Cover art by: Fuura Xen

Chapter 1

The time is almost at hand.

Underneath the shattered moon blanketed by a thick snowstorm, a kingdom hunkered down behind its nigh impenetrable walls. As one of the last bastions of humanity, it strived to remain a beacon of law and order. Standing as a bulwark against all those who would do its faithful citizens harm.

Atlas. Though on the outset stable, a surface level inspection revealed many unsightly cracks.

Strict doctrine was administered, and dangerous outlets of freedoms were stamped out. Sadly this left most of those very same loyal citizens with little ways of relieving pent up stress.

In a world surrounded by creatures of darkness drawn to negativity, this was a dangerous symptom of another wise flawless system. Thankfully with the wisdom of countless prodigious minds, multiple methods to relieve this building tension were devised.

That was how this same strict and freedom less society could boast the largest number of national holidays on Remnant.

And my did they never let anyone hear the end of it. Though if nothing else, this spring festival gave an excellent backdrop for the coming 'Fall.'

A chuckle came from his lips at his prophetic dark humor. No doubt his accompanying retainers were confused, but that didn't bother him much. Not many people were as privy to the knowledge he was.

While his mind was preoccupied with what was to come, his ears were filled with the sounds of glee. Children's laughter rang out all around him and, together with countless other forms of exuberance, all became jumbled up in a cacophony of merriment.

How he wished he could view it with his own eyes.

Alas, that was not to be as there was no point in drawing attention to themselves. Though unable to see at the moment, he was fully capable of feeling the strong hands that laid on his shoulders. Two different hands rested on each one, gently guiding him through the no doubt crowded streets around them.

His loyal retainers were pushing through the throngs of rabble on their way to their destination. While he couldn't see any of them, his other senses more than made up for It. The sounds of countless shoes striking the deck and the smell of delicious foods were all carried by a chilly wind that nipped at his skin.

It was also how he was able to tell the number of guards was increasing. The clinking of armor grew louder as the smell of burning dust overpowered his nose. Not to mention the rhythmic thumping he felt travel through the ground. No doubt from those great machines this land was so proud of.

So much for easing tension. When even a blind man could tell this was nothing more than a show, you had a problem.

I'll have to claim partial credit for this sorry state of affairs…but still, could their rulers not have at least tried to hide their watchful eyes?

"Tell me are we close?" He spoke.

To his right, a near whisper responded. "The checkpoint is right ahead, sir."

Ah, he was lucky to have them. It's a shame this little cat and mouse game would soon come to an end.

Speaking of said mouse…

The grip on his shoulders tightened like a vice as an explosion rocked the surrounding. In an instant, that once peaceful atmosphere turned sour as screams joined the hasty calls of nearby soldiers. A rush of civilians pushed against him as each tried to run away from where the explosion originated.

Being forcefully dragged away by his entourage, they pushed through the masses. They wisely gave up on the idea of going through the standard checkpoint and instead ran for the nearest alleyway. Upon entering, they set a perimeter around him.

In the streets, he could clearly hear the sounds of panic skyrocket as another violent explosion rocked the area.

My, the boys certainly grown a knack for causing mayhem. I wonder where he learned that from?

It seemed the direct route was no longer possible nor necessary. He knew he would be stopped before entering the main city anyway. It was foretold, but if this is how he wished to bring the fight to him, so be it.

"Find him."

With those words, his men abounded their posts and dashed away following the continued sounds of carnage. A vain attempt as fate has already designed that they alone would face off.

"Now then." He leaned on the wall and stretched. "Let's find our fated arena."

His aura flashed a deep blue as a vapor like substance trailed off his form. It rose over his shoulder and proceeded to coalesce into a single orb. Floating gently midair, it gained a glossy coating as it hummed with an odd energy.

With that, the blind man wandered deeper into the dark alleyway trailing his hand along the wall as his form disappeared within its shadows.

/-/

Beneath the wonder of the floating city, light still found its way to shine despite the elite's best attempt to block it out. The shattered moon continued to cast its melancholic light upon even this dingy ghetto area. A perfect backdrop indeed.

Admits the sea of rooftops all uniform in design yet all distinct in their state of dilapidation rose a single solitary orb. From the shadows, it ascended, leveling out at just the right height to survey the entirety of the slums.

Without obstruction, the orb remained suspended midair, reflecting whatever light hit its near chrome like finish. Deep and angry blobs of red danced across its surface.

The flames had started spreading beyond their original start. Only the selfless acts of brave men kept it from consuming their homes.

In the skies above, a swarm of bullheads and the like busily patrolled the air, no doubt ferrying down supplies. Curiously a single bullhead broke ranks and charted a different course headed straight for the kingdom's edge at a break net pace.

Curious.

As that was happening, the denizens were in an uproar as mass panic ensued. Even having traveled deep within the network of pathways that cut through old Mantel, he could see nothing but the aftermath of the boy's handy work.

He's grown so much in so short a time. How wonderful! Now, where was I? Ah, there we are.

The orb quickly descended, plunging back into the shadows below. A few seconds later, he began his ascension scaling the building with precise movements.

Rising to the top and hauling himself up, no doubt cutting a suspicious figure. Thankfully, his large build was the only discernable aspect of his form, as the rest would be hidden by a ragged brown cloak.

The orb reemerged, hovering patiently over his shoulder, awaiting commands. Without a word, it began to rapidly ascend, rising high into the smoke filled sky.

With its departure, he was alone, head low as he focused inwards.

Yes, this is the place…and with the moon's position, the right time as well.

He couldn't help the smile growing on his lips. After all, who didn't love reunions?

"You can come out now."

No noise tipped him off, nor did any odd presence, yet he knew for certain that they were here. It was fated.

His feet crunched onto the barest layer of snow beneath, one of the only consistent aspects that each structure shared. The only other just so happened to be exactly where he was calling towards, a lone chimney adjacent to his own.

"Come now, did you really think you could hide from me? The time of my choice is at hand, and you should know as such."

No reaction. No intense outburst to throw away any shred of a tactical advantage they possessed. He really has grown.

"Come now, is this any way to treat an old friend? I know your father taught you better, Jaune."

Finally, after a long stretch of silence, an answer was given in the form of heavily labored steps amplified by the sounds of crushed snow.

A lone figure bathed in the moonlight beneath a floating kingdom stumbled out from their hiding place. Stepping out from behind the chimney, a young man dressed in a heavy black cloak with the only discernible aspect of their form being a sword strapped to his hip and an odd, bandaged object resting on his back. The long flowing red cape trailing behind them only added to their mystique.

"Now, isn't that better? No more hiding Jaune you know better. Instead, how about we talk just like we used to. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Turning to face Jaune directly was merely a sign of respect on his part. Which only made his continued silence all the unkinder. It was the boy's charm, so he didn't really mind.

"I'm impressed even if my forces are weaker now. I'd expected you to be more wounded from confronting both my men. How did you escape them, I wonder? What daring and suicidal moves did you have to pull to come away with barely a limp?"

Silence.

How riveting.

Slowly as to not alarm the boy, his orb descended and hovered comfortably over his shoulder again. Seeing the boy's face had been difficult from the angle of the orb and the obscuring shadows of his hood. That just made one feature stick out all the more, though.

The lone glowing eye scowling at him.

"Tell me has the glow gotten worse?"

More silence.

"Well, I'm just glad you haven't lost that fierier look yet though I'd wish you'd gained some better manners."

This time there was a reaction. Though usually, having someone clutch their head in pain while talking to you was considered an insult. He took it as a good sign.

"Hmm…it seems our time is limited, so how about we get on with your little plan, shall we?"

Even with his head in his hands, that glare still sent shivers down his spine. That silent look of hatred did wonders to elevate the scene.

"I wonder did you end up finding them?"

The way his body locked up and how his lone eye narrowed gave all the answers he needed. He waved his hands in mock surrender as Jaunes reached for the object on his back instead of his weapon.

"Wait, wait! Don't get to trigger happy there…I genuinely hope you did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you of their existence, would I?"

He hoped those words would placate him as he didn't wish for this moment to end so quickly. Though he hadn't lowered it, the fact that he didn't reach further for it showed he was willing to humor him. A stark contrast to the boy of yesteryear.

"See? We can be civil. Did you enjoy your time?"

He wouldn't go so far as to say he lost himself in memories, but it was evident that they were pleasant enough. It was too bad that in the end, his face came to rest on a grimace.

"I see…I'm glad you were at least able to enjoy that fantasy while you could. Though I hope you've come to realize that men like you and I can never settle for harmony as the path, we walk leads only to our ruin. Hero's never get to experience the peace they create."

He hoped his words reached him. Better to die knowing there was no chance of a happy life. No point in fantasizing about what could never be.

"You're not a hero."

My, the first words out of his mouth, and they're an insult. Who could have guessed?

"And neither am I." While his eye continued to glow, a different type of light seemed to die. One much more human as his hand finally made contact with the object on his back.

He couldn't help the deep chuckle he gave. "Well, with what you're planning to do, I dare say your right."

He merely watched as Jaune held the object before him and began to unravel its bonds. Or should he say coverings? For could, one really bound anyone of those things?

Before even the last wrap fell, its unmistakable blue and gold light shone through.

No, for there was nothing on Remnant that could bound a Relic. Least of all, the embodiment of destruction itself.

Bathed in, the blue light emanating off the blade itself complemented perfectly with a gold undertone from its hilt. Fittingly its length made it resemble a great sword with long spindles of gold wrapping around the base of its blade. Perfection personified.

Now, if only it wasn't aimed at me.

"I'd thought you'd learned your lesson about this. It's rude to point, you know."

Returning to silence, he continued to level the blade at him. It seems Jaune was through with indulging him. Too bad he had just one more question in mind.

"Did they escape?"

Jaune's brow furrowed as he maintained the sword pointing straight.

Maybe I should be more direct don't want to test his patience now, would we?

"Earlier, I spotted a Bullhead heading off into the distance. Tell me, was that craft carrying your friends?"

He watched as the boy's hands tightened around the hilt and how his remaining eye gained a myriad of emotions, including an even deeper hatred within it. Though one emotion trumped all of them, guilt.

"Ah, my mistake, former friends, right?" He didn't wait for an answer, already knowing it. "Well, I do wonder where they're headed as there's nowhere left to hide. You and I made sure of that, didn't we, Jaune?"

If looks could kill, he'd be ash right now. Instead, he'd let the relic do that.

"Either way, I think that answers all of my questions. Now then, let's get on with this, shall we?"

Throwing his arms out, he left himself wide open to attack, practically begging to be turned into dust and blown away. If his eyes weren't covered, he'd have closed them anyway as he left himself defenseless. Yet after a second or two of waiting, nothing transpired.

"Oh wait, I just remembered. You can't." Chuckling, he lowered his hands. "So how about you stop pointing that at me and instead at your real target, hmm?

Jaune continued to glare, never having moved the blade an inch away, taking in the sight of his excited grin growing just that bit harder.

A second later, Jaune ripped the sword away, aiming it high into the sky. Or, more accurately, what was hovering right above them. Jaune closed his eye, issuing a silent command as he stood quiet and resolute on the atrocity he was committing. Another to add to the boy's growing list.

The relic didn't react. It didn't seem to acknowledge his wishes. There was no flash of otherworldly power ripping and tearing a hole into reality, not even a slight glow of acknowledgment. Jaune merely continued to stand there, aiming it towards the city above, willing it to fall.

Then it did.

The very heavens came tumbling down. Just like he knew they would.

As he watched the annihilation of one of humanity's final bastions, he threw his hands out again, his mouth stretched out into an insane grin. All he could hear was his wild laughing at being witness to this event.

It's over.

Due to his convulsing, his robes were jostled, causing his hood to slide off of his head. With it off, it exposed the dirty bandages wrapped around his long dead eyes, but it revealed something much more alarming as well.

The day I've longed for is finally at hand.

As the light of the shattered moon caught his face, it glinted off something much more reflective. An ornate golden crown resting atop his head.

The time for my choice is here!

"Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation, huh?" –Jaune probably.

Remember when I said I've got plans for new stories? It's here, boys!

Sorry, it's not an update to A Hero's Dilemma. I've been sitting on this story for as long as that one, though. I'd planned on foreshadowing this story later on in 'AHD' but seeing how long it's taken me just to put out 5 Chapters…and how it was supposed to happen in the latter portion of the story…yea I just decided to post what I had and move on.

Either way, I hope I did well enough in establishing the darker tone I was going for.

This chapter starts off towards the end of the story, as I've always wanted to try this type of storytelling. I've always viewed my Fanfic's as just a way to practice my writing so that eventually, I'd be able to write my own books later on. So bear with me as I try to lay the groundwork on this short…prologue? Yea, let's go with that.

See ya next chapter

2021/08/19