A Lie in History

Summary: Ren and Nora are inseparable, everyone knows this. But what if, just what if, Ren didn't see Nora the day Kuroyuri fell, and left all alone? History irrevocably changed, and all alone, Ren will follow a new path and embrace the new destiny he chose for himself. AU! Canon Divergence! Ren/Harem

Confirmed crossovers: Fate (Characters only), DxD (Characters only) God of High School (Characters/Martial Arts only), more to come.

I: On that Day

It's strange, isn't it?

How different a life can be when one thing is done differently. How things can change so drastically when one thing changes, one thing done differently that can change your life.

And you always wonder 'how different would life have been if I'd done this?' But that's the thing, you never get the answer to that. You never get to see what the result of your different choice would have been…

Until now that is.

In many worlds in the multiverse, Nora is my childhood friend who I saved from the Grimm using my semblance.

This is not a story of one of those worlds.

My name is Lie Ren. And this is the story of a world where I didn't save Nora Valkyrie at Kuroyuri that day.

It all began on a seemingly innocent sunny day…

I was just a child, no older than five or six, running to all the stalls in town with a small lien card in my hand, offering it to the vendors. Money my mother gave me to get something nice for my father's return.

The problem? I was looking for more adult things, as I was sure he'd appreciate something like that.

What? No, not those kind of adult thing, get your mind out of the gutter!

I was offering lien trying to get things only grown ups were supposed to have: real weapons, alcohol, and other such things.

At every turn, the vendors tried to give me something more suited to my age: wooden weapons, juice, so on and so forth. Even when I mentioned it was for my father, they refused as they'd heard excuses like that a thousand times before.

I walked down the street, dejected, before I happened upon the window of a bakery. All my dejection faded away as I looked in on the cakes, the child I was coming out as I looked upon them hungrily.

"Hey, get back here!"

A voice caught my attention and I looked to the direction it came from, confused as I slowly crept towards it.

I peeked out from beside the building, looking at just what the noise was.

I was treated to the sight of three young boys picking on a young girl in damaged clothing, clothing that looked different to what Ren was used to seeing. She was desperately holding onto a piece of bread and backing away from them.

"Hey, where'd you get that piece of bread?" One said. "I didn't see you pay for it, thief!"

"No, look at it!" Another jeered. "It's all mouldy!"

"I bet she got it from the trash!"

"Let me see!" The third said, reaching out for it.

The girl didn't respond well to that, biting at his hand and making him real back in shock.

"She bit me!" He yelled.

The other two gasped in what seemed to be genuine shock, before the third one pushed her down, knocking the bread out of her hands.

The girl quickly got up and rushed over to the bread, picking it up and holding onto it as if it was a lifeline.

I slowly crept closer as the group kept talking and jeering at her.

"Where'd she come from?" One of them asked. "She's dressed all weird!"

"I bet she's abandoned, like a dog or something!"

"Does that mean I have rabies?" The one who get bit asked dramatically, causing them all to laugh.

The girl's eyes locked onto me, and it made them all pause as they turned to look at me.

I felt fear well up within me. Fear that the boys would target me next, I wouldn't be able to fight all three of them. More than that, I didn't like fighting at all!

My breathing became laboured and I turned to run, only to run into someone's leg, knocking me back.

I looked up, my eyes locking onto the man's face. "Father?"

My father cast a small glance to me before he looked up at the three boys picking on the small girl. "What is happening here?"

Panic settled on the girl's face and she turned, running down the alley away from the boys. The boys turned and ran down a side alley, clearly panicked something bad would happen to them if they stayed around.

I slowly got up, and my father looked down at me with disappointment in his gaze. "Do you wish to run with the rest of them?"

Faced with such a question and under such a look, all I could do was bow my head in shame.

My father knelt down, placing a hand on my shoulder as he looked at me. "Sometimes the worst action to take is taking no action at all," he told me gently. "Go home, I need to speak with the mayor."

With that said, he stood up and walked away from me, leaving me all alone in that alley.

I looked up, watching him go with my tiny fists clenched lightly, before my gaze turned back to the alley, before I began to make my way home, dejected.

I was upset with myself for disappointing my father, and for the fact I hadn't been able to get him a decent gift for his return.

My mother greeted me warmly when I returned, but I just nodded and placed the lien card on the table, going to my room to get some rest, not wanting to speak any more for the day.

If only I had known that this would be the last day with my family…

If I had known that would be the last day that I would see my mother… The last time that I could spend time with my father…

I would have tried so much harder to spend just one more minute with them before I lost them forever.

.

.

.

I was woken in the middle of the night by a high-pitched sounding roar, my eyes opening as I moved up in my bed, gasping in surprise.

Step, step, step, step-!

My door slammed open as my mother rushed in, a look of panic and fear stricken on her face. "Lie, get up, we have to go!"

Still in my tired state, I felt somewhat confused. "Mother?"

"Right now, okay!?" She grabbed my hand, pulling me out of bed. "Let's go!" She pulled me through the house, my body slowly waking up as I followed behind her to the entrance of the house.

The door slammed open, my father stumbling in, breathing heavily as he made his way towards us.

"Li!" My mother said his name, sounding relieved to see him.

My father did not look or sound relieved at all. "An?" He exclaimed. "What are you doing!? We need to hurry!"

"We can go to the safe house!" My mother told him.

"No…" My father disagreed, shaking his head lightly as he held his hunting bow tightly. "I saw the beast. We need a Huntsman. And you two need to leave!"

"What!?" My mother sounded shocked. Looking back on it, I know why she sounded so shocked. She knew our father was planning to give his life so we could escape.

At that moment, a roar echoed through the town, causing fear to grip my heart as I held tightly onto my mother's hand.

"Mother…" I looked at her in fear.

She turned and fell on one knee, giving me a shaky smile. "It's okay, darling," she told me. "Everything's okay."

It was the first time my mother ever lied to me…

At that moment, the roar from before echoed as the roof of the house caved in, and my vision went black.

.

.

.

I don't know how long I was out for until my eyes opened again, but I knew I was being carried, the heavy breath of my father echoing in my ears as I felt him running with me in his arms.

My eyes slowly opened, my body feeling weak. "Father…?" I whispered. "What… Where's Mother?"

I got a clear look at my father's face, and fear gripped my heart once again.

He was bleeding above his left eye, his breath even more laboured than before as he ran through the town with me.

The cawing of a Nevermore was heard, as if sealing this tragedy in place.

"What's going on?" I asked him in a panic. "Where's Mother?"

And that was when my ability to hear returned fully, and that's when I heard it.

Screams.

People were screaming, running, trying to escape as the city burned around us.

My father tripped, falling to the ground and dropping me in the process.

"Father!" I exclaimed, staring at him in worry.

He slowly sat up, staring at me with a serious expression. "Lie… You have to run."

I crawled towards him; the implications not being lost on me. "No Don't. Please. Get up!"

The roar of the Beast echoed loudly and I glanced back… And what I saw would haunt my nightmares for years to come.

I saw the silhouette of what could only be described as a monster: a twisted skeletal looking creature riding on the back of a horse, both with glowing, crimson eyes that sought only to destroy.

"Listen to me, son," my father said to me. "You have to brave now. Do you understand!?"

"No, please!" I begged him! I was but a child, what could I do without my parents? "Please, I can't!"

I looked down as my father gave me a look of mourning, reaching at his waist and pulling out a knife: a ceremonial knife passed down through the Ren family for generations.

"Yes, you can!" He told me, pressing the handle of the blade into my hands and pushing me back, groaning in pain.

I looked to the blade, worry on my face… There was only one reason my father would ever hand this to me.

He knew he was going to die.

"Take action, son," he told me, slowly standing up, and holding his chest… And then he looked at me, and said the last words I would ever hear him say.

"Your mother and I love you."

I stared at him with horror. "Father?"

Before anything more could be said, the hoof of the beast slammed into the ground beside us, causing him to jump and aim his bow.

He notched an arrow from his quiver, letting it fly. "Run!"

In the face of such danger, in the face of such a demand… There was only one thing that I could do.

I ran.

I ran, and ran, and ran. Out of the town, into the forest, tears streaking down my cheeks, as that one word echoed in my mind.

Run. Run. Run.

I had to run.

I had to live.

It was the one thing I had left besides the clothes on my back and the knife clenched tightly in my hands…

My life.

Run and live. Run and live… Run and live!

As I ran, I never noticed how I ran past the Grimm charging towards the village, as if they ignored the fact I existed.

I never noticed the fact my hands were greyed out.

All I focused on was running, and living… So that, one day, I would be able to put the souls of everyone in Kuroyuri to rest.

I don't know how long I ran for, only that I collapsed just as I left the forest, the sun slowly rising in the distance and shining light into my desolate world.

I slowly rolled onto my back, staring at the sky as it began to light up, my vision turning black as I began to pass out.

"Hm? What is a child doing here?"

Those were the last words I heard before the world faded away around me.

It was that choice to run out of the village instead of hiding and crying my eyes out that would shift the fate of the many people I would come to know.

A choice that led to a destiny I wholeheartedly embraced.

.

.

.

A ray of light hit my eyes, causing me to let out a soft groan as I slowly woke up. I sat up slowly, looking around with a blurry gaze. "Mother…?" I spoke up, as if trying to convince myself that the previous day was a horrible nightmare.

Then my vision cleared, and I could see the unfamiliar room. A wooden room with a closet, a desk with a chair, and the very bed that I was laying in right now.

And laying upon that desk was the Ceremonial Dagger of the Ren family; the last thing my father ever gave me.

I buried my face into my hands and I began to cry. Cry for the loss of my family, the town, everyone I knew and loved… They were all gone now. Kuroyuri was all gone. My friends were gone. My family was gone.

I was all that was left.

I was all alone now.

"Ah, you are awake," an elderly voice said. "And already crying… I wonder what tragedy has befallen you to bring you such sorrow, child?"

I slowly looked up and, through my tears, I saw a man. He was shorter than I expected, at least half a foot or so shorter than my father, if not a bit less. He was clad in black pants in traditional clothing similar to that which was worn in Kuroyuri, his being red as opposed to other colours I saw around town. A pair of sunglasses were on his face, circular and hiding his eyes. His hair was grey, and his expression was soft.

"Who- who are you?" I asked him.

"I am but a simple man seeking to become one with all that is around us," he told me, which only caused me confusion. "But you may simply refer to me as Li Shuwen."

"Mr. Li…" I whispered softly. It was my father's name.

"If you wish to call me that, then you may," he nodded. "I was surprised to find you stumbling into my little clearing on the edge of the woods, I do not often get visitors. Tell me, child, what ails you so?"

I stared at him before looking at the bed sheets and gripping them. "… M- My village… M- My family… They are…"

"Say no more," he gently raised a hand. "Another people lost to the Grimm… It is always a tragedy to hear about, but it must have been even more horrendous for you to see first-hand. Do you know if your parents made it out alive?"

I just covered my face and began to sob again.

The old man let out a sigh. "So young, and left alone in the world…" He shook his head sadly. "It is always heart breaking to see one so young who ends up alone in the world… For now, you may rest here. When you have recovered, I shall take you to Mistral and see you are situated into an orphanage so that you may try and move on."

I looked up at him. "W- why are you helping me?"

He gave a sad smile. "Ah, that is a question that breaks my old heart, to see a child so distrustful and looking for an ulterior motive behind my actions. I assure you; I am simply an old man who seeks to help you. Please, come. You have been out since yesterday after dawn broke, you must be hungry."

As if on cue, my stomach let out a growl while caused a blush to bloom on my cheeks despite the sadness that was overwhelming me.

"Come," he repeated, and I slowly got out of the bed and followed him down the stairs to the dining area, where breakfast was waiting for us.

It was nothing special, just some meat, rice, and vegetables, but I was so hungry that I was just glad I was getting food at all.

"Make sure you eat slowly," he advised me. "It will help the meal be more filling."

I only nodded, eating the food slowly. It was basic, but it was nice to just have some food in my stomach right now. It helped me feel a bit better, at the very least.

"So, do you have a name?" He asked me.

"… Lie Ren," I told him in a quiet voice.

"Ardent Lotus…" He translated my name. "A good name, a strong name. It can also be read as Hunter, can't it? Yes, a very strong name."

I just nodded silently, quietly and slowly eating my food. "Um… How far is Mistral from here?"

"A day or two of travel," he told me. "I need a few things from Mistral in a few days, so we will go when I need to obtain them. I hope you don't mind?"

"I… I don't," I told him, looking down. "But I… Don't want to go to an orphanage…" I didn't want to end up like that ginger girl that was picked on by those three boys, treated poorly for being an orphan.

"I cannot say I know what you are going through, young man, but perhaps at the orphanage you will make new friends, and perhaps obtain a new family."

That didn't sound very nice to me. I didn't want a new family… I wanted my family. But I couldn't have that any more, and saying it would just make me sound like I was trying to deny what happened even more. So, instead, I just continued to eat in silence.

Mr. Li finished before me, standing up. "I have a collection of books you can read if you like," he told me, gesturing to a bookcase nearby. "So, if you simply want some time to yourself, then feel free," he turned and headed to the door.

"W- Where are you going?" I asked him, a bit afraid about being alone.

"Don't worry," he told me. "I'm just stepping outside to do some training, nothing more. I may be an old man, but I like to stay in shape."

"O- Okay…"

He smiled at me. "Don't worry, Lie Ren, I will be fine," he promised, stepping outside to begin his training.

I hesitated, not sure if I could trust that, before I slumped. He would have done it whether or not I was comfortable with it, and I was just a child who was emotionally distressed after losing his family.

I hesitantly turned to the book case. I could read a little bit, but not a huge amount. I was just a kid, after all.

I slumped lightly, not left with much choice, making my way over to the bookcase and slowly pulling out one of the books titled 'Bajiquan Martial Techniques.'

I hesitated before I opened it up, quickly realising it was a book about fighting.

I paused before I read it… My father always told me fighting should be a last resort, that you shouldn't fight unless you had to.

But my father wasn't around any longer.

My parents were gone.

That thought filled me with sorrow… And with rage against the Grimm.

They stole my family from me.

They stole my life from me.

That twisted monster took everything from me.

I began reading the book, even if I couldn't understand or make out some of the words. It had images, and I would do my best to commit them to memory.

I lost track of time as I read the book, the world fading away around me. I didn't even notice Mr. Li open the door and make his way in, nor did I see him see what I was reading and his face become very serious for a moment, before he left me to my reading.

.

.

.

I stayed with Mr. Li for four days before he declared at dinner that he would be taking me to Mistral so that I could settle into an orphanage.

I wasn't happy to be placed in one, but it was probably for the best. Mr. Li, to me, seemed to be the kind of person who enjoyed his privacy. And, while he'd been very kind to me, he gave off this feeling of danger just by being around him, as if he was a powerful and dangerous man.

Plus, the words of my parents to not trust strangers so easily rang in my mind when I even thought about asking to stay with him.

After breakfast on the fifth day, he led me into the forest. "It will be a two-day trip to Mistral on foot," he told me. "Unfortunately, I do not have any sort of motor vehicle with which to travel through the forest, otherwise we could make the trip in far less time."

"It's okay," I said quietly as I walked beside him. "I understand." I didn't fully know what a motor vehicle was, but I easily guessed it would have been much faster than walking.

Probably a bit less painful too.

The two of us walked in silence for a long time. I was focused on the path ahead, the images of the Martial Arts techniques I'd seen in the book flowing through my mind. I couldn't remember some of them, but I was hoping I'd find books in the city that I could study and learn from.

"The Martial Arts you studied while with me," Mr. Li spoke up suddenly, making me jump in surprise. "I want to make this clear to you, they are not toys. They are very dangerous, and can hurt people. You should never use them on another person if you can help it."

"Mr. Li…?" I looked at him in confusion.

"I say this to you as a courtesy and as a warning," he looked at me, lowering his sunglasses and I almost froze in place at his serious gaze. "Martial Arts is not a toy for you to use and show off, nor is it something that you can play around with. They are serious, requiring years of dedication and focus and, above all else, restraint. You should never, ever, use them on another living human."

I gulped at his words, fear rushing through my body at how threatening, how terrifying he sounded.

I should have known better than to let myself be afraid by a simple warning he was trying to instil into me.

Fear was a negative emotion.

And negative emotions attracted the Grimm.

A roar sounded through the forest, making my body freeze in face as I flashed back to the image of that twisted abomination, silhouetted in the smoke.

No, please, I can't-!

Panic settled into my stomach, thus causing more negativity to leak out of me… I no doubt looked like a tasty snack to the Grimm.

"Lie Ren, snap out of it!" Mr. Li tried to tell me. "Your panic will only attract more Grimm; you need to stay calm!"

But his voice was a thousand miles away.

Cold…

Dark…

Alone…

Mother… Where are you?

Father… Why are you bleeding?

Why did you leave me?

Where do I go?

What do I do?

… Why am I all alone?

"Your mother and I love you."

That was when I heard felt a rush of something flow through me, a light green glow with pink specs of light emerging from my body. The world faded back into view, my hearing and vision returning to normal.

And what I saw made my eyes widen.

Mr. Li was fighting against the Grimm as they came at us… It was like watching the deadliest dance in the world.

Every movement from his body was smooth. Not a single movement was wasted, not a single muscle was useless, his focus never faded for even a second.

Every single Grimm that attacked fell in a single punch. A firm blow to their bodies, and they died instantly, their bodies starting to dissipate into black smoke before they even hit the ground after he landed a hit.

It was hauntingly beautiful to watch.

Finally, after what felt like hours to me but was only a few minutes, the onslaught of Grimm stopped.

Mr. Li sighed and cracked his neck lightly. "Oh dear, these old bones aren't what they used to be…" He sighed before shaking his head and turning to me. "I see that you finally calmed down, Lie Ren."

"Y- Yes…" I bowed. "I- I'm so sorry! I just… I heard the roar of the Grimm, a- and I thought…"

"There is no need to apologise, it was my fault," he told me. "I should have known better than to talk in such a way to you. I instilled that fear into you, and that fear led to the Grimm attacking us."

"E- Even so, I am sorry."

"… Very well," he nodded. "I accept your apology, and offer my own towards you."

"I- I accept your apology too, Mr. Li."

He smiled. "I am glad. Come, let us continue our journey."

I nodded as I followed behind him, thoughts running through my mind rapidly.

'His movements were so fluid, so graceful, but so deadly… But they looked familiar… Just like the techniques in the book I read… Is that why he had the books? Is he a Martial Artist who studies those techniques? If he is…'

That night, Mr. Li set up a campfire in a small clearing with a stream to collect water from if needed, carefully cooking us something to eat. "I hope you are hungry; I am after fighting like that after so long, kakaka," he chuckled.

I only nodded, watching him as he cooked. Strong, wise, and skilled…

At that moment, I made my choice.

When Mr. Li turned to face me to give me my portion of food, he instead stared at me in shock as a prostrated myself in front of him, bowing on my hands and knees. "Huh? What are you-?"

"Please, teach me!"

"Pardon?"

"I…" I gulped, not lifting my head. "I know I'm just a child… I know that there's many things I can and cannot do… But I want to be stronger! Strong enough that a tragedy like what happened to my village and my family never happens to anyone else!"

For a short while, the only thing that could be heard was the crinkling of the flames, and the flowing stream nearby.

"I told you before," he spoke up. "Martial Arts is not a toy. They are serious, dangerous, and require strict discipline and years of dedication to not only learn, but to master. To learn Martial Arts is to dedicate your life to the craft. You will never stop learning, never stop being a student of the Martial Arts. Even knowing this, will you still ask me to teach you?"

"… I would gladly give my life to ensure I have the strength, skill, and wisdom to make sure that I can make my parents and ancestors proud of the man I am. If that means dedicating my entire life to the Martial Arts, then I will do so without hesitation."

"So young… And so determined…" He said softly. "Look at me."

I slowly looked up at him, only to see him smiling as he offered me a bowl of food.

"Eat. And, from now on, call me Laoshi."

"Laoshi?"

"It means teacher."

My eyes lit up and I stood up, taking the bowl. "Yes, Laoshi!"

"Your training will begin once we return to our home," he told me. "I will not tolerate any slacking, you had better give 110% at all times, understood?"

"Understood!"

"Then eat," he repeated, moving to eat his own food.

I followed his example, eating… But, for the first time in five days, I smiled as I did so.

My parents were gone.

My town was gone.

But I wasn't.

I would use this gift my parents left for me to its fullest. The gift known as Life.

On that day, sitting by the campfire, I took the very first step on the path to my destiny. And I would not run or hide, I would walk towards it and embrace it wholeheartedly.

.

.

.

In a small cabin in snowy woods, an elderly woman sat on a chair, staring at the young ginger girl in front of her.

"You want me to train you?" The woman asked her.

She nodded. "Y- Yes… I- I don't want to be weak any more… I want to be strong… Just like you."

"I'm not strong, child," she disagreed. "I am a disgrace, a disappointment. When I saved you, it was out of selfishness; a desire to not repeat the same mistakes I did when I was in my youth."

"You're wrong!" The girl told her. "You're strong! Really strong! I want to be strong like that too!"

"And what would you do with such strength, child?" The woman asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"W- What?"

"What would you do with such strength?" She repeated. "Obtaining power simply for the sake of power will lead to an eternal spiral, a never-ending hunger for more power, which will eventually lead to self-destruction."

"I…" The girl looked lost for a moment.

"If I am going to train you, then I want you to make me a promise," the woman said.

"Anything!" She said quickly, almost desperately.

"Promise me that you will use the power you obtain for the betterment of others," the woman told her gently. "Use the power you will have not for your own sake, but for the sake of making the world a better place."

The girl hesitated… "I… I will!"

The woman gave a small smile. "Good… Well then, child, do you have a name?"

"… N- Nora."

"Then from now on, you shall be Nora Calavera, the pupil of the Grimm Reaper. Be honoured, young one, it's not every day a legend like me takes on a student."

Ahh~ It feels so nice to write a story I actually feel motivated about right now!

For those of you wondering where this came from, this actually came from a moment of rationality as I asked one thing 'Why does Jaune get bitches?'

From a logical stand point, Jaune doesn't deserve shit. He cheated his way into Beacon, is super cringy to Weiss, doesn't notice Pyrrha's feelings at all, and doesn't even try to better himself until he's been blackmailed and has gotten over his own ego. He doesn't even have a tragic backstory or anything as far as we know, he just doesn't deserve shit like that!

On the other hand, Ren has a tragic backstory, forces himself to mature early so he can take care of Nora, and likely needs to do some shady things along the way to make sure they can both live. He trains hard and studies hard so that he can get into Beacon, and he obviously notices Nora's feelings but let's her go at her own pace for when she wants to tell him.

Ren is a man who deserves bitches!

Plus, there is such a lack of Ren/Harem fics, with most of the ones I find being purely humour/harem based as opposed to having actual story elements to follow. I'm hoping writing a fic like that will inspire others who like Ren to start writing Ren fics with harems, or maybe even just different pairings like maybe Ren/Pyrrha, or Ren/Blake, or something. I'd like to see some more unique Ren pairings and an upsurge of Ren fics out there!

Plus, more reading material.

Anyway, that's all from me right now guys! This is Ezras Hargrave, signing off!