[Shadow Ant]

Shadow Ant was once of the many ants that had formed part of the S-Tier Gate and raid known as Jeju Island. Even the smallest and weakest of their colony could take on a B-Rank hunter with ease, and their fighting variants easily stood toe to toe with A-Rank hunters. That time has long since passed for Shadow Ant, but now it is merely part of a larger, more powerful colony, centering around their King.

Many of its brethren are still around, including their King's Guard, Beru, though that was not his name until they joined the Monarch. While its brain wasn't exactly powerful enough to form tactics or strategies or overly complex thoughts, it was plenty smart for a 'mere insect'.

When their Monarch gave them orders, his voice was unneeded to transfer his intent, but he tended to use it anyway. So when Shadow Ant and his fellow shadows were ordered to go forth and explore, there were many hidden meanings in the seemingly simple instructions.

[Investigate the Grimm] was the first and merely the simplest.

[Explore the lands] was also easy to do and interpret from his words alone.

The following ones after that were not so easily understood unless one was a part of their Monarch's glorious legion.

[Investigate places and people of interest] was more like a subset of 'explore the land' used to learn even more about the people and history that already resided on the continents. It was the final command that Shadow Ant was most proud of fulfilling, however.

[Kill those worth killing, and save those worth saving]

Normally giving such broad orders to what amounted to intelligent drones was a bad idea, but the Shadow Monarch's instructions imparted far more than any mere words could do, such was the power of their ruler, further providing proof of his supremacy over all.

A simulacrum of the Shadow Monarch's morality was imprinted into the shadow's to execute the more complex commands that required intelligence and perception they simply lacked. In addition, they couldn't fail to fulfill their Monarch's orders if it was his very sense of right and wrong that told them what to do, and when to act in these situations.

Which was why Shadow Ant was pleased.

It had found her wandering around a road in Vale, around a desolate looking village that had definitely seen better days. While it would be investigated, as it was a place humans and the other humanoid creatures gathered, it was a low priority. That was until she was spotted.

In their brief time scouring the lands and spreading across Vale after bridging the ocean, they'd seen much of human nature that they'd expected to see - bandits, brigands, plain rude humans, the ones who ignored the cruel deeds happening right before their eyes. So many who simply did nothing. Didn't reach out a hand to help the fallen stand up. Didn't share their food with any others, no matter how much they had and how much the others lacked.

The shadows didn't find this surprising - oh no, they expected it. Which is why Shadow Ant was so thrilled to have discovered her.

The one who picked up the farmer who'd tripped, made sure he was ok, dusted his shoulders off and sent him on his way. The one who traveled from town to town, as they later learned, and simply gave because she could.

Certain miraculous events began to occur around her - and a comparison with the other shadows in their network proved that nothing similar was seen to have occurred anywhere else, and they covered a wide area. In combination with their other observations, and the strange things the woman did that had no matching output that they could see close by, it was determined she brought good tidings and help in many ways wherever she went.

This, this was one of the rare ones the Shadow Monarch would appreciate. But she was alone - without her shadow full of allies waiting to emerge, she was defenseless in the face of many more powerful foes, or numerous ones. She would easily die if left unattended, and the Monarch would be upset that such a pleasant light in this world of darkness and Grimm was extinguished.

She was no Ant Queen, who had others to serve her, nor no Monarch, who's strength stood above all.

She wasn't in a situation that she actively needed saving from, but she might encounter one.

Shadow Ant made its decision.

A call was placed - its thoughts were reviewed, and its surrounding brethren agreed.

She must be protected.

Hundreds of shadows merged into one, the shape of it condensing and solidifying far more than any mere lack of light could. More of Shadow Ant's kin, many knights and smaller humanoid forms, a giant and even a dragon joined the still form and followed its lead. They raced along the ground, leaping from a darkened corner to a hidden nook with ease, latching onto the next shadow and rapidly moving with seemingly no effort.

Shadow Ant found her, of course, providing food for a waifish child. It knew it picked her for a good reason.

They danced along the ground, tracing through the child's shadow where it merged with hers and becoming one. There they sat, content and patient to follow their orders as though they were the single most important thing in their entire world, which they were.

The few kind ones in the world that they could find would be saved, even from their own stupidity if need be.

[Family Matters]

Destiny wasn't something Jinwoo believed in - not anymore. If he'd been asked when he was younger, he might have agreed. Maybe even after he'd gained the system.

But after conquering Death and trapping Antares, the Monarch of Destruction, into unleashing enough energy to pierce dimensions and bring the Ruler's forth, then turning back time to single-handedly save every single person's life that had fought in that terrible battle, he'd determined destiny was utter shit.

The Rulers had turned back time in an endless number of attempts, trying to get it right, to not lose Earth to the Monarchs and all of humanity in the process. If destiny existed… It was a malleable thing. And if destiny was malleable, then why did it exist?

Jinwoo simply decided it did not. It was a tool to help or hinder, wielded by some as a weapon, and others as an excuse. In his family's case, it seemed that, whether purposefully or not, Joan's destiny had been decreed to be a caretaker. A child-rearer. A replacement mother for when their own spent all of their time away.

For all her wonderful qualities, including being an excellent maternal figure despite the young age at which she'd started caring for the little ones, Joan was meant to be a warrior. It hadn't taken much watching for Jinwoo to determine that, as his sensory and analysis abilities were above and beyond most living beings.

The ease with which she wielded her semblance, the confident gait and near instant reaction speed she had to surprises all told him a story. Sure, she was a huntress, nearly full-time. She got normal weekends off. But in addition to that, one week out of the month was spent taking care of Jun (and making sure Jaune was happy as one can be with missing parental figures in their lives).

If it was not in his power as the Shadow Monarch, God of Death, and best big brother in the entire world (now little brother) to help her out, then why did he even have his power? Granted, taking care of younger siblings didn't require power, but it certainly helped his peace of mind knowing he could always keep them safe.

Beyond that, however, it wasn't exactly hard for him to start inquiring about how exactly Jun got to school, once it was back in session. She took a bullhead to Patch to attend Signal, and because of the combat school's location there were several primary hub points that served as 'busses' to ferry children to and from the island. All that the parents had to do was drop them off and pick them up.

It was deceptively easy, and if he understood the schedules he'd looked up online correctly, then he could drop her off and thanks to [Shadow Exchange] in addition to his ability to simply warp through shadows, easily make it back to Beacon in time for classes. For however long he decided to go there, he highly doubted his patience would survive terribly long after trying to return to a school of all places.

But he would try, since it was his sister who went through all the effort to forge his transcripts and get him in.

Alas, the things he did for family.

Perhaps his arrangement, if it worked out, would help out his other sisters since it would ease off their need to be there every single day - they might not actually change their schedule (he wouldn't blame them for that) but at least they would get to sleep in.

Maybe after some time had passed and his method had proven to be reliable they could eventually shift back to a more normal life. After all, Jun would be old enough to take care of herself in just a few years, if not less, and if he dropped out of hunter school like he guessed he would, then he would have nothing better to do, outside of protecting the other sisters.

Speaking of his other sisters, Joan would be returning to work shortly, and another sister would be arriving to care for Jun. If he was being honest, Jinwoo was terrible with names and had simply decided that learning them all before meeting them was never going to work out. Instead, he opted to meet them face to face when he could at least have a chance to remember what one looked like in addition to their name.

Granted, they all looked fairly similar due to the fact they were all siblings, but even still if he could at least split up the names between redheads and blondes he at least stood a chance.

But he digressed. His shadows had gathered some useful combat data thus far, it having been a few days since they'd been unleashed upon the world. Since his promotion to full Shadow Monarch, his shadows have all grown in strength. His numbers were large, but not unlimited, hence his reluctance to try and manually send his shadows across the world to keep Grimm contained.

On average, comparing his weakest shadows to the weakest Grimm, he came out on top. Well, that is if he completely disregarded the fact his units could regenerate endlessly. With enough time, even a single knight could fight through entire hordes of enemies and achieve victory.

Discounting that tidbit, however, his knights, dragon-men, goblins, and other small units were perfectly capable of fighting off the average beowolf. The goblins struggled, but were generally wily enough to come out on top even without their poisons doing anything to the strange bodies of the Grimm.

Knights and his other humanoid basic units were much stronger than they looked, and they frequently surprised the Grimm by smashing straight through their bone-mask and ending their life with a single swipe of a claw or sword. Ursa's were included in that category, but the Alpha variants or elder Grimm often proved their worth by fighting for hours on end, and unless some of his superior shadows arrived he only came out on top due to the fact his soldiers couldn't die.

So far, no Grimm had even stood a chance at facing Iron or Tank, let alone his other commanders. Granted, they hadn't really gotten too far away from civilization yet. The strongest Grimm were likely in the outer wilds. The fact that Grimm could face even his lowest shadows was actually quite impressive.

He would learn it all, in time, and find the truth.

[Family Matters]

Jun was left in his care when Joan had to leave for work slightly earlier than expected. "Don't worry Joan, we've got things handled here, I promise." Jinwoo gave her his most winsome smile. "Jane will be here in less than an hour, right?"

She returned him a rather ragged looking smile in exchange. "Yes, she will. Thank you so much for doing this Jaune, I really appreciate it. It's only for today and they said it was really important…"

He shooed her out the door, cradling Jun in between his legs like he was some sort of daddy penguin as she stood on his feet. "Stop fretting and being a worrywort and get going already! We'll be just fine."

Letting out a quick sigh, she acquiesced, thanking him once more before departing. "Now we've got the house all to ourselves, kid." He gave her a conspiratorial glance. "What should we do now?"

The little rapscallion's eyes gleamed with malicious glee. "Well, sometimes Oppa used to play a few games with me on my console… And I'd always leave you crying in the dust! Last one to my room is a Grimm snack!"

While that was a little dark, Jinwoo couldn't help but smile at the playful banter. Of course, he would win, regardless of just how speedy the little red meteor flew up the stairs. The moment she was out of sight, a hole opened up below him and spat him back out in the center of Jun's room. An instant later, the door flew open, the cackling laugh she was emitting abruptly dying as she spotted him. "Buh… Wuh… You were just downstairs Oppa! You hadn't moved! How did you get here?! You cheated! You're a dirty cheater-pants! I'm gonna tell Jane how much of a dirty, good for nothing cheater you are once she's here!"

Jinwoo mimed gasping and grabbing an imaginary dagger that was plunged into his heart. "Such painful words! I am not a cheater Jun! Just because you didn't know I had a way of getting up here faster than you when you clearly expected to win doesn't make me a cheater, but it does make you a sore loser! Now, are we gonna play these games of yours or not? Or are you afraid I'll trounce you a second time in this little challenge?"

Jun, precocious little redhead she was, crossed her arms and growled. Jinwoo nearly laughed at the put-out expression on her face before crossing the few feet between them and kneeling down next to her. "Ahh, I didn't mean to upset you little sis. How can I possibly make things up to you?"

She stole several glances with just her eyes, trying and failing to be discreet, attempting to hold out against her desire to play the game more than likely. The distinct sound of her growling returned with a vengeance, before tapering off in what seemed like resignation. "Fine, I'll forgive you Oppa, but… On one condition!"

Jinwoo honestly expected, after the multiple declarations of marriage, to be asked for something like a kiss. Of course, being the greatest big brother in the entire world, he'd oblige her wish and give her a big 'ole sloppy one - right on the cheek, naturally. "And what exactly is your condition, oh cutest little sister of the entire world?"

"That you promise to never run off and die like an idiot again!"

Jun was a monster, going straight for the throat. That fake dagger was feeling a little bit more real after that comment. Despite the pain felt, Jinwoo knew there could only be one possible response.

"Of course Jun. I promise to never do such an idiotic thing again." The little look of determination on her face was absolutely adorable. He would never tell Jinah if he saw her again, but Jun was possibly outdoing even her frustrated yet determined to get what they want face. Which was quite the feat, as Jinah had practiced it regularly.

"Pinky Promise?"

"Pinky Promise."

They sealed the deal, never to be broken with a linking of their smallest fingers.

"Ok, now lets play so I can show you who's the best!"

"Keep on dreaming little sis, the only thing you're gonna see is my butt as you get left in the dust." She growled at him again.

"We'll see, Oppa… We'll see." That also didn't sound ominous at all.

They proceeded to actually play the game Jun had been excited about.

Much fun was had.