Chapter 7: Vacuo

A barefoot man wearing a dark green shirt awoke to see...nothing. Just pure white all around him. Above and below, the entire space was white. He didn't know where he was or what was going on.

"Ozma." a deep voice caught his attention. Turning around, Ozma came face-to-face with the God of Light in his dragon form. The dragon formed into a large golden man, faceless and with antlers on his head.

"Where am I?" Ozma asked.

"We are between realms." the God of Light answered. "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, someone took our place."

"What do you mean?"

"The mankind you knew has been destroyed, but your people have grown to walk the face of your world once again. However, without our presence, they are but a fraction of what they once were. And as we speak, a great and powerful evil seeks to make your world a living nightmare."

Ozma's jaw dropped, shocked at this revelation. "Who or what is this 'evil'?"

A silhouette of man appeared before Ozma. He was wearing a mask with a narrow vizor and was carrying two swords.

"A man with unnatural abilities. One who believes in the democratization of fear and the slaughter of millions. His name is Momin, and his goal is to expand my brother's dark creations across the entire world."

"How can you stop him?" Ozma asked.

"By offering you the chance to return to your world." the God of Light answered.

"I...don't understand."

The God of Light spread his arms out and four objects appeared; 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 free yourselves from the dark lord, and learn to remake yourselves."

The objects came together and made a great sphere.

"If brought together, these four Relics will summon my brother and I back to your world, and Humanity will be judged. If your kind is free, has learned to live in harmony with one another, and set aside their differences, then we shall once again live among you, and Humanity will be made whole again. But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence."

Ozma fell to his knees, struggling to process what the God of Light was telling him.

"Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone."

Ozma's heart ached. The knowledge that one man was planning to spread the Grimm across Remnant and was willing to kill innocents to accomplish his goals was a tragedy. If he were still alive, Ozma would fight Momin until his last dying breath. But...these were different circumstances.

"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."

"You will not find her there." the God of Light responded.

Ozma's eyes widened. "You mean...she isn't gone?"

"Salem lives, but I fear the woman you hold dear in your memories may indeed be gone."

"Where is she?" Ozma quickly asked. "Is she safe? Is...she alright?"

"...I'm sorry. If I knew this would happen, I-"

Ozma stood up. "Where is she?" he asked again.

"...The Land of Darkness. The pain she is suffering right now is a result of my mistake...and Momin's sadism."

Ozma knew right at once what to do. "Send me back."

The God of Light looked in surprise at Ozma's immediate demand. But he complied.

"Very well. Our creation and Momin's fate rests within your hands." The God of Light disappeared.

And everything went black.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

A loud scream caused Ozma to open his eyes. Looking around, he saw people running and a village burning. He was standing in a rocky and sandy environment. It seemed he was in a desert. Hearing another scream, Ozma turned to see a man in a blue shirt swinging a sword at a Beowolf. The Beowolf simply swung its arm and knocked the sword out of the man's hands. The man fell to the ground and the Beowolf prepared to devour him.

Ozma's instincts kicked in. Grabbing the sword, he swung at the Beowolf twice before stabbing it in the chest. The Grimm turned into dust, and Ozma looked shocked.

"Thank you!" the man said as he ran up to his savior. "Please, tell me your name. Who are you?"

Ozma threw the sword to the ground and looked around. He didn't know where he was or what was happening.

"What...what's going on?" he asked to himself.

The man he saved grabbed him by the shoulders and answered. "We need to run, they found us!"

"...Who?"

The man pointed behind Ozma. "The Demons!"

Ozma turned around to see about a dozen of people wearing gray armor running towards them. They were holding some kind of weapon in their hands, as they pointed them towards people running and screaming. As they pointed their weapons, a red bolt came out and hit each person, leaving a scorch mark and causing them to fall to the ground. Ozma understood what was going on: this was a massacre. And he knew he had to stop it.

He turned to the man he saved. "Get out of here, I can help."

The man didn't need to be told a second time. He took off running.

Ozma fell to the ground and remained motionless. Playing dead, he could see the people in gray armor walk by him. Two were laughing and talking to each other.

"Lord Momin calls this fighting a war?" a female voice asked. "This is sport!" she said as she laughed.

A man responded. "Call it whatever you want, but these humans are finally facing the justice they deserve."

Ozma understood that these 'soldiers' served Momin. What he didn't understand, however, was what the man said. What did he mean by 'these humans'? Weren't they human too?

Ignoring this, Ozma sprung into action. Grabbing the sword he threw earlier, he sliced at one of the soldier's feet, causing him to scream and fall to the ground. Ozma grabbed him as two soldiers turned around.

"The hell?" one asked.

"He's alive!" another said. "Kill him!"

Ozma pulled the trooper up as the other two fired. Each bolt hit the trooper in the chest and life left his body. Ozma threw his sword into one's chest and threw the body at the other. Taking a look at the weapon, Ozma felt that it was metal. It had some kind of barrel on one end and a handle on the other. He pointed it at the ground, but nothing happened. Then, he noticed a small hole to fit his finger and a small curve.

Hearing the other soldier push the body off, Ozma quickly pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. A red bolt came out and hit the soldier in the chest. He fell to the ground.

Ozma understood how the weapon he was holding actually worked. Turning to see more soldiers, he quickly jumped to the side as he fired more red blasts. Each blast hit their target. The soldiers behind the ones who were killed realized they were in trouble. They only brought in one platoon to deal with this village. Now, this man easily dispatched of half of that platoon. The remaining soldiers all looked to each other...and ran.

Ozma remembered the village and turned around. He saw some of the villagers had taken care of the remaining Grimm and were seeing to their wounded and dead. Ozma decided to let the soldiers go and help the village.

About an hour later, the situation was under control. The villagers who weren't hurt had abandoned the burnt homes and let wounded stay with them. Ozma was helping the wounded.

Ozma felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. The man who he saved earlier was standing next to a red haired woman with large spots on her arms and a few on her face.

"My friend told me you saved him from the Grimm. And that you quickly took care of those Demons." she said.

Ozma didn't understand why these people kept calling the soldiers 'Demons', but he decided to play along. "Yes, that's true."

The woman smiled. "You have my thanks, friend. I'm Lisa Amitola, I'm mostly in charge of this village." she extended her hand. "And...you are?"

Ozma took her hand and shook it. "Ozma." he replied.

"Pleased to meet you Ozma." Lisa said. "I was wondering if I could talk to you when you have the chance. I have questions for you."

"...Of course. Let me finish up here."

After Ozma finished helping the wounded bandage their injuries, he went to a small house where he found Lisa waiting for him.

"Ah, Ozma. Please, sit down."

Ozma sat down at a chair opposite of Lisa.

"I was hoping I could get a chance to talk to you about your actions today."

Ozma had questions for her too, specifically about the people with animal traits he saw around the village. But he knew asking them would make him sound crazy, so he decided to go with the flow.

"What would you like to know?" Ozma asked.

"In a nutshell...how?" Lisa asked.

"...Pardon?"

"You took down half a platoon of those Demons in less than a minute. The people here can't even fight any of them."

"Well...I've always been able to fight when my life was in danger. And the lives of others. Forgive me if this sounds out of place, but you're asking that as if it sounds like you don't want to fight these...Demons."

"Well...it's not that we don't want to fight them. The Demons and Grimm have been attacking settlements all across the kingdom, taking whatever...or whoever they want. And the fact is...everyone's too scared to fight. Even King Lionheart doesn't want to risk lives. His fear spread across the kingdom, and it's been easier for them to do what they want."

"Even kill innocent people?"

Lisa nodded. "That same platoon always comes here, demanding food and supplies. According to them, we didn't have enough to give this time. So, they attacked us."

Ozma decided to take a chance. "Why do you call them...Demons?"

Lisa took a deep breath before continuing. "The kingdom of Vacuo is known for its peaceful relations between the Faunus and humans. While the other kingdoms see us as lesser beings, the humans here accept us for who we are. So, we've been able to create a mutual respect. The Faunus that attacked us...refuse to believe that. They don't want humanity to respect the Faunus. They want humanity to serve the Faunus. And their leader, the one who started this war, supports that idea. Those who follow him have made themselves into the monsters most humans believe us to be. They turned themselves into Demons."

"Momin." Ozma thought to himself. Suddenly, Lisa's skin turned a bright red as the spots on her skin turned yellow. Ozma could see she was getting angry.

'I don't understand why this is such a problem! This isn't a black-and-white situation, and they're being part of the problem! They're justifying the hate we receive!" Lisa slammed her hand on the table. Looking at her guest, she could see Ozma was disturbed by her outburst. Her skin turned back to normal. "I'm sorry, this is just...getting out of hand."

Ozma nodded. "What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"The only we can do." she replied. "That platoon will come back with support. They'll want us to serve as an example for defying them. We have to leave."

Ozma stood up. "No. We can fight."

Lisa was surprised to hear this. "Ozma, you can fight. The people here are too scared to join you."

"Exactly. They're using that fear to control you, to control everyone. Human and...Faunus. Do you think I can speak to everyone?"

Lisa nodded and they walked outside. They saw people packing carriages with supplies and the wounded. They were getting ready to leave.

But it was time to stop running.

"Could I have everyone's attention?" Lisa asked. Everyone stooped and looked at their leader.

'I understand all of you are getting ready to leave. Our plan was going to find a place higher above ground so the Demons and Grimm won't be able to attack us easily. But...I'm not going to run anymore. We're not going to run anymore."

Everyone started to turn to each other and speak at the same time. It was clear that they thought Lisa was going mad.

"I know you think this is a bad idea. But today, one man proved that the Demons aren't as invincible as we think they are." Lisa pointed to Ozma as he stepped forward.

"I know all of you are scared." he said. "Believe me, I would be scared too. But Lisa is right, we can change that. Today."

"No we can't!" one person spoke up. A brown haired man wearing a red shirt walked up. "Look at what they did to our home! They'll come back, and they'll do much worse this time!"

Ozma took a deep breath. "I spoke to Lisa today, and I got to understand what you're thinking. You're all thinking the Demons and the Grimm are invincible. That they're a force of nature that can't be stopped or controlled. And...you're right."

The people started to look around and talk again, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"But there's a reason you're right. It's because they have a weapon. A weapon they took from you, and use against you every day. Even when they're not here, they're still using it. That weapon? Fear. The fear of losing your lives. Your fear gives them power. It makes them the invincible force you seem them as."

Everyone started to nod and say "Yeah". It seemed Ozma had their attention. Now he needed to inspire them.

"However, I can't expect any of you to give up your fears. Some of you may have seen that I killed a Grimm and some of those soldiers with ease, without a scratch. I wasn't afraid to lose my life. The one thing I was afraid of...was not being able to save any of you. I didn't want to see anyone killed by the Grimm or the Demons. I used that fear to fight them. Now, I'm asking you to do the same. Don't be afraid to lose your own lives, be afraid of what happens if we fail to defend our families and friends. Use that fear. Fight back. Fight to show the Demons you won't be controlled anymore. And more importantly, fight because...you deserve to win!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. Ozma was right. They were scared, but now their fears gave them a reason to fight. He proved that the Demons could be beaten, and that they could stand against them. Now, they realized wasn't the time to run away again. Now...was the time to fight.

1 hour later

The Demons from before had arrived again. Now, they were supported by another platoon and two Ursai. It was time to put these people back in their place. When they arrived at the town, they could see the gate had been repaired. They couldn't see anyone on top of the gate, but they knew they were still there. The Grimm walked up to the gate and prepared to bring it down. But before they could, two people from the top of the gate threw spears at the creatures, making contact with their necks. The Grimm turned into dust. The soldiers were caught off guard.

"This is new." one said.

"Normally, these people just cower behind that gate." another responded.

One soldier walked up. "They want a fight? Fine by me."

He reached to his belt and pulled out a small device. Pressing a button on it, the device started to beep. He threw it at the gate and it exploded. A large hole was in the center of the gate, and the people on top started to fire arrows laced wit fire Dust. Two soldiers were shot in the head, but the first trooper raised his blaster and fired two shots. Both shots hit the archers and the rest of the troopers walked inside the hole. They could see bodies on the ground, with swords and blasters out of reach. Seems the explosion did more damage than they thought. Standing in the center of the town square was Lisa, holding a whip. The soldier who threw the grenade walked up and began to do a slow clap.

"Wow." he said, still clapping. "Would you look at this? We finally get a fight from you people and this is what happens?" he said as he motioned to the bodies on the ground. "This is too easy."

"Not quite." Lisa said, tightening her grip on her whip. "You still gotta take me down."

"Shouldn't be too hard." he said as he raised his blaster. Before he could fire, Lisa raised her whip and it made contact with the soldier's hand. He dropped the gun and screamed in pain. He then started to laugh. "I stand corrected."

Lisa pulled her whip back and prepared to strike again. "Ready for round two?" she asked.

"Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing." the soldier said as he snapped his fingers. The rest of his men raised their weapons, ready to fire. "Any last words, gorgeous?" he asked.

Taking a deep breath, Lisa said one thing. "NOW!"

Suddenly, the people who were on the ground sprang up, grabbing their weapons and attacking any soldier that was close to them. Some stabbed their swords into their guts while others fired blasters they took from the soldiers that Ozma killed earlier.

The Demons were caught completely off guard. Some could see their numbers drop quickly and decided to make a break for it. Before one could, however, he turned around to see Ozma and more villagers come through the hole and attack them. They were hiding on the other side of the wall, waiting for the entire group to go inside. Once they did, they attacked them from behind.

And the best part? The villagers were winning. They had finally taken a stand against the ones who invaded their land and had taken so much from them. Now, it was time to take something from them.

Ozma ran up to Lisa and they both looked to see the Demons fall to the villagers. They looked at each other and smiled. Ozma was especially happy. It felt good to be a hero again.

His smile dropped when he saw one trooper shake a villager off him and point his blaster at Lisa. His instincts kicked in as he pushed her out of the way. Unfortunately, this left him wide open. The trooper fired, and Ozma felt a sharp pain in his chest as he fell to the ground.

Lisa looked up to see Ozma fall. She whipped the trooper's weapon out of his hand and two villagers tackled him. She ran to Ozma and picked up his head.

"Ozma, keep your eyes open! We'll get you help!"

But it was too late. Ozma could feel the pain in his chest grow, and everything around him turned to darkness.

Author's notes: hey everyone! Sorry to keep you all waiting with this chapter. After seeing some reviews, I decided to think about my next few chapters in depth. So, I wrote this one a little later than usual. My bad, hope you enjoyed it.

To ParadoxTheory374, I can tell you like the dark factor I added to this story. Thank you for your support.

To Greer123, Ozma has come to Remnant to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And he's all out of bubblegum.

To D.N Works, I'm a little confused by your comment. I'm not sure how 'Sonic' is involved. Just kidding, I know you meant Momin. But you're right, he is a force like no other. As you can see with this chapter, his actions with the Faunus had effects here.

To Nightflash, you guessed it.

To GojiraFan455515, yep. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To Legend Knight 00, you're absolutely right. NEVER trust a Sith.

To MidKnightMoonglow99, I'm very sorry to hear this. I included an ancestor of Adam's for two reasons. First off, he was a driving force for Blake and Yang, and I feel he could have done more in RWBY. I wanted to make his affect on humans and Faunus in this story, so I created one of his ancestors. Also, if I decide to make a sequel for this, I wanted Adam to mention his ancestor in some way and expand on that. Also, I'm sorry you weren't impressed with Momin in the last chapter. I think you'll like him when he comes back. Please give this story another chance. And lastly, no need to apologize for your 'lacklustre' review, I'm happy to hear criticism as well as compliments.

To an unknown guest, Momin is already immortal right now, but you're right about his mask. I think I can definitely do something you'll like with it.

To another unknown guest, wait until next chapter.

To Ser Dorito of Aisle 13, I'm so glad you got a chance to read this. I'm glad you like it. Your list of Sith is very intriguing, especially Darth Jadus. I was actually able to use a small quote of his in here, tell me if you can spot it. I'll think about including another Sith, thanks again for reading.

That's all I have for you, hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review!