This is the chapter I've probably been the most excited for, and really hope that you all enjoy it. I wanted to try a different style with this one, to try and go for a more traditional storytelling style instead of my more cinematic style, to make it seem like Jinn is telling a story to the characters.
In the beginning there was -. -, all knowing and all powerful created the universe, filling the dark void with the light of endless stars. Of all Their creations, a certain world interested Them.
Upon this world They decided to experiment with Life. From Them flowed rivers of Lifeblood, a black substance that flooded the barren world. From the Lifeblood, They began to create.
First were the oceans, wrung free of the blackness and turned to shades of blue. From these oceans rose great mountains of fire and ash. And from these ashes They created the first form of Life. Great seeds sprouted, green overtaking the lands of ash and fire.
Seeing these oceans of water and lands of fire, stone, and plant, They took the remaining ash, transforming it into crystal, each imbued with the beauty and power of this first creation.
From these crystals and rivers of Lifeblood, They created the first form of intelligent life. Born of crystal, and skin as white as bone, with eyes as black as the Lifeblood itself, They had created the first beings of this world. 'I name thee, Trucii,' They declared.
The Trucii asked their God for company, and for things to eat, and so They used the Lifeblood once again, creating animals black as night for the Trucii to tame and hunt. The Trucii thanked their God, naming the creations Grimm.
And yet these creations were not enough for Them, for something was lacking in this creation. They began to dislike the Trucii, for they were not what they wanted. Turning once again to the crystals and Lifeblood, They sought to create anew. This new creation was imbued with something new, something lacking in all other forms of life up to that point, a Soul. This new creation, of varying skin and eyes, was different from the Trucii. 'Humanity shall be your name,' They decided.
But humanity could not tame or eat the flesh of the Grimm, and so begged their God for something that they could. And so, They complied, creating animals for humanity to hunt.
With the creation of animals, They began to ponder. Taking the molds of humanity and animal, They created a new being, and infused them with a soul. 'You are Faunus,' They said.
With this world finished, and full of life, They created a land for themselves, one forged of their crystals, and flowing with their lifeblood. From their throne They sat, watching over the world.
But watching over this world was tiresome for Them, as they craved to create and tinker, and so They decided. They chose five individuals, who They would call Their Children, and had them join Them in Their domain, gifting them the power of magic. The Children were the greatest that this world had to offer, each representing one of Their ideals, creation, destruction, knowledge, and choice. I was chosen to be the Child of Knowledge, as I was the greatest scholar in the world. The fifth Child, known as Ozma, was chosen to be the Mouth of God, the one who would dispense Their justice to the world while their Siblings governed the rest.
One day, the Mouth of God was summoned to the lands of Primis, the home of the Trucii. There, Ozma learned of the issue plaguing the lands. The Senate was growing weary of the growing power of the royal families, fearful that a royal dictatorship would be set in place of the peaceful republic that they cherished. Ozma was able to resolve the issue, the guilty families tried and executed before the Senate, peace being restored to the lands.
While preparing to leave, Ozma caught sight of a Senator's daughter when they came to wish him farewell. She was tall and garbed in a black toga. Her skin was like bone, her long hair ivory, and her eyes a deep crimson. She offered him a smile, her teeth sharp and her lips black. Ozma was struck, unable to leave as he stared at the maiden before him. To him, she was the most beautiful woman on Remnant.
'Fair Maiden, tell me your name?' said Ozma.
The Fair Maiden giggled, her pale cheeks turning red. 'I am Salem Al-Mufti, daughter of Alim.'
Ozma did not return to Their Domain, staying in Primis, spending his days with Salem, learning more and more about her, and she more and more about him. He would send letters to his Siblings, claiming that the situation in the Trucii realm was taking longer to solve than he anticipated and to not worry about him. Their love was an open secret in Primis, for it was forbidden for the Mouth of God to love and marry, and the daughter of a Senator was expected to wed one who would benefit her family politically. But the Al-Mufti family could not refuse Ozma, as he had saved their lands and their family, how could they not turn a blind eye?
Alas, such a day came when the Al-Mufti family aligned itself with another Senate family, arranging a marriage between their son and Salem. Salem, heartbroken, refused to marry the man, for Ozma was her only love. They fled the realm together, making a home for themselves far away in the lands of Sanus.
Though they had abandoned their duties and families, they had each other. Though the local human village shunned them and shot them wary glances whenever in town, they gave it no heed. They were happy, living a peaceful and content life with their four daughters. Ozma and Salem had never known such happiness before.
And Ozma had never experienced such sorrow as when he returned from a hunting trip. His home had been put to the torch, the bodies of his wife and children desecrated and resting upon spikes. He pounded the earth, screaming and sobbing as his world burned down around him.
Days passed before Ozma forced himself to bury his children beneath the ashes of his home, but he would not bury Salem, he could not let her go.
Ozma finally returned to Their domain, brining the corpse of his love with him, and presenting it to -.
'If you are all powerful, you shall give this woman her life back, for she did no wrong,' said Ozma.
- looked at him strangely. They crossed their four arms, their expression incomprehensible, their head ever shifting between every animal and yet being none of them. 'You have broken the vow you took as our Mouth, Ozma, what right do you have to make demands of us?'
'She is an innocent, and she has suffered an injustice, you are merciful and just, please, return her.'
- waved their hands. 'All claim the same of innocence and yet do not consider what we know. We know that she abandoned her family and her duty, and for that she is a sinner. And tell me, Ozma, what would we bring back? For she is Trucii, and they have no souls. She is just a puppet without strings, is it a sentient corpse you want?'
Ozma fell to his knees before Them, offering one last plea. 'Please, take me instead, -. Take my life so that she might live. I cannot live in a world without her.'
- laughed. 'We have use for you, human. We do not need the Trucii.' They waved their arms, forcing Ozma to his feet with their power. 'Now begone from this realm until you have learned to move past such desires as lust and love, only then will you be fit to serve as my Mouth once again.'
Ozma, enraged at the injustice done to his family, and Their refusal to right this wrong, turned to the various Human Kings. For while Ozma trusted the Trucii people better than his own kin, humanity had souls, and with them, the powers of aura, something he hoped would be strong enough to stand before a god. He traveled first to the forest kingdoms of northern Sanus, meeting the Rose King. Ozma promised the Rose King power beyond imagine, for if they forced - to return Ozma's wife, why should They not head the wishes of others. And so, the duo traveled to western Sanus, through the harsh deserts and sparkling oases of the various sultanates. There the duo met the Amaryllis Sultan, who was promised water and material wealth for his lands for all eternity.
The trio trekked east to Anima, through the various lands fought over by nomadic warriors and to the vast empires established near the great lakes. There they met the Lotus Emperor, who agreed to come for the promise of marrying the Child of Knowledge.
Together they traveled north, to the icy lands of Solitas. These lands were sparse with people, and they had a hard time finding the ruler of these lands, the Camomile Tsar. He would not budge, refusing to aid the group for some time before finally relenting upon promises of more arable land, and hardier animals to survive the grueling winters.
With the strength of the human kings in hand, Ozma marched upon the Domain of God, and doomed us all.
Ozma and the Four Kings marched through the Domain, reaching the grand crystal palace before the mountain where –'s throne sat.
'Brother, whatever are you doing?' asked the Child of Creation.
Ozma said nothing, merely pointing and the Four Kings obeying.
I still remember the pain of the blade as it pierced me, the horror on that Emperor's face as I laid dying.
With the Children slain, Ozma marched up the mountain, standing before the throne of -. He set the preserved body of Salem before the throne, smirking victoriously.
'I have returned, -. Now grant us want we want or face our might.'
- rose from their throne, fury visible in their multitude of flashing eyes. 'You would spill the blood of our Children, and make demands of us?'
Ozma offered Them a smirk before charging toward them, running them through with their bladed staff. 'If you had heeded my requests before, this need not happen.'
Ozma screamed as he was blown back, wind ripping across the mountain top. A towering, feathered figure rose, the ground trembling, a furious scream of a thousand voices ringing out as it reached into the skies. Ozma clutched his head, falling to his knees as the thousands of voices began to speak at once, their voices mingling into a single horrendous chorus.
"YOU THINK YOURSELVES AS OUR EQUAL, TO TRY AND STAND AGAINST OUR DIVINITY?" Crystalline seraphim wings lined with thousands of eyes parted, and a great, humanoid body, glistening as though made of Dust, shined down upon them. A blinding light glared down from its face, brighter than the sun. "WE ARE LEGION, AND YOU ARE BUT COSMIC DUST!"
Ozma gaped, Legion glaring down at them. They waved their hand with an angered yell, screams erupting behind Ozma. He spun around, silver fire spewing from the eyes of the Four Kings. They collapsed, writhing, screaming, clawing at their eyes, silvery light, fire, and tears leaking out.
"FOR THY SINS, THIS HALL BE YOUR PUNISHMENT. A CURSE UPON YOU AND ALL OF YOUR BLOOD, A POWER BORN FROM YOUR HATRED AND ARROGANCE." Legion declared.
Ozma spun back, a scream erupting from his lips as Legion's finger impaled him. His blood sizzled against the crystalline body as he was lifted into the air, being brought to Legion's face, their voice deafening, an orchestra of vitriol and hatred. "YOU, WHO WOULD WAGE WAR AGAINST OUR DOMAIN, SHALL SUFFER THE MOST." Ozma screamed, agony he never dreamed imaginable filling every cell of his being. "YOU SHALL WALK THIS REMNANT OF A PLANET, EVER STUCK IN AN ETERNAL RETURN. UNTIL YOU HAVE LEARNED THE MEANING OF SUFFERING, AND HUMILITY, YOU SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THIS CYCLE." Legion ripped his finger free, Ozma screaming as he fell. The wind was knocked from him as he hit the ground, coughing, groaning, growing cold. He looked over at the Four Kings as they writhed, hearing Legion lumber forward.
From the Four Kings, Legion took their crown, lamp, sword, and staff. Light shimmered around them as the souls of his Children filled them.
"TO SLAY YOUR SIBLINGS, THE PARAGONS OF THIS WORLD, IS A SIN UNPARALLELED." The light around the Relics grew brighter before being launched into the sky, each parting, arcing as they soared through the heavens. "WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO OUR DOMAIN, WE SHALL RETURN TO THIS WORLD AND BRING ABOUT JUDJEMENT." Ozma looked away, his lower body going numb as he looked at Salem's corpse. He reached out, his hand quivering as he grabbed the hard stone ground, dragging himself toward her.
"Salem… forgive… me…"
Laughter filled the air, spiteful and mocking.
"DESPITE IT ALL, YOU STILL FIND THIS HUSK, THIS INSULT TO LIFE, WORTH CARING FOR?" Salem's corpse was lifted from the ground, being unwrapped from its shroud, headless and burned. "YOUR ACTIONS PROVE TO US THAT OUR PUNISHMENT WAS NOT SEVERE ENOUGH. VERY WELL THEN, MORTAL." The black, tar like Lifeblood rose from the rivers and lakes of Legion's domain. The streams of Lifeblood arced, entering Salem's corpse, the charred remains of her skin flaking off, the bone white shade of Trucii skin appearing again. A head began to grow from her neck, taking the shape of Salem's face, her feature's soft, her expression that as though she were asleep. Salem's veins began to turn black, the excess Lifeblood leaving her body, the streams returning to where they once were. Salem's eyes slowly opened, terror filling them as she looked upon Legion. "WE WILL GO AGAINST OUR ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THIS REALITY; WE SHALL GRANT THIS HUSK AN UNENDING LIFE. ONE TO BE FILLED WITH THE PAIN AND MISERY OF WATCHING YOU DIE OVER AND OVER AGAIN."
Salem began to scream, thrashing in the air, struggling against the force holding her in place. Legion's laughter grew as Salem dropping to the ground. Ozma reached out his hand, Salem running to him, sliding to her knees, clutching his hand. He couldn't hear her voice, the world growing dark as she spoke to him, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"I… love…yo-"
He couldn't finish the sentence. He felt himself being pulled from his body, watching as Salem cradled him, sobbing. Legion looked to the skies, the chorus of their voice filling all of his reality.
"PRAY YOUR DECENDENTS LEARN TO RIGHT YOUR WRONGS OR WE WILL LAY WASTE TO THIS WORLD AND BIRTH IT ANEW."
Legion shot into the sky, dust and gravel and lifeblood spraying outward as they left Remnant.
Salem, with nothing left, returned to Primis, returning to her family, unable to tell them what had happened to the man she loved or why her body was marked in such an odd way.
Ozma found himself stuck in the Lands Between, neither dead nor living, waiting for his soul to find a new host. And while Ozma waited, humanity was left unchecked.
The Four Kings found that they quiet enjoyed the curse Legion had given them. For with it, they could easily slaughter Grimm with the power of their eyes. This curse was fueled by their emotions, granting them the ability to kill any being that lacked a soul. The Rose King would test his abilities on whatever Grimm and Trucii he could find, testing out the various ways he could kill, his hatred blinding him. During these tests he stumbled upon the Sword of Destruction, and with a sickening smile, quickly realized what was now possible.
Under the Rose banner, humanity began to wage war against the Trucii, for humanity despised the Trucii and the Grimm they cared for, viewing them as mere monsters for their lack of souls. The Trucii met humanity in combat, riding great beasts of war. But despite the strength of the Grimm war beasts and the training of Trucii soldiers, none could stand before the power of the Silver Eyes. The Kings and their children, all bearing the cursed blood, laid waste to the lands of Primis, the streets of their once great cities running black with their blood. None were spared; babes crushed beneath boots; elders strung up by the entrails of their children. The Silver Eyed Warriors laughed all the while as they torched and destroyed the once great land, sacking the holy temples and treasuries for everything they were worth.
And once this slaughter and looting had reached its end, when only a few Trucii were left, holed up in their great fortresses and citadels, the Rose King, nearing the end of his life, withdrew humanity to their ships. He stood upon his favorite warship and drew the Sword.
He could not heart the screams of the innocent but the sound of the land sinking beneath the waves was good enough for him.
With humanities enemy defeated, he led humanity back to their own lands, leaving behind the only Trucii survivor.
Salem, the last of her kind, was left a drift, unable to die as she drifted across the ocean. The tides took her back to Legion's Domain, and there she took residence, building a home for herself amongst the towering Dust crystals. From the rivers and pools of Lifeblood she tried to recreate her people, failing to do so after millions of attempts.
For years she wept, an unending sorrow that she could not escape, knowing what had become of her people, of what had happened to the world. She craved the sweet release of death, and in the castle she had built, she tried to kill herself. Over, over, and over again. But be it blade or poison or noose nothing would give her the release she so desperately craved.
In her isolation Salem began to bring life to her castle. Millions of flowers filled the gardens of Evernight, each a memento to those she had lost. Over time, her unending sadness turned to an eternal hatred. It is here that something within Salem began to stir, something no other Trucii had. A soul. A final cruel gift Legion had secretly given her upon her revival, and with it Salem could avenge her people.
Salem found the current Rose King, the tenth ruler of Sanus, a sickly old man clinging to his throne. She waited for him in his bed chamber, deathly still. He finally entered, and he looked around. Goosebumps crawled across his skin, his breath silver in the air, the very air becoming darker and colder. Salem slinked from the shadows, smirking as she approached the blind king. She raised her hand, a black glyph forming beneath the king, a multitude of Trucii arms springing out and latching onto the king. She savored his cries and pleas, her smile growing as the arms slowly tore the king apart limb by limb.
The guards that found her attacked, their weapons doing nothing to dissuade Salem as she advanced, her glyphs ripping apart everything in her way. She reached the chambers of the various young princes and princesses, offering them smiles as she smashed their heads against the walls.
Salem left the Rose castle, coated in the blood of kings, heading for the homes of the others. In the deserts of Sanus, she found the descendants of the Amaryllis Sultan. After the end of the Trucii War, the Sultan had turned humanities attention toward the Faunus. They were not human, their scales and claws and fur marking them as other, as beasts like the Grimm and Trucii. But beasts were helpful, the Sultan thought with a sly smile, and could be made to work.
It did not take long for the Faunus to be enslaved, for humanity outnumbered them and were well trained in the ways of war. Humiliated and shamed, the Faunus were now subservient to the humans, the Amaryllis family becoming the wealthiest in the lands from their control of the slave trade.
Salem cared not for the plight of the Faunus, her own people were gone and never to return, she only cared for the destruction of the humans responsible. With a smirk, she headed for the Amaryllis' palace.
After years spent in the Lands Between, Ozma would finally be reborn, taking over the body of a young man living in Sanus. He would scour the lands, learning what had happened during his time away. And when he learned of what humanity had been up to, he lost all hope.
Disillusioned with the world after learning of the genocide of the Trucii and enslavement of the Faunus, Oz scoured the world for the Relics. Over several lives he searched, gathering them all and hiding them in a secluded home in the forests of Sanus. With all of the Relics out of humanities hands, he lived, alone, contemplating whether to end it all, to visit Legion's Domain. What hope was there for humanity to ever better itself? He had experienced true suffering, or so he thought, and he must be the humblest of all of humanity, why would his curse not break?
As he sat pondering, a knocking at his door stirred him from his stupor.
Whoever could that be?
Oz went to the door, and was surprised at what he saw before him. Four young maidens, their clothes travel worn, smiled at him. Oz hesitated, unsure if he could trust these four strangers but a part deep within him felt he could trust these four. And so, he let them enter.
The Four Sisters would spend years with him, helping him come out of the shell he had placed around himself. His withering crops began to flourish, his hatred for the world would be replaced with a sense of wonder, for even the simplest of things in nature were a gift that should be cherished.
The world was horrible, and there were great evils and injustices, but there were still good honest people living there as well, ones willing to save a total stranger, to brighten a person's day even during their darkest time. No matter what happened, there would still be pure, honest, and caring people. These were the lessons Oz learned from the Four Sisters.
As thanks for their lessons, Oz gifted most of his magic to the Four Sisters, turning them into the Four Maidens. He bid them good luck, and the sisters went out on their way.
And so, the Four Maidens spread out across Remnant, each seeking to aid those in need. But the hearts of men are easily corrupted, and each sister would be hunted down and murdered, their powers being harnessed and weaponized.
Oz, sickened by what had happened to those he had gifted his powers to, would form an order dedicated to protecting the Maidens. As they worked tirelessly to keep the Maidens safe and remove them from public eye, Oz began to realize what Salem had been doing.
The various Silver Eyed Warriors were being hunted down and exterminated, every walking person on Remnant who carried even a small amount of their blood a target for Salem and her own order. For Salem, in her quest for revenge, had convinced certain people that she was a goddess, and used her false promises of reshaping the world in her own image to get them to hunt for her.
Oz, with love still in his heart for her, sought her out. He found her in Legion's Domain, her castle the only structure in the barren, crystal wasteland. Humanoid Grimm guarded the castle, but allowed him entry, taking him to Salem's room.
Despite all the time that had passed, Salem knew it was Ozma when he entered. She flung herself upon him, embracing him for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Oz returned it, for he had long missed her touch.
'Do not leave me again,' whispered Salem.
Oz did not answer, for he knew his body would wither and die while hers would not.
Salem barred her cult from entering Evernight, spending many nights with Oz, showering him with the affection that she so dear missed having with him. Once she was satisfied, she allowed her followers to return to their work. Oz stayed silent, watching her command her followers.
Her followers were there for her when she gave birth to triplets; Oz held his tongue as they worshipped his children. The children had the ivory white hair of the Trucii, and when they got older were able to use their semblances, glyphs. The same semblance as their mother.
Oz went to Salem, finding her on the balcony of her room.
'My love, we have our old life back, will you not end this charade? Send that cult away and let us raise our children like normal.'
Salem turned to her old lover, the shattered moon illuminating her. 'We will never be able to get back what was taken from us, and my followers will ensure that those responsible are dealt with.'
'The Old Kings are long dead, everyone responsible for our hardships are mere myths, there is no more need for this.'
Oz was not used to feeling fear when it came to Salem, but the look she gave him told him all he needed to know about the woman he had once loved.
'There was no need for humanity to treat my people the way they did. There was no need to destroy my people's land. There was no need for humanity to have killed me in the first place, but they did it all anyway. And I will not rest until those Demons are purged from this world.'
'And what will you do once they are gone?'
Salem chuckled. 'Summon Legion and let him cast judgment upon humanity. If the Demons were truly the only bad ones of your kind, then surely there is nothing for you to fear.'
'I can't let you do that.'
'Oh? What's wrong, my love? Are you afraid Legion will do to humanity what your kind did to my people?'
Though he understood her rage, Oz would not sit idly and allow his world to be destroyed. The Maidens had proven to him that there was still greatness in humanity, those who must be protected. And so, Oz took his children, leaving Legion's Domain and making a home for himself in Solitas, raising his children alone.
Oz and Salem became locked in an endless cycle of life and death. For every new Maiden protected, another Siler Eyed Warrior killed. For every member of Salem's Cult defeated, another to replace them. Oz, seeing the pool of Warriors shrinking to a puddle, used up more of his magic, leaving barely any for himself, and created great Vaults to hide the Relics in. For once Salem was finished with her extermination of the Warriors, it would be only a matter of time before she would try to gather the Relics themselves.
Sensing humanity was on the cusp of another global catastrophe, Oz would enter the Anima Vault on the eve of the Great War, asking me about his odds of defeating her. I rose from my lamp, smirking as I told him the answer.
That there is no defeating Salem.
For those wondering what Primis looked like, I based it off of the north western continent that Remnant used to have in the maps in V1. I don't know the reason why that continent suddenly disappeared from maps after that volume but I thought it could be a cool meta thing to include. And with the Schnee's I was pondering for a while on how to explain the reasoning why they're the only exception to the way semblance's work and thought that this might be an excellent answer, as the only other one I could really think up was inbreeding.