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"Through faults in ourselves and in the world around us, we are able to find our truths."-G.V.H.
Color. It could be argued that any one or any combination of two of said colors could be considered the most beautiful or the most attractive in comparison to the others within their spectrum, respective to a person's particular sense of taste. For example, some would argue that blue could be considered the most beautiful color of the spectrum because of its calming, serene influence it has amongst its viewers. Others, however, could argue that green was the 'best', for it was both a mixture of the two primary colors blue and yellow and thus shared their overall appeal while creating a certain sense of beauty all its own as it reflected a likeness to nature in a way almost no other color could. And while much else could be said about every other permutation of color visible, and even invisible, at the moment one color stood out against all the others for one person in particular.
For as Gabriel looked into the blazing, red eyes that gazed thoughtfully back at him, he couldn't help but feel the certain sense of authority such a color exuded. For it felt, despite seeing such a pigmentation used all throughout his' life thus far, the appeal that the vibrant, red tone had over him seemed almost primal, as if reminding a more baser part of his' mind and body of instincts long-forged throughout his' own ancestor's course through human history and the blood with which had been spilled throughout the course of those lives, whether it was their own or of those that crossed them so very long ago.
It was this sense of thought that Gabriel found himself in as he stood there transfixed by the radiant aura such powerful eyes exuded towards any that gazed in their direction. Though, soon enough, the rest of the form which accompanied this solely exposed feature was what brought him out of his' transfixion as the voice to which the form belonged to once again made itself known.
"You know, I never thought I'd see the day where one of my most prized servants would fall to the hands of man. Perhaps maybe at an earlier, more inexperienced time in its life like so many others of its kind in a time that seemed like so very long ago. These ones, these 'Goliaths' as you call them, were amongst the most brilliant of their kind, where they were able to survive and grow to an unprecedented level which made them all but infallible. So, for one to fall during what would have been the summit of its power, you really must be as capable as I feared you would be." The specter said to him in a tone of unreserved admiration, though whether it was more for the idea surrounding the very existence of the creature or its downfall, as well as the one who carried it out, was uncertain. Though, in either case both possibilities unsettled him, for who was this being to know about not only the existence of but the history surrounding the Goliath's amounted growth? Then, there was also the mystery surrounding where, or how, exactly the spirit had come to find itself within the dispelling form of the Goliath as well as using such remains for its own current form of manifestation, and the possibilities that Gabriel was now coming up with were becoming more and more unsettling with every moment he was left to ponder over such questions. So, before he could let himself get too carried away with that train of thought, he figured it'd at least be prudent to at least try to get some information out of the source itself before he could further lose himself in his' musings and hopefully the feminine spirit would be forthcoming in her responses to him, so he had to take care in how, along with what, he would choose to ask her.
"Exactly who, or rather what, are you?" Gabriel asked calmly, unable to keep a small tone of curiosity from leaking out as he did so, a fact which he sincerely hoped the being would overlook.
Though his' hopes were dashed as the manifestation's eyes crinkled further, if it were possible, signifying that whatever grin it had otherwise been sporting up until this point had now expanded into a full-on smile. Hopefully that would mean it would be a little more at ease around him and it'd become more willing to continue interacting with him. She did, however, take a few moments for herself before answering his' query at last, though not in the way he was expecting.
"That may be a little difficult for me to answer. You nor any other soul that exists today would have no understanding of who I am and there is not nearly enough time for me to give you an explanation as to why. And as for exactly 'what' I am, the shorthand, if unfulfilling, answer for that would be… something more." She said elusively, though it did carry with it a sort of subtle sense of playfulness and he felt that was as much as he was going to get out of her in terms of identity. In spite of that, he didn't let that vague response discourage him as he briefly regained himself and further went on with his' line of questioning.
"Something more? In terms of what, exactly?"
She again took a moment to process that question, as if its very nature carried with it a thousand interpretations and she was simply sifting through the broad meaning of such a question for an appropriate answer to give, one which would hopefully lead the human to ask both himself and her the right questions.
"In a broad sense, it could simply stand to mean 'something more than what you see before you'. But, I suppose a more fair explanation to give would simply be that exactly who and what I am is merely just outside of your current grasp of understanding at the moment and perhaps, in due time, you may find such answers out for yourself." She said elusively, that same, constant sense of playful evasiveness still remaining perpetually present as she continued to speak, and would more than likely remain that way for the rest of the conversation.
Still no closer as to the identity of the entity before him, Gabriel couldn't help but feel the least bit uneasy at the veil of obscurity and mystery she seemed to be keeping, as if revealing even the least bit of her true nature would release complete and utter calamity upon the world, where it would do good for neither her nor anyone else. So, feeling he would get no further on that particular line of questioning, he left whatever thoughts about that particular topic simmer in the back-burner of his' mind while he went on to ask his' next question to the manifestation.
"Alright, if you wish for your true identity to remain a secret then I won't argue against it. But, what does pique my curiosity is, if you wish to keep your true self from being known unto me then why reveal yourself now, to me of all people? What is it that you want here?" He asked briskly, showing that if he did not receive some answers, valid answers, then the conversation would quickly lose its sense of civility, Gabriel no longer retaining the same sense of patience he once had due to the long day's series of events and mild frustrations leading up to this point.
However, if the woman did in fact notice his' sudden change in demeanor and tone, she didn't let it show on her face, as much as could be seen of it, as she kept her smile calm and patient as she went on to answer him.
"Well, if I were to be honest, that question can only be answered in two, complementary parts, both of which are fairly obvious by this point and you have already come to figure out on your own, at least to some cursory degree of understanding. First, the reasoning for my appearance here was to simply examine, first-hand, the events surrounding the final fate of one of my most grand creations. And two, because I know that out of all the powers, mystical or partisan, that exist in this world, there is only one, of which was only recently introduced, in particular that could achieve this all on their own on such short notice: you." She said, her tone changing to that of half-admiration, half-admission, as if she herself had just let him on a suddenly new secret that only she seemed to know of and that alone portrayed something all the more dire with the implications it suddenly presented.
This sudden revelation nearly rocked him, nearly visibly shaking him from his' spot as he fought to keep himself from getting too unnerved. For if what she was alluding to was indeed what he felt that she was then she too knew, through some unknown means, that he was indeed not native to this world. Though, to what extent or means she planned to use such information he didn't know and that fact alone unsettled him far more than anything else. What was it she had planned for him now that she knew of one of his' darker secrets, one which he knew would more than likely alienate him from any and everybody if such a detail were to get out; only trusting Ozpin with such information because he knew the man himself already carried with him a great deal many secrets, some which would more than likely shake the very foundations of the world itself and thus adding one more would barely faze the man, and Gabriel had been more than certain that the Headmaster could be trusted to keep such a personal fact a secret, indefinitely, until a time where it would become necessary or prudent to reveal it, if such a time were to ever come about. Still, how this mysterious figure of all people had come to find such a truth, he didn't know and that too was upsetting in itself.
"And what in particular do you want with me, if I dare ask?" He asked defensively, tensing himself as he prepared to reach for either, or both, his' pocket-watch and/or scythe to counteract whatever the being may prepare to cast upon him, especially since, with how she seemed to speak of and refer to it, she was the creator of the Goliath-and by that logic, all Grimm.
She chuckled, a sound which carried with it a tone of matriarchal warmth while also retaining a certain sense of noble serenity; a sound which seemed to calm and remind him of innocent times years ago, before his' life became what it was and would eventually wind up bringing him all the way to this moment in time, though eventually he refocused back on the present as his' momentary lull in thought passed.
As for the specter, once her moment of amusement at his' befuddlement passed, her stature suddenly grew somber, almost pensive, for the first time since their conversation began and her once wide smile shrank down to a stoic grin as she waved a hand forward, motioning towards him as she spoke.
"I have an offer I wish to present you with, traveler. Would you be willing to hear it?" She asked, her tone as neutral as it was inquisitive as she awaited his' next answer.
Searching her eyes for anything of note, he found nothing which would give him any real cause for concern and so decided to he would at least humor her and at least consider what she had to present him with.
"Fine, I'll hear it. But, before that I wish to know this: How is it that you've come to know about me and where I come from despite the fact that we've never come to meet and why is it that you've decided to let me know that you're privy to such information in the first place? Why do that, what would you gain from it?"
"Well the answer is obvious," She said, "I simply wished for you to understand the extent of my knowledge of nearly every aspect of Remnant and all of its pieces, only to recognize that you were never a part of the figurative board that is the world until just recently; quite simply, you were an anomaly, one which I kept an eye on through both my agents and constructs as I studied your strengths and nature before realizing that you, amongst all those that exist in this world, would come to be either the element to help bring about the end to all that I've orchestrated thus far or become the catalyst that would make all my visions for the future become a reality. I have only ever a handful a times made direct contact with certain… impartial individuals on the premise that they would come to see the world as I do. And now, despite the risk that you may refuse it, I come to offer you that very same opportunity: to help me carry out this final revolution against the world."
"And what is it exactly that you plan to achieve by the end of all this? What is it exactly that you want?" He asked, genuine curiosity marking his' tone.
"Peace, that's all I've ever wanted. And while some of my methods may seem a little less savory than some would prefer, the world's universal label, 'Grimm', being evidence of their reluctance to such means, all that I continue to work toward, even now, is not for sheer destruction, but revelation; Though, some establishments will have to be deconstructed through the plan's course, after all, to make what I plan to happen come true but it will be for the betterment of all sentient beings, Man and Faunus. Let me ask you this, do you know of the true nature of 'Grimm'? Do you really understand how they work and why they were created?"
"Well, I'd like to think I have some idea from what I've seen of them. At first glance they seem to be nothing but feral beasts, seemingly motivated by nothing other than the destruction of all living beings and all that they have built as well as invoking and being drawn to any and all negative emotions; whether it is sadness, fear, anger or the like."
"Such a naïve perspective, but one which the world seems to find comfort in for something they do not wish to understand. While much of that may indeed be true, my creations, as rudimentary as they are, were originally intended not to invoke distress, but to seek out its cause and eliminate it whenever it came about; they were supposed to be the Guardians of the world and all its inhabitants, but the world changed them, molded them into its image and eventually their hate came to taint their forms. Now, or I should say for some time, I have come to the realization that the only thing that the world will recognize is force and for that they now suffer because of it. And yet, despite the world seeming to portray itself as unified, never have its inhabitants come to hate each other so, for nothing other than the superficial notions such as that of one's species and appearance, a fact which they themselves are unable to control and are punished for. Even as I try to subtly unite the world against a common foe, such hate has yet to cease to exist." She paused, gathering herself as she suddenly realized her passion had gotten the best of her before continuing on with the conversation in a much more subdued tone. "I don't expect you to understand my motivations nor why I feel the need to do all this and more, my reasons are my own. Only a handful of souls that have ever existed can ever truly understand why I might feel this way, and they were the cause, each and every one of them in their own, unique way. Perhaps, in time, if you came to join me on my endeavor, you might come to know that final part about me, if proven trustworthy enough to earn such keep. But, no one, not even those who say they serve me, have yet earned that privilege. You are different-not motivated by selfish desire like all the rest, yet the power you hold would already have begun to taint a weaker soul and yet you remain irreproachable." She elaborated before her tone suddenly changed to one of both finality and imploration, something which would utterly shock him.
"I ask for you to join me, Traveler. So that together we can help bring about an end to all this suffering, to make it all worth something. So that by the end of it all there will be no more anger, no more pain. No. More. Sadness. Please, help me achieve this." At this point, the eyes which had for so long been fixed with both glee and a sense of aspiration now changed to a drastically different look which now portrayed equal parts hope and sincerity. And as he saw this, he thought to himself if he could really bring himself to turn aside from this passionately-genuine offer. And, despite the power which he could see lying behind those piercing, red eyes, he could also see the vulnerability, desperation and suffering which lay at their center.
Whatever had happened to bring this person to this point to use whatever abilities she had at her disposal to create something as controversial as the Grimm, and while he certainly couldn't begin to even judge her for what she felt she needed to do, not until he well and truly understood her, he couldn't help but admire her for her determination to do something about the state of the world and how it operated. But, the thing was, was that he knew that he couldn't condone such use of force and terror on what were, for the most part, innocent people, ignorant to the ways of the world as they blindly followed the crowd-mentality that existed around them as well as the rules, regulations and customs imposed upon them, for only so many were strong enough to go against the flow of the tide while trying the change the views of the people around them for the better. Thus, bringing himself back to the thought of where exactly he stood on her offer, he now found himself in the precarious situation of deliberating over which course he would go along with: Whether he would go with the oh-so-divisive 'the ends justify the means' course and join her cause to create a final fate that not even he could fathom for the most part or go with the safer, alternative route of establishing peace in a way only a white-knight-hero could; but, despite his' appearance, Gabriel was no white knight, he did not see his' opponents and point at them and suddenly declare them to be evil instead of simply misguided or misinformed. He didn't happen upon a seemingly stranded girl on the side of the road and proclaim them to be the innocent damsel-in-distress they appeared to be rather than some part of a ploy meant to catch unwary travelers. The world just wasn't that black and white, despite all the ways in which we consider it to be, for each and every person is just that, Human: As liable to be as righteous as they are to be corrupt, the only difference being their own motivations and how they chose to achieve them; Desperation alone could turn even the most pure and selfless of people into someone who would be willing to commit some of the worst atrocities imaginable-all with the best of intentions at heart and the world would be none the wiser as to the reasons why. And as such, everyone was unique, despite what some cynics would make you believe, and was equally capable of committing acts of both great good or great evil, and the only difference would be as significant as a flip of a coin.
Perhaps, Gabriel would sometimes muse to himself, had he been even a slightly more different soul than he was now, he might've come to be a super-villain. And knowing that, he couldn't come to fault this feminine-figure standing before him for trying to achieve what she felt needed to be done, for as he stared deep into the windows of her soul, he saw some of his' own self being reflected back into him.
And after many, desperate seconds of thought and contemplation as his' mind and body warred with itself, he made one of the most difficult decisions he'd ever been faced with in his' life and he gave her his' answer at last.
"I… I can't. Not like this. I'm… I'm sorry, but I cannot in good conscience go along with that. Willfully going along blindly with you just for the sake of the greater good, where would the line be drawn through all that? What would you have me overlook just for the sake of accomplishing your goals? No, despite all that I can see of you and hazarding an understanding of why you wish the world to be so for all that it has wrought upon you, it isn't within me to lay my own will over others to determine a fate to which they are forced to endure. I am no God, and for that I will not commit anything which I would expect others to excuse that I myself would not be willing to forgive. That is my decision, I'm sorry." There was a solemn tone in his' voice as he spoke this, and as he stared into the being's visage as it gazed back into his' own, he could feel only guilt for denying her, knowing that refusing to go with her vendetta would now make them unwilling enemies.
Her eyes turned downcast, turning her gaze asunder and instead staring into the ground as she recognized his' answer. It was not an answer she was unfamiliar with, over the course of her life she had long been familiar with the idea of rejection, for the world was in no short supply of that, but to have a someone she felt could well and truly consider her as something more than just another antagonist, the pain of his' refusal was almost crippling as the sensation washed coldly over her. Not because they were in any way familiar or close, for they had only just met after all, but because of their somewhat kindred spirits she felt she finally had someone else in this world that could come to see it as she had, and not just use the opportunity she presented to mold the world in a way they wished for their own personal gain. So, as the icy feeling of refusal flowed over her was it suddenly replaced with a bitter resentment, a feeling she had only felt once before in a time so very long ago by someone else she felt that she could trust, and it had been that feeling alone which had started this pursuit and driven her to this point, only for it to be renewed by another she thought could come to realize her plight.
"So that's your answer, then? You will let fear stay your hand? Do you dread so much the idea of having to sacrifice but only a small part of yourself to help this world realize itself? Does the thought of taking on this sense of responsibility really petrify you so? Or are you just frightened of the power you would gain from it? Are you worried, perhaps, of what you might turn into if you followed my course? Answer me!" She demanded as she looked back up at him, a sense of betrayal once again making itself known within her.
"No! I'm troubled by what ends you're willing to go to make this reality of yours happen! Who are you to torment the world just for your own ambitions?! Just how much are you truly willing to sacrifice?!" He accused, visibly quaking in steadily building outrage, for the answer that was always given in these scenarios always seemed to be the same.
"How dare you!" She gasped, infuriated. "You have no idea what I've had to face, all that I've seen and experienced in this broken world of ours! You have no right to judge me, none! And if you did know anything about me then you would truly understand why it is that I'd be willing to sacrifice the whole world to save it from the corrupt grasp of Men and Faunus alike! And here I come to offer you the chance to remain free of all that blame and to contribute towards a world of lasting peace! Your naiveté and reluctance to act in full blinds you to the possibilities of such a future, I should have known better than to hope that a Man could come to see such potential, even one as impartial as you! I had hoped you would have been different but it seems that you are just like all the rest, just another so called 'Hero'…"
It was at this point that the atmosphere around them began to change, wind picking up in intensity as it joined the swirling motion that perpetually remained around the shaded figure as she remain rooted in the remains of the Goliath. Yet, despite the raging winds, Gabriel stayed fixed in his' spot, even as his' mind wavered as he continued to observe the distraught form of the specter, the only thing he could feel beside these raging winds was the cold iciness of remorse as it seeped into him, though the feeling was to soon be compounded further with the woman's ensuing words.
"With you, things might have been different, but such prospects are now fleeting because of your hesitation and doubt. And for that the world will now continue on its course and burn, whether by its own hands or my own, and you will now join in its fate as well." She paused, her tone turning colder, more distant, wounded even. "This world did not have to be your grave, traveler, but now that you've found yourself home there, you are now welcome in it. Goodbye..."
And on that last, sorrowful note her manifested body began to fade into the tumultuous form of the vortex surrounding it, where the last thing Gabriel saw of her were those desperate, red eyes that gazed almost regretfully back at him as their glow ebbed and blinked away altogether with one last bat of an eye. And just like that, she was gone…
Yet, even as her form disappeared into the leftover darkness from the Goliath's remains, the gale-force winds did not let up in the least and if anything they seemed to worsen. Now that the specter had disappeared it seemed all sense of control or restraint in the wind's flow had left it as well and now the vortex continued to seemingly spiral out of control, to the point where Gabriel actually began to worry exactly how far of an extent the event was willing to go to and the effects it would leave behind if it continued to increase in intensity.
Though, as he continued to ponder upon this line of thinking, he couldn't help but take notice of the fact that as the perpetually circling winds continued in their motions, a steadily rising rhythmic droning/swooshing sound began to emanate from the developing phenomenon. And, despite presuming the circling forces were uncontrolled, the diameter of the base of the steadily building whirlwind never seemed to exceed that of the actual depth/length of the Goliath itself and the only real indicator as to its growth came not from an increase in its width but rather its height as it steadily circled into the atmosphere above and into the sky, creating a narrow tower of black wind.
From his' spot along the ground some distance away from the actual event, Gabriel jabbed the handle of his' scythe into the ground and used it to help hold himself in place as to not fall over, his' cloak flapping about him all the while; Though, he wasn't particularly worried about the wind dragging him away into their currents as, of this moment and from what he could tell of it forthcoming, they weren't nearly powerful enough to feasibly lift him off his' feet.
As the moments passed, the towering winds only continued to grow in their journey to touch the sky and only a minute later it seemed as if it had reached its goal, as only a minute later after the event had started in its wayward course into the heavens, they finally reached cover of low-hanging clouds some hundreds of feet into the air. And, as expected, once the raging spiral of wind reached the docile, airborne pockets if moisture did they too gather the wafting essences of the clouds around them as they drifted and encircled the top edge of the blackened column before being drawn in entirely into its black depths.
This event continued for some indeterminate, if ephemeral, span of time where more and more clouds further along the edge of the column's event horizon began to be drawn into its vicinity. Then, seemingly as soon as the entire event had started, the column's growth had ceased entirely, passing just over the cover of clouds around it. Despite this, the tower had yet to recede in the slightest, only seeming to stagnate in its increase in altitude while leaving its rotation seemingly untouched for the moment.
Then, almost at once, it began to dissipate.
Where the once-strong winds of the towering, black tornado had once been, air began to occupy its space. Even as the black winds continued on unwaveringly in their sustained sense of direction, it seemed that the bonds that once held the pillar together had, seemingly all at once, gave out for no apparent reason. And now, despite the winds remaining determined to carry on in their course, without their unseen-bonds to hold them they all began to go wayward where they all individually began to disappear into the atmosphere surrounding them, each passing moment allowing more and more of the once-proud pillar of darkness to fade away into obscurity.
And yet, only a minute later after this final stage in its short cycle of existence had begun, where there had once been both a towering force and an equally magnificent site of the Grimm's collapsing remains seemingly only dust and echoes from the site's roaring winds was left to mark where it once stood; a black smudge along the ground where the Goliath once existed and a brief flurry of wind sweeping that peculiar area in an arc along the ground before leaving the area in absolute stillness once more.
Observing the whole event, Gabriel finally released some of the tension on his' grip of the weapon embedded into the ground before plunging it back out almost effortlessly now that the small-scale crisis was over, and with it he was left only with the same feeling of numbness and sense of taciturn from before the event started.
Now that he had some peace and was left with his' thoughts, Gabriel could only wonder to himself if it really was the 'right' choice for him to pick the safe, optimistic option of continuing on as is and doing what he could for the world now that he was on the way to becoming a fully-trained huntsman, for surely all that training and experience in the world would mean something, right? Still, even if nobody else would tell him, he could tell that even an ambiguous route such as joining the shadowed-figure on their vendetta might have been filled with some promise, with the knowledge and capabilities such a figure had to be able to create an entire race of subservient creatures, no matter how vicious they seemed to be, the both of them in league with one another might have been all but unstoppable. But, like the figure's departing words had said, '…such prospects [were] now fleeting…'
Still, he had made his' decision and was relieved at no longer having the pressure from having to choose over one half of his' character that wanted absolute solutions to a problem only an antagonist of the world could grant and the other half of him that wished to explore the potential this world and its inhabitants had as they created their own future, for better or for worse. And at the end of the day, despite his' regrets, there wasn't anything else that could be done and so he resolved himself to continue along with this choice and the course it would have him follow.
And so, going along with that last train of thought, he once again made his' way towards the ruins where he would hopefully find whatever relic(s) he would need in order to advance through this initiation and whatever else may lay lie beyond that.
A/N: Short chappie for you guys, but I kinda wanted to split the chapter out a bit since the next part wouldn't really match with the title, and theme, of this chapter. So, like this chapter, it shouldn't be too much longer until the next chapter is released… maybe. Anyway, love you all and looking forward to any feedback you're willing to give.
This is The Brutal Legend, signing off and logging out.
