Chapter Thirteen: The Ultimate Lifeform: The Woman Who Crossed the Remnant
Twenty millennia ago, there existed a thriving race of beings far beyond mortal comprehension. They existed below ground, far away from human eyes, for they could not be in the sun. It would disintegrate them, turning them into dust.
This race far predates anything humans have recorded. Even the most ancient of human texts mentions something this extraordinary group of people. It is unknown where they came from. Perhaps they came from space? Perhaps they were the original attempt at life, or perhaps an alternative form? Maybe a backup race, in case humanity failed to please the gods?
What is known about these creatures is scarce and what isn't known could probably fill the oceans. What study of the creature kept with the Branwen foundation would reveal is that it is based more on silicon than carbon, unlike humans, which are mostly carbon based. They do not often have children, for they do not often die. Their lifespan can last for centuries, if not thousands of years. Their home was referred to some humans that lived in the most ancient times as Charn.
These creatures possessed strength far beyond that of mortals, something godlike. In fact, any humans that came in contact with this race of superhumans worshipped them as gods. Their influence can be seen in many ancient ruins, though none understood these creatures as real.
There are also many artifacts attributed to this race. Chief among them is a dagger, though none know what it may do, as none have seen such a weapon. It was carved out of a rock they gather around, an ancient and cruel thing, runes carved into it. It could be said that it possesses strange powers, but as it has not been found, this cannot be proven.
Among these creatures was one woman. She was a prodigy, a far greater mind and skill than any before or since. She was smaller than most of her race, but she made up for it in her prowess and cunning. This particular creature's name was Jadis.
Jadis was often ridiculed for her preposterous desire to conquer the sun, to rid herself and the rest of her people of this affliction that would kill them all. Those that did not jeer saw this as a threat, for as many records of human history have described, prophets and those who strive for greatness as she did, often turn the world upside down in one form or another.
Most curious among the things she had made, other than the stone dagger, which she had assisted in forming, was a mask. It looked to be carved from the bones of one of their own dead. No one questioned this, thinking her to be mad (and she very well may have been). Desperate to conquer that which she could not see, Salem tested the power of the mask on herself.
The mask worked, if only partially. While it could not fully pierce her brain to unleash the full strength she wished to wield, it gave her unspeakable power. The very force of gravity was hers to command, if even for a limited range. Upon this revelation, the rest of her race converged to destroy her, fearing that she would destroy them all.
With this note, Jadis discovered that the power she had unlocked afforded her much greater strength than she had previously. While before, she could not have stood up to the stronger members of her race, most of them well above her, now she slaughtered all of them, including her own parents. Such was the power this mask of bone had granted her.
Only three others of her race survived, one adult and two children. Jadis and this adult, her sole confidant, took the children and fled, the bone mask unleashing the power of the other three as well. It was at this time, Jadis took on a new name, in true reference to her status among her former people as a sorcerer of dark magic: Salem.
One greater caveat of the mask, however, was that their cravings were far multiplied. Their diet normally consisted of some meats and vegetables, but now, they craved blood. After several thousand years, they discovered the ancient human civilizations. While the mask would not elevate a human to even the level of the creature that Salem was before, it would grant them extraordinary powers.
It was this sort of human, this 'Grimm', that the creatures Salem, Watts, Tyrian, and Hazel consumed. Thousands upon thousands of humans had fallen victim to their ravenous hunger. The only saving grace for the humans was that the creatures must sleep for two thousand years before they must consume again.
It was in this time that the humans began to devise ways to fight back. It was discovered that the Sun itself could destroy the monsters of Grimm, a power they learned to harvest for themselves. But, as Salem discovered thousands of years later, there was a way to truly make themselves at their most powerful. A stone, made of the purest fire, forged in a volcano near the north of the world. The purest one was in possession of an ancient king at the time, though this was before their latest slumber.
The next time they awoke, they were greeted by the last of the Aura tribe, prepared and waiting for them to awaken.
It was this awakening, this final awakening, that Salem has discovered the stone and unleashed her full, unbridled powers. Her true power as a White Witch, a being of truest power, the power which she sought from the very beginning.
Maria stared at Salem, her eyes wide. This… this was it. They had failed. She had no Aura left, Salem had put on the mask and was now transforming. She had failed.
Salem stood there, looking at them all, as if they were insignificant worms, her pale white skin reflecting the light around them. The piercing look in her red eyes stared at all of them, her fingers flexing. No one moved; no one wanted her to move toward them. What sort of ungodly power was she capable of now that she had gotten what she wanted?
"Look!" Polendina shouted, breaking the silence. "The Aura wound in her chest is still festering! We still have a chance!"
Maria looked to see the Aura wound she had inflicted, burning a bright orange color on Salem's pale body. It seemed to bubble and pulse, as if her body was rotting away from it.
"She'll disintegrate from it just as the others did!" Polendina had gotten her confidence back now. "Men, we will celebrate this for the glory of the fatherland! For Atlas!"
"For Atlas!" The men pumped their fists in patriotism.
Salem looked at them, an almost bored look on her face. She looked down at the wound in her chest, looking at the festering wound. The area around her wound began to change, turning black. It almost seemed to take life of its own, changing its shape to become almost animalistic.
Raven's eyes widened through the transformation, her hands trembling as she watched the area where the wound was move from Salem's body, sitting on her hand. It looked like a little black bird. White bonelike structures emerged on its head, forming almost like a helmet that framed two orange eyes that looked around like a little chick. It had several ivory colored claws on its feet, despite being so small, they looked razor sharp. Its beak was curved, cruel and fearsome, almost like a demonic creature. If one were to compare it to a modern animal, it would have resembled a raven, both in size and in features. Black, ugly feathers sprouted.
"Wh-What is that?!" Polendina shouted. "That creature came from her wound! The Aura doesn't affect her anymore!"
There was a little bird about a hundred yards away from the group. The black bird that had emerged from Salem flew over to this little bird, eyeing it with a curious expression.
"That would be almost cute if it wasn't like Salem," Maria muttered. Of course, she had spoken too soon, the black bird biting off the head of the other bird in one bite, eating the bird in three bites. It gave a shriek that spoke of a challenge to every other predator in the area. Nothing answered that call, all predators and prey recognizing this specimen of dangerous power.
The bird then faced its eyes on Polendina, giving one more shriek that sounded like "Nevermore!" before charging at the cyborg soldier. Polendina swatted at it with her hands, but it wove through them, spearing through her as if it were a javelin. Polendina looked down in shock as the bird turned around and did it again, this time spearing through the other Atlesians there. Only three were killed before the bird returned to Salem, reforming her chest cavity she had.
"Th-This is a new god being born…" Polendina gasped from her position now on the ground. "We are in the presence of a god!"
"Look!" Raven pointed. "The sun is coming up!"
"The blessed sun," Robyn clasped her hands together. "The gods are watching us."
The rays of light peeked over the horizon, casting their warmth on the early morning. All the Grimm that were touched by the rays of the sun were vaporized in an instant, screaming their fears of death.
"Take this, Salem, you bitch!" Polendina shouted, a triumphant look on her face. However, as the seconds ticked by, Salem didn't seem to be disintegrating. In fact, she turned to look directly at the sun. As it rose to a more visible state peeking further over the horizon, she held her arms out, taking in the wondrous rays of the sun.
"It's so beautiful," She finally said. "I could feel that Watts experienced this same feeling as he faced his death. I have long waited for this moment. The moment when I could conquer the sun. So beautiful."
"Th-The sun isn't killing her!" Polendina gasped, horror painting her face, the same as everyone else's. the one thing they were counting on putting Salem out of commission had failed. Aura wouldn't kill her, the sun wouldn't kill her, what would?
"Maria Rose," The Witch turned to look at the silver eyed woman. "You are the thorn in my side. I curse you and your entire bloodline to die! My first act as a White Witch, the ultimate pinnacle of power, will be to destroy you once and for all!"
"Technically, your first act was to kill that bird," Maria pointed, giving her trademark smirk.
Salem said nothing to this, leaping up into the air as wings not unlike that creature's emerged from her back. She flew into the air, looking down on Maria.
"There's one thing I can do." Maria stood up on her legs, taking a deep breath.
"What's that?" Robyn asked.
"Yeah, tell us, we'll help as best we can," Fiona nodded.
"Well, I'll fall back on this final plan I have."
"What is this daring plan, Rose?" Polendina asked.
"Wait a minute…" Robyn said as Maria picked up the Fire Dust Stone.
"Run the hell away!" She took off running with all her might.
"Oooohhhh, I knew it was this plaaaaaaan!" Robyn and Fiona took off running with her. Salem then began to chase her, flying toward her.
"You two stay here," Maria instructed the children. "It's too dangerous now. Stay with Raven and don't get hurt."
"B-but—" Fiona started before Maria punched both in the stomach, dropping them to their knees.
"I'm sorry," She kept running. "You don't need to die with me. It's my bloodline that's cursed after all."
They watched her, tears in their eyes as she ran and jumped over a cliff, diving down. They made it to the cliff, looking down to see the aircraft shoot up toward Salem. Maria turned the cannons on the ship toward Salem, firing. Salem ducked and wove through them, dodging excellently. Maria took this opportunity to speed off toward the far north.
"Maria, where are you going?" Raven's voice came in over the radio.
"I just got an idea, Raven," Maria's voice was somber. "There's one place I can think of to destroy her."
"Wh-What?" Raven asked. "Where?"
"The power of that dark mask gave her that power, didn't it?" Maria asked, though it was likely rhetorical. "Well, it came from the planet, right?"
"W-Well, maybe," Raven spoke. "There are no records of where they came from."
"Well, I think maybe the planet can take it away."
"What are you saying?"
"There's a place near where we are in Atlas, near the northern end of the world. It's called the Dark God's Pool. It's a dangerous place that has been said to be able to destroy anything. Perhaps I can destroy her with it."
"Maria, no, don't do this!" Raven shouted. "Please! Your grandfather has already buried his wife and son! Don't make him bury his granddaughter too!"
"I've got no choice," Maria looked ahead, putting the plane on full speed. "I got us into this mess and I'll get us out."
"Maria, there's something you need to know!" Raven shouted. "It's Glynda! She's—"
Maria looked down at the radio, which had gone silent all of a sudden. She must be out of range for contacting Raven.
Raven buried her head in her hands, sobbing tears of anguish. Three different generations of Rose blood had she seen killed far before their time. All of them from events circling around those damnable masks. Why, why had the Roses been cursed with the task of destroying the masks and their evil. First Summer falling to destroy Cinder, then Carmine Rose II falling to the last of Cinder's minions, and now Maria falling to destroy the creator of the masks, a creature had ascended to goodhood… a White Witch as she called herself. It was unfair. They were all good people, not deserving of their fate.
She felt four little arms wrapping around hers, looking up to see Robyn and Fiona holding her. She hugged them close, simply embracing them. Even the Atlesian soldiers were not immune to the emotions Raven was feeling, some shedding their own tears.
"Man, these cheap radios don't work like they used to," Maria punched the radio, the static irritating. She focused on her flying, heading straight north. That was where this ancient pool of… whatever it was resided. The texts didn't make it clear when they studied it in school (for the few days she was actually there anyway) and no one was allowed near it. But, fortunately for Maria, they were far enough into Atlas that no one would stop her in an Atzi aircraft. She looked at the fuel gauge, biting her lip as she saw that it was at six hours.
She didn't know how much longer it was, but there were less and less houses now that she had reached the upper region of Atlas. This was too cold even for these folk, ravaging snowstorms destroying any chance of decent living. Even now, she could tell the aircraft was struggling to keep up with the snow around her. She could only hope that she could hold out long enough to make it to this pool she assumed was a volcano.
Suddenly, there was a shaking of the aircraft. She didn't know much about turbulence, but she assumed that it wasn't ever this bad. Of course, she had no idea. Suddenly, she saw something slam into the wing. It looked like a large feather, bigger than any eagle's feather and a malignant black color. She could almost feel the evil and hatred pouring off of the feather, even from inside the cockpit. It almost made her want to throw up, but she couldn't. Not here, not now.
"That bitch must be catching up to me," Maria growled. "I'll have to try to hold her off for now!"
She turned and dove, weaving around, trying to avoid Salem's strikes. Several more feathers struck the plane, causing it to shake more. Unfortunately for Maria, something was slithering around inside the ship. It was a large thing, the size of an average boa. It was black, a dangerous color with a strange white pattern on its head, almost like a mask. Its eyes burned a demonic red. It was a lot like the bird Salem had turned her chest crystal into earlier.
"Maria Rose!" The snake spoke. Maria jumped as it looked her dead in the eyes as it spoke in Salem's voice. Its red, forked tongue flicked in and out, two piercing white fangs reaching down past its lower jaw by about eight inches.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!" Maria almost got out of her seat.
"I am talking to you through this snake as you would not be able to hear me over the engines of this craft," The snake spoke again. "You cannot run. You cannot hide. I will destroy you."
In front of the craft, Salem flew, keeping up with the craft. She made a move to attack the craft directly, but a mechanical hand shot her in the neck, gripping tight. Salem stopped moving, slamming into the craft as it kept going. Maria punched the snake in the face, looking out the window to see a malignant pool of reddish black liquid. It wasn't lava, so Maria ruled out the idea of it being a volcano. She directed the craft toward it, intending to go down with the ship.
"Are you going on this suicide mission, my friend?" A voice spoke from beside her. Maria jumped again to see Polendina standing next to her, snow and ice all over her body. One of her hands was missing, Maria's eyes widening as she realized who had attacked Salem.
"Y-You fool, Maria!" Salem shouted, realizing where they were heading. "I can just move away from this!"
Polendina shot the Witch in the face with her eye beam, stunning her for a split second. That was all it took as Polendina grabbed Maria, jumping from the craft and landing hard on the ground as the craft fell into the strange liquid.
Polendina's legs were shattered, part of her waist crumpled from the impact. Maria looked around after hitting the ground hard, her injured arm still smarting. She looked around her, feeling the cold and wet ground. It was still snowing and the snow wasn't melting. Whatever this pool was, it wasn't natural. The ground around her was a frozen space, the natural lighting around this freaky place a purplish shade, making it look like it was actually home to the god of darkness once.
Salem had fully disappeared under the pool, the craft sticking out of the strange substance. It didn't seem to melt, but it warped and distorted as it was corrupted. It aged rapidly, rusting over and finally turning to dust.
Salem emerged from the pool, flailing and trying to get her head above water. Her body was rapidly aging and shriveling away.
"I'll kill you, Maria Rose!" She exclaimed, her body suddenly turning black as she tried to shield herself from the effects of the pool. This shriveled off as well, however, her body continuing to shrivel.
"I-I must make it like armor. Like an armadillo!" Her body became course, covered in black with a strange skeleton of white bonelike substance covering her like that of an armadillo. This also began to crack as she added more layers, finally sinking under the liquid in a final scream of agony as she seemed to age out of existence.
"W-We did it," Polendina laughed a nervous laugh as she took in the scene. "We destroyed the ultimate life form, the Übermensch!"
"Isn't that a comic book character?" Maria asked, laying on the ground, looking over at the soldier.
"You did not pay attention in your Atlesian classes, did you?"
"A couple people in the class were hot, but not enough to make me stay… though, the threesome would have been amazing…"
"Well, regardless, we have won," Polendina laughed, jumping back with her arms as the liquid bubbled and sputtered, likely an effect of the craft's entrance. "Well, we must find a way back to camp. There is an outpost nearby we can hike to. It shouldn't take more than a day or two."
"Why do you Atzis have a base around this place?"
"Mostly to prevent people from doing what we just did. Also, the substance is quite dangerous, so we don't want it to fall into the hands of someone worse than us."
"How noble. I think we should take a quick breather and—"
That was as far as Maria got before she felt the ground around her shake, cracking and rumbling. Suddenly, her arm was grabbed and crushed with a deadly force, some of the aging liquid shriveling it up to some withered skeleton, severing it from her body at just above the wrist. Polendina gasped, looking over to see the pale white hand sticking up from the ground. From that crack emerged Salem, a skin that resembled some sort of turtle creature sloughing off of her, the white shell of bone disappearing as well.
The White Witch now stood above Maria, a triumphant look on her face as Maria looked down at her arm, her left hand now gone. A scream of purest agony wrenched itself free of her vocal cords, shouting above the howling winds around the pool.
"Oh, that is what I love to hear!" Salem laughed, spreading her arms out wide. "How do you like it? Not even the gods themselves are a match for me now!"
Even as she said this, the pool of liquid behind them began to swirl around like a funnel, as if someone had flushed a toilet or pulled the stopped from the sink or tub. The liquid drained, leaving a gaping hole and darkness below it.
"To answer your question, I survived by making myself like a turtle," Salem taunted them. "They age slowly, even slower than that aircraft, so it was a perfect fit. I then tunneled under you to rip your arm off."
"I… I won't let you leave here!" Maria leapt forward, her Aura burning in her remaining hand as she summoned her renewed reserve. "Aura Burst!"
"Did you say Aura Burst!?" Salem landed a blow to Maria's chest that sent her slamming into the wall of the recently drained pool of liquid, falling down into the pit. As the Rose felt the blow, she felt her jaw crackle with the feeling of Aura, a burning pain unlike anything she'd ever felt radiating up through her body and that was only the force of the blow. The Aura in that punch caused her chest to start to liquefy (or at least it felt like it), a dangerous overcharge of the substance in her body and causing her limbs to shut down. Or, was that the pain?
She fell to the bottom of the pit, somehow surviving the dangerous drop. She noticed she had landed on something resembling feathers or grass. Something that could survive down here. Surprisingly, the aging liquid was gone, not a trace of it down this hole.
"Th-That power," She looked around, trying to see where she was. "That was… Aura?!"
"You fool!" Salem laughed, landing in front of her with her wings outstretched. "I conquered the sun! Did you not think I would conquer Aura?!"
Maria was too weak to move much, noting that she was near a strange rock. From her position on the ground, she could see strange runes carved on it, but she had no idea what they meant. They were similar to the runes she saw on that dagger that gave her the creeps.
"Look around you, Maria Rose," Salem gestured around her. "This is the living area of my kind. You are the first and last human to see this sight. That rock is the sacred item that they worshipped, from which our artifacts are carved. But, now, I will blot you out of existence. Goodbye and farewell."
Salem took a breath, Maria's catching in her throat as she realized exactly what she was doing. She was summoning Aura.
"How fitting to end you with your special power," The taunt struck home, Maria feeling like she was backed into a corner. And, yet, as if on instinct, her arm was raised. Underneath it, Maria could see green tendrils, almost like vines.
"Huh… I guess the vines weren't my imagination after all… unless this is a hallucination?"
Maria barely had time to get that thought out as Salem's blow struck her hand. Hidden in Maia's hand was the Fire Dust Stone. Salem gasped as Maria hit this, the Aura she infused into the punch being amplified a hundred, no a thousand times as it struck the rock. The rock cracked and then shattered, the ground around them falling below them as they began to fall. Maria had heard of places like this, where the fall would mean instant death, where it would be everlasting, a trip straight to the core of the planet and whatever it was comprised of. No one really knew for sure, but Maria really didn't want to find out.
"You fool, Maria!" Salem shouted as they fell. "Do you not realize what you've done?! This entire area will take us straight to the core of the planet!"
"If it's how I defeat you, I'll gladly go to my death," Maria laughed softly. "But, your next line is 'You bitch! Was this part of your plan all along?!"
"How the hell do you always know what people are saying!? Well, it doesn't matter! I can control the elements themselves! I can control gravity! Do your worst!"
As if nature itself heard the challenge, rocks moved toward Salem, causing her to use her gravity abilities to move the rocks. However, as she used it so deep into the core of the planet, she moved faster, being drawn in by the stronger gravity at the core. She stopped this, her fall slowing, but she was still farther than Maria.
"You bitch! Was this part of your plan all along!?" Salem shouted as a large rock struck her in the back, her gravity ability kicking in on instinct as she was forced all the way down to the core. Her body was repeatedly crushed by the force of gravity that even her own abilities could not counter. For a time, she tried to escape, but eventually, she determined that it was better not to think. And so, after at least a few decades, Salem stopped thinking, her body crushed down smaller than even recognizable.
As for Maria, she looked down toward the core, landing on a rock that didn't seem to be falling as fast. She laid back down, letting herself fall as she closed her eyes.
"Better you think that I had that planned down to the last moment than you know the truth," She chuckled softly, feeling the pain in her limbs. "But, if you want to know the truth, I just got lucky."
She had never contemplated her own death before. She wasn't too cocky that she'd never considered that she could die, but it wasn't something most people her age thought of. She closed her eyes, wondering if she would hit the bottom or the gravity would crush her. Such a shame; she really wanted to know what those vines were. They seemed pretty cool.
Polendina managed to return to the base camp and relayed the news to Raven and the rest:
Maria Calavera Rose has died: February 28, XX39
And so, we have finished the final main chapter. The next chapter will be the epilogue, the conclusion to Part two of this story. Again, thanks so much to all of you that have stuck with me through this. I will give my final thoughts for this part with the epilogue. But, one fun piece of trivia for you: The Grimmolords' traits and abilities are references to Pokémon. Watts' tail was a Jolteon tail, Hazel's a Flareon tail (with moves lifted from Pokemon), and Salem had Gardevoir's chest crystal, which became a Mega Gardevoir's crystal when she used the mask. Her ability to manipulate gravity is also a reference to Gardevoir using black holes.