Chapter 4
In this chapter, I'll be going into the two groups that will decide the fate of Remnant and also introduce some people who'll play a unique role in the game of chess that the Witch and the Wizard. Now let's begin!
Beacon Academy.
Ozpin's Office.
The resident headmaster was gazing out of his office windows and looked at the city of Vale as he could imagine the civilians walking to their homes and work, enjoying the happiness they were able to create in these dark times, especially since he knew that this beautiful peace couldn't last forever. Not as long as the war between him and Salem continued.
He was about to take another sip of his coffee when he heard the doors open as Glynda came into the office with her scroll in her hands while looking at a video on the screen. Ozpin knew that Glynda was very worried about Issei's condition since she had seen the boy as if he was her son in all but blood, which made him happy that Glynda could have a son of sorts even if she weren't able to have a child for two reasons.
"How is he? Is Issei doing well, given his new arm and left eye?" Ozpin asked as both of them knew that Issei lost his left arm when he used the powers of the sword that was blessed by the Brother of Light which did work in killing Queen Chompy; however, they were not aware that Issei had lost his left eye as well due to the light clashing with his darkness despite the sword allowing him to wield it only temporarily.
Ozpin had to call in Ironwood to acquire a new eye and arm for Issei. Granted, the Shadow Dragon within him wasn't exactly pleased with Issei having to need new appendages due to his actions, but Luna was delighted that lives were saved due to her master's actions. Luna tried to give Issei a dragon arm and eye, but she could not due to the traces of the sword's light still within his body. She could not purge it, but Issei told her that it was okay since it would remind him to be careful from now on when it comes to magic.
Luna didn't like the idea, but she obliged him and noticed that the light wasn't harming his body but remaining in his left eye and arm. She was curious why it wasn't trying to fight the darkness, so she would observe it and watch what it did to her host.
Glynda made sure that Issei was able to get prosthetics that were operational and functional for his fighting style. Issei managed to get an arm that had a built-in Gatling function that allowed him to load it with multiple bullets, which Issei liked since he was able to give the arm a hidden blade that would be helpful when pinned to the ground.
As for his eye, it was a difficult and painful procedure, but Issei was getting adjusted to it since it was a bit odd for the boy. Still, thanks to his friends and Luna, with Glynda helping in the background, he learned how to use his new eye features, such as night vision, checking heat signatures, and seeing the aura levels of others.
Issei was still recovering from the procedure while getting adjusted to his new body parts but was grateful to the deputy headmistress for all that she had done for him. That made Glynda smile at the young boy since she was happy to help him by being his mother figure. She saw Issei's nightmares about the night he died back in his world and comforted him when he began to cry in her arms or lap when he told her about the monsters.
Glynda knew she could only offer him so much comfort, so she hoped that Issei's team could fill in the hole in his heart. She turned to Ozpin and dried her eyes before replying to him.
"He's recovering well and will be able to attend classes tomorrow. This past week was easy for him since it was the introduction week for all new students and the teachers were helpful when he was doing his schoolwork. Yang, Blake, and Pyrrha have been good to him and helped him adjust to his new appendage and eye, while Team Rainbow had helped him when he struggled to fight, which is understandable given his Sacred Gear and changing his fighting style." Glynda said as Ozpin took in how he was bonding with his new teammates and his new friends.
Ozpin nodded, saying that he was glad Issei was recovering well from his procedure and was getting along well with his teammates until he felt the room atmosphere shift as he felt the doors lock behind the two before he saw a circle open up on the floor as a figure leaped from the hole and landed gracefully on the Office floor until they stood up and walked into the light.
"Hello, Ozma. It's good to see you are doing well. How is your new Pawn doing after his battle with the Chompy Queen? Is he trustworthy to know about the true battle in Remnant?" The figure asked as Ozpin turned around to look at the figure in all its glory.
The figure was a tall girl, about Lie Ren's height, and had long light brown hair with Forest green eyes. She was wearing a ninja attire similar to both Ren's and Issei's Mistral attire while wielding a Naginata that had the phases of the moon carved into the staff of the weapon.
This was a Maiden Guardian. Originating from Mistral, the Maiden Guardians were a clan that swore to protect the Maidens from harm by others and stopped the Maidens themselves when they wished to use their power for other purposes besides helping Remnant and the people within its land. They even protected the Relics that were left behind but sadly that the Witch's forces had reduced the clan to the last remaining descendant of the Guardians.
"I believe he is trustworthy, Misaki. Green behind the ears? Yes, but he's a good person in body and spirit. Give him a chance, and I'm sure you'll see it." Ozpin said as he looked at the stopwatch attached to his left pocket before seeing the hour hand on the twelve while the minute hand was on the thirty-minute mark. "Thirty minutes remaining. Anything else you wish to ask me, Misaki?"
Misaki looked at Ozpin a bit longer before sighing at the man before her. "I have some news to report about the Witch and her army. She's had a Queen right under our noses the whole time, and it's someone we should fear because she is not someone we can underestimate." She said with fear in her voice, shocking the Wizard as he asked the guardian.
"Who is she?"
"She calls herself Cardinal. The Vampire Queen of the Witch."
Branwen Bandit Camp 3 of the Branwen Clan.
"Gah!" A bandit yelled as he was kicked through the gates of the campground. The inside of the campground was littered with the deceased bodies of humans as blood painted the dirt and grass wet with blood before a humming sound was heard in the destroyed campground. Inside the leader's tent was a severed head that served as the leader of the camp Raven Branwen was assigned to that area because of their skills and loyalty.
The head was fiddled with by a woman who was admiring the head of her victim while feeling the tiny mark that was on her chest. She had long wild blood red hair that reached her bottom. Her eyes were burning and hit red like a fire burned within her as her irises were like a cat's. Her short-sleeved short shirt revealed her impressive bust from Atlas, while her short shorts were black with tailcoat extensions behind her. Light brown stockings covered her slender legs while her feet were inside silver high-heeled shoes that had an ankle protector on top of it. Her revealed stomach was covered by a thick set of Grimm armor, as well as her massive bust that made sure Fake Maiden felt envious of the woman's appearance. Overall, her body and clothes made her look like a true hunter.
"Hm. Not bad. My older sister sure knows how to choose worthy people to defend these insects, but sadly he fell just like the people who followed their supposed leader." The woman said as she set her head down before taking out a small notebook from her bust and flipping the pages to a map of the clans until marking the one she was in right now.
"That leaves two camps left of the Branwen Clan. I hope you are ready for the family reunion, big sister. Cardinal is coming to say 'Hi' to you and the rest of my family." She said before spitting the last with venom in her tone until she stepped out of the tent to see the Grimm enter the camp and take away the corpses of the fallen Branwen camp.
"Take the corpses to Watts and Lady Salem. They wish to continue the tests on the Grimm Pools and humans." Cardinal said as she commanded the Grimm with an air of authority around her as the Grimm nodded, as did her servants, before looking around the back area of the campground.
"Where in darkness is that Ancient Grimm?" Cardinal asked herself before she felt a shadow portal open in front of her. Stepping out of the doorway was a tall white-haired woman who looked about 17 years old with short white hair and crimson red eyes. She wore a witch-like attire that included a black witch hat and was dressed in dark purple on the inside while sporting a few skulls on the shoulders of her dress. Her legs had fishnets on them while wearing comfortable but very durable brown boots along with a hunting knife in its sheath tied around her leg.
"Hi-Ya Cardinal. How's my best friend doing today?" Ashe asked happily as Cardinal sighed at the eccentric witch Grimm since she knew that despite her looks as a human, she was immortal like her mother. The Brother of Darkness blessed the latter instead of cursing since Ashe was the first follower of the Darkness for a long time since Ashe had a strong desire to learn about the darkness and the Grimm. The Darkness was touched by the woman that he blessed the girl with knowledge and power and the immortality gift, which Ashe loved since she could expand her capacity beyond her limits.
"I'm doing fine, Ashe. This is the third camp out of the ten Branwen Camps that the Branwen Clan created, but this was more of a challenge since the other seven were weak and boring. They might as well have been pebbles trying to move a mountain." Cardinal said with annoyance as Ashe laughed as if Cardinal had made a joke before speaking to her.
"I'm not sure they could meet your standards in ten lifetimes. Now, any information on our Bandit Queen we'll be killing soon? I want to try and find the other Ancient Grimm if they are still alive, that is." Ashe asked as she wanted to find the other four members of the Ancient Grimm since meeting Arachne and Scylla strengthened her resolve to see the other members of the Seven Ancient Grimm.
Cardinal understood the witch's desire to find the other ancient ones before making a so-so motion. "Not much info except that the so-called 'Maiden Guardian' is meeting the snake at his pit."
"You mean Beacon Academy? Oh, I love that school. Not too hot or cold. Wonderful people, I can explore Vale to my heart's content."
"Tch. It's just the snake's home where he deceived the staff and his little friendship circle into following him. The old fool is nothing more than a liar and a killer who's led more people to their death and has done more harm than good. I should know. My sister and my brother tossed me aside and left me to die. All because they were too busy aiding their precious master, and the clan hated me for being weak." Cardinal said as she let her aura loose until Ashe pulled her into a hug and gently rubbed the vampire's head.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay. Remember what I said to you before, Cardinal? We're in this together. We'll show them. We will show them all." Ashe whispered in her ears as Cardinal cried into her first and only friend's arms as she let down her guard and cried her tears of sadness and anger towards her birth family, her hatred of the Wizard, and the words that her siblings said to her before her banishment and death.
Ashe didn't mind the tears as she hugged the girl and looked at the sun. 'I'll never let this girl feel depressed or lonely again. I know that feeling very well from a long time ago, and I'll be damned if I let that happen to someone who's just like me. I was able to find happiness in the Brother of Darkness who took me in, so I'll help Salem to stay and save my friend from becoming a real monster.'
The Ancient Grimm Witch Hunter and the Queen of the Vampires are good friends who know each other very well.
Remnant GrimmLands. Home of the Grimm.
Salem was looking at the chessboard she laid out before her until she saw Arachne walk inside the throne room with a body bag that was tied to her abdomen due to the bag struggling and kicking to get out of the sack. Salem was surprised by this because the Spider Grimm said she was looking into potential recruits for their army since their forces only had a few talented individuals who could fight, such as Tyrian, Cinder, Cardinal, and Hazel.
Salem and the other Ancient Grimm were working on amassing their Grimm army and granted their efforts to upgrade. The Grimm are doing well. Still, even the greatest of Grimm could only do so much against harsh elements and the increase in technology from Atlas, so they needed generals who would be able to lease armies and aid them in battle. Salem knew that Cinder and Tyrian were loyal to a fault, while Hazel and Watts had reasons for joining her. Ashe, the first Human Grimm, was a powerful ally for their group, but even with the Ancient Grimm Arachne and Scylla, their forces were still spread thin.
'I have Watts and Ashe as the Bishops of my faction. Hazel is, without a doubt, my best Rook. Tyrian and Cinder serve well as my Knights. My Queen is doing very well in her training and continues to follow my commands. Cardinal is a strong woman, but I still need a few Pawns and a Rook to ensure our victory against Ozpin. His inner circle is diminishing very quickly, and he doesn't have many followers who will aid him, which gives me a chance to take his precious school and the relic away from him.' Salem monologued in her mind until she saw Arachne walk towards her before cutting the strings that held the bag before it fell onto the floor.
"I believe I found a potential member for our little group, so I picked up a vicious little girl. She's a biter, believe me." Arachne said as she brought out a teenager who was a Faunus. She had a shaved head, dark-green grayish mohawk, and yellow eyes. She wore a dark green collared shirt with a dark brown corset with a strap attached to a narrow belt around her thigh, black and gray striped trousers, and black shoes. In addition, she wore dark brown fingerless gloves and carried a large stopwatch with her.
Her Faunus trait was patchy shady green scales all over her body and face. She had an x-shaped scar on the left side of her head, black polish on her nails, and sharp metal teeth with two screws.
"Tch. Bite me. The names Tock. I just won a billion yen until this bitch kidnapped me from my apartment!" Tock yelled as she flipped Arachne, who was only smiling at her.
"My dear. I decided to volunteer you to aid my friends and me in….recreating this world. I promise to pay you well. How's that sound?" Arachne asked as Tock spat at her, making the Grimm giggle at the crocodile.
"Tch. And what do I get?"
"A place of your own with your team. Doesn't that sound grand?" Arachne said as Tock looked at them for a moment before she nodded. "Fine. But I work alone. So tell me. Who's Mrs. Goth Queen?"
Salem chuckled darkly at the nickname before speaking to her. "Have you forgotten about me already, Tock? I mean, we met only a couple of months ago." Tock raised a brow before she recognized Salem's facial features and paled severely. "O-Oh fuck me..."
Tock slapped herself before looking at her. "What do you want this time Salem?" Tock asked in an annoyed tone as Salem spoke to her.
"Now, is that any way to speak to the person who saved you from dying when you almost were beaten by a silver-eyed woman?" Salem asked as Tock growled at the reminder before she barked back at her.
"That bitch was lucky! If it weren't for my damn semblance timing out, then I would've been able to finish that bitch off!" Tock said as she got close to Salem, which altered Arachne for a moment until Salem put out a hand to stop her.
"Yes, I am aware of that. That's why I saved you since you had the most potential of your other teammates. Now it's time for you to repay the favor you owe me. Help me, and I promise you a place of your own where you can lead your team. Say….Meangiere?" Salem asked as Tock was shocked that she would've been given a team in the Faunus land before gasping at what she meant.
"You've got to be shitting me. You want me to kill the Belladonna Family and the White Fang?" Tock asked as Salem shook her head.
"Yes and No. I want you to kill the Belladonna Family, but as for the White Fang, I want you to kill Adam Taurus and recruit Sienna Khan. We'll need her army for the breach we'll be doing in Phase 2 of the plan. Do you accept this Tock?" Salem asked as Tock considered her options before pondering the offer and what the woman was asking her until she rubbed her head and sighed.
"Okay. Who's coming with me?"
"Cardinal. She's good at eliminating people when I ask her to."
Tyrian was clashing with Hazel as part of his training since he wanted to be prepared to face more powerful enemies who would defy his Queen, so he wanted to make sure he was ready for anything Ozpin's forces threw at him. Hazel was training to improve his durability and fighting style until the two of them heard the doors open as they stopped to see both Cardinal and Ashe return from their mission.
"Ah. Cardinal. Ashe. Welcome back. Did the mission go well?" Hazel asked as Cardinal smiled and nodded with glee.
"Oh yes. Very well. Raven Branwen is gathering the remaining troops from the second to last camp to her own, so she can be prepared for the butcher to come and kill those lambs. Honestly, it's pathetic how my sister has been doing this whole time. Wasting away in a clan that no one cares about or truly fears in the underworld." Cardinal said as she gave her report to Hazel before following the two of them to the throne room, where they saw Watts, Arachne, Scylla, and Salem speak to another Faunus that none recognized until the Witch turned to them all and smiled.
"Good. I'm glad that all of you are here. We have much to discuss, but before we get into that, I'd like to introduce you to our newest recruit. The bounty Hunter Tock. She's infamous for her brutal kills and has a powerful semblance that'll be useful for our cause." Salem said as Tock waved at them before the group took their seats at the table until she pulled out a Remnant map and pointed to Meangiere.
"Now that we're all together let's discuss Phase 1. Cinder in Vale is doing an excellent job gathering the Dust and the information we need on the schematics for the Vytal Festival since it will be held in Vale this year. Phase 1 also includes having our little mole in the White Fang since Meangiere may be small, but it has Faunus who despise the humans more, which we can use to our advantage. As for the White Fang leader Sienna Khan, I wish to negotiate with her in hopes of having her aid us. If not, we'll kill her and have Tock and Tyrian take her position, especially since the Belladonna family will be unable to do anything about it. Ghira has gotten old and weak due to his retirement from the White Fang before becoming a politician, but his wife is fierce, so be cautious with them. Do you accept this, Tyrian? I know I had you assigned to hunt the Maidens."
"But we need the manpower, and I don't trust this Roman Torchwick, nor do I believe in that small group of Faunus that is with that Adam Taurus. He isn't trustworthy and is far too obsessed with his affair with the Belladonna girl. If he dies, then his corpse can be used to make an interesting Grimm." Salem said in a bored tone as she looked at Cinder's report before Tyrian gleefully agreed to do as Salem asked of him, which made the witch nod in thanks to him until proceeding with the meeting.
"Next item on the list. The Maidens. We are aware of Winter in Atlas and dying of old age, but thanks to our intel, we know that Winter Schnee is being trained to be the next. Fall is still alive, barely, and under Beacon Academy. Summer is unknown, but Spring is an interesting one since I have a feeling I know who has it. Cardinal. I was hoping you could eliminate the remains of the Branwen Clan as soon as possible but leave Raven Branwen alive. Let her run away with her pride damaged from your new strength. Should you find any useful corpses or those with strong semblances, could you bring them to Watts? Is that clear?" Salem asked as Cardinal smiled and nodded at her.
"Of course. I'll gladly kill them all for you, mother, but may I ask a foolish question?"
"Of course. Speak your mind."
"Uh, well, it's just that. Why allow my former sister to live when she's weaker than me?"
"Because I have reason to believe that she is the Spring Maiden, but I need to confirm it, which is why I want you to push her against the wall so that she'll be forced to use magic possibly. Is that satisfactory for you?"
"Oh! Of course, mother. I expected nothing less from you." Cardinal said with admiration one would see in a child as Salem smiled at her before turning to Hazel.
"Hazel. I need you to go with Arachne in hopes of learning anything about the other relics since we have little to no knowledge about their location beside the Staff of Creation which is used in Atlas." Salem said as Hazel nodded in reply before the Witch let them all go to carry out the missions that they'd been given before; she walked to the throne in her meeting room and sat in the large seat until she saw a massive set of tentacles shoot out from the meeting table and wrapped them around Salem's waist before Scylla appeared in front of her.
"Hello, Salem. I'm glad to see you are well. I have some interesting news you might find intriguing." The Kraken-like Grimm smiled with a massive set of teeth as she snapped her fingers and summoned a gigantic Grimm that reminded Salem of the Knight Grimm that lived in the coliseum of the Forever Forest.
The massive Grimm strode beside the Kraken, flanking her side like the ancient men-at-arms of Remnant's extinct nobility, but there was nothing noble about the beast Salem saw. It wore a broken white mask over its face. The Grimm was a wild thing, which explained that it was built for brute force and crushing opponents seeing that it was heavily muscled and covered in chitinous growths. One of the berserker's hands ended in a spiked mace head of white bone, while the other had a massive chain wrapped around the enormous arm and hand.
"So this is what you wished to show me? A Grimm?" Salem asked as Scylla giggled at the witch before explaining everything to her.
"No. This is just one of the experiments that Watts and I have conducted in his laboratory and the Grimm Pools. We figured that by taking the bodies of humans and dumping them into the Grimm Pool then, we could convert them into powerful and useful soldiers who can have enhanced abilities as well as become loyal Grimm to our cause. I took this one from Forever Forest after Chompy Queen was killed. A shame, really, but the corpses she had were very useful for our experiments." Scylla chirped before Salem observed the new creature until she smiled at it.
"Incredible. Continue your experiments with Watts on the corpses that Cardinal brought in recently so we can make more soldiers for our army. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I need to see what my knight is doing in Vale." Salem said as she summoned a Seer to communicate with Cinder about her progress in Vale. At the same time, Scylla left with the massive Grimm next to her before meeting with Watts in his laboratory, where there are many tubes with human bodies in them that are either corpses or half head but what makes them so unique is that all of the pipes are filled with the water from the Grimm Pools that are changing the people into mutated creatures that only have one purpose.
Serving the Witch and her allies in battle.
Atlas Academy
Winter was training in using the small amount of magic she could use, thanks to the transfer system that General Ironwood used to send a quarter of the Winter Maiden's power into her body. The Schnee Specialist didn't want to take control of the Winter Maidens power, but Fria knew that she had very little time left in the world and wanted to have someone worthy of the power she had wielded for so long.
But still, Winter didn't agree with how she should feel about using the Winter Maiden's power since she believed she was far from worthy of that kind of power due to her choices in life and how she was unable to do anything to stop her father after he took over the company. When she was a little girl, she admired her grandfather, who built the company from scratch and built mutual trust between his workers, which is what she greatly admired about him. Still, after hearing how Jacques came into power and tarnished the Schnee name to fill his own pockets and abuse his new capacity, Winter knew she couldn't live with that monster in human flesh.
Winter's dream at first was to be a hero of sorts like her grandfather was, which led her to become a specialist in the Atlas army in hopes of being able to become General one day and lead her people to prosperity after using her resources to find anything she could use against her father and throw him into prison where he truly belonged. However, that was difficult due to Ironwood being the general and how the council depended on Jacques for his 'services' in distributing the Dust at ridiculous prices.
'Tch. And here I thought I couldn't hate my father more than before.' Winter said in her mind as she blasted the final obstacle with pure ice magic from the palms of her hands which made her smile at her achievement before wiping the sweat on her brow.
"Not bad, Specialist Schnee. Your body is getting accustomed to the Winter Maiden's power nicely. Take a break and do your paperwork before training some more. Your body is adjusting to the quarter of the Maiden's powers you have in you right now, but to take in more of Fria's power, your body needs to adjust itself to its strength before you can take in more." Ironwood said as Winter nodded in reply before walking to the showers and began to moan a bit from the warm water hitting her cold skin.
She may be an ice Queen, but she's always admired a warm shower since it helps her relax when she's stressed from either work or training.
"Honestly. I needed this. I can feel the magic inside me like it's asking me to release it all at once. My skin even feels colder than it was before gaining these powers." Winter said as she saw the water hit her skin which caused some steam to leave her body as she scrubbed her body with her favorite soap. "Perhaps I can use my title to see my sister before the Vytal Festival. I'd love to catch up with her since we've only been able to chat in the letters she sent me."
Winter knew her relationship with her sister was rough due to their career choices and that she wasn't precisely sister of the year, but she wanted to still be there for her little sister, so she tried chatting in texts and letters. It surprised her that Weiss wasn't the leader of her team, but she was saying that her new team leader, Ruby Rose, was a competent leader who was green in some areas, but Weiss believed that she could help her team leader do better in those areas.
Winter had no idea that she was smiling that day when she heard how Weiss was teased by her teammates Nora and Ruby but also made friends with another team led by Issei Hyoudou. The Specialist was amazed by how this boy was from a destroyed village in Mistral but had incredible skills in tactics and power. She could admit that the boy had some charm that would make her see him as a cute boy since he had a face that reminded her of a puppy she loved as a child until it mysteriously 'disappeared' after her father learned of its existence.
Winter was taken out of her thoughts by hearing the lunch bell for all the workers rung as she realized that she had been in the showers for too long, so she left quickly and dried off before seeing her reflection. She gasped lightly as she saw her sky-blue eyes shine a bit brighter as the water in the air around her began to freeze.
"I need to inform Ironwood of increasing my training and to gain another quarter of her power," Winter said to herself as she charged towards her general's office to inform him of her growth.
Glynda looked at her son train in the arena with his new arm as he fought with Ruby in a one-on-one battle. Issei wanted to improve his fighting style to get used to his new arm and eye, so he took the challenge head-on. Issei dodged the swings thanks to his unique vision helping him read her movements but seeing and dodging the attacks at the same time took Issei some training that even Luna needed to aid him in the battle since he was so used to fighting with his sword and shadow weapons.
'That damn scythe is so cool and yet so annoying. Her speed also helps her swing her weapon faster than normal. No wonder Ozpin wanted her to come to the school early.' Issei said mentally as he created a shield to block the bullets before touching his shadow.
'Now!' Issei said as his eyes glowed purple before he saw his shadow vanish while Ruby rushed at him, but before she could deal the finishing blow to her opponent, a scythe blocked her Crescent Rose.
"What the? Huh?" Ruby asked herself as she looked at a carbon copy of herself, but the Ruby Rose before her had a more goth look since her doppelgänger's red tints in her hair were now purple while her clothes were also similar to a goth's style.
The goth Ruby smiled at the original as she twirled her scythe and pushed Ruby Rose away before attacking her with relentless speed and power that Ruby didn't know she had within her. Ruby got away using her semblance when her doppelgänger got too close for comfort, but the goth Ruby charged with insane physical strength alone on par with Yang.
"This is insane. The way she fights is similar to Yang's instead of mine, but I also noticed that she couldn't seem to use my semblance, but why? And how is she copying my fighting style?" Ruby asked herself as she gasped from Goth Ruby, closing the gap between them before she grabbed Ruby's shirt and slammed her to the ground until she felt her small body get sliced by a flurry of slashes from Goth Ruby's scythe.
The buzzer sounded as Ruby looked up to see that the Goth Ruby was vanishing, and once she saw Issei, Ruby gasped as Issei's face looked pale, as if he was drained of an insane amount of aura.
"Ah! Issei! Are you okay?" Ruby asked as she rushed towards him while Issei waved off her concern.
"I'm fine. Really. That new technique I developed with my semblance just took much more out of me than I thought." Issei said as he sat down on a bench with some water as he was trying to catch his breath and calm down until he saw Ruby sit next to him, curious about the other Ruby she saw earlier in the fight.
"Hey, Issei. What exactly is your semblance? I'm curious since I'm confused about how or where that other me came from." Ruby asked as Issei chuckled to himself before responding to her question.
"Well, my semblance is Shadow Manipulation, allowing me to send my shadow into another person's shadow. I can either create a doppelgänger of the person to fight in my place or control said person as a puppet, but either technique takes a lot of aura out of me, so I only use it for emergencies. I've only tested it out on animals, so this was my first time using it in both a spar and on a person. I apologize if you feel uneasy about me, but I need to develop other abilities to compensate for my loss of limbs. Sure I still have my cloak and sword, but I need to learn how to get the upper hand on my opponents." Issei explained as he felt his strength return before he slowly began to sit up a bit more Ruby was in awe of the explanation until he patted her head.
"Thank you. I'm excited for the third week of our first year together since I can tell this'll be exciting. For all of us." Issei said as he walked back to his dorm with Ruby as she punched a fist into the air as she agreed with him.
"Heck Yeah! Team RRNW(Rainbow) and Team IBPY(Ebony all the way! Let's do this!" She cheered as the duo left the arena but as soon as they were both about to pass Glynda, Issei stopped and had his head down with his eyes covered by the shadow of his bangs. Ruby was curious as to why Issei stopped until he spoke to her with his smile.
"I apologize, Ruby, but you can go on ahead. I needed to ask Professor Goodwitch a question about one of my assignments I had to do for Doctor Oobleck." Issei said before Ruby nodded in reply and left him alone with her in the hallway.
Once Issei was sure the crimson reaper was gone, the world traveler coughed up blood and almost collapsed to the floor until Glynda caught him in her arms. The Witch of Beacon took him to her room before laying him on the couch she had and wiping the blood from his mouth.
"I can wipe my mouth, Mom," Issei grumbled as Glynda continued her wiping.
"I know, but you can't move your body due to Ruby Rose's silver eyes and your fear of getting near her. Every time you see her smile or her kindness, your mind triggers the trauma you face, and you start to cough blood. Even after the God of your world healed your heart, your trauma still lives in your mind. Also, don't think I didn't notice how you try to keep the others at arm's length." Glynda said as she tossed away the wipe and caressed his face gently before making his eyes look into hers.
The two didn't say anything until Issei grunted as he moved his head away and put it in the cough pillow his head was on.
"...Blake and Yang reminded me of my friends and a classmate I had back in my old school. She was known as the Perverted Girl and was so kind to me despite her teasing antics. Pyrrha reminded me of a girl I was once friends with back in middle school until our friendship ended because of my perverted side. Seeing the three of them with me these past two weeks made me almost feel like I was able to enjoy life here, but my past..." Issei said as he clenched his fists tightly while remembering her.
The kind smile she had when they were on that date.
The words she said to him after giving her that unique bracelet he bought for her.
Her appearance was when the Sun was setting at the park where they ended their date.
That taunting and sadistic smile as she...
Would you please die for me?
Issei cried tears of blood which stained the couch, but Glynda didn't care as she put the traumatized boy's head in her lap as she caressed his hair, and didn't say anything. But in her mind, she wished she could take it all.
All of his sadness.
All of his trauma.
All of his anger.
All of his negativity, she wanted to take it and give him beautiful memories but deep down within her heart.
She knew she couldn't do something like that.
Glynda saw his breathing increase before she kissed his forehead and spoke to him.
"I will always be there for you, Issei. You are my son, and I'll never allow anyone to harm you. I'll never abandon you. I'll always be there to support and help you through anything you are going through." Glynda said as she heard Issei's breathing pause for a moment until he began to cry again, but this time, she didn't hear any sadness or any form of negative emotions.
She felt happiness and love from his tears.
'I'll never let him become another Summer Rose. I failed to save my best friend and her team from falling apart. I won't let the same thing with STRQ happen to him and his team. No one will stop me from the past repeating itself. Not Ozpin. Not the Witch. Not her.'
Glynda gripped her weapon tightly as her eyes glowed bright green as glared into the moonlight of the shattered moon.
'Not even the Brother Gods will stop me from saving him.'
Little did she know that the boy's past would soon be revealed to those he had grown to care for.
The spider had sent a little present to Beacon Academy. And soon, that present will unravel itself.
Neither Glynda nor Luna had noticed how the boy's back had a small spider mark on it and how its red eyes glowed as it bit into the boy's spine.
Thus this chapter ends here, which makes for an excellent read since I wanted to go into the others side of the story, such as Salem, Winter, and Ozpin.
The next one will be the third week of Beacon Academy, which will show Issei's relationship with his teammates and new friends in Team Rainbow. However, I decided to make the boy's past revealed.
Entering the memories of Issei Hyoudou.
That's right; I'm using the Ice Queendom Grimm as a spider in this one.
Next update: The Crimson Champion of Arceus
Ta-Ta~
