RWBY: MRRN
Volume 6, Chapter 14: The Lost Fable (Pt 2)
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth
The setting was now a completely white area like before, but this time, Ozma was present. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the area, unsure of where he was.
"Ozma." The great warrior turned to see the God of Light in his dragon form before changing back to his humanoid figure.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"We are between realms," the God of Light answered. "I'm afraid a tragedy has befallen the human race at the hands of my brother."
"Your brother?" Ozma asked in a shocked tone. "What did he do?"
"He has stripped humanity of their ability to use magic," the God of Light answered. "We have chosen to depart this world, but in our absence, I'm offering you the chance to return to it."
"Return?" Ozma questioned. "Why?"
"Because I would ask a task of you," the light brother responded. "Without magic and our presence, humanity will be but a fraction of what they once were." He then created four objects that floated in front of him, which everyone deduced to be the Relics. They were comprised of the lantern which was the Relic of Knowledge, a staff, a sword and a crown.
"Creation, Destruction, Choice and Knowledge were the ideals upon which humanity was built," the light brother explained. "I will leave these Relics behind in the hopes that humanity can rebuild themselves. If brought together, these four Relics will summon my brother and I back to your world and we will judge humanity."
"Judge humanity?" Ruby asked, concerned by what the God of Light meant.
"If you learn to set aside your differences and live in peace and harmony, then we shall return and we shall make humanity whole again. But…if you are unchanged, if you fight amongst yourselves and seek nothing but needless violence and death, then we shall find humanity irredeemable…and wipe your world from existence."
"Wipe…wipe us out?" Ozma gasped, falling to his knees. "You'd…you'd do that?"
"If we believe humanity is irredeemable, then yes," the God of Light confirmed. "That is why I hope to entrust this task to you: I wish to send you back to redeem humanity, to guide them down a better path. Until your mission is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone."
Ozma was silent, taking in everything that the God of Light just told him. Depending on what happens before the four relics were brought together, humanity would either be redeemed or wiped from existence. He couldn't even imagine the gravity of such a task, to ensure the redemption of an entire world that was losing its way.
"I…I don't know," Ozma responded, unsure of what to do. "Why did you choose me?"
"Very few people like you exist, Ozma," the God of Light answered. "You did not seek glory or fame or anything materialistic; you sought only justice and good before you died. I believe that if anyone can redeem humanity, it's you, Ozma."
"Me…?" the warrior whispered before speaking loud enough "I'm honored that you view me as such, but I don't know if I can handle this task. If I may, I'd rather return to the afterlife to see Salem."
"You will not find her there," the God of Light answered, much to Ozma's surprise.
"She…she isn't gone?"
"She lives, but the woman you loved dearly is gone."
"What do you mean? Please, if I go back, I must know the truth about what happened to her. Why would the Salem I love be gone?" The God of Light sighed heavily before giving his answer.
"After your passing, Salem sought to resurrect you. After I refused her plea, despite telling her you were content, she approached my brother and tricked him into reviving you."
"Revive…?" Ozma paused, remembering something in the back of his head. He remembered coming back, then dying again, then it happened all over once more.
"I am sorry we put you through that," the light brother apologized. "After I exposed Salem for her treachery, I cursed her with immortality until she learned the value of life and death; only then would she be allowed to reunite with you. Instead, she became consumed by her bitterness and hatred."
"Salem…she couldn't have…" Ozma mumbled. "Salem's a good person, she…she wouldn't have done this."
"It is true," the God of Light responded. "Heed this warning: if you look for Salem seeking comfort, you will only find pain. Will you accept this task?"
Ozma thought very carefully about this mission. If he accepted it, the fate of the human race would be in his hands. It'd be difficult, perhaps feel impossible, but he had seen the good in humanity and strongly believed that they deserved redemption.
"I'll do it," he answered with determination.
"Thank you, Ozma," the God of Light responded. "The fate of our creation is in your hands." The God of Light then dissolved into golden ashes before the setting changed to a village in the forest, set in flames and Grimm attacking all around.
"The task was now at hand for Ozma. He had to now redeem humanity in order for them to be made whole again…or fail and bring their ruin upon themselves."
"Help!" one of the villagers cried out. One of them, a tanned and blonde male rushed to his rescue, impaling his sword into the creature. Once he did, he looked at his hands and felt his face, almost as if he didn't recognize himself.
"Thank you," the villager spoke gratefully. "Please, what's your name?" Instead, the blonde man ran off in a panic, frightened of what was happening.
"Ozma," Oscar spoke, watching the scene. "He didn't know." The setting changed to a dreary village with Faunus in cages. As Blake looked at the cages, all she could do was feel sorrow for them: to many humans, this would be considered the 'good ol' days' when Faunus were viewed as beasts that deserved to be locked in cages.
"Ozma found himself in a world completely foreign to him. The kingdoms were now reduced to scattered villages and towns. A new species called the Faunus had emerged and were placed in cages as their beastly features frightened the people. As informed, humanity was left unable to use magic, instead having to rely on a substance called Dust." The setting changed to Ozma walking up to an abandoned house in the woods, left in near disrepair with its broken windows and rotting wood.
"During his years of travel, Ozma kept hearing the same frightened whispers of a terrifying sorceress capable of great evil called the Witch. Despite the God of Light's warning, Ozma was convinced that this witch was Salem and he needed to see what she had become."
Ozma walked up to the house and froze only several feet from the porch. He felt unsure of his decision to come here and discover the truth about Salem. Was the God of Light telling the truth? Had she become consumed by her hatred and bitterness?
Suddenly, the door opened and a shadowy figure walked out of the house. Ozma's eyes widened in surprise: even though she now had white hair, deathly white skin, red and black eyes, he immediately recognized Salem. She frowned as she looked upon the young man.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know.
"Salem," Ozma spoke softly, walking up to her.
"What…?" Salem gasped, taking a few steps back. "How do you know my name?"
"I would know…I rescued you from that tower," Ozma answered. As soon as 'tower' was mentioned, Salem's mouth dropped and her eyes widened in shock. Only one person could ever know that; stunned and shocked, she slowly walked up to Ozma, tears swelling in her eyes as she touched his hand.
"Ozma," she cried softly. "I've missed you."
Blue mist changed the appearance of the house; now it looked recently built and well taken care for. Ozma and Salem sat at a table on the front porch, talking to each other.
"Ozma and Salem were reunited again, but as they caught up with each other, both withheld parts of their story. Salem, fearing that Ozma would reject her if he knew the truth, claimed that the Gods stole humanity's magic out of pure spite. Ozma, unsure of where the truth lay, kept his task and the Relics a secret. Even worse, because of his love for Salem, he started to believe that the God of Light had lied to him about her attempts to bring him back from the dead. His warning now started to fade away as Ozma found joy with being with his beloved again." The setting changed to Ozma and Salem in the kitchen, drinking tea together.
"So you came back…to unify humanity?" Salem asked. Even though Ozma had told her of his intent, he still had not revealed the Relics or how he came back form the dead. All Salem knew was he intended to bring humanity together.
"Yes," Ozma answered. "If we just leave them as is, they could tear each other apart."
"That's because these humans have no one to guide them as we did," Salem responded. "Perhaps…that's all they'd need." Ozma raised an eyebrow.
"What are you saying exactly?" Salem smiled.
"We could become the Gods of this world. Our souls transcend death, our powers surpass all others. We could guide humanity to paradise, change this world into what we want, what you want."
"Becoming Gods?" Ozma questioned. "Salem…I don't know if this could work."
"It will," she assured, putting her hand on his shoulder. "We can finally be together. We can rebuild this world; we can succeed where the old gods failed."
"Ozma was conflicted about this decision, but for his love and his task, he felt that by joining forces with Salem, he could redeem humanity and have his beloved back."
The house changed to a large, grassy village under attack by a Giant Nevermore. As it screeched and prepare to descend, it was frozen in its tracks, then bent and broken until it disintegrated into ashes. The people looked up to see Salem and Ozma, now clad in more regal robes and wielding his staff once more, floating the air. The people then fell to their knees, worshipping the two who had saved them.
"Their plan was working. They gathered a following that soon turned into a prosperous Kingdom." Blue mist conjured up large and glorious statues of Ozma and Salem, then a vast castle where a large portrait of Ozma and Salem hung.
"It wasn't long until Ozma and Salem finally had what they wanted many years ago: a family." Four young girls were added to the portrait, all playing around, reading and other thing as their parents looked on with genuine love in their eyes.
"Ozpin and Salem had children together?" Math asked. "What happened to them?" The setting changed yet again to Salem on top of the castle's roof, watching an army approach.
"Soon, a rebellion rose against Salem and Ozma, labelling them as 'false gods'. Their leader, William, was an unmatched warrior and skilled commander, defeating every army that Salem sent against them. But she had discovered a power that no one expected."
"Your Majesty!" one of the castle's servants addressed, kneeling to Salem. "Your children are safe. We have our best guards protecting them in case the army makes it inside."
"They won't," Salem responded.
Inside the castle, the four girls huddled together in a safe room, where Ozma knelt as he comforted them.
"Everything will be alright," he assured. "I promise all of you, nothing-"
A loud, piercing screech was suddenly heard. Ozma told his daughters to stay put before heading up to the roof to find his wife, her finger pointed towards the army.
"Salem?" he asked. As he approached the edge, Ozma looked on in horror as vast hordes of Grimm attacked the rebellion army, easily tearing them to shreds. William fought bravely against them, even as his followers fell quickly and without mercy, but was stopped when one of the Grimm bit into his leg."
The blue mist changed the setting to the front of the castle, where William was brought before Ozma and Salem.
"Your rebellion has failed, William," Salem gloated. "What did you hope to accomplish by inciting such a useless conflict?"
"You are not Gods!" William shouted in defiance. "I know what you did, Salem; you are the reason humanity was-" Before he could finish, Salem ordered her Beowulves to devour him, tearing him to pieces as he screamed in agony before he was dead. Even then, the Grimm tore at his corpse, tearing it to bits.
All Ozma could do was look in horror at the atrocity. What disturbed him even more was when he saw his wife's face: she relished in William's suffering, smiling with great sadism.
"Your Majesties!" a soldier addressed, bowing before them. "We've discovered where the rest of William's followers are. What are your orders?"
"Bring them to us," Ozma answered. "They shall have a fair trial-"
"There will be no trial," Salem interrupted. "An act against the Gods is punishable by death. Go to the villages and kill everyone in them; they shall know the price of defying their Gods."
"Ozma tried to stop the massacres, but he was unsuccessful in doing so. Man, woman, child, elder…all were slaughtered and their bodies were hung to trees. Salem intended for them to serve as a grim reminder to those who'd dare to defy the Gods." The setting changed to Ozma and Salem in their throne room.
"We did not need to kill them," Ozma angrily claimed.
"Yes, we did," Salem responded. "You were the one who said we needed to bring humanity together, did you not? In order to do that, we must spread our word."
"What about those who don't wish to follow us?" Ozma questioned.
"They will serve us or they will be destroyed as William was," Salem answered. Ozma's eyes widened in horror at her response. Her control over the Grimm had made him nervous, but seeing her feel completely justified in mass murders and such was something he couldn't understand.
"You are not the Salem I fell in love with," Ozma spoke. "Perhaps he was right."
"What?" Salem asked. Before their argument could continue, one of their daughters burst into the room with an excited look on her face.
"Mother! Father! Look!" The daughter did what neither of them expected; she was creating magic. Salem looked at her daughter with great affection and pride, but Ozma looked conflicted.
"It was a miracle: the children of Ozma and Salem could use magic like they did. Even though this would've been a moment of happiness and joy, it was a moment when Ozma finally understood what the God of Light meant all along." After the daughter left, Ozma spoke to Salem again.
"Ozma told her everything. He told her of the Relics scattered throughout the world, the real reason he had come back and the day of judgment he had been told to prepare for. He had hoped that if he explained the situation to Salem, she'd change her ways. Instead…"
"Don't you see?" Salem asked her husband. "None of that matters anymore. We don't need those gods. We are capable of succeeding where they failed."
"Salem, you don't understand," Ozma pleaded. "We must redeem humanity. If we fail, we will be wiped from existence. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Why would you want them back!?" Salem barked. "They cursed me just because I wanted you back, Ozma! You were the only person who ever loved me! My mother was nothing more than a concubine at the castle who wanted to be regarded as royalty. My father was a cruel tyrant who abused me every day and never let me see the outside world. You are all I have, Ozma…and for trying to bring you back, they cursed me."
The truth had been revealed. Salem had indeed become consumed by her selfishness and bitterness. She had blatantly disregarded Ozma being content in the afterlife, instead seeking to bring him back.
"William…" Ozma spoke softly. "He knew your name. How?"
"Everyone knows my name, Ozma," Salem countered.
"But he was going to say something before you killed him," Ozma responded. "He said you're the reason humanity…the God of Light told me his brother stripped humanity of magic. Why?"
"That's not important," Salem claimed.
"Why?" Ozma questioned again. Salem refused to answer.
"Ozma finally realized what he had done by ignoring the God of Light's warning. The Salem that stood before him was no longer the kind and beautiful woman he rescued from the tower years ago. Instead, she was now cruel, ruthless, sadistic…a monster.
The setting changed to Ozma guiding his daughters out of one of the rooms. He gestured for them to remain quiet.
"Mother?" one of the daughters asked. Salem stood by the window, her fists clenched as she glared at Ozma with immense anger and betrayal.
"We had everything," she growled, her eyes glowing red. "You would choose those wretched Gods over me?"
"Salem," Ozma addressed. "It doesn't have to end like this."
"Yes, it does," Salem spoke before unleashing her magic upon Ozma.
"Whoa," Luna gasped as Ozma and Salem fought in a brutal magical duel. Their fight destroyed the castle, leveling it to ruins. When the fighting stopped, the Wolf Faunus looked around to see the black horse toy that belonged to one of the daughters.
"Oh, no," she gasped.
Ozma struggled to get up, his entire left side drenched in blood from one of the attacks he had endured from Salem. Even though everything was destroyed and their daughters were dead, the witch was gone.
Suddenly, to Ozma's shock, Salem reformed in a golden light several meters from him. He gasped in horror as he remembered what he had been told: Salem had been cursed with immortality. Before he could escape, Salem walked over to him and glared.
"You're no better than them," Salem growled. "If you seek to redeem humanity…then I will destroy it. I will make sure you never succeed."
"I…" Salem then unleashed an inferno point-blank at Ozma, burning him to ashes.
"Thus began a long and painful cycle of reincarnation for Ozma. During many lives, he tried his best to forget the mission he had been given, to forget everything he had lost. His children were dead, his beloved had become a monster bent on stopping his task and he was forever cursed to walk Remnant. Fortunately, he found his way back and sought to complete his mission once and for all." The scene changed to Ozma's current host serving dinner to a wife and two young children.
"In time, Ozma learned to coexist with his hosts rather than take them over completely as he done before. But no matter where he went, her presence was always felt."
"Get into the basement!" Ozma told his host's family as he grabbed his cane and rushed out of the house to fight Grimm that were invading.
"It became clear to Ozma what had to be done if he was to save humanity."
"Destroy Salem," Ruby spoke.
"Question is…how?" Math wondered.
"Knowing he couldn't destroy Salem through mortal means, he sought the power of the Relics. Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his duty to the God of Light and redeem humanity."
Ozma's last host put the cane in a vault, then cut to the next one, a man in a tie, vest and slacks, opened it and took it.
"In time, he found my lamp and believed he had found the answer to completing his mission." The setting changed to Ozma's host holding the lamp and speaking to Jinn.
"Where are the other Relics?" he asked. "What powers do they possess? How do I destroy Salem?"
"He asked me his questions. Though I gave him my answers…not all of them were to his liking."
"You can't destroy Salem," Jinn answered.
All Ozpin could do was kneel in sorrow, knowing that some of his gravest secrets had been revealed to the group.
"Ozpin," Yang growled after they had returned to the snowy land. "Explain. Now."
-0-
"What?" Cole gasped after being informed of what happened at the strategy table where he, Aria, Silvio, Ben Steel and several Steel Elites were gathered. "The Argus Limited was attacked?"
"Grimm attacked it, along with masked assailants from what I heard," Silvio answered. "They possessed weapons capable of draining Aura."
"Draining Aura?" Ben asked. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know," Silvio answered. "But some of our friends stayed behind to lure the Grimm away from the passengers, but we believed their train may've crashed."
"Are Luna and Oren with those who crashed?" Cole asked.
"They stayed with those who lured the Grimm away," Silvio answered. "As far was we know…they're out there in the wilderness. Odds are, they'll make their way to Argus."
"Don't worry," Aria assured the Steel leader of the Bushi militia. "Luna and Oren are trained fighters; they'll be fine."
"Still, we need to find them," Cole insisted. "Who's available to help us?"
"Take one of my ships," Ben insisted. "You'll need it to cover ground quickly."
"Thanks," Silvio responded. "We'll gather a searching party and bring them back safely." Cole and Aria nodded their heads in comply with Silvio.
-0-
"How did you fail to get her!?" Jacques roared.
"Adam Taurus appeared and got in the way," one of the mercenaries answered. "But we have an opportunity."
"What is that?"
"Your daughter was on the Argus Limited, the train recently attacked by Grimm. According to what we've heard so far, she's not on the train. She's out in the wilderness, isolated from allies and out of sight from the law."
"Do whatever, but now she knows that I've seen you after her," Jacques reminded. "I'm already losing to this Robyn Hill from Mantle for that Council seat. I want Weiss brought back alive. Am I made clear?"
"Yes, Mr. Schnee." Jacques then hung up and called for Klein. In the matter of a few moments, Klein Sieben entered his boss's office.
"Yes, sir," he greeted upon entering.
"I heard something recently from one of my servants," Jacques told Klein. "They claimed that you had something to do with Weiss's disappearance."
"I had nothing to do with it, sir," Klein claimed. "I helped Master Whitley that night and went off to the garden."
"That is what you said," Jacques answered, remembering what Klein had claimed before. "However, my servant told me you were nowhere near the garden. Instead, he saw you heading towards the library. Something you'd like to say?"
"No, sir," Klein answered. "Sir, I don't know what that servant told you, but I had nothing to do with Weiss's disappearance." Jacques was silent, looking intently at Klein. The butler started to feel nervous, knowing that Jacques was having trouble believing him.
"Tell your employer the truth," Jacques demanded. "Do so…or else."
"Or else?" Klein asked. Jacques pressed a button under his desk. In a matter of moments, three Schnee security guards walked into the room and surrounded Klein, glaring down at him. At this point, Klein knew that Jacques discovered that he helped his daughter escape, leading to his reputation being ruined even more.
"Weiss never would've wanted to leave if you had been a good father to her," the butler spoke angrily. "You never viewed her as a person, only as a tool for your ego, you narcissistic fraud!"
"What did you say?" Jacques snarled, rising from his seat.
"You're a fraud," Klein repeated. "You married into the family and stole the name for yourself. You don't deserve to call yourself a Schnee. The only reason I stayed here was for Weiss and Winter, who deserved much better than you." One of the guards grabbed Klein's arm, but he pushed it away.
"I know my way out," he insisted. As he tried to leave, the security guards stopped him, making him wonder what was going on.
"I was going to just let you walk out," Jacques spoke. "But because you showed me such disrespect, I'm going to have you taught a lesson." The three guards surrounded Klein…and then started to brutalize him, all the while Jacques watched.
"Oh my…" Whitley gasped as he heard the events from outside the closed door. "Father…"