Chapter 59 – Confronting Valravn


Yang


She slowly came to, hearing the Chimes of Valravn blowing in the slightly heavy wind. They could hear the sound of trees rustling in the gusts, and a cold chill was pressed against her skin. Blood leaked down the side of her head, and she looked to her side to see Ruby on the floor, blood leaking from her mouth after the beating she had suffered from Valravn. They had always known the man was dangerous… then monstrous… but this?

They never expected this, he was unlike anything they had ever faced before. They could hear the cold, dark voices in the back of their mind, whispering in Ancient Branwen Words. Sometimes they heard the name "Valravn" but most of these sounds were just overlapping each other. Crows and Ravens cawed in the trees as Valravn was stood in the doorway, like he was waiting.

Yang reached out to Ruby, strangely Yang had not been restrained, unlike Ruby. But without her Cybernetic Arm and without Ember Celica, Yang was left at a huge disadvantage. And even if she did have her Cybernetic Arm and her weapons… they were up against Valravn, the old man who managed to decimate an entire convoy of the most elite soldiers on the planet – in seconds.

I have never heard Black Gallows Stockholm Troopers sound scared before…

She pushed her fearful thoughts aside and she crawled over to Ruby, cradling her in her arms and resting her on her lap. "Hey… Ruby?" Yang asked with a worried voice, Ruby slowly opened her bruised eyes, looking up at her big sister.

"Y-Yang… ow…" She winced, Yang looked and saw some blood leaking from her stomach. He must have cut her with those cybernetic talons in his metal legs, not too bad but enough to hurt bad.

"It's okay, sis. You're gonna be okay… we're gonna get out of this." Yang looked back at where Valravn was stood… only for him to be gone. Her eyes widened, when suddenly she felt that cold chill on the back of her neck, and her hairs stood on end. "Oh no.." His dark croaky voice began to laugh softly as he emerged from the darkness behind her, with a Raven stood in his forearm.

"Lies for the fearful… a tumour lingering in the hearts of those who could be strong." Valravn stated as he emerged from the shadows. Yang summoned her courage and she sheltered Ruby in her arms, staring at Valravn with gritted teeth, blood still leaking past her right eye from the deep cut. She too was battered and bruised as well, but nowhere near as bad as Ruby was.

"Back to your cryptic bullshit?" Yang scoffed, shaking her head. Valravn's glowing red eyes stared down at her as he released the Raven to fly off, cawing into the sky. "Whatever you want from us… you're not getting it. You're the one responsible for what happened to our mom."

"Her mother…" Valravn corrected, suddenly darting forward and grabbing Ruby by the hair, ripping her from Yang's arms.

"GET THE HELL OFF HER!" Yang screamed with fury in her voice, eyes flushed red, but she immediately calmed herself down… fearful of what Valravn was gonna do. He held her above the floor by the hair, Ruby panted with pain as she felt the roots of her hair yanking away from her scalp.

"Such cursed weakness… just like her mother. Unlike the genes of strength that flow through your veins… Yang Branwen." Valravn stated, before he dropped Ruby away from her, stood beside her.

"I'm not a Branwen. My name is Yang Xiao Long." Yang reminded.

"Our blood runs through your veins, little one. No point in denying it… this creature is not your family. The Branwens are." Valravn stated.

"I'd rather die than be part of your screwed-up family, Valravn." Yang snarled. Yang started to shuffle towards her sister, until Valravn suddenly pressed his mechanical leg down onto the side of Ruby's head, so hard it pinned her against the floor. "Make one more move towards it… and I will crush her skull in front of you." Valravn warned, and Yang's eyes widened. Not much scared Ruby, but this?

She was terrified.

"Okay… okay…" Yang stammered as she backed up again. "Please… just take your foot off her head… please… she's all I have." Yang begged.

Valravn chuckled and shook his head, taking his foot off her face. Blood leaked from Ruby's cheek where one of the talons dug into the skin. "No… you see that is where you are wrong. The family that claimed you… Taiyang Xiao Long and this… Rose… they are not your true family. Blood is all that matters in family, and we are the only true blood you have – therefore you belong with us."

"I am not one of you… I will never stoop to your level." Yang growled. "You butcher people simply for who they are… you butchered innocent children!" Yang yelled with rage in her voice, whilst Valravn just glared at her. "No amount of… so called justice… can ever come close to justifying what you did that night."

Yang then looked around… and her eyes widened when she started to realise. She had never really taken the time to remember the building. "Wait a second… I remember this place… this is in Patch. Where I tried to look for Raven… I took Ruby out here with me and I found this old building… why are we here?"

"Because this is where it happened. This is the Orphanage where Summer Rose and those Silver Eyed Children all died." Valravn explained as he held his hands around the body of his Staff. Yang looked at the floorboards… and she felt sick to her stomach… seeing the old stains of blood… the blood of those poor children. Yang backed up with shock and awe. "Yes… the place you tried to find your mother was in fact where your False Mother met her punishment."

"Punishment? She was the kindest, most loving woman I have ever known! She was pure and kind and you murdered her! And for what? Petty revenge? For something that happened a century ago?" Yang questioned.

"And here you judge me on the ethics of vengeance after what happened in the Atlesian Wildlands?" Valravn scoffed, and Yang paused, and she closed her eyes with regret.

"I never wanted that to happen… I just…"

"Unlocked the Branwen Power within you. We all have it, some sort of passive semblance that affects other around us. Qrow can bring misfortune and Raven can bring good fortune. Jackdaw… was always a failure." Valravn stated. "And you can hear mine…" He said.

Valravn… Valravn… Valravn…

"Yours? You breed violence and rage… but only when you trigger it from intense emotional stress. Like losing the revenge of which you sought… taking it out on those children who called family." Valravn explained.

"Shut up, Valravn. I screwed up… and I don't blame them for hating me. If I could go back and do things differently I would have done. Hell I would have just told them what we were gonna do… we should have trusted them. But they were the family we chose." Yang stated.

"One does not choose their family." Valravn stated. "Blood determines family."

"If you really believe that… then I feel so sorry for you. Because it is so much more than that." Yang stated. "Y'know for someone who is so intelligent I'd have expected you'd understand that concept. But no… you let your own prejudice against an eye colour control you."

Valravn glared at her. "The Silver Eyed Bloodline is a cursed blight on this world… one that only butchers and destroys." Valravn explained as he walked over the stains of blood where those Orphans died. "Did you know we herald from what is now the Atlesian Wildlands?"

It never clicked until now… why the Branwen Connection was always in the Atlesian Wildlands?

It was where their family began, so it always showed the place where they used to live, their home.

And whenever they were bound by the connection… there was nothing but snow.

No ruins…

… no memories…

… nothing.

"When my family left Solitas… it took them days to cross the sea, to find this Continent. They wanted no part of what Atlas was becoming, and it was a good thing too… because the Wildlands consumed what remained. I was not born yet when they fled, but I was born into the family, and I knew how we lived. We did not sew the seeds of the land… we took it. Conflict was simply our way of life, so we travelled the continent, and preyed on the weak, claiming what they had. And burned what we left behind." Valravn explained as he walked around.

Yang listened. "We sold our prisoners… but we kept to the old ways. Honoured the Gods and prayed to them every night. Until one day, the Tribe of Silver Eyed Warriors in Anima learned of our presence and hunted us down." Valravn explained.

Yang scoffed. "I can't say I blame them, sounded like you were nothing more than savage monsters."

"Yes… we were. In your eyes and theirs, but that was not what made me know of their cursed hearts. It was what they did to my family… they hit us in the night. Without warning, without discussion, and they butchered us all. I watched… only a child… as they dragged my mother from the tent and tore her apart… laughing. They killed ever man, woman and child. Except for three… myself, my brother and a friend of his who would later be his wife – and the mother of Jackdaw, Qrow and Raven." Valravn explained. "We wandered for a long time, and they started to rebuild the Branwen Tribe together, but we were all that remained of our once powerful bloodline. I decided to leave them, I wandered for years… trying to find purpose in myself. Fighting anything and everything, eventually I just wanted to die. Weakness started to consume me… so I tried to hang myself from a tree… but the branch broke. I fought bandits and Grimm, but none would ever strike me down."

He continued on. "One day… I learned of a Legendary Grimm, known as Valravn. A beast which wandered the scars of the Great War, and I found it amongst piles upon piles of dead Vacuan Mongrels. It feasted on their rotting flesh, a Raven Knight… one which spread illusions like the plague. I had hoped it would kill me… I fought it valiantly, all night… until I finally struck the beast down. It was in that moment that I earned my name – Valravn."

"Wait… then what was your old name?" Yang asked.

"Too long ago for this old soul to remember." Valravn stated. "And in that moment… all I could hear were the whispers in my head, but I learned how to direct those voiced around me, so everyone could hear the voices of my family. I created this attire and the mask… my legs were far too damaged from all the walking to go on, and eventually they gave out from rot… so I designed these mechanical augmentations. I was no longer the child I was… I was someone new. That was when I knew what we had to do… and I started to track down the Silver Eyed Savages that butchered my people. But someone else was also after them…"

Yang thought to herself. Salem…

But they were out there, and I continued to hunt them. I butchered them, for the world to know, gouged out their eyes and opened their bodies as a warning. Eventually… after the Great War ended on Vytal… roughly a decade or two afterwards, I returned to my brother and sister in law. They had their first child, and she was pregnant with twins, and had already worked extremely hard to rebuild what we lost – using other grunts and lost souls to build something new. And they shared my hunger for revenge, so we started to hunt the Silver Eyed Ones down, one by one and made examples out of them for their kind to remember. But as time went on… my brother and his wife became more and more extreme, cruelly raising their children… and gave their eldest to me."

"Jackdaw…" Yang said.

"Yes… I was no father, he just sat alone on the floor whilst I pondered in my thoughts. "Eventually I saw their recklessness leading the tribe down a dark path… and I knew Raven could never stay with that fool of a father who planted his seed inside of her… which forged into you… so I prepared the tribe for her." Valravn explained.

Yang ignored his disgusting words about her father – and focused on something else. "What did you do?" Yang asked, and Valravn stared at her.

"They were too foolish… so I killed them… so a new and stronger leader could take their place." Valravn answered, both Ruby and Yang's eyes widened from that revelation. They never really knew what happened to their parents, only that they were cruel and eventually died. They assumed it was from a raid that ended badly for them… not that their own brother had killed them because they were reckless.

There was no remorse in his voice, he talked about them and their deaths like someone who had crushed a fly.

"So much for bloodlines, huh?" Yang scoffed, shaking her head at his hypocrisy.

"Their foolish and violent nature would have brought the entirety of the Mistraalian Military down on us, maybe even the Black Gallows. We had to survive, and I knew their children were the way forward. And now… you will do the same." Valravn explained, and Yang scoffed, shaking her head.

"Oh I don't think so. Even if I were willing, after all you just told me? All I would be to you is some baby making machine, to make a new heir for the Tribe so you could be rid of me." Yang stated.

"If you risked our family I would."

"You have a very skewed perception of that word." Yang scoffed. "And besides… there was only one woman I ever felt that way for and now she despises me. So why the hell would I ever want to help you? Huh? All I have is my little sister."

"This… creature… is nothing more than the offspring of a demoness. Just like every other Silver Eyed Creature." Valravn snarled as he glared at her.

"She. Is. My. Sister. My best friend in the whole world… I will never join you or your twisted family. Nothing you can say will ever convince me." Yang defiantly assured. Valravn laughed sinisterly.

"You do not understand… this is no discussion… no attempt to convince you. This is what must be. You have no choice in this matter, you are Branwen, and therefore you belong… to me." Valravn stated, he then reached down and drew a long Sacrificial Blade, with carved Nordic Runes across the blade. Valravn walked towards Yang and grabbed her by her long blonde hair and he dragged her towards Ruby, dropping her right in front of her little sister.

Valravn crouched down and stared at her and held the hilt of the knife at Yang. "And you will become one of us… by killing it yourself."

"What? If you think I will ever hurt a hair on her head then you've got another thing coming." Yang snarled.

"Either you do it… or I will. I have already told you how I like to dispatch her kind… her screams will haunt you forever. I am giving you the opportunity to end her suffering quickly, one slash across the throat, and her life ends. Far better than she deserves." Valravn explained as he stared at Yang, and she looked at her little sister.

Yang then looked at Valravn, and suddenly spat in his eye, before smashing her head into his. Valravn stumbled back, squawking with anger and pain as he stood tall. Yang cracked her neck as she watched him. "I told you – I am never gonna hurt her. And if you even try to hurt her then you'll have to kill me." Valravn glared at her as he wiped her saliva from his eye. "You can spout off whatever you want, try and make it sound like the Silver Eyed Warriors were monsters. And yeah… maybe back then they were… but torturing and murdering innocent people who happened to have the same coloured eyes? There's no excusing that kind of logic… and besides… your people were no better than those Silver Eyed Warriors, you were savages who butchered people and sacrificed them to the damn sky. You all got what was coming to you."

Valravn glared down at her. "We preyed on the weak, they have no place in the world other than to feed the strong."

"No… it's the duty of the strong to protect the weak." Yang stated in disagreement, but then Ruby lifted her head and glared at Valravn with furious silver eyes.

"Then I guess you and the Branwens were weak as well, weren't you?" She taunted, and Valravn suddenly stared at her. He swung his taloned foot into her face, knocking her back against the ground. Valravn paced around the room, and the whispers sounded more and more erratic as time went on.

Then… Yang began to laugh, which got his attention.

"It's funny... That Grimm? It spread illusions everywhere, delusions and hallucinations... And you claim that the Silver Eyed Bloodline is what cursed the Branwens... But don't you get it? There is no curse, the only curse in this family was you. Your semblance, the whispers? They planted those seeds of madness into Jackdaw's head, you drove Qrow and Raven away, and his madness made them afraid of him. You then had them kill our mom because of your beliefs, which divided your family more than ever. Don't you get it yet, Valravn? The only Branwen Curse... Is you. The person who has been deluded the most by your lies is yourself, because you actually believe it now." Yang deciphered the truth perfectly.

There was no curse…

… the Branwens all simply had Passive Semblances of some kind, a hereditary ability like the Schnee Family, sometimes it was good and other times it was bad. But there was no curse… the only curse the Branwen Family ever faced, was Valravn himself, who was the most deluded of them all.

The irony…

Qrow Branwen, the man with a Bad Luck Charm wanted to be a family man. Raven Branwen, the one who brought good fortune ran from her family. Jackdaw, the most powerful of them all, never unlocked his semblance. And Valravn, the supposed master of illusions, managed to delude himself with his lies.

And even Yang… her biggest irony, was that her greatest fear was her own anger, because of what it could do when out of control.

Valravn stared at her, then he suddenly walked towards her and forcefully placed the knife in her hand, and then grabbed Ruby by her hair and yanked her head back. "Kill her…" He commanded.

"No… I will not." Yang snarled.

"Yes… you will…" He whispered… Yang gasped, and she stared at her only arm as it started to move, against her will. And there was nothing she could even do to hold it back, she tried to pull the arm down, but the knife moved closer and closer towards Ruby's throat.

The whispers of Valravn grew and grew in the back of her mind as he started to force her to do his bidding. They could not see his face, but she saw the evil in his glowing red eyes. The knife grew closer and closer, and Ruby began to stammer with fear, getting terrible flashbacks to when Neo nearly slit her throat four years ago.

"Yang!" Ruby cried out with fear, it was one of her greatest fears to have her throat cut after Neo… and even worse… that Yang was being forced to do it.

"No! STOP!" Yang begged Valravn.

"Girls! Yang? Ruby?" Taiyang's voice called out nearby, Valravn's head suddenly snapped in the direction, staring at where he heard his voice. Yang felt her arm drop as Valravn's focus dropped, and he suddenly vanished into thin air, transforming into a Murder of Crows and Ravens.


Eryka


She viciously yanked her bound arms back, pushing her good leg against the pipe that the zip-ties had been secured onto. She was not the only one in here, for the rest of Ruby and Yang's friends were here as well. Alive and well… bruised a bit but nowhere near as bad as what poor Ruby had been put through thanks to Valravn's evil prejudice against her kind.

"Break you cock-sucking piece of shit!" Eryka yelled with frustration as she yanked harder and harder before she slipped and fell onto the floor. She stayed attached to the pipe and she kicked it with annoyance. Nora bit down onto hers, violently and savagely trying to rip them off with her teeth.

"I'm not going out like this! Not by some creepy Bird Guy!" Nora yelled with anger, her eyes glowed bright pink but Ren stopped her.

"No… if Valravn knows we have escaped he may kill Ruby. We need to be quiet and careful." Ren advised and Nora nodded her head in agreement. As much as Nora wanted to create a powerful explosion, she sadly had to stay calm under the pressure. They were not blind as to what was happening here.

Eryka turned to Winter who was carefully digging her Zip-Ties into the wooden beam she was secured to. "What're you doing?" She asked her.

"An old trick General Ironwood taught me. If your capture secured you to wood… you can saw yourself free with the restraints. Luckily, these are zip-ties… shouldn't take too long…" Winter strained as she continued to rub it up and down, using friction to cut into the wood. "I can free you all… then we find where Valravn took our weapons. I saw him throwing Nora's axe into one of the sheds outside. Our weapons must be in there…" Winter explained.

"Pretty dumb of him to take our weapons with us, wasn't it?" Nora scoffed.

"Maybe not – if he wants Yang because she's a Branwen… he could either force us to join him or kill us and just keep our weapons." Eryka stated, and Winter nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah… end of the day we do pack a lot of firepower." Winter agreed as she continued to saw through the wood with her restraints. "Be one hell of a way to gain more power in the Branwen Tribe… wherever they are." Winter said.

None of them even knew that Cinder had wiped them all out.

"Guys… even if we do make it out of this… where are we gonna go? I mean… the mess Valravn left behind? I wouldn't put it past the U.G.R to blame us for all this." Nora asked nervously, Eryka looked at Winter… they finally had the moment to tell them… tell them what Jackdaw told them in the tunnel.

"I don't think there is a Unified Governments of Remnant anymore." Winter stated.

"What?" Ren asked with shock.

"When Eryka and I went after Jackdaw? Into that tunnel? He told us something, that the U.G.R are probably already dead by now. He even admitted he was working for Watts and Salem, whatever he was going after in the Atlesian Wildlands? I think he got it and sent it to Watts… and he told us to run and hide." Winter explained, the two of them looked horrified at her words.

"Oh gods… no…" Ren gasped as she leant his head back against the radiator.

"The bastards played us like fools. Now we're divided and without hope! And in the middle of all of this… is that insane bastard Valravn! I can't believe I didn't see this coming!" Eryka strained with anger.

"You couldn't have known, Eryka." Winter softly assured.

"I should have… I never trusted Valravn, even when I used to run with the Branwen Tribe. I rarely saw the bastard… but I never trusted him. I should have known he was gonna try something." Eryka explained, she panted and pressed her head against the cold pipe, closing her eyes.

When she heard something…

… the cry of an eagle.

She looked up through the old planks of wood which creaked and saw the huge familiar wings of an Altum Eagle. "Dulcis…" She gasped, they all looked up with her and saw her beautiful loyal best friend find his way inside. He flew through the open hatch on the upper level, landing on the railing of the balcony, happily shrieking to see Eryka. "DULCIS! C'mere baby!" She cried out and he flew down to her, immediately running up to her, gently and loving rubbing his head against her cheek as he sat on her lap. She gently rested her head against his warm and soft feathers.

Winter smiled at him as he beamed at her. "That is one badass and loyal birdie." Nora chuckled, then Ren's eyes widened, and he looked to where he flew through.

"Wait… that's it. That's our way out." He said, pointing at the hatch. "Valravn probably locked the front door, we can sneak out through there and catch Valravn by surprise when we get our weapons." Ren strategized and Winter smirked, then looked at Dulcis.

"You clever little thing, you." Winter cooed, and Dulcis waddled up to her and also lovingly pressed his head to hers.

"Then we've got ourselves a plan. Now just to get out of these damn ties… don't get me wrong I'm all for getting tied up, just not in this kind of situation." Eryka joked, in which Winter rolled her eyes and blushed.

"Aaand now we know something about Eryka we didn't know a second ago." Nora stated.

"You never suspected that of me? Damn I'm getting sloppy." Eryka laughed, until she then noticed Dulcis glaring at the locked double doors. "Dulcis? Honey what is it?" She asked him, he then hissed and opened his wings as lightning flashed around them, claps of thunder burst through the air. Dulcis roared at the doors, then they noticed… the heavy boots that approached it.

Suddenly a cybernetic fist punched clean through the doors and it lock, crushing it in his hand. His hand slowly returned back outside, and then he opened the doors dramatically. His brown trench coat blew in the stormy wind, his brown hair moved with the gales as well, no longer wearing his Top Hat, for it was still left at the Atlesian Wildlands… eyes faintly glowing red.

It was Jackdaw.

Their eyes all widened with terror. He stared at them all, and he immediately walked towards Eryka, staring down at her as she stared right back. Dulcis roared over and over again at him, he stared at the Eagle and suddenly extended his fatal fathers from his forearms. "Dulcis… no." Eryka commanded, she did not want him to get hurt. Jackdaw stared at the Eagle and walked towards her, and Winter frantically cut the wood as fast as she could to try and get free.

Jackdaw stared down at her, and then he held her head with one metal hand and moved the blade towards her. The wood sliced and Winter immediately cut through the Zip-Toes and went to drive the spike of wood into Jackdaw's jugular, only for her to stop with wide eyes, as Jackdaw cut the ties from Eryka's wrists, freeing her. She stared at Jackdaw, who just gave her a look and a raised brow. "Dumbass. I'm here to save you brats." Jackdaw told them as he walked towards Nora and Ren. "I know, crazy… I'm playing the role of a hero again. Almost forgot what it felt like."

He cut both Nora and Ren free.

"What? Why are you doing this?" Winter questioned.

"Valravn has played his games long enough and I will not let Summer's little girls die for that monster's delusions. And the rest of you? Well I always quite respected you, more so than your compatriots who followed the U.G.R… blindly." Jackdaw explained as he walked away from the two he just freed. The four of them stood together and stared at Jackdaw.

"We were wrong… we screwed up." Winter admitted.

"Indeed, but the past matters not. Just take this little family of yours and run, Raven managed to get Lavinia's help and she has secured you guys safe passage to Anima." Jackdaw explained, looking at Eryka.

"My mom?" Eryka gasped.

"Good ears, Eryka. All of you but Winter have Kill Orders on your heads now. Fifteen Million Lien per head… everyone in the whole world is gonna try and claim it if they see you. Everyone – except for the people of the Summit's Claim. They live outside of the U.G.R's influence, and even with them all dead, they still will not be interested in any Kill Orders that were placed." Jackdaw explained to them all.

"Wait… if the U.G.R Councillors are all dead then who the hell had the money to put those bounties on our heads?" Nora questioned.

"My money's on Arthur Watts. With Jacques Schnee and Vance Ackerman dead, he has all their assets and money now. He could easily put over one hundred million on your heads and barely even notice the different with how powerful he has become." Jackdaw explained as he approached the door, he then stopped and looked at Winter, who looked shocked by this news. "Don't tell me you feel sorry for your father… after everything he did to you and your family?"

"It's not him I'm worried about… my mom and… my brother… I wasn't close with him, but he is still my brother…" Winter said.

But even Jackdaw did not know that they were dead as well, butchered in the Foundations of Sovereignty alongside the rest of the Councillors. Jackdaw approached the doors, staring at the storm which was brewing atop Patch, swirling clouds and crackling lightning and thunder. "Go to the Crossroads due north from here, you will find Lavinia waiting for you." Jackdaw advised.

"We can't go, not without Ruby and Yang." Ren said.

"Leave that to us." Jackdaw assured. "Do not think me a saint for this, us Branwens are beyond redemption. But perhaps… our final hour can be honoured by destroying the bloodline which brought so much death. Yang will be the last – and I pray she may lead a brighter future for our name." Jackdaw explained as he stood there.

"What are you going to do?" Eryka asked him.

Jackdaw closed his eyes and he exhaled through his nostrils.

"Finish this… once and for all." He answered, he looked back at them. "You wanted me to face the justice for my actions. Ruby and Yang want Qrow and Raven dead. And the Branwens want our Uncle dead… tonight all three will most likely be pledged. So if I were you I would get out of here while you still can." Jackdaw warned.

They all walked past him, and approached the shed and grabbed their weapons, and Ren took Ember Celica for Yang. Winter stared at Jackdaw and she sighed. "Thank y-"

"Don't thank me." Jackdaw commanded, turning to stare at her. "Jackdaw Branwen died a long time ago, there is nothing left of him to thank."

"That's not true…" Winter said, catching her sword which Eryka threw to her. Eryka limped over to Winter who helped her walk with her arm over the Specialist's shoulder. "… coming back here? Saving her daughters and making things right by killing him? I think she'd be proud."

"Then you didn't know Summer Rose." He said, because she never would have wanted them to become what they were… and die fighting. Winter continued on and Jackdaw stood before the Orphanage, seeing Taiyang making his approach, and he waited, closing his eyes as he lowered his head, clenching his hands into fists.


Taiyang


"RUBY? YANG?" He screamed as he walked towards the Orphanage, looking around. He pushed the doors open and immediately saw them in the middle of the room. Yang gasped as she stared at him.

"DAD! GET OUT OF HERE!" She begged him, when Valravn suddenly descended down from the rafters in a swarm of Crows and Ravens, all cawing at once. They slashed his body repeatedly with their beaks and talons, shredding his aura, and then Valravn suddenly erupted from them and slammed both his feet down into Taiyang's back. The attack dealt immense damage to his aura, and he strained as he pushed his hands against the floor. Valravn walked off his body, slowly moving with his cane, staring down at him.

Taiyang glared at Valravn and he smirked. "Valravn Branwen… we meet at last." Taiyang scoffed as he pushed his knee against the floor, rising upright to face Valravn who stood before him.

"And you… Taiyang Xiao Long… the false light that blinded my Niece." Valravn stated with a chuckle in his voice.

"Heh… she always did say you liked to talk in riddles… good thing I always have liked to read poems." He said, staring straight at Valravn. The old man stared back and the huge Branwen walked, his mechanical feet clanked across the floor as he paced.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked Taiyang, and their father looked at the Orphanage, and he sighed.

"Yeah… the Orphanage. The one that Qrow and Raven murdered my wife at… the one that you facilitated." Taiyang answered, and Valravn nodded his head whilst Yang and Ruby looked shock, realising that he now knew the truth.

Yang started to wonder… did Jackdaw tell him, or did Raven or Qrow tell him the truth?

"Indeed." Valravn answered, not even beating around the bush that he orchestrated the murder of the woman he loved so dearly. "I also know why you did it – because of what some Silver Eyed Warriors did to your people a century ago…" Taiyang told him.

"Their kind are a blight." Valravn stated. "Yang Branwen will help me eradicate them once and for all, starting with your offspring." He said, gesturing to Ruby on the floor.

"With what? The Branwen Tribe is no more. Valravn. Cinder Fall wiped them out when they turned on her." Taiyang revealed to him, Ruby and Yang gasped with shock at that revelation… but Valravn hardly even flinched.

"You think I gave a damn about those pawns? Misguided fools and savages, they are easy to find, and even easier to pay." Valravn assured. "All that matters… is that Branwen Bloodline remains together, and Yang Branwen will help me unite it once more."

"Her name is Yang Xiao Long… My Sunny Little Dragon." Taiyang stated with gritted teeth.

"The Branwen Blood flows within her… therefore her name… and her life… belong to me." Valravn stated as he clenched his hand into a fist.

"Yeah, I'd hate to break it to you, pal, but I think my birth certificate says otherwise, asshole!" Yang yelled. Valravn suddenly spun around and struck his staff across the side of Yang's face, knocking her against the floor with force.

"Hey!" Taiyang roared as he suddenly stood up, until Valravn glared directly into his eyes, and the Whispers of Valravn became so loud and prevalent that they forced him back down to his knees.

"Your presence will be your undoing, Xiao Long." Valravn warned.

"I don't care… all I care about anymore… is that my baby girls are back home and safe. Because they don't belong to you, they don't belong to anyone. They are my girls… and I want them happy… safe… and free." Taiyang stated.

"Freedom… Peace… a static existence. Nothing flows, nothing changes, it is just stagnant existence." Valravn scoffed as he paced around the room. "There is only one rule in life… in existence. And it is that Conflict Must Exist. Conflict is the only way in which that life evolves, the weak perish, making the strong even stronger. It is the natural order of things, an ideal that the Branwens have followed for generations." Valravn stated as he approached Taiyang and leant forward. "That rule? Is the reason that I had my nice and nephew kill your wife. She was weak… meant nothing to the world. And the same will happen to your daughter." Valravn stated as he turned away from Taiyang, hearing him begin to sob.

But then that sob changed into an uncharacteristic laugh. Yang and Ruby stared at their father with concern as he laughed at Valravn, the old Branwen turned, his glowing red eyes stared straight at Taiyang. "Meant nothing to the world…" He recited with a laugh, wiping his grief-stricken tears form his eyes. Valravn stared down at him. "Valravn… when Raven left me and returned to the Branwen Tribe without a note? It broke my heart… left alone with a baby girl… who I loved more than anything… but I was alone. I had nothing but her… until Summer arrived on my doorstep one night. After a month… things grew between us and she finally confessed her feelings for me… feelings she revealed she had when we were at Beacon together. And in that moment… I finally found some semblance of hope, an opportunity to grieve with one accord… and you Branwens… took that from me." Taiyang's voice darkened into a growl, glaring straight into Valravn's eyes. "Stole that from me! KILLED THAT FROM ME! I am not the kind of man to ever seek out vengeance, but if you hurt one hair on my girls heads, then I think I might break that one rule. So you can either hand over my girls, OR YOU CAN DIE WISHING YOU HAD DONE!" Taiyang roared as he broke free from Valravn's influence, howling at the monstrous man.

Valravn suddenly swung his Scythe towards Taiyang's throat and his daughters gasped with horror. "DAD!" They both cried out, until Valravn stopped just as the curved blade of his Double-Ended Scythe touched his skin…

… because he heard something.

Raven… singing.

Sat nearby with a whetstone in her hand, she sharpened Omen as she sang.

"Vi vandrer I mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Bannere smidd I blod"

Banners Forged in Blood

"Skrik av døende modige"

Screams of dying braves

"Frykt for svake feige"

Fear of weak cowards

Valravn turned his gaze when he heard her voice singing, Ruby and Yang both looked around when they heard her voice. It was not who they were expecting to hear singing this creepy song. Outside of the Orphanage, Jackdaw smirked, and started to sing as well, matching Raven's chords.

"Vi vandrer I mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Brann I våre hjerter"

Fire in Our Hearts

"Pest som henger I oss"

Plague Lingering Within Us

"Likevel går vi fremover"

Yet We Walk Forward

Qrow waited and he stood up from where he was sat, dropping his flask down into the mud, joining with his brother and sister as they sang the creepy Branwen Song. Raven walked towards the Orphanage, as did Jackdaw and Qrow, all three approaching from different sides to ambush Valravn,

"Vi vandrer i mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Vi brenner dem alle"

We Burn Them All

"Gull, sølv, bronse, alt"

Gold, Silver, Bronze, All

"Vi tar dem alle"

We Take Them All

Valravn turned his stare, directly at Taiyang, who smirked at him, knocking that they managed to catch Valravn off guard at long last. He knew they were coming, but he was not expecting them to stand together… against him.

"Vi vandrer i mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Monstre Frykt Vår Høyrød"

Monsters Fear Our Crimson

"Stå sammen i skyggen"

Standing Together in Shadows

"Forbannet i våre hjerter"

Cursed in Our Hearts

The clouds parted, revealing the Shattered Moon in the sky as Crows and Ravens flew through the air, cawing together as they soared above the Orphanage that the Branwen Family were united within.

"Vi vandrer I mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Født fra kalde bredder"

Born from Icy Shores

"Solnedgang I Frykt"

Sun Setting in Fear

"Vi slår dem alle sammen"

We Flay Them All

Eryka looked back with wide eyes as she heard the sound of the song that echoed through the trees, alongside Winter, Nora and Ren who heard their voices. At long last united for one final battle against the man who forged such a curse that plagued their family forever.

"Vi vandrer I mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Blodfarget rustning kledd"

Blood Stained Armour Clad

"Venstre tom, uten ingenting"

Left Empty, With Nothing

"Omgitt av evig svikt"

Surrounded by Everlasting Failure

A mad smirk formed across Jackdaw's face as he walked, extending the Fatal Feathers from his arms, ready to battle his Uncle.

"Vi vandrer I mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Tapt I vår ødeleggelse"

Lost in Our Destruction

"Lik ler, vi gråter"

Corpses Laugh, We Cry

"Likevel marsjerer vi på"

Yet We March On

Raven spun Omen through her fingers, creating a red blur of energy behind the blade as it moved, staring directly at the building as she approached. Still singing the song with her Brothers.

"Vi vandrer I mørket"

We Walk in Darkness

"Mistet og alene sammen"

Lost and Alone Together

"Overfor slutten, fryktløs"

Facing the End, Fearless

"De tar oss alle"

They Take Us All

Qrow cracked his neck, clenching his ringed hands into fists, including the one which held Harbinger tight, rain began to fall around them, dripping off his messy hair and down the long massive blade. The rainwater dripped through the planks of wood in the ceiling, in front of Ruby and Yang. Yang had her arms gently around her baby sister to protect her from what was about to happen.

"Vi Er Branwen"

We Are the Branwens

"Dette er arven vår"

This is our Legacy

"Forbannet og for alltid glemt"

Cursed and Forever Forgotten

Valravn stood there, and then stared at Taiyang. "It's over, Val… your Dynasty ends tonight." Taiyang assured. Valravn then started to chuckle sinisterly at Taiyang, nodding his head.

"Perhaps… but if you think this has saved your daughter from me… you are sorely mistaken." Valravn warned, he suddenly slashed his Scythe across Taiyang's throat, but his aura protected him, and the impact slammed him down into the ground. Valravn turned as the Branwens erupted through the walls at once, weapons drawn as they jumped towards him. Valravn backed up and he spiralled his Staff through his fingers, blocking the shotgun blast from Qrow and he kicked Raven in the chest which threw her against the wall so hard the wooden panels shattered. He then caught Jackdaw and lifted him over his head and smashed him down against the ground.

Valravn suddenly burst into a Murder of Crows and Ravens towards Ruby and snatched her straight from Yang's arms. "NO! RUBY!" Yang shrieked, as Valravn flew up the steeple of the Orphanage with Ruby's red petals trailing from within the feathers of the Corvid Birds. As Valravn reached the top, he held Ruby by the throat over the edge, stood by the old rusty bell. Taiyang stood beneath him in the steeple, staring up at Valravn.

"VALRAVN! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU! THEY'RE ALL I'VE GOT! JUST LET HER GO AND LET HER LIVE IN PEACE! PLEASE!" He begged Valravn from down there, and the old Branwen stared down at him and then at Ruby. Even with her life dangling by a thread, she spat the blood from her mouth and scowled at him with furious silver eyes.

"You don't scare me." Ruby snarled.

Valravn leant forward, and Ruby could hear it directly in her ear.

Valravn… Valravn… Valravn…

Then he spoke, hushing her like a man would hush a child. "Shh… it's okay to be afraid." He whispered, before he released her, letting Ruby plummet down towards the ground. She screamed with terror, and with her aura broken she could not use her Semblance to save herself as she fell.

"No!" Taiyang screamed, he jumped up immediately and opened his arms, catching Ruby and spinning through the air, landing on his back with a heavy thud. He grunted and shook his head, looking at Ruby as he rolled over and checked her for wounds, not looking at Valravn above. "Are you okay, honey?" He worried; Ruby's eyes widened.

"LOOK OUT!" She screamed, he turned as he heard him.

The voices were yelling now. VALRAVN! VALRAVN! VALRAVN!

Valravn dove down in a swarm of Ravens and Crows before he erupted from the swarm with his Scythe in his hands, and he drove it down towards them both. Taiyang rolled aside with Ruby cradled in his arms. He immediately got up and punched Valravn across the face with his Semblance engaged, channelling aura into his fist to deal one powerful strike. Valravn staggered but suddenly swung his scythe around towards his chest, which smashed Taiyang against the wall so hard that the old plaster shattered and crumbled off the wall. Valravn then rushed forward and slashed his Scythe down at Ruby as she fled through the halls.

The huge Branwen stood in the hallway, his head snapped towards her and he suddenly sprinted towards her at terrifying speeds. His eyes shone bright red as he charged towards her, only for Jackdaw to suddenly punch Valravn across the face, and as Jackdaw sprinted forward he extended his Fatal Feathers from his arms and pinned his Uncle against the wall with gritted teeth. Valravn snarled and he swiftly kicked Jackdaw in the chest, and Taiyang jumped and caught onto one of the poles in the structure, swinging towards Valravn and kicking him in the chest with both feet.

Valravn crashed and tumbled through the wall, giving Taiyang the chance to catch up with Ruby. He ran to her and helped her up, for she was limping on her injured leg. He carried her in his arms and Valravn suddenly burst from the rubble and Jackdaw fired his machine guns at him. Valravn spun his Scythe fast enough to block the bullets, before launching his Scythe towards Jackdaw, the handle slammed against his throat and pinned him against the wall as the blade dug deep into the building.

Jackdaw punched it free from his throat and Valravn suddenly rushed forward and caught it out of mid-air before he slammed his fist down into the ground. Raven rushed forward with Omen and Qrow jumped towards him with Harbinger. Valravn caught Omen in his cybernetic foot, and then he hooked onto Harbinger with his Scythe, slamming Qrow down against the ground with immense force, before kicking Raven in the chest with her own sword, so hard the impact threw her straight through the double doors.

Raven tumbled across the ground, Omen clattered beside her and she groaned. She pushed her hand against her knee as she got back up. She turned to see Taiyang running to help her up, but she held her hand up. "Don't… don't help me." She panted, picking up Omen. "You need to go, all of you. Valravn is not gonna go down easy, not without one hell of a fight. And if the three of us survive it… well I know how it ends. But all of you have to run…"

"We can… we can help…" Taiyang said.

"No. This is our fight. Summer died… because of us… we were the ones who took her from you. Now… the only way we can honour her is to make sure that her husband and daughters make it out okay." Raven explained. "Get to the Crossroads, you'll find your friends and Lavinia Vasillias waiting for you. She has a ship there; it will take you to Anima. Get to the Summit's Claim… there's a Kill Order on you now, a big one. The whole world is gonna be coming for you. But they will take you in… I know they will." Raven assured as she turned, hearing Qrow and Jackdaw both battling against Valravn inside.

Raven sighed and she walked towards Yang and suddenly held her shoulders, Yang was still repulsed by her mother after learning what she and Qrow did… but she was not prepared for Raven's final words to her.

"I know you despise me… and I don't blame you… what we did can never be undone. But if you will grant me one final request… it is this: do not let this destroy you… when you find your team again… repair things… do not let hate and fear control you. And please… whatever you do… live… and be better than me." Raven begged her with tears in her eyes. She then released Yang and backed up from her, and she turned to the Orphanage where it all began.

She looked back at them… at Taiyang. "I'm sorry… we both are… now go. Get out of here." Raven begged. Taiyang hung back for a few moments but then he turned and ran ahead in the direction of the Crossroads with Ruby. Yang stood there for a few seconds, staring at Raven who looked at her. Yang just nodded at her, and turned to follow her father, running off into the storm.


Raven


She blew out a breath, rainwater dripped from her hair and she stared at the Orphanage. In her eyes she could see the ghost of Summer watching her as she walked towards the building. And not only her… but also Jackdaw's team, all their eyes were upon her. She held Omen tight as she glared at the broken doors, walking inside to see Valravn pacing back and forth. Qrow on the left and Jackdaw on the right, weapons ready as Valravn stopped.

"You would destroy us all… and for what? A child of the monstrous clan that nearly destroyed us?" Valravn questioned with disgust.

"We deserved what we got. The Branwen Tribe should have fallen that day…" Raven stated. Raven then looked at Jackdaw. "Looks like you were right after all this time, Jack." She said, and Jackdaw stared at her.

"The world really would be safer without us…" She said with a sigh, of relief, she had never felt lighter and more at peace.

"This is where you end, Valravn. Where we all end. No monuments… no dynasty… just our sins." Qrow said as he looked at the stains of blood on the ground.

Raven glared at him. "But no longer. No more innocents will die because of us." She said.

The three Branwens stood in front of Valravn.

One final fight…

… to end a bloodstained legacy…

… once and for all.


Author Note - Here we go... the Battle of the Branwens!

Decided I wanna update Eclipse first for the next few chapters of this Act since we are so close to the end now, then KoG second XD

This was a really cool chapter to right, Valravn is such a terrifying villain to write. He may easily be one of the most evil villains I have ever written, and that is coming from someone who has written Vir Nominis Umbra (Main Villain from Knights of Grimm for those unfamiliar)! There is something about his way of thinking, the whispers and just his demeanour which is just so damn horrifying. That and his design, since you don't know what his face looks like, and now we know that we don't even know what his real name is, since he just adopted the name Valravn from that Grimm he killed.

The part with Taiyang and Valravn was awesome as well, showing Taiyang being THAT angry was so cool, and then of course we had that first fight with Taiyang trying to protect Ruby from him. Just shows how obsessed the man is to just eradicate the Silver Eyed Warriors from existence.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter - Battle of the Branwens

- Matt