Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or RWBY, or any of its characters.
Cinder Fall was presently in a very foul mood.
The past month had been nothing but one big damn headache after another for her.
Things were not meant to turn out like this.
The ambush on the Fall Maiden and the subsequent stealing of her powers was supposed to go without flaw, but nooo, there just had to be an unaccounted interference to ruin it. At the very last moment, before she could complete the draining of the Fall Maiden powers onto herself, the huntsman Qrow Branwen appeared literally out of nowhere and interrupted the transfer.
At first, Cinder didn't pay much attention to it as she knew well that even if the process was interrupted, once the transfer began the victim would quickly wither away and die. Causing the remainder of all that incredible mystic power to go to herself for being the last female the woman she attacked saw and undoubtedly on her mind as she died.
It was like slitting one's wrists, they may have a moment or two after the deed was done, but soon very shortly they will lose too much blood and die.
That was what was supposed to happen.
It should have ended that way.
Yet it didn't.
Salem speculated that Qrow must have taken the girl somewhere safe and managed to somehow keep her alive halting the process. Most likely Ozpin must have had a hand in this, only he likely had the knowledge of how to pull off such a feat.
Livid as this setback might have made her, it was just that, only a setback, and thankfully Salem wasn't very bothered by this apparent failure of her mission.
That said, Cinder wasn't sharing the same sentiment as her master and was quite anxious to go back and finish the job.
The sheer rush she experienced when the Maiden's powers started flowing into her was outright intoxicating. If an incomplete form of it gave her such a rush, she trembled in excitement at what the full and unadulterated power would feel like.
Nothing will stand before her and destiny.
That was the one and only truth that Cinder believed in.
Or at least, that was until that thing appeared out of nowhere and hit them all like a literal storm of blades.
Just remembering the fight against it and what she was forced to endure made her blood boil, the anger, the frustration, the humiliation… the helplessness.
That thing was not human… it shouldn't be human.
Her mind refused to accept anything else.
Salem was an exception, but she refused to accept the very idea that such powers that could destroy Grimm in one strike, shatter the ground, or even blow up mountains were in the hands of one lone human abomination.
The powers that the Fall Maiden displayed when she fought against her were nothing compared to what she saw the prisoner do.
Many questions plagued her mind regarding these notions. If the prisoner was capable of such destruction as a mere mindless beast, how dangerous would those abilities be if he was in a lucid and coherent state?
That thought alone sent shivers traveling down her spine.
Worrying as that might have been, that thing was currently stronger than her at the moment. Once she claimed the full force of the Fall Maiden powers, things might be different. No, things WILL be different she convinced herself as she clenched her fists.
That said, Cinder Fall now had an extra incentive to claim the missing portion of her magical powers. She refused to accept that thing as her superior.
Unfortunately, things were hardly going how she desired. Salem had put the quest for Maiden's powers on hold, instead now focusing on trying to figure out what the deal with that thing was.
While she didn't want to admit it, Cinder did see the benefit in this. If Salem were able to tame that thing into a loyal dog, she would gain an incredible piece on her chessboard.
If his powers could be shared or taken away, all the better.
As reasonable as that was, her mood turned absolutely livid when Salem told her it was her turn to stand guard on that thing she kept in her dungeon.
The very thought of putting someone of her importance there and being placed on mere guard duty was simply preposterous. This was the kind of job that was meant for henchmen like Mercury or Emerald, not for a magic user in the making such as herself.
The black-haired half maiden digressed, not like she had the means to question and challenge Salem's orders.
For now at least.
Still, it felt like she was being punished by having to share guard duty with Tyrian of all people. The zealotry of admiration he would go on regarding Salem made her want to bang her head against a wall.
Not like she could attack him for such a reason, it could very well be interpreted as treason since they were all words of praise towards their leader.
So she was forced to endure his endless session of ode Salem.
She did enjoy it however when Tyrian's wounds started acting up causing him to pause mid stanza and groan. Watts may have patched him up and his aura may have healed most of the damage, but the injuries he sustained were quite lethal even by huntsman standards and if Watts was right with his diagnosis, he would be suffering from severe chronic pain for a while yet.
That said Tyrian would be on painkillers for a long time, much to his own annoyance.
While Tyrian was the kind of nut job that got off from pain, apparently in his words this was more of the annoying type of pain, not the fun kinky kind, more of a sort of 'hit your pinky finger against a furniture' kind of discomfort or a continual throbbing toothache that left you in constant misery type of pain rather than true agony.
The only solace she could take during guard duty was the fact Tyrian's pain killers also seem to make him sleepy. It was quite amusing to start humming a lullaby and see the psychopath fall asleep like a little baby. At that very least it served to allow her a respite from all his preaching.
Such was the case presently which Cinder was enjoying. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet while it lasted.
Her yellow eyes would occasionally glance back and forth to the cell door.
There were moments when she just wanted to go inside the cell and see if she could figure out what the story was with their current captive.
Cinder had long been pondering ever since the battle ended on just what was the source of this thing's foreign powers. It couldn't be a Maidens' powers, since they can only be passed onto a female if the name wasn't indicative enough.
From what short glimpses she got of his face and body before Salem locked him away, it was definitely a male.
Although as she thought about possible theories, she did wonder if it was technically possible for one that is genetically both male and female to inherit a Maiden's powers.
Cinder however quickly threw out that line of thought considering how ridiculous the premise of it sounded, and she definitely wasn't going to go over and check what the prisoner had in their pants just to verify it. Thus she went over other possible theories to pass the time as she fulfilled her role of guard duty.
Sometime later as she continued to mull over her thoughts she wondered if the powers the prisoner had were even magical in nature, to begin with. Whatever the true origin they possess, they have caught her attention.
If there was a way to gain powers like his, she wanted that information.
No… she didn't want it.
She NEEDED it.
Cinder paused as everything went silent around her.
It was at that moment that she stopped breathing, a shiver running down her spine as she felt … something wash over her.
She did not know what it was but her body felt like it was screaming at her to run away fast.
Fueled by sheer instinct she tried to step away from the door, just as an explosion surged from within throwing her and her unconscious companion across the room.
Walls were cracked with pieces of them beginning to fall off, debris was scattered throughout the room. The large and heavy metal doors ripped out of their hinges and embedded into the opposite side of the room. A trail of smoke was coming out of the now-destroyed smoldering cell doors.
The murky visage slowly cleared and the figure within finally saw proper light for the first time in what felt like years.
Though calling it light may have been a stretch, the outside of the cell was similarly dark but he could at the very least make out his surroundings now.
A loud stomp echoed as he stepped forward, body hunched over and weak.
Slowly he lifted his head and his yellow eyes glowed.
Though he was conscious, he could not properly perceive what surrounded him. His mind was in a daze as if the very world around him was covered in a thick and heavy fog.
Rationality was numbed and twisted, he could feel a disconnect between him and his perception.
His mind was in such disarray that he did not even notice the two still living people half-buried underneath the present debris.
All he could think about is going forward, nothing more nothing less. Everything else he did continued to happen without him thinking, a subconscious reaction, like a form of primal instinct.
What was he even doing? Where was he going?
In spite of inwardly asking himself such questions, the body never stopped advancing in its path.
So many untamed and chaotic emotions were swirling deep inside his core.
He dragged his weakened body along the pathway at a snail's pace, seemingly uncaring of the Grimm that viciously approached him.
The boy hardly even batted an eye in their direction, for he could sense them.
It was a very strange experience. Up until now, he was struggling so desperately in his cell that he could not even perceive them.
Yet now every time a Grimm got within a certain distance of him, he could feel them.
Like balls of fire, the heat generated from them grew all the more intense as they drew closer to him. That heat was his signal, he would know when the heat became too intense that it started to burn and the Grimm were close by.
To him, physically looking out for them was redundant. He could sense them at a spiritual level.
As such, he knew where to point his weapons, once manifested, they would rush in the air at the target like giant bullets. Each blade promised death as they flew to all who stood in his way.
A pair of twin blades penetrated the head of a hound-like Grimm.
A crimson spear impaled a lion-looking Grimm.
A gorilla-like Grimm got eviscerated by a giant stone sword.
Several Grimm that resembled giant wasps were impaled on the wall by black dirks, chains with spikes, and black keys.
Such was his walk up towards the surface. Each step was followed by a new weapon materializing and subsequently butchering whatever creature of Grimm dared bar his path.
Such a confusing situation this was, the way he was fighting against these dark creatures.
The weapons that manifested were foreign to him, yet his body felt connected to them in a peculiar way.
To him the act of creating them… no… of tracing them, was akin to second nature.
That woman was right in the end.
If he truly desired it, he could have escaped that cell from the very beginning, yet he chose not to do so. Yet…
Various static and distorted images flashed through his mind
No more of that.
He marched like a half-dead man towards the surface.
All that was left behind was a trail of destruction and the Grimm carcasses that quickly faded to dark ashes.
Slow as his pace may have been, it wasn't long before he was on the first floor. He didn't spend any time trying to figure out where the exit was, the moment he saw a window he bombarded it with weapons until the window and surrounding wall collapsed.
Carefully he took a heavy step outside, embracing the nostalgic feeling of cold fresh air on his skin. Normally this might have bothered him, especially due to the lack of a shirt, this time however it was a pleasant sensation after being locked away in that isolated and dark cell for so long.
A few pieces of debris fell as he left the confines of the structure.
As expected, the outside was swarming with the creatures of darkness.
The yellow in his eyes seemed to glow as they charged at him.
Many weapons rushed at them back in response, many creatures let out guttural screams as they were eviscerated without mercy.
Moving forward was all that he could do.
Nothing will stand in his way.
Even if he did not know where he was heading nor why he even kept advancing in the first place.
His walk came to a halt when he encountered the castle's main gate. With a mental command, a sword was traced, one that was far too large for a normal-sized human to use, in fact, it looked more like something a giant in a fairy tale would use.
The giant sword flew and impacted, ripping the gate off its hinges.
He barely took a step outside the ruined barrier as more beasts ambushed him. A griffin-styled Grimm was diving head towards him from the sky, but he already knew the moment it will strike.
Arm extended at the ground, he traced a wooden pole, using it as support. When the aviary Grimm was close enough he used the pole as leverage to push his body up into the air. He had to do so for what he had in mind, his body was so weak presently that he couldn't even jump up without some sort of assistance.
The Grimm rushed by him, with him barely managing to avoid it. Now with the creature under him, he dematerialized the pole and fell on top of the flying beast.
Long chains were traced and wrapped around the dark bird, tightening and securing it. A piercing scream escaped its beak as the metal binds stole its freedom, its body twisting around frantically as it took to the sky.
With a small pull of the chains, the links tightened to excruciating levels around the avian. After a few similar attempts, he got the hang of it, forcing the griffin to go whatever direction he instructed with the chains.
The wind blew strongly against his body as he soared in the sky. He could finally get a good view of his surroundings, the castle being his first in his sight. From the cell, he could never realize just how big the structure really was.
In spite of obtaining a viable method of transport, a strange thought was plaguing his mind.
Was there even a point to all of this?
Where was he even going?
It was like the haze in his mind was finally lifting now that he was out. In spite of wanting to get out of that cell to the point that his mind just snapped and blacked out, he had no place to go.
If being in some strange foreign lands wasn't troubling enough, he quite frankly couldn't think of some other place to go to.
The rattling of chains bellowed in the night sky as the Grimm beneath him started acting violently. In spite of how painfully the chains were choking it,
It let out a defiant screech and dived headfirst towards the ground. He tried to stop it but the force from the dive pushed him back and made him lose his footing.
Like a comet the Grimm impacted on the ground, breaking and scattering chunks of earth and rock. He as well had a rough time upon the impact.
Strained grunts were heard as he tried to pick himself up from the rubble. In spite of the Grimm taking most of the impact, he didn't get out of the crash unscathed.
He looked over at his right side and a frown formed on his face. While nothing was broken, the way his arm was hanging from his socket was unnatural, the limb was definitely dislocated.
His eyes drifted at the Grimm that caused this and he simply stared at it as it faded away in black ashes.
This Grimm… it did that intentionally.
Surely that creature should've known that diving headfirst the way it did would be lethal for it, and yet it still did so. The chains around it were tightening enough to cause it pain, but not outright kill it, he made sure of that. That being said, it wasn't like it was dying either way.
This just made no sense to him.
His brows tightened further as he felt more Grimm approaching him again.
Their teeth ground against each other as something bubbled deep inside the pit of his stomach. Much to his own irony, he didn't take any more steps.
He realized that trying to escape wasn't worth it.
There was no place he wanted to head toward.
The Grimm just wouldn't let him be.
What was it in the end that he desperately wanted?
He wasn't too sure himself, but of one thing he was certain.
Circuit-like marks spread on his body, the dark mark on his chest pulsating with energy. His neck bent to the side, a disturbing crackle sound was heard.
Stop.
Too much noise.
Stop.
Too much chaos swirling around him.
Stop.
It was driving him insane.
Stop!
He wanted it to stop.
Make it stop!
He wanted to be left alone.
It was at that moment, something inside him seemed to flare, energy swirling from within his core all the way to the outside world, manifesting in the form of currents of wild untamed streams of neon light. The energy exploded forth scattering like a lightning storm within the surrounding area, a guttural roar escaped from his mouth for all Grimm to hear.
And hear they had.
All Grimm within the area could hear him… no… they felt him. Like a blade being pushed in their backs, they all could feel the one barring their visage.
The roar wasn't a mere sound, it carried a presence with it, one that announced their utter demise should they choose to approach him.
Though surrounded by them the hill on which he crashed was, all the Grimm halted in their tracks and stared at him with their emotionless white masks.
Logic and thought weren't required for them to understand the situation.
It was all pure animalistic instinct.
A predator knows not to approach a much larger predator, especially a wounded one.
As he felt the Grimm come to a halt, his mind was slowly putting order to his almost delirious thoughts.
The blacked left hand reached for his face and he massaged the throbbing forehead. Whatever happened was appreciated, he could now catch his breath for a change.
He still couldn't believe what just happened. Now that he was beginning to put some more focus into things, he realized what he did was simply stupid.
His eyes drifted at the sky he came crashing down from, what was in his mind when he believed even for a moment that mounting a bird monster and attempt to fly on it was a good idea-
The boy stopped and froze.
He stared at the night sky in mild confusion.
Something was wrong.
That thought echoed in his mind over and over again, haze lifting from it, the proper state of consciousness finally returning to him.
The boy's eyes widened in utter shock at what he saw.
It made no sense.
Why was the moon shattered apart?
Cinder!
A high pitch sound was ringing in her ears, loud and sharp, cutting out all other sounds around her, an invisible veil placed over his head.
Cinder!
It was dark, everything around her felt cold and heavy, something wet and burning was trailing down her face.
Cinder!
She wasn't sure what was going on, her mind felt like it was in a haze, everything felt blurry and confusing.
Cinder!
How strange… was someone calling her name?
"Cinder!"
A gasp of air invaded her lungs, her back arching back as consciousness was forcefully returned. She started choking, the vile taste of dust and smoke lingered in her mouth and most likely in her lungs as well.
Once the violent reaction started subsiding, the dark-haired Maiden finally took notice of the person that had been supporting her all this time.
"E-Emerald?" She managed to spout out, her voice was hoarse and each word felt like it was scratching at the inside of her throat. "What h-happened?"
The mint-haired girl had a bleak look present as she tried her best to ease the pain of her benefactor. "We heard an explosion and came down here to investigate, you and Tyrion were out cold and everything is in ruins!"
Cinder tilted her head, still dazed and in a state of confusion, slowly her yellow eyes started surveying the room. Just like Emerald said, it was in utter ruins, Tyrian was being dragged out of the rubble by Hazel, the madman was still alive and kicking unfortunately judging by the way he was groaning in pain.
Her eyes then drifted towards the cell door… or at the very least what was supposed to be the cell door.
All that was left was a smoking hole and that was when the flashback hit her.
Like a dam that had shattered, all of the events poured and replayed in her mind. A seething look of contempt formed on her face, a deep one that ruined her usually alluring and confident visage.
She stomped the ground with her right foot and forced herself upwards, fighting off the shell-shocked state her body was currently experiencing as she struggled to stay on her feet.
A stabbing pain could be felt throbbing at her forehead, when she reached with her hand to check, the pain only intensified.
That was definitely a concussion she had.
The explosion… it happened out of nowhere that she had no time at all to react. Her aura didn't even have time to manifest and protect her.
This was the second time… the second that thing almost murdered her.
The second time that she was rendered… helpless… by him.
It was all his fault!
"... That son of a bitch!" Cinder snapped as she straightened herself up, eyes burning red in rage.
"What's going on here?" Mercury asked in a panic as he arrived at the scene.
Tyrian spat out a mouthful of blood as he picked himself up and shrugged off Hazel's help. "The false idol is finally showing its true colors!"
The sociopath's remark only confused Mercury. What?"
"He means the prisoner escaped!" Cinder snapped at her henchmen, she wasn't in the mood to be dealing with their stupidity.
"Crap!" Mercury muttered in fear as the information sank in.
Cinder forced her way out of the detainment area, in spite of how unsteady everything around her felt. Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury to sit around.
The others followed suit as they too were aware of the possible ramifications should the prisoner getaway. They could not waste any time tending to the injured.
Cinder pulled out her scroll and dialed quickly, in less than a minute Arthur Watts was on the device's screen. "Where is he?!"
"A good day to you as well, Cinder," Watts said dryly, as much as it amused him to see Cinder in such a sorry state, now was not the time for entertainment. "He quite literally blasted his way through several floors all the way up to the surface. I have him on surveillance right now, he is making his way through the courtyard towards the main gate. "
Good, Cinder knew that if there was anyone in this castle that could locate him besides Salem, that was most likely Watts.
"There are several Grimm stationed in that perimeter," Emerald mentioned as she caught up to Cinder. "With some luck, they will stall him until we catch up."
The situation was rather bleak but not unsalvageable. They just had to catch the pale bastard before he got too far.
As the group climbed their way to the main hallway, they all froze in place as they saw who was waiting for them at the top of the staircase.
Dark eyes glowed menacingly, a cold disinterred gaze directed at them.
The worst possible outcome.
"Y-Your grace!" Tyrian muttered in unadulterated shame.
Of all the things that could've happened to him… there were so many things he was willing to endure. Stabbing he could handle, beaten to a bloody pulp was manageable, physical torture he actually enjoys seven out of ten times.
The scorn of the Goddess whose very presence he worshiped, was the one thing he couldn't bring himself to bear.
The others, while they didn't share the same feelings as the madman, all feared how Salem might react to her captive's escape.
The inhuman abomination narrowed her eyes as she spoke.
"Would someone be so kind and explain what is the meaning of all this ruckus?" She spoke in cold contempt, her browns further knitted as silence the only thing present. "I'm waiting for an answer."
No one dared to deliver her the bad news, not wanting to be the target of her wrath.
As the younger generation was soaking in a cold sweat, Hazel inwardly steeled himself as he was about to take the fall for the group. There was no need for everyone to be punished for this mistake.
But someone else beat him to it.
"T-The prisoner, your grace!" Tyrian said in a panic, dropping to his knees and bowing down. He could care any less for the people around him and their safety, but he could not lie in front of his goddess. "H-He somehow created an explosion from within his cell and is trying to escape!"
Those few seconds were suffocating, waiting for their leader's reaction. All of them were mentally preparing themselves for the worst possible outcome.
Salem's reaction was most certainly one that they could ever predict.
"I see."
Tyrian's eyes went wide in shock, he lifted his head to see if he wasn't being delirious. As he gazed upon the dark Goddess, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. There was no murderous rage, no leg trembling fury, not even a killing glare.
Salem was staring at them calmly, with no trace of fury or concern. "Y-Your grace?"
Her reaction, or rather lack thereof, was something that threw everyone present out for a loop.
Salem took a small step to her right, gesturing to her followers to move on. "Well, what are you waiting for, go and find him."
They all bowed and rushed off in pursuit of the prisoner, all avoiding eye contact with Salem as they passed her, missing how the corner of her lips grew into a small smirk.
When they reached the main castle gate, a myriad of emotions took over as they saw it lay in ruin, the prisoner had escaped the confines of the castle.
Mercury ground his teeth in frustration and kicked one of the many Grimm carcasses that were fading to ash. "Where is that pale bastard?!"
"Where could've he gone?" Emerald joined in as she tried to look into the distance searching for their quarry, but only seeing many Grimm acting restlessly far ahead.
"Nothing here eludes her Grace's omnipotence, for her influence spreads long and far across these lands!"
The younger members of Salem's inner circle did not understand that remark and only looked on in confusion at the psychotic Faunus.
"I believe what Tyrian is trying to say is that there isn't anywhere he can go within the Grimm lands," Hazel grunted in annoyance. "He may escape the castle but the nearest sign of human civilization would take weeks to reach by foot at least."
Cinder paused and thought about that, Hazel was correct. Unless one had an actual transport, it would take far too long to escape Grimm territory.
Unless the prisoner could fly, he really had no way of getting away. Escaping into the wild was actually the worst thing the prisoner could do, the harsh environment that was found within the Land of Darkness is perhaps even deadlier than the Grimm residing in it.
There was little to no fauna or vegetation. One would starve to death before they reached human civilization. But before even that one would die of dehydration as there was no drinkable water outside the castle. The entire territory was a barren wasteland with no reprieve in sight and countless dangers lurking within.
Was that why Salem was so blase about his escape in the first place?
She knew that even if he left the castle walls, there was no place for him to run away?
That vile woman.
Reassuring as that was, it did not solve her problem, they still had to recover the wretched beast.
Cinder paused once more as she saw many of the flying Grimm acting strangely in the dark sky. A realization hit her and she immediately dialed on her scroll. "Watts, make all of our transport vehicles inoperable, now!"
The only way that Cinder and the other members of Salem's faction had of going back and forth between the land of Evernight and civilization was via Bullheads, flying vehicles that covered days of walking in mere hours.
If there was any way to escape for good, those were the only viable option.
"Already took care of that the moment I was told of his escape." Watts deadpanned, wondering how it took them so long to figure out such a crucial factor. "Besides, I doubt that he would know how to use any of them given his current unstable state."
"Look!" Emerald's shout made Cinder close her scroll and stare where she pointed.
Something was happening in the distance, in the area where many of the Grimm were gathering, there was some kind of light dancing around, like static energy.
Whatever this was…. It couldn't be anything good.
The group made its way as fast as it could to the source light, where they could see Grimm standing docile around a nearby cliffside. The way that they were almost bowing down was a disturbing sight for them, for the vile beasts never acted in such a way unless Salem herself commanded them to do so.
Emerald wasn't sure how to feel about this, it was quite creepy. "What are the Grimm doing?"
Mercury was honestly asking himself that very question as well, equally disturbed by what he was seeing. His eyes were scanning the area and froze when he saw the pale figure atop the cliff. "Up there!"
"Found you, Pretender!" Tyrian screamed in excitement, brandishing his wrist blades. Just as he was about to rush off at his prey, he quickly found himself yanked in the air. "Hey! Let go of me, Hazel!"
The stoic man grunted and pinned Tyrian to the ground. "Take a good look at what he's doing before you decide to piss him off."
Although the deranged killer was making several colorful protests, the others took Hazel's advice, only to grow confused by the prisoner's actions. Emerald was the first to voice it. "He's… just standing there."
Mercury nodded, similarly baffled. "Yeah… you'd think he'd run away once he freed himself, but just look at him."
"I say we surround him and drag him back to his cage!" Tyrian demanded, still pinned down by the largest member of their group.
"Right, you do just that Tyrian, I'd rather not lose my new legs," Mercury replied dryly.
"Coward! It is our duty to recover our Goddess's property."
"I distinctly recall her ordering us to find him, not try to engage him in any way." The gray-haired youth remarked. " Pretty sure she doesn't want a repeat of what happened last time. "
"Mercury does have a point." Emerald nodded, personally wanting to avoid being anywhere near that monster. "Last time things went bad fast, and he was just a mindless beast, now he looks to be aware of what's going on."
As the group kept going back and forth about what they should do next, a shadow stretched menacingly over them.
"Stand down Tyrian." Salem spoke as she descended from the sky.
"Your grace!" They all bowed down, a feeling of anxiousness growing now that their leader was present. Fear within them began to build as they prepared for a repeat of the first encounter between Salem and the humanoid abomination and all the destruction that came to fruition from their previous clash.
Salem on the other hand wasn't concerned about such frivolities.
She had far more important matters to attend to.
"All of you return back to the castle." The Grimm Queen spoke, no concern present in her tone, only a cold stoicism. "I will go have a chat with him."
While most of them breathed in ease at that order, some had different opinions regarding it.
"B-But your grace, we cannot simply leave you alone with that thing!" Tyrian spoke, fearing for the well-being of his Goddess, while he knew that the false idol could not oppose the great one, there was something about him that he couldn't fathom, and the thought of Salem being near him disturbed him immensely.
"Tyrian." Salem spoke, voice soft and gentle, but her eyes however were glowing in a menacing light. "Are you questioning my decisions?"
The most devoted servant of Salem felt a knot in his throat, all he could do was bow down. "N-No, y-your grace."
"Good. " Salem closed her eyes, directing them at her little prisoner once she opened them. "Now, if you would excuse me, I have a matter to resolve."
A strong gale manifested at the bottom of her feet and lifted her up in the air, the wind taking her up the clifftop.
As her feet made contact with the soil once more, she couldn't help but reflect as she approached the mysterious boy.
Salem had no concerns regarding his escape. On the off chance that the boy did truly decide to run away, she had no qualms about his leaving as there was nowhere to run off to. So as she knew he wasn't going anywhere she decided to test and see how her current minions reacted to this event.
She couldn't really blame them for how he managed to leave the castle confines. The cell was more for show than anything, hardly enough to keep something of that power under lock and key.
Not that the others were aware of that.
Still, they did manage to locate him, if anything, so she gave them that much credit, even though she was well aware of his location at all times through the Grimm.
When the boy tried to mount one of her Grimm and use it as a makeshift flying transport, Salem couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Though quite far away, she still had control over that particular Grimm, enough so to make it crash in the ground, together with its would-be rider.
Still, it was certainly an amusing attempt if nothing else. Perhaps it might have even worked if she didn't interfere.
All fun things aside, what was bothering Salem was the actions of the Grimm surrounding the cliff. She could feel it through the connection she held to them.
They were scared.
These Grimm were scared of this boy.
Salem knew it all too well, how fear was a strong and crippling emotion that one can experience.
There was a problem though.
The Grimm were supposed to be incapable of fear.
No matter the danger, no matter the threat, or the enemy. They do not experience fear.
The more she tried to understand the nature of this boy, the more questions sprung to life in its place. Just what was it about him that would make her Grimm react in such a way? What secrets lay behind the secret of his power.
Oh well, she would learn the truth sooner or later. Time was on her side after all.
For now, Salem was simply curious about what stood before her.
Was it a rabid beast or a man?
Her walk came to a halt, Salem found herself facing the boy's broad back. She was certain he was aware of her presence, yet he was staring unresponsively at the sky, a baffled expression present on his face.
After a few minutes of staring silently at him, Salem sighed and took a seat on a nearby rock, crossing her legs. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand before she spoke.
"I did wonder when the isolation would finally get to you," Salem spoke, her tone flat and disinterested. "What surprises me the most is that you are not even trying to run away."
The boy did not reply, choosing to keep staring at the sky.
"Was this stunt even worth the pain you put yourself through?" She further pried, still appearing uncaring of him.
Once again, silence was the only answer she received.
Salem's brow knitted together, she really didn't enjoy being ignored. "Are you even listening to me?"
The boy's head shifted ever so slightly, though he did not turn to face her, instead he extended his dark arm up to the sky, pointing at one particular sight. "... Was the moon always like that?"
For what seemed like hours, time felt like it had slowed down.
That one question.
To many, it would sound silly. To many, it would sound strange. To many, it would sound stupid.
To Salem however, one of the only remaining people who knew the truth… that question had far more weight than one could possibly imagine.
Her eyes went wide and a silent gasp escaped her gray lips. She sat stunned there for several moments before she broke out of her shock. An unreadable expression took over as she shook her head. "… No."
"What happened to it?" The boy asked, a strange tone of bewilderment echoing in his voice, like a child trying to understand something they couldn't quite make out.
Salem crossed her arms. "Who knows?"
Finally, the boy turned around to look at her. "Do you?"
The Grimm woman took a moment to assess the boy's physical state. Quite the pathetic sight he was in.
Confused, covered in grime, injured in so many places.
Like a stray wounded puppy one couldn't decide if it was worth nursing back to health or putting it out of its misery.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Salem hummed to herself, her eyes fixated on a rather distracting part of the boy's body. "That looks like it hurts."
His yellow eyes drifted at where Salem was pointing, at his dislocated arm. He couldn't help but be a bit surprised, the state of the moon was so bewildering that he actually stopped noticing the pain, now that she mentioned this, however. "... A bit."
Salem kept staring at the disproportionate state his body was into, it really was distracting. "Want me to fix that for you?"
The boy was silent for a bit, looking at his arm a few times before letting out a silent nod.
Salem stood up and placed her hand over his affected member, a swirling of lights manifested from her hand and quickly entered him. Immediately after, a loud pop sound was heard and the boy gritted his teeth from the surge of pain. "Gahhh!"
Her pale hand was retracted and Salem couldn't help but be a little impressed. "Hm, someone's more resilient to pain than they appear. That would've made even an adult cry."
The boy let out a strained grunt, giving his now-fixed arm a couple of swings. Everything was back where they belonged. A small smile would eventually grace his dirty face. "...Thank you."
The pale woman's face did not react to those words. She had heard them many times, but when was it the last time she heard them sound so genuine?
Salem wasn't too sure what to think of that.
"You're welcome." She replied curtly. "With that out of the way, let's talk about more concerning matters."
"You have been in that cell for quite some time, acting like nothing more than a feral dog." She elaborated, eyes slowly narrowing, staring deeply into his own. "I see that now you are more open to chatting. Have you finally come to your senses?"
The boy kept staring at her, his gaze then drifted at his own hands.
The haze from earlier that clouded his mind may have been lifted, but it strangely left him more confused than he was before. Now that order has been reestablished in his mind, he had been trying his best to make sense of what was going on.
Unfortunately, failure and confusion was the most common result.
No matter how much he stared at them, it was like he was looking at someone else's arms.
A pale right arm covered in vein-like marks.
A blackened left arm was reaching for his heart.
The thing that one saw whenever they looked down, their own body, something that one should be the most intimate with, just felt so foreign to him.
This wasn't his body… or at the very least, this wasn't how his body was supposed to be.
The way it looked, the way it felt… it wasn't supposed to be like this.
All around him felt so strange and alien, himself included.
Trying to get a good grasp of what was going on with him as such turned out to be far more difficult than one could imagine. "... I'm not too sure about it myself."
Both of the unfamiliar hands reached for his head, his fingers digging deep into his hair, clawing at his scalp.
As he tried to arrange everything in order, it felt like something was smashing them to go back into disarray.
Chapped lips slowly parted away. "My mind feels like it's in pieces… everything is out of place… I don't know why, but I can feel it."
His fingers tightened around his pounding skull, static sound ringing in his ears.
'What happened to me… what made me become that thing… where I came from… it's all blank…" The pounding grew more and more as he tried to find something, anything, but only pain was found. "I can't remember anything before waking up in that cell."
Salem had been silently observing him, her focus wasn't entirely on his words, but on his body language. It was easy to tell lies, but making your body a part of the lie wasn't something many were able to do.
The way he was shaking, the cold sweat dripping on his back, the way the hairs were standing on the back of his neck, the way his eyes were dilating in terror…
He wasn't lying to her.
"You don't say." Salem trailed, strolling carefully until she was behind him, her black nailed hand rested on his shoulder, warm breath caressing his ear. "Whatever happened to you before we first met must've been something quite… traumatic, to say the least."
Her opposite hand was now resting on his other shoulder.
The way she was close to him, many would find this invasion of personal space by such an inhuman creature terrifying, the young man on the other hand hardly reacted.
Her presence was strangely…. soothing in a way.
"To lose your memories… from my knowledge that usually happens in only the most extreme of circumstances." Her whispers were soft and pleasant on his skin. "Perhaps when something so horrifying is experienced that the mind simply shatters in order to cope."
Her hands reached for his abdomen, pale and veiny digits trailing on his upper half, reaching for his throat, dark nails pressing dangerously against his vital area. "In spite of that, you did not lose this apparent desire to die, did you?"
How vexing, this situation is.
She currently had control over his life, one wrong move and the dark nails could slit his throat. Fast and simply, he'd bleed out and be dead before he knew it.
Both of them knew this.
Neither of them however would put an end to his struggling. Each for their own selfish reasons.
A heavy sigh escaped the boy's lips, followed by strained and broken words. "I want to die… I have to die… but there's something… there's something I still have to do, and I'm unable to end it myself before I do so."
Black nails trailed back and forth on the boy's throat, small red marks forming from the light scratching. "And what would that be?"
The boy reached and grasped her hand, softly pulling it aside, making enough distance so he could stare her in the eyes. "... If I knew, I wouldn't be here, now would I?"
"Is that so…?" Salem muttered as she released her hand, mentally noting that the boy had rather strong hands. "All of that aside, you had the perfect opportunity to run away from this place, yet here you are."
The boy did not reply.
Salem narrowed her eyes. "Why are you still here?"
He avoided looking her in the eyes. "I don't know…"
"Don't lie to me."
She stood apart and did not get close to him this time, her burning gaze made him feel like she was on top of him, her hands choking the life out of him.
"It's weird, but I feel that you… you know things." The boy muttered, unsure of how to put it in words. "That perhaps you are my only solution at the moment of finding some answers."
A white brow rose on Salem's face. "You talk as if I have any interest in helping you."
Before he could argue she further elaborated. "Don't be mistaken child, curiosity and benevolence are two different things entirely. I stand to gain nothing from helping you."
A hollow gasp escaped his lips, the feeling of the walls slowly encasing on him, something cold clawing on his neck. "..."
Salem would eventually let out a soft sigh. "To gain something, you must offer something else in exchange. Perhaps we may find a way to realize such a mutually beneficial agreement."
"Hm?" The boy's head tilted to the side.
"If you do not care what happens to your life anymore, why not give it to one that can find a use for it?" She took a few steps forward, a small distance separating the two Grimm-like existences. "As you are now, whatever it is that you are seeking is clearly out of reach. In time, you may rediscover who you are and what you are truly after, so in the meantime why not offer yourself to those that may help you in that regard?
"… Like you?"
"Look around." The Grimm woman gestured with her hand around them. "I do not see anyone else offering you a helping hand."
"What good can I be to you?" He asked weakly.
Gray lips slowly morphed into a soft smile. "You don't realize how unique you are, child. To me, you are the most intriguing existence I have seen in a long time."
Her words were like fingers that gently were caressing his aching parts.
This woman was… captivating.
It was like a scent that enticed you, something sweet that made you blind to everything else, something that slowly intoxicated you until there was no more way back.
A part of him knew this…
He knew from the very moment that he laid his eyes on her that there was something fundamentally vile with this woman.
He knew all of this… yet he was still standing in front of her.
A strained grunt escaped the boy's lips, though he knew what he was doing was without a doubt a mistake, deep down he could feel it, he was already far too gone, and it was already too late. All that was left for him was to go forward. "When I discover what I'm looking for… and I reach the end of that journey… Can I count on you to finish it all?"
"I will end your suffering the moment you are no longer useful to me. Will that suffice?"
"… Yes. "
Such a disturbing agreement, between two disturbing existences.
She lifted her hand up and presented it to him. The boy stared at it for a few moments and responded in kind, grasping it to give a firm shake.
Salem would momentarily sigh inwardly. It was moments like this that she recalled how old she was. Hardly anyone these days knows how to kiss a lady's hand when she presents it to them.
For now, she will have to make due to a handshake, its purpose was the same either way, to seal a deal between two individuals.
"It seems we finally arrived at some common ground." A smile almost graced her face, almost. "This may be a tad late, but I have to ask, do you have a name?"
That lone question seemed to trigger something within the boy. He grabbed his hand and grunted in pain, thousands of needles piercing his brain.
Static ringing in his ears, vision going back and forth between clear and fuzzy.
Names he did not know echoed in his mind, the names that were whispered in my mind while he was locked in the cell.
Now that his mind had somewhat cleared, he just wasn't sure what those voices even were.
Was all of that even real to begin?
Was he just being delirious, or was something deep down trying to make him remember?
Were those his names? Or those of someone else he knew?
He wasn't too sure.
So many questions… yet he had little to no answers… and it felt like it was driving him mad.
Black fingernails dug into his cheeks, the woman held his head tightly in her grip, staring deeply into his eyes.
"Breathe." She told, no, she ordered the boy that unbeknownst to himself had been hyperventilating this whole time.
The pain from her nails digging in his flesh somehow made him wake up from his mental stupor. He did as she ordered, slow breaths, in and out.
As his breathing slowly calmed and his shaking had stopped, she let go of him.
It was a while before he seemed to finally stabilize.
"S-Shirou?" He finally muttered, the uncertainty of the name he just said clearly present. "I think my name is Shirou Emiya?"
"… Shirou." The older woman muttered his name in curiosity, it had a curios twist on her tongue. "That is a strange name. "
Her dark eyes drifted from his head to toes. "Strangely, it suits you. "
Something akin to a smile graced her face, it was a disturbing sight, one that normal people would have terrified the common folk.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Shirou." She gave him a courtly bow. "I am Salem, the Queen of the Grimm."
The members of Salem's inner circle were not sure of what to make regarding today's events.
As it currently stood, things were just… calm.
In an eerily foreboding way.
When one would consider what happened earlier with the prisoner, normally it would cause chaos everywhere until he was put back in his cell.
Mayhem as they rushed to secure the target, blood, and viscera as they fought the abomination, demands, and repercussions for allowing for him to escape, people throwing the blame onto others in order to save their own skin.
There was none of that going on.
As the group of misfits waited in the throne room, there was something beneath the silence that filled the room.
It was anxiety for what was to come next.
Watts had been contacted by Salem via the Seer in his lab and told to gather everyone and wait for her in the throne room.
That by itself sent some foreboding alarms in the senior members of the group. For as long as they worked under her, Salem had never called for a meeting within the throne room. Every briefing, discussion, and planning that the group had partaken with her Grace present were done in the main hall.
For her to have told Watts to gather them all here, something was definitely going on.
The doctor was unable to tell if it was for better or for worse. What he did know is that something big was about to happen.
This was a feeling that everyone was experiencing to a certain degree.
Mercury had been counting spider webs in order to pass time, needless to say, the waiting was killing him in spite of being afraid of what may come. "Any idea why she called us here?"
Emerald clicked her tongue and looked away. "Does it look like I know?"
"Most likely she made her decision with the prisoner," Hazel muttered with his gruff voice.
"If she orders for his execution, DIBS!" Tyrian shouted gleefully like a child on Christmas.
Watts couldn't help but hum to himself at what his mentally questionable colleague suggested. While it would be quite the loss, to kill off such a unique specimen, not all would be lost. "If that is the case, try not to damage the body too much Tyrian, I'd like to dissect it and analyze it in detail."
"No promises!"
Cinder was barely managing to suppress her anger as she listened to the idiots around her talk.
Whether Salem killed the albino monster herself or she put Tyrian or whoever it was to task was hardly what mattered.
The most crucial thing was for that thing to disappear forever.
That being said, Cinder was hoping that the moment Salem stepped inside, the cold lifeless body of that thing would be dragged along with her.
He humiliated her the first time when it appeared, it did so once again when he escaped. She will have none of that.
She was sick of being other people's fool.
The massive doors of the room began to crack open, Tyrian being the first to react. "Quiet!"
As the door began to open more and more the pale figure behind it was becoming quickly exposed.
It was not Salem.
Everyone reached for their weapons and prepared to engage the prisoners, some of them ready to make him suffer nice and slow for daring to venture into their master's throne room so callously.
All of that animosity though was short-lived. As the doors fully opened revealing that Salem was right behind him.
The dark lady slowly advanced towards her throne, the now returned prisoner weakly following on her trail.
They stared baffled at this sight. Whatever was going on, it wasn't something any of them had accounted for.
As the boy walked, his eyes would momentarily drift at the people present.
Emerald took an involuntary step backward when those disturbing eyes landed on her.
Yellow orbs drifted away when they saw the girl's reaction, the boy wasn't too sure how to feel by her reaction.
He didn't like it, that much he was able to tell at the very least.
Slowly, his eyes drifted to the other girl of the group. She also seemed disturbed by his presence, but her eyes also had something more in them.
Hatred perhaps?
… He couldn't really blame her, now that looked closely at her, she was covered in cuts and bruises.
Injuries he most likely was responsible for… probably when he escaped. It was all foggy at that time, but he was aware there were guards outside of his cell… yet he still did what he did.
A deep growl-like sound escaped his lips, the knowledge of what he did not sit well with him.
However, the sound made by himself, to the others present, had an effect that the boy did not realize at the moment. It only further solidified their image of him and disturbed them as they kept watching him.
Everything came to a halt as Salem ascended on her throne, he sat in front of her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Kneel," Salem ordered, and he obliged. A smile grew on the woman's pale face and she shifted her gaze at the others staring so confused at this display. "I'm sure all of you are wondering what decision I have reached with the person in front of you."
There were a few caution nods, Salem decided to continue. "Through unknown means, he appeared within my lands, as nothing but a mindless beast that would attack all that stood in its path. After imprisonment he continued to be just that beast, rejecting reality for the blissful embrace of ignorance."
Delusion can be a safe haven for many, but one knows that whatever comfort it gives, it will be short-lived, and when the harsh reality returns, it's even more unbearable than before.
Salem knew that all too well.
"That however had to eventually come to an end, and the truth had to be accepted once more." Her tone had shifted for the briefest of seconds, pity almost present within them. "Tonight he has shown me that he is more than capable of understanding and communicating. That he is a being of reason, like the rest of you. Words have been exchanged and common ground has been established between the two of us."
She stood up from her throne and walked to Shirou, his head still bowed.
One of her hands was placed on his shoulder, dark energies swirling around her arm. "It is time to make a vow upon that agreement."
Currents of energy flowed at Salem's fingertips, her nails slowly began to wonder upon his body.
"Do you swear allegiance to me and my cause?"
The boy did not mutter a word, he simply nodded. The foreign energies invaded him, spreading over him in a cracked mirror-like pattern.
"Do you swear to follow my orders to the best of your capabilities?"
He nodded once again, the cracks began to flicker with energy, pulsating like a heart, growing more intense with each beat.
Salem kneeled on one leg in front of him, her hand cupped his jaw, and slowly lifted it up, eyes dyed in black gazed deeply in one another. "Do you, Shirou Emiya, swear to me your loyalty?"
"Yes," Shirou whispered slowly, his words heard by Salem alone, meant for her alone.
The mystic energies pulsating in his body erupted from his mouth and eye sockets, surges of light illuminating the dark throne room.
All that bore witness to this shielded their eyes against the blinding light. A mistake that some may come to regret later, for they would miss such a breathtaking display of Salem's powers.
The energies scattered and rushed towards his injuries.
Bruises faded out of existence.
Lacerations shrunk and closed.
Cracked bones filled and sealed.
Not one of them was spared the Queen's power.
As the final cut was healed, the light exploded and shattered into thousands of small fragments, surrounding them like a field of fireflies.
"Stand up," Salem ordered, her eyes fixated on his left arm all the while he picked himself. She initially believed that it looked the way it did because of some injury or a form of ailment, expecting it to heal with the rest of his body. It did not, the appendage was still bearing the charred-like appearance. A matter for a later date. "Let it be known that from this moment onwards you shall be my knight. You, one reborn from the very lifeblood of the monsters that plague this world, one whole bears the marks of a Grimm, a very child of the Grimm."
Blood ran cold to most of the people present as the now proclaimed Knight of Salem stood up. For their leader had done something that had never been done, neither to them nor to whoever stood before them.
His broad back displayed to the whole world the proof of the oath that had been taken.
A sign of allegiance, towards the one that the world shall forever reject.
The mark of the Witch had been burned into his back.
And the Witch of old smiled.
"My child."
Author note:
If some of you believe that Salem is acting really creepy and touchy at times, well, that's intentional. One way that I see her as a character is an evil seductress, but I don't mean that in a sexual way (which is actually kinda a shame really), rather she is one that seduces people with different promises to the dark side of her chessboard, adding new pieces to it. She slowly grasps how a person ticks and takes advantage of that.
…. This may also lead to some awkward nudity down the line, just a heads up.
Shirou also may have been permanently cured from the whole 'super embarrassed at nudity or contact' trope that often happens in this kind of fics.
Needless to say, Shirou is in a pretty bad mental state right now. Will take some time and rehabilitation before he will be normal again… oh wait… 'Shirou Emiya' was never normal now was he?
Welp, let's see where I can take him in this setting.
Don't forget to review... no seriously review; I could use some constructive criticism.
