Chapter 8
Nermina, 2:38 pm, 10 days before the school year begins
Usually, an undead's recreational time consisted of contemplating the hand that fate has dealt you, and maybe some daydreaming of times gone by, but this time Nermina had decided to see what the city had to offer. Qrow was with her, of course.
Ozpin had decided to believe Amber's story for the time being, but he obviously still held some suspicions, which was why he had assigned Qrow to go with her. He would have sent Glynda or any other faculty, but they had to prepare for the school year.
"We could wait until he's drunk, and slip away," Amber suggested.
"Or we could great him with respect and not do that, " Nermina countered, Qrow looking at her for a moment before looking back to the street.
"You know, it's probably a good idea to not converse out loud like that," Qrow said, sipping from his flask while seated.
They had stopped at a cafe for the time being, Nermina wanting to take a break from taking in the sights of Vale. The one thing that had really caught her eye was the old bell tower she could see near the center of the city. A familiar sight in this urban environment.
"How long has that been in this city for?" She asked Qrow, pointing to it after sipping some tea.
"That old thing? I dunno, the history books only talk about how it possibly precedes Vale itself, it's original builders long forgotten. The founders of Vale supposedly built the city around it. Why do you ask?" Qrow answered, ready to drink some more before Nermina glared at him until he put it down.
"I'm not sure, I guess I just like the look of it," She smoothly lied, memories of a cackling dwarf echoing through her mind, making Amber a bit uncomfortable. "When does it ring?"
"It has never tolled in the history of Vale, and not even Oz remembers it ringing, despite people trying."
"Really? Interesting..." Nermina trailed off before setting her tea down and pulling out a set of binoculars from her old bag. She had changed into more modern clothes, at Qrows recommendation, and had settled for simply a black t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, keeping the boots from her hexer's garb.
When she based through the binoculars, she could've sworn she felt a deep chill to through her body, her darksign burning against her chest, meanwhile Amber suddenly had to deal with Nermina having a momentary breakdown.
"Calm down, stay with me! Come on, think of your disciplinary lessons!"
"Impossible... that's..." Nermina dropped the binoculars in shock, loud clattering signalling that it had landed on the teacup. A single image was branded into her mind as it registered just what was depicted on the bell itself.
"The Darksign."
A bell's toll suddenly echoed from the tower, catching the attention of everyone in Vale that was familiar with it's silence, shocking them.
Eastern Menagerie
A pair of children, a boy and a girl, we're playing by an isolated bell tower on a mountain that overlooked the desert that separated them from the Faunus they were distantly related to. When it rang, they both jumped up in fright before the boy grabbed his sister's hand.
"Come, sister! We must speak of this to the Ancestral Mother, and she shall tell the king!"
The boy's sister followed without protest and they ran up the mountain until they came to a ledge that faced distant mountains. Rugs had been placed by the edge to provide a resting place. As they sat down in a meditative stance, fluffy, white tails unfurled from around their waists as they suddenly went into a trance as they focused on the peak.
Deep below the continent of Solitas
The cult gathered around, their surroundings glistening as they retracted light from their torches. Each member was a servant for something vile and ancient, and the crystals were the result of centuries of experimentation. The head of this cult was performing a ritual when the bell tools rang through the crystal cavern. In response, many members pulled their goods down, revealing pale blue skin and crystalline growths.
"It is time, we must ascend! We must finally make use of this immortality that we have acquired and light the flame, for our own path towards transcendence! We shall grant The Pale One eyes!"
The Unnamed Continent
"Is it really true? That was really The Bell?"
"Quiet, Tyrian, I have much work to do, Mistress Salem gave a very special job to me to do if the bell were to ever toll."
"Oh my! What ever is it that you must complete for our goddess, Watts?"
"Lets just say that I must check on a certain cinder, to make sure it hasn't burnt any ashes."
"Ooh, splendid! Shall I accompany you to the graves, or shall I check on the Soul?"
"The graves will do."
"Perfect..." Tyrian whispered before cackling at the possible oncoming slaughter.
Beacon's Vault
A single pod was occupied by an empty vessel, formerly known as Amber. Even though her vitals were stable, she held no sign of an aura, and as such, no sign of a soul. Ozpin was currently watching this very pod, contemplating on Amber's predicament, and making sure that it would be safe to perform a transfer it worst came to worst.
As he memorized the sequence needed to perform such a task, the rolling of a bell rang through his very soul, causing him to stand upright, back as straight as an arrow.
It has started.
Nermina, Mindscape
"Seek the Great Ones, their souls for the pyre!
The Banished, his beasts spewing fire!
The Obsessed, his prison come undone!
The Crossbreed, her lineage spread under the sun!
The Witch, her spawn born from dark!
And the Forgotten, one who had never left their mark!
Find these lords, their lands forgotten in name,
slay them, so you may seek the Flame!"
This message had been stuck in her mind ever since that bell had rung.
She couldn't believe it. Remnant and her land were connected, but how?
Could her world have been Remnant the entire time? If that was the case, why is everyone so advanced? What happened to sorceries and miracles? Why is there no mention of gods, or the abyss, or of dragons?
"Their existence could've been locked away and hidden, just like the maidens," Amber suggested.
That might be why. But by who?
"If this is just like where I came from, then we have a many decades at the very least before reality begins to get strange," Nermina said, "Timelines will eventually begin to shift and obscure, beings from both the future and past could make their appearance, as was told by a man whose name was long lost to history."
"And as far as we know, you're the only one who can relight this flame?" Amber asked, worried about what the future may hold.
"It's either that, or wait maybe a century of so for some undead hero to finally make their appearance."
" Oh... " Amber quietly whispered before sitting down and contemplating on what to think, "What are you going to do?"
"... I don't know, my motivation for hunting down the Great Souls was to cure the Undead Curse, but I don't think linking the flame will do that, and thinking about it now, wouldn't this curse have been cured ages ago if that were the case?" Nermina ranted, memories of undead hunts flooding her mind before she managed to calm herself down. "We also still have to find out what is going on with my hexes."
Amber didn't get to respond before they both felt the dragging sensation of waking up.
Beacon Academy, Infirmary
"I really didn't expect you to pass out on me," Qrow said as Nermina opened her eyes, nearly sitting straight up when she didn't recognize the room.
"Relax, I brought you back to Beacon. You're in the infirmary, although there really isn't anything physically wrong with you."
She relaxed and looked around a bit, seeing the clock that said it was 4 o'clock. "Thank you, Qrow."
"No need to thank me, it's part of my job now until I get my next assignment," he replied as he got up to leave, "oh, by the way," he said, stopping in his tracks, "Ozpin wants to see you, whenever you're ready."
"Oh boy, did we do something? Wait, maybe it's just about giving us a job to do while we're here."
"I already have a feeling of what he wants to talk about, Amber."
Hopefully he doesn't pry too much into certain things.