Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or RWBY, or any of its characters.


Emerald Sustrai was a girl that knew from an early age about how difficult and unfair life can be to some.

For as long as she could remember, fending for herself and struggling for basic necessities like food, clothes, and shelter was a fight she was forced to endure on a daily basis.

If asked a while back where she would see herself later on in life, she wouldn't have had an answer to give. Honestly, she didn't know or care how other people saw it, but to her living meant surviving, nothing more nothing less.

As such, she always clawed her way through life and made sure she'd live to see another day.

That was until she met Cinder Fall, the woman who offered her the chance to uplift herself from the bitter circumstances she was in.

Looking back on it, she never could have imagined how her life would change or the new course that it would take.

How all of this would lead up to some weird twist of fate of her working under the monster that is Salem, the freaking Queen of the Grimm, the person Cinder swore her allegiance towards.

If not for Cinder's sake, she wouldn't have been caught within a mile's radius of the Grimm Queen, that woman's image alone gave her the nastiest goosebumps and made her heart lurch with dread.

However complicated as her life may have been at the moment, it was still manageable and it definitely had its perks.

Or at least that was until the recent events that unfolded a few days ago.

The last thing she expected was to end up fighting a monster made literally out of swords. While she was a competent fighter, she was by no means a freaking monster slayer. Anything she threw at the thing only served to piss it off more rather than hurt it.

The fight, if one can even call that, was an utter disaster. If Salem herself had not stepped in to fight the damn thing, they would all be dead.

The calamity she saw as a result of her fight with the beast only further cemented her fear of the Grimm Queen.

She won't care what other people will tell her, Salem isn't remotely human. Whether it was in her appearance or powers, that woman was a monster.

At that moment a small part of her began questioning her choice to join her faction.

If only Cinder decided to call it quits and run away from Salem, she'd dance in joy and get the two of them tickets to the farthest place she could find.

The mint-haired girl eventually let out an exhausted sigh and turned around in her bed.

A girl could only dream, if anything she should be glad she was still in one piece after what happened.

Some of the people she worked with weren't nearly as fortunate as her.

"Release me you heathen!" A voice screeched in fanatical madness. "My blades shall be drenched in your blood when I'm finally liberated."

And some of them she honestly wished the monster actually did a proper job and got rid of.

"You know Tyrian, shouting stuff like that will definitely make him untie you." The younger male resting on the left side of the room remarked with a snark.

As much as Emerald hated to agree with Mercury Black, he did make a painfully good point.

The lunatic member of Salem's cohort known as Tyrian Callows had been anything but silent ever since he was first brought to the medical ward where everyone was recovering. In spite of being the one with the heaviest injuries and having his body tied to the bed to prevent him from opening his stitches, he still refused to stay put and rest like a normal person. Such was his zeal for his 'Goddess' who he lived to serve for.

So to no surprise Tyrian did not take kindly to Mercury's remark too well. "Silence child! I cannot sit idly like this when her grace may require my presence."

Mercury just rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Pretty sure she can go through her daily routine without some idiot that keeps opening his wounds because he can't stay put and let himself heal."

Emerald hated moments like this when she and Mercury had the same thinking process.

"And that's where your faith is lacking! A true follower of her grace would crawl to her feet regardless of his condition and ask for her benevolence before they can rest."

Emerald groaned in pain from all the nonsense she was forced to endure. "Can someone please make him shut up! I'm losing brain cells just listening to him."

"Easier said than done." The deep gruff voice of Hazel Rainart spoke from the opposite bed. "Overzealously is his middle name."

"Oh, don't you get me started now Hazel!" Tyrian snapped and glared at the middle-aged man. "When I'm back and… I will… I will…"

A placid expression began forming on the man's face as his voice lost its strength. His eyes spun a couple of times before they closed and he went completely silent, finally crashing in his pillow.

All the patients in the room blinked in bewilderment at the sudden change until a voice spoke out. "Oh good, I thought those sedatives were never going to kick in."

They all turned to see Arthur Watts walk inside the medical ward, in his hand a remote that controlled the IV device Tyrian was connected to.

Emerald couldn't help but chuckle once she realized what happened. "Watts, for the first time ever I'm glad to see you."

"You don't say." Watts hummed to himself as he took a seat on a nearby chair, making sure to face the people present. "Pleasantries aside, how are my patients today?"

Mercury placed his arms in between his head and pillow and let out a tired yawn. "Now that you shut up mister 'Praise Salem' over there, I think I can actually rest for a change. "

The doctor nodded. "You better make the most of it. Tyrian aside, you're all in good enough shape to be discharged by tonight."

"Thank the Gods." Mercury groaned but was happy nonetheless, being stuck in the medical ward for so many days with these morons was driving him crazy.

Out of everyone present, Emerald seemed the happiest to finally be released. She turned around and smiled at the one person in the medical ward that had been silent this whole time.

"Hear that Cinder, we're finally getting out of here." The green-haired girl paused as she noticed the lack of response from her benefactor. "Cinder?"

"Hm?" It was a good minute or so before Cinder Fall finally responded. "Yeah, that's great".

The doctor couldn't help but snicker at the lackluster response and the rather pathetic state she was in. "Still depressed, are we now Cinder?"

A frown quickly formed on Cinder's brow. "Mind your own business."

If that was supposed to intimidate Watts, it certainly did not do as intended, quite the opposite in fact. "I'm actually doing just that, but since you're under my care at the moment, I'd rather not end up with any of you staying here longer than need be, after all I have more important things to do than look after you."

Cinder clicked her tongue and shifted in her bed, Watts was the last person she was in the mood to argue with, not after what happened. "Just get whatever you need to do done and leave us."

As much as Mercury didn't want to get involved, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with those two bickering with each other. "So doc, any chance my legs are done?"

Watts didn't look at him, being far too busy going through the test results. "Hardly, you will need to go and bring me the spare parts that I'm missing if you want to have legs of the same quality as the previous ones."

A visible twitch appeared on the young man's face when he heard that. "… Kinda hard to do that like this you know?"

His finger pointed directly at the stumps he had instead of legs.

"Yes, yes." Watts rolled his eyes at how melodramatic the boy was, it wasn't like he just lost his real legs, just his prosthetics. If the doctor would've gotten depressed every time he saw a person missing a limb he would have called it quits long ago. "I have prepared some basic prosthetics for you, not meant for combat, but good enough for walking unhindered until you can get proper ones."

The doctor lifted the suitcase he was carrying and presented said replacements within it. Not wanting to lose any time he equipped them on the young Mercury. Said action went by quickly as fortunately, the link-ups between prosthetic and body were still intact and undamaged.

While Mercury was glad that he was finally able to leave the bed, he couldn't help but stare in annoyance at his temporary legs, specifically the fact they looked like a pair of metal twigs. "Man these are ugly. "

"If you don't like them, don't use them." Watts scoffed.

"Tch, fine." Mercury grumbled.

Emerald, on her part, found the sight of the thin pair of prosthetics rather hilarious on Mercury. "Chicken legs."

"I heard that. "

"I was hoping you would. "

One could almost see the sparks flying between the two youths.

"If you two are done bickering, we have important matters to discuss regarding our little guest."

At the remark made by Watts, Cinder felt a shiver run down her spine, her skin crawling as the events replayed in her mind.

Emerald couldn't help but grow concerned for her. "Are you cold Cinder, would you like an extra blanket, maybe some hot cocoa?"

In spite of being concerned for her benefactor, Emerald failed to understand how her mental state was at the moment.

Those remarks made Cinder snap in anger.

The black-haired maiden hated many things in this world.

Pity was one of her most despised things.

Whether it was born out of malice or kindness made no difference.

"I'm fine! Just tell us what's going on already?!"

Emerald jolted back and shrunk in her bed, mentally kicking herself for bothering Cinder like this.

"Very well." Watts hummed to himself and crossed his legs. "In spite of the bad first impression that our prisoner has made, her grace has taken a clear interest in him, that being said, his presence is our top priority at the moment. The castle, therefore, is now under high alert to make sure that he doesn't decide to take an unannounced leave of absence."

He lifted two fingers up in the air. "The number of Grimm currently in the castle has doubled because of that, so for safety reasons I advise you all to walk in minimum groups of two people."

"Why bother to do that? The Grimm here never attacks us?" Mercury questioned.

"That is the usual case, however, that is because they are ordered to do so by our Queen. Given how preoccupied her mind is at the moment regarding the recent events, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Grimm became a bit restless."

His eyes momentarily drifted to the still bitter Cinder. "Especially if some of us are clearly displaying a multitude of negative emotions."

A fiery light erupted from Cinder's right eye, glowing murderously at the doctor. It only made him chuckle. "That's good Cinder, keep that anger flaring and you might find one of the Grimm lurking in your room."

Her teeth ground against each other but she managed to keep it under control, otherwise, she would be playing into Watts's game.

"So, what's our job in this?" Emerald asked.

"Given that the Grimm would make for decent guards in case of an escape, that's not the same case if there's something wrong with the prisoner."

"I don't follow," Mercury said.

Hazel finally decided to speak up. "He means we will need to guard and make sure nothing happens to him before Salem decides what she will do with him."

"Quite, I also speculate that all that feral thrashing he does may entice the Grimm to attack him, so we may need to also protect him in case something like that were to take place. "

All things considered, Watts was debating whether or not the prisoner will keep hurting himself until his body can't take it anymore and expired.

"Great, first he almost skewered us alive, now we need to babysit him," Emerald groaned.

"You can always take up your complaints to her Grace."

"Whatever," Emerald grumbled suppressing a shiver at the idea.

"You know, she has a point. Is there any real benefit to us even doing this?" Mercury asked, not enjoying the idea of having to take care of that thing. "What is Salem even planning to do with him?

"Hard to say. I personally believe she is trying to decide if he can be useful to us or not."

Emerald sighed tiredly, this was getting way too complicated. "So she's just going to let him hang around tied down there like that until she figures something out?"

"I wouldn't say that." Watts mused to himself, knowing what their master has been up to the past days.


The sounds of roars echoed in the dungeon, growing louder and louder should one attempt to approach the one occupied cell.

In it, the prisoner pulled and struggled in his bindings, uncaring of how this action was hurting him, bruises, cuts, and lacerations forming as the flesh tentacles kept him strapped against the wall.

All the while, the Queen of the Grimm sat before him, lounging on a chair while reading a book from her collection.

This had become a routine the past few days between the two of them. She would come and spend several hours here with her little prisoner, expecting him to finally stop acting like an animal and start cooperating.

Naturally, that was easier said than done, her prisoner being rather stubborn in that regard.

Listening to him scream his lungs out got boring real fast so she looked for other means to keep herself busy while visiting. Reading had always been a good means to pass the time.

That is of course after using a spell to block the screams.

It was still an interesting sight to see the boy struggle so needlessly like this.

Still, that also got boring real fast.

The pale woman placed a marker in her book before closing and putting it aside. She then lifted the silencing spell and let the sound of his strained roars invade her ears once again.

"I see, still in good shape apparently," she remarked.

A sigh escaped her gray lips and she rested her head in the palm of her hand. "You know, constantly screaming like you are doing right now tends to ruin one's voice."

Her words fell on deaf ears however as the boy continued to like a wild animal. "Well, I suppose I tried, do not say I did not warn you."

After a while, she stood up from her seat and just paced back and forth in front of him. "I find it curious how you can keep barking all day like this. Even a feral hound grows tired of it when they see it is for nothing."

Once more, communication was met with a failure.

"Suit yourself, child." She scoffed and made her way to the exit. "Time is something I have in abundance, you on the other hand do not seem to have that luxury."

His constitution, while similar at first glance, was clearly different from her own.

She threw one last glance in his direction, red orbs making contact with yellow ones.

"Little by little you will grow weak and wither away if you do not make an effort to change your situation," she explained in cold disinterest.

It was beyond pathetic, it was sad, plain and simple.

Whatever pity she had left was most likely being wasted, but she still was holding on to her patience.

Even if it was being returned in such a crude manner.

Salem could only sigh in disappointment. "Children."

The metal doors resound as they closed behind the prisoner. "I will see you later."

Another attempt passed without yielding any results.

Salem's patience, while vast, was quickly growing thin.

As the cell doors closed behind her, she took notice that the first set of guards was already there.

"Your grace." Both of them kneeled in front of her, their heads bowed down respectfully.

Salem knew better, the two were terrified to even look at her directly.

From the very moment, she met Cinder's new minions, they have both been anxious if not terrified to be in her presence.

Nothing unexpected.

She'd be far more surprised if she met someone who wasn't disturbed by her inhuman presence.

Tyrian was excluded, for obvious reasons.

"Hm." She acknowledged their presence and made her way out, pausing when near them, eliciting a shudder from both children. "Make sure no problems occur."

"Yes." They both bowed.

Until the ruler was out of sight the two of them refused to make a sound.

A minute or so later, Mercury and Emerald finally breathed in relief. Just staying close to Salem was a challenge, both wondering how the likes of Hazel or Watts could appear so calm in her presence.

After the sense of dread finally went away, Emerald couldn't help but sigh and complain. "Why do I have to be paired with you?"

Mercury leaned against the cell door and rolled his eyes. "Maybe someone thought you wouldn't be able to concentrate with Cinder around you?"

The former thief didn't like Mercury's expression or insinuation. "Who said anything about Cinder?"

"Right, because I'm sure you wanted to be paired with Hazel or Tyrian ." He shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Face it, I was the best option."

"Keep telling yourself that," Emerald remarked, pausing when she noticed that Mercury slid down and rested on the floor with his back leaned against the cell door, taking something out of his pockets. "Are you really playing on your scroll?"

"Yep."

There was no way in hell he was going to stand up straight for hours with the quickly put-together prosthetics that Watts had given him, while the things did work enough to allow him to move, they were not calibrated properly to match his body and using them was a real pain, literally.

Emerald's eyes couldn't help but narrow at the stupid sight in front of her. "You do know we have to stand guard."

"I know, I know, just passing time." Mercury waved his hand in dismissal, waving his scroll around in the air, trying to catch some Wi-Fi signal.

He was so glad Watts installed it in the castle, otherwise, he'd likely die of boredom.

Emerald was barely holding back the urge to facepalm. "We just got here."

"And we're gonna be here for a while, so might as well do something to pass the time. "

"You're impossible." The girl groaned as she took a proper guarding stance. She was not about to goof around when given such an important task.

"And you're gonna get super bored in about an hour," Mercury remarked with an all-knowing smirk.

"As if," replied Emerald, her red eyes lightly glaring at her partner.


However, about half an hour later Mercury's prediction came true. Emerald was moaning like a wounded animal, her forehead planted firmly against the cold metal door.

While he wasn't much of a sadist, Mercury had to admit it was quite an amusing sight to see. It also felt good when he was right. "Told you so."

"Shut up." Emerald half groaned.

While she wasn't expecting something exciting or some adrenaline-filled experience while being on guard duty, she certainly didn't think it would be this excruciatingly boring.

Not even the prisoner was any good source of distraction. After Salem left he immediately went silent and hasn't made any move since.

"You could just take out your scroll and do the same," Mercury stated.

"I would if I could." Emerald half groaned, too bored to even think of a retort.

"Didn't take it with you?" Her companion asked.

"I knew I was supposed to stand guard so, of course, I left it in my room."

The fledgling assassin almost snickered at her. "You could just go back and pick it up."

"No way, if Salem finds out I walked out of my post just for that, I really don't know how she will react."

"Bummer," Mercury replied, though if he was in her shoes, he'd probably do the same and avoid pissing off Salem. Especially after seeing what she is truly capable of from the fight she had with the prisoner. That aside, as amusing as it was seeing Emerald like this, hearing her groan all day out of boredom was becoming annoying, so he might have to make some compromises. "Just take a seat and let's watch something together, it's annoying to watch you groan all day. "

"Fine," Emerald responded after a minute or so, it couldn't be any worse than what she was currently experiencing. She took a seat right next to him but avoided making any unnecessary physical contact. "So, what are we watching?"

"There's this stand-up faunas comedian I've been curious to check out. "

"I'm not really into standup, but whatever." Emerald shrugged. "What's the guy's name?"

"Reese Rock."

The hours would pass on and the duo would spend them laughing eagerly at the various stand-up acts they watched.

What was supposed to be just one skit, had turned into several full-length shows.

After calming himself a bit, Mercury wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Not really into standup, was it?"

Emerald snickered and stretched her fingers. "Hey, the guy is funny."

"That he is." Mercury nodded with a smirk. "That whole 'Faunas vs Furries' skit really had me rolling on the floor."

It was very cool how the guy could pretty much talk shit about his own people, and not appear as being openly racist. The way he was taking shots at the government and how it treats his people was also funny, the smart kind of funny that has actual real facts to back it up.

Kinda like that other comedian he really liked, that Zeorge Carlin.

May the Gods rest his genius soul.

Emerald took a look at the playlist to see if he had any more shows, there were a lot of comedians that stood out, so picking one was a bit hard. This one guy nicknamed the 'Buffy guy' sounded promising.

Her red eyes widened in shock as she saw the edge of the scroll.

"Oh crap! " She immediately jumped up from her seat and started to pull Mercury after her. "Get up! Get up!"

The gray-haired boy was certainly surprised by this. "Hey what gives!?"

"It's almost time for our change to arrive! If they catch us goofing around we will be in trouble!"

Mercury wanted to roll his eyes at this, making such a huge scene over something so minor. "Come on, we still have time before-"

The words died in his throat as he heard footsteps from the nearby staircase. Salem descended shortly from them.

Mercury immediately straightened himself and shoved his scroll back in his pockets, standing perfectly still like a statue, action which Emerald followed suit.

When she was in reach both of them bowed down in front of their leader.

"Your grace!"

The grim woman didn't even spare a stare in their direction, her focus staying on the doors entirely. "Were there any complications?"

"None, the prisoner has been docile during our shift," Emerald reported anxiously.

As good as that piece of news may have been, Salem didn't particularly enjoy it.

"You are dismissed." She ordered the two minions as she slowly made her way into the cell. "The others will come shortly to replace you."

"Yes, my lady." The two of them spoke simultaneously

When the door closed both Emerald and Mercury breathed in ease, however, the female of the duo then proceeded to punch the other in the shoulder.

"Did you see that!?" The girl hissed in annoyance. "If it weren't for me she would have found us goofing around."

Mercury for his part was busy rubbing his sore shoulder, taking a mental note of how much of a right hook Emerald was apparently packing. "Hey! How was I supposed to know she will drop by before our shift ends!?"

"It's her damn castle! She can drop by whenever she wants!"

Just as the two were about to continue this little tirade, the doors to the cell opened slightly with Salem's head peaking out of it, her expression a cross between uncaring and glaring.

"If you two don't mind, take whatever argument you have somewhere else where I can't hear you."

Both of them instantly jumped back. "Y-Yes, please excuse us!"

Salem couldn't help but stare as the two bolted out of the room, leaving a quite literal trail of dust behind them.

"… Children."

Speaking of which, she had a BIG child to deal with.


Weeks would go by and this boring routine became a common occurrence within the castle.

The followers of Salem would take turns making sure that nothing occurred to the prisoner until a decision had been made.

An action that Salem had been holding back from concluding.

The prisoner's current state was useless to her. She had enough beasts at her command within her vast hordes of Grimm and they all followed her orders blindly.

This boy was an exception.

Little by little, the prisoner grew weaker, just as she told him. Stagnation and isolation withered away at the mind.

His being immobilized and struggling in his binds was damaging his body. The limited amount of food and water that he received also helped in that regard.

It was because of this, the boy slowly was losing the animalistic traits he had been showing at first.

The prisoner finally becoming docile was a simple matter of time.

Salem couldn't help but chuckle as she visited him for the first time today.

"This is surprising." The Queen paced back and forth, commanding one of the tendrils binding him to lift his head up, revealing his tired and broken expression to her. "I've been in front of you for more than ten seconds and you have yet to bark at me.

Up until now the mere sight of her was enough to entice him into a rabid dog. Now he wasn't any more threatening than one of those Corgi dogs.

It was pathetic how low one can fall… just like her…

Salem's eyes glowed in red as she shoved her nails into his throat, pulling him closer to her. "Has your voice finally failed you?"

No reaction, none besides him blinking emptily at her.

However, there was something within that broken gaze that rubbed the wrong way with her.

She brought forward her free hand and manifested a ball of scorching flames within it.

Life flickered in the boy's eyes for the briefest of moments.

Salem paused.

She dissipated the fireball and let go of the boy.

Confirmation was made, she had been right about him, and what he truly desires.

Her hand now reached for his face, this time however there was no malice or violence in her action, she was softly caressing his cheek. "Or maybe you are beginning to accept the reality around you?"

It wasn't the danger she posed to him that triggered him.

It was her attention, the smallest signs of human compassion that she gave him, that ignited that fire in his eyes.

Making him become an animal-filled with rage.

Rage, while it was a force that can empower, can motivate, can control a person, was still just a fleeting emotion. Like a brilliant flame, it can fizzle out immediately once there is no more wood to burn.

Whether or not one wants to admit it, rage is only a temporary state that can filter the worlds around us.

One day, sooner or later, that rage will lose its spark, exposing the person to the cold truth that is reality.

The boy was no different.

As much as he wanted to blind himself with rage, he reached his limit.

Both physically and mentally.

All he could do was open his mouth and mutter.

A tender smile slowly morphed on Salem's face, an opportunity was finally presenting itself. "I'm sorry, I could not hear that."

She put her hands around his head, pulling close to her ear, playing with his hair to further stir some life into him.

The words came like strained hisses at first, not surprising since the boy had been screaming for who knows how long. "…K..ill…me…"

The smile grew on Salem's face. "Speak louder."

With an excruciating effort, the boy put whatever strength he had into his voice, trying to convey his most desired wish. "… Kill me…"

Salem pulled his head out of her embrace, showing him a gentle smile that only one man alive in this world may have seen before.

Her answer was an obvious one.

"...No."

She immediately let go and left him to his own ends, staring desperately at her as she once more left him alone in the dark.

Close.

She was very close.

Just a few more pushes.


Several days would go by and the boy went completely silent.

Not that it mattered that much to Salem at this point, she realized what was going on with the boy, and now the present situation was playing by her rules, not his.

It all made sense now, his behavior around her.

This was something she could work with.

As such, the Queen became very involved and engaged with conversation the past few days, even if the boy did not reciprocate.

Today was one of those days.

"What a lovely day it is. The sky is blood red, the dust crystals are shining and the Grimm are all hungry for carnage." Salem said in an uncharacteristically lively tone, a fake one, but still a disturbing sight for those who knew Salem personally. "Makes one feel like going out for a midnight stroll."

The boy didn't react and just stared at her blankly.

Rude, but nothing new.

Salem narrowed her eyes, appearing quite bored. "No reaction at all I see. I'm starting to miss the times when you were screaming all day long, at least then I knew you were paying attention."

No response.

Salem's frown only grew. "Are you aware of how pathetic you are?"

Once again, silent.

A sigh escaped the Grimm Queen's lips. Today was just another failure, perhaps tomorrow she will finally break through that thick skull of his.

She turned around to leave, the boy shifted in his binds in response.

"W-Wait…"

The strained voice of her prisoner had made Salem halt in her tracks, slowly she turned her head back at him, at the pathetic expression he had. "W...Why?"

Good.

Perhaps she can finally talk some sense into him.

"Speak clearly, child."

The haggard breaths followed as the boy tried to find the words. "W-Why won't you k-kill me?"

Salem, while expecting that question, found it quite boring. "Now, why would I do that?"

"… I t-tried to kill you and your friends."

It was rather amusing how he thought of her and the others as being friends.

"And does that equate to me desiring your death?"

She hummed to herself, taking a seat in front of him, legs crossed and bare.

"You were hardly the first nor the last that had tried to slay me. At this point, it's an occasional annoyance more than anything."

That statement was more honest than Salem wanted to admit. She had met more people in life that wanted her dead compared to other reasons.

Not that she can blame them though, her reputation had never been a rosy one.

The boy's head dropped muffled words echoing in the cell.

This wasn't good, Salem was not about to let an opportunity slip through her fingers.

"… Look at me. " She ordered, however, there was still no response. The Grimm tendrils around the boy wiggled and pulled the boy by the throat, keeping his face in place. "You want me to kill you, don't you?"

A spark of life flickered once more in the boy's eyes.

"...P-Please."

There was a long pause of silence, Salem simply staring into his eyes. "… No. "

The anguish was rapidly growing on the boy's face. "I b-beg you."

"My answer stands."

"Why?! " the boy finally snapped, or at least what could be considered that in his weakened state it was more like a loud bark. "I need to die! I want to die! "

"And who decided that for you?" Salem asked, cold and uncaring.

That question seemed to drain whatever adrenaline pumped in him. "I did…"

"That's where you are lying boy. If you truly desired the release of death you would have done it yourself, not wait for me or anyone else to do it for you." Her eyes narrowed and she reached for her side, for the left side of her abdomen, the area that had healed yet still burning whenever she recalled the source of it. "If you truly wanted to die you could've easily summoned one of those many weapons you used against me and end it all."

Her black nails then pointed at the fleshly tendrils that have kept him bound. "Those bindings have been intentionally loosened by me several times. You could have escaped from this dungeon at any one of those points, and yet you choose to stay."

The powers that she saw him display that day, powers that defy the limits of mortals.

This mere old cell and those flimsy bindings were hardly enough to keep such a person bound for long.

If he truly would have wanted to escape, nothing but her would have been able to stop the abomination sitting in front of her.

Salem rested her chin in the palm of her hand, a bemused expression present. "And yet you didn't, something kept you from doing so."

A long and tiring sigh eventually escaped the woman's pale lips. "I've seen the depths of despair, child. When one has truly lost the will to live they do not care how it happens, they will seek an end to the pain."

Images flashed through her mind.

Of the many attempts, she made to spite life itself, only to fail and experience excruciating pain and bitter excruciating despair.

She knew what hitting rock bottom felt like, and the soul-devouring emotions that came with it.

That was something she knew down to the very core.

What she saw this boy do was just miserable.

"You child, are still clinging on to a loose thread of hope, something that is keeping you from ending your miserable life."

Salem commanded the tendrils and they came undone, making the boy slide down to the floor on his knees.

Momentarily the boy was in shock, unbounded after so long.

He lifted his head, Salem was right in front of him, her midsection mere inches away from his face. As his gaze wandered up, a knife was pointed at his eyes.

She took a step back and let the weapon fall at the boy's knees.

"Go on, do it." She taunted the boy, a black fingernail pointed at the knife. "I have no use for a coward who is deluding himself."

His yellow eyes slowly drifted at the knife and he just stared at it, seconds feeling like hours as his trembling hand reached for it, weakly guiding it upwards. "That's it, all it takes is one good slash against the throat."

The old blade pressed against his throat, no flinch or visible reaction from him as the blood began to drip.

Yet his hand refused to go any further than it currently did.

"Do it." Salem ordered, voice flat and cold.

He could just do it, and that's it, everything will be over.

No more suffering,

No more pain.

No more despair.

So why?

Why did his hand refuse to move and finish it all?

His breathing became hysterical, eyes shaking in his sockets.

Cold sweat was rushing down his brow, eyes shutting and morphing into an excruciating expression.

The blade was brought down.

It made a clunking sound as it hit the ground.

Salem could only stare in disgust.

"… Pathetic," she muttered, voice void of anything besides utter contempt. "Absolutely pathetic."

She leaned down, lifting the boy's fallen head with her fingers. "You crave for me to end your suffering, yet you cannot bring yourself to do it. "

Killing oneself, contrary to what some may think, was quite easy.

She had experimented with all kinds of methods.

It was ridiculously simple to end it all.

All it took was the proper, or perhaps more accurately improper, state of mind.

Hesitation could only mean one thing.

"What is it?" she asked, curiosity present in her tone. "To what end are you hesitating?"

The boy just stared at her.

It felt like years have passed in those brief moments he tried to find his words.

A blank stare was the result. "… I don't know."

Wrong answer.

One that Salem did not approve of.

The tendrils responded to her will and wrapped themselves back onto the boy, bounding him once more.

Until he stopped acting this way, she had no use for him.

A shell of a man was hardly worth her time.

"Then just rot away in here."

The doors closed once more as she left, leaving the fool to wallow in his own despair.


The sound of Salem's walk could be heard through the castle walls.

One could simply feel her annoyance in the force that she stomped.

As things currently were there was no telling how long it will be before her prisoners finally became cooperative, and her patience was running thin.

If he won't give her the answers that she seeks, perhaps it was time she took matters into her own hands.

She had to investigate the source of it all.

As she strolled through the castle halls she came across Watts, which saved him the trouble of looking for him.

"Watts, I'm going out for some fresh air." Salem declared as she passed by the doctor. "Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone."

Watts wanted to inquire about the reason behind her decision, for he knew that Salem never left the castle for matters that are not business-related, she had never simply gone out for 'fresh air' so to say.

However, he knew better than to question her decisions.

"As you wish."


A dark tornado blew across the desolate fields of her domain.

It quickly dissipated, and from it, Salem emerged, the Grimm in the area bowing down at the appearance of their Queen.

While there was nothing stopping her from simply walking there, she was not in the mood to waste three hours simply walking, and proceeded to skip ahead via flight.

As she took in the scenery, she couldn't help but reflect on the fight that took place here between her and the boy, when he was nothing but a mindless abomination.

The land was still scarred from their battle.

Craters scattered across, many of them still emanating smoke from the fires that were ignited. Giant lacerations spread far and wide, the results of the weapons that were unleashed that day.

She and that beast of swords fought here.

That was undeniable.

What lay unanswered was where it came from, to begin with. Even if what Watts said is true and it never infiltrated her territory the normal way, there should be some sort of trail it left.

In hindsight, she should have investigated these areas the very moment she woke up instead of waiting for the boy to cooperate. Perhaps she was simply too taken aback by the events and the boy to consider that as her first priority.

Salem had a theory, but she needed some evidence before she decided what to do next.

The Queen sent a mental command to all the Grimm in the vicinity, to spread and search for anything out of the ordinary in the area.

A vast array of beastly howls echoed in the withered fields as the Grimm responded.

It must have been a short period of time before a trail was found. Give or take ten minutes.

How handy it was to have hundreds of obedient little pets at her disposal. Their work saved her hours of blind searching.

Salem followed the place of gathering of her Grimm, they split apart on her arrival and allowed the Queen to see what they had discovered.

Tiny bits of steel fragments were scattered along the ground, a literal trail of glinting pieces of metal.

If she recalled correctly, there were times when pieces of steel would break off the thing's body and fall on the ground.

Perhaps this trail could prove useful. With that in mind, Salem slowly followed it to whatever source of origin it had.

She also made sure to order her Grimm collected whatever fragments she found. If there was one thing she was certain of, this wasn't normal steel.

Perhaps whatever may be its true nature, may become useful later.

The longer she followed this path of shattered steel, the more she recognized the landscape and the more her theory grew ever stronger within her.

The trail would eventually lead her to a place she knew all too well.

The Grimm pools, the very lifeblood of the dark race of Remnant.

Birthplace of all Grimm.

The place of her rebirth as their Queen.

There were drag marks on the edge of the pool.

Not an unusual sight since all Grimm emerged from it in such a way, however, this one was only littered in steel fragments.

She was skeptical about it at first, but this only confirmed her hypothesis.

The boy had emerged from the pool. However, that created a contradiction.

The Grimm are the one and only life form that can spawn from its dark waters. While the boy was disturbingly very similar to one, he was still overall very human-like.

So the only answer Salem could draw is that the boy wasn't spawned from the waters, but was embraced and corrupted by them. Its mystic properties are the most likely reason why he is so similar to her to such a disturbing degree.

This on the other hand should be impossible.

A Humanoid Grimm was one thing, but the boy was clearly a human imbued with the essence of the Grimm.

A paradox.

Two incompatible existences that cannot be mixed.

Like herself.

She was the only known case of a human exposed to the pool's chaotic properties that survived.

Her situation however was unique and she knew that the boy did not share the same wretched body constitution as she did. She kept a close eye on his body whenever she visited and stared carefully at the wounds he had.

Too many questions, and far too few answers.

Perhaps it was time she got her hands dirty if she wanted those answers.

Literally.

Slowly the woman kneeled before the Grimms' origin source.

Her visage reflected in its murky waters. The woman took a moment to stare at her twisted reflection.

It was always a heavy sight to bear. Of how much she was changed by these very waters.

For the briefest of moments, the image she saw would flicker, small glimpses of her old appearance reflecting on the surface.

It made her blood boil.

The woman plunged her hands into the pitch-black waters, her hands glowing as she established a connection to the primal source of entropy.

Her link to the Grimm was undeniable. It was akin to a hive organism that she had authority over.

Like the Grimm that spawn from it, she had control over the waters, manipulating the forms and shapes of those that emerge from within it.

For her to establish a mental link with the source itself, was within her capabilities.

And so she plunged her face within the dark void.

A pulse surged through the waters.

The Queen's will had been answered, and it was followed by agony.

Images flashed through her mind, pain akin to thousands of needles piercing her brain.

She could see it, the trigger. It was on the very day that she fought the abomination.

Something had entered the waters.

No… it didn't just enter, it was plunged in with great force as if he was cast down from the heavens itself.

Calling it human was a stretch.

While the boy she held captive bore a disturbing visage, he still looked overall human.

What entered the waters in these images… was it even a living being?

It was a mass of steel… no… swords?

No, that wasn't the right description. It was like someone built an actual statue made out of swords resembling a person, its edges pointing outwards as if the swords erupted from within.

A disproportionate statue, one arm larger than the other, one of its legs missing, a giant gaping hole in its stomach, and a face riddled with tiny blades, like a mask to hide whatever expression was meant to be shown.

Whatever it was, how did it get in her territory let alone all the way to the Grimm pools, something like this would have stood out like a sore thumb?

Salem gazed deeper at what happened after it entered the waters.

There was originally no reaction, the steel mass slowly sinking in the murky abyss.

The waters then invaded through the mouth and make their way to its insides.

A dark glow formed in the center of its chest, from it, circuit-like patterns spread to cover all across its body.

The eyes that were hidden behind the mask of blades up until now snapped open, glowing in its dark depths.

First came a twitch of a finger, then a shudder through the body, eventually all of it began shaking and convulsing, steel parts clicking and clunking against each other.

Suddenly it began screaming, and its body followed by cracking and shattering.

From the cracks masses of dark flesh grew and expanded, a disfigured leg grew, the hole in his stomach closing, a never before seen mass taking form in tandem with the steel body.

Like a tumor growing from the inside.

Life reawakened in what was once a metal husk, arising out of the dark waters.

The birth of a monster was upon the world.

It roared.

A monster had been unleashed.

One like herself.

Salem yanked her head out of the waters, choking and gasping for air. Slowly the Queen of the Grimm collected herself and dissected what she just witnessed.

"So that's what happened."

The boy was hardly human when he entered the waters, the dark mystic powers within only further changed him.

In a weird twist of fate, the essence of destruction may have been the key to making him regain some of his humanity back.

This experience had shed some light on some of her questions. While it did not reveal how he reached the pools in the first place, at least Salem was aware of how he became that thing that she fought, the similarity he held to her most likely a byproduct from the Grimm liquid, but what about the state he was in when he first entered the pools?

Was whatever he was a unique occurrence? Or was it possible for there to be more like him?

There was still so much Salem had no answer to.

Salem paused as she noticed the Grimm surrounding her, they were all gazing in silence in the same direction.

That was not normal.

Something was wrong.

Salem followed suit and tried to identify whatever it was that got her Grimm so fixated. A trail of smoke could be seen rising in the distance.

Though confused at first, realization shortly hit Salem, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

The location of the smoke, her castle.

Either someone was attacking them or…

A disturbing smile crept on Salem's face.

Finally… her little dog is tearing off his collar.


Alone.

The boy agonized over in his bindings, simply wishing for his suffering to end.

The dark woman refused to help in that regard. Though, he should know that what he asked for was unreasonable for multiple reasons.

From the moment he saw her, there was something about that woman that just disturbed him. Some kind of strange emotion that he cannot comprehend.

Her presence was toxic for him, as she stirred him in the wrong direction.

True as that may have been, her presence was also comforting in a strange way. Whenever she was here his mind was focused entirely on her, so much so that the voices faded away.

A cure that involved excruciating pain, was perhaps a good way to describe her presence.

When she was gone though… the voices returned… and the true suffering started anew.

Static sound invaded his ears and searing rods penetrated his husk.

"Is this really what remains of you Shirou?" A regal voice chastised him, one he did not recognize. "Of the man with unshakeable determination?"

S_?

"You are really stupid you know that Emiya-kun." A grumpy voice hmphed at him, another voice he did not recognize. "You could never sit idly by when you knew someone needed your help, now here you are, wasting away like some pathetic loser."

_saka?

"Till the very end, you upheld your choices, even if they broke you on the inside." A sensual yet sad voice pitied him, again, one that he did not know. "So why are you giving up now?"

R_r?

"You're being really stupid Onii-chan." A childish voice sighed in utter disappointment, one that HE should have recognized no matter what, but was unable to. "Papa still found the strength to live even after losing everything he had. So why aren't you doing the same, you are his son, are you not?"

I_a?

"Will you really reject everything?" The final voice asked, one that held the most weight to him, the one that tormented him the most. "Will you reject me, Senpai~?"

Sa_?!

Sa_?!

Sa_?!

No matter how much he tried he could not discern these voices. He could feel it deep down that he knew who they were, but could not remember who they were.

Their voices would not leave him. Though their words held no malice, they held such an excruciating weight to them, that he could feel it slipping.

Soon… very soon… the mind will-

~Crack

A crunching sound echoed as the boy lifted his head, eyes two black voids.

Glowing circuit-like marks manifested on his body.

Words foreign, yet strangely familiar formed upon his mouth.

"Trace On!"

A cursed sword had been forged with the Grimm lands, one that was about to be unsheathed.


Author Note:

So as promised I managed to deliver this on time. Special thanks for my Beta for doing a quick job on this.

So our boy Shirou is pretty much broken... Wonder what how that could've happen?

Whatever the case may be Mommy Salami is having nothing of it and isn't it the mood for these childish tantrums. She has better things to do you know, like take over the world, or decide which shade of black to she should pick for her dress.

Yeah, in case you are wondering I'm trying to go in dark direction with this thing. Not dark in the sense of graphic violence or murder, but from a phycological point.

Lets hope our sword boy gets mind out of the gutter before things really go south.


Don't forget to review... no seriously review; I could use some constructive criticism.