RWBY: The New King of Darkness
Salem betrayed the Old King long ago for power. But before he was banished from her side, he swore vengeance that someone will take his place and cast her from the world of the living. But to do so, he would need a successor, someone willing to embrace the Darkness and forever forsake the Light. But who would be so willing to embrace the Darkness and for what reason would he do so?
Chapter III: A New King of Darkness
A small drop of water fell from the ceiling and splashed into a small puddle as the sound echoed amongst the silence and vastness of the dark cave. The darkness seemingly eternal as the water continued to drip into the dark and silence.
From that silence comes a breath of life as a figure lay huddled in the furthers corner of the cavern.
The figure was pale as ash and his hair as black as night, as he held himself tight, almost as if he was attempting to hide from the world. Tired eyelids slowly opened to reveal blood-red iris stared into the darkness as the figure slowly looked around him at the cavern.
"Wha-? Where am I?" The figure asked himself as he slowly stood up on his own two legs, his strength wavered slightly as he was forced to grab onto a stalagmite that spired up from the floor.
"Ah! Gods Damn it! I feel like I got hit by a bus! What the hell happened to me?" The figure let out a haggled breath as he slowly walked to a large body of water that had formed in the cavern. He staggered and tripped on his own two feet. His hands splashing into the water as he gasped and grunted in pain.
"Argh! Damn it! What the hell happened to-!"
He stopped as he stared at the pale skin of a somewhat familiar hand then into the slowly forming reflection in the surface of the water. He was met with the pale visage, black hair and blood-red eyes of a person he had never seen before. But it was also familiar to him as he slowly reached up and touched the surface of his cheek.
His reflection mirroring him exactly as he moved his head from side to side.
"I-Is that…is that me?" he looked at the reflection in the water as he stared into the reflecting blood-red eyes. "W-What the hell happened to me!? Why am I-!" suddenly his mind was racing with images and voices as everything came flooding back to him as everything came back to him...
His name was Jaune Arc – son of Roland and Diana Arc, eighth born to the Arc Family and student of Beacon Academy.
He faked his way in and made the leader of his own team. Had several friends, one of whom was his partner and someone who harboured feelings for him.
They were taken down into a vault. They faced this strange woman with unnatural abilities and was forced away by the one he considers his closest friend.
Then images of a pale man like himself appeared. The taste of vile and the pain that followed after, an overwhelming sense of power and bloodlust. Followed by the taste of blood on his lips and the echoing screams of a woman he despised with all his being.
Then came light…then Sadness…then Regret.
Jaune stared at his pale reflection as he looked into the blood-red eyes that were now his own. "Oh…that's right…I became this…thing," he looked at his hand as he tensed the muscles and bones in his hand. A strange sensation slithered beneath his skin as small wisps of black and red aura seeped between his fingers.
"Question is …what am I exactly?"
"…Something more, than you used to be…"
At the sound of the voice, he quickly spun around as he instinctively flexed his hands into claws – his fingernails elongating and sharping – as he faced the one that managed to sneak upon him. What he saw however stunned him, as sitting on a large piece of stone was the man who had given him his powers. The man who gave him the offer to save his partner's life and damn him to become a creature of Darkness.
The Former King of Darkness
"You! What are you doing here!? You should be dead!" he asked the former king as the man smirked and held up his hand.
"I am dead, child. But I am also not the man you spoke with, merely a remnant of what he once was...and a reminder of the deal you made," he hopped off the rock and walked towards him. His body phasing through the stalagmites as if he was made of mist.
"Do you remember what the price for my power would be?" Jaune nodded remembering the words that King had told him.
"I made a deal with you, said I would hunt down your former Queen and enact your Vengeance upon her, right?" the spectre nodded as he gestured to himself.
"Well, then consider me a manifestation of that deal. A reminder of the promise you made to me, and the inescapable truth of what you have become," he told the boy as Jaune relaxed as his fingernails retracted.
"…And what have I become?" he asked as the spectre gestured a hand to the boy.
"You have taken my place as a creature of Darkness. A being of extraordinary power that Kings and Generals will quake in fear at your wake. You, who will hunt down the Blood Witch Salem and all her acolytes and bring a swift and brutal vengeance upon them. And then…you will take my place as the ruler of Darkness." He answered with a smirk as he bowed to him.
"You…have become the New King of Darkness – the rightful ruler of all Grimm – and the sword of my undying vengeance"
"I'm…The New King of Darkness…the King of the Grimm?" he looked down at his fingernails slowly retracted as he gripped his fist. A strange and hollow look in his eyes as he stared at the being he was now. "This…this is the power you promised me. The thing that helped me beat that woman…does that mean Pyrrha is safe?" the spectre nodded, and he sighed in relief.
"Yes, you managed to beat that stealer of the Fall Maiden's power and cast her soul in the depths of the Void. There her soul will rot in a sea of Anguish and Despair…for all eternity."
Jaune somehow felt satisfaction in that as images of the woman's hauntingly calm visage played in his mind. Followed soon after by an image of her death as her fear and tear covered face was burned into his mind. He looked down at his fingertips as he glared at them. But images of his friend's terrified faces suddenly appeared before him as the last thing he remembered was the looks of fear each and every one of them had.
"However, in the final moments of the battle, you lost control and nearly killed all of your friends. Fortunately for you, the only ones that did suffer were those Atlas Soldiers – which I would like to point out they shot at you first," he said as Jaune stared down at his hand.
For a brief moment, it was covered in blood and he remembered everything...
Terrified faces flooded his vision as images of the Atlas soldiers that shot at him appeared before his look of utter terror forever burned into his mind as he remembered feeling a strange sensation clouding his mind during the whole event.
Like he wasn't even himself.
He grasped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hold back the vile that boiled in his stomach. But to little effect, as he upheaved what little he had left in his stomach. The former king silently watching as his successor realise the full weight of his unintended actions and the lives that he had taken in his bloodlust.
After a short time is stopped as Jaune managed to calm himself and stare at his hand. The same hand that killed men who were only following their instincts.
"I-I killed those men…Oh, Gods…I-I didn't mean to…But I still feel like me, yet I don't feel like me at the same time…was this supposed to happen?" the being shook his head as his form dispersed into mist and he reappeared behind Jaune.
"No…something happened that made you lose control, to which I have a theory that it had something to do with my physiology merging with yours. Something it seems I didn't account for when searching for a Successor?" the King pondered as Jaune looked confused.
"Let me explain, we Grimm are drawn to negative energy, such as anger, despair and fear. We feed off your kind because it was what we were created to do. In most cases, we older Grimm can temper our lust for this negative energy and wait for perfect opportunities to attack your kind. But Younger Grimm, tend to just attack any human or Faunus on sight. And when I gave you my powers, you were considered a newborn Grimm."
"So, when I gave you my powers the large amounts of negative energy that day became too much for your 'primitive mind' to comprehend and the Darkness of my power started to consume your mind and turned you into a mindless beast. Which sent you into a bloodlust that drove you to attack those soldiers, against your own will." Jaune instantly shook his head at this.
"But, I was fully conscious during the fight with that woman! I remember everything!" the former king shook his head as he waved a hand at the boy.
"No, what you experienced was my knowledge and my instincts taking over your body. You were merely a passenger while my power took the steering wheel. Why do you think you had no control when you attacked your fellow huntsman and butchered those Atlas soldiers? …Or did you honestly do that of your own intention?"
Jaune could find no words as he remembered the slow sensation of his senses slipping away in that fight. Like a fog was draped over his mind as he felt like a passenger in the back of a car, rather than the driver itself. But something else nagged at him, something he needed to ask and it made him ask the question.
Was it an accident that the powers nearly consumed him...or was it on purpose?
He turned as he glared at the apparition. "Were you planning on taking over my body?" The former Grimm King instantly glared at the boy.
"No! I had long ago accepted the price I would have to pay to get my revenge. Dying was the only choice. And unlike you humans, I do not need to deceive in order to win and I do not fear death. I am Grimm, I am pure in my resolve to extinguish all life on this planet – such as what my father created me for." he spread his arms out as the shadows almost obeyed his will.
"My kind is the purest thing on entire this planet because we know we do not need to trick our enemies. While yours will always resort to cowardice tricks to win...it makes me wonder why my father helped to create your kind?" he placed a hand on his chin as he pondered on the thought.
"In any case, the bloodlust was tempered thanks to the silver-eyed girl as she managed to interrupt the process and freed your mind from being fully consumed by the Darkness," he explained as Jaune looked at the man.
"Ruby? Silver Eyes? What are you talking about?" he asked the man as he nodded
"Turns out your friend was part of an ancient clan of Warriors called 'The Silver Eyes', the natural enemy of the Grimm. I fought them once centuries ago, so I know she is one of them. It seems that somehow her powers awoke at that moment and altered something inside you. Making you different from what I was intending you to be, you are still to be the King of Darkness and the true ruler of the Grimm." he looked over as Jaune stared at him. But now because of her, you have become…something else, not even I know what you'll be capable of?" Jaune looked down at his hands as his fingers became claws before reverting back to their original form.
"So…what happens now?" he asked as the man looked at him.
"Now we find Salem and end her reign, once and for all." He hopped off the rock and started to move towards the exit.
"Wait!" he stopped as he turned to the new King as he glared at him.
"I know I said I'd fulfil my promise – because you helped me save Pyrrha. But I need to know what's so important about killing this Queen of yours – this Salem? Would it be so bad if she wasn't killed? Cause I'm not going to kill someone if it's for petty revenge. I don't kill unless there is a good reason, like my…friends…being in danger," he sat down on a rock and crossed his arms.
"So why does she have to die – other than for revenge?" the former King sighed as he should have expected this.
"You're right. I haven't really explained why she needs to die other than for my own personal reason. And like I said I have no control over you to make you find her. Your friends are safe, your partner is alive, and the invasion was definitely stopped and with the Silver Eyed girl affecting the bonding process, I can't force you to kill her." He turned back as he glared into the boy's eyes.
"But there is a reason why she has to die that is both out of Revenge for taking my place…and Necessity to return balance back into the world." Jaune raised an eyebrow as the Grimm King looked off into the distance.
"My father is known as the God of Darkness, he despised everything my uncle created and thus forged the Grimm from his own soul to destroy it. For a time, it was a never-ending cycle of Destruction and Creation – the likes of which your kind would have never seen before. But then Uncle had enough and bargained with my Father to create something they could be both proud of…you, Mankind…" he looked off as he remembered the day his father and uncle set aside their difference to create the human race.
"Not only did they deem you their 'Ultimate Creation' they even gifted you with Gifts not meant for mortal hands. Relics that are beyond your capacity to grasp or control…and I will admit, in a moment of jealousy I waged a war against your kind and fought them for control of the planet. Thinking that by doing this I would be praised by my father and be given control over the planet that he helped create…" he lowered his head as silence echoed in the cavern.
"But in the entire time I fought, I never once heard his voice again…I never knew if my actions were what he wanted…or if I was going against his will by attacking humanity? I was confused and alone…" he shook his head as Jaune looked at the 'man' with almost a small amount of pity.
"After I was defeated, and Salem betrayed me, I realised that my kind was never meant to hold the relics and that our true purpose would forever elude us until the end of days…" he glared as his eyes flashed red.
"But, Salem and her lust for control and power are throwing this world into chaos. And while I may be a being of Darkness, there some lines that must never be crossed. Such as using the Gifts the Gods left behind." he turned back and walked over to him.
"So let me show you what will happen if you don't stop her…" he then pressed a finger to Jaune's forehead as his eyes rolled back into his head.
What Jaune saw next was close to being considered a nightmare – if it wasn't for the fact that it felt all too real.
Screaming citizens were running from the Grimm as they feasted and devoured the fleeing humans. Families and homes were burning to the ground as figures in white masks with a blood-red symbol of a beast were brandished on their backs marched across the streets.
Bandits raided and plundered anything in their path as corpses piled high into the sky with the Four Kingdoms burning to the ground.
The bodies of his friends lay upon the floor, as one by one fell to strange men and a woman that served under a tall figure who's feature Jaune could only describe as beautiful and terrifying.
The woman held Pyrrha by her neck as her pained and tired face stared back with dull eyes before the woman squeezed and snapped her neck.
The woman smirking as she held four lights in her hand as a bright light encumbered all and reduced everything into nothing.
Jaune gasped as he fell to his knees. A cold sweat present on his brow as he tried to catch the breath he didn't know he was holding in. His now cold heart beating faster in his chest as he stares wide-eyed at the floor, trying to process what he had just seen.
"W-what the heck was that!?" he demanded as the Grimm King looked down upon him.
"That is the future if Salem is not stopped…."
Jaune looked down at his hands as he tried to shake away the memory of that horrifying image. But no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't go away. It was burned into his brain, just like the memory of losing control. When he butchered those men and drank that woman's blood – who he could still taste in his lips.
"But-but that's impossible! How can she do that!? I killed that woman! I saved Beacon!" the Grimm King shook his head.
"No, all you have done is delayed the inevitable. With the Kingdom's defences weakened and the Huntsman dead, all she would need to do is send another army and wipe them out. Then she would retrieve the Relic and usher in an age of Darkness the likes of which you've never seen. They wouldn't stand a chance. But because you killed the Dragon, the Grimm will stay away from the city...for a while at least." Jaune shook his head as he tried to gather his thoughts.
"But…but those Lights, what were those lights?" the four orbs of light seemed almost familiar to him – or rather familiar to some part of him
"Those are what she seeks. Ancient and powerful Relics gifted to your kind by the Gods that have the ability to reshape the world to her whim if she got her hands on all them. But they can only be attained from ancient Vaults by the Maidens of the Seasons – for which you have denied her the first Relic and the Fall Maiden. But she will not stop until all the relics are in her possession and she will kill anyone who stands in her way…even your friends," Jaune looked at the floor as he processed everything the man told.
"Then…I didn't stop anything, did I? …They're still in danger…" he asked as the King nodded.
"Yes, but what you have given them is a chance. A chance to regain their strength and prepare themselves for her arrival. But with how I know she'll act, they will not see it coming. Unless you find her and kill her before she gets the chance." Jaune looked down as he thought about everything.
At first, he had no idea what he would be getting into when he accepted this power from the Former King of Darkness – and honestly, he didn't give a damn about the consequences. All he cared about was saving Pyrrha and stopping that woman from killing her, that's all that mattered to him. But now it seemed that she – and the rest of his friends – were still in danger despite gaining this power.
This woman, this Salem – the Queen of the Grimm – was the true enemy and he had only stopped one of her agents.
Which meant that there were others, like Cinder, working to destroy everything he had ever held dear to him. Even though they feared him – he still cared for them. And if they died - because he didn't face her - then he would have sacrificed his humanity for nothing. And if what he had seen at Beacon was what she planned to do the rest of the world, it meant that if he didn't stop them many others would suffer, including his friends...
And that was something he would never allow.
He sighed as he looked back. "Alright…where do we have to go? Where can I find her?" the King shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know?"
Silence returned to the cave as Jaune snapped his head to the spirit.
"What?! What do you mean you don't know?! You were the King of Darkness! She was your Queen! how could you forget where she is!?" the man glared as he raised his fingers.
"First: It's been over a thousand years since I last saw her and many things could have changed over that amount of time, and no doubt she would have one day expected me to return. For all, I know she may have moved the castle somewhere else…or at least I think the castle can move? Or am I thinking of something else…not sure?" Jaune blinked as the man tried to remember something.
"Second: because of your friend's silver eyes you've lost most of my power as well as the memories I once possessed of that place. All you're left with is the basics of rapid healing, enhanced strength and shapeshifting – which at the moment is arguably non-functional at best. So even if you went to face off against Salem, you wouldn't have a chance against her and the army of Grimm she will no doubt place on her doorstep."
"Wait, so you mean all that power I had…is gone?"
"Not completely, it will return in time after every trace of the Silver Eye Energy is purged from your body. Which will take some time, seeing as there are lingering traces from taking a full blast at close range. But Salem will no doubt send many assassins after you in the hopes of killing you and drain you of my power. And if what your memories show of that Fall Maiden are true, then she may have actually found a way to do so…not a good sign"
"So, what do we do? Just wait till they recharge and then go after her? We don't even know where she is?" the Grimm king shook his head as he grinned.
"No, but I know of a way to gain more power and track her down…" he raised his ghostly hand as red mist poured out of his palm and levitated in the air.
"While it is true you are not at full strength, I do know of ways to increase your power enough to help us survive until it recovers. Secrets that I managed to maintain and hide from Salem, places of dark magic lost to the world and inaccessible to everyone…baring me," the mist soon took the shape of a map of Remnant as four lights shone in different sections of the world. In the same locations as the four Academies.
"You don't know this but before mankind relied on the Dust that grew beneath their feet, your people once had the ability to wield magic without it. It was part of the gifts the Gods gave to you, it was how people like Salem and Ozpin were able to gift others with powers…" Jaune snapped his head at this as he heard Ozpin's name.
"Wait a minute! Ozpin – my headmaster – could use magic!?" The Grimm King hummed.
"Not him specifically, more the entity that is part of Ozpin. It is a long and complicated story – one he will no doubt have to explain himself as I have little care for him," he waved his hand dismissively as he turned back to the map.
"But we are getting off hand. Long ago, your kind could use magic, but over the centuries you slowly lost that ability with the only traces of Magic left in the world are the Maidens, Salem and your former headmaster…though his power has dwindled over time. But during the 'Age of Magic' – before Ozpin and Salem - there were those who studied the Magic's' of Light…" the four lights shone on the map.
"And those who studied the Powers of Darkness…" four other lights appeared, glowing with a dark and malice lights. One in the large dragon-shaped island between Sanus, one in the middle of Sanus. Another on Solitas and one at Anima.
"These temples were raised and dedicated to the Dark teachings and housed powers long since lost to man, not even Salem knows of their existence…luckily, however, I still do." Jaune raised an eyebrow as the man looked upon Remnant.
"I had watched the building of these temples and saw the followers of these cults harness the ancient power of Darkness, only to destroy themselves in the process and then hidden away by the Followers of the Light. Lost forever amongst the sands of time and forgotten by all…well, all but me. These temples will have the necessary power to give us an edge over Salem and hasten the recovery of our power…"
"The Temple of Raging Fire…" The temple in Anima glowed, as a burning pair of Gauntlets formed over the map.
"The Sect of the Frozen Void…" a sword covered in ice glowed as it hovered far from the ruins of Mantle.
"The Shrine of Crumbling Fear…" In between the Continent of Sanus, a Shrine glowed amongst burining sands.
"…and the Palace of Consuming Corruption…" a large golden palace turned pitch black as thorns of black and red grew over the palace and swallowed it whole in a cocoon of thorns and death.
"These were the dark counterparts of the worlds which oppose the Light. They are ancient and terrible powers, the likes of which no man can ever hope to possess or control…luckily you are now no ordinary man, and thus should be able to wield their power." he looked back to the boy.
"They should give you the edge you need to take Salem down and reclaim my throne as the True Ruler of Darkness…" Jaune looked at the four relics as each of them looked terrifying but also desiring at the same time. However, a thought occurred to him.
"If you knew of these places, why didn't you go after them yourself? Get those powers and reclaim the throne?" the Grimm King smirked as he waved the map away.
"I once attempted it after I was banished long ago, but after I lost all of my powers I could not enter those places. They were sealed by the light so that no man, woman nor Grimm can enter and retrieve their power. Yet you are special, as the only dark being on this planet with a soul. This makes you unique and will allow you to enter the temples and claim their powers…" Jaune pondered this before nodding.
"Okay, so that's how we get the power back. But how are we going to track Salem? If parts of your memories were damaged because of Ruby, how are we going to track her?" the King grinned as the mist returned.
"While most of my memories and those you have consumed became damaged, there is still a few thoughts lingering from that Cinder woman. And one of them was this man…" the mist formed into a man a middle-aged man with a mane of tan/grey hair and a beard. With a tanned complexion, brown eyebrows and dark brown eyes.
"According to her memory, his name is Leonardo Lionheart, and apparently she was to meet him in Mistral at Haven Academy,"
"Haven? That's the Academy Cinder was supposed to hail from…that must be how she got into the Vytal Festival. But what does he have to do with it?" the Grimm King pondered as he looked at the man.
"I don't know, I never really much cared for the politics of mankind, or what Salem was up to. All I cared about was finding a successor for my power and breaking this curse. But it seems that Salem had been busy in the past thousand years, planning and manipulating for the Beacon Invasion. She is a crafty one after all…" he glared as he thought about the woman who came to him years ago for power, only to betray him in the end.
"But we've wasted enough time and we should be headed to the first site, the Temple of Raging Fire. We need that power if you want to have any hope of killing Salem and saving your friends," Jaune nodded as he stood up.
"Oh, there is one more thing before we depart, something I feel like I should tell you," Jaune raised an eyebrow as he stared at the King.
"When you were hit with the power of the Silver Eyes Energy it reacted differently in your body because you are not a full Grimm because you still possessed a soul. So, your body's natural instincts forced itself to hide and recuperate until it flushed out all the Silver Energy in your body, which…kind of…forced you into a coma for Five Months," he said the last part out really fast as Jaune just stared at the man, until finally-
"What!? Five Months!? I've been asleep for Five Months!?"
"Well, Four Months and Twenty-Nine days if you want to be more accurate."
That didn't help as Jaune glared at him. "Don't blame me, blame your friend who blasted you with Silver Eyed energy back at Beacon! And blame yourself because you lost control in a Blood-Rage and took said blast to the face! Not my fault!" Jaune just glared before he sighed.
"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked
"Well, …you're not on Sanus anymore…"
"What?"
"It would appear that you're on Anima. Coincidently one of the first stops we have to make is in Mistrals Direction...Though it is strange that your consciousness brought us all the way out here. I would have assumed it would have taken you back to your ancestral birthplace, as all Grimm eventually return back to their source…why here though?" he asked as Jaune looked around the cavern.
"This…I know this place," The Grimm King looked at him as he raised an eyebrow.
"This is one of the Caverns my family used to explore on our holidays, right near Shion Village," Jaune ran his hand across the stone surface as his eyesight adjusted to the light.
He smiled when he found small child-like scratching's of a knight battling an evil dragon. "I used to play in these caves with my sisters when I was a kid, dreaming of being a great Hero like my ancestors…" a thought occurred to him as he placed a hand to his head.
"Oh Gods…my family…" he sat down on a stone as he looked at his pale skin and sharp claws. "How the hell am I going to explain this? What the hell will they say about me?"
"I wouldn't worry about it," he turned as the Former King glared at him. "Because if we don't succeed and stop Salem from gaining the Relics…then your family will meet the same fate that awaits your friends…" Jaune looked at the carvings on the wall as he nodded.
"You're right…we need to get moving…" however, before he could make it to the entrance, The Grimm King stopped him.
"But first things first, you need new clothes. It would be unwise to go gallivanting around in nothing but your undies. And unfortunately, the shapeshifting ability is still a little wonky at the moment, so you can't just make clothes," Jaune raised an eyebrow at this and looked down to see himself only in his remaining jeans.
"Fair point…well if this is the cave I know, then Shion village must not be too far away. I can probably get some clothes there, and maybe find out what happened in the past five months? Looks like my wallet managed to survive, so there's some good fortune," the former king nodded as he faded away as Jaune made his way to the entrance.
When he exited the cave, the first thing he noticed was the moonlight sky, as the fragmented remains of Remnants moon hung over the night sky. The moons casting the emerald green forest in a gentle blue aura as the many sounds of the night echoed through his enhanced hearing. Jaune looked around as memories of his childhood came back to him, as he watched images of his family trekking up the hills and set up camp just over the ridge. He smiled softly as he allowed his sense to be overwhelmed with nostalgia…
Before the familiar scent of smoke and blood found its way
He instantly snapped his head to the west as his eyes focused on a large plume of smoke that began to drift into the sky, above a blaze of orange that burned far from the New King. Yet the direction it was coming from, was from a place Jaune had visited all too often with his family…
Shion Village
"That doesn't look good?" the former King stated as he manifested beside Jaune, who ignored him and focused his vision further as he peered across the emerald forest and gazed into the orange blaze. His eyes widened as groups of armed men and woman were seen attacking the village. Huntsman was attempting to hold the line, but they were just being overwhelmed by the attacking group.
"Bandits…" this time Jaune turned to him as the Former King looked at the attack.
"This kind of thing usually happens this far out of Kingdom protected territories. Humans who prey on the weak and steal from them because they refused to earn it themselves or follow the rules of your Society rules. Hmm, it always confused me why your kind always fought amongst yourselves instead of uniting as one? …but then again, that is how Father created you all," Jaune pondered his words before he looked back to the village in flames.
"This is horrible! They're killing them!"
"No, they're just weakening their defences, then they're going to leave the rest of it to the Grimm. A typical tactic of Bandits, I've seen it happen multiple times over the past 500 years…" he then shook his head as he turned.
"We should get going, this village is done for," Jaune snapped back to the King as he glared.
"What!? You can't be serious, they need our help!" the King only shook his head.
"We don't have time to waste on rescuing villages, there is a tyrant out there plotting to destroy the world unless we find the Temples of Darkness and stop her from gaining the Relics hidden under the Academies. If we stop to save every burning village we come across we'll never get to Haven… Besides, once they find out what you are they will turn their blades upon you – even if you rescue them from this attack…it would be meaningless in the end," He narrowed his eyes as he watched the boy stare at the village.
"The Village will fall, there is nothing you can do…"
Jaune, however, didn't seem to care as he stared at the burning village, the village holds many fond memories for the boy as he watched them all slowly being consumed by flames of selfish ambition and hatred. He gripped his fist as he could no longer stand to see it in such a state.
"Boy…"
"I don't care…" he interrupted as the boy stared into the flames as his red eyes reflected the orange blaze.
"I don't care if it is meaningless, I don't care if they do turn against me because of what I am, or if the village will fall in the end …" he raised an eyebrow as he looked upon the young King. "I'm not going to walk away as innocent people are slaughtered like animals!" he held out his hand as the black pistol appeared in a wisp of black smoke.
"And you said before that I can do whatever I want with your power, right? So why the hell can't I help them?" he looked back as he glared at the King. "Besides, I may be the New King of Darkness, but I'll choose how I use your power…" The Former King stared at his successor as he gazed into determined red eyes, that for a moment, burned brightly against the darkness…
It almost made him feel…proud of him.
"…Answer me this, are you willing to kill them, if you have the chance?" Jaune paused as he looked at the gun that manifested in his hands as the black steel reflected his new visage.
"…If I can avoid it, maybe. But right now, I need to get there and stop the attack…whatever the cost" the King smirked before he faded away.
"Very well, Young King…show them what you've got. But be warned, the longer you fight…the more the bloodlust will take over"
Jaune then turned as the muscles in his legs tensed and he blasted towards the village. His speed, unlike anything he had felt before as the forest almost became a blur to him, with the shockwave almost powerful enough to rip the even the most rooted tree from its rest. But Jaune had little care as the village drew closer to him and the scent of blood and ash grew more pungent.
Finally, the outline of the first came to him as he bolted from the woods and charged at the burning village, ready to fight for the town that had been a place of fondness to him…
Even if he had to stain the grounds with blood.
Shion Village – A Few Moments Earlier
Gunshots echoed amongst the screams and pleas of terror as Shay D. Mann fired his revolver at the villager's defences while his Branwen Brethren fought by his side. Raven had ordered him and his men to attack the village, weaken it enough to obliterate their defences and then leave before the Grimm appeared.
They should have left before nightfall, but the Village somehow managed to hire on some Huntsman to help them defend the village.
A pointless gesture as they were fully aware of Huntsman tactics and could not help them change the outcome of this village. "Keep it up, Men! Raven wants this village and we only have to weaken them a little longer, then we just leave them to the Grimm!" he yelled to his men. "Then we take the spoils" he grinned as he fired again.
Suddenly something burst from the treelines as blur shot over the flames and landed straight in the middle of the courtyard. The fighting instantly stopped as everyone – both villager and bandit alike – turned to the large plume of dust that landed in the centre.
"What the hell?" the dust slowly settled to reveal a pale teenage boy with long black hair.
When his eyes opened he thought for a moment that he was Ravens' son. But Raven had no sons, only a daughter, and he could tell there was something different from this boy, something…cold?
"I'm giving you only one chance!" the boy suddenly spoke as he glared at the bandit. "Leave this village and the people alone, and I will spare your lives! If you don't, you'll leave me no choice but to fight! No one has to die!" he commanded as he stood before the assembled bandit.
For a moment silence drifted amongst the burning village of Shion as everyone stared at the brass demand of the teenage shirtless boy. Only then to laugh as every bandit laughed at the absurd demanding of one lone boy. The mere thought that this one child could turn the tide of this villages fate was unheard of, that they could not help but laugh.
Surely an entertaining joke that would make even Raven herself chuckle…If only they knew beforehand what stood before them…then maybe what happened next could have been avoided.
"Listen, kid," Shay said as he walked confidently over to the boy. "As entertaining as it is to see this we have an order to complete. Our leader wants this village destroyed, so we going to destroy it…" he chuckled even as the boy glared at him. "So why don't you run along and get somewhere safe, and we'll let you live, how does that sound?" he asked confidently as the boy shook his head and gripped his gun.
"Not going to happen" he answered back as Shad only sighed.
"Very well…kill the kid," he ordered the bandits as they all aimed their guns at him and fired.
Jaune's new instincts instantly kicked in, as he unnaturally evaded the bullets and moved at a speed that stunned the bandits. Yet before they could even respond, he ran towards Shay and punched him square in the face. Even though he tried to hold back, the punch was so strong it bypassed his aura and sent him flying back into a wall as all the bandits – and even the villagers – stared in shock at the brutal strength of the lightly armed boy.
Shay groaned as he fell face-first to the floor, a tooth falling out from his mouth as blood seeped from his lips. The other bandits managed to shake off their shock as they all turned to the boy and aimed their weapons.
"Oh, you are so dead!" one of them yelled as he fired multiple rounds at the boy.
But Jaune's new speed easily allowed him to evade the bullets as the incoming projectiles seemed almost slow to him he ducked and weaved his way past the bullets. He aimed his own gun and fired, the high calibre Dust Rounds, the Grimm King had stored in the gun, instantly exploded against his chest as the bandit was sent sailing back and into a wall.
Several others tried to rush at him with their swords or axes, but Jaune merely used the large black pistol to deflect and redirect their attacks.
He then punched and backhanded any that got to close to him, as his enhanced strength easily overwhelmed them and sent them flying away. One of the larger ones of the group tried to split him in half with an Axe coated in flames, but Jaune merely blocked the axe with his gun as sparks shot off the two steel weapons.
"You little shit! I'll cut you in half!" the larger man growled as he pushed against the boy who seemed not to care.
The muscles in his arms bulged as he slowly began to push the larger man back – who looked more stunned the more he tried to force himself. Jaune then brought up his foot and kicked the man square in the chest and sent him spiralling away and into two of his comrades.
One of the female members came swinging at him with her sword as she was determined to slice his head from his body. But the boy merely sidestepped her attack and fired another round that knocked a huge portion out of her aura reserves. Only then to be backhanded by Jaune and slammed into a tree, out cold.
He then turned his attention to the last remaining members of the Bandits as Shay managed to get back up and looked at all his comrades that were incapacitated and glared at the boy.
"What the hell is this guy?" he asked as the boy merely pulled back the hammer on his gun and glared with red eyes to the man.
Meanwhile, the villagers and the remaining Huntsman managed to get themselves over to the main hall as they barricaded themselves inside. But even they were stunned at the fight that waged outside their hall as the mysterious black-haired teen arrived just in the nick of time. However, despite the ease in which he was dispatching the bandits they were still sceptical as well as good fortunes such as these usually didn't last long, and folk of the wilds usually took things with a grain of salt.
They wondered how long he could keep it up for and if he could actually beat them or not?
However, one was not focused on the battle as she desperately searched the ruins of her home as a small child, no older than eight years old, woke up to smoke and confusion as she desperately searched for her parents. Her soft cries slowly growing louder as she wandered through all the chaos and carnage.
"M-mama! Papa! Where are you!" she cried as she walked through the smoke and ash completely ignorant of the fighting that waged on around her.
So afraid that she could barely hear the cries of the townspeople to come to safety or the sounds of the bandits spotting her. The only thing she did fell was a dark embrace and the sound of screams as she opened her eyes to stare into red animal-like eyes.
Followed by an inhuman roar, a gunshot and the screams of agonising pain
Earlier, Jaune was finding it harder to concentrate as he felt the same bloodlust that had overwhelmed him in beacon beginning to rise. The constant fighting and the overwhelming negative energies that now surrounded the village made it even harder for him to control his powers. The voices of the bandits crawling to white noise as he started to become less focused and less accurate with his shots.
This did not go unnoticed as Shay grinned. "He's getting disoriented! Keep it up!" he yelled as Jaune cursed while bullets flew past him.
"This isn't looking good," the voice of the King resonated in his ear as the Grimm King watched his successor fight. "I can feel the bloodlust rising up in you, keep this up and it won't be long till you lose control again," he surmised as Jaune growled.
"Shut up! I can do this!" he growled even as he fired back at the bandits. Suddenly the gun stopped firing as he looked at the gun. "Shit! Out of ammo!" the bandits noticed this as they grinned.
"He's out! Lay it on him!" Shay yelled as Jaune cursed and got ready to summon his sword.
But then his ears picked up a sound, the sound of a cry as he turned to see a small child wandering aimlessly amongst the battlefield. She was a small girl with light blond hair wearing a torn up and dirt-covered dress as she held a small stuffed animal in her hand that dragged across the ground. Her eyes were closed as she continued to cry tears and call out for her parents.
The world seemed to slow as he noticed the bandits take note of her as the blond one with the mission tooth growl in annoyance and aimed his gun at her.
Something inside of him forced his body to move as sped towards the girl at breakneck speed. Dark red aura trailing behind him as he raced to the small frightened child and shrouded her with his body, just as the first bullet left the barrel. The bullet lodged itself into his back as blood sprayed in the air, Jaune grunted in pain as he felt the projectile twist and burrow its way inside.
Luckily it seemed his new 'Dark Aura' managed to prevent the bullet from passing right through him and protected the child. The bandits, however, had seen him bleed, and that was enough to keep on fighting.
"Kill him! Pump his body full of dust!" Shay yelled as every single bandit in the village fired upon the boy.
Bullets ripping and tearing into his back as Jaune continued to hold the young girl to his chest. The small child screaming in fear as the gunshots continued to echo in the night as the villagers could only watch in horror as they fired relentlessly at the boy. Shay laughing as he shot at the boy who dared to interrupt their raid and punched him in the face.
Raven wouldn't be happy about wasting so much ammunition, but the kid needed to die, that's all that mattered.
The last bullet casing hit the floor as every bandit in the village had just spent the last of their ammo. Smoke permeated the battlefield as many waited, expecting to see a bullet-riddled corpse and a dead child.
They found a bullet filled body, but it was anything but a corpse…
Jaune's back was torn and shredded as the multiple bullets had torn the skin from his back and exposed the bone and flesh. Blood pooling all around him as the rich crimson blood appeared to almost glow amongst the fires and moonlight. But despite all that he still held the child in his arms as he protected her from the onslaught. The little girl looking up in fear and worry as the black-haired teen was breathing heavily and painfully.
Shay grinned as he released all the empty casing from his revolver. "Heh, tough bastard. Stupid, but tough…" he placed a single bullet in the chamber as he walked towards the pair.
"Might as well put him out of his misery…" red eyes flashed as the 'injured' boy spun around and aimed his gun at Shay.
To this day Jaune still couldn't explain the exact nature of his new 'Dark Aura', but he had a general idea. In his moment of rage, pain and anger the 'Dark Aura' obeyed his will and surged its way around his gun, forged itself into a bullet and fired at the bandit.
Now seeing as his 'Dark Aura' or Anti-Aura was the opposite of regular aura it had different effects. For one; it didn't protect him as much as the regular aura does – because he had rapid healing abilities – and only seemed to protect the vital organ of his heart. Not sure why? but he didn't question it.
However, because Aura was the natural force of Light that repelled and protected against attacks, what do you suppose the opposite did? The answer…to consume and destroy.
That came all too painfully for Shay as his deafening scream echoed throughout the village as his entire arm exploded into chunks of flesh and he screamed in agonising pain.
He held his bloody stump of an arm as he fell to the floor screaming in pain. The bandits felt a surge of fear run down their throats as they looked at the man screaming in pain. The pain almost unbearable as he stared through tear-soaked eyes at the remains of his right arm. However, that was nothing compared to the fear he felt as Jaune slowly towered over him.
Red eyes glared out at the man bandits in the village as his bloody and broken body stood against all odds.
Then, almost as if it was alive, the blood on the ground began to move and surge towards him, glowing with an unnatural red light as it flooded back into his body. His back – which had been previously ripped to piece – started to sew back together as bone and flesh mended back into its original shape. He stood before the bandits – completely healed – as blood red and angry eyes glared into the terrified bandits that stood before him.
His Dark Aura flared around him as he became cloaked in a visage of dark red and black shadows. This sent fear down the spines of everyone present, barring the little girl as she looked at the back of the man who saved her. A second pistol manifested in his hands as he aimed both the black and silver guns at the bandits and fired.
What followed could only be described as a massacre, as the dark aura easily penetrated their barriers and tore them to pieces.
Men and women screaming in pain and agony as limbs and chunks of their own bodies violently exploded in a horrible display of blood and violence. The bandits tried to fight back but the boy seemed to move almost like shadows as he sped towards them, guns blazing as he decimated the bandits.
"Holy shit! What the hell is he!?"
"Who cares!? Just fucking kill him! - Gah!" the bandit managed to say, only to be ripped to shreds by the bullets. One of the larger members of their group tried to cut him in half with his axe, only for Jaune to grab hold of the axe with one hand and rip the weapon from him…
Along with his arms as well.
"ARGH!" the man screamed as another aimed a grenade-like launcher at the boy and fired a fire dust explosion, covering him in bright flames. But that did little to stop him as he stood in the centre of the blaze. The silver gun disappearing as Crocea Dark took its place and he glared at the one who shot him and sliced his head from his body.
Shay could only watch in horror as the black-haired teen decimate his men with little care and ease as his blood-red eyes seemed to glow amongst the fires of Shion Village.
"D-Demon…H-he's a demon!" Jaune's blood red eyes glared out as the flames seemed to almost obey his commands and parted like the seas in the old testament of Remnant.
He took the opportunity to flee as he held his bloody stump and ran into the forest, hoping to get away from the monster that was currently destroying his men. If he was a soldier many would have considered him a coward and a traitor to his brothers. But he was a bandit, abandoning your comrades was essential in survival.
He had to flee, there was no other option, even as he tried to shut out the bloody and painfilled screams of his comrades...
Finally, the blood bath ended as Jaune stood in the centre of what could only be described as a massacre, as bits and pieces of the bandits lay everywhere in twisted and misshapen heaps. Their faces twisted into looks of pain and fear as the last thing they felt in their life was pain and absolute fear. This was the power that Jaune had inherited…
This was the power of the King of Darkness.
Jaune felt the bloodlust slowly fade as stared down at the mutilated corpses of his fallen foes. His hands covered in blood as the aroma and intoxication of fresh blood seemed to soothe him greatly. Just thinking that made him sick. Was this what he wanted? Was this what he wanted to become when he accepted these powers?
Was this meant to be his life now?
"Hold it right there!"
He turned to see one of the few remaining huntsmans, with spiky, light-brown hair and hazel eyes. He wore a short-sleeved grey and black jacket with yellow trim, underneath a chest plate with large, dark grey, sturdy straps. He had grey gloves with metal backings and multiple layers that extended up past his elbows, and black pants with white sleeves and black boots. His weapon appeared to be a white and grey gun of some sort with a scope
He aimed his rifle at the boy as he and the other villagers looked at him with fear.
"I don't know who you are, or why you helped us. But I'm ordering you to stay back! You may not be with the Bandits but you're clearly not human! So, stay back!" he ordered as he aimed his rifle while Jaune narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Told you Jaune," the phantom of the King said as he appeared only to Jaune.
"Even if you saved them they will turn on you, it was a waste time…" Jaune was almost inclined to agree as he felt the fear that radiated from him and everyone else. The last time he felt it was in his bloodlust against the Atlas soldiers, and that ended all too grimly.
But before he or anyone could react, the little girl he saved ran up to him – despite the pleas of the villagers. She stood before the boy as she noticed the still healing bullet holes on his arm. She then gestured him to kneel as he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Sit, you're injured," she said as the boy blinked in confusion.
She gestured again as she grabbed his arm in an attempt to pull him down to her level, only to struggle as she puffed her cheeks against his strength. Jaune didn't really know what to do but relented as he kneeled down to the girl's level, to which she smiled at.
She then tore off a piece of her dress and messily wrapped it around his arm.
"There, that should help!" she said almost proudly as Jaune looked at the white fabric on his arm and at the smiling little girl. The villagers themselves looked almost as dumbstruck as him but dared not to move in case he attacked them like the bandits. Jaune, however, reached out as many flinched, thinking he was going to kill the girl.
But instead placed a gentle hand on her head and stroked the light blond hair that permeated her scalp. "That's very kind of you, what's your name?" he asked as the girl smiled.
"Integra…my name is Integra," she smiled back as the boy smiled softly at her own.
"Thank you, Integra" he smiled as the girl smiled back.
This small interaction seemed to calm the villagers down, as the Huntsman slowly lowered his rifle seeing as the boy seemed to not be a threat to them at the moment. Even if he had to fight the boy, he doubted he would last long against this stranger. If the remains of the Bandits were anything to go by.
"Um…sorry about that," the Huntsman said as Jaune shook his head.
"It's alright, I don't blame you for fearing me. To be truthful I'm afraid of myself as well…" the huntsman looked confused before Jaune shook his head. "In any case what's the situation here, where did those bandits come from?" the huntsman sighed as he gestured to the symbol on the bandits.
"Those were bandits from the Branwen Clan, a group of bandits that had been attacking small villages like these for months. I had orders from Haven to assist in defending this place from them. But the intel was way off, there should not have been this many bandits attacking us, I'm just glad you arrived in time, another second and we'd be goners" he said as Jaune narrowed his eyes hearing this.
"What about your team, where are they?" he asked, even as he felt a small amount of guilt at leaving his own.
"Most of them are dead, I sent one to scout out the area, but he hasn't come back yet so I'm assuming the worse. And I've got another one injured inside that needs medical attention. But with supplies, as they are now, I doubt he is going to last much longer, especially when the Grimm attack soon…" the King manifested beside Jaune as he looked to the forest.
"He's right, I can already feel the presence of my brethren coming this way. It won't be much longer till they get here," Jaune nodded as he turned back to the Huntsman.
"Are there any other villages close by, somewhere you can get these people to safety and hold out?" he asked as the man thought for a moment.
"Takefu Village, it's a small smiting village about two days travel from here. But with the Bandits that will no doubt seek revenge for this and the injured we have, I don't know if we'll be able to get there, even if we manage to hold out against the Grimm…" Jaune nodded as he turned to the forest.
"Alright, I'll deal with the Grimm and the Bandits afterwards, you all just stay inside the main hall and don't come out till daybreak. Whatever happens, do not come out, I will be fine..." the Huntsman wanted to argue against such a foolish endeavour. But the look in his eyes made him recoil at the red glare in his eyes. He nodded as he told everyone to retreat into the hall.
Integra looked up at him as he looked down and smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll be fine…go find your parents and I promise you I'll keep you all safe," she continued to stare as she looked at him with a determined gaze.
"You sure?" she asked as he nodded.
"Of course, I'm an Arc after all…" the Huntsman turned back to him when he heard the name as he faced the forest. "And an Arc never goes back on his word," the Huntsman stared before he grabbed Integra and pulled her back into the hallway as her blue eyes watched the man face the Darkness just as the doors closed shut.
Jaune looked out to the forest as an unsettling silence echoed throughout the village. Red eyes slowly emerged from the shadows as the beasts of Darkness slowly lumbered towards the village, the negative energy and scent of blood enticing them as they moved to consume the life that lay behind the doors of the main hall.
The Former King manifested beside Jaune as he looked to his many brethren.
"While I detest the idea of fighting my own kind, I see that nothing I say will persuade you from this foolish notion?" Jaune said nothing as he readied his sword and black gun. The king only sighed as he looked to his brethren.
"Very well, you are the New King after all and they are not my Grimm anymore, not until she is dead…but don't waste any more time…" he began to fade as the beasts revealed themselves in the light of the fires. "The longer we wait, the more Salem will realise our weakened state…" the beasts growled as Jaune's eyes flashed red.
"…And then nothing will stand in her way,"
A bloodthirsty roar echoed into the night as the Beasts of Grimm charged into the flames as Jaune realised his own roar and rushed to meet them. The sounds of gunshots and roars resonated in the broken moonlight as the world would once again be shaken by the presence of the New King of Darkness.
One Grimm however, sensed the energy that resonated from the boy and opted not to attack, its back riddled with enough arrows and spears to know the difference between the humans it faced, and the being that slaughtered his comrades.
It sensed the energy It had not felt in over a thousand years, the energy of the Fallen King, a powerful foe not to be trifled with.
Knowing that the large Grimm turned and left the battlefield, knowing that a confrontation with its old master would lead to nothing but his own death. Its arms dragging along the floor as it left in the dirt large hove shaped footprints as a reminder of its presence on this earth.
All the while its brothers screamed in agony as the New King of Darkness carved his way through the dark hoard, willing to protect the humanity he had left behind for the sake of his friends. For, after all, Jaune was no longer just a being of Darkness, he was…
Something more
Daybreak – Somewhere in the forest of Anima
A trail of blood dripped behind as Shay desperately scurried his way through the forest. His right arm missing as the pain still surged from the stump. But that meant nothing to him as he continued to run through the forest.
"I-I need to get back! Back to the Camp! Raven! Raven needs to know about this!"
He looked behind him as the shadows of the forest sent fear down his spine as he felt for a moment the boy was chasing him. He stumbled his way through the forest before he came upon a large wooden gate with two men guarding the entrance as the banner of the Branwen Clan flowed from overhead.
"Halt! Who goes there - Shay? Is that you? What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be attacking Shion Village – what happened to your arm!?" one of the guards asked as the man stumbled towards him.
"Never mind that! Gah! J-Just open the gate, now!" he yelled as the men nodded and signalled the watchers to open the gate. He stumbled his way into the camp as he desperately made his way to the large tent at the end of the trail.
From out of the ten stood a pale woman with long black hair wearing blood red and black clothing's, with five necklaces around her neck, what looked like feathers attached to her right hip and red armour on her arms with a black katana and sheath with multiple blades on her side. Under her arm was a white Grimm-like mask that was reminiscent of a bird.
Her name was Raven Branwen, twin sister of Qrow Branwen, mother of Yang Xiao Long and leader of the Branwen Clan.
She glared at the man as a young woman stood by her side, with tan-coloured skin, short brown hair and icy blue eyes. She had a tattoo of a bird rising from flowers on her left arm while also wearing a brown vest over a torn white shirt, with a collar that appears to spike up behind her neck and maroon-coloured pants with the right side rolled up to her thigh with dark brown knee guards that went down to her brown boots.
Raven glared as she looked at the bleeding man before her.
"Shay, what happened to you, and where are the rest of your men? Don't tell me those Huntsman actually managed to drive you off?" the woman asked as the man came kneeling before her as he bowed his head while holding his bloody stump that managed to heal over with his aura.
"Raven, you don't understand! We-we were attacked! S-Something came out of the forest and killed my men! It was like a demon! A monster! Like nothing I'd ever seen before!"
"A Grimm? I thought I told you to weaken their defences and then leave before the Grimm arrived?" the man shook his head at this.
"No, it wasn't a Grimm! And it wasn't a Huntsman! It was…It was something else!" Raven narrowed her eyes at this as she shared a glance to the young woman beside her.
"What did this creature look like?" she asked as Shay looked up with fear in his eyes.
"It-it looked like…a boy?" before she could ask any further questions loud gunshots echoed from the front of the camp as everyone turned to the front gates. "Oh, Gods…its him!" Shay muttered as Raven looked at him then back at the gates before putting on her mask.
Gunshots resonating as the guards at the front screamed in fear behind the wooden gates. Everyone tensed as the screams grew louder before they shifted their gaze and gasped in horror as the two guardsmen came falling from the sky, then before anyone could save them…
They were impaled on the large stakes that guarded the camp.
They screamed as flesh met wood as blood exploded from their bodies in large amounts as blood trailed down the wooden spikes as some in the camp screamed in terror, while those with weaker stomachs upheaved their breakfast. Raven herself could barely look at the scene as she watched her men be displayed in such a horrible fashion.
While the woman beside her – Vernal – upheaved onto the floor.
Everyone then turned their attention back to the gates as the world grew uncomfortably silent. Everyone's heart beating faster in their chest as many held a firm grip on their weapons as they waited for whoever it was that attacked their camp.
The gate literally exploded as the large wooden gate came tumbling through the camp, destroying many of the tents and killing a few others as it headed straight for Raven's tent, who did not move an inch as it barely missed her and destroyed her tent. She looked between the large gate that now rested at the end of the camp and back to the front as large black smoke permeated their vision.
Then from the dark smoke shone two red eyes as a figure walked towards them. Everyone tensed as the figure revealed himself to be a teenage boy with long black hair, pale skin that was soaked in the blood of their comrades and blood-red eyes that sent fear down many of their spines. In his hands were two handguns, one silver and the other obsidian black as he stood before the large group of bandits.
Red eyes glared at each other as the New King of Darkness stood before the Raven Queen of Bandits. Two forces of great power and terrifying resolve as many wondered what would happen. And most importantly…
What was going to happen to them?
And Scene. Yeah, I'm going to end the chapter here. Sorry everyone, if I keep going I'm going to hit the word limit and I need another chapter for this confrontation. So, I decided to change things up and have Jaune save Shion village this time, instead of stumbling across it.
Because it had been plaguing my mind for months of what would happen if Shion Village had managed to survive, and also sets up a way for the others o track Jaune down, the same with Jaune now facing Raven
Raven will live, but when I wrote this I was still kind of pissed at her for joining forces with Cinder's group – even if it was only temporarily. So, she will survive her encounter with the New King, but it will shake things up a bit and maybe get her to realise that siding with the enemy is not the best plan.
Also, as I said in the previous chapter, Jaune will need to earn his powers and many had argued that I made him OP in the last chapter. So, by having Ruby's Silver Eyes powers affecting him and bringing him down to a more acceptable level, hopefully, I have made it more believable. And relax he will get his powers back over time, but he will have to fight hard to make it to Haven and track down Salem.
Also, because I have no idea where she is, I made it that the Silver Eyes also affected the Grimm Kings memories and that of Cinder who he drained. And tell me what you think of the Temple ideas? I figured that at some point humans had to have the ability to use magic it must have been centuries ago. How else would it explain Ozpin and Salem?
Also, I'm not sure if Raven was actually apart of the attack on Shion, but if she originally was, I'll just say that she had to deal with something else and left Shay to lead the attack.
Hope that is alright, plus I felt it made Jaune's arrival into the camp more...intimidating if she was there.
So, tell me what you think and let me know with a review, I love getting feedback from my stories. So, tune in next time for…Chapter IV: Ravens, Councils and Friends