Cover art - powerfulpomegranate
Word spread quickly in Salem about a silver-eyed person being in the village. Ren blinked and realised they had a crowd swarming them. There were gasps, looks of wonder, people pushing over each other to get closer and see Ruby. Peter hadn't been kidding. This must have been an important event for their village.
Mordana eventually had to step in and order the crowd to clear off. She offered to show Ruby the church in private, and tell her more about her eyes. Ruby was quick to accept. The attention had left her a little dazed.
Of course, that didn't mean the attention died away completely. Even if Ren and Nora didn't have silver eyes, the villagers were still eager to get to know them. Visitors weren't common in Salem, given how secluded the village was. After many questions, the pair found a quiet area to sit down and catch their breath.
"Sheesh," Nora sighed. "You'd think we're time-travelling aliens from the future or something."
"Are you of all people really going to lecture them about restraint?" Ren smirked.
"Hey, at least there's only one of me. I don't swarm people."
"I thought you'd love the attention."
"Moderation, Ren. Moderation." She stretched her arms, now having enough space to do it. "Still, this seems like a nice place. Definitely the safest of all the villages we've seen so far."
Ren hummed. Truth be told, he had trouble putting his guard down most days. The only time he had dropped it entirely was at Ruby's house. He just simply didn't feel safe in Mistral anymore.
But it was nice seeing a community like this. Everyone seemed happy. Everyone seemed safe...
"If only Kuroyuri was like this," Nora said.
Ren's eyes turned sharply on her. "What did you say?"
"I said I wonder what Ruby and Mordana are talking about," Nora said, unaware that he was staring at her with the gaze of a hawk.
There wasn't a trace of a lie in her voice, and he knew when she was lying. He looked away, feeling cold, and uttered a simple, "Oh."
A familiar figure came walking up to them. "Hey guys," Peter said with a wave.
"I thought you were out fishing?" Ren said.
"Why is everyone so obsessed with fish right now?" Peter moaned. "How can I fish at a time like this. I didn't go anywhere. I just hid in the bushes for a while. But don't tell Mordana I said that. What she doesn't know won't hurt me."
"Going against the village leader?" Nora grinned, giving him a playful thump on the arm. "You naughty boy."
Peter blushed slightly and looked away from her. Ren felt a sudden twinge of irritation from his reaction. It passed quickly before he could process what it was.
"So how are you liking our village?" Peter said. "The people treating you right?"
"If the reception could get any warmer, we'd be on fire," Nora chuckled.
"Please tell me no one's given you the tour yet. I'm the ones who brought you here. It's only fair I do it."
"We haven't seen anything but the people," Ren said. "There wasn't much else to see when they crowded us."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Peter laughed. "But hey, I'm here now. Want me to show you around?"
The pair had no objections, though Ren had a feeling Peter would keep pestering them until they agreed to anyway. If there was one thing he had learned about the people of Salem, it's that they were a demanding bunch.
Despite their circumstances, Salem was a surprisingly unremarkable village. Peter showed them the school, his house, various places he liked to hang out with his friends. It had all the makings of a normal village, and yet it was located somewhere a normal civilian wouldn't dare live. They had no defences, no weapons, they didn't even have a guard watching the perimeter.
Was it really protected by faith in their goddess alone? He could understand bandits not venturing deep into the woods, but Grimm? They should've marched in and destroyed it a long time ago. It's not like they had to fear any of mankind's deities.
"A lot of us stay in the village until the day we die," Peter explained as they walked. "Everyone knows everyone around here, so many of us don't see the point in moving on. That being said, not everyone chooses to say. I think even Mordana's son left when he was our age, but that was before I was born."
"Are you related to Mordana at all?" Ren asked.
Peter blinked. "Me? No, not in the slightest. What made you think that?"
"You've both got similar eyes. I wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for all the talk of eyes lately."
"Really?" Peter sounded genuinely surprised. "Your's must be sharper than mine then because I never noticed."
Come to think of it, all of the villagers had the same red streak to their eyes. Ren came from a tight-knit village too, but his people didn't share any unique traits between each other. He couldn't imagine what might have been causing it. The plants? The water? Or something else?
"Do you think you'll ever leave Salem?" Nora asked.
"Probably. I wanna explore the world too. I've always wanted to go to Vacuo. I love the sun. But I'll still come back and visit often. Home's home, you know?"
I think your homecoming will be nicer than mine, Ren thought darkly.
"What's it like anyway? Travelling, I mean." Peter said. It was the first time he had asked them a question on the tour.
"What do you mean?" Ren said.
Peter laughed. "This is embarrassing, but I've never even been to the city itself. Salem is my whole world. I wanna be adventurous as you guys, but every time I think I'm ready, I get scared at the last minute. How do you do it?"
"We didn't really have a choice," Nora said. "Long story short, we had to leave and make the best of it. Twice."
"Oh. Sorry to hear that."
"Nah, don't worry about it. It comes with the territory. No point complaining about it now. Anyways, travelling? Travelling sucks. It's hard work, your feet hurt, and it feels like the world's against you. I wouldn't recommend it."
Then she grinned. "But adventuring? Adventuring's awesome! You get to see new places and meet great people. And if you can stomp a few bad guys while you're at it, that's even better. I love adventuring!"
Peter looked confused. "Uh, aren't travelling and adventuring the same thing?"
"That all depends on how you look at it. If you wanna be a broody misery-guts that complains all the time, then sure, it's just travelling. But if you lighten up and try to have fun, you'll enjoy the journey. That's what adventuring is all about."
"But don't you get scared?" Peter said. "Don't you sometimes wish you could go home?"
Nora sighed. "Yeah. Obviously, I don't want bad things to happen. But if my life hadn't changed the way it did, I never would have become a badass huntress. I never would have met friends like Ruby. So you gotta take the good with the bad, or else you're not really living. Isn't that right, Ren?"
Nora looked up at him. She had really pretty eyes. He wasn't sure if anyone told her that, but she did. They were bright and hopeful. Enough to make his true feelings take a seat.
"That's right," Ren said softly. "Though it helps when you've got the right company."
Nora stood up on her toes and pinched his cheek. "D'awww, look who's getting all mushy," she cooed. "Poor Ruby missed you saying that."
The tour went on for a while longer. For their final stop, Peter brought them to a large barn standing by itself in a deeper part of the woods. It was the most curious thing Ren had seen so far. There were no farmlands or houses near it. It was like it was trying to keep itself hidden from the rest of Salem. As they got closer, Ren saw that pictures had been painted on the doors. It looked like they had been painted by kindergarteners, and showed children and Beowolves smiling and cuddling each other with rainbows and hearts added for effect.
Ren frowned. The Grimm looked too cute and cuddly for their own good in the pictures. It wasn't a good message for kids. One of the children looked like it was giving a Beowolf a playful nibble. The seemingly innocent artwork sent chills running through him. Where had Peter taken them?
"You're gonna like this," Peter grinned. "Remember when you asked why the Grimm don't bother us? This is why."
The doors creaked loudly when Peter pushed them open. Total darkness greeted them when they walked inside. Ren heard growls echo off the walls, and saw blood-red eyes peering at them through the darkness. He and Nora both drew their weapons.
"You're alright, don't worry," Peter said. They heard him casually stumble through the dark. "Lemme just find the light switch… there it is!"
Several large bulbs turned on. The light was dim, but bright enough to see around them.
"What the hell?" Nora whispered. What the hell indeed.
The barn was littered with cages stacked on top of each other like building blocks. Inside them was Grimm. Beowolves, snarling at them through the bars. There was at least twenty of them. Twenty vicious monsters caged away so close to the village.
But something was wrong with them. They were smaller for one, no taller than an average person, and far too skinny. Their powerful muscles had withered away completely, giving them a lanky body that didn't seem capable of supporting their big heads. They looked more like large sick dogs than Beowolves. Even the angry red in their eyes seemed dimmer.
Ren was at a loss for words. He looked at Nora and saw her staring slack-jawed at the cages, just as confused and horrified as him. Ren had heard stories of eccentric rich people trying to own Grimm as exotic pets, but never this many and in such an open location. What were these people thinking?
Peter closed the barn doors and walked up to them. "What do you think?" He smiled.
"That you have the weirdest petting zoo ever," Nora whispered.
"Unless you brought us here to exterminate them, I don't see the point of this barn," Ren said in a serious voice.
"Don't worry. They're always scary the first time you see them," Peter chuckled. His relaxed attitude was too concerning for Ren's liking.
"What are you doing with a place like this?" Nora cried. "Don't you have any idea how dangerous this is? If one of these things got out-"
"They won't get out," Peter assured them. "And even if they did, they can't do much harm. Come on, say hello to them."
"I'd rather say goodbye," Ren grunted. They both stuck close to Peter as he approached one of the cages. They didn't want to leave him alone with these things.
The Beowolves snarled as they got closer, but they didn't throw themselves at the bars or try to bite through them like Ren was expecting them to. They all looked exhausted. Drained. Some of them didn't even bother to lift their heads as they approached. Getting closer, Ren could see that their claws and fangs had been filed down. They were about as domesticated as you could make a Grimm.
"Bet you've never been this close to a Grimm without it trying to eat you," Peter joked. "Don't be shy. If they can't hurt us, they can't hurt a couple of hunters like you."
"What's wrong with them?" Ren said. "Why do they look like this?"
"This is what happens when a Grimm doesn't get enough negativity," Peter explained. "You've seen our village. We're all basically one happy family. There's no reason for us to start trouble with each other. That level of positivity is practically poison for a Grimm. Without negativity, they get weaker and end up like this."
"You've basically starved them out," Nora said.
Peter nodded. "Kinda. And since they can't feed off the negativity of other Grimm, they're stuck like this until they can find a stronger source. But they're not going anywhere, so that's not gonna happen."
"You've managed to weaken all these Grimm," Ren said. "Why not kill them now then? Why put yourself at risk keeping them alive?"
"They're more useful to us alive," Peter said. "I dunno what it is, but it's like their combined negativity warns other Grimm to stay away. Like some kind of psychic warning signal. By having so many here, that signal gets a wider reach. Thanks to these guys telling their friends never to come here, we haven't had a Grimm attack since."
Ren shook his head. That was an effective method he hadn't heard before, but he wasn't convinced. "There are safer ways to protect your village. You could build a perimeter wall and have it guarded. You don't need to rely on these Grimm. I don't care how weak they are, they should all be killed."
"Don't be mean," Peter laughed. "I get why you're saying that. You're hunters. It's your job to kill Grimm. But even if we did build that wall, we'd still keep them around. They're important to us."
"They're Grimm, Peter!"
"Grimm are a part of the world. Salem teaches us that in order to achieve balance, you have to love the dark as much as you do the light. Only then will you find true peace." Peter reached into one of the cages and, to Ren's surprise, started lovingly petting one of the Beowolves. "Besides," he said warmly. "Why would you want to kill such a good boy? This one is called Russ. Isn't he the cutest?"
Peter's affection for the Beowolf was downright unsettling to Ren. He was speaking to it like it was an everyday pet. The Beowolf growled at Peter, but it never tried to bite his hands away. Not because it liked him - one look at it and you could tell it still wanted to rip his throat out. It just didn't have the strength to fight back.
It was bizarre to see a Grimm look so weak and pathetic. Disturbing even. He didn't think it was possible to feel sorry for a Grimm, yet here he was. But he didn't pity it enough to let it out of its cage.
"Anyway, that's our village for you," Peter said when he was done petting the Grimm. "Let's head back. I'm sure Mordana's done talking to Ruby. She's probably waiting for you two."
Ren and Nora followed Peter back to the village. Ren was even quieter as they walked. He considered himself an open-minded individual, but their viewpoint on the Grimm was one he couldn't get behind. If they had seen what he had seen in Vale, they'd change their mind about them.
It was good to see people again when they reached the main square. Ren saw a child fall over and scrape his knee. The poor boy cried as someone rushed over to help him. It looked like a nasty cut.
Ren blinked. Was it just him, or did the boy's blood look black?
[/]
If Salem was the saviour of these people, then Mordana was Ruby's. She was so grateful to the woman for keeping the mob at bay. Peter's reaction to her was wild enough. When word got out about her eyes, it felt like there were hundreds of Peters clambering over themselves to see her.
Was this what Pyrrha had to go through on a daily basis? She would just be minding her own business, then suddenly it was like everyone in the world just had to meet her. No wonder she tried to blend in. That kind of attention was suffocating.
It was cold inside the church. Ruby had never been inside one before, so she didn't know if that was normal. There was a burning incense jar somewhere, giving the place a faint musky smell. Near the end of the room was an altar standing underneath a beautiful mosaic window of a pale woman, cloaked in black, smiling kindly and standing over a bunch of adoring people reaching out for her. At least she was handling the attention well.
"Nice window," Ruby commented.
"Thank you," Mordana said. "It depicts the moment when Salem chose to remain with her followers. Mankind's progress could not have been possible without her. We are eternally grateful."
"You said she's the Goddess of Life and Death, right? How is that possible? How can she be both?"
"Another one of her many sacrifices. It used to be there were two gods who governed the forces of life and death. But when they abandoned Remnant, Salem assumed the mantle. She absorbed the heavy responsibility of watching over us, even when we pass on to the next world. She truly became our Mother Goddess."
"Sounds like a busy woman," Ruby murmured.
Mordana smiled. "You've been very polite. It's alright if you don't believe in our faith. We don't judge non-believers."
"I don't know what I believe in anymore," Ruby sighed. "Feels like my life is turning into a comic book. One minute I'm just trying to get decent grades, then my school gets destroyed, my team gets split apart, and now I'm shooting lasers out of my eyes. At this point, you could tell me that two plus two equals five and I'd probably believe you."
"Then maybe I can help make your world a little less confusing," Mordana said. "I'm sure you're desperate to know about your silver eyes.
Ruby nodded. "I want to know everything. What's the deal with them? Why am I able to freeze Grimm and how do I do it again? And if they're so important, why is it your village is the only that seems to care? Nowhere else does. I get more comments about my voice than my eyes back home."
"Well, to be fair, it is a cute voice. Very squeaky."
"It is not!" Ruby squeaked.
Mordana chuckled at Ruby's reddening face. "Very well then. The short answer is they're magic. I'm sure you didn't need me to tell you that, but I'm afraid I can't give a three-hour scientific explanation for them, as there is nothing scientific about this. They are naturally magical things. As for how to use them, I'm afraid I don't know. That's a secret reserved only for silver-eyed people."
"Oh," Ruby said. That was annoyingly anti-climactic.
"But I can shed a little light on their magical origins," Mordana continued. "Remnant is not how it was thousands of years ago, but the old magic still lingers. It's more common than you'd think. For example, releasing the power of your soul to unlock your aura. That, in itself, is a form of magic. But aura is magic belonging to mortals. Silver eyes are much more than that. We're talking true divine power here. The power they have is descendant from the gods themselves. The power to shape the world. By possessing them that makes you, Ruby Rose, a direct link to the gods."
Ruby's head went for a spin. Okay, things just went from zero to a hundred in an instant! "What do you mean?" she whispered. "Are you saying I'm… a god?"
She didn't know the first thing about gods, let alone how to act like one. What was she supposed to do first? Set up her own church? The Church of Ruby Rose? What kind of god was called Ruby anyway?
Mordana's laughter put her at ease. "Oh dear me, no, no, no. I'm saying you're a link to the gods. It doesn't mean you're actually a god yourself. In the same way that having a donated heart from a faunus doesn't make you faunus too."
Ruby breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God. I don't want people praying to me before bed. I just wanna be a normal girl with normal knees."
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Mordana said. "You are inherently special because of your eyes. I think our village's reaction to you is proof of that. It makes sense, given that silver eyes are a remnant of Salem's power."
Ruby blinked. "I have the powers of your goddess?"
"Some of it, yes. The power to hold sway over the Grimm is one of her powers."
"Whoa..."
"You can see now why we're so pleased to see you. You're further proof of our Mother Goddesses divinity."
"Whoa…" Ruby repeated. Their reactions made sense now. She was basically a prophet to these people. "So… what happens now?"
"Now? Now comes the important part." Mordana slowly sat down on one of the benches running alongside the aisle. Ruby took a seat next to her. "We would like your help to communicate with her."
Ruby cocked her head. "You wanna talk to Salem?"
"It's all we've ever wanted," Mordana said softly. "We've always been searching for a way to reach out to her. She hasn't abandoned us or Remnant, but she no longer walks this realm of existence. It's not like we can just knock on her door anymore. We need something special. We need you."
"But what do you want me to do?"
"As I said, you are a direct link to Salem herself. With the power of your silver eyes, you can summon her into our mortal realm. We would have true communion with her. She can see that her faithful have not forgotten her. The knowledge she can bestow upon us is limitless. I do not exaggerate - she can bring salvation to Remnant."
There was excitement in her voice. Ruby shifted in her seat. She felt bad for what she was about to say. "I think you've got the wrong girl. I don't even know how my eyes work. I can't even get them to freeze Grimm when I want. Summoning a goddess seems like too tall an order for me."
"That's the best part," Mordana said. "You won't have to do anything. Once Salem is aware of your presence, she will actively try to reach out to you herself. A ritual will be required just to make sure everything goes correctly, but it's nothing complicated." Mordana held her hand. "I don't want to pressure you into anything. It's your choice. But as a huntress, I can think of no greater service you can do for Remnant than this."
Ruby's thoughts were a mess. She had come here looking for answers, and it seemed she only had more questions. There was no way she could summon up a supposed goddess just for a chat. It couldn't have been real. But then again, what did she know about reality? After everything she had seen so far, her sense of reality was better off thrown out the window.
She rubbed her head. What was the right move here? Was this a chance for her to use her silver eyes for something useful? For her to stop anyone else from dying due to her own incompetence? Jaune's face flashed in her mind. Her lip trembled slightly.
Mordana looked at her with concern. "What is it, dear? What's wrong?"
Ruby rubbed her eyes before facing her. "It's nothing," she sighed. "It's just… a really good friend of mine died recently. I was there when it happened. I feel like his death is my fault. Maybe if I had known how to use my eyes back then, he might still be alive. Or maybe not. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to make a difference either way. But that's my point! I don't know if I could've saved him or not. When it happened, I froze. I just stood there while one of my best friends died."
"Oh my goodness," Mordana whispered. "My dear, I am so sorry. That must have been horrible."
"Yeah," Ruby said. She scooched a little closer and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I think Ren and Nora blame me for it too. I mean, why wouldn't they? He was their leader and I just left him to die. They haven't said anything yet, but I can feel it. We're still friends, it's just… I would understand. But please don't tell them I said that."
As tough as it was to relive the past, that felt good. Ruby had been dragging that secret with her like an iron ball chained to her ankle. Speaking about it, even to a stranger, made the burden a little lighter to bear.
"I won't say a thing." Mordana's fingers traced her hand gently. She had a motherly softness to her grip, something Ruby hadn't felt in a long time. "We are much alike, you and I. I know what it's like to feel like you've let someone down. To wonder if you could have been better."
"You do?"
"Oh yes. It was a long time ago. My son wanted to leave the village and pursue his own ambitions. I should have been happy for him. Every parent wants to see their child make their own way in the world. But I… I was selfish. I wanted him to stay. So, I tried convincing him that the rest of Remnant wouldn't accept him. There was some truth to my words. His father was a faunus you see, and he inherited his genes. Everyone is welcome here, but not so much in the outside world. Especially given the type of faunus he was."
"You tried to scare your son into staying?" Ruby said.
Mordana nodded shamefully. "I did everything I could, and my efforts ended up making him hate me. I still remember our final conversation. He called me a madwoman and claimed we were all outdated fools. He's still alive as far as I know, but he'll never return. I haven't spoken to him since."
And I thought my dad was overprotective.
"So what do you do to make yourself feel better?" Ruby said.
"I do the same thing you do. I miss him every day, and I always think about what could have been if I had been more understanding. But I can't let that get in the way of doing what's right for myself, and my people. I owe it to him to carry on with my work. That's all we can do at the end of the day, isn't it?"
Ruby completely understood how Mordana felt. She still wasn't clear on how she was supposed to summon a goddess into the world, or if it was even possible. But if there was even a chance she could help these people, a chance for her to use her eyes for something good and useful...
"My whole life, all I've wanted is to be a hero who protects people," Ruby murmured. "I've let down too many people already. I don't want that to happen again." She stared at Mordana with fierce resolve. "Alright. I'll help you."
[/]
Ruby had left the church saying she had agreed to help the people of Salem with some kind of ceremony. Ren didn't really understand what she was talking about, mostly because she wasn't clear on it either. Something about making communion with the villagers' goddess.
But it meant a great deal to the villagers. Night fell and the people threw a huge celebration. Music was played, everyone was dancing and singing, glorious food and drink were passed around.
Nora was quite happy to go wild and dance, even if she didn't understand the occasion. Ruby was naturally shy, but soon even she was drinking some alcohol and cutting loose. The villagers offered them the best booze they had. They were quite insistent on it.
Ren, surprisingly, found himself going with the flow. After a long time travelling and fighting, it felt nice to ease up. He sat on a bench by himself, nursing his drink. It was a sweet thing, and he could already feel the effects it was having on his head.
He saw Peter stagger over to him. "Having a good time?" he laughed. "You look lonely over here."
"Haven't drunk anything like this in while," Ren said with a slight slur. "Forgot how... tired it makes me."
"That's how you know it's working."
He offered his glass to Peter. "Want some?" Please say no.
"Nah, I'm good. That one's all yours."
"Cheers then," Ren said. He took a big swallow and blinked dumbly. Peter sat down next to him. "I like parties," he giggled. "People look at me and think I don't like parties. Well, they don't know nothing! I'm the best dancer in the world!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."
"We used to have parties back in my village. They were fun. Singing... dancing... drinks. Wasn't allowed to drink back then, but now I am. Yaaaay."
"Which village is that?"
Ren was always hesitant to mention the name. Oh, but what did it matter? They were all friends here. "Kuroyuri," he said with a hiccup.
It felt like he was floating in a pleasant bubble. Everything was starting to look a little hazy. He must've looked like such a lightweight. He didn't care.
"Kuroyuri!" Peter gasped. "I know that place! Everyone here does! Why didn't you tell me?"
Ren laughed loudly, a sound he didn't know he could make. "What's there to tell? The whole place is gone. Destroyed. Nothing but a dumpy rubble now! Ah well." He laughed again and tried taking another swig, only to realise his glass was empty.
"Destroyed? That's a shame," Peter said. "Still, it must have been incredible. You got to see the Black Rider! You're so lucky!"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Black Rider? What's that?"
"An angel. An ascended mortal reshaped into a holy servant of Salem."
"Dunno what you mean. Weren't no angel there. All I saw was a scary skeleton on a horse."
Peter gasped again. "So it was true! We heard rumours of the Black Rider gracing Kuroyuri with its arrival, but it was true all along! You're so lucky to have seen it in person. You should be honoured!"
A rotten feeling soured Ren's merry mood. "My… my family are all dead," he grumbled like a sulking child.
"I know it hurts, but don't feel sorry for them," Peter insisted. "Your village was chosen by the Black Rider for salvation. Their souls are with Salem now."
"I… I don't…"
Ren had gone from feeling very warm to very cold. It felt like everything below his neck was disappearing.
"The Black Rider is an important figure in our faith," Peter said, looking absolutely fine despite Ren's growing feeling. "All of us here can only hope to ascend to his level. Maybe tonight will be our chance."
Ren heard a thump nearby. He looked and saw Ruby and Nora slumped unconscious on the ground. Two of the villagers came to pick them up and carry them away.
"Ruby is so nice," Peter continued. "She's given us a chance to speak with Salem and be welcomed into her fold. Tonight we will all be saved."
Ren's lips felt like heavy stones. "P-Peter…"
"I'm surprised you haven't dropped yet. Maybe it's because you're taller or something? We should've put something stronger in the drink."
"I… I…"
"Sorry, this is taking too long. Please don't hate me."
Peter punched him hard in the face and the lights turned off.
