This story is a work of fiction.

Any relations to characters, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

The authors owns none of the characters, or events, that take place here.


"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and to see heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hands,
and eternity in an hour."


RWBY ~ Memories of V


Book 1, Chapter One

[System Diagnostics Complete. All Systems Green. No Abnormality Detected.]

[Beginning Overworld Observation]

[Receiving Data On World DMC-05]

[Error! Unknown Abnormality Detected]

[Scanning Abnormality]

[Detecting Smallscale Alternate Reality]

[Beginning Retrieval Of Data On Alternate Reality]

[Receiving Data On Alternate Reality]

[Alternate Reality Is Subsidiary To World DMC-05]

[Alternate Reality Designated as World DMC-01]

[Now Commencing Observation Of World DMC-01]

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"Pow...I...eed...mo...er…!"

A cold whisper, chilling him down to his bones. Enough to act as the jolt needed to stir him awake. Slowly, dark green eyes fluttered open to find an unfamiliar ceiling above him. At first, he could barely make out any definitive shapes. The world was blurry and the light in his eyes harsh until his eyes adjusted to the brightness. Soon, the world came into sharper focus. He was lying on a couch, sheets tossed over his body. He appeared to be in some kind of living room of Eastern design, tatami mats making up the floor and sliding doors being the only points of entry. A yard was in view to the far side, with a small wooden deck leading out into it.

Gently, the young man pulled himself up from the couch. The sheets fell off his body, reveal a skinny body underneath clad in a thin shirt with baggy sweats below.

"What…?" the young man moaned, feeling a strange haze overwhelm him as his cognitive functions returned to him at a steady pace. "Where is this place?"

No. That wasn't the right question, he soon realized. The real question was, why was he here?

"Oh, you're awake!" He turned his head, white hair swaying comically with the movement, and found a woman entering the room, holding a food tray in her hands. Her hair was as black as the night sky and her eyes the color of gold. The small, but present wrinkles in her face told him that she was well on in her years, but could not be called middle-aged. "I was worried my husband and I might have trudged up a corpse."

The young man frowned slightly. "Who are you?"

"So direct! But I suppose that can't be helped." the woman shrugged, brushing off his hostility as if it was nothing new to her. She approached the young man and laid the food tray down on the table next to him. "My name is Kali Belladonna. Wife to Ghira Belladonna. We also happen to the people responsible for saving your life."

"Saving my life?"

"Yes. We found you lying out in the beach. You were soaked to the bone, not to mention running a high fever."

Kali began to explain the condition she and her husband had found him in. Evidently, they had found him a week ago while they were out performing an inspection of the village's newest construction efforts in expanding across the shallows. His skin had been so pale they believed that he had died until Kali had checked for his pulse. They then proceeded to take him back to their home and nurse him back to full health, despite the fact that they had no reason for doing so. There was no benefit for them.

Kali, perhaps sensing such feelings from him, smiled wryly. "If you're wondering, we saved you because it was the right thing to do. What were we supposed to do, just leave you out to die?" The young man said nothing in response. Instead, he turned his attention to elsewhere. Namely, the food. A pleasant aroma danced in his nostrils and his hunger made itself known. His stomach betrayed his silence and demanded substenance with a growl that could wake the dead. His cheeks burned while the woman laughed. "I suppose that answers the question of whether or not your hungry! Eat up. You look like you could use some meat in those bones. I've never seen a man around my daughter's age look so skinny."

Kali stood up and left, telling him to leave the dishes on the tray after he was finished. He didn't waste much time in delving into it. The mouth-watering smell alone was enough to drive him mad with hunger. The cooked salmon, slightly rough but easy down the throat, exploded in his mouth to the point where he had shoveled the chunks in his mouth until he started coughing. The rice settled easily, unlike the roasted beef and mashed potatoes. The food was prepared in such large quantities he almost believed that she was preparing to feed a party.

In under half an hour, his stomach had consumed all that it could. Only three quarters of the roasted beef was left and the mashed potatoes only half-devoured. He debated saving them for another time and pondered on whether or not he should take the time to explore the house. Though these people had saved his life, he very much doubted they would take so kindly to a stranger snooping about their home. They would have no problems if he stepped out for a moment into the yard, however.

The covers were pulled away, and almost immediately, the young man felt a cold chill wash over him. The air was not so frigid for him to think it was winter time, but instead a side-effect of his fever. His body couldn't regulate his body temperature. Regardless, the cold was a minor inconvenience. His bare feet stepped onto the wooden floor beneath him and he left the room, stepping out into the warm sunlight and the yard.

Judging from the outside architecture, the house was a mixture of Asian design and Hawaiian architecture. A hammock sat in the shade nicely and provided one an excellent view of the ocean., the blue body of water stretching out as far as the eye could see. A small pond with koi fish sat a few feet away from the deck, surrounded by rocks with a tiny tree in the middle. The fish seemed to gather around it, nibbling at the tiny fruits that were sprouting from its branches.

Looking up, the young man found a bright blue sky above him. Clouds floated on by without a care in the world. The sun shined brightly to the point where he had to shield his eyes from its intensity.

"Well, it seems your well enough to walk around on your own." a rough voice called out to him from behind. Looking over his shoulder, the young man found a bear of a man walking up behind him, his broad chest exposed to reveal a fair amount of hair. Like his wife, his eyes were gold and his hair black, though he sported a rather impressive beard along the jaw. His shoulders were broad, and if his guess was right, the man was a fighter judging by how worn his knuckles looked. "How are you feeling? You were sick with a fever for nearly a week."

The young man pondered how to answer. While it was true that he could still feel how weak he was, he didn't think himself weak in the least. "I am better." he said after some thinking. "However, I'm afraid I have no means to repay you for your kindness. I don't think I had any money on my person when you found me."

"No, you didn't." the man said with a wry grin. "My wife and I found you as naked as the day you were born. I'm surprised you hadn't already died of hypothermia when we found you. I'm sure my wife has already told you, but my name is Ghira. Chieftan of Menagerie."

"Menagerie?"

"It's the name of the island we're on. It's quite a ways away from the four kingdoms, and it serves as a safe haven for we Faunus."

The young man raised an eyebrow, wondering what these "Faunus" were before he noticed something unusual. He and Ghira hadn't been quite alone. There were numerous bystanders passing by all around them, paying the duo no mind. Men, women, young, and old, the amount of people was quite staggering. Yet the young man noticed something unique with each and every one of them.

They all had some sort of animalistic traits.

For example, some had ears of mammalian animals while others had tails. Some had scales like a reptile while others had avian wings.

'What in the world...?' the young man stared at them in wonder. They didn't look like add-ons from clips or makeup. They were genuine. Physically attached to their bodies.

Ghira, noticing his stare, raised a brow. "What's the matter?" he questioned. "You look as if you've never seen a Faunus before."

"...I haven't." he admitted, much to the man's surprise. "Do all Faunus have traits like that."

"They do..." he nodded slowly. "Young man, do you...not have any Faunus where you're from?"

The young man opened his mouth to answer...only to snap it closed. His face scrunched up, eyes narrowing. He tried to think of something to say, but his mind kept coming up blank. He dug further, but the answer was the same. There was nothing to grasp. "...I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't remember." the young man hissed, pressing a hand to his face. "I don't remember anything. I don't even know who I am."


After that startling revelation, Ghira had called for Kali back and fled into another room. Meanwhile, the nameless man was left in the living room, pondering his own situation. His face crunched as he searched his own mind, trying to find something that could help him. Anything, really. But the more he searched, the more he found only blanks. The only things he could make out were vague images, but they were all blurry. There was nothing he could gleam from them. For all he knew, they were just useless memories and nothing more.

He grimaced, facepalming and dragging his hand down his face. "What a mess..." he muttered. "Stranded in a place with odd people, and I cannot remember a single thing. Heh. How troublesome."

'I'll say! Talk about bad luck! Hey, who knows? This could be karma for all the shit that happened way back when!'

The nameless youth blinked, looking around the room. A mocking voice had spoken, but the source was not present. Stranger still, it sounded as if the voice originated from close by. As if right beside him. Unless someone was invisible, the voice originated from within his own mind.

"What in the world...?"

Before he could confront the owner of the mysterious voice, Ghira and Kali entered the room. "Sorry for the wait." The man apologized.

"It is no issue." The stranger shook his head politely.

Kali sat down on the couch opposite to his, while her husband took a seat next to her. "Regarding your...situation..." Kali began slowly, shifting uncomfortably. It was clear by the look in her eyes that she pitied the poor boy, being unable to remember anything about his past at all. "My husband and I talked it over."

The nameless youth's lips thinned. He supposed they must have been talking about what to do with him. A stranger with no memories, washing ashore on an island with seemingly no normal man in sight? He imagined that he was much more than just a stranger in a foreign land. Especially when he considered the odd looks the people walking by Ghira's home gave him.

"And? What will happen to me?" he inquired.

Ghira waved a hand in assurance. "Nothing horrible. We aren't kicking you out, if that's what has you concerned. You see, humans on Menagerie are a bit of a rarity. True, we get a few tourists every now and then, but for the most part, it's always been just us Faunus living on the island."

"We're still willing to let you stay here until you recover, or at the very least until you can remember something about your past." Kali told him kindly. "I have a friend who's trying to find something she can use to help you. If nothing else, we can always issue you a new citizenship ID."

"I see... Thank you."

"It's of no trouble." the wife smiled. "In truth, it's been a while since we've had a guest over at our home. I do wish it were under better circumstances, though. On that note, we do have something else to discuss. What to call you?"

The young man raised a brow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Do you want us to call you boy, or hey you?" Ghira asked. His expression told the chieftan everything. "You see my point. Can you think of anything you'd like for us to call you by, until you remember your name?"

The nameless youth rubbed his chin. A name, huh? It is true, being addressed by "boy" or "hey you," or god forbid "human" would be quite bad. He found himself irritated at the thought of being called by that last one. He closed his eyes and fell in thought, trying to think of a name to refer to himself by.

'Why not V?' the mystery voice cawed out. The young man frowned and glanced around the room, searching for whoever spoke. Neither Ghira or Kali reacted, meaning they couldn't hear it. Only he could hear the voice speak. 'It's as close to your old name as you can get! Of course, cripple works just as much! Hahahaha!'

He wisely chose not to react to that.

"...V." he settled on the voice's suggestion. Strangely, it rolled off the tongue easily. It felt right. He could tell there was more to it than that. There was something else there, at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite place it. "You call me V."

The couple stared at the boy. Ghira spoke first with a raised brow. "...V? As in the letter?" The boy replied with a nod. "Are you sure that's what you want us to call you? Why brought it on?"

"I...I'm not sure. To be honest, it was the first thing that popped in my head."

"Well, if you're certain..." Kali seemed a bit confused by his naming choice, but she otherwise accepted it. "By the way, are you still hungry? It's almost time for dinner, and-" A low growl answered her question. V blinked and stared down at his stomach in wonder. The woman laughed. "I suppose that answers my question! I'll get started right away." She stood up and made her way to the door, pausing to look over to Ghira. "Dear, would you mind helping V get settled into the guest room? I imagine its littered with dust."

"Oh, alright..." Ghira grumbled under his breath and stood up from the couch. "Come along. Can't exactly clean the room by myself."

"Yes sir." V nodded as he joined him.

"Now, now. No need to be so formal. Please, call me Ghira." V nodded again and followed him deeper into the house. They walked up a flight of stairs and entered a narrow hallway lined with doors on either side, four in all. Ghira stopped briefly and stared at the second door on the left, eyes softening with sadness before he continued walking until he reached the end of the hall, right where the fourth door was. "This is the guest room." he said as he opened it. "It's a little cluttered and dusty, so we'll have to clean it first. It's also a bit on the small side, unfortunately, so..."

"It will suffice." V assured him. "I'm not exactly in any position to be picky."


Clean up had taken nearly the whole afternoon. By the time the bags of trash and clutter were removed and cobwebs swept away, the sun had already begun to set. Ghira had left to help Kali with dinner, leaving him alone to become adjusted to the room.

As the chieftain had said, the room was a bit on the small side. The bed was big enough for him to sleep on, and there was a window for him to open if he became stuffy, but there was hardly enough room for him to walk around. There were stacks of books lying against the wall, old tomes from Kali's collection that she had forgotten and had yet to figure out what to do with them. Curious, he decided to open one of them and maybe pass the time.

It had only been ten minutes since he began to read, and already, he was questioning her taste. Some of the scenes he found were...suggestive, to say the least. He was not aware a man's sphincter could become so wide. He wisely decided to return the book to where it belonged and preteneded he never read it.

In the meantime, though, V wanted answers.

"...are you there?"

The mystery voice cackled. 'Am I here, he asks? 'course I'm still here! I'm practically with you, 24/7!'

V narrowed his eyes. "Then show yourself."

At first, there was no response. At least, not verbally. V felt his body burn up from within, as if someone had lit a fire inside, before the tattoos on his body suddenly began to peel away. They turned into a black substance, electricity cackling along as it pulled away from V and near the desk up against the wall, close to the books. The substance swirled into a ball, then collected into a solid form, expanding before becoming a physical shape.

A black bird with blue hues now sat atop the desk, a faint hint of thunder clouds emanating from its form. Its beak was large, easily the size of his hand. Its eyes were yellow, pupils narrow and sharp like a snake's with red markings surrounding them. The beak was lined with sharp fangs, each looking sharp enough to slice through flesh. The inside of its wings had a faint blue glow to them, small sparks of electricity dancing underneath.

V stared at the creature, unsure whether to be surprised or shocked by its appearance.

"Well?" the bird spoke in human tongue fluently, as if it was not some sort of bizarre creature that resembled a bird. "Got nothing to say to the guy who saved your sorry ass?"

"...what are you?" V finally asked after a moment.

The bird huffed. "I'm a nightmare. Or, to be more specific, your nightmare. Your big bad dreams, so to speak!" The beak curved a bit, as if mimicking a smile. "And I'm what you might call a piss-poor excuse for a demon. But hey, that's neither here nor there. As for a name, well... I guess Griffon will work. I am shaped like the bastard, after all!"

V narrowed his eyes. The creature called itself a demon. Demon. The word repeated in his head with a sense of anger. He had no idea what it meant, but whatever it was, he felt like he wanted to kill the bird for identifying itself as such. And as much as its voice irritated him, something the bird said caught his attention. "What did you mean by saving me?"

"I mean what I said, Sherlock." The avian being repeated. "It's because of yours truly that you're even still alive and kicking."

"And what do you mean by that? I need details." V demanded.

Griffon groaned. "Urgh, fine. Then open up your ears, Shakespeare, cause I'm only gonna say this once. A lot of shit went down, and I mean a looot of shit. The kind a normal human being would be torn to bits by! And to make a long story short, your body couldn't take anymore punishment. You were breaking down, so the only way to save your sorry hide was to try and fix yourself up." Griffon snorted. "Except it ended about as well as you'd expect. You lost a lot of your mojo, and your body started to break down even more. If I hadn't made a contract with you, chances are, those two kittens downstairs would have actually found a corpse on the beach, not some shriveled up kid."

"That...tells me little." V frowned. "What are not telling me?"

"Hey, I told you what little I know, okay?! I'm not exactly chock full of memories, either!" Griffon snapped. "All I remember is that you got your ass handed to you, and you nearly died, okay? And unless we do something soon, you're still gonna die." V's eyes widened in alarm, making the hellish bird smirk. "Good, paying attention now? I'm doing my best to keep you from turning into a pile of dust, but unless you find a way to stabilize your body then, well...let's just good ol' V turns into a pile of dust!"

"But how? How do I even do that?"

"Beats me." Griffon shrugged. "You're gonna have to figure that out on your own. Sorry, not sorry." V growled at the bird, reaching for its neck. The second he grew close, thunder lapped at his fingers, causing him to recoil. "Ah, ah, ah~ No touching allowed!" Griffon laughed.

"Why you-"

A knock came from the door, immediately silencing the two. "V?" Kali's voice came from the other side. "Dinner's ready!"

"...coming!" he replied after a moment. Kali's footsteps faded. He then directed his attention to the hellish bird, glaring at it. "This is not over, parrot."

Griffon squawked indignantly, but gave no other reply before its body lost shape and returned to him, reforming into the tattoos on his skin. V tightened his fist before he exhaled. He left the room and made his way downstairs to what he assumed the dining room would be.


V's presence on Menagerie, despite being on the island for only a day, had not gone unnoticed. Many civilians who passed by the Chieftain's house took notice of the young white-haired man's presence, a few even voicing their concerns. Numerous citizens recognized the youth as the one that had washed up ashore on the beach and questioned what had happened to him. Ghira had to quell their concerns before it turned to violence. Whenever a human appeared on Menagerie, it typically resulted in growing tensions. There had even been an occasion in which a human tourist had come under attack by a few locals. The attackers in question were promptly arrested and dealt a swift, but harsh punishment and the tourist compensated for his troubles.

What had so many citizens concerned, however, was that unlike the situation with the tourists, this human was in the house of Menagerie's leader. His presence raised a great deal of questions, some even thinking that he was some sort of spy.

One group in particular had an interest in V.

On the other side of the island, located on the border between the town and the wild wilderness, there was a small temple, easily matching the size of the Belladonna estate. Marching around the grounds were men and women in white uniforms, black hoods draped over their heads and silver masks hiding the upper half of their faces. In hand were weapons, ranging from rifles to spears to even swords. Draping the walls leading up to the temple gate, the only entrance to it, were flags bearing an insignia.

A wolf bearing its fangs, with slash marks behind its head.

The White Fang.

Once a peaceful protest group, founded by Ghira himself, its purpose had changed considerably. Ghira had stepped down from his position as leader of the organization, realizing that his duties were best suited to Menagerie's welfare, thus leaving it in the hands of his close friend Sienna Khan. Sienna, having realized that simply raising their voices and holding rallies did little to stop their oppression, opted to instead turn to violence. They attacked stores, stole precious cargo from their oppressors, and openly attacked anyone threatening their fellow Faunus brothers and sisters.

In recent years, however, due to the actions of one Adam Taurus, the White Fang was slowly, and surely, turning towards becoming a terrorist organization.

Among Adam's supporters were the leaders of the White Fang cell in their birthplace of Menagerie. Two brothers, twins with matching features, offered their prayers to a golden idol figure. Unlike the other members of the Fang, they wore red hoods and their faces exposed to the world. Their features were similar to a fox, one having ears and the other a tail swishing from their backside.

Their names were Corsac and Fennec Albain.

They waited patiently as they prayed, heads bowed and hands clasped until they heard their agent arrive. The doors opened with a low creaking groan. A woman stepped inside, hair brown and tied back into a ponytail and her eyes light gray. She wore a black, plum and navy sleeveless suit with short legs. The suit had two parts to the bottom section - a navy blue front panel that matches her belts and a plum color to the rest. The color divided at the center of her thighs. The suit's zipper was gold, and over it, she wore navy blue belts with gold buckles. She wore simple black boots with a cuff and a black glove on her right hand.

The brothers turned around to face the girl, pleasant smiles on their faces. "Ah, sister Ilia." Corsac greeted amicably.

"It has been a while since we last called you here." Fennec said. "How have you been?"

"I have...been better." Ilia Amitola admitted with a frown.

"We understand." Fennec said. "Sister Blake's departure was rather unexpected. I hear the two of you were rather close before the High Leader assigned her beneath Brother Adam's command."

"Y-yes" her gaze was downcast before she lifted her head, her eyes focused once more. "But enough of that. I take it you already heard the news?"

"You mean regarding the human boy under Ghira Belladonna's care?" Corsac stated.

"He just regained consciousness today. Apparently, he has amnesia." she added.

Fennec hummed. "We've heard the same. He was found washed ashore, but to my knowledge, there has been no report of a vessel suddenly vanishing at sea, much less an accident occurring anywhere near Menagerie's waters. For all we know, he could be spying on the Belladonna family."

Ilia frowned. "Why would anyone want to spy on them?" she questioned. "While Ghira may be chieftain of Menagerie, he's long since left the White Fang and has nothing to do with its affairs."

"While that may be true, others may not view as such." Corsac rebutted. "Remember that there are many humans out there willing to pin the blame on others just by pure association. They might be keeping tabs on Ghira simply because he was our former leader."

"To that end..." Fennec continued. "We would like for you to shadow the human. And, if he proves to be a danger..."

The man left his words unfinished, but Ilia understood his meaning. A cold chill crawled up Ilia's back as dread settled in the air. "Y-you mean," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "You want me to kill him?"

"Only as a last resort." Corsac reassured her. "You are free to use force to subdue him. However, if he proves to be...extremely stubborn, then you are free to finish him."

"I..." Ilia looked to the ground. She didn't know what to feel. On the one hand, she was loyal to the cause. She joined the White Fang because they knew the pain she harbored. It was the only place for her. She would do whatever it took in order to make the humans understand their pain. But on the other hand, she would never be so cold or cruel as to try and kill someone. And what if they were wrong? What if the human did have amnesia and was innocent? "I...understand." she eventually got out with a grimace.

Corsac smiled. "Good." he nodded. "We will call you again for a report at a later date. You may go now, sister." Ilia nodded, and slowly left the room. Once she did, the man sighed. "It seems she is still conflicted."

"It may change in the future, brother." Fennec countered, a smile still present on his features. "Blake Belladonna's betrayal has affected her more than she realizes. Just as it has brother Adam. I've heard the High Leader has begun to have trouble reigning him in as of late."

"So I've heard." Corsac muttered. "Still, the appearance of this human is most troubling. We should assign more people to shadow him, just to be on the side of caution."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"What are your thoughts on Sister Trifa?"

Fennec pursed his lips. "Her espionage skills are extraordinary, but I do not think she is best suited to stalking." he confessed. "Why don't we play the waiting game? For now, what of the other matter? The chieftain is growing frustrated by our inability to help catch whoever has been killing our brethren here in the village."

"We are doing all that we can." Corsac answered, albeit with a frown. "I have doubts that the culprit is even human. The way the bodies were found...it's as if a beast tore them to shreds."

"Do you believe a Grimm has found its way into the village?"

His brother sighed deeply. "I pray that is not the case."


Dinner had been a short affair. V had remained mostly silent and only joined in on conversations whenever he was prompted to or when a subject of interest came up. He managed to learn a bit about his situation, such as the circumstances of the Faunus and what his presence meant here on Menagerie, an island populated entirely by Faunus. There were also the Creatures of Grimm, black beasts that roamed the world that were attracted to negative emotions.

There were other things to consider, but for the most part, V felt that he knew what he needed to get by. For now, he wanted to focus on the matter at hand. He looked at his own hand, marveling at how thin it was. It was also shaking slightly, with the faintest hints of cracks present along the surface of his palm.

"...it seems you weren't spouting nonsense after all, parrot."

'I ain't no stinkin' parrot!' Griffon snarled in his head. 'And you just now noticed?!'

"No, I've felt it since I woke up. My body is...strained. It's trying to keep itself together." V muttered, curling his fingers into his palm. "Tell me, how are you keeping me alive?"

'I'm using my powers to keep your body together. If I sever the connection for even a split second, then your body will crumble to pieces. And if you die, then I die as well. So I'm pretty much the only one keeping the both of us alive. But I can't keep this up forever. Even I have a limit. Which means you're gonna have to find something to help the both of us.'

"But just how am I going to do that? I don't even know what happened to me in the first place. I don't know where to start."

'That, unfortunately, I can't help you with.' Griffon said, his apology genuine.

V scoffed and waved off his apology, fuming. He was still peeved with the hellish bird, even if it was the only reason he was alive. There had to be something he could do to prolong his life, however short it was. "As things stand...how much time do I have?"

'Er, by my estimates? You'll be lucky to be alive after two months.'

"Tch. Barely enough time." V muttered as he looked down at the floor, his shadow staring back at him. The window was open, and the light from the moon shined in, casting shadows from every object in the room. Staring at his own shadow, V suddenly recalled what Griffon referred to himself as. He claimed that he was his bad dreams, or nightmares. "...how many of you are there?"

'Eh? What'cha talking about now?'

"I mean, how many of these nightmares are there?" he clarified.

'To be honest, I have no idea. Though I'm pretty sure I ain't the only one...' Griffon soon realized what V was actually asking and immediately panicked. 'Whoa, hey! Hey hey hey! Y-you're not seriously thinking about hunting down the others, are ya?! You nuts?! What makes you think you can fight way you are now?!'

"Who said I'll be doing the fighting?" V replied with a knowing smirk, imagining the scandalized look on Griffon's face. "You said it yourself. You need me to survive. So, that means, if my life is in danger, you can fight to defend me."

'W-well, yeah, but...'

"And if our contract is what's keeping us sustained, then wouldn't the same also go for these other nightmares?"

'Y-yeah... I mean, we can't exist without something to anchor us down and supply us with energy.' Griffon said. 'Hell, I was on the verge of fading 'till I found you! But look, V! I'm not kidding around here! They're your nightmares! What do you think's gonna happen if you try and find 'em?! Ever heard of the saying, it might be better to forget?!'

V's lips thinned. "Perhaps..." he agreed. "But the fact remains, without power, I will die. And I have no intention of dying like some weak, pathetic fool."

For some reason, V spat those words as if they were poison. He didn't know why the thought of being weak disgusted him so much. Was it due to something from his past? If it did, then it didn't matter now. All that mattered to him was his survival.

'Sheesh...still stubborn as ever.'

"So...are you in?"

'Considering I don't have a choice? Yeah, fine.' Griffon huffed. 'Just know, if we die... I blame you.'

The hellish bird fell silent and V smiled. "Good." Now all he had to do was go hunting. Perhaps tomorrow.


Ghira woke up to find a messenger at his front door. The poor man looked shaken, the color gone from his face. He knew immediately why he came, recognizing the look as the same one as the other messengers from the past month.

A low growl escaped his mouth as they walked. "Another one?"

"Y-yes, Chieftain." the messenger nodded shakily, leading him to the scene of the crime. "It's the Krimzen's this time."

The Chieftain's frown deepened when he heard. He knew of the Krimzens. They were of the more moderate members of the White Fang that remained after he stepped down. They had hoped to remain to ensure that Sienna did not go too far in her new policies, yet also believed that a more aggressive stance is needed.

And now they were dead.

The two stopped before a taped off area, two mangled bodies were covered in the middle of it. Observing the scene, Ghira noted the various splotches of blood, likely from the victims. He stepped closer to the bodies, kneeling down and gently pulling off the tarp. As soon as he saw the condition of the bodies, his face turned green. "By the Brothers... This is worse than the last victims." he said, pulling the cover down and turning to face one of the officials. "Do we have anything new? Any ideas as to what did this?"

"No, Chieftain." the official said sadly. "But, as you can tell by the state of the bodies, whoever or whatever's doing this isn't exactly being discreet. The White Fang believe that it may be possible that a Grimm may be responsible, though they've found no evidence that such a creature managed to sneak inside the city."

"I see. And I suppose we already ruled out a villager being the culprit?"

"Yes. These injuries were far too savage to be the work of a normal person. There are even large bite marks that indicate the presence of a large, carnivorous beast."

"But if you say that there is no evidence of a Grimm sneaking into the city to commit the murder, what else do you suppose it could be?"

The official sighed. "I don't know. But whatever the case, we need to find whatever's doing this and fast. At this rate, the negativity in the area will spike. And then the Grimm will get restless. I don't think the militia has enough firepower to push them back, even with the White Fang's help."

Ghira's face paled when he thought about that possibility. The militia may have former Huntsman among their number, and their skills weren't anything to scoff at, the amount of Grimm that thrived in the wilderness that was Menagerie was nothing to scoff at. If the negativity increased and they began to attack on a regular basis, or worse in a horde, Menagerie would be overrun. "Do whatever you must to track down the killer." he said seriously. "We can't let this continue!"

"Understood, chief." the official nodded. He then glanced around the crowd before he leaned in with a hushed whisper. "One more thing, chieftain. I don't want to alarm you, but...some of the villagers think the increased violence of the attacks might be because of the human that washed ashore the other day."

"What?!" Ghira looked incredulous. "How in the holy hell do they think he has anything to do with this?! He's so frail you'd think he would blow away in the wind!"

"I understand. But please just hear me out." The official pleaded. "I'm aware he didn't regain consciousness until today, and these attacks have been happening for quite some time. But please think about it. Haven't they started around the same time you took the lad in and nursed him back to health?"

"That may be so, but he was in a coma. You expect me to believe that a man like him is responsible for these murders?"

"I'm not saying it was him directly. I'm just pointing out the timing of these incidents."

Ghira frowned. "My wife and I already checked. The poor man doesn't even have Aura. And you and I both know that, unless magic exists, it's impossible for him to have a semblance."

Unknown to anyone surrounding the crime scene, however, glowing red eyes watched Ghira and the official speak, growling sinisterly before it slinked back into the shadows, fading and melding into the darkness and eventually vanishing. Up until now, it had just been acting erratically. This had been the first time it had managed to regain its senses. It could smell him. He was here, somewhere in this small little village.

All that was left was to find him...and rip his heart out from his body.


V had been reading a book out in the living room when Kali had asked him if he wanted to come with her on a bit of grocery shopping. Seeing as how he had nothing better to do, he accepted the offer. Unfortunately, he had realized that he had not quite recovered from his fever-induced coma and needed a cane to steady himself, lest he stumble and fall flat on his face. Griffon seemed to be quite amused and wanting for that to occur, making him want to strangle the damn bird.

The cane itself was a bit odd, though. It was seemingly made of silver with a thin handle, curving below the right side of his hand before coming down into a straight line. The bottom end was pointed, almost like the end of an arrow.

"Odd choice of design for a cane." V remarked as they walked down the street. Compared to the couple of people he saw passing by at Ghira's home, the streets may as well have been flooded.

"It was my grandfather's." Kali explained. "You would have to ask him, though you'll have to start a seance for that one."

J"I see. I apologize for using it like this."

"Oh no. Don't be. While it was my grandfathers, it was simply collecting dust until now. I'm sure he'd appreciate it having found use once again."

"Very well, then. Thank you."

Kali smiled back at him. "Anytime. Now then, think you can carry grocery bags. Ghira is having a meeting with the White Fang today, so I'm assuming he'll be quite famished. He's always so exhausted and somehow hungry at the same time after a long day at work."

"The White Fang?" V asked curiously. "Who are they?"

Kali's face turned conflicted. "They are...an organization stationed here on Menagerie." she said, though V could tell she was not telling him the full story. "They have other bases around Remnant, mind you, but they gather much of their recruits here, since they are a Faunus organization. They help the militia in keeping the Grimm away from the village."

"I see." V nodded. "And since Ghira is the Chieftain of Menagerie, they need his approval."

"Among other things." the woman sighed. "Lately, however, he's been getting frustrated with their lack of progress involving a string of murders that's been happening here. Whether your human or Faunus, I suppose conflicts are just part of day to day life, even if they end in someone dying. Whoever or whatever's been killing the local Faunus hasn't been caught, and there are no leads as of yet. At the rate things are going, I'm afraid the negative emotions in the village will begin to increase. And when that happens..."

'Then the Grimm start knocking.' Griffon snickered. 'Might be somebody looking to get a few kicks in and cause some trouble. Maybe a human in hiding?'

V doubted that. Given what he's learned so far, any human trying to hide in Menagerie was suicidal since the only way off the island was by boat. And the wilderness surrounding the village was full of hostile wildlife, mainly consisting of Grimm. Unless they were confidant in their swimming skills or a hardy combatant, they were screwed either way.

Something else bothered V about the murders, so he decided to ask. "Out of curiosity, what was the cause of the deaths of the victims? Surely there must be a pattern."

"Well, as far as we know, each of the victims had one consistency among them. Their wounds seemed to have been caused by a ravenous beast. There were numerous, deep claw marks and large bite marks. Lately, they're becoming less like actual murders and more like wild animal attacks. But there are doubts that a Grimm was responsible, as we would've been alerted by its presence beforehand." Kali answered.

"I see... Sounds rather grizzly."

'And it might be a nightmare. Or a demon, whichever comes first.' Griffon said. 'Though, I would like to remind you that, if it is a demon and not a nightmare, you can't make a contract with it.' V furrowed his brow. 'Well, I mean you could, but it depends on the demon in question. If its some worthless mook, then yeah, might as well just kill the damn thing and get it over with. And while we're at it, you do realize that somebody's tailing us, right?'

He had noticed. They were being quite discreet. In fact, if it weren't for V somehow able to feel her presence, staying a few meters behind and hiding in the shadows, he wouldn't have noticed. He knew it was a Faunus, feeling no otherworldly strength from her. Instead, he focused on the matter at hand. Speaking of the Faunus population, they were shooting him dirty looks and whispering harsh words beneath their breath.

Not that he cared much for their opinion.

He didn't know how or why he earned their ire. But he didn't really care. From what he learned from Ghira, humans weren't exactly welcomed by a percentage of Menageries population due to how Faunus were treated in the Kingdoms and the rest of the world. He didn't care about their problems, nor should he involve himself in them. Their problems were their problems, and he would have no part in it.

"And here we are." Kali stopped in front of what looked to be the bazaar, various stands offering fresh fish, meat and vegetables. She lifted her nose slightly as a smile touched her face. "Ah, looks like the fishermen caught some fresh fish! Perfect!" V took note of how stars seemed to dazzle in Kali's eyes as she immediately went straight for the stand with the fish, making him shake his head. The ears atop her head were not just for show after all, it seemed. "Ooh, halibut and eel! Which should I pick, I wonder?"

"Ah, Mrs. Belladonna! Great to see you again!" the shopkeep smiled widely. "How's the life of a housewife?"

"Doing well." The woman smiled back. V walked up next to her.

"Oh, and who's your friend here?" The shopkeeper asked.

"This is V. He's currently staying in our house for the time being."

"Ah, the boy who came ashore!" the man realized. "Scrawny feller, aren't you? And your hair is all white!"

V shrugged. "I can't help it if my hair's this color." he replied.

"Maybe you should get some meat on your bones, then! Actually, since your here, Mrs. Belladonna, I got a gift for the chieftain! One of the guards happened to tell me he's been wanting some fresh carp lately, so...!" The man dived below his stall, missing for only a few seconds before he pulled himself back up. V choked when he saw a humongous fish in his hands. Kali started to drool immediately. "This fella came in today! I'll hand it over to you for free, if you can ask the chieftain if he can see about getting me a new boat! Old girl's finally showing her age, sadly."

"DEAL!"

'...uh, V?' Griffon whispered. 'Do fish...grow that big?'

"No." V said flatly. "No, they do not."

Just as V was about to walk away with Kali after she made her purchase, his body froze up. His skin tingled, goosebumps crawling up his arms. He could feel something slither across his mind. An unpleasant feeling full of dread that made his blood run cold. A palpable sense of dread crept up on him as he felt something linger in the back of his mind. 'I can feel it...' Griffon said tensely. 'One of the nightmare's is here. It feels pretty hungry. Poor sap must have been trying to restore its energy. Bet you dollars to donuts its what's been killing the people around here lately.' The hellish bird cackled. 'Guess we're in luck! If its running on fumes, should be easy for ya to beat it down and make a contract with it.'

"Where is it?" V questioned as he looked around, attempting to find the source.

Griffon was ultimately not needed, as he found the creature almost immediately after asking, seeing its glowing red eyes glare at him, growling before it leaped out into view, its body turning into a physical shape. Black liquid became muscle, fangs bared and blades dancing. V's eyes widened when he realized where exactly the creature was aiming.

Him and Kali.

"Get down!"

V threw himself at Kali, unintentionally knocking down the groceries out of her hands. The demon flew right over them and collided with the shopkeeper's stand. A scream pierced the air as blood gushed across the ground, spilling all over the discarded fish that lay in the dirt. Flesh was torn apart within seconds.

No sooner had the nightmare made itself known had the crowd been thrown into panic.

"GRIMM!"

All civilians scrambled away from the beast, pushing and shoving one another to try and escape. Given Menageries significant population density. It was difficult to find free space on the streets, making evacuation difficult.

"O-oh god..." Kali whimpered, the color draining from her face. She was frozen in fear, unable to move as the nightmare made itself known to them.

It was a panther, or at least shaped like one. Its body was jet black, body built with muscle with bloodstains being consumed by the blackness of its own body like the blood was being sucked away. Its eyes were crimson, and its teeth were bared. Its form even seemed to tremble and quiver, as if it was not made completely physical.

'Shadow, greaaat...' Recognizing the nightmare, Griffon groaned. 'This will be fun. Hey, try not to get sliced up, kay?'

V narrowed his eyes. "Can you bring it down?"

'I could...but not without barbaquing a couple of animals. So unless you wanna freak out the people here, you might wanna lead it away.'

"Well, at least your good for something."

'Hey!'

Shadow roared and charged at V. He moved out of the way and pushed Kali in the opposite direction so she wouldn't be caught by the mockery. It skidded to a stop and growled, locking eyes with the white-haired teen, who in turn smirked and turned to run in the other direction. He had a fairly good idea of where he could fight it without getting the people around him involved. Shadow immediately gave chase and shot after him.

The panicked crowd parted the way for V, realizing that he was going to be the nightmare's unlucky victim. As he and the monster vanished from sight, a group of Faunus clad in armor arrived on the scene. "What happened here?!" the leader of the group, a female with tanned skin with scales along the sides of her cheeks, demanded. She saw Kali lying on the ground, shaken. "Ah! Mrs. Belladonna! Are you alright?!"

"I-I'm fine..." the woman nodded before pointing a shaky figure to where V had ran. "B-but V...!"


The white haired teen sprinted through the streets of menagerie. Ignoring his body's continuous protests from the physical exertion. He could feel himself strain to keep his body together, yet he pushed it out of his mind as he led Shadow away from the populace. He cut through various alleyways, hoping to find an enclosed area to keep Shadow boxed in while he dealt with it.

"Though perhaps fighting in the village will warrant unneeded attention!" V huffed before he felt his body burn up. His tattoos peeled away and formed into Griffon, the hellish bird flying beside him. "How close are we to the nearby forests?"

"Pretty close! Why?" Griffon retracted his question when he realized what V was talking about. "Oh boy, you want to fight that thing in a Grimm infested forest, why am I not surprised?! Sheesh! Memories or no memories, you really are a bastard, you know that?!"

"Better me than everyone else in town!" He retorted as he vaulted over a wooden fence. He could hear the Nightmare catching up to him, its paws thumping against the ground like thunder.

He swiveled around the corner, nearly stumbling over his own feet and crashing into a helpless bystander carrying a basket. They were about to scold him, were it not for Shadow bowling right over them in its pursuit. It was slowly catching up to him. V pushed himself further, running as fast as he could and ignoring the strain he was putting on his body. A cart came into clear view, positioned right up against the wall. Over the wall, he saw the treeline. He pushed his legs faster and rushed up the cart, jumping over the wall and making his way into the forest. Shadow leaped right over it and continued to chase him, snarling and roaring with anticipating.

"Uh, V? Not to alarm you, but the angry kitty is gaining on us!"

V gave Griffon a flat look. "Then slow it down."

"What?! Me?!" He gawked in response.

"You're the one who has powers right now." V snapped back. "I'm pretty much useless at the moment!"

"...Alright! Fine! But if I die! I'm blaming you!" Griffon slowed down and circled back to distract Shadow.

Thunder began to flow along Griffon's feathers. Arcs spewed from its wings. With a shrill cry, Griffon launched itself at the dark panther. Bolts of electricity cut through the air and struck the Nightmare dead on. Shadow paused in its charge and shook off the attack. It looked up and growled at the avian Nightmare.

Griffon squawked at it. "Here kitty kitty! Come to papa!" Shadow roared as it pounced at the bird. But Griffon flew higher to avoid its claws. It fired off more sparks of thunder at the nightmare, though Shadow proved to be far more agile than expected. It used the tree it had landed on as a spring board and jumped off, perching itself atop the branches of another tree, then resumed its chase. "What the-hey! Get back you here overgrown furball!" Griffon cursed as it he immediately gave chase.

V continued to rush through the forest, shielding his face from twigs and bushes and branches that would have otherwise blinded him. His chest tightened up, his legs burned and his lungs were being torn apart. He was starting to get tired. Adrenaline couldn't help him anymore. Worse yet, the further he delved into the wilderness of Menagerie, the more malevolent intent he could feel coming from up ahead. He didn't know what it belonged to, but it wasn't a demon, that was for sure. He believed it to be the Grimm that thrived in these forests and grimaced.

Death by demon, or death by Grimm. He wasn't exactly keen on either option, though perhaps he could use both sides to his favor.

The violent roars of Shadow crept up from behind him. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see it pounce. It collided and all of its weight fell upon him, forcing him down to the ground. His back hit the ground and its paws pinned him down. Its maw opened, revealing sharp black fangs that loomed over him, ready to rip out his throat. In defense, he brought up the cane and jammed it in his mouth, holding back its fangs. Shadow thrashed, trying to pull the cane out from his grasp and snap it in two, but it proved to be far more resilient than expected. When it seemed that it wouldn't be able to bite him, it instead twisted its paws into claws.

V hissed in pain, sucking on his teeth to avoid screaming and attract unwanted attention as sharp blades pierced into his shoulders.

Even so, despite the pain burning his nerves and the agony of his body on the verge of breaking down, he held on. He needed a way to beat Shadow. He just needed an opportunity to do so! He would not allow himself to die here, not before he had a chance to learn something about himself. Not before he gained power. Power great enough to defeat him!

Hissing, V pushed until he finally threw Shadow off of him. The nightmare snarled as its form quivered, then rippled. A thin spear shot out from its body, aiming to skewer the white-haired youth where he stood. V rolled to his side and evaded it. Then the creature launched itself forward, losing shape and becoming a whirlwind of blades. and slicing up anything in its path.

V stilled for a moment, clutching his shoulder. He waited two seconds before he leaped out of the way, just in time for an oncoming Grimm to be caught in Shadow's path. He didn't get a good look at it, but its form resembled a wolf and had a white mask on its face.

And it was not alone.

Behind it were many more of its kind, yet each one was noticeably smaller than the one leading the pack. He deduced it to be the Alpha of some sort. And even then they weren't the only ones present. Behind them were small, bipedal creatures of a similar design. They were reptilian in form, with bone-white armor covering their backs and face.

As Shadow reformed and glowered at the new arrivals, preparing to slaughter them for their interference, Griffon fluttered into view. "Sheesh, that cat runs fast..." the hellish bird complained, flapping beside V. "And you went on got yourself hurt. Nice work, V. Real nice."

Rather than rise up to its bait, V kept his focus on the Grimm, which snarled and howled at Shadow. "This is more than what I was expecting..." he noted worriedly. "Why are there so many?"

"The cat lady said Grimm are attracted to negativity, right? And since me and the kitty cat over there are practically made from your bad dreams, we might as well be a Grimm's wet dream! Shame they aren't going to do much against it, though. But, ah, you might wanna hurry up and kick the crap out of it before it loses all of its mojo. If it goes down like this, you can't make a contract with it!"

V smirked. "Then you'll simply have to fry it with the Grimm."

"You're a real slave driver, you know that?" Griffon huffed before thunder sparked around its body. "Let's just make this clear, Shakespeare. You and I like to co-exist. So hurry up and kill these Grimm something quick, cause it ain't my shtick!" It took off towards the treetops and let loose several bolts of thunder. The reptiles were pierced by the bolts and were killed in an instant. Shadow was struck by the bolts and stumbled slightly, its body temporarily losing shape. For a brief moment, something in its body became visible to V. "I got your back, cause dying is whack!"

He smirked as he saw his opportunity and took it. He brandished his cane and dashed toward Shadow. Surrounded on all fronts, Shadow let out an air-trembling roar as its form twisted. Blades sprouted from every inch of its body and twirled itself around, slashing and hacking anything that got close to it. It attempted to cut down V, but he used his cane to defend and pulled back, rolling back to evade. When it reverted, a wolf landed atop its body and dug its fangs into its neck, clawing and tearing at its form. Griffon used the moment to send out arcs of thunder and overwhelmed it. The Grimm died in moments. Shadow let out a howl of pain, but then its red eyes became livid as it jumped up to snatch the hellish bird out of the air, only for anotehr Grimm to appear and pull out in mid-air, teeth sinking into its leg and tossing it against a tree, breaking through back and snapping it in half.

"Tiiimbeeer!" Griffon laughed as the tree came crashing down with a thud, falling on top of one of the reptilian Grimm.

V swirled down into a crouch as another reptile attempted to headbutt him, letting it fly above his head before skewering it with the cane. The pointed end pierced straight through its body, then tore it out, letting the Grimm go limp. He glanced down at the cane, finding it hardly scratched aside from the small scratches caused by Shadow biting at it. "Hm, quite durable, this cane." he remarked with a grin. "I think I like it." He side-stepped one of the incoming wolves swiping its claw at him, giving it a good whack with the cane. Angry, the wolf tried to snap at his leg, but missed by a narrow margin. The cane pierced its neck and severed the spine in an instant, killing it then and there.

Griffon continued throw sparks of electricity at Shadow and the Grimm surrounding it. Slowly, but surely, the nightmare was losing cohesion. A pusaling object was revealed through the thick strands of black fluid-like muscle. It appeared to be a sphere of some sort. It was the core behind its being. Without it, Shadow could not exist. If the core was destroyed, then that was it. Goodbye nightmare. And goodbye lifespan increase. Realizing that its fellow mockery was weak enough for V to deal with it, Griffon instead focused his attempts on killing the Grimm around it. It no longer had a need to conserve energy now. It fired off as many arcs of thunder as it could.

Flashes of lights of thunder bolts practically rained down in the forest. Grimm were being slaughter en masse. And V was dancing in the middle of it, each movement slow and careful while dealing a swift blow to the vital spots of each of his foes. Though his body was weak, there was no mistaking this feeling. It was carved deep into his bones. He knew precisely when to strike, when to dodge, when to parry, and when to kill. He had been in combat before. But these enemies were pitifully weak. Though he struck their weakpoints to deal with them swiftly, the fact remained that they paled in comparison to demons.

Yet as he killed the Grimm, his mind also thought about the demons. Griffon and Shadow were demons, or rather pale imitations. They were simply taking on their forms to suit their needs. If they were real demons, then he would have a much harder time trying to kill them. Their power would be far greater than these Grimm. If that was the case, then what were the demons, really?

A subject for another time, he supposed.

A swift stab through the heart, and the wolf fell to its knees. V tugged the cane out and let the corpse crumple to a heap before he turned his attention to Shadow. It was now visibly suffering from all the pain and punishment it had been receiving. Its attempts to defend itself had gone no better, expending more energy than it should have. Parts of its body lost form and were spilling on the grass, forming black puddles of sludge and muck. Half of its face was losing form. The sphere within its body was revealed at long last. It pulsated like a beating heart.

Like a cornered animal, it realized its predicament. It tried to shield its core, but its attempts were fruitless. It could no longer remain solid. "Looks like that's it for the poor kitty." Griffon said as it flapped its way down to V's shoulder, careful not to aggravate the bleeding wounds he had already suffered. "It was already running on fumes, but now it barely has any gas left in the tank. It'll probably disappear in a few minutes. Last chance, pal."

V nodded. Then he paused, knitting his eyebrows. "...and, pray tell, how am I supposed to make a contract with it?"

"Easy. Use the cane!" The white-haired youth gave him an incredulous look. "You got some demonic power left in ya. Just think back to how it felt while you were fighting the Grimm. Let your instincts do all the work for you. Let the energy flow through the cane, then stick it in its core. All there is to it, really. Oh, but, ah... I should warn you. Like I told you before, me and this guy? We're your nightmares. All the bad stuff you wanted to forget. You make a contract with him? The memories he makes up are gonna go right through you." Griffon narrowed his eyes at V. It almost looked like concern. "Remember what I said about some things better left being forgotten?"

V stared at Shadow's dissipating form. It was starting to break down. What little of its form was left was becoming nothing but smoke and ash. A putrid smell flooded his nostrils. He wanted to gag. "Perhaps." he conceded to Griffon's point as he held his cane in hand, holding it over his shoulder. "But..." His eyes narrowed. "That is not your call to make."

He thrusted the cane straight into the core, and like Griffon said, he let his instincts take over. A blinding white light flooded the forest.

V screamed.


"PATHETIC."

His body, beaten and broken, collapsed to the ground. The crimson sludge stained his clothes. He felt cold. Defiled. Groaning, he attempted to stand back up, but lost strength in his arms. He attempted to reach for his katana, but he found it out of his reach. It was far away from him, stabbed halfway into a dirty mound of rotting flesh. Something pulled him out from the muck, but not gently. Were it not for the fact that he lost the strength to scream, he would have cried out in pain.

"YOU ARE WEAK. USELESS. HUMAN." the monster before him bellowed, its voice echoing all across the void. "DEMON YOU MAY BE, BUT YOUR BLOOD BETRAYS YOU. YOU THINK YOU COULD DO WHAT YOUR FATHER DID BEFORE? DO NOT OVERESTIMATE YOURSELF. YOU ARE NOT EVEN HALF THE DEMON THE TRAITOR WAS."

The monster's grip on him tightened. He coughed up blood, the red liquid spilling out from the corners of his mouth. "I..." he rasped. "I will not submit. Not...to you...!" He raised his head, glaring back in defiance. "I will not...yield!"

"...INSOLENCE."

The monster squeezed. His bones creaked beneath the pressure, then shattered. A weak gasp escaped him, body trembling. He tried to muster the strength to push back, but the monster's strength was greater. His resistance was fading. He could feel his consciousness slipping away.

"I COULD KILL YOU HERE AND NOW...BUT YOU MAY PROVE USEFUL, EVEN IF HALF-DEAD." the monster cackled. Black liquid began to spill out form its arms. Crawling up its fingers and sliding into his body. His skin both burned and froze from the contact. It was vile and wretched. "I KNOW HE HAD ONE OTHER CHILD. I KNOW HE WILL COME TO ME AND FINISH WHAT HIS FOOLISH FATHER STARTED." The monster chuckled, watching as the liquid crawled up his face. He closed his mouth firmly shut and shut his eyes, but the liquid slithered into his ears. Something inside him broke and forced his orfices open. The liquid spilled into his mouth and slid into his throat. It crawled into his eyes and swallowed them whole.

"I WONDER WHAT FACE DANTE WILL MAKE...WHEN HE REALIZES THAT HE WILL HAVE TO KILL HIS BROTHER A SECOND TIME?"

The damning laugh of the monster and its piercing red eyes were all he saw before his mind slipped into the dark


V's eyes snapped open, gasping for air. Cold sweat caked his skin. His head throbbed while his heart hammered against his chest. On instinct, his hands groped for something near his person, but found only empty air. Confused, he looked around and found he was no longer on the forest floor. Rather, he was once again comfortably resting on the sofa in the Belladonna estate's living room. The window curtains were drawn and the doors leading out to the yard were closed, but the soft glow of moonlight spilled between the cracks.

Realizing where he was, V inhaled and exhaled calmly, slowing his heart's rapid beating. He looked down at his hand, staring at it. His skin was pale, perhaps even more so than before...but the cracks were gone. They had faded. And that was not all. He felt no physical changes to his body, but he could feel it. Something inside of him changed. He felt more...lively. More alive. The oppressive feeling of his body breaking down was gone, pushed to the far reccesses of his mind.

"I see..." he mumbled to himself as he palmed his face. "So, that was what you meant. Bad dreams, indeed."

"V!" The aforementioned teen looked up, finding a relieved and worried Kali Belladonna rushing into the room. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I've...felt better." he admitted as he rolled his shoulder, only to wince. "Except for my shoulder being sliced open."

"So I've noticed! Ilia found you passed out stone cold on the forest floor! And bleeding! What were you thinking, heading out into the woods?! That's Grimm territory!"

"I-"

Kali glared at him. Despite having faced much greater horrors, V found himself wilting underneath the pressure behind it. Yet he couldn't help but note how this pressure also seemed familiar to him for some reason. "Don't give me excuses, V! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Now now, Kali. Give him some room." Ghira came into the room moments later. The man looked as if he had been run ragged. His shoulders sagged, and there were dark rings beneath his eyes. "He's already had a run-in with death. Don't give him reason to meet it again." Kali looked like she wanted to argue more, but then fell quiet. She looked conflicted, not sure whether to be angry with him or to agree with her husband before she huffed and stomped away, vanishing into the other room. Ghira chuckled. "You'll have to forgive her. I haven't seen her that concerned about someone since the day Blake came down with chicken pox when she was ten."

V raised a brow, wondering who this Blake person was, but chose not to ask. Instead, he chose to pursue a different inquiry. "How long have I been out?"

"Two whole days." Ghira told him, much to his surprise. "Ilia, a member of the White Fang, found you out in the forest. You had deep cuts in your shoulders, and it looked like you were suffering from another fever. You calmed down not long after she brought you back." The man bowed his head deeply, surprising V. "Thank you, V. For protecting my wife when you did."

"I didn't do much."

"You protected her from a Grimm. That is more than enough." Ghira insisted. "Speaking of, what happened to it?"

V paused, wondering how he should answer. He couldn't exactly claimed that he "absorbed" the Grimm or reveal its true nature to Ghira. That might end up making the man hostile, and he didn't exactly want to lose the trust of the man who offered him a roof and a bed to sleep on. But he also couldn't claim he killed it, either. Who would believe that such a scrawny man managed to kill a Grimm with nothing but a cane? After a bit of pondering, V settled on an answer.

"...I managed to fight it off for a little while, but as you can tell by my wounds, that didn't go so well." he claimed. "I don't remember what happened afterwards. Perhaps this Ilia managed to kill it?"

Ghira shook his head. "No, she didn't. She found a few Grimm corpses dissolving by the time she found you. You really don't remember what happened?"

"No, I don't."

The chieftain stared at V for a while longer before he sighed. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped." he said, rubbing his forehead. "What a mess... The militia and the Fang are trying to figure out how the Grimm managed to sneak inside the village and remain undetected for so long. It's gotten to the point where the Fang's leader is asking for a meeting to discuss reinforcing the village."

"Wouldn't that be for better protection?" V said in confusion.

Ghira scoffed. "Perhaps, but the White Fang's idea of reinforcing is to recruit more members from Menagerie. The people are still frightened after what happened the other day. We need time to heal, not more panic. The Grimm have already been more active than they have in the last month. If this keeps up, we may have to hire a Huntsman." He stopped, blinking as he realized something. Ghira laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to talk your ear off about matters that don't involve you. I've been so tired dealing with all this crap, I guess I needed someone to vent to."

V chuckled. "It's fine." he assured him.

Ghira smiled at V, bowing his head. "Once again, V... Thank you, for protecting Kali. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go calm down my wife before she goes on another tantrum. One would thinks he wasn't..." His voice trailed off as he left the living room behind.

V watched him go, eyes narrowed and waiting until he was out of earshot before he addressed the silent presences in the room. "You're there, I hope?"

'Like I said, 24/7!' Griffon snapped as he tore himself off of V, taking on a physical shape. And he was not alone, either. Shadow manifested with him as well, landing on the floor. His form was relatively the same, but it lacked the same hostile intentions as it did before. Its eyes, while red, lacked the bloodlust it harbored earlier. Now, there was an odd sense of calm to it. It waltzed up to V and nudged its head against him. Smiling wryly, V rubbed his head against it, eliciting a purr. The hellish bird snickered. "Aw, look! The kitty cat likes you now, after it just tried to chomp off your head. So, how was reliving one of your worst nightmares?"

"Entertaining." V said sarcastically. "But insightful." He looked at Griffon with his lips in a thin line. "Who is Dante?"

"Your brother, I think."

"...you think?"

"Not quite sure about that one. Like I said before, our memories are still fuzzy kid. But after getting Shadow back, I'm starting to remember a bit more. It ain't much, but at least we got a name."

V pursed his lips. It wasn't much to go on, but at least now he had something to go on. However, there was something else weighing on his mind.

Those piercing red eyes glaring down at him as it crushed the life of out of him, twisting him. Perverting him. Defiling his image and all he embodied.

His hands shook. "That demon..." he whispered. "What was it?"

"Mundus. King of the Underworld." Griffon replied with a grimace. "Real nasty piece of work, and the primary reason why you were in shit condition. And why you're now skin and bones. Don't know what happened to him, though. All I know is that your nightmares are all based around the demons that served under him."

"And how many demons were there?"

"Five, if you included yourself." the bird shrugged. "There was Griffon, Shadow, Nightmare and Phantom."

"In other words, there are two more nightmares left." V hummed thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling. "If I were to make a contract with him, would my body be sustained enough to last indefinitely?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Do I look like an expert to you? Anyway, thanks to the kitty over here, your life expectancy just went up. Congrats, V! You got six months to live!"

"Six months, huh..."

V frowned. While it was definitely better than his original state, it still wasn't much time in the long run. He needed to track down the other Nightmares and make contracts with him fast. However, finding them would not be an easy task. If they were located across Menagerie, then perhaps it would be much simpler, but he sincerely doubted it would be that easy. And they were possibly far more powerful than Griffon and Shadow. With that in mind, he needed to get stronger. He needed power. The question is, how would he obtain that power? And where could he find it? Those were the questions V needed immediate answers to.

For now, though...he supposed recuperating was his best option for now. He couldn't fight in the best of conditions if his shoulders were torn to hell.


Weeks passed by in Menagerie, and seemingly the village had returned to a sense of normalcy. The rising negativity had quelled overtime, and people slowly, but surely, returned to their everyday lives. The White Fang had, thankfully not chosen to start a mass recruitment and increase the negativity in the area, and the militia was able to repel the rising Grimm attacks. The aid of Huntsmen, as Ghira once feared, were thankfully not required. Many lives had been lost because of Shadow's actions, but people moved on. Some still grieved, but ultimately life continued.

V's stay in Menagerie had come and gone in a blink of an eye. He had found himself accustomed to his brief time in the village, and the Faunus had slowly come to warm up to him. Some still regarded him with hostility, namely those from the White Fang, but the others had welcomed him as one of their own. He actually found his place here peaceful. Perhaps, were it not for his present circumstances, he would have loved to live here, but alas, he had more pressing concerns. Almost a month had gone by, and he was running on borrowed time. He needed to find the other nightmares and obtain their powers.

To that end, V studied up on anything that could be of value to him. Books on the regions of Remnant, historical locations that could prove to be places where they would possibly reside, as well as books on combat techniques. Kali had chosen to let him keep her grandfather's cane, much to his pleasure. He had grown a certain fondness towards it, finding it a good companion piece and weapon.

Kali's friend, sadly, had come up with nothing about V's identity. Despite numerous inquiries and the vast network at their disposal, he apparently did not exist. As a result, it was suspected that he might have had his identity stolen and would be issued a new one. Near the end of his stay on Menagerie, he had been given his own bank account, a government-issued Scroll, and a citizenship ID. While Menagerie was technically its own continent, it was recognized as part of Vacuo, so officially, V was a citizen of the Kingdom of Vacuo.

If there was one thing that V had been disappointed in, it was that Menagerie didn't have anyone who could offer to unlock his Aura. Aura, which he read in a book, was the shield and manifestation of one's own soul. The means in which one defended themselves from harm. An outward expression of their inner selves. He had been quite curious about its applications and mentioned it to Ghira, but sadly, while the man did admit he had his unlocked, he did not know the process in which he could unlock another person's. That particular bit was apparently done by either officials belonging to Combat and Huntsman Academies, as well as actual Huntsman.

A shame. It would have been a well-needed tool if he was to combat his nightmares.

Eventually, the day V had set out to leave had come. He had already informed the Belladonnas of his decision. They looked greatly saddened to hear this, perhaps thinking that he would stay with them indefinitely, but they understood that he couldn't just remain cooped up here. He had a past that he needed answers to. He needed to find the answers about himself, and he could not find them in Menagerie. They weren't going to let him leave without preparing him for the journey, however.

V stepped out into the living room, the soft tapping of the cane alerting the Belladonnas of his presence. When he presented himself to the married couple, Kali squealed. "Oh, I just knew Ghira's old clothes would fit you!"

His buttoned shirt and slacks had been discarded in favor for hand-me-downs as Kali had mentioned. He now wore what used to be Ghira's old clothes from during his teenage years: a long, open sleeveless leather coat with the sides tied together by strings, inside pockets, and a sewn-in, corset-like vest in the front. He also wore black pants with a silver chain made up of skulls on the right side of his belt and a fingerless glove on his right hand. He was sporting many accessories, including a tooth pendant around his neck, silver ring on his left middle finger, and a spiked bracelet that crisscross around his left wrist. Rather than boots, however, V had opted for more free-feeling attire such as sandals.

"You look great, V." The man complimented.

"Well, you have good tastes in clothes." The young man smirked back. The two shared a laugh as Ghira pulled him in for a one armed hug.

Though V's stay with them had lasted barely a month, they had grown rather attached to the white-haired youth. Up until now, their home had felt rather lonely without Blake around. While he was no replacement for her, they greatly enjoyed his being here. In a way, it was like they had unofficially adopted him. V, in turn, felt at peace with them and wondered briefly if he would ever have a place with them, despite his status. It was worth thinking about in the future.

The two males parted. "I really am going to miss you." Ghira admitted with a wry smile. "I'll keep the guest room tidy, in case you ever come back here."

V nodded in gratitude. Before he departed from the estate, Kali put a book in his hands. "Here. I know it isn't much of a going away present, but I noticed you read rather often and bought this for you." V raised a curious brow and opened the book up to a random page. "It's a book of poems. I don't know if its your cup of tea, but-"

"It's fine. I like it." V smiled, closing the book. "Thank you, Kali."

"No, thank you, V. It's...been a long time since our house felt so lively. Do come by again when you remember something about your past." the woman insisted. "Perhaps without being half-dead, next time?"

He laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Do you want us to see you off at the port?"

"No. I should be fine getting there by myself." he said. A small part of him felt a little sad leaving them. Maybe he could return here again, someday. "Thank you again. For everything."

Without looking back, V turned around and left, his luggage trailing behind him. The Belladonnas watched his back slowly fade into the distance. Kali felt her eyes water slightly as V's image happened to overlap with that of another's - a girl with black hair like them, eyes like amber and a blade to her hip. "It's going to be rather lonely here without him around." she admitted, wiping away the tears before they could spill from her face. "I wish he could have stayed a little longer."

"You and I both know he couldn't." Ghira said, feeling equally as sad. It almost felt as if he was reliving the moment Blake had left home so long ago, albeit on better circumstances. "Besides, it isn't as if this is goodbye. Who knows? Maybe he'll run into Blake. He did say he was going to Vale."

"Maybe..." Kali sighed deeply. After a few more moments, she managed to smile a little. "If they do meet, though, I think they might get along. They are interested in books, after all!"

"Speaking of..." The Chieftain of Menagerie gave his wife a concerned look. "The books in the guest room. By any chance, none of them happened to be...?"

"Yes. Yes they were." Kali grinned, making Ghira groan. "You have your past time, Ghira honey, and I have mine."

"Like mother, like daughter..."


'Not gonna lie, I was kinda tearing up.' Griffon said as they walked through the streets. Oddly, they were rather barren with hardly a few people around. What little people V did come across all gave him passing greetings to which he returned in kind. 'I actually kind of liked this place! I mean, sure, the wildlife could use some work, but it ain't bad. Think we could come back here sometime soon?'

"Perhaps." V shrugged. "It was enjoyable. However...I could do without stalkers."

'Ah, noticed them, did ya?'

"Hard not to. They've been following us since we left the estate." V moved his head, barely enough to see a couple of figures keeping a safe distance behind him. He couldn't quite make out their figure, but he noticed that all of them were wearing masks. "The White Fang have been looking for a chance to teach me a lesson, or so they tend to whisper."

Griffon laughed. 'Must be nice, daydreaming about kicking the shit out of a cripple.'

V rolled his eyes and continued walking. It would be a pain if the White Fang jumped him when he was close to his destination, so it would be better if he dealt with them now. With that in mind, he quickened his pace pulled around the corner, heading into one of the more narrow streets lined with bricks. The alleys close to the wilderness were so barren they may as well have been abandoned. The only ones you would find were beggars and the like. Not to mention the network of alleys was almost like a maze. It wasn't difficult to get lost in them, but there was no problems getting out of them either. The populace generally tended to stay away from the alleys, given how close it was to the treeline. It was possible they feared that a Grimm might sneak its way into the alleys, however unlikely that was.

V stepped into the network of alleys, his cane tapping against the dirt below his feet. He took a quick glance around the alleys, searching it for any signs of life before he smiled and turned around. Four people, two men and two women, stood in front of him, wearing white and black attire with hoods drawn over their heads.

"It's awfully rude to stalk someone." he remarked calmly. "If you want something, just come out and say it. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We have been keeping and eye on you for quite a while..." the one in front said. "Suffice to say...you're a dangerous individual."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" V asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb!" The figure next to him snapped. "We know your connected to the Grimm that snuck inside the village! It should have turned its attention on the crowd, but it chased after you instead!"

"Oh. That? Well, I thought it simply chased me because I was it's next victim."

"Shut up! The Grimm attack indiscriminately! There's no way it would simply focus on a lowly human like you normally! It had to be your fault!"

The white-haired youth chuckled. "Believe what you will. At this point, we're just running around in circles. But I digress. Whatever the case is..." He narrowed his eyes, sharply, at the apparent leader of the group. "...you have no intention of allowing me to leave Menagerie. At least, not alive or intact." His words were proven shortly afterwards as they gripped their weapons, advancing in a threatening manner. Rather than be intimidated, V laughed. "A good plan, however narrow-minded it is. If I fall here, my corpse will just rot and be food for maggots and flies. If I escape, your organization has a reason to detain me on grounds of an accusation of assault. To colloborate with that, you have my stalker up on the roof watching this whole thing. I imagine I'll be killed in secret while I'm custody."

His words elicited gasps from them. Their plan was unfolded, and he revealed it as if he were reading from a newspaper. This only further enhanced their views that this person was dangerous. They either had to capture him now or kill him here.

"So you figured out our plan. Big deal." one of the more arrogant members of their group smirked darkly. "What can a weak human like you do against the four of us?"

V's fingers twitched. "Weak..." he mumbled the word bitterly before chuckling. "I suppose you're right. As I am now, I am weak." He raised his head. The group suddenly stopped, noticing the wicked smile he was sporting. His eyes were cold. It was as if they were staring into the arctic. "But...so are the rest of you. You don't even realize..." He twirled his cane around in his hand, then aimed it at the gathered group. "...that these alleys are your graves."

"W-what the hell are you-"

A black blur shot past them. It happened so quickly none of them had realized what had happened. Not until they saw spurts of red flying through the air. If any of them had any Aura, they could not activate it in time. In seconds, Shadow had sliced them apart, severing limbs and cutting through their torsos. One of its many blades had even sliced through a jugular vain. Even if they had Aura to heal their wounds, a severed limb was well beyond anything they were capable of. And jugular vein that was cut open would be difficult to heal. The alley became stained in crimson, painting the wall and the dirty ground beneath them as the bodies fell into a lifeless heap.

V stared at their bodies in disdain. He would have spoken a few spiteful words, saying how a "weak" human had slaughtered them, but he refrained. Their deaths was proof enough. If they hadn't called him by such a disgusting word, he might have settled for cutting off a few limbs. Perhaps a few corpses would send a message?

That being said, he still had to deal with his stalker. That problem was dealt with swiftly as a thunder bolt had struck the girl dead on, throwing her off of the rooftop's edge and down to the street below her. She collided with the pavement on her side. Aura must have defended her from harm as he didn't hear any bones breaking, but she could quite clearly feel the impact as she screamed, clutching her arm.

Dazed, the girl tried to get her bearings. When she saw V standing in front of the corpses of her comrades, she gasped and went for her weapon. Shadow pounced on her immediately, pushing her down into the ground and pressing its paws on her wrists, preventing her from grabbing her weapon. Griffon fluttered down on top of V's shoulder as he approached her.

"While most people would enjoy having a girl give them such rapt attention..." he said in a drawl, kneeling down beside her and taking off her mask, staring straight at her gray eyes. She was glaring hatefully at him. "...I'm afraid I don't appreciate it."

"Y-you'll pay for this, you hear?!" the girl roared in his face. "The White Fang won't take this lying down!"

"They will." The girl went still, shuddering when she heard V's voice grow as cold as his eyes. "Because if they don't, they'll find a few more dead bodies. I don't care about your feelings towards me. I don't care if you hate humans with a passion." He pressed his cane's handle against her throat. "Give this message to your superiors. Leave me be...or I butcher the White Fang, down to the last man."

"What..." she swallowed fearfully. "What makes you think...I'll do that?!"

V smirked. "Why do you think I left you alive?" He stood up and turned on his heel, giving a low whistle. Shadow growled at her, bearing its teeth before it pulled away and returned to V's side, body turning to liquid and staining his skin. Griffon laughed as he joined its fellow mockery. "Have a pleasant day, Ilia Amitola." V said mockingly as he waved a hand.

"Y-you..." Ilia whispered in terror. This person was not normal. He was not human. He could not possibly be human. He wore the same skin and face as one, but his presence at that moment made her feel as if death's scythe had pressed up against her throat. "What are you?"

V looked over his shoulder and grinned. "A demon."


In a place hidden from the eyes of the world, a creature that could not possibly be human groaned in pain, struggling to move. It clawed its way forward, unable to walk and forced to crawl. For the last few days, its strength had waned. Despite the power it had, it had fallen pray to its own weakness. Its body was too frail. It was able to defend itself, but the days without a means to recuperate in any way had left it drained. The creatures that roamed these bizarre lands left him alone, but when they saw it invading their territory, they attacked.

"I..." the creature moaned. "I cannot...die here...not until..."

Despite the overwhelming pain it suffered, the creature could think clearly. It could not let itself perish. It would not allow itself to die in such a pathetic manner. It was above all others. It had power. And yet, despite these facts, it had lost.

To him of all people.

"Dante...!" The being roared. A plethora of emotions welled up within its voice. Rage. Spite. Hatred. Everything that signifies that dark nature of man and demon. "I won't...lose...!"

The creature pitifully crawled until it reached its stopping point. At this point, all strength in its body was now exhausted. It laid face-down in the ground. Tired, the creature's arm fell over a ledge of some sort. A pool of liquid, black and bubbling, swallowed its arm as it dipped into it. An irritable itch began to swell across its skin, as if the pool was irritating its arm, yet it could find no strength or means to pull away. It just laid there, wheezing and panting.

"Power..." the creature growled. "I need more... More power...!"

"...my word. What a fascinating creature you are." The creature lifted its head. There was something, or someone, in front of it. The skies were dark and its own vision was suffering, so it could not make out whoever was in front of it. Only that their skin was pale white, garbed in black, and had blood red eyes. "You are no Grimm, but you are not human, either. What are you...?"

"I..." Baring its teeth, the creature attempted to pull itself up. It failed once more and crumpled to the floor. "I need...power..." it wheezed. "More...power...!"

The woman stared at it for a moment longer before chuckling, a smile appearing on their face. "I see..." they remarked before moving over to its arm. Gently, she pulled the limb out from the pool. It was about to snarl at them and tell them not to touch it, until it saw the state of its arm. Bone white armor had grown atop its flesh, seemingly melding with it. Inky-black veins sprouted along its skin, with the eyes that dotted its flesh turning blood red. "The pools from the God of Darkness destroy whatever enters them, save for the Grimm. But you... It's accepted you."

The person cupped its face. their hands cold as ice. "I will offer you power...but in return, you must offer me something."

"I..." the creature snarled. "Bow...to no one..."

"I do not ask for loyalty. I ask for...cooperation."

Silence reigned before the creature opened its maw to speak again. "...what can...a lowly human...offer me...?"

"Everything."


"I have no name:
I am but two days old.

What shall I call thee?
I happy am,
Joy is my name.
Sweet joy befall thee!"


A/N: My 100th story, ladies and gentlemen. Brought to you by myself and Daemon of Wrath. If you couldn't tell, I had a LOT of fun writing this with my pal. Especially since, among all the characters in Devil May Cry, V has to be my all-time favorite. There's also plenty of mystery surrounding V and Urizen this time around, too. This is obviously after the split, but how did they end up in Remnant?

All in due time.

Also, in regards to V's actions near the end of the chapter...I would like to remind you that, while he is the closest Vergil can get to being a "good guy," V is still part of Vergil. Pissing him off is not recommended. Nor is calling him weak.

Can't wait to show you guys the next chapter!

See You~