall of the bench she was on. Blake, who was sitting next to her, tried to cover her laugh, but she wasn't doing too well.
"Oh, uh, hey Aero," she said with a nervous smile.
"You looked kind of upset," he said with a worried expression. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Ruby could see Weiss eyeing the two from the other side of a clothes rack, so she decided to change the topic as quickly as she could. She looked at Aero to see he was holding two shirts in his hands.
Perfect.
"So," she said, pointing at the shirts, "have you found something you liked?"
"Yeah," he said. "Which do you girls like better? The black or the grey?"
"I'd go with the grey. It's more your color." Ruby was surprised Yang had spoken up at all during their little shopping trip. She had come to bed really late the night before and she still seemed off, but not nearly as much as the day before. Maybe it had something to do with Ozpin giving her their mom's hood, or maybe, just maybe, she was warming up to Aero.
"Alright then," he said with a smile. "I just need one more person's approval." He looked over shoulder to see Coco and Velvet standing nearby. He held up the light grey shirt, showing he made his choice. Coco looked at it for a moment before nodding in approval.
"I still think it's weird that Team CFVY wanted to take you shopping," said Blake.
"Well, it was Coco more than anyone," said Aero. "After the match, I started talking to them and mentioned I didn't exactly have anything but my clothes and weapons when I came here. Needless to say, Coco wasn't going to stand for that."
"Did you tell them about… you know," whispered Ruby as she leaned forward.
"No," he responded. "I'm just traveling from my village." He winked at the group before walking to the changing room, causing Ruby to blush for some reason she just couldn't make out.
"You know," said Yang. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you really were interested in our new friend. I mean, just look at your face." Her sister's comment only made Ruby's face an even darker shade of red.
"I'm only like this because you guys keep teasing me," she said angrily. "It has nothing to do with anything like that.
"Uh huh," said Yang with a grin. "Sure."
"Anyway," Ruby said as she forced herself to calm down, "I thought you weren't going to start teasing me. Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah," she said in a lower tone. "Something like that." Ruby and Blake exchanged worried glances with each other until they heard the sound of a door opening. Looking at what was in front of them, Ruby felt the heat in her cheeks rise slowly once again.
It was the first time any of them, save Jaune (but Ruby wasn't going to think about that), had seen Aero in anything but his robes, both Totomian and medical. He was wearing the light grey t-shirt Yang had picked out and a black pair of sweats with white stripes going down the sides. On his feet were a pair of silver and grey tennis shoes and on his hands were a pair of black, fingerless gloves. He stepped out in front of them with a nervous smile that said "How do I look?"
"Hmm," hummed Weiss, who was inspecting the boy. "What do you think Coco?"
"It suits him," said Coco, "and that necklace really pulls it all together, but it may be a little plain."
"Well, I like it," said Ruby. Aero looked at the girl and smiled.
"Then I like it too," he said, widening his grin and giving Ruby one of her own.
"Alright then," said Weiss. "If that's what you want, that's what you'll get. Go change back into your robes. I'll take what you're wearing and go pay. My treat."
"Thanks Weiss. I'll pay you back."
"With what money?" Aero rubbed the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh.
"I guess I'll have to pay you back later then."
Aero changed his outfits and handed his new clothes to the white haired heiress. Seeing him back in his robes, Ruby realized just how out of place he looked. Yatsuhashi, who walked into the store with Fox, may have worn robes, but Aero's were far more regal looking, like they really were meant to be worn by an ancient prince. After purchasing Aero's new ensemble, the two teams exited the store and made their way to the docking station.
"Hey," said Aero, "I don't mean to be a freeloader…"
"Which you are," said Weiss with a mock glare.
"... but is there any place around here that sells Dust?"
"Sure," said Ruby. "There's a place right up ahead."
"You guys can handle that," said Coco. "We'll be heading back to the school. We've got plenty to pack before vacation starts."
"Oh yes," said Velvet. "Though most of it is Coco's wardrobe."
"Heaven forbid the rest of us get closet space," said Fox. "See ya, guys."
"Goodbye," said Aero. "Thanks for everything." With that, Team CFVY went on their way, but not before Yatsuhashi and Aero shared a bow.
"So," said Yang, "shall we get a move on?" The group made their way down the street that opened into a large square. Ruby looked to her side to see Aero staring at everything he passed. Cars, shops, buildings. Everything.
"What's that," he asked, looking at a nearby construction crew.
"That's a worksite," said Blake. "They're rebuilding after the Breach."
"Breach?"
"Basically," said Yang, "a bunch of bad guys blew some holes underneath Vale. A lot of Grimm came charging in before we blew their sorry butts away." Aero kept looking at the site, his expression becoming more serious at the mention of the Grimm.
"The White Fang have been pretty quiet since then too," said Blake.
"The White Fang?" Ruby saw Blake's expression tighten as well.
"They're a faunus rights group that used to rely on peaceful protest. I… I knew some people in it, but…"
"Let me guess," said Aero, "they went to extremes to achieve their ideals and that made their ideals change."
"Yes," said Blake. "Exactly. How did you know?"
"I've seen it all before," he said with a small, sad smile on his face. They kept walking forward toward their destination, a small shop called "From Dust Till Dawn," while Ruby glanced at the boy and wondered just what kinds of secrets he had.
-x-
"So much has changed." The boy sat down in the chair behind the main computer, thinking about what he had learned. Since he had arrived on the base, he had been skimming through many of the audio pages on something called an "internet." The world, Remnant, as it was now called, really was just as Summer had described. The technology, the culture, the people. Now matter how much he admired Summer, he never fully bought into her tales like Aero had, just as everyone else remained skeptical, but, being where he was, he couldn't deny it.
Turning off the monitor, he saw his reflection in the screen. For a moment, a part of him thought he saw Aero looking at him, causing him to jump back a bit. Though the face was the same, Dunden had to acknowledge the purple eyes looking back at him were his own.
He couldn't look at the image for long, however, because he felt a pain in his stomach and chest as he did. It wasn't hunger, but the pain was still real and it felt deep. Almost like he felt…
Suddenly, the monitor lit up on it's own. Where his own reflection had been, there was now the stern face of a grown man with what look like a piece of metal on his head.
"Who are you," said Dunden.
"I am General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military. I have been informed that you recently attacked and overran one of our joint-military bases."
"I have," he said with as little emotion as he could.
"Then I must warn you that I have sent a group of elite soldiers to your location. They are circling the base as we speak." Dunden listened carefully and heard the shouts of several men giving orders and nearing the command room."
"I have given them orders to use any means necessary to apprehend you," he continued. "I suggest you surrender." Dunden paused and thought for a moment, before reaching for the crystal in his pocket. The power flowed into him as he felt the sand around the building begin to shift, followed by screams and gunfire coming from outside.
"I am sorry, General," Dunden said as he turned off the monitor, "but I have my own orders to follow." Readying his weapon, the black haired boy walked outside to see how much damage had already been done. His first batch of Deathworms may have been defeated, but he made sure their were more of them this time and that they were much, much larger. He would be certain not to make the same mistakes again.
This time, the Fractals would walk once more.
