AN/ It's been a while since I last posted, huh? Well, I've been a bit busy as of late. I had some work stuff IRL to deal with, along with toying around with an idea to write my first book. I just wrote the first chapter and there is some (P)atreon stuff to go with it. I'll post those details on my twitter if you're interested. So don't forget to read and review.


Within a craggy outcropping, Salem Basked in the moonlight high above, luxuriating in the inky black ichor of the grimm pools that lay within, resting at the base of her fortress. She did this every time after she elevated one of her many followers to become one of her blessed twelve. The darkness of the void helped her recover from the act of splitting her soul, tearing away a piece of herself. While not an inherently violent act, it was spiritually devastating. Something that would leave her feeling weak and frail for weeks to come.

She focused on the void, and on the nothingness that came with it. Letting all the world's hate and evil fill her soul with just a bit of dark power. It was particularly potent after the destruction of lower cairn, hastening her recovery all the more. It was as she delved deeper into the black, as she always did, reveling in the very negative emotions that spawned the Grimm. That she came across something strange, a light in the dark, in the void, something that should not be possible, not at all.

Without her prompting, she found its light filling her, before she could so much as react. It severed her connection to the void, to the grimm.

In an instant it filled her with power, aiding in her recovery faster than even the grimm pools could. 'Oh, how addicting, how vast' she couldn't help but think. It was blinding, vast, and incomprehensible. She burst forth, breaking through the surface of those blackened, brackish waters. Brilliant power coursed through her. It felt like a blinding sun, returning her ghastly white skin to its once rosy hue. She marveled at her appearance. No glamor was this. It lasted like a fleeting fragment of a dream. Then the power left her fading away, as if it had never been.

A new born Beowulf burst forth from the pools, it and its ilk lunged forth. fanged maws wide, dagger like claws intent on ripping and tearing, on maiming, on devouring her whole. As distracted as she was, with her intrinsic connection to the grimm muted, nothing held the mindless horde from acting out on their baser desires.

Salem, with an errant careless flick of the wrist, she lashed out, channeling forth just a portion of her might, obliterating its head, half of the encroaching horde, and the wall behind it outright. "Oh, dear, someone's gunna have to fix that." She sighed. She hadn't meant to do that. Still, she marveled at her newfound strength, and while the power had faded to mere embers of what it was, it had done its work returning her strength to her.

And as even those embers of light were about to be snuffed out, on the verge of being overtaken by the dark. Her connection to the Grimm was quickly returning to her in full. Salem found the majority of her attention drawn outward towards the barrier that had acted as her prison for more years than she would like to admit. Rather than inward to the little spark of light that refused to go out where her attention should be.

It rippled and wavered against the arching void light of her careless attack. It had carved a swath of destruction across blasted earth. Impacting her prison with such force that the very foundations of her fortress trembled.

The walls of the barrier trembled, bowed, and cracked under such a merciless onslaught. And still they held strong under the waning force of her attack. Proving to best her attack in the end.

Heedless of her state of undress, Salem waded out of the grimm pool. Marching a steady hasty clip towards the damaged and scarred barrier. She watched in wonderment as the walls of her prison slowly mended. Its cracked edifice slowly being restored to a pristine unblemished state.

In all the time she had been trapped, these walls that kept her locked away had never been so much as damaged. No matter how she raged or how she schemed, they never faltered, never yielded. The only flaw these walls seemed to have, were they only kept her and her alone contained. Others could travel freely between the Grimm lands and the other kingdoms if they wished.

Her attention was sharply drawn back to that wisp, as it felt like her very soul was being branded. A pain like she had never felt seared across her mind, almost causing her to double over in pain. Those embers of light seemed to burst in one last defiant act. Imprinting its very essence unto her soul in a way like the darkness never had. The ordeal left her gasping for breaths that would not come.

It was only in the aftermath of what had occurred, when the phantom pains had subsided to a dull throb, that she recognized the power behind this little wisp. That had carved its mark on not just her flesh, but her soul. Branding its mark, a hollow sun unto the flesh of her palm. She had felt the echoes of it all the way here within the grimm lands once before.

With but a thought, Salem's magics answered her call, garbing her in a gown that seemed to be made of twilight.

"Leere, I have need of you." she called out into the dark of the night.

In a burst of blossoming firelight, Leere materialized before her, with her white cloak fluttering in the wind. She kneeled before her master, "My lady."

Salem pinched the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, Leere, you don't have to be so formal," she groaned.

Like always, Leere stared at her blankly with those silver eyes of hers, the only visible part of her beneath her hooded cloak, under the pale light of the moon. "No, I owe you my everything. The only reason I still draw breath is to serve you." Leere denied, refuting Salem's offer.

"Fine, fine, you win," Salem huffed. "Tell me then where is Laruam?"

It took only a moment for Leere to answer. "They are currently in their quarters. Would you like me to retrieve them?"

"Yes, I have a task for the two of you," Salem said, absently rubbing at the hollowed out sun mark on her palm. "I wish for you to head to Vale, find the source of this power… and aid our dear Mercury and Cinder in their tasks while you are at it."

"as you wish, lady Salem. I will fetch Laruam, and we will leave as soon as possible."

"There is no need to rush, Leere. You may take your time. Take this as a chance for Laruam to recover. This is merely a fact finding mission primarily."

"As you wish…"

]|[

Naruto didn't know what to think, as he and his team and the members of team CFVY followed these newcomers, who called themselves Uzumaki shinobi. One part of him wanted to believe that they spoke the truth. He had always hoped that somewhere there were more Uzumaki out there than just his family and his cousin Karin. The other half of him, the part of him that was a shinobi, one with instincts honed to a razor's edge with hard-fought battles, screamed louder and louder with each step that he took that this was a trap, not to trust these strangers who wore his clans insignia.

Not that they had much of a choice now, not with the CCT relay in Lower Cairn damaged beyond repair, trusting Shinobu, and her group was the only choice they had now, with the walls that protected the town damaged by their battles and the explosion, Lower Cairn was beyond saving now, even with his clones they simply could not hope to hold out against the endless horde of Grimm. This was the correct choice... no, the only choice they had available to them now. The next possible city with a relay was days away, and that was if it was even still there when they got there.

Naruto was not the only one to regard the newcomers with caution. Once the others had awoken, things hadn't gone over so well. Pyrrha, Nora, and Velvet had made a fuss over his new arm that he now had wrapped in bandages. The trio of girls were sticking unusually close to him as they ran. It was Coco who had wanted to go to the nearest town to get help after finding out about the damaged relay. But that idea died a fiery death once she pulled up the map on her scroll. The nearest possible established settlement was a nearly two-week trek on foot, and while they could hunt and forage for food and water, they simply did not have the ammo to make it that far.

That left Ren, Fox, and Yatsuhashi, who originally had wished to stay in lower cairn especially with the incarnations at their side, that was until Naruto had dashed their hope, informing them of the one weakness of the technique he had used, they had finite chakra, even if the amount they had was equal to that when they were alive, it was that same chakra that they used to maintain their corporeal forms. With what they had used in battle that night, they could not hope to last until a rescue was to arrive. They could make it through two, maybe three more fights before dispelling. And that was with the strict rationing of their chakra. It was the whole reason they were double timing it down this path that would lead to an 'entrance' of the settlement. As it stood, Gaara had already dispelled, Madara and Hashirama would follow soon in time.

Shinobu slowed, coming to a stop before an old, gnarled, massive tree. It was old enough that it had a hollow at the base that was big enough to comfortably hold a person inside. "We're here," she said, then both she and Giyu drew their blades.

Their blades, once an ordinary steel gray like any other, changed when they channeled chakra into the metal. Giyu's was a dark sea blue, while Shinobu's was dyed a purple. They thrust those swords that glowed with an otherworldly light into the base of the massive tree. Sinking their swords into the hilt. Sealing script burst from the bark, spreading from their blades to form an arch above the hollow.

"Well, after you." Shinobu said with a self-satisfied smile, giving the weary group a mock bow.

With the keen eyes of an Uzumaki seal master with decades of experience under his belt, Naruto regarded the 'gateway' with analytical interest. As he examined the seal work, Everyone waited in anticipation on bated breaths. As Naruto went over the seal craft before him, he found he knew these seals quite well, in fact. He recognized some of them as ones he used in his own work, others bore a frightening resemblance to the formula used by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, for his own Hiraishin. Those same seals he used as the foundation for the space expansion seals he used regularly.

"It's safe," Naruto admitted in the end, "whoever the sealmaster is, they did excellent work. I'd like to compare notes someday." the tension that hung in the air broke, with that admission.

Naruto watched on as slowly, one by one, they stepped through the gate. First it was Pyrrha, then Nora, followed by Fox and Ren. Soon after, Coco and Velvet went through at the same time, followed by the others, until only he, Giyu, and Shinobu were left. Without a word, Naruto stepped through along with the pair once they retrieved their swords.

]|[

Cinder groaned awake, covered in sweat. The fleeting fragment of a dream fading from her mind's eye no matter how hard she tried to remember. Tiredly She rubbed at her dry throat, feeling a jagged ring of scars that ran across her throat… scars that she knew intrinsically should not be there…

"without you I am nothing…"

No! She begged, as memories long suppressed, locked away, came flooding back, unbidden, clashing with the past she thought she knew.

"But because of you… I am EVERYTHING…" the echo from her past declared, a stark madness in her eyes.

Who was screaming? She wondered.

"Focus girl, pay attention, now do it again…" the scarred phantom growled, his finger on the button to her collar.

Tiny hands trembled in fear as they wrapped around a short sword. The scarred man charged at her. She readied herself for what was to come, even if she knew she would lose, but what choice did she have?

"Hurting them isn't going to make your life any better…" the scarred man with the soft eyes and gentle smile chided her gently.

He wasn't like the monster from her dreams.

No.

Not at all…

Ah, it's me, she realized. I'm the one who is screaming…

"You want to be a huntress? Then we've got about seven Years…"

For the first time in what seemed an eternity, she was happy.

'Say, kid, you got a name?'

Her echo shrugged, "don't get one…"

"Hmm, well, you have pretty eyes…" the scarred man pondered, "like burning embers… Ah, I've got it…" he said, snapping his fingers. "How about Cinder?"

The little shade of a girl that once was and would never be again smiled with eyes wide and filled with hope. "I love it," she declared, abandoning her ill-gotten gains to hug him with all her might.

"Well," the scarred man grinned, "I'm Rhodes, it's nice to meet you Cinder…"

"Tell me girl, if I told you to kill, would you do it?" the scarred phantom asked.

"Es, sir," the naïve slip of a girl answered crisply, despite her lisp and obvious ignorance of what he asked of her proving just how young she truly was.

"You would do anything, wouldn't you?" Her tormentor, the scarred monster from her nightmares, inquired.

Obediently, she nodded her head. If it meant not incurring his wroth, then she would even lay on her back for him like he had asked of her before, whatever that meant.

"Good," he purred with sadistic glee, "then prove it…" he pulled a knife from the sheath at his belt, tossing it at her feet, then he undid the top of the sack resting at his feet…

A small child, much like her own shade, came tumbling out, bound and gagged, so that he couldn't make so much as a peep. "Kill him." the man ordered.

With tiny trembling hands, she took the knife in hand. "Do it!" he barked when he saw her hesitate. His hand fingering the trigger to her collar in silent warning.

Instinctively, she knew what she had to do. She had to, had to… if she hesitated anymore, then he would hurt her. Only this time she had the feeling it would be really, really bad.

She stepped forward, knife in hand, closed her eyes and plunged the dagger down just like he had taught her… her aim was true. The boy let out a gurgling rasp...

"How dare you, you little urchin" a button was pressed and lightning surged through her body. The little shade glared sullenly at the ground as she writhed.

This woman, she was just like him.

Just like the scarred monster that haunted her dreams.

"If it's any consolation, Fortezza, I can make her forget."

"No, it's not right. This is not right. We trusted him to raise her as one of his own, and he does this Erudit." she motioned to the broken form that was lying listlessly on the cot. "He turned her into nothing more than a doll."

"To be fair, nothing about this is right," Erudit countered, idly skimming the pages of the book he was reading. "Marcus is a marked man now, all we can do now is pick up the pieces."

"Fuck," she cursed, punching the wall with considerable strength, the wall of the cabin cracking under the might of her blow. "I know… it's just… fuck she… she was meant to be one of Salem's, meant for more than just a disposable pawn, now… now no matter what we do… that's all she will ever be," she sighed running a hand through her short pink cropped hair. She looked into the lifeless eyes of the girl, desperate to find any spark of life. Only finding nothing but an empty shell staring back.

Fortezza's face hardened as she scowled, coming to a bleak conclusion. "Fine, do it." She grit out, looking away from the girl. It was a conclusion that saddened her greatly. At least this way she could have some kind of life. Even if it was short, Salem would come for her in time.

"Very well…" Erudit said, closing the tome he had in hand with an audible thump. Tucking it into his satchel, he withdrew an older, more weathered tome from within.

The gemstone on its cover glowed a soft green as pages fluttered out of the book. Floating about as if carried on unseen winds.

It was a scene Fortezza had seen many times before, in the rare few times when Erudit had been drawn into a fight. Not that he couldn't fight, no when it came to his skill in battle he was right up there with Seherin, Intrygant, and Artemisia when it came to skill and power, rather it was that His true strength lay in his mind rather than actual combat.

Those fluttering pages took on a metallic sheen, flickering about the room, forming esoteric runes that sparked with other worldly emerald lightning.

'Torpor…'

The girl's body took on that same glow with each rune that was formed. Slowly, once blank pages were filled, one by one. Each page that was filled slowly lost their otherworldly glow and sheen, drifting back to take their original place within his book.

'Forget…'

It was a process that seemed to take an eternity, and yet it seemed to take no time at all. It ended all too soon. "There I'm done," Erudit said, closing his book with an audible thump. He turned away from the now slumped over girl, not caring about what happened to her now.

"Hey wait, what are we supposed to do with her?"

Erudit shrugged. "I don't know and I don't really care… But…, I suppose you could drop her off at an orphanage. However, I would much prefer to get back to my research."

"Cinder…" her teacher gasped out in shock at the visceral sight of what his apprentice had done, before him laying motionless where the two broken bodies of girls just a bit older than Cinder herself. While their mother lay at Cinder's feet, her neck snapped, broken and twisted at an odd angle.

"I… I don't have to run now."

She was so innocent…

So naïve.

And so very wrong.

"That's all you'll ever do…" her mentor, her master, rebuked her, drawing his twin maces and readying himself for battle.

He was her whole world, and he rejected her…

His rejection filled young Cinder with a blinding rage that blotted her sense of reason. Something inside her snapped. Their battle was as short as it was fierce…

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

They were equally matched. Despite her rage, her moves were crisp, lightning fast, deadly, just like her teacher Rhodes had taught her. Enabling her to tear away his aura within their first clash.

Just like the monster with scars had forced her…

Like he drilled into her body with pain and discipline alike…

She did not want to end up like the boy.

In her mind, the form of the scarred man and Rhodes overlapped. Driving her rage and fears to greater heights.

'Do it again…'

'Focus…'

'Kill for me…'

'Kill him…'

'Do it…'

These words echoed in her head over and over again, distracting her, making her sloppy. She overextended. It was something that a skilled Huntsman like Rhodes would not hesitate to take advantage of.

He struck back brutally, shattering her aura in a single blow. Sending her flying to impact harshly into a steamer trunk.

Abandoning his weapons, cautiously, Rhodes approached his apprentice, worried about her wellbeing. How could he not? She was like a daughter to him. Despite the night's events, he would not turn his back on her so lightly. With his connections, he was willing to bet that he could get her off with a slap on the wrist, but for that to happen, they had to do things right.

'Do it!' the voice inside her head screamed.

Never a victim…. never again.

When Cinder opened her eyes, he was right there. With manic madness in her heart, she reacted as she had been trained…

Cinder came to, the manic haze finally broken. Another body lay at her feet. Her hands stained red with the blood of the last person she had wanted to hurt.

"No…",

"No…"

"No…"

She cried, wishing for it to not be true, for it to not be real… but no matter how hard she wished for it, her reality did not change…

Fate, however, would not allow her to wallow in her misery, as the sound of clapping echoed through the room.

"My, my, my… how marvelous, such fury, such passion, you've put on such a wonderful show my dear…" stepping out from the shadows almost seeming to bleed from the inky black of the shadows cast on the walls, was a tall scorpion faunus man. Everything about him, from his eyes to the manic glee that he barely contained, said he was dangerous. Another tall, reedy man with green hair and large round glasses followed him.

"Who are you?" Cinder asked, taking a step back.

"I… am Slagter, and this is Erudit," he laughed, giving her a faux mock bow. 'And we have come to retrieve you, for our lady requests an audience.'

"What makes you think I'm going to go anywhere with you?" Cinder scoffed.

"Slagter, you brought me out here for this?" Erudit growled rather uncharacteristically.

His counterpart tried to speak, but Erudit raised a hand to silence him, "I don't have time for this… I was right in the middle of research so…"

His book pulsed green. 'Sleep…' pages shot out of the tome at speed before Cinder could react. She heard his next command as she crumpled to the ground, 'Forget…'

The only thing she could think before unconsciousness took her was a weak and piteous, 'No!...'

When Cinder came to, finally free of the hallucinations that were memories, she was never to have remembered. She found herself in the embrace of Polaris. "it is good that you are awake Cinder. I only got flashes of what you experienced, but tell me, what do you remember, what can you recall?"

"Everything… I remember everything." She shuddered as amber eyes sparked with a brilliant azure glow.