A/N: Attention, all! This is A World of Bloody Evolution's first OMAKE CHAPTER! This means that this chapter is not a direct continuation of the last chapter. It's also NOT WRITTEN BY ME! That's right! A talented man named Winged Knight (of Lovehammer Inc fame) penned this whole thing!
Enjoy it, it's 100% canon!
The Librarian's Notes
-Chapter ?: A Spark of the Divine-
Purity was a difficult concept to grasp. In this base, corrupted galaxy how could one understand true sanctity? How could one conceptualize a state of absolute divinity standing alone? By itself it had no meaning. It was merely a word used to give proper duality to the ever-common filth and decay. It allowed understanding of the reality that must be lived in.
It was much easier, instead, to say that certain things represented purity. Concepts could fly beyond the thoughts of those consigned to base mortality, but material things could be conceived and understood in some meager fashion. When holiness is contemplated, thoughts always drift toward the God-Emperor, the Golden Throne and to glorious Terra.
Though, in truth, the woman known as Weiss Schnee doubted Terra was so holy as the legends stated. The home world of mankind held no greenery left, everything was covered with artificial construction. The planet was a smog-choked metropolis, towering architecture built atop the crumbling remnants of ancient structures. Looming statues and murals adorned every wall, displaying events of both historical and religious significance.
These could distract and amaze, surely, but one merely had to scratch beneath the surface to see that beneath the luster to see just how broken things were underneath. Overcrowding led to billions living in poverty, and the sky had long since been covered by smoke that blocked out the sun. The upper echelons plotted and reveled amongst themselves, while gangs ran rampant within the sprawling underhive to war against each other and took what they wanted from the beleaguered populace.
The rest of the Imperium never saw this, or perhaps chose to ignore it. Millions of pilgrims came every year to pay homage and worship to this place of reverence, to look upon the gates of the Imperial Palace and know that their Lord rested inside. It brought them comfort that despite the evils at their borders it could be trusted that the Emperor protects, that here, upon these holy grounds, they might become closer to Him.
Frankly, Weiss didn't see much of a point to it all. It seemed such a waste of time and resources. Weren't there better things people could be doing? Couldn't all this effort go toward helping the Imperium against its many enemies? The enemies at the gates grew always more numerous. To her, it seemed a skewed set of priorities.
But then again, she was far too focused on other things to truly contemplate the matter.
Weiss held back a wince as she felt the sharpened points of the helmet penetrate into her skull. They did not dig too deeply into the bone, merely latching on to her cranium so as to complete the process she was to undergo. Numerous other spikes pierced her flesh, latching on to bone. Each was connected to wires that led back into the wall, following a miles-long trail through the complex. All of this for binding her soul the one hailed as Emperor, as God.
I'm still not sure how I feel about that, Weiss thought as the Mechanicus Adepts bound her hands, feet and torso to the table. She was unclothed, but did not raise a fuss. At her age she knew when concerns of modesty were appropriate and when they weren't. But then, I've never been much for religion in general.
Despite her reservations, she knew it was necessary. Aura worked differently here, touching upon strange powers she was still growing accustomed to. But even more, her psychic potential meant she had to take precautions, both for herself and those around her. An unguarded mind could be the doorway to… terrible things.
Weiss shuddered. She didn't want to think about that.
There was surprisingly little bleeding involved in the process. Most of the spikes entered so cleanly that there was little room for blood to escape. Though no matter how fine the instruments were, there was no avoiding the pain of multiple stabbings. Which, ultimately, this procedure amounted to.
"Is that really necessary?" Weiss asked as one of the Adepts came up with a gag.
"The process of binding one's spirit to the Avatar of the Omnissiah is not an easy one, child," the woman said in a synthetic voice, her mouth long since replaced with a voxcaster. "There will be pain. This is to ensure you do not bite off your tongue."
"I'm hardly a child," Weiss muttered. She thought back toward her life on Remnant, living to an old age. She'd lived through so much fighting, so much bloodshed. Even more, so much sacrifice. Ruby… "I have endured pain."
"Not like this," the Adept responded. She set the gag and tied it firmly. "Prepare, young one. We begin."
Almost as soon as the words were said, the binding process began. Fire coursed through Weiss' body. Her eyes shot wide as she convulsed, pushing against her restraints. They held fast, keeping her bound to the table. The bindings dug into her skin, drawing blood that fell into little channels and disappeared into the floor. Her back arched as far as it could go, bending with such force she feared she might break it.
The spikes, which had been painful before, were utter torment now. Where they touched it was like ice and electricity seared into her flesh. Worst of all were the ones in her skull. They sent pulses of agony into her mind, shattering her thoughts and breaking her spirit. Weiss tried desperately to hold fast against the torture, but it was little use.
Weiss was burning. Her entire body was afire and her soul was the fuel for the flames. She was dying. She knew it. She was dying and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She'd thought she could endure this? Had she been mad? She could hardly breathe through her screams, which echoed throughout the room for all that she was muzzled. She couldn't even see any more, the entire world replaced by blackness and torment that would never end.
They're killing me! Weiss screamed in her mind even as she wailed through the gag. It was one of the few thoughts she could hold on to. They're killing me! It's too much! Have to… Have to make it stop!
But she couldn't. She was lashed to the table. Weiss pushed against her bonds, drew upon manic strength to break free. But it was no use. She was well and truly trapped. As the inferno in her body grew ever hotter, Weiss bit down on the gag to try and end her suffering, drown in her own blood and flee from the torment.
The gag held, denying her the sweet release of death. Weiss would have wept had she the presence of mind to recognize her own mounting despair. Her mind was a roiling tempest, and thinking through it was almost impossible save for those things held at the deepest core of Weiss' being.
Even through the terrible pain, however, a new thought broke through. Thought of a young woman in black and red, with a gentle smile. A smile she'd found so aggravating at first, but had quickly fallen in love with. Just as she had fallen in love with the woman whom that smile belong to. A woman full of life and love and joy, so much that she filled the world with it.
Ruby... Weiss thought, holding on to the image of the one she loved even as storm and fury destroyed her. I'll see you soon, wherever you are.
And then, suddenly, the pain was gone. Weiss stumbled in shock and fell to the ground, panting deeply at the sudden shift. It was all she could do to keep from collapsing entirely just in the memory of the agony she had just escaped from. She dug her fingers into the rocky soil, latching on to anything she could if it would keep her away from being drawn back to that terrible suffering.
For several moments she did nothing but lay there, almost reveling in the absence of pain. The lack of agony was almost intoxicating. No sensation could ever be so sweet, so wonderful as to be free of that nightmare world that had hurt her so. Weiss shuddered in place, glorying in the sensation of freedom.
The fog in her mind lifted as she blinked tears from her eyes, and as clarity returned, Weiss realized what had occurred. She sat back and lifted up her hand, drawing the soil. She wasn't in the Soul Binding room…
She stood up and whirled around, looking upon a clear blue sky above a sea of green. Clean, fresh air assaulted her senses, not the ever-present pollution of Terra. The difference was so great it almost made her gasp, and when she fully took in the view she could not restrain even that.
Weiss was standing atop a rocky outcrop above a forest of towering trees, a beautiful sight so different from the crumbling metropolis of Terra.
A forest she remembered…
"The Emerald Forest?" Weiss muttered, her bewilderment growing. "But, that's impossible!"
"Yours is a beautiful world," a deep, tired voice said from the side. Weiss turned, and saw an old man sitting down to look at the forest below. "It reminds me of my home, many years ago."
Weiss studied the figure. He was a tall man, but stooped with age even as he relaxed. His long, dark hair was stained with gray, and his features were like rock weathered from storms and time. Even still, there was strength in his bearing, nobility to his countenance. Though he had obviously undergone many burdens in his life, he seemed to bear it with stoic aplomb.
That raised her opinion of the man, if only slightly. If there was one thing Weiss could appreciate, it was enduring hardship without undue complaint. Something she'd had difficulty with as a young woman, but had come to value now.
Even still, she kept all her attention on him in case he tried anything. She refused to let herself be distracted by her apparent return to a home she thought she'd never see again. The potential threat before her was more important than something that may or may not be real.
"Who are you?" she asked, years of experience allowing her to rein her emotions tight. She would not give anything away if she could help it. "How have I come here?"
"I could ask much the same of you," the man replied, glancing at her with dark eyes. "But in the spirit of fairness, I shall answer first before I pry into your affairs."
He stood, and Weiss saw that her initial observation had been correct. Though the man loomed over her, his back was bent from age and strain. Weiss got the impression he used to be a much more powerful figure, strong and unyielding. Obviously that strength had waned. But such was just the nature of long life. Something Weiss knew very well.
"I have had many names," the man said. "But you would not know them, and they are lost to time. So I will answer to the title I am best known in this degenerate era." He straightened a little, though this obviously caused him pain. "I am the Emperor of Mankind."
Weiss blinked, stepping back in surprise. "What?"
"Normally those who undergo the bonding process simply shut down from the pain and awaken later," the Emperor continued, ignoring Weiss' stupefaction. "But you are strange enough that I believed a closer examination to be a more productive use of our time."
The Emperor stepped forward, and behind him formed an image Weiss recognized. It was Headmaster Ozpin; smiling gently as if listening to some joke only he knew the punch line to. But for all that, he was frozen in time, lifeless for all the warmth that shone through his expression.
Another step was taken, and Glynda Goodwitch appeared as the Emperor passed by. She, likewise, was unmoving. The Emperor took several more steps, bringing yet more people from Weiss' past into existence. They all stood with the same expressions they held in life, as if ready to move at any moment. Nostalgia and homesickness wrenched at Weiss' heart as she saw them, so shocked she could not even speak.
And then, finally, the last three appeared. A tall girl appeared with golden hair, grinning broadly, ready to take on the world. Another with a stoic face framed by black locks, aloof and reserved. They were dear friends, and sorely missed.
And finally…
Weiss' heart stopped. Ruby was there, just like she remembered. That smile, exuberant and open. Those grey eyes, so full of innocence and joy. Everything and more she had fallen in love with, so long ago. A rambunctious charm that had overpowered her loneliness and showed her that life could be more than just holding up to an image. That affection for another could exist. That there could be happiness.
Weiss took a hesitant step toward Ruby, reaching out with one hand to touch her cheek. The girl's face was warm… It was as if she was truly alive, and not some illusion brought forth by this old man. Weiss wanted to kiss her, something she had never had the opportunity to do in life. Would it feel true? How would she know?
She made no motion to check.
"Why have you done this?" Weiss whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks.
"To understand," the Emperor responded. "You interest me greatly, Weiss Schnee. You have a destiny upon your shoulders, one that has held fast against grief and despair."
"You have no idea how much you've hurt me, showing me this doll with her face," Weiss whispered. She still did not take her hand from Ruby's cheek.
"I fear I know all too well," the Emperor said, his tone suddenly weary. "And I am sorry. I truly am. You are a powerful woman. Your very presence could pose a dangerous risk to my Imperium." He waved a hand at the world, taking in the multitude of figures that now shared the hilltop with them. "I am glad to see that is not the case."
"How could I be a threat to your rotting empire?" Weiss snapped, finally turning to confront the man. "It's doing a fine job of destroying itself." She stepped closer to the man, snarling. "Discrimination against its own people, rampant abuse from those in power against those who have none? Wars unending against horrific enemies, even while those generals clash with each other when they should be helping people? What of all the aliens you could make alliances with, or at least truces? Not to mention horrific mismanagement that costs billions of lives every day? And you have the gall to violate my memories to see if I'm a threat?"
"Yes," the Emperor said softly. "Because I must. For those who still live, I must."
"How dare you?" Weiss whispered, her voice rising. "What right do you have to judge me? You have uncountable worshipers praising your name every day, believing you will protect them! How many die in vain, while you sit here amongst this crumbling edifice?"
"Too many," the Emperor said, the admission cutting off Weiss' retort. The man looked at her with sad, weary eyes. "So many that even I cannot know the full measure of it. My sight is lacking, for all that I am worshiped as a deity. I cannot even protect my own people fully from the depredations of the Enemy, or even their own selves." He snorted wryly. "Oh Uriah, if you lived you would no doubt be laughing at me. But only to keep from weeping."
"You don't know?" Weiss asked. "But… How could you not? You radiate like a beacon to the deepest depths of the galaxy. I felt you like the sun, once I knew how to look. How would you be unable to know all the horrors that go on in the society you built?"
"I did not build this," the Emperor whispered. "I built something grand and glorious, shining like gold. But now…" He shook his head. "After so many millennia my mind is… fractured. I could not sustain the entirety of my being, so I broke. Pieces of me wander, observing and acting as they will, sustained by the anchor I hold sitting upon the Throne." He looked away, and the images around them faded. "I don't even know what I know any more. So much has been lost to me."
Weiss opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead she stayed silent and observed this stooped, fragile old man. He was hailed as lord and god of this empire she had found herself in, but he just seemed so tired.
How much pressure did it take to shatter someone like this? How many failures did one have to live through for their mind to crumble and break away? Weiss couldn't imagine it, could not even conceive of the pain the Emperor must have suffered. What he must be suffering even now, as he spoke with her. It was both heart wrenching and inspiring, still being able to stand even in this small way after all the trials he had endured.
The anger died in Weiss' heart. She wanted to reach out to this man, to comfort him somehow. It would be enough if she could take on even a fraction of his burdens. But what could one do for a man already so beaten and worn? Her solace was thousands of years too late. The Emperor was beyond what Weiss could provide.
But even still, she had to try.
"Have you just given up, then?" she whispered. "Will you just let these evils go unpunished?"
"I will never give up," the Emperor responded quietly, turning back to her. "But there is little I can do. All that is left to me is to hold the line against the Enemy as best I can, and hope that humanity can achieve enough power that even a remnant might survive the storms to come." He said with a small, sad smile.
"No," Weiss said, shaking her head. Her tone held no accusation, however. "No, that isn't good enough. Your people are too fractious, too disorganized for that. If you only defend, then your Imperium will be broken away piece by piece until nothing is left."
"There is no other option available," the Emperor said. "No one person, no group left, has the ability to unify and direct my people. I must hold on to hope that humanity can pull itself up from the mire it has become."
"That is cowardice!" Weiss shouted, making the Emperor blink in surprise. "To just stand back as things crumble, and hope without direction or plan? Foolish!" She held a hand to her breast. "If you can't, then I will! I will save your rotting Imperium, drag your people from the depths of their wretchedness! I will make this galaxy better!"
The Emperor studied her, eyes unblinking. Weiss stared back, her gaze firm. She respected this man. How could she not, after realizing just how much he had suffered for his people? For all that she despised this corrupt society she'd found herself in, that someone would suffer so much for the sake of others was something she found laudable.
But what she could not abide was the utter defeatist attitude he possessed. She could empathize, surely, could understand why he held it. To go so long being unable to directly intervene, having his mind broken from his torment, was more than anyone could bear. But to refuse to see any other option when it was presented? That could not be tolerated.
"No one person can save this Imperium," he said, repeating his earlier statement. "But perhaps…" He stepped closer, looming over Weiss. "You are one not beaten down by this horrid galaxy, untainted by the ignorance so pervasive in my people. If one such as you were to direct them, to lead them toward something better?" He nodded. "Yes, I think that might just work. But you must realize that you will suffer greatly in the attempt, will have to do terrible things in order to achieve this vision."
"I will do what must be done," Weiss said, standing firm. "For the sake of billions uncountable, I will save this Imperium."
"Very well," the Emperor said as reality began to shift and fade away. "Go then, Weiss Schnee. I charge you with repairing this broken shell of what I have wrought, of what I hoped to achieve. Drag humanity toward the light so that they may accomplish their destiny, to grasp the stars that shine so far away."
Weiss opened her mouth to respond, but as she did the world vanished entirely. All that was left was blackness, darkness so absolute that she could not see anything at all. The void encompassed everything, and left her alone in a world without shape or form. All was nothing, and she felt her consciousness begin to vanish within that darkness.
And then, a tiny flicker shone in the distance. It was small, and pitiful. But in that gloom, it shone like the sun. That tiny bundle of light approached Weiss, brought illumination and thus solidity to thought and form. She cradled that light close, brought it to her heart where it sank into her flesh and joined with her soul. It was His gift to her, protection from the horrors that would consume her very being.
It was a piece of Him, and with it they were bound.
She awoke to a terrible ache that suffused her entire being. Exhaustion clouded her thoughts, and she barely heard the tech priests chittering in their strange language as they unbuckled her and set aside some clothing for her to put on. She could not speak, for her throat was raw and ragged from screaming. Her body was a wreck, held up only by her will and the aid of the adepts who gently coaxed her up.
Even her thoughts were muddled, and she could recall nothing save brief images and flashes. The clearest thing she could remember was golden light, and of someone so terribly weary. But Weiss had nothing substantial, nothing solid in her mind. The agony of the binding process left little to her.
But her feelings… those were crystal clear, despite the lingering pain this ordeal had wrought upon her. She wanted as she always did, to help people. And with the Imperium there were so many who needed aid. It would be the task of years, decades and centuries. But even still, she would not falter. She smiled as she was led to a place where she could sleep and receive medical attention for her wounds.
There was a connection now. She felt a kinship, a bond on a level she could not describe. Could it be with the man known as Emperor? It was faint, and yet at the same time infinitely deep. Comforting power, glorious and golden, rested within her chest. No, even deeper. It lay within her soul itself. A spark of the divine, perhaps.
A spark that would one day give rise to an inferno. A spark of purpose, a spark of hope. Her arrival in the Imperium was no accident. Now, she had a task, and it was time to get to work.
A/N: Thanks again to Winged Knight, who wrote this omake! If you liked this, you can check him out on SpaceBattles and Sufficient Velocity! So, if you have specific comments about the writing of this chapter (like how awesome it is), remember to address him instead of me! Otherwise, if you have theories/ideas, post them as usual! Don't forget, there's a Wild Mass Guess page on TV Tropes that looks a little blank for all those threads I've left hanging... ;)
I know a lot of you are like... "whaaaa?" About the Emperor just popping in like this, but believe me, there's reasons for it. There's reasons for everything! :3
Review Replies:
The Walrus of Eden: No hints as to who's showing up and when! Are you not a fan of the Blood Ravens then? haha
Giodan: Thank you!
DanAbnettFan1997: Oh believe me, it is going down.
OBSERVER01: Interesting ideas! We'll see how it turns out in due time...
Thespurgin: Thank you so much for your awesome review! I'm not so sure about Yang joining up with the SoB... main reasons being 1: They are celibate, and 2: They're wholly obsessed with the Imperial Truth. No amount of murmuring is going to get Yang through all the required steps to become one! About Ember Celica, it's actually reinforced with her Aura, which keeps the gauntlets clean and damage-resilient. I don't always mention that Yang is channeling aura into them, so it's best to assume that she is. Thanks again! :D
Guest: That is indeed terrifying.
jesseearlswift: Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Bear of Cali: Thanks again dude! :D You rock!
Guest: You'll see! ;)
undead3: Eh, she already has an Inquisitor vouching for the fact that she did it. No sense denying it, might as well own up to it. She didn't explain how though! XD Haven't seen the hotshot volley gun. Sounds kickass though!
Nemris: Aw, thanks so much! That means a lot, dude!
LegionofMisfits: Hope this satisfied!
ChampionOfTheHive: You know I can't give you any deets about stuff like that!
RED Roman Pyro: CREEEEEEEEEEED!
doorp: I didn't believe you until I looked it up. What even, man. What even.
Mintskittle: I'm so happy to hear that! Glad you're digging it! Nice WMG, btw, you should put that up on the TV Tropes WMG page!
Gafgar: Ooh, lots of interesting theories! As above, don't be afraid to put them on the WMG page! Glad you're digging my stories!
Next chapter: Shit goes down in a different way!