James stood in the middle of a ruined and devastated village. The stone roads of the town were cracked and scorched, much like the houses. Red stains marked where the inhabitants had lain only a short while before, slaughtered by the White Fang. He glanced to the side, where Clover talked to a few wounded soldiers. Atlesian Knights marched through the streets of the town, keeping tight guard of the area until they were done with the investigation.
Clover finished his questioning and strode to James, saluting as he approached. "It was the Black Death, sir. He caused this damage. Considering the testimony of the other survivors, it's almost certain it was him. Lethy is going around and checking their memories, though, just to make sure."
James stroked his chin. "I don't understand. I thought that we had his Semblance narrowed down. But this doesn't fit any of the options. And it doesn't fit his M.O.. Chasing after civilians, slaughtering fleeing individuals? Something's not right."
"Perhaps one of the civilians Semblances? Made him lose control, become more aggressive?"
"Maybe. But if we consider that, we'd have to consider the idea that Ragnar used one of his own people to make him lose control. He's done far worse before, so I wouldn't put it past him."
Clover crossed his arms, looking out over the ruins. "Intel says he's a kid, right?"
"Aged around fourteen. Lived on the streets for two years, until he was recruited by Ragnar, along with a dozen other children, and has served with Ragnar in the Frost Fangs, and now the White Fang, for four years."
"Maybe he's losing control of himself," Clover suggested. "If he is a kid, he could be experiencing uncontrollable mood swings, extreme reactions, guilt, shame, anger. And as a kid, he can't efficiently handle those emotions. This could've been the breaking point."
James nodded. "The next question would be what tipped him over. Get information on the other Faunus that participated here. Anyone that Drake was close to on the streets that's with him now, anyone he protects more than others, if anyone was harmed when he went over. Understood?"
Clover nodded, turning and moving away to question the soldiers again. James sighed and kneaded his eyes, feeling the exhaustion of a long, arduous day falling onto him. Dealing with Ragnar's terrorists always drained him of energy, and the bodies of the children he enlisted haunted his nights. But now, this. A child with enough power to slaughter hundreds of people and destroy a dozen fighters just by himself. And with his unstable mindset, enough firepower to drop one of his battleships.
He looked to the outskirts of the town, where the KAS Emerald Sky lay, smoke still rising from its broken corpse. It's twisted, hulking shape over the horizon gave James chills. One of the greatest machines in Remnant, a floating fortress, brought down like it was a leaf in the fucking wind. He didn't want to see what Ragnar would come up next, now that the boy's potential was revealed.
And yet, this scene brought dark memories to his mind. Of another burnt village, overwhelmed with Grimm, corpses strewn through the wreckage. Of black fire raging through the ruins, of purple lightning flashing in the sky. And a child, one of the few survivors of the attack. Clutching the charred bodies of his parents, one of whom held a strange, black khopesh in their hand.
He needed to contact Oz. This was something of magic, something that could not be understood with science, with reason. He could make sense of this. He could tell him how to stop Ragnar.
James turned away from the village and strode to the outskirts, where an airship sat, waiting for him to board it. He would end this damn war with Ragnar. He would save the boy, if he could. And he would protect Atlas, at any cost. He would not let it fall into anarchy. He would not let Salem win this battle.
Drake gazed at the destroyed village, watching the survivors and Atlesian soldiers march through the cracked, burnt streets. The setting sun cast long, dark shadows throughout the town, hiding much of the destruction, as well as Drake himself, from the casual looks of the humans. A wind blew through the forest surrounding the settlement, ruffling his clothes and hair, but carrying the sharp scent of smoke and blood to him.
Ducking back behind his tree, Drake closed his eyes. He could still hear the screams of the humans, feel the sickening feeling of his blade slicing through their flesh, see the spray of blood that erupted from their bodies. He shivered, holding his hands over his stomach. Bile swirled in his gut, threatening to spill out of his mouth in a foul stream.
By the gods, what had he done? He'd never killed so many before. He'd never lost control like that before. He'd never...never seen anything like that before. It had been so easy, like he was cutting through shadows.
He clasped his hands over his mouth, feeling the bile begin to rise as he dug his claws into his cheeks. It burned in his gut, forcing its way up his throat, until it spewed from his mouth. He collapsed to his knees, hurling up all the crap in his stomach. He gagged as the foul taste of his puke filled his mouth, residing there even after he had finished.
Drake couldn't stand back up. His limbs were far too weak to support him right now, drained off all their strength. And he didn't dare use his Semblance to gather the required energy. Using it had, after all, caused all this death and devastation. He didn't want to take any more lives, not when he didn't need to.
After resting for a few minutes, Drake stood back up, legs shaking, and stumbled back to the clearing Veronika had stayed in. Snow began to fall, flakes drifting through the branches of the pine trees. He shivered again, this time from the cold that permeated the forest. If not for his Aura and Dust heated clothing, he'd have frozen to death by now.
He staggered into the clearing, panting heavily. His head was bowed as weariness rolled through him, buckling his knees under him and tossing him to the frozen dirt. But before he hit it, he was caught by familiar, safe arms. And the moment he smelled her fragrance, his body fell limb, finally finding its solace. At last, he was safe.