FULL SUMMARY:

What if Rean was saved from Ishmelga's corruption? What if the person who saved him was someone related to the Goddess of the Sky? What if he couldn't return to Zemuria to fulfill his promise? Rean Schwarzer made a decision that changed his role in a new chapter of this fairy tale. His decision to become an agent whose purpose is to eliminate those who wish to disrupt the order of space and time. A nameless phantom. An Agent of Aidios.

Notes: Hello! This will be my new project while our haji fic is taking a break! This took inspiration from various media (VNs), and it will be starring Normal End Rean! I will say this now, the fic's canon is not related to Haji's story so no worries about spoilers. This will be my own take of NE!Rean and his journey to fulfill his mission and promise. I will try to stay true to the canon info, but of course, I will have my own headcanons about stuff.

The Ashen's Promise won't be the only multi-fic I will begin uploading! I am currently writing an RWBY fic and it will probably be my first OC fic as well, so please check it out if you guys are interested! I don't usually do OC fics, but RWBY is an exception. More info about the fic when the prologue of the RWBY fic comes out! With that out of the way, let's start the prologue!

"Give in... despair... hatred... foolish Awakener... your resistance is futile..." A voice filled with malice that could paint the entire world in its black ink echoed in his head. How long did he resist its wretched voice? How long did it take for him to get used to its despair without losing hope? When was the last time he felt the warmth of that hope he so desperately clung to? "The companions that joined you into the abyss have long disappeared... Their spirits have died... You are all alone, Rean Schwarzer..."

Rean Schwarzer. That was his name.

Yet he felt like it wasn't his anymore.

His skin had darkened; no, maybe corrupted was a more suitable word. His eyes grew dull; the lilac irises were now dyed in gold. He could no longer feel his body. He could no longer lift a finger or voice his suffering. The agonizing pain he endured for who knows how long was embedded into his very soul. The man known as Rean Schwarzer had nothing but a few memories of the past. The memories of his friends, students, and a silver-haired girl. The messy yet soft silver hair he loved so, so much. The memories he had with her were the only things that kept him from losing his sanity. The voice of the embodiment of malice and despair tormented him; its grip on his soul had gotten stronger after the two souls that joined his departure faded.

They were the ones who kept him together, but now, he could only rely on the memories he shared with her and his loved ones.

Panting, he reached out his hand to the abyss.

"You're still resisting? You have nothing left to fight for." The voice in his head cackled. It found pleasure in watching the man's pointless resistance. "Face it... the people that you cherished... they have forgotten you. They have moved on..."

He gritted his teeth as its words entered his ears. He knew they were lies, nothing more than an attempt to make Rean let his guard down. But the stinging feeling in his chest was real.

"The love of your life... moved on... She has forgotten you and chose another..." With each word that echoed in his head, the flames of his anger started to grow. They were lies! He knew better than anyone that the voice was doing nothing more than to force the man to give in to his anger and hate, trying to find an opening to take over. "You have nothing—"

"You are the one who has nothing, Ishmelga!" The voice of malice was cut off by another voice, one whose tone was filled with authority.

"W-Wha...?"

A blinding light enveloped the cold, black abyss, forcing the man to close his eyes. Its warmth overpowered the cold Rean endured for years. So, this was what the warmth of the light felt like. It was nice and comforting, like a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his form. It reminded him of the time his biological mother cradled him in her arms. As the light died down, Rean opened his eyes slowly, only for them to widen at the sight in front of him. A woman whose figure was shining as bright as a star floated in front of him. Her fuchsia orbs glowed as her long blonde, almost white hair flowed and defied gravity. Her radiant glow didn't hide the white dress that she wore. She looked... she looked divine.

"No! It can't be... you aren't supposed to be here!" Ishmelga bellowed as negative energy leaked out of Rean's form. The man clutched his chest as he hissed in pain. It was like the embodiment of malice was thrashing his very soul. "Why are you here, Aidios?!"

The malicious being uttered with such venom as Rean's eyes widened in shock. The woman in front of the swordsman... was the Goddess of the Sky herself? Here in the dark and never-ending abyss? Those thoughts ran through the man's head. The mere thought of her appearing here was too absurd.

It was too absurd for him to comprehend.

"Nggh!"

Clutching his chest in pain, Rean grunted as black miasma surrounded him. It was Ishmelga. The man gasped in pain as he felt the being of malice forcibly remove himself from his soul, the black aura manifesting into the figure of the Ebon Knight. As soon as the cursed entity separated himself from the Ashen Awakener, he could feel his body getting ice cold. Despite the warmth being provided by the one the curse calls 'Aidios', it could only do so much to keep him warm. Ishmelga, now in his Ebon Knight form, roared in anger as it conjured its blade before pointing at the radiant woman.

"HOW ARE YOU HERE?! THIS IS A REALM BEYOND YOUR TOUCH! SO TELL ME HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO MANIFEST YOURSELF!"

"That is true, Ishmelga, but I have my ways. I never said who I was, though..."

"WHA..." The Ebon Knight sounded perplexed for a moment before it let out another deafening roar. "IMPOSSIBLE! WHO ARE YOU—"

Its words were cut short when a blade of light pierced its chest. Her fuchsia orbs were stern and cold as the woman stared at the malicious being. Ishmelga did not express any pain or anger, only looking down at the weapon that struck it. It held it tightly and attempted to pull the blade of light out, yet it did not budge one bit.

"YOU..."

"You have made this boy suffer long enough, Ishmelga. You have corrupted half of his soul and merged your existence with it." The woman said, her voice completely calm. "But now you are finished. I may not be able to completely remove the curse, but I can at least remove your consciousness."

"NO! I'm the entity born from malice! You can't!"

For the first time, Rean could hear the fear in Ishmelga's voice. His numbness didn't hold him back from looking at the Ebon Knight. It was a strange sight. The curse he and his friends fought... was trembling. His orbs could see its form shaking ever so slightly, but he didn't feel any pity. After all of the sins, it has done, Rean didn't care about its fate. The woman, presumed to be the Goddess, shook her head in disappointment as she formed a spear of light. As she got ready to throw the item, the cursed knight fled into the depths of the abyss. The swordsman could hear its voice coated in fear and despair. A sigh escaped the woman's person.

"A futile attempt..." She threw the light spear into the pool of black as a bloodcurdling scream pervaded the abyss, forcing the Schwarzer to weakly cover his ears. "Begone..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream of pain rang throughout the curtain of darkness, slowly dying down as 'Aidios' walked towards the dark depths of the abyss. Rean's numb body floated alongside her. He tried to reason how he was being pulled along, but he was too weakened to make sense of things. They came to a stop in front of the body of the Ebon Knight, floating almost lifelessly with the spear in its chest, along with the blade.

A few seconds later, the knight's body started to dissolve into particles of ebon light. The little lights floated and roamed, but they knew their destination. They slowly came together and floated to the weakened Schwarzer before being absorbed into his body. The man's eyes widened as he felt the cold in him vanish, gradually being replaced by warmth. The parts of his skin that were corrupted by the curse began to return to his original color. His snow-white hair slowly got dyed in his old black hue but left white streaks on the tip of his bangs. Finally, his golden orbs were replaced with his lilac, no, with his ogre reds as he felt the energy and life he lost return to him.

"What... did you do to me?" His raspy and tired voice was gone as his tone was filled with life.

'Aidios' simply smiled as she raised a hand, a portal appearing out of thin air. "I will answer all of your questions to the best of my abilities. But first, you must follow me." The woman said as she passed through the portal.

Rean looked doubtful for a moment as he looked back to where Ishmelga was struck. He had a lot of questions, even if he had a feeling that she might not answer all of them. Taking a deep breath, the Divine Blade followed after her through the portal.

As Rean entered the entryway, he was greeted by the endless blue sky and fresh air. He immediately could tell that the air was clean, so clean he didn't realize he was taking multiple breaths. It felt good. It was like his system was being cleansed. His eyes looked down when noticed he was standing on a... cloud? A cloudlike platform? Before Rean could succumb to his confusion, a soft voice snapped him out of it.

"I see that you are here, Rean Schwarzer." His head shot up as his red eyes saw the blonde-haired woman sitting on a throne made of gold, still in her white dress. "Now, what do you want to ask? Though, I have a feeling I know what it is."

He has that feeling too, but it didn't stop the swordsman from asking. "Are you... really the Goddess?"

The woman let another smile grace her lips as she shook her head, earning her a confused look from Rean. As he was about to open his mouth, the woman elucidated. "I am the Goddess of the Sky— Aidios, but I am also not her. You can say I am one of her avatars."

"Avatars...? Like a representative?" Her smile widened as she gave a small nod. "Does that mean you're like a fragment of her?"

"Correct. I am one of the many avatars of the Goddess. You may still refer to me as Aidios if you so wish. But I prefer you call me Ciel instead." The woman, now known as Ciel, said as she closed her eyes. Rean assumed she wanted to be called that to differentiate herself from the Goddess of the Sky, or maybe it's her avatar name. "Since introductions are out of the way, I will begin to answer any questions you may have. However, for your convenience, I can answer the obvious ones right now, if you want?"

Rean was silent for a moment as he closed his eyes. He soon gave a nod as confirmation.

"Very well..." She stood up from her throne and looked at the never-ending horizon around them. "You might ask what did I do to you? Well, I merely eliminated the thought-form of Ishmelga from the curse. The curse's properties are harmless without its sentience— without Ishmelga's consciousness. That is also why your appearance has not returned to normal." The woman conjured a mirror before showing Rean his reflection.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked almost the same before Ishmelga corrupted him when he and Valimar won the final Rivalry. Except for his hair and eyes, Rean was the same as before. The man placed a hand on his chest and felt a strange yet familiar surge of power. It felt like the power he gained during the Great Twilight as the true Sacrifice, but the negativity around his aura was not there.

If what Ciel stated was true, Rean was feeling the boon of the curse without Ishmelga's influence. As he was studying the power within him, the young Schwarzer felt six familiar auras residing in his soul. Before he could inspect whatever was in him thoroughly, Ciel spoke.

"I take it you're curious at the auras you are feeling right now?" She asked as if she read his mind.

"Y-Yeah... it's like I felt them before, but I can't seem to recall..."

"It actually connects to what happened to your Divine Knight..."

As the woman in white said that, Rean's shock was too much for him to hide. Now that she mentioned it, Valimar and Ordine both disappeared during the Divine Blade's time in the abyss. A sharp pain ran through his head, holding it as he gritted his teeth slightly. "W-where's Valimar...? Where's Ordine...?"

The memories of his past were still intact in the depths of his mind, but during the struggle, Rean had with Ishmelga, the memories of the time he resisted its influence were all blank to him. He can't even remember when Millium and Crow's souls disappeared.

To answer the young man's question, she lifted a finger and pointed.

Her finger pointed at the man himself, much to his confusion and surprise.

"The Ashen Knight, the Azure Knight, and the other Divine Knights have a piece of their aura in you. Due to the Ashen Knight winning all of the Rivalry, Valimar possesses the auras of the other Divine Knights. Since I purged Ishmelga's consciousness from the Ebon Knight, the Ashen also contains an uncorrupted fragment of the Ebon." Aidios' avatar stood up from her throne and stared at the endless sky. Rean was still processing the information given to him. "I say aura, but I think the term 'soul' would be more correct. It is what makes up the current personalities of the Divine Knights. In the past, their souls are grown and influenced by humanity's actions. Now, though, they're influenced by their recent Awakeners."

That was true. When Rean first piloted Valimar, his partnered Divine Knight talked more like a machine than how he talked recently. Though with time, the Divine Blade helped the Ashen Knight regain his speech, even to the point of sounding like an actual person. Their dormant states also played a part in their loss of proper speech.

Rean searched through the depths of his own soul; a small smile crept on his face. He could feel the Ashen and the others within him. It was faint, but the man was certain that they were the Divine Knights. The Ebon's presence was in him as well, but the malicious and dark aura of it was nowhere to be found. Instead, Rean felt that it was hollow and empty.

'It must be because Ciel removed Ishmelga's malicious and dark soul...' He thought to himself as he removed his hand from his chest. With another question out of the way, he asked another one. One of the two things that were bugging him ever since she said she would answer the man's questions. "Are Crow and Millium really gone...?"

"..."

Her silence was all the answer he needed as he hung his head and clenched his fists. The last memories Rean could recall that he had with them was when they were trying to help the Divine Blade resist the curse's influence. Even to someone like Rean, who wasn't an expert when it came to the teachings of the Septian Church, the chances of his friends' revival were slim. Ciel may be an avatar of Aidios, but her powers must have some set of rules that need to be followed.

Their revival would be somewhat possible if there were a catalyst from them, but one was basically a spirit while the other was an Immortal, their bodies were long gone, and their souls were unknown to Rean. Both of their time had long passed ever since they saved Zemuria from the Great Twilight.

"I-I'm sorry, young one... If there was even a fragment of their spirits left with you, I could revive them in some way, but..." A frown marred her face as she hung her head, a right hand rubbing her left arm uncomfortably. "I am truly sorry..."

It wasn't the answer Rean wanted, but it was what he expected. Relaxing his fists, the young man took a deep breath as he sighed, hints of sadness coloring his sigh.

"No... it's fine. I don't know where they are, but I hope they can find peace." He smiled sadly as the Goddess's avatar remained silent. After calming down and settling with the emotions he was feeling in his chest, Rean decided to ask his final question. "I don't know if I'm really alive or dead, but can I return to Zemuria...?"

The woman didn't answer his query immediately, instead, she focused her gaze on the blue sky and the infinite clouds around them. She soon returned to her seat, fingers intertwining with one another as she looked at him sternly.

"I can confirm that you are still alive, Rean Schwarzer. Though, you are not exactly human. As I said earlier, you have a fragment of the 'souls' of the Seven Divine Knights, meaning you can communicate with them if they are still around telepathically. I will say this now that your appearance is not just a cosmetic change." This piqued the man's curiosity. "You are a... theoretical result if Ishmelga's consciousness was not a being born from malice and negativity, but a knight of a pure heart. You are not Ishmelga since its consciousness is now gone, but since you have an uncorrupted fragment of the Ebon and the others, you are considered a Divine Knight of sorts. You can even say that you're the Ivory to Ishmelga's Ebon."

"W-Wait! Does this mean this isn't my actual body now?!" Panic filled the Schwarzer's orbs as he placed a hand on his chest. The woman merely gave him a sympathetic smile before shaking her head, causing him to be confused.

"You are not an actual Divine Knight. Your body is still very much human." Rean sighed in relief as he relaxed slightly. "If anyone tries to sense you, your aura will be a mixture of your original aura mixed with the aura of a Divine Knight. Of course, if someone is trying to sense your presence from afar, you will easily be mistaken as a Divine Knight."

"I see..."

"Now onto the important question... I'm afraid that you can't return to your world without certain conditions placed." Ciel said grimly, her fuchsia orbs looking down.

"What do you mean...?" The panic in his voice was evident; his eyes didn't betray what he was feeling right now.

"I mean, you won't be able to return and live your life with your beloved."

As those words left her lips, Rean felt his world shatter into millions of pieces.

The relief he felt when he was rid of the corruption of the curse was meaningless to him now. The desire that was driving him to resist Ishmelga's malice for so long... disappeared. The strength on his legs was lost, making him fall on his knees. He wanted to cry out his frustrations, yet no tears would come out. Rean's face contorted in anguish as he slammed on the cloudlike platform with his newfound powers, but it didn't do anything to it. He couldn't fulfill his promise to return to the people he cared about.

He lost his reason.

He lost his will.

He couldn't fulfill his promise.

Ciel looked at Rean with pain and sorrow in her eyes, the man's irises dull and broken once more. She knew he would ask that specific question. She knew the answer to his query. And she knew of the outcome after answering it. The avatar of the Goddess planned on sending him to an alternate Zemuria where he could start a new life, but she knew all too well that the young Schwarzer would not like her plan. There might be a Fie there, but it isn't his Fie. Rean promised her that he would return to her, to them, but it was impossible to fulfill such a thing.

The man was still on his knees, lifeless and still as a rock. Ciel couldn't bear to watch the heartbreaking sight.

'He doesn't deserve the pain he's feeling... he endured and resisted Ishmelga's influence for so long... I need to do something.' Her eyes shut themselves as Ciel began thinking about what she could do for the Divine Blade. She soon found her answer.

The woman got up from her throne and slowly made her way towards the Ashen Awakener, getting on one knee as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Rean Schwarzer... I know I said you can't return to your world to live freely with your beloved, but I never said you couldn't see her. You can, only if you follow certain conditions the Goddess herself has placed. That is why... I have a proposition for you."

The life in his eyes slowly returned, Rean raising his head slightly to meet her gaze. "What...?"

Getting up from her one-knee position, she held out her hand and stared at his red hues. "Would you like to become an Agent of Aidios?"