This brand new world, born of the ambitions of the gods, was a wondrous one; filled with opportunity and possibility. Salem was the first of its inhabitants, created by the brothers to guide their newest and greatest creation, humanity.
Blessed with boundless knowledge, she was given the task of teaching the ever growing population about the world around them, as well as their places in it.
Trapped within the illusion the powerful entity known as Jinn had created: Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos, Ozpin in the body of Oscar Pine, and Maria Calavera had no other choice but to listen as Jinn faithfully answered Ruby's question. They watched, their skewed dimensional planes preventing them from interacting with each other, as Salem taught the burgeoning humanity everything from the World Tree, to the flora and fauna around them in this brand new world.
She was much different from how Ozpin had originally described back in the cabin. Her supposed cracked, grey skin and blackened scars were replaced with unblemished alabaster. Her golden locks replaced white tendrils and wafted in the gentle breeze like silk. Her smile warmed the hearts of all who looked upon it. Was such a being really the source of all the evil in the world?
They watched as the children grew older and had children of their own. Salem teaching them all. The process repeated and the world continued to grow around them, but Salem remained at her tree, later theater built by her students in a show of gratitude. However, no matter how much time had passed, Salem's skin never lost its youthful luster. This was another blessing given to her by the Gods.
Jinn's narration continued.
Salem was proud of her duty as humanity's teacher. How could she not be? This honor was bestowed directly upon her by her creators. For years she had enjoyed this most sacred of tasks, but just like her students, she too was cursed with the disease of curiosity.
"Lady Salem?"
"Yes?"
"My father says the Gods are always watching over us. Is that true?"
"Yes it is." The teacher nodded proudly. "The Gods are always watching over and protecting us."
"Then why do bad things still happen?"
Salem was momentarily struck dumb by this question. Strange that in all of her years this never occurred, but the Gods were more active then. As the years passed they preferred their solitude. There were times Salem had wondered why such powerful beings allowed them to suffer in various - sometimes horrific - ways, but she always brushed those thoughts away under the impression that it was her creators' will. It was part of their experiences living in this world.
"It is not our place to speculate on the actions of the Gods, dear." she finally answered with a smile. "They have their reasons. We must understand that and abide their will. I assure you that we are all still showered by their love. We are their children after all."
"Oh…ok." The child lowered their head in apology. "I'm sorry for asking a stupid question."
"Don't apologize. Curiosity is one of many blessings given to us by the Gods. There are no such things as stupid questions. Now let's continue the lesson."
The question continued to burrow into Salem's mind and eat away at her thoughts long after she had answered it. Why did bad things happen? Disease, war, famine, and disasters were all common things in this world; but why? She had met the Gods. They were omnipotent and omniscient. Surely they saw all of these atrocities, yet they did not intervene. Had humanity done something to earn their distaste? Salem would not be satisfied until she learned the truth for herself.
The scene shifted amidst a wave of blue mist, sweeping away the observers. The next thing they saw was Salem placing an offering of flowers on the ground before ascending a long stairway carved into a mountainside. Beautiful flowers bloomed along the perfectly clean, white stones. At the top of the stairs was a lush, golden valley with a crystal clear pond in its center. Despite the freezing temperatures along the mountain, this elegant valley was unusually warm.
This was the domain of the God of Light, the older of the two brother Gods.
In the middle of the shimmering waters of the pond stood a vibrant tree bathed in a warm, golden light. A few of its flaxen leaves gently fell from the branches and danced atop the water, forming a perfect circle. Specks of light lit up the water's surface and a shining figure slowly rose from the depths.
A man with no face, his body chiseld as if it were made from marble, and deer horns atop his head appeared before Salem. This was the God of Light. As he approached her, she fell to her knees and bowed her head in reverence to the supreme being.
The girls were stunned at the sight of the deity as Jinn spoke.
Many offered various flowers and other valuables in hopes to speak with the Gods, but Salem was the only one allowed to look upon their holy visage. Such was her privilege as the first. She had come before, giving her thoughts to the God of Light on the state of humanity and how they progressed, but on this day, her fate would be forever changed.
"Salem. Why have you come?"
"Forgive my impudence, Creator, but I've come for an answer to a question that has been burning in my mind recently."
"You may speak."
"Why is it that humanity suffers?" she asked her question plainly and without a hint of malice or sadness. "They dedicate their lives in service to you and your brother, our creators, but they are stricken with famine, disease, war, and death. I do not understand it."
The God Light pondered this question for a brief moment. "In everything there is a system. A way in which things must be done to preserve balance." he replied. "Life and death are part of that system. Too much life would dwindle resources, and too much death would leave the world barren. Thus it is essential that both be nurtured equally. What humanity experiences are merely trials created to strengthen them. What you teach them will be the tools they need to survive these trials. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
"Y-yes! It does. Thank you for indulging my selfishness."
"Continue to guide humanity well, Salem." With that, the God of Light returned to the ether.
"Yes! I will, Creator!"
Salem bowed her head and traveled back to her home, the warmth of the atrium giving way to the coldness of the surrounding mountains.
The scenes started to move along again, showing the changing seasons as Salem resumed teaching.
As time wore on, Salem could still not shake the uneasiness she felt after speaking with the God of Light. She understood the meaning of balance, but she could not easily shake loose her doubts. So she embarked on another journey hoping for a different answer.
"You forget your place, girl!"
"Forgive me!" Salem immediately bowed her head in apology.
Unsatisfied with the answer of the older brother, she sought guidance from the younger. Unlike his older brother, the God of Darkness had a lanky, almost sickly frame, the horns adorning his head twisted like a demon's. His color was also the exact opposite of his brothers, a dark mass in place of golden radiance. His realm was much different as well. A black pool surrounded by dead creatures and skeletons. His temperament was also different. Unlike his older brother's measured and patient kindness, the Dark God's demeanor was much more irritable and aggressive.
"It is not the place of you mortals to question your creators. You should be content that you are allowed to enjoy in the bounty we have provided at all."
"Of course!"
"Begone from my sight, and never bring this nonsense to my domain again."
"Yes! I am very sorry!"
The God of Darkness faded away, once more leaving Salem unsatisfied. Yet she had now resigned herself to not knowing the truth. As she said "they have their reasons".
Salem carried on with her task, doing her best to lead humanity as she was created to do. Eventually, the doubts that she had acquired started to fade, but she would soon see that not all shared her patience and wisdom.
In another wash of blue smoke, Ruby, Pyrrha, Yang, Maria, and Ozpin found themselves standing in the middle of a bloody and violent battle. All around them men slaughtered each other as women and children cowered in fear for their lives. The gruesome sight of dead and dismembered bodies strewn without care across the village plain made Ruby want to vomit.
She heard a scream and turned her head towards the village. A crazed man with a sword was chasing after a woman and her child.
"Your fate shall not be denied, sinner!"
The woman tripped, bringing her child with her in the process as the man loomed over them with his weapon raised. Without a second thought Ruby raced over with her Semblance.
"Stop!"
She forced herself between them, but her words echoed into the abyss. The blade the crazed soldier wielded passed through her as if she were a ghost and killed the woman instantly, the blade cutting into her neck. Angry tears stained the girl's eyes as she watched the child be dragged away, desperately screaming for their deceased mother.
It was a sobering reminder that she was only a spectator to Jinn's tale. Nothing she said or did affected the outcome of the story.
Jinn continued.
Those that believed in the Gods and those that didn't engaged in a bloody battle that spanned years. Salem was caught in the middle, forced to ignore the cries of those she had once called her students as they brutally killed one another in cold blood over their reckless ideals. She was torn. She could only teach humanity, beyond that she was forbidden to interfere. They must live their own lives, and make their own choices. So was the will of the Gods. Yet she could not ignore the pain in her heart. She had to find a way to stop the violence.
Then she came upon the idea, that if the war was fought over the Gods, then they would be the ones to stop it.
Salem appealed many times to the brothers, but they never heeded her calls. No matter how many times she entered their domains, they refused to appear before her. Truly they had left her – and by extension humanity – alone to deal with their own problems.
Salem sat in her theater, eyes wet with tears as fires of hatred burned across the world; scorching all who dared share a difference of belief. All Salem could do was weep, cursing her own powerlessness as the once vibrant world she loved turned dark.
"How could you let this happen?!"
Salem's voice went raw as she screamed at her creators, both together in the God of Light's domain.
Not long after the war concluded, Salem traveled to the God of Light once more, to her overwhelming shock and anger she was greeted by both Gods upon her arrival. Her hands and clothes stained with the blood of her students. Her golden hair disheveled, and her eyes were swollen from tears, Salem begged her masters for an answer.
"Why?! They prayed to you! Begged for salvation! And you ignored them! Why?!"
Salem didn't understand. Her creators were all powerful and wise. They loved their land and the creatures they created. They loved their children. Why did they allow such senseless murder to happen in their name? Why did they not stop humanity from destroying itself?
"The fault lies not with us, girl, but with you." spoke the God of Darkness. "You were created to shepherd humanity in our stead; teach them the ways of this new world they have been gifted, but you wavered. You allowed their doubts to infect you, and thus those same doubts lead to the collapse of their faith and their civilization. Your indecisiveness lead them to them to war."
Salem's eyes went wide with shock. "T-that's…I-"
"We truly are disappointed in you, Salem." Said the God of Light. "Perhaps our expectations were too high."
"N-no!" she bowed her head, tears stinging her eyes. "I apologize for my failure! I swear to be better! I will lead humanity down the right path! Allow me a second chance, please! I won't fail you again!"
"You misunderstand." The God of Darkness said. "Humanity is beyond help. They scoffed at our bounty and allowed themselves to be tainted by indecision and pettiness. There is no guiding them now."
"What…what are you saying?"
Salem turned to the God of Light for an answer, but his gaze left her. Though he had no facial descriptors to speak of: no eyes, mouth, or nose, she could tell that he was disappointed in her.
A ball of dark energy swirled inside the Dark God's hand. The pressure made Salem's hairs stand on end and her body shake with a primal, otherworldly fear. As if her very bones were screaming in terror.
"Wait! What are you doing?!"
Without another word uttered, the God of Darkness closed his hand around the ball. The energy collapsed under the pressure, quaking and shuddering in his grasp before violently screaming out in all directions. A massive wave of dark energy passed through Salem, grasping her soul and dropping her to her knees. The wave continued on, exiting the Gods' domain and sweeping across the planet. Ruby and her friends watched in terror as every human the wave touched disintegrated into nothing. Men, women, and children all gone in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but ash blowing in the wind.
"What did you do?!"
"Purged the disease." The Dark God spoke plainly. "You are now the last human on the planet."
Salem's words caught in her throat. She couldn't believe what she had heard, but she had known it was foolish to question the Gods. Tears welled in her eyes, her lip quivering in a mix of anger and despair.
"This world was an experiment." The God of Light explained. "A place where we could create without the interference of our brothers and sisters. We thought you would help guide this world to be a golden fruit amongst the World Tree, but you failed."
Salem could take no more. Her anger had finally overtaken her reason.
"Humanity is not your plaything! Those people had lives! Hopes! Dreams! You were supposed to protect us and-"
"You forget your place, girl!" roared the God of Darkness, silencing the angered teacher. "You are what we created you to be! Your role is to serve us, worship us, and be thankful for what have provided! Yet you squander those privileges and wallow in your ill-gotten decadence! You should consider this death a mercy!"
"Then kill me as well!" Salem demanded. "If it was my fault that humanity failed, I should also suffer their fate!"
"You do not get to atone so easily, child."
"You shall remain on this desolate world." Declared the God of Light. "Forever a Remnant of what it once was. That is your punishment. We shall take the time to learn from this failure. You should do the same."
In a flash of bright light, the Elder God sped away before Salem's very eyes into the sky above.
"Where are you going?! Come back!"
The younger brother scoffed at her frightened cries. "Such hubris."
The God of Darkness' departure was much more forceful than his brothers. He enveloped himself in a pillar of purple light and shot into the sky after his sibling. Breaking the boundaries of the planet, he soared among the stars and crashed through the moon that orbited through space, breaking a section of it away.
Salem fell to her knees, watching breathlessly as the pieces of the moon fell around her and further damaged the world.
Ignoring the words of the God of Darkness, Salem feverishly spent her days searching for any signs of life left on the planet. The pieces of the moon terraformed the planet and its climate in ways she never expected.
Once beautiful, sprawling cities has become lakes, deserts had changed into vast, luscious forests, once deep seas had become mere craters, and volcanoes had become snow capped mountains.
Days turned to weeks, to months, to years, to decades, to centuries. Before Salem had realized it, a millennium had passed, and in that time her search had come up empty. The Gods were right all along. She was the only being left on the entire planet.
Once that reality had finally set in, she finally allowed herself to mourn. She cried and cried and cried, each tear shed representing the lives lost due to her failure. She cried until her tears had finally dried and sat on a hill over looking on open field. There was nothing special about this place, she was simply tired of walking.
Her immortality unshackled her from both hunger and thirst, but it widened the hole in her heart. The seasons changed and Salem never moved. She thought to stay here for all eternity, until a strange encounter changed her life forever.
Salem's eyes rested on the darkened horizon, the broken moon hovering ominously overhead. The God of Darkness' violent collision slightly shifted its orbit, making it visible no matter the time of day. It was truly an odd sight. A celestial body in a constant state of disarray. It was similar to Salem's own existence.
"Truly a wondrous sight is it not? I've never seen such a peculiar moon."
Salem's ears perked up at the unfamiliar voice and she turned her head. Standing next to her was a man. He had long black hair that was tied at the end. His soft, wheat colored skin shined in the twilight, contrasting elegant with his gold and black robes. He resembled some sort of emperor or king, but Salem didn't recognize him at all.
However, even this sudden stranger didn't stir her curiosity that much. She returned her eyes to the now black horizon.
"Are you another ghost sent to torment me?" she said flat. "Forgive me for not remembering your name. I've lost too many children that the faces turn muddy in my mind."
"I am no ghost." The man replied. "I am called Ankhseram. I am a God."
"A god?" She replied almost flippantly. "I see…has my punishment come to an end? Can I finally die?"
This new God, Ankhseram, was taken aback by Salem's somewhat incredulous words. It seems she did not believe his claim. Nonetheless, he answered her question.
"Punishment? But you have committed no sin."
"No…sin?" Salem's face contorted in confusion for a moment. Once the new god's words registered in her ear, her face began to crack. Her mouth twisted, her eyes watered, and she let out an ugly, maniacal laugh. Her voice was hoarse from not drinking for months, each sound scratching her throat, but the laughter didn't stop.
"For a god, you aren't very observant." She said upon calming down. She pointed towards the horizon. "That is my sin."
Ankhseram looked past the hill for the first time, and his eyes widened. At the bottom were thousands, no millions, of tiny crosses meticulously dotting the open field. They stretched for miles, so much so that not even he could initially see where they stopped.
"Each and every one of those stakes are a life extinguished because of my indecision." Salem explained. "That is an atrocity that can never be washed away. I am forced to watch the world turn as its only inhabitant as atonement for my failure."
"You poor child." Ankhseram spoke with melancholy, his godly heart weeping for the disgraced teacher. "You are not to blame for this tragedy."
Salem briefly glanced his way. "Then who is?"
"The answer is a complicated one to explain, but I shall do my best."
Light gathered in Ankhseram's hands and with a loud clap, Salem found herself in the vastness of space. In her shock she stood straight up, her balance failing as she waited to fall into the starry abyss beneath her feet.
"Wh-what's happened?! Where have you taken me?!"
"Peace, child. You are in no danger. This is simply an illusion. It is required for the story I am about to tell."
He directed Salem's gaze to a giant, golden tree in the middle of the expanse. Even though it was an illusion, Salem could still feel the enormity of it's presence, as well as its warmth. Life teeming all around it.
Ankhseram explained to Salem the divine purpose of the world tree, as well as her place within it, but even more revealing was the tale that he told of her creators.
Loki and Baldr. Ancients Gods of Darkness and Light. Loki, ever jealous of his elder twin, would often pick fights with him in the godly realm. This annoyed their brother's and sisters, who urged Baldr to do something to quell Loki's more destructive impulses.
Finding a branch in the world tree to carve their own land, Baldr suggested to his brother that instead of fighting, they should combine their abilities and create a land greater than any ever seen in Yggdrasil. This culminated in the creation of Remnant.
Though they created this land together, their bickering still divided them on how best to rule it. Baldr's creations of light and love were always destroyed by his jealous sibling's darker machinations of darkness and malice.
Once again the brother's had come to an impasse. Though this soon resulted in creating Salem, and in turn humanity.
"I already know all of this." Salem said to Ankhseram. Though she had listened intently to his story, she could not help but voice her opinion when the need arose. "The tomes from which I taught explained everything about the World Tree and its many wonders, though it did omit my creators' names. What does this have to do with what I did?"
"You interrupted me before I could finish."
Ankhseram whisked Salem away to a place far above the clouds, both of them watching as the war that ended all life waged down below. Salem turned away.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"To show you the truth behind your supposed sin."
Ankhseram took Salem to the domain of the Gods. Just as Salem remembered her creators weren't there, but with a wave of his hand Ankhseram revealed the brothers standing resolute on the surface of the water in the Light God's domain. They used their powers to seal their presence away from Salem, watching over and over again as she begged for their help.
Salem demanded to know what the meaning of the deception was. Ankhseram's answer was swift and firm.
"Envy."
The word confused Salem. "Envy? I don't understand."
"We Gods are not infallible. In fact we are every bit as flawed as the creatures we create. My brothers, for all their power could never escape their own failings. None of us truly can. Loki was always devious and manipulative, while Baldr could never truly reprimand him. It was a viciously toxic bond. My brothers created you and your kind, but it was when this war started that they realized that they had given you the worst gift imaginable. Free will."
Salem's eyes widened.
"Free will is a self-inflicted poison to us Gods. We thrive on the worship and adoration of the beings we create because they carry the smallest portions of our power, but for various reasons that faith can sometimes cease to be. My brothers did not see that. They thought themselves far above their creations and had no desire to aid them. That is why you were created in the first place, an experiment to test their power. You were to be their proxy to teach humanity and provide updates on their growth. It was less to safeguard your development and more to sate their own egos. This war between the faithful and the faithless was the unwanted conclusion of that process."
"How so?"
"I have watched this world almost since its inception, unbeknownst to my brothers of course, and the one thing I found constant during this war was that no one prayed to the them…they prayed to you."
Ankhseram showed Salem the events she didn't see during the war. Across the battlefields, many generals and leaders discussed their plans, all of them involving Salem. It made sense. After the Gods, Salem was the most powerful being on the planet. Whoever she allied with would surely win the war because no one would dare turn a weapon on their beloved teacher. To them she was a Goddess.
"This faith in you angered my brothers. They felt themselves scorned by the very beings they created. They should have been worshiped and pleaded on to stop this senseless fighting, but instead humanity looked to you as their savior. They were unaware that the distance they set was what lead to their downfall."
One would think this new information would lighten one's spirits, but instead it only reaffirmed Salem's beliefs of her failure.
"So it truly was all my fault. The death and destruction."
"You misunderstand." Ankhseram countered. "What my brothers did to you and your people was unforgivable. That is not how a deity should act. We should do what is best for the beings that depend on us and provide for them, not scorn them out of petty jealousy. We are here to keep the balance, not skew it to fit our egos. That perhaps the greatest sin a God can commit. But even in spite of our greatest efforts..."
Ankhseram gathered godly energy in the palm of his hand then motioned towards Salem's memorial. With a snap of his fingers, the ground rumbled and thousands of trees with beautiful red leaves sprung up in place of the markers.
"Life finds a way."
Salem was amazed at the sight. A forest of tress that would never wilt, the eternally falling leaves a symbol to the lives lost due to the will of the Gods.
"I have seen countless worlds created by my brothers and sisters. Some more plentiful than this, and others much more troubled. This world however, is an interesting one. It holds a peculiar balance. One side is ruin, the other prosperity, and you alone have the power to decide which path it will take."
"Me?"
"Yes. As I said before, life finds a way to thrive. In due time humanity will return to this world, but in a very different form. I have seen it. Will you lead them once again?"
Salem was reluctant. "Even if what you say about my creators is true, I…I'm not fit to lead anyone. It's best if I do not involve myself with them. I deserve to fade away along with the world that once was. They should not have to feel the weight of the burdens I carry."
"I see. Well if you should change your mind, I shall leave you a gift."
The wandering God opened his hand. A earthen jug materialized inside of his palm and he handed it to a bewildered Salem.
"What is this?"
"An elixir made from the roots of the world tree itself. Drinking it will impart on you all the knowledge the universe has to offer, though it will command a high price. In order to receive such secrets, you will attain a level of cosmic awareness that no mortal should have. As such you must sacrifice something in return."
"What would that be?"
"Your humanity."
Ankseram's words hung in the air as Salem stared at the container. She could feel its ominous power spilling out into her hand. The weight was almost too much for her to bear.
"Why would you give me such a burden?"
"It's as I said before, you have the ability to bring this world back from the brink of collapse, but that is your decision. I cannot, nor shall I, make it for you. My role is to simply give you the means in which to make said decision." He bowed his head to her. "I must now take my leave."
"Where are you going?" There was a hint of distress in Salem's voice. Even though their time was brief, a part of her enjoyed talking to another person for the first time in centuries.
"My travels have concluded. Now I must create my own world like my siblings before me. I bid you farewell, Salem. I eagerly await to see what becomes of this world."
"Wait! Don't leave me alone! Take me with you!"
Salem reached for Ankhseram, but her hand passed through him as he faded away. As quickly as he appeared, he was gone. Once more she had been left alone on this barren world. A few moments passed and she returned to her spot on the grass, watching as the blood red leaves fell from the trees Ankhseram had created.
As the seasons changed, Salem could only think of the revelations the nomadic deity had brought to light. The more she thought of it, the more it angered her. Millions of innocents dead because of petty jealousy. The irony of it all almost made her laugh out loud. A couple of years passed.
Salem grabbed the jug. Feeling there was nothing else for her to lose, she uncorked the top and drank the elixir. The taste of it was sweet, but also heavy as it slid down her throat. When she was finished, she felt a sudden rush of heat in her stomach and fell to her back, her body convulsing violently as it tried to process the strange liquid.
Suddenly, her body fell still and her eyes closed as her consciousness faded away. She was becoming one with the world tree. As she lie eerily still, a ball of light released itself from her chest and floated there.
Ruby and the others watched as Ankhseram, looking much older than before, arrived and stood next to Salem. He smiled.
"I see you have chosen to live." He took the ball and disappeared, Jinn taking the spectators with him on his journey.
They arrived in a forest not much different than any seen in Remnant, but they could feel that they were no longer anywhere familiar.
Ankseram let the ball of light fall from his hands into the forest, Ruby and her friend's eyes widening in shock as it fell into the hands of a curious child with messy, pink hair.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everyone! Hope you all are doing well this second week into 2020. Hard to believe that this story will be four years old come April. Hopefully my update schedule will be more consistent by then.
I may have said this somewhere else before, but these two chapters are easily the hardest I have ever written for this story. It's not really a secret that I did not care for Salem in Ozpin's origin in canon. I thought it was cliche (not in a good way), completely painted Salem in the wrong (even though we were meant to sympathize with her in the beginning), and didn't make Ozpin look morally gray at all (which made everyone's anger towards him really weird and slightly unjustified). Now I'm not saying this origin its better (it could be worse), but I at least wanted to try a different spin on it for THIS story.
Originally this was going to be one chapter, but I split it into two after looking at my outline for the volume (which I just finished a few days ago). I think that was better in the long run.
One last thing. Thoughts of Volume 7 so far. It's ok. Had some good things, some bad things, and some VERY bad things. If I were to rank it now, I would put it on the same level as V4. Maybe it will pull the nose up in these final few episodes.
As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!