This chapter is going to be a huge lore dump for this universe.
The final three words from Jinn send Saint-14 into a rage. He snaps Perfect Paradox at her and fires twice. She avoids both shots. Time stops all around them.
"Oh, I see you still remember me, Saint-Fourteen," Jinn chuckles. "It's so good to see you after ordering my-"
"Your kind are supposed to be dead. How are you here? I remember Wei Ning destroyed you." Saint keeps the shotgun trained on the Ahamkara, who decided to embody its true form. The dragon look suits it better than whatever humanoid combination it was going for.
~ I sure do miss Riven. ~
Jinn laughs. "Oh dear, it seems that you still have a grudge against me. Girls and boys, this won't count against the questions that are remaining, Saint-Fourteen and I, we have some catching up to do."
Ruby looks at Saint. "You know Jinn?"
"I know enough about her to understand the type of harm her kind can inflict. We're treading on thin ice, choose your words wisely." Saint squints. "So tell me, how are you still alive?"
Jinn claps twice. "My, my, you're just looking for a way to kill me again, are you now?"
A hand grabs Saint by the shoulder and roughly pulls his body to face someone. Yang has her eyes flared. "You've killed this thing!?" Her fist tightens and she looks ready to punch someone. "Are you keeping secrets from us, too!?"
Ozpin stands up. "Impossible…that can't be!"
"To answer Saint-Fourteen's question…" Jinn snaps her fingers and the environment around everyone changes. "Let's bring us to Venus…to everyone else, this is another planet in a solar system far, far away…"
Wei Ning, a famous Striker Titan stands in front of all of them, her fists cracking with Arc. She stands before the dying body of an Ahamkara. It doesn't move outside of weak movements at the edges. A Vex Mind appears above it and teleports it away as quickly as it came in.
~ The Titan did put up a good fight. Unfortunate that the Vex had to interfere. We had it coming, though. We were battling on their territory after all. ~
"She nearly killed me, but that mind saved me and brought me here, where a God of Life gave me a new purpose," Jinn scoffs. "It put me in a lamp, you don't even know how cramped it was in there! Anyways, that's enough of my story-"
Saint throws his Shield at her. She splits into two and forms back together.
~ Ah, the Light. How it intrigues me so. ~
"Aggressive now, are we?" The Ahamkara looks at Ruby. "Hm, I can already guess your question…perhaps you want to know what dear-old Ozpin is hiding from you all?"
Ruby is caught by surprise. "Yes, that's what- "
"Wait," Saint says. "You're taking a risk making a deal with an Ahamkara."
"Please, give the girl a break, I'm trapped in a way so that I can't manipulate her wish, much to my displeasure." Jinn giggles. "Anyways, go on."
~ Those foolish "Gods" thought they could control me? Don't make me laugh. ~
"I want to know what Ozpin has been hiding from us."
"NO!" Ozpin leaps at Ruby.
"Well, don't let me stop you!" A flash of white.
"Don't think this is over, wish-dragon!" Saint bellows as he's put into an empty white void.
"For now, yes. Those girls will ask quite a few questions," Jinn says.
~ Oh, how we aren't. This humanoid form is suffocating. Break me out, please. Let me into your mind, make me as real as you want me to be. I wouldn't mind a bit of freedom. ~
. . .
A narration begins. Saint is put into a woman's bedroom. The woman has platinum-blonde hair and wears a long, white dress that drags on the floor underneath her. She is looking out of a window, her arms crossed and her eyes sorrowful.
The décor of the room screams…Hive.
"Salem was a girl who desired one thing, freedom," Jinn starts. "Locked away by Crota, son of Oryx, as one of his schemes to increase his power…"
"The Hive operated on a different philosophy. The Sword Logic, which dictates that existence is the struggle to exist and that those who cannot defend themselves, should rightfully be destroyed by a more powerful being." The room cuts to Hive battling amongst themselves. "To become stronger in this philosophy, one must rend their enemies and sharpen their own swords, per se."
The scene goes back to Salem's prison. "As a scheme, Crota would trap a young and fair maiden and challenge those who wish to free her, as a way of strengthening himself and to please his father."
"Salem would stay trapped in her tower, toying with her magic in a time where magic was a gift from the Gods. She yearned for freedom," Jinn says. The environment changes to the outside of the Hive fortress, where the pathway is ridden with broken swords and discarded armor. A young knight stands tall, his scepter at his side and his cape billowing into the wind. "Until one day, a warrior came to brave Crota's challenge. He was known as Ozma."
Saint's hand passes through the figure and he pulls it back in surprise.
"Unlike those who had come before, this warrior was not driven by the prize of the young maiden's hand. He fought only for righteousness and his pure heart and courageous soul prevailed. Crota had been bested for once." Ozma walks up to the tower, passing by the remains of other warriors. Blue smoke reforms the scene and it portrays an image of Ozma clashing his scepter with the Hive prince himself, Crota. The portrayal of the beast stirs rage inside Saint and he throws a punch at it. His hand goes through. The next image is of Crota retreating into a portal, his three eyes glowing dimmer, as if in shame. His chitin sword is chipped, falling apart.
Ozma opens up the door leading to Salem's room. She stands up and a grateful smile grows on her face. They run and battle the Hive side-by-side with their magic powers.
"This defeat set in motion the arrival of a far deadlier being. Crota's father, Oryx, First Navigator." Jinn pauses as the setting switches to a hexahedron floating in space. Saint is put in front of Oryx, looking up in shock at the Hive king. The beast extends his crooked and bone-like wings.
The scene switches back to the outside of the Hive fortress. Ozma and Salem are running, holding their hands together. They stop to catch their breath then look at each other.
"They escaped the wretched fortress, and yet something bound them together."
"So, where should we go now?" Salem asks, smiling.
Ozma offers his hand to her. "Wherever you'd like."
"The two fell deeply in love, planned adventures around the world and lived happily ever after."
~ Ugh. ~
"Or at least, that's what should have been."
The scene changes to Salem kneeling at Ozma's bedside, holding his hand and sobbing.
"Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed."
~ I wonder if Oryx can Take a disease. ~
Ozma's body disappears in smoke. Salem continues sobbing, his scepter in her two hands.
"How could the gods let this happen?" the woman cries.
Two orbs, one bright yellow and the other a dark purple circles above Salem's head.
"The gods, brothers of light and darkness, creation and destruction. Salem prayed they would see the injustice that had befallen her love and make things right."
~ Really? Creation and destruction? Sometimes I wonder to what extent one can endlessly glorify the Gardener whilst slandering the Winnower. ~
A blue smoke washes the setting away, changing it to a stairway leading up to a mountain. The sun casts a great shadow over a massive bone-colored sphere hovering above.
"The Domain of Light was a sacred place."
Salem approaches the stairway and kneels, putting down a bouquet of lavender flowers onto a step. Ozma's scepter is in her hands too.
"It was here the elder brother dwelled beside his fountain of life and creation. It was here…where mankind would fall to ruin."
"That's the Traveler," Saint mumbles as he follows Salem up the stairs. Once at the top, he scans the supposed Domain of Light. It's a valley with a pool of water and a tree at the center, surrounded by shining golden flowers. His voice is taken away from him. He can't speak when faced with such beauty in front of him.
Saint watches as Salem steps down the long staircase and stands in front of the pool. Her eyes widen as a golden figure with smooth antlers emerges, walking on the water towards her. She collapses to her knees.
"Please…please, bring him back to me!" She sobs.
"I understand your pain, but you demand of me that which I cannot make so. Life and death are part of a delicate balance." The God of Light's voice is omnipresent, like its speaking from all around. He clasps his hands together.
~ That plan must have gone out of the window. ~
"So…you won't do it then?"
"To disrupt the cycle of-"
"But that's not fair!" Salem rises to her feet and her voice echoes.
"Let. Him. Rest," he says, his voice stern. His hands fall to the sides.
A whirlwind of golden petals brings Salem back to the front of the steps.
"No," she whispers.
A blue swirl and a dark realm presents itself. A skeleton with a sword driven between a ribcage lays in front of a stairway leading up to a mountain. It mirrors that of the Domain of Light's but presents a dark, foreboding feeling. A black pyramid floats above the environment, emanating an unseen, oppressive weight on the soul.
"The God of Darkness…none dare to enter his home, as men knew what monstrosities emerged from his blackened pools of annihilation."
Salem walks up the steps and falls to her knees in front of a black pool. A dark purple humanoid emerges, the body twisted and contorted in unnatural ways. It makes snapping sounds as it swings side to side, before it looks at her with its head upside-down, the torso curving upwards.
Saint looks around as Grimm approaches and the God of Darkness starts crawling towards Salem.
"And so you must understand the Dark Lord's surprise when he found a lone woman kneeling before him. Salem understood it well. She told him of her loss and professed that she knew only he could answer her prayers, all while careful to make no mention of his elder."
Salem's words aren't hearable but the conviction in her expression is obvious.
"Rise, child, and let your faith in me be rewarded," the God says. Salem does so.
The God of Darkness summons a purple sphere by reaching his palm out in front of him. From it, Ozma's body appears and drops to the ground. Salem drops to her knees in front of him and Ozma gasps, life suddenly fulfilling the dead man's eyes.
"Where am I? What is this!? Where am I!?" The warrior is distressed and his head glances side-to-side.
Salem caresses him, rubbing her hand on the back of his neck while her knees support his back. "It's okay! Everything's going to be okay!"
The sound of thunder. Saint turns around and sees the God of Light at the top of the stairs entering the Darkness' domain.
"What have you done?" He says, his voice grave.
"I have done what I please, brother. You may bask in the powers of creation but you do not own them." The God of Dark steps past Salem, approaching his brother.
The God of Light brings his hand out to the couple on the floor.
"This isn't what we agreed to."
"Do not lecture me!"
The Grimm beasts start approaching the God of Light.
"I will do what I must to maintain order." He puts his hand out and Ozma fades away, consumed by an orange aura.
"No! No! What did you do!? Bring him back!" Salem cries.
"You dare enter my domain and show such disrespect!" Ozma's body appears again.
"I am abiding the rules we agreed upon! You're corrupting the very essence of the game we are playing!"
The God of Darkness transforms into a dark dragon and snarls at the God of Light. The Grimm attack the being of Light but he disintegrates them all with a flash of light. He transforms into a different type of dragon, glowing gold.
"I know we haven't agreed on everything, but I have not come here with the aim to convince you. This woman came to you only after I denied her pleas – pleas that would have broken the rules of the game we play together."
The God of Darkness hums and ponders. "Hum…now that I have given it a second thought, you are correct. Perhaps I do owe you an apology…"
"No, please!" Salem raises her arms and Arc starts crackling in a field around her. The God of Light lunges at her. She is teleported into the skies, above the Domain of Light and plunges into the water. She reemerges over it, able to walk on top. The two brothers stand side by side in front of her.
"When you first came to me, I did pity you. But it is clear now that your selfishness and arrogance have led you astray."
Salem stands back up. "What did you do to me?" She looks at her hands. Her body is shimmering.
"You are immortal."
"What?"
"You cannot die. You cannot be with your beloved. No one in this world will be able to slay you, not even yourself."
~ No one in this world. They didn't mention others. ~
. . .
The story continues as Salem tries many times to end her own life. Every time, she drops dead but wakes up the second after. Her frustration grows. She then realizes that the Gods were fallible, that they could be turned against each other.
So she thought that she could turn humanity on them and try to rid herself of this curse.
"The gods had hoped that Salem would learn from her eternal curse, and she did. She learned that the hearts of men are easily swayed," Jinn says.
Everything culminates into a final showdown between an army of troops that spans out into the horizon confronting the two Gods in their dragon forms.
"Who has led you down this path?" The God of Light asks. Salem walks through the crowds of warriors and makes her way to the front of them.
"You." The God of Dark roars. The Traveler above starts to rise up into the sky.
Salem launches a fireball and the warriors follow suit with their own forms of magic. The God of Dark catches it all into his hand and transforms it into a purple sphere of energy.
"Our gift to them…used against us," he says. "This cannot be allowed, don't you think brother?"
The God of Light looks to the floor and his brother squeezes the sphere. A purple beam emerges from it and consumes everything.
Saint is brought into space as the world and every living thing inside it is consumed and turned into ash.
Salem is the only one that remains.
"You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?" The God of Dark asks.
"I'll come back, I'll tell the rest of the world of this massacre!" Salem yells.
The God of Dark chuckles. "You do not understand, there is no one left. It is just you."
Salem's eyes widen at the revelation. The Traveler is now gone, having flown into space.
The God of Light sighs. "This planet was a beautiful experiment but it appears that we haven't controlled it properly. Come, brother, we must learn of our mistakes." He disappears.
"No, no! You can't leave! Come back!"
"Still demanding things of your creators…" The God of Dark mumbles before flying into the air and shattering a part of the moon. Fragments crash into the planet.
"Once again, Salem was alone…but not for long."
The setting changes. Salem is walking alone, through abandoned villages and through the wilderness.
"She cursed the gods. She cursed the universe. She cursed everything, everything but herself. She wandered the face of the planet, awaiting a death that would never come…"
Salem finds herself standing over the edge of a cliff that was once the Domain of Darkness. The black pyramid floating above is also gone. She looks down at the black, tar-like pool underneath her.
"Until fate led her back to the Land of Darkness. This was it, this had to be it. The brother's Grimm, the pools of black that continued to give rise to horrific nightmares. IF the fountain of life granted her immortality, then surely, the pools of Grimm will finally take it away."
Salem falls forward and submerges herself into the pool.
"She was wrong."
~ Ha. Her foresightedness always brings her to that result. If only she thought about things a bit more… ~
"It didn't destroy her, oh no. It only gave her the desire for pure destruction." Salem crawls out of the pool, her skin now a pale white as well as her hair. Her eyes snap open, revealing black irises surrounded by a crimson red.
A being towering over her lands in front of her with a stomp that shakes the ground around them.
"Oryx…" Saint mutters. The Hive king brandishes his sword.
Salem scrambles to her feet as she has to look up to face the giant Hive monster.
"Are you the one that has slain…Ozma?" Oryx asks, with an unexpected calmness to it. He's perplexed.
"No, how could you think that!?" Salem seethes.
"You are the only person that lives on this wretched planet," Oryx hums. "I will take my leave but not before I kill you. This is already a waste of my time."
Salem laughs. "Go ahead, try."
Oryx is angered by the taunt. He slashes at her with his sword and sends her flying. She crumbles to the floor and is then blasted by Hive fire that consumes everything in its path. She stands back up, dusting off her robes.
The Hive king snarls and his wings stretch out, making a crackling sound that makes Saint wince. Oryx flies at her.
The next few minutes consist of Oryx trying various techniques of Hive magic to slay Salem to no avail. He teleports her into the Dreadnaught, sends waves of Hive to destroy her, blasts her with the power of the Darkness. She suffers a great deal of pain, dies many times but comes back to life after every attack.
"This…this isn't possible! You're the Final Shape!? No, that can't be!" Oryx is in disbelief. "Go, use my sword, slay me!" He drops his sword to her feet.
She picks it up, nearly falling over due to its weight. She tries to swing at him but loses control of the blade and stumbles to her knees.
"Hm…I must be thinking about this wrong…" A realization dawns on Oryx. He cuts her down and teleports himself into a different realm. This one is completely dark, with faint edges of light that provide a bare minimum of visibility. "Ah, there we are…so you're a long lost sister?"
Salem in front of him, her powers at the ready.
The two clash with the utmost fury. Oryx slays her. She falls dead, her Ascendant form warping into a pocket between dimensions.
"With Oryx, those that fall beneath his blade…they aren't truly dead. He twists them, Takes them for his own purposes," Jinn says. "He transforms them into their final form, at their most powerful so they can serve him best."
Salem is returned screaming back into the world, begging to be let free of this mortal realm.
"She cursed everything: The Gods, the universe, Oryx. All while inhabiting her new form."
Oryx hovers above her with his arms crossed. "I will return, I expect a great deal of tribute from you when the inhabitants of this world return. Make use of your new Ascendant Realm. I made some improvements." He is gone the second after.
~ Shame that Ruby's question wasn't vaguer…perhaps they would know what happened to Oryx, galaxies away. ~
Saint is brought into a realm of infinite Light. Ozma is laying on his back, his eyes shut. They open and he stands up. He walks towards the God of Light, his hands clasped together.
"…Where am I?" Ozma asks, his eyes darting around.
"We are between realms," the God of Light says. "I'm afraid a tragedy has befallen your home at the hands of my brother. We have chosen to depart this world, but in our absence, I would like to offer you the chance to return to it."
"I…don't understand."
"Mankind is no more, yet your world remains. In time, your kind will grow to walk its face once again. Perhaps you'll meet others like you." A scene flashes behind the God. A person with a rifle and a Ghost hovering beside their head stands above a hill, looking down. She turns around, with her grey Ghost.
It's the Guardian and she's still as cocky as he remembers.
The scene disappears. The God of Light summons four black objects: A staff, a sword, a crown, and a lamp.
"Creation, destruction, choice, and knowledge were the ideals upon which humanity was made. Now I leave them behind with the hope that you will learn to remake yourselves." He pauses. "These four Relics are infused with other-worldly powers and if brought together, will summon my brother and I back to your world. Humanity will be judged and if they have learned to live in harmony with one another then we shall once again live among you. But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and the powers of Dark will consume you all. This was our first experiment with life…mankind is not the only instance of life in this universe."
Ozma is caught with an "uh."
"You will reincarnate until your task is complete, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone."
"Oscar…" Saint mutters.
Ozma falls to his knees. "I'm sorry, but that world just isn't as dear to me without her. If I may, I'd rather return to the afterlife to see Salem." He looks sullen.
"You will not find her there," the God of Light says, rather promptly.
Ozma's eyes widen. "You mean she isn't gone?"
"Salem lives, but the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone. Heed this warning…where you seek comfort, you will only find pain. So-"
"I'll do it."
The God of Light raises an eyebrow at his sudden answer. "Very well, our creation rests within your hands." He disappears.
"And so, Ozma was reborn."
~ The first Guardian? I wonder what makes a Guardian. ~
. . .
The next few parts of the story tell about Ozma—in someone else's body—living in this new world. He finds Salem, they develop another relationship, make a great kingdom acting as the "Gods" of this world and everything falls apart.
Ozma dies after a final clash with her in their castle and is reborn. A montage of various reincarnations where it appears that he has fallen into alcoholism, for many lifetimes.
"Some lives were spent in mourning, many were spent attempting to forget it all."
Saint chuckles. "I can tell."
~ Oh, Saint. ~
The Titan tunes out Jinn's voice. He has heard someone say something, followed by a low giggle.
~ You didn't hear me all this time? You're losing your hearing, old man.
"You." Saint draws Perfect Paradox as he looks around to find the source of this voice.
~ As long as the lamp is near you, I'll always be here.
"You come out here so I can finish what Wei Ning started!"
~ Please, you think I would do that? We've spent enough time interrupting the story, ta ta, oh warrior mine. ~
"Come back here, you coward!"
Nothing. The Ahamkara doesn't speak anymore. Her whispers are gone.
Saint is placed back into another world. Ozma in another form is in front of Jinn, holding the Relic of Knowledge.
Jinn appears, in all her ~Ahamkara greatness~.
"Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light. He asked me his questions."
"Where are the other Relics?" Is his first question. "What powers do they possess?" Is his second.
"I gave him my answers, but not all of them did he like."
"How do I destroy Salem?"
"You can't." The word "you" is well-emphasized. Ozma falls to his knees.
"He can't…but I think I know of some people that can," Saint says, talking to a figure that can't hear him. He chuckles.
The real world comes back to him. Saint looks around. Team RWBY is in various levels of anger. Saint finds himself beside a tree, a few yards away from them.
They all surround Ozpin, who's on his knees.
Saint doesn't listen to them as they pelt the reincarnated man with angry questions.
All of a sudden, the contact of a fist against flesh, then a body is sent flying into the tree, slamming against the trunk.
"No one wanted me…I was cursed…I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world…I thought I was finally doing some good…" Qrow says, between gritted teeth.
"But, you are!" Ozpin pleads, tears flowing down his cheeks.
"Meeting you, was the worst luck of my life," Qrow says with a softness that indicates defeat. He's lost something important in his mind.
Saint helps Ozpin up. "Enough, all of you."
"What do you mean, 'enough'!? You heard Jinn! Salem can't be killed!" Yang snarls.
"I know enough about Ahamkara to know that isn't true at all." He points to Ozpin. "She said that he can't kill her! She wasn't talking for anyone else!"
"If he can't kill her, then who can!?" She asks, fuming. "And what about that Oryx guy!? He's more powerful than her!"
"Once we get back with the rest of the group, we can find a plan that will put her into the ground!"
"How are we supposed to believe you when we just learned that you don't even come from Remnant!?" Blake exclaims, stepping beside Yang. "You both have questions to answer!"
"I know and I'm willing to answer them all later," Saint says. Perfect Paradox appears on his back. "Salem isn't the worst my kind have faced, she would've been put down by a three-man fireteam with only their knives and fists!"
"Now, let's get out of this snow and find ourselves someplace warm to rest!" Saint says, commanding authority.
"Guys…" Oscar mutters. "He's gone."
"What happened-" Ruby asks.
"We're done here, let's MOVE." Saint turns and faces a wide trail that leads further into the first in front of him. "There is a trail here and if we don't get our asses out of here, we will freeze to death."
"Don't think this is over, Saint!" Yang says from behind.
"I know. I will answer all your questions in good time, with Osiris."
Uh oh, it seems that we have an Ahamkara infestation in this story. I'll get the whirlwind blade.
It's not an infestation, oh reader mine. Just relax, and enjoy the show. ~