I do sincerely apologize for how late I am, AGAIN. I was held against my will and forced to go to back to back birthday parties and by the time I finally came home I was either too drunk or too tired to write. On the bright side, now that I'm back to Friday, let's see if we can maintain this day.
Also, Ethos, it is Jinn with the D, thanks for pointing that out. I'm usually accustomed to using the D that I left it in, I'll use Jinn instead of Djinn from now on.
Anywho, Enjoy ^-^
Chapter 56: Genies and Secrets in A Frozen Landscape. What Could Go Wrong?
The still air of the environment frozen in time brought with it its own chills, even if the temperature was no longer there. The party stood in awe, staring unbelievably at the mystical spectacle before them, yet none forgot the tensions that still rode high in the atmosphere.
Jinn stood, floating in the air before them like a towering mass of the unbelievable, a giant blue woman who'd just erupted from a lamp they'd been carrying for days. If you believe any of the stories about a genie and the lamp, you probably wouldn't expect this.
"I am Jinn, an entity created by the God of Light. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one-hundred years. You're in luck, as I can still answer…"
"ENOUGH!" Ozpin interrupted Jinn. Everyone turned around to glare at the man inside the child's body, kneeling in the floor on his hands and knees. Their eyes were full of venom and distrust.
"I can still answer two questions this era…" Jinn finished.
They all stared at Ozpin with a mix of violent rage and disappointment.
"And here I thought the relic was unusable…" Nova said dryly, folding his arms and glaring at Ozpin who at this point looked like a kicked puppy.
"Ruby, Nova, please… don't…" Ozpin pleaded, for once using their first names instead of calling them by their surnames.
Qrow looked back and forth between the teens, "Hey…"
Instantly weapons were pointed at him with hostile intent, except Ruby, Nova, and Luna, despite it all, they'd rather not turn a weapon on their own uncle.
"Woah, easy… I wanted to say, do whatever you think is right…"
Nova bit his lip, "I think there's only one real option we can take here…" he leaned his head to the side and glanced at his girlfriend.
Ruby nodded affirmatively, "Jinn, what is Ozpin hiding from us?"
The genie lady smirked a half-smile.
"NO!" came the sound of Ozpin's voice, but all faded to nothing as the moment they blinked, they were standing in a room of nothing but white.
(A/N: Here on is my take on the narrative for Ozma and Salem's tale, it's more or less the same but keep reading if you're interested, otherwise you can skip this to the point where I mark off)
"Once upon a time," Jinn's voice echoed as if coming from the air around them. "There was a lonely castle, that housed, a lonely girl…" the environment began to materialize before them like magic.
A grassy plain with a singular path running toward a grand castle, too complex in design to be replicated, but burned in the memories of everyone there for it looked very uncannily similar to Beacon Academy. The endless weapons, strewn about and lodged in the fields before the grand structure, as if a war had taken place.
"Her name… was Salem…" they could see now, a beautiful tall woman in a white dress, sporting blonde hair and aquamarine eyes.
"Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing… freedom." As Jinn told the story , each member of the team saw what was happening with their very own eyes.
"This was in a time long ago, when magic was free and given to all," they saw Salem materialize orbs of the elements and swirl them in her hands with amazement. Even after all this time, seeing magic in its actuality was unbelievable.
"Amidst all, there was one hero who stood out. The people knew him as, Ozma." A tall tan man in armour stood, his brown hair flowing in the wind as he proudly took up a stance, his cane in hand with a green crystal on its end. Qrow tried to touch him but his hand faded through.
"Unlike all the others before him, he fought not for the hand of Salem, but for righteousness and justice, and, it was his pure heart that prevailed where all others had failed. Together they escaped the fortress, and the man who'd fought his whole life for justice and good, had found himself lost in the eyes of the woman he'd saved. And the girl, who craved freedom, found it not in the outside world, but in the eyes of the man who'd rescued her."
Everyone in the team choked on their own air, gawking in awe at what they were seeing. Ozpin, or rather, Ozma and Salem… were… in love?!
"Where should we go now?" Salem asked, taking Ozma's hand.
"Wherever you'd like," he warmly responded.
The scene faded as Jinn continued to narrate, "The two fell in love, planned adventures, and lived happily ever after… at least, that's what should have been…"
Now they all saw Ozma laying in bed with his eyes shut, Salem kneeling at his bedside clutching his cane, "Ozma the infallible, got ill, and where all the blades of men and beast had failed, a single sickness won…" the body of Ozma dissipated into smoke and Salem was left crying her eyes out, desperately clutching the cane as if it were Ozma himself.
Ruby's heart stung as she watched Salem. She knew the pain of loss all too well… first her mother, then when Nova was thought dead, she had felt broken, torn apart on the inside with no will to go on.
"The gods that ruled the world, Light and Darkness, Creation, and Destruction. Salem prayed to them so that they would recognize the injustice that had been done. The domain of light was a sacred place where the god of creation would reside. It was here where Salem would come for aid, and it was here where mankind would fall to ruin…"
The scene showed Salem walking with Ozma's cane up a grand staircase to a volcanic crater, a pathway leading to a golden tree sitting in the middle of a lake, the ground, a blanket of golden petals.
Salem walked to the water and knelt before it, "Please, God of Light, hear my plea. Bring him back…" she choked out while offering the cane in humility.
Petals swirled from the tree and landed on the lake, from that spot materialized an entity of pure light, who bore no features except for horns on his head.
"I understand your pain, but I cannot do what you ask, for it will disrupt the balance. Life and Death are two halves of the whole, where one cannot exist without the other." The god of light explained.
"So… you won't do it?" Salem asked, her mind racing the question of why?
"I cannot for, you must understand, the balance of life and death is…"
"But you're a god… I just want him back… it's just one person… please…" she continued to plead.
"No, I will not. The cost of one life is too great to simply bring back. Let him rest." And with that, the god of light dissipated into petals and blew into the wind, leaving Salem clutching the staff in agony. She would have despaired had her mind not grown an idea.
If the god of light won't do it… then perhaps his brother…
"The god of darkness, none dared to enter his home as men knew what monstrosities emerged from his pools of annihilation. So, imagine his surprise when he found a line woman kneeling before him." The team saw the grotesque altar of darkness, with its purple rocks and bone strewn staircase. Creatures of Grimm swarming around like a hive
Salem knelt at the pool and out came a similar being to the one of light, except he was entirely made of darkness. His horns were different and his body writhed in horrendous forms.
The girl showed no fear as the monsters surrounded her, instead, explained to the god of darkness her plight, and made no mention of his brother.
The god of darkness complied and brought Ozma back from the dead, lying in the arms of Salem.
He gasped for air in panic, "Wha?! What?!"
Salem smiled warmly and held him, "It's alright… I'm here…"
Upon seeing the face of his beloved he instantly fell back asleep, though somewhat restless.
At that moment the god of light materialized in the domain of darkness, and the god of destruction was peaked with fury.
"Brother! Behold what I have done! You may rule the powers of creation but you do not own them!" The dark god said with pride.
"No, brother. This is wrong, that man was dead. You disrupt the balance by doing this…I will do what I must to maintain order." And with that, the god of light raised his hand and a beam shot out, killing Ozma into dust.
Salem felt her heartbreak again, tears forming in her eyes.
The god of darkness grew with fury, "HOW DARE YOU?! You come into my domain and exercise your power against mine? Such disrespect!" he then resurrected Ozma again out of defiance.
"You come here into my altar, and try to exert your judgment upon me, the moment a singular human comes to pray to me instead of you…" The dark god vented, swirling smoke around him until he was now a dragon of himself, on all fours with great wings and the face of a skull.
A flash of light erupted killing all of the nearby Grimm, and the god of light was now a long serpent-like dragon made of golden light. "This is not about that brother. This is about balance. Did this human not tell you how she came to me first seeking aid? I refused and she came here…"
The god of darkness looked to Salem in annoyance, "I see… forgive me, brother… allow me to correct my mistake…" and with that he blasted a beam of dark fire onto Ozma and Salem, disintegrating Ozma once more.
Salem no longer despaired, she was furious. "YOU MONSTERS!" she yelled to the gods, magic swirling around her, "GIVE HIM BACK TO ME! GIVE HIM BACK!"
She, however, was not given the chance to retaliate as in that instant she was teleported with the gods to the domain of light and plunged into the clear pool of life.
She struggled for air against the water and was pulled out, the two gods standing before her calmly.
"You who do not value the balance is now cursed… with immortality." The god of light said.
"Immortal…?" Salem asked, questioning as to why this was a curse.
"Yes… you will no longer be able to die, by any means. You will never be able to enter the afterlife and be together with your beloved."
Salem paled, "W-What?!"
"For your selfishness and arrogance against your creators, as long as this world turns, you shall walk it."
Salem found herself now alone in a desolate field, her world now nothing but an empty shell of itself. Without Ozma, she had no reason to live, yet she could not die…
"In all her turmoil, she found one thing… a realization. She a human, had turned the gods against themselves… they were… fallible…" Jinn narrated.
The scene now showed Salem in different kingdoms, speaking to royalty, "She spread tales and lies of how she stole immortality from the gods and asked any swordsman to cut her down. With the kingdoms in awe, wrapped around her finger on the promise that they'd never see their loved ones wither and die again, she was set."
Now they saw an army of soldiers from multiple kingdoms, running up the stairs to the domain of light, only to be met by the gods in the dragon forms.
Upon seeing Salem they felt their anger boil…
The humans demanded immortality from the gods, but when they were refused they launched an attack, intending to take it by force.
Magic was shot from every mage toward the gods, but the god of darkness easily caught the magic and collected it in his palm, "My own gift… used against me… how… ironic…" he crushed the ball of magic and in that instant, a pillar of darkness erupted from the skies and spread to every corner of the world.
All the soldiers were gone and all that was left when the light died, was Salem.
"We punished you and yet this is what you do? Turn our own creation against us?" The god of darkness vented.
"I'll tell the rest of the world… build a new army…" Salem countered with anger.
"You don't get it… there is no one left… you are that remains of humanity…"
Salem's eyes went wide with shock. Her plan had failed.
"This planet was a beautiful experiment for us, but it is a Remnant of what it once was… we will learn from this mistake… we hope you will to…" With that, the god of light was gone.
"You can't leave! YOU CAN'T LEAVE!" Salem pleaded in anger, but he had already disappeared.
"Still demanding of your creators…" the dark god said distastefully before flying into the sky, with a burst of power he shot through the moon, shattering it into pieces, the fragments falling to earth in a hailstorm of meteors, leaving Salem to cry in her despair amidst the endless destruction.
"Salem was left to wander the earth alone alongside the endless destruction," Jinn narrated, the scene now showing Salem wandering the endless wasteland of the earth with nothing but herself and the Grimm. "She cursed everything, the gods, the universe, everything but herself. She would wander the earth awaiting a death that would never come. Until… fate led her back to the land of darkness. She stared into the pool and thought, if the one of life gave her immortality, then the pools of Grimm would finally take it away…"
Salem plunged off the edge into the depths, hoping that she would die, or simply cease to exist, "But… this force of destruction could not kill a being of infinite life. Instead, it created a being of infinite life, with a desire for endless destruction…" Salem emerged from the pool, her skin pale white, and her eyes black like the Grimm.
"And in time, she would find her adversary…"
Now the team saw Ozma standing before the God of Light in a world of pure white.
"What's going on?" Ozma asked bewildered.
The god of light spoke, "A tragedy has befallen your world at the hands of my brother. Mankind is no more… but in time your kind will grow to walk the earth once more, but without us there, it will only be but a fraction of what it once was…"
"I don't understand…" Ozma said as he knelt on the ground.
"Creation, Destruction, Choice, and Knowledge. These were the ideals that mankind was created. I leave them in the form of relics. Should these relics be brought together, they will summon my brother and I, and mankind will be judged. Should you be found of resolving your differences, then we will once again live among you. However, if you are found to still be fighting amongst yourselves, then you will be wiped from existence… Until your task of resolving humanity is complete, you will reincarnate endlessly until it is done."
Ozma looked at himself, and then at the god, "Please, if I may. I would prefer to return to the afterlife and be with Salem, it means nothing to me if I return and she is gone…"
The god of light flinched though one couldn't tell directly, "You… will not find her in the afterlife."
"What...?"
"Salem lives, though the woman you once knew is gone. Be warned, where you seek comfort, you will only find pain and suffering…"
"Why me…? Alone?" Ozma asked, seeing the task as incredibly daunting for one person.
The scene now panned to Ozma waking up in the body of a man with white hair, defending someone from the Grimm.
"He didn't know…" Oscar murmured as he observed Ozma defending people from the Grimm. Ozma didn't know what Salem did to incur this…
Nova scoffed as he observed the scene, "For gods that preach about balance, to make a person who can never die goes against their own words. Sounds to me more like they didn't want to resurrect Ozma."
"Careful there, Salem." Hex said jokingly, but the argument was sound. Why would gods who endlessly pursue a balance between life and death, create a being that can't die, and a man who will eternally resurrect?
"As Ozma wandered the earth, he realized it was completely different from what he once knew. Without the power of the gods, humans could no longer use magic. A race that bore resemblance to the humans but with animal traits now existed, caged and treated like monsters.
What was curious was that the humans and Faunus seemed to exist, eras before Ozma's first incarnation, which begged the question in Nova and Luna's mind… just what exactly happened in that empty period of history?
"Through his years, Ozma would hear tales of a witch, and as fate would have it, he would be reunited with his loved one, and though neither recognized the other, they knew exactly who they were." The scene now showed Ozma and Salem reuniting in a broken house in the forest.
"They told tales of the events that led up to their reunion, leaving out some things. Ozma never told Salem about his deal with the gods, and Salem blamed humanity's destruction on them." Jinn continued.
"Salem would tell Ozma about the things they were capable of, they were only ones left with magic. They could create the paradise that the old gods could not… The hearts of men, are easily swayed…" Jinn now showed Ozma and Salem crushing a Nevermore with their magic, and appearing the humans like superheroes or gods.
"They amassed a following, and that following grew into a prosperous kingdom, and at the head of that kingdom… a family…" the scene showed the massive castle with Salem and Ozma, and four daughters.
"Are you sure what we're doing is right?" Ozma asked as he stood pondering while Salem observed humanity fighting wars through a crystal ball.
To the team, it looked like an ordinary skirmish, but given the estimated time period, it was possible that they were observing the War of The Four Kingdoms. Did that mean that Ozma, or Ozpin, was responsible for instigating the war? Was all the bloodshed his fault?
"You said we should bring humanity together. In order to do that, we have to spread our word, and destroy those that get in our way…" Salem said with a dark smile playing on her lips. Ozma felt a chill run down his spine, he knew in his years with her, that Salem was harbouring dark intent, but he was too blinded by love to see it.
"Daddy look!" one of the daughters came rushing in swirling magic around. This brought a smile to Salem's face, and a solemn look onto Ozma.
"Their daughters could perform magic, but what should have been a joyous occasion, was short-lived… Ozma told Salem everything, about the relics, about the judgment day…" Jinn continued to narrate.
"Don't you see? None of that matters. We can just replace the humans with what they could never be!" Salem tried to explain her ideas of wonder to Ozma, who simply viewed it as an act against the gods, an inhumane decision.
That night he tried to leave with the children to safety, but Salem was there. The team saw a battle ensue, with destruction and reckless abandon, the children being caught in the crossfire and amidst the bloodshed and broken caste, Ozma was left crawling on the floor bleeding out, with Salem sending him to the final blow.
"What followed Ozma was an endless cycle of rebirth and death. Through this, he learned the importance of living with the souls he was paired with, but no matter where he went, her influence was still there. He believed now he could fulfill his promise to the god of light and reunite humanity. He found my relic and asked me his questions. 'What are the powers of the relics?' and 'How do I kill Salem?'. And while I answered him to the best of my ability, not all of my answers were to his liking." The scene showed Ozma as a man in a pinstripe suit holding the relic of knowledge, asking Jinn how to kill Salem, and her response, "You can't."
Ozma was left on his knees in despair.
(A/N: And that's where that ends, carry on)
The scene faded and now they were back in reality.
"And that's the story of what Ozpin's been hiding from you." Jinn finished, taking up a seat in the air.
Most everyone was too shocked for words, still digesting it all. Ruby, Nova, Luna, and Weiss looked to be the only ones coherent.
"Would you like to know anything else?" Jinn asked curiously, resting her chin on her palm and looking intently at Nova and Luna, the two drags holding on to each other for support.
"What do you mean?" Nova asked hesitantly.
"Well, I told you what Ozpin's been hiding, but I am capable of one more question if you should choose to use it…"
Nova felt his skin begin to prickle, there was something about the way she asked it, that made him feel like she was insinuating for him to use that last question.
"No thanks… there are questions I want to be answered but I think we should save your last question for when it's important…" Nova said shakily; he felt rattled as if the decision he was making was… neither wrong nor right, it was… uneasy.
Qrow approached Ozpin, "All my life… no one wanted me. I was abandoned, you took me in… I thought… I thought you cared!" he threw a hard right, slamming into Oscar's face slamming him into the tree.
"QROW EASY! I know you're angry, but remember that's still also Oscar… don't hurt him…" Weiss pleaded, trying to get a hold of the man.
Ozpin stared at them starkly for a few moments until… nothing. "Ouch!" Oscar yelped rubbing his cheek in pain. If it weren't for his aura there would certainly be a bruise.
"What happened?" Ruby asked looking at the downed boy.
"He… he's… gone…" Oscar said looking confused.
"Huh…? What do you mean?" Weiss asked seeming like the only sober one.
"I don't know… it's like… he's just not there anymore. I can't feel him or find him in my head… it's just… me. It's almost as if he's locked himself deep within my head and I can't find him... I HATE THIS!" Oscar finished looking hollow, crashing his head into the tree he was leaning against in a desperate attempt to lodge Ozpin free as if the old man was a parasite.
"That bastard! We're not done with you Oz!" Yang yelled regaining her fury. Oscar flinched and Yang almost regretted yelling at the boy.
Jinn observed the altercation with amusement, "Well, this is certainly interesting~. Well… for the entertainment and because I haven't been free in nearly a hundred years, I can give you a freebie."
Now everyone turned back to the blue genie who they almost forgot was there.
"What are you talking about…?" Luna asked, releasing her hold on her brother and now approaching Jinn.
"If it's for you two, I can bend the rules a little, I'll just show because I think you deserve to know just a tiny bit about your roots."
Everyone was spun for a surprise when the room panned white again, this time there was no Ozma, only the Gods of Light and Darkness, standing on what was now materializing as the plain of the earth.
The world was dark and desolate, with barely any life. The clouds had gone, the grass of the plains were brown and dead. The soil was infertile and there was no life besides the Grimm.
"Brother, as much as it pains me, I believe I was a little excessive in my cleansing…" The god of darkness relented as they gazed upon the dead world.
"Humanity was our greatest accomplishment, and the actions of one should not have been the punishment of all. It was our own flaws that did this. In all of our strife for balance, we tipped the scales. For true balance, the world must be self-sustainable." The god of light said studying the world.
"We must try again, this world was dear to me…" The dark god responded solemnly.
"Then so we shall…" the god of light drew golden energy from his body and produced three gems, and then the god of darkness did the same. Each gem was shaped differently. A red oval-shaped gem that looked unmistakably like the Agniseki, a green hexagonal one, a blue emerald shaped gem, a white sharp dicone crystal, a luminescent yellow pearl, and a shadowy black pyramid.
The gods then poured their energy into the crystals until they all began to glow with their respective colours. "These gems shall be the foundation of the new world." The god of creation said as he levitated the six crystals into the air, and scattered them across the world.
As he did so, the light began to emerge in the world, it was no longer endless darkness. The wind began to blow, the waters of the dried rivers began to flow, the soil began to replenish and slowly warmth began to come back.
"The basic needs of life have been restored… now all that is left is to fill this empty shell…" The god of destruction said, "Well… not completely empty. She's still here is she not…"
The god of light glanced toward the sky and saw an image of Salem wandering the plains of darkness in her turmoil, oblivious to the changes occurring to the world as she was too swallowed by her own despair. "It seems she has not changed…"
"Be that as it may, humanity needs to be reforged, and sustained." The dark god said apathetically. He'd only intended to wipe humanity, but in his rage, he had wiped all sentient life from the world, a mistake that plagued him since the day they left the planet.
"Then together, let us give them, a second chance." The god of creation generated a new gem, this one was a burning orange that radiated warmth and energy, it felt powerful and condensed.
"The sun shall be the essence of life, for, without its warmth and light, life will not be sustained." The gem began to glow with the energy of the god's own power, erupting into a mass of heat that ascended into the atmosphere before dispersing outward in a brilliant blaze. The god of light had now resurrected life on the world, humans would evolve from their early stages in time, but until then the world would continue to sustain itself.
The god of destruction generated his own gem, a quartz-like crystal made of a pitch-black, at its core was a luminescent cyan blue. He glanced at the destroyed moon, its fragments still floating in the air as a reminder of his own rashness, "The moon shall be the essence of death. The embodiment of its cold and reflected light shall be a reminder of my mistake and a reminder that without death, there can be no life." The crystal imbued with the power of destruction flittered into the air and vanished without a trace, a biting cold wind blew through the atmosphere.
"So… that's how the world was restored…" Nitro said in awe as he dropped to his knees. For a human to witness the creation of the world, it was… mind-melting.
Nova and Luna on the other hand recognized the unmistakable gems, "Those are… the Fragments of Remnant…" Luna said gaping, struggling to grasp everything. The quartz that the God of Destruction sent out… it resembled what Onyx was wearing around his neck… the very gem that resonated with her powers…
The scene now moved to a new area, much greener earth, the darkness gone and life was beginning to spring up again. The forests were populated and the familiar sound of the fauna, birds and various animals, now resounded like a welcoming tune.
A host of animals stood before the two gods as they stood on the shores of a beach. Amidst them, all these stood out the most black bears, golden-maned lions that towered taller than a human, panthers whose fur looked a mix of black and dark purple, grey wolves, blue peacocks, yellow monkeys with large builds and long tails, speckled hawks and in the water were schools of fish, sharks, and turtles.
The animals seemed to instinctively know to revere the gods and kneel before them.
The god of creation then began radiating with power as magic swirled around him before settling over the animals like a shower of radiant glitter. There was no direct change instantly, but soon enough, a few of the animals began to change and morph into human-like forms of themselves, still sporting the features of animals but possessing majorly human bodies.
"The Faunus!" gasped Blake as she realized she was witnessing the birth of her own race.
The gods then turned to each other and took a portion of themselves out and combined them, the bright light mixing with the darkness until it formed a pure white orb.
The white orb of power then began to materialize and take the form of a person, much like the other animals, this person resembled a human but possessed alternate properties. The person, now perceived as a man, had shining silver hair, that seemed to glow white in the light. His eyes were mismatched dragon-slits, with his right being a bright yellow and his left a luminescent purple, akin to the colours of his creators. Atop his head was a pair of long black pointed horns that curled then spiked as if it were a merge of the two gods' horns.
The being knelt before the two gods.
"Listen, all of you. You were created to maintain the balance of the natural world, to protect the Fragments that we the gods have left behind. You, creatures of nature, are the bridge between the divine and the human realm, and you shall be lead by him." They pointed to the kneeling dragon.
Everyone looked to Nova and Luna in shock. That dragon was without a shred of doubt, their ancestor. The Dragons weren't just elected as the Faunus leaders, they were born from actual divinity, and set on that path. The thought didn't excite the two siblings, the prospect of being descendants of divinity unnerved them.
"Rise my son." The god of darkness said to the man.
"You were born from our power, you are our embodiment. Lead with wisdom and humility, for it is through you that we have placed our hopes." The god of creation explained.
"I will endure this task, but may I ask that I not do this alone?" The dragon answered calmly.
The gods looked at each other, "If that is your wish, but... guiding the others of your race to the path of restraint and balance lies with you." A few of the new Faunus began to glow with power until five stepped forward. A lioness Faunus then a male panther that looked rather burly, a thin hawk in the form of a young boy, and a tall deer man. "You six shall be the first bearers of our divine power. Watch over the world, maintain the balance in our absence."
"May I ask if you will ever return?" The dragon asked his creators.
The gods looked at each other again, then back at the dragon, "In time, we will return to judge both your kind and humanity. If the balance is not maintained, and your kind are found to have strayed from the path we have set you on, then you will be wiped. This goes for the humans as well."
The scene then faded and Nova began to grow flustered, "Wait I need more than this? What about the two other stones? What happened after that? How did we…"
"I can only answer one question," Jinn said as everyone came back to reality. "Please decide if that is what you wish."
"Wait… bro. Think about this. Don't use that last question on something that I think we might find the answer to." Luna said tugging on him though her eyes looked mystified.
"What do you mean?"
"Pages were missing from the book mom and I brought back… I think that's where those answers are…"
Nova bit his lip. He was curious, he was burning with desire for knowledge, he could see Blake as well looked lost and hungry for more. There was so much they didn't know.
The fact that they now knew how the original Faunus were created, it opened up even more questions like, how did the Faunus end up in this situation, how did they become enslaved? When did the fragments become lost? How did they get lost? What happened to the balance? What about the two fragments of life and death?
"When you decide on your questions, you know where to find me," Jinn said before disappearing back into the relic, leaving a stunned audience.
Luna helped Oscar to his feet, Qrow's punch seemed to have rattled him more than he let on. "I'm just going to be another one of his lives... aren't I...?" Oscar asked, hoping for reassurance even though deep down he felt otherwise.
The blue dragon's expression softened, "No you won't. You're your own person... you're so much more than he could ever be..." she smiled, holding out his cane which had fallen on the snow. Oscar looked at the item with a mix of distaste and involuntary comfort.
"Don't lie to him pipsqueak, we're better than that..." Qrow said grimly as he took a swig of his flask.
Luna almost unsheathed Galaxia and put one over her uncle had their situation not been as tense as it was. "Keep your head up Oscar... I'm... we're all with you, you're Oscar Pine, not Ozma or Ozpin or whatever the hell his name is."
Nova passed by and ruffled the boy's hair, "Come on, you will have time to mope about this later. We need to get moving."
"If we linger here any longer we're going to be caught in a blizzard and freeze to death. There's a path up there, let's see if it leads to a town." The old woman said, pointing to the cresting hill.
Hex quirked her eyebrow, "The skies are clear, and I thought you couldn't see?" she asked turning to the woman who was climbing onto Yang's bike.
The woman flinched, "My eyes are not fully functional, but I do have... moments of clarity."
The tech-wizard eyed her suspiciously but decided to brush it off. No sense in arguing when they're all already so emotionally drained.
The sun was bearing down on them providing some much-welcomed warmth, though the temperature still felt like it was dropping. If Nitro's eyes were any good, he'd say that the darkness on the horizon wasn't because it was getting cloudy, that perhaps the old lady was right and there was an approaching blizzard.
As they crested the hill overlooking the vast expanse of forested tundra, Weiss fell to the floor in pain, "ARGH!" she screamed out clutching her head.
"Weiss! What's wrong?" Ruby rushed to her side in worry, Nova followed up soon after.
"It's like... there's a ringing in my head!" she said struggling. A sharp noise like she was hit by a stun grenade had hit her like a truck, dulling her senses and momentarily disabling her, though she seemed to be the only one experiencing this. After a moment the noise subsided to a resonating hum, that seemed to change in pitch whichever way she turned her head.
"A ringing in your head? Like... white noise?" Nova asked, his eyes brimming with curiosity now that the Schnee looked like she wasn't in serious pain.
Weiss nodded, "How do you...?"
"I've been hearing it too. I thought it was just headache from the crash, it's not very loud, almost ignorable unless I focus on it, but since you're hearing it, then it must mean there's something else..." the dragon leader said with interest. The noise was very similar to when they first encountered the White Fang Research Lab on their first team mission...
Weiss stood up shaking, "It's coming from that direction..." she pointed Northward, along the path. The dragons and Blake could see with their Faunus eyesight, a frozen lake a few kilometers from where they were, and past that, a small village hidden behind a fence of pine trees.
Luna's nose twitched, "Guys I'm picking up a rotten smell coming from that place..."
Nova held his nose and so did Blake, "Something's down there..." Blake said ominously.
"This whole place is just giving me bad vibes," Nitro said shivering and rubbing his arms.
Nova had to agree, looking at the treeline he got a sinister feeling. It was as if they were being watched by something or multiple somethings. Normally he could tell if it was Grimm or human, but in the snowy wasteland with the ringing in his ears, his senses felt dulled and hindered.
"Come on, it'll be dark in a few hours we need to move," he instructed. Everyone geared up and began moving down the hill, with Qrow falling behind slightly, choosing to stray and drink from his flask as if he didn't care about survival.
The clear snowy expanse soon became densely populated with trees as they entered the forest. The air was still, and there were no familiar sounds.
"You know normal people would avoid the scary forest that has a bad smell," Nitro pointed out dryly, his normally straight hair had frozen on end and he looked slightly deranged.
Nova didn't smile at his friend's antics, his face was stone-cold serious, "Normally yes, but this is directly in our path to Argus, and unfortunately the only other option is to go around it and risk getting lost for days."
"Stay on your toes, I don't like this place one bit..." Ruby said clutching Crescent Rose in sniper form.
Nitro recoiled and fell behind with Luna and Hex as they helped tow Bumblebee, "At least there are no scray forest noises right?"
"That's a problem." Blake pointed out, her ears twitching nervously.
"How come? There's no wolf howlings or anything," Oscar asked, trying to get his words in so he could break the ice within his own heart. He figured attempting to voice his thoughts would help him fight his own emotional despair, he didn't want to draw in any Grimm.
"Kid, there's only one way a forest goes silent, as in completely silent like this. Animals cut noise to stalk prey but they also do it to hide. When the whole forest is quiet, it means there's something in the forest that scares everything. I've only come across this once... and I really hope I'm wrong about it..." Nova said darkly, his hands wandering to Helios at his hip.
Luna's eyes widened with fear, "No... it can't be..."
"Let's not jinx it yet. Come on, the lake's right there," Weiss said as they entered into a clearing in the forest. It looked more like a glorified pond but in the density of the forest, the size of the lake was the least of their worries, because it created a wide-open space with no cover. If they were to be attacked out here, they'd be sitting ducks for whatever was stalking them in the forest.
Upon seeing the lake in person, Weiss felt the sharp pain again, this time, instead of pounding at her head from all angles, it was coming from a directed point. The Schnee held up her right index finger and pointed to the center of the lake, "It's... coming from there..." she said clutching her head, the pain beginning to dull.
Nova glanced back at the team before taking a test step on the translucent surface of the frozen lake. The ice felt solid enough to walk on, despite its near transparency. "It's solid, and it might hold all our weight. Just to be safe though, hang back a bit. I'll give it a test..."
"Why do you have to be a scapegoat? What if the ice breaks and you fall in?!" Nitro pointed out in alarm.
"Because I can heat myself remember? I won't die from hypothermia if I take a little ice water." Ruby and Luna shared a nervous glance. They didn't like the idea but, it was a sound argument.
Nova cautiously walked over the frozen lake, scanning the ground for whatever was causing Weiss to act up the way she was. The ice proved to be solid as he crossed, though the ground felt as though it had no traction and he could slip at any moment. As he neared the very center of the lamina shaped lake, his eyes picked up a distinct glow at the bottom. It was faint and almost invisible had it not been for his dragon eyes. The more he focused on it, the more he lost sight of his surroundings. No one noticed the dark wispy shape skittering under the ice.
"There's something down there!" He called back, trying not to be overly loud. "I think I might be able to get it."
Ruby's eyes widened in alarm, "Nova Alexandrite Flareheart, you are not about to do what I fucking think you are!"
The dragon shot her a half-smile, "I'm a walking heater remember? I can stand a little cold water... I think."
Everyone facepalmed. This was not going to end well, they could feel it.
Ruby almost began thawing the snow around her with how much steam was coming from her face after watching Nova strip down to just his shorts. They'd been together almost a year and she still wasn't used to seeing him without a shirt on. In a desperate attempt to retain her sanity, she buried her face in Weiss' scarf, the latter of which just blanched in annoyance.
The dragon extended one of his claws on his left arm and began generating heat over it, careful not to cover his body lest he melt the ice from beneath him, and began sawing a hole.
"Diving in a frozen lake, I haven't even gone diving at the beach! I haven't even been to a beach!" he cursed as he mentally prepared himself, generating a layer of heat around his body before diving headfirst into the freezing waters. He would be leaving Helios behind with his clothes since he had nothing to attach it to in just his shorts, and swimming with the weapon would be cumbersome.
Under the ice was surprisingly illuminated, the water was clean and crystal clear as if it were purified, allowing the daylight to filter in unhindered. He almost wanted to open his mouth and check for himself, but that was probably a bad idea. The further down he swam in the surprisingly deep body of water, the brighter the blue glow became. As he finally reached the sandy bottom, he could make out, even at the depth, the coarse lakebed which held the most unusual environment. The sand at the bottom was pure white, there were no signs of life or vegetation, but there were endlessly strewn bricks and metal objects, pieces of iron, and what looked to be... bones.
Littered like a war-torn battlefield, whole skeletons were in various places around the lakebed as if at least seven people had drowned in the waters. The glow was coming from one skeleton, too small to be an adult. Given the fragile bone-structure and the diagrams from his mother's medical books, he could tell that it belonged to a child. The skull was damaged, fractures over the right eye at the forehead, teeth were missing and the arm bones had scratches on them, as if the child had been cut so deep it grazed his bones. The most curious part is, that the bones didn't look old, they seemed... new, as if the flesh had only recently been removed.
The skeleton was curled up in a fetal position, in its hands was a glowing object, a gem-shaped like an emerald but it was an ocean blue. As he removed the gem, he could feel a chill overtake his arm. The stone itself was generating a cold aura, and as he rested it in his left arm, the Agniseki on his hand began to glow in response, as if it was resonating with the jewel. To his surprise he almost dropped the gem, what he was holding in his hand was a Fragment of Remnant.
Quickly, he swam to the surface, popping his head out of the freezing waters, through the hole he'd made, and signaled for the others.
"GUYS! YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND!" He yelled beckoning them to him.
The team carefully filtered onto the lake with Nitro, Yang, and Hex staying behind with the old woman riding Bumblebee.
"What is it? What did you find?!" Blake asked with feverous curiosity.
The dragon held out the stone, the glow subsiding. Luna gasped, "That's one of the Fragments! Looks like the blue one the God of Light created! But... what's it doing here...?" she took the gem and rolled it over in her palm, before handing it to Weiss who admired it curiously.
"Why did a Fragment of Remnant make that ringing sound? And why were we the only two affected?" Weiss pondered, clutching the cold piece.
Nova shrugged, which looked weird considering he was still half in the water, "No clue, but we can figure this out later. Right now I really need to dry off. I might not be able to feel the cold, but my legs are getting a little stiff- WOAH!" he was about to exit the water when he was abruptly forced back down as if something dragged him.
"NOVA!" Ruby yelled in horror as she failed to react in time to catch him.
The moment Nova was pulled under the water, a loud series of cracks and thuds were heard echoing from the forest. The loud cawing of birds being thrown from their roosts as trees began to fall resounded like the bells of doom, a rhythm that signified a dark omen.
"Guys... I don't think we have time to worry about Nova..." Yang said nervously as her eyes were trained on the surrounding tree-line.
"Something's coming..." Blake said biting down on her lip and drawing Gambol Shroud.
Everyone equipped their weapon while the old lady hid behind Nitro, "You look like a strapping young man, I'll be in your care," she said climbing onto the taller boy's back.
"Oi! Why do I get the old lady?" Nitro complained equipping Atomizer.
"Quit whining gingerbread, you look after her, we'll protect you, that sound good?" Hex voiced back, her eyes glaring at the same spot Yang was.
Nitro was about to complain when the thuds grew louder, the distinct cracking of branches being trampled underfoot was now ringing out in their ears. Ruby and the others stood back to back on the lake while Qrow, Yang, and Hex guarded Nitro and the old lady.
Out of the trees, stalking toward them were the predators that silenced the forest. Beowolves came prowling out of the tree-line, snarling and baring their fangs. Behind the line of Beowolves came a four Deathstalkers and two Ursa Major.
"Someone call the Grimm Elite hit squad?" Nitro asked nervously as the Grimm slowly marched encircling them. It was unlike these Grimm to behave like actual predators instead of outright rushing them, it was as if they were waiting for something.
Suddenly the distant stomping grew louder, and the trees to the team's right broke down, and out of the forest emerged a Grimm none of them had ever seen before. It looked like the Nuckelavee, with the top half a skeletal humanoid Grimm while the bottom half was a horse. Unlike its predecessor, this one did not have long arms that extended to the floor, instead, its left arm was a long curved blade, while its right was a shield that looked like a Grimm mask. Its face bore no upright horns, instead its horns curled downward like a ram.
"Oh shit..." was all Oscar could say before the Grimm screeched an ear-piercing howl, and suddenly all the Grimm launched forward in a synchronized attack.
Nova didn't know what happened, one moment he was talking to his team, the next he was being dragged underwater at rediculous speeds before he was stopped. Instantly he was on alert. Whatever entity dragged him down, it had disappeared again. He wasn't sure how long his breath would hold, but if he turned his attention for a moment, he was afraid whatever it was would attack him again.
Within the freezing waters, his actions were limited, Helios wasn't with him so all he had for defence were his scales, his arm, and his powers.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a black shadowy figure flitter past. Reacting to it, he whipped around tried firing off a blast of fire. The eruption was slow and bubbled the waters but within the sub-zero temperatures, it seemed his flames were not as effective.
"Shit, I'm hindered down here..." he thought, looking around for the enemy. Whatever it was, it was stealthy, managing to hide itself in his blindspots within an area that had almost no cover... there was only one thing he knew that had that power, and he never would've expected to encounter it underwater of all places.
His lungs were burning for air, he needed to breathe, "Fuck it!" he yelled in his mind before making a mad dashing swim to the hole where he'd been pulled down. As he was about to break the surface of the water, he was dragged back down, this time he was able to see exactly what it was.
A wispy figure, its body seemingly made of sentient black cloth, its face was a Grimm mask that looked again to a skull with dagger-like teeth. It swam in the water effortlessly, like it was part fish. It had no distinct torso, but its only other appendage was a singular right arm with long sword-like claws.
"Well, if it ain't the one who gave me these scars..." Nova thought dryly. He wasn't sure if Grimm had memories, or even if they were capable of sentience, but the anger that flashed on the Phantom's eyes when he saw Nova confirmed, that Grimm do in fact hold a grudge.
Upon realizing that the person it was targeting was the very one that took its arm, it abandoned all hit and run tactics and rushed straight at Nova startling him. The dragon barely had time to react as the claws sank into his arm, trying to strip away at the flesh on his right shoulder thankfully his aura protected him from taking real damage.
"Fuck, I can barely move in this water, if I can't dodge then I might as well opt for defence..." he tried to let his scales overtake his skin so at least he would be able to defend against the attacks, but the more he tried concentrating on making them appear the more he realized that he couldn't.
The scales came out in patches but got stuck instead, becoming brittle and freezing up under the ice.
"What the fuck?! This isn't supposed to happen!" he cursed as the fiery scales slowly came out. It was exhausting him mentally to fight against the freezing temperature, and even with his heat being supplied, it was like he was trying to push a giant metal ball up a mountain.
"Alright fine, then what about this!" he tried summoning the powers of the Fall Maiden, his eyes glowing as he channeled the magical flames. A blast of fire shot out like a pillar, with speed and precision at the Phantom. The Grimm was not expecting to be blasted by flames underwater and was caught off guard, still with its mobility, it easily dodged, vanishing out of Nova's vision.
He would've celebrated the fact that he could conjure magic while simultaneously using the natural fire element to keep his body heated. His semblance had adapted his body to the limited oxygen, he was no longer feeling the intense burn in his lungs but he wasn't sure how long that would last. If it came down to it and he ran out of aura, both his elemental power and his semblance would stop working. The Grimm wasn't aware of this information, but if the fight dragged on long enough, Nova would lose through a battle of attrition.
Right now Nova was in a spot where he had no weapon and was fighting like a stationary target against an enemy that had both power and agility and could last longer.
Back up top, the rest of the team were chipping away at the Grimm while Ruby, Luna, and Weiss tried to tackle the giant creature.
The red reaper used her semblance to dance around the Grimm, trying to get into its blind spot, but its ability to rotate a full circle without moving its horse was proving to be too versatile. Weiss summoned a giant knight to lock the creature in combat while Luna worked around trying to force the Grimm to stand in one place. The Grimm easily blocked the knight's attacks with its massive shield while fending off Ruby with its sword. Luna attempted to attack the horse, just as they did with the Nuckelavee, but the Grimm seemed to be aware of the tactic, and leaped into the air, proving nimble for its size.
"Okay, we might need a new plan," Ruby said looking tired. Normally fighting like this wasn't a problem, but for some reason, it was taking a larger toll on her body than it usually did, the same went for everyone else.
Yang and the others who were fighting off the swarm of Grimm were beginning to look exhausted as if they were fighting while wearing heavy weights.
"I think this thing's plan is to wear us down then kick us while we're down!" Oscar yelled as he beat down a Beowolf.
Weiss shook her head, "No, this thing isn't that complex. There's something else at work here..."
"We'll figure this out later! Right now we need to take this thing out and get to my brother!" Luna yelled as she tried attacking the horse again, this time from the rear, only to be hit by the horse bucking its hind legs and clocking her in the face and sending her skating across the ice. "FUCK THAT HURT!" she yelled rubbing her nose.
Ruby studied the Grimm, observing its properties. It had full body control, strong defence, strong offence, and high mobility. There were three of them, and one of it... so how?
"RUBY LOOK OUT!" Weiss yelled startling the reaper. Ruby had a moment of panic as the Grimm's arm blade extended from its original length, growing in size at a rapid pace, hurtling toward her like a stinger. In an effort to save her friend, Weiss commanded the Knight to block the attack, incidentally shattering the construct.
"Thanks, Weiss!" Ruby called back as she scrambled to her feet. The Schnee shot her a thumbs up, but in reality, she was feeling shaky. The Knight was Weiss' strongest summon and under the pressure of battle, her aura wouldn't hold out long enough for a second summon.
"Guys! I think I can hold it down with my powers if we can just get it to sit still for a second!" Luna called back from her spot on the ice.
Ruby instantly hatched an idea, "Weiss can you make another one of those summons?"
The Schnee flinched, "I can try, but I only got enough for one shot left."
"That's all we need." Ruby said confidently, "Follow my lead and when I signal, you do your thing okay?"
Weiss deadpanned, her leader was as vague as always.
Ruby sprung into action, petal bursting around the creature, drawing its attention. She swiped down with Crescent Rose only for it to be blocked by the sword, but she wasn't aiming to harm it, just to distract it. The creature saw her as a flying annoyance and tried to knock her out of the sky, but Ruby was too quick, bouncing around. The red leader knew she was overusing her semblance and would feel the repercussions at any moment, but if she could just get it to focus...
The moment came, the creature extended its sword like a stinger and shot at Ruby, its shield was also focused on its rear to avoid unseen threats. "LUNA NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!" Ruby yelled to the blue dragon.
Luna extended her arms toward the Grimm and began focusing on the forces around it, her body began to glow a cyan-blue as did her eyes, and soon that glow enveloped the Grimm. "I...got... it...locked..." she said struggling to concentrate.
The Grimm, upon realizing it could no longer move, began thrashing to no avail. Still, the movements fighting against Luna's power was putting an incredible strain on the young girl.
"WEISS NOW!" Ruby yelled as she hooked Crescent Rose on the shield, pulling it down and anchoring it to the ice.
The girl in question used all of her remaining aura to summon the largest knight she could conjure, and brought its massive blade down on the Grimm's head, resulting in an explosion of white dust.
Luna and Weiss collapsed on their knees from exhaustion, "Is... it over?" Ruby asked as the dust cleared. She came to rest on the powdered snow that ran along the perimeter of the lake.
Their answer came in the form of a shrill screech, the Grimm was not dead.
Through the thick white, Weiss had but a fraction of a second to see the speeding blade piercing through the dust, aimed at her head. She was out of stamina, out of aura, and out of time. Was this where her story ended? The infamous Weiss Schnee's last moments would be on a frozen lake in the middle of nowhere at the hands of a nameless Grimm? As a Huntress, Weiss was prepared to die at any time, but for this moment, the only thought that rang in her mind was, "I don't want to die!"
The Fragment in her possession began to glow once more, a hum that did not try to attack her, but instead calmed her mind, and as the blade inched toward her face, Weiss felt no fear. Everyone watched in wonder as the gem glowed a luminescent blue, and the hurtling sword was stopped a hair strand's distance from Weiss' face. When the smoke finally cleared, the large Grimm was frozen solid.
Underwater, Nova could hear the gunshots and blasts from above the ice, the sound of his team in battle, but he couldn't worry about them when his focus was on survival.
The Phantom reappeared in Nova's line of sight, and he instantly shot a blast of magical fire. The Phantom swam out of the line of fire but Nova kept blasting in the direction of its movement, trying to predict its patterns, but with every blast, Nova was becoming more and more exhausted.
The phantom saw the opportunity, the moment the blasts stopped, and went in for the kill. Nova tried in vain to dodge, but its speed coupled with his own lack of energy was too much to handle, and the claws of the beast carved right up the middle of Nova's chest, his aura shattering instantly.
Now that his aura was depleted, Nova began to feel the burning sensation in his lungs again. His body was beginning to fail him, and he had mere seconds of air left before he would drown. His only option was to commit a kamikaze attack, to bring the Phantom down with him, or hope that his friends would win their battle and come to his aid.
The Phantom, on the other hand, had other plans. It wasted no time, now that it saw that the dragon was incapable of firing attacks, and moved in for its final strike. It slithered toward Nova, slowly, as if relishing the moment that its triumph would occur, knowing fully well that danger had passed. All it had to do now was move its claws a few inches in and strike, but it wasn't expecting its seemingly lifeless prey to still have a spark of life in it.
The moment the Phantom was within range, Nova used his last ounce of strength and drew on the Agniseki, draining at whatever was left in his body to deliver a five-clawed strike directly into the Grimm's wispy body. The seemingly intangible torso burst into flames, aided by the magic of the Maiden's power, incinerated the Grimm underwater.
"See you in hell I guess" were Nova's last thoughts before his vision began to fade.
It made no sound as it died, or at least, Nova didn't hear anything as his consciousness faded, the carbon dioxide in his lungs escaping in bubbles as he no longer had the strength to swim to the surface. He couldn't even register the feeling of arms wrapping around him as he was being pulled to the surface.
Tell me what you guys think about the creation of the Faunus. Rewatching Volume 6, they never really explained much. Even though they told us a lot, there are so many gaps in the story that I think were left out purposefully. It just gives me so much creative room, you have no idea.
Til next time, let's hope I can stay on schedule.
