RWBY (c) RoosterTeeth
Even The Scales
Between Realms
Summer's eyes fluttered open and she found herself in a realm of complete blackness. She was the only patch of colour in an endless void. Her silver eyes searched frantically back and forth, trying to discover something – anything – that could be used as a signpost for escape. The last thing she recalled was Salem –
"Oh gods—!" Summer looked down at her chest, hands pressing against her stomach where she remembered a long blade run her through. To her astonishment, nothing was there. Nothing except the fabric of her dress and the solid skin beneath it. Not even a trace of phantom pain remained.
Okay, she didn't have a giant hole in her stomach. So that was an improvement. But how did she get here? Summer took a step forward and heard the sound of water lightly splashing. She glanced down to see that her footprints did intend cause gentle ripples on the ground.
"Summer Rose."
A dark booming voice rippled through the space, like roaring thunder.
The Huntress spun on her heel and was confronted by a figure. A man with featureless purple skin that glowed with its own inner light and a part of draconic horns perched atop his head, curling back like a crown.
Summer swallowed the lump in her throat. "Where… are we? What is this place?"
"This is a place between realms, where life and death intersect." The creature said.
Summer's eyes widened to the size of saucers at the simple sentence, a crushing horrific realisation overcoming her. If this was between realms, and her last memory was of being impaled by a sword of some kind, then she was-
"-Dead? Yes, indeed you are." The creature finished the thought for her casually. "You have been for a very long time now, I'm afraid."
"W-what?" she stammered, her legs felt like they were turning to jelly and she was ready to collapse under that reality.
"You have been dead for quite a long time." The creature said, "Well, perhaps not as long as most, but a long time by human standards."
"I-I…" She finally fell to her knees, grief stricken by the news. "This is… impossible. I…"
The creature, the great God of Darkness, simply stood over the mortal woman. Observing her grief as she processed the information he'd given her. The void filled with echoing sobs as the woman's face buried in her hands, tears running like rivers down her cheeks.
"Tell me. Do you not wish to see your beloved again?" The God of Darkness cooed, tauntingly.
The sobs slowed until they were silent. Her tear-filled eyes looked up at the God looming above her.
Summer got the impression of a smile from the blank face, before his frame warped into the image of her teammate. A twisted shadow with sadistic eyes and a cruel smile, totally at odds with the true man. She blinked, scrambling to her feet, taking a step back in a mix of shock and disgust. The God took that as a sign and leaned closer.
"Well? Wouldn't you like to be with him again?" He even spoke in a facsimile of Qrow's husky voice.
It was a test, she realised. There was no other explanation. Summer brushed away the lingering tears from her eyes and drew in a breath to calm herself. Her cheeks were still red and puffy from her tears. The Huntress straightened her back and stared the false-image of her lover in the eye.
"I'd like that. I'd like that very much. But as much as I want to answer 'yes', I know that this isn't the reason why you pulled me between realms."
"You are a perceptive creature, aren't you?" The spectre faded and the God of Darkness returned to his true form.
"I… why are you doing this?" Summer asked, gesturing around them. "Why all of the theatrics? Why not just tell me what you want?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"A God." Summer answered unhesitatingly, "The God of Darkness."
"And you show no fear. That is commendable. Or perhaps, thoroughly foolish. I could scatter your existence to the cosmic void at a mere thought."
Summer swallowed hard and inclined her head in a respectful bow. "Forgive me, I mean no disrespect, but I surely don't understand why a being such as you would take an interest in a Huntress. A dead Huntress."
The god's blank eye sockets fixed her with a stern look. "Eons ago, my brother chose to bring back the warrior Ozma, granting him immortality after a kind, which went against the rules we agreed upon. Rules that, despite protests to the contrary, seem to work ever in his favour. Though I am sure you know this tale in part. After all, you attended to your duties at the behest of – what does he call himself now, Ozpin?"
He started to walk around Summer at a slow leisurely pace, head bowed as if in contemplation. "The scales are uneven, and so by allowing this one indulgence, I would consider them balanced once again."
"You're allowing me a second chance at life as a means of settling the score with your brother?" Summer Rose inquired, her silver eyes remained focused on the God and she couldn't quite hide her incredulity at the confession.
"Not quite so." The God said, he raised his hand and inside appeared a small object, like a stone or a pebble.
"Then... respectfully, what do you want of me?" Summer inquired, trying to sound as polite as possible to hide her anxiety.
"I want you, Summer Rose, to cause chaos."
"I'm not going to become a wanton murderer for your whims." Her voice was iron, temporarily forgetting that she was speaking to a divine being rather than some two-bit crook.
The God waved his hand dismissively, an oddly human gesture. "You misunderstand, child. I do not want you to kill, I want you to disrupt the design. You will be but a stone I will cast into the lake and I will watch the ripples flow. A disruptive element - what's that mortal expression? Ah, yes. A wildcard ."
To emphasise his point, the God let the conjured object in his palm drop between them. It splashed on the ground between them, its ripples expanding out at an alarming rate, expanding as far as her eyes could see and beyond.
"Salem is an immortal by our means, a just punishment for defying her creators and disrupting the natural design." The God of Darkness explained, his hands behind his back as he leaned down at examined the human soul face-to-face. "But I will gift you the power to remove all of hers. She will still be immortal as punishment for her sins, but her magic. Her Grimm essence. Everything that conceivably makes her a threat against your continued existence will be removed."
Summer blinked, surprised at so bold an offer. She frowned and her gaze lowered to the ground, contemplating the God's generosity. "What is the cost?" She asked finally, "What will happen to me if I assume the powers of Salem? And what happens if I choose not to?"
The God laughed, a sound like distant rumbling. An earthquake that shook the very foundations of this realm. Summer stumbled, trying to maintain her balance for the brief moment then it passed as if nothing happened. The God was nothing if not amused. "To think I once thought that impudent woman was the expectation of all your kind. Cattle that could be fooled by honeyed words and poisonous lies. Not one daring to contemplate the consequences of your action."
Summer's brow furrowed. "I want to understand the full lengths and risks I need to go to if I am to help stop Salem."
"You will assume Salem's throne." The God stated matter-of-factly. "The Grimm were little more than creatures of instinct when we left your world. Salem has bound them to an overriding mind and soul - hers. When you assume her powers, you will also assume control over her armies – my former pets. And that task is daunting. You could lose all you are in the horde of mindless ruination."
"I... what?" She was gobsmacked. Her? Take Salem's place as the woman who seeks to destroy Remnant? But - "You can't ask me to do this! I won't become a murderer, I won't slay my own people."
"If the Grimm do not have a leader, they will scatter. They will divide, and they will overrun your world. Mankind will not have a hope to stop them. That is what Salem has made of them." The God of Darkness explained. Summer swore she could detect a distinct bitterness in his tone, like the idea of his creations been bent to another's will was utterly disdainful for him. Or perhaps that they were bent to Salem's will was what chaffed at his pride.
"I..." Was there even a choice in the matter? "I'll do it."
"Decided so quickly?" The Dark God mused, almost entertained.
"Do whatever you must, but if I have to betray myself this way to protect Remnant, to protect my peoples and my race - then I will gladly sacrifice everything to do it." Summer declared, her fingers curling into fists.
The God of Darkness offered a smile, a genuine smile, and placed a hand on her shoulder to guide her along the empty void. "Come then. Allow me to show you the truth of this world and my brother's bargain. Then I shall allow you to go forth."
Author's note:
A idea I thought up while writing some other RWBY fanfic. Aaaand I've wanted to do a Grimm!Summer fic for a long time, so here it is.
I welcome feedback and criticism,
Aurora313