Act V - Life's Pieces
Chapter 47 - Flawed...
Nrgh, everything feels a little sore. But it's not every day you fight a towering knight and have your mind, body, and soul utterly crushed under an oppressing force you cannot see.
Blinking, I gasped at the blank void I swam in, finding no real way of knowing what was up and down. However, I was not alone, sitting there in the void, the air surrounding the person distorted, and sent wave-after-wave of nauseating pressure back at me.
Its body was human in shape and size, lanky, yet toned. The entirety of the right side was crackling with black skin, webbings of purplish-white light emanated from the cracks, leading toward a blank face with a pair of green eyes, scowling back at me. Unlike the jagged, clawed right side, the left was more smooth and delicate, a faint radiance of gold over white skin. The hair meshed with both colors, short but wild, and with a perfect crack down the middle of the face.
"...Charron..." I breathed hollowly, and his eyes narrowed dully
"I've taken into account your many forms, meticulous planning my escape isn't easy, so I'll be ensuring you lack both the means and method to escape this perpetual prison of your own mind," He raised a hand to me. "Think of this as a pleasant death... for all that you've done wrong it is the least you deserve, but you are my key out of this world, so I will grant you that."
I scowled back. "You think this little show gonna stop me? Or anyone else from putting an end to you, think again." I warned him, and it did little to phase him at all, this overwhelming presence, I couldn't let it waver me, not now
"'Stop me'?" He recited, eyes glued to mine. "I have watched countless worlds and alternate realities come and go for centuries, but do you want to know what none of them had?" His question put me on edge, that hardened, apathetic look in his eyes. "You, you never existed."
I released the tension in my body, as my heart plummeted. "W-What...?"
"This world, in every world, the name Sky Zaffre, Kai Amadeus, never existed, there was no Horseman, no Iota, no Eric, no romantic partner of Ruby Rose from another world, no son of a Maiden, no Cognitum, nothing that concerned you existed," Charron burrowed each word down onto my back, pressing his words over-and-over. "This world, the RWBY universe, never needed a character like you. This world doesn't need you."
My head caved down low, and my heart lost all sense of warmth. I... was never supposed to exist? But I'm here, my home, my... everything, right? I... I do belong in Remnant, don't I? Charron floated tall, a look of enjoyment written in his eyes as I lowered mine further to the void.
"Ironic, isn't it? You came here to stop me and save the world and yet you're the very reason for its destruction, out of everyone I've observed you I could never look backward or forward on, your entire timeline was hazy, and that infuriated me, that a tainted being like you would serve as nothing more than my catalyst, breeding chaos!" He bellowed, half-chuckled through-out
"You're an illness, a parasite that has been abrading this reality, causing shifts within its natural timeline, every moment you spend in this world causes damage that I will have to clean up in order to maintain a perfect sense of peace and order! If you weren't born, I would have never existed myself, for in this universe a 'Vex', there is no such thing, until you came along." Charron growled as my mind all but shutdown, accepting his words without any means to counter
I did see his arms lower. "See? Isn't it easier knowing how your meaningless existence is brought to an end will do this world justice? In a way, you will save this world from collapse, take pride in that. That faint flicker of hope they burned within you is all but a meager spark about to put itself out. Don't you see?" I glanced up slightly and met only scorn and disdain for my very presence in his eyes. "This world doesn't want you."
Again, my vision clouded and returned to nothingness.
"Sky." A soft voice sounded
"That's my name." Blinking, I tore my gaze to the stunningly vivid location before me. I sat in the middle of a large forest with a roof of emerald green, say for the rays of sunlight meeting me in the center. This was... the Emerald Forest? But how did I...? "What happened?"
"The Vex, it fed into your mind, suppressing you to this lucid world based on your own memories," Again, that voice sounded and after turning almost completely, my eyes locked to the sight of a new guest
A woman with long, golden locks, with two long locks falling to the sides of her face, she also had a prominent cow-lick. But what held my gaze moreover, was not only the vortex-like charm around her neck but the golden cloth that covered her eyes and seemed to flow elegantly in the air.
A white waistcoat with gold cuffs, a leather thread of some kind wrapped around her waist, hanging strands off to her left. Her trousers were poofy and reached her shins before strange, brown boots wrapped in black thread guarded her lower legs and feet.
She smiled. "A pleasure to meet you again, although I wished the circumstances weren't so dire." Her voice was very motherly, and her aura... it felt like heat from the sun. I don't know who she is, or why I can't sense Iota, Eric, or Penny, but she atleast didn't give off the same energy as what I felt prior to this
With a blunt gaze, I moved a step forward. "So, who are you?"
Her smile didn't waver. "I understand you feel uneasy, but I do mean you no harm, my name is Trinity, Goddess of Virtue."
. . . Oh.
"WAIT WHAT!?"I blurted out, earning a soft chuckle from Trinity
This... this is, a, um, I... haven't got an elegant response. I mean... wow, it's... yeah, wow. Rubbing my ears I tried to keep myself composed."S-Sorry, I... I need a minute."
Okay. So there's a Goddess, as in, the very entities people either believed or refused to believe in sitting before me in the middle of the Emerald Forest. But the name, 'Trinity', I don't recall a Goddess named that, or is this stretching past the standard knowledge humanity has? She could also be an enemy masking themselves as a good guy, but that's without evidence too. Hrm, this is alot to take in.
She offered a welcoming smile, "Your distrust is not misplaced. That is usually how most would react given your situation, and it's not everyday one meets a divine being so your reaction is also understandable. It isn't often I see those outside my circle," She continued, raising a hand to me. "I do apologize for our less-than preferable meeting, both now and briefly during your recovery in Patch a few months ago," Her smile fell a little. "I wish I could have spoken with you more, explained your predicament further but my time was so scarce, even as we commune now my time is very short."
That perked my eyes. "It was you..." The one I heard before I woke up after saving Beacon!
Trinity bowed her head, the last thing I'd ever expect a God to do. "I cannot undo what has befallen you, all I can is offer my guidance, and my most sincerest apologizes, Sky." She was even apologizing right off the bat... wow
Despite the situation, I didn't need a reason to withhold a response. It wasn't her fault. I bashfully rubbed my nape. "I-It's fine... honestly just seeing a Goddess has me a little shellshocked, and... even one bowing to me," Her head rose, a curious expression across her lips. I grinned confidently. "Hey, despite the end of the world I haven't regretted a moment here in Remnant, past all the dangers this place is a blast. So no harm no foul."
Finally, her smile returned and it had me feeling all fuzzy inside. I made a Goddess smile, eeeee~! "Hmm, you are quite the character, aren't you?" Trinity mused, then sat down before me. Her golden cloth rose a little. "You need not bow if that has you concerned, I may be a deity but I always disliked having those before me bow, it can be so embarrassing..." Was the Goddess... bashful? Seriously?
Now on the bigger question. "Trinity, If... Charron wins... I... I don't know how the others will manage, I..." I whispered, mostly out of fear of my own demise, even after what I defied to Mars, the fear lingered, Death was never inescapable. When our eyes met, she merely sat in silence, I can't help but worry
"Sometimes we can't know the answers, even if they hurt us more to remain hidden," Trinity spoke cryptically, but I got the gist of it
"This... Vex, Charon, he's... going to hurt so many people, my team, my friends, Tabus and Una too." I could only shake my head. "All of these things happened because of me, I'm this destiny's epicenter, the core of the problem... I... I never should have been brought into existence."
It was all my fault. If I had never been dragged here - No, if I was never born, Charron might never have existed, and this world, my friends would become the greatest Huntresses without me, they... didn't need me to do that, all I am is an obstacle, a hindrance to them and the world, I doomed billions in the blink of an eye. Just like Salem.
Her gaze fell to the world, or atleast her head turned toward the forest. "This place, does it hold meaning to you?" Trinity's inquiry did take my mind away from Charron for a split second
"Yeah, it..." Taking note of the area, I could see it clearly, sitting between us I could see myself, laying on the bed of the forest, and Ruby, her beautiful eyes staring down at me with wondrous curiosity. Painfully I smiled. "She... was the first person I met... and the person I trusted again." My hand had snaked up to my trembling heart, as I sniffed, feeling tears sting my eyes. "I... she was always the one to tell me I was a good person... but what kind of a 'good person' creates a monster powerful enough to destroy a world?"
A soft, golden cloth brushed against my face, and a soothing light washed over me as Trinity's veil wiped away my tears, a sad smile on her face. "This is true, you... never truly existed in Remnant, or in any parallel among the multiverse," I felt my head lower, but the cloth pushed it back to face her. "But that doesn't mean you are without purpose."
Trinity placed her hand upon Cognitum, gently stroking the device. "This creation may have been built from bad intentions, and its very presence has damaged the world, but it has also saved countless more, you, have saved countless with your actions, prevented deaths and tragedies in Remnant's history that were almost impossible to alter, and yet you did, you persevered against this world's design, changing it for the better."
Both her hands pressed to my shoulders, holding me firmly. "Whatever made you, wanted you to change this world's dark history, to bring forth a new light unlike any it has seen before, I'm not saying this is your destiny or something so trivial, your own actions, the paths you've chosen are your own, and I'm certain that will lead you to your place in this world's reality, that is a future that should not change." She let me go, standing back as I let the words sink in
"Sky?" I raised my head to face the Goddes once more. "Why did you follow Ruby, above everyone else?" Turning at the sudden question, I looked at the stern gaze, her arms crossed. "You didn't need to follow them, but you did, carving your own path, why?"
Why did I follow them? Why did I go down this path?
"Something felt... right to do so, the moment I put Cognitum on, I could do things that defied my past, how empty and broken is was, even with Erika by my side, I never questioned my motives to the point I stopped moving forward," I answered, holding out Cognitum as the blue screen flashed red. "Mars... he did all of this to me, and for the longest time I wondered why then he told me... and it was clear."
"What is it?" Trinity's next question echoed
"He... never wanted this, he tried to prepare me for the Vex, a force he knew would lead to his end, but Charron manipulated him, kept him in line for his plans to prevail, he only wanted to feel human, like the rest of his horsemen, his family." What if I saved him? Could things be different? I chuckled hollowly, feeling something rise in my throat. "You know I was so afraid of Ruby. Maybe because she acted alot like the girl who gave me these scars, but primarily because I never believed I could."
"I-I'm not the huntsman everyone wanted to me be... and I'm not the hero that I thought I could become...I-I don't..." My words fell apart, and I couldn't begin to make sense of what I was feeling, a simple question had brought out what I buried within me for so long that I had even forgotten about it.
I shrugged, looking around the sky for answers. "H-How do you become someone like her, so brave, selfless, kind... I guess I could only try, and... that's why I'm here, right now, past the odds that stacked against me, but... I'm afraid I'll end up causing more harm than good now."
"Then what will you do?" Trinity inquired, smiling as though she knew my answer already, as I felt my body strain, as though gravity had suddenly pressed down against my resistance
Clenching my fist, Cognitum reacted, as red lines of code began their journey across my body. "I can't let them die because I failed to take responsibility for my actions, even if they weren't of my own accord, I'll fix this! Nothing's changed!"
Trinity nodded with a smile. "Then good luck." With a bow, she vanished as a burst of golden leaves, and I heard an old voice return from the abyss I couldn't see, my mind only conjured more to block out the dissolving Emerald Forest, shards of my memories gathered, shielding me from Charron's gaze as I ground my teeth.
The images of me with my friends. Ruby and I fighting side-by-side against Roman and Neo. Yang and I against the mutant Deathstalker, my unlocked Semblance all aglow. Weiss training with me, the two of us smiling through the sweat and pain. Blake sitting beside me with piles of books surrounding us. My sister when we were younger, her looking after me when I was sick and bedridden. Iota and Eric, the three of us finally united against Cinder atop Beacon, our eye colors merged. Last, all of us before Beacon, my white locks not as noticeable, and I still bore my brown eyes, but I smiled with my team, taking a photo together.
"Do you really think you and these memories can do anything in your situation?" His voice boomed across my memories, just as my body started to take on a new form
"No, I don't..." I snapped, fingers digging into my skin, blood dripping across the red lines of wire, causing them to react and grow stronger
"Then what should you do?" Charron waited for my reply, as more memories built up, and my eyes glowered back past the glass
"Grow stronger," My eyes twitched, dilated to pins as the lines crossed over my face, and metal tapped in my eardrums
He snarled. "Give up, you already know how this ends, you are all going to die!" Charron was so certain on that narrow state of mind that he failed to see my armor growing and changing. Releasing a breath, I felt a pair of soft hands guide me forward, a veil of gold wiping away the remaining tears in my eyes
"Even if that's the case," One step forward. "-Even if I'm the cause of all this chaos, I won't stop moving forward-" Another step, and the world began to crack and fall apart. Turning my head toward Charron I yelled with all my heart. "-Even if what you say is set in stone! I'll twist that future! And I carve myself into this world!"
The armour flashed a new shade of red, as it infected my arm, clasping me in a suit of red armour. Red plates of smooth metal began to cover my arms, with oval pauldron. My chest was next, adding a few layers to the breastplate, whilst slim-fitted ones covered my abdominal muscles. The legs were the same as the arms, only with thicker plates for my knees and feet.
My head was last, as a rounded helm took form, as the face-plate formed a v-shaped plate with two diagonal slits for my eyes to glow pure white. White lines of energy traveled up my arms, legs, and the sides of my chest, then to my neck, before tear-like marks joined my eyes. My gauntlets then sprouted massive, curved blades with a black underbelly, and silver blade, as the rest grew to guard my elbow like a scimitar.
My calves also had three smaller curved blades pointed upwards on the sides like a metal fan, along with a curved blade on either side of my pauldron, pointed inward towards the oval's tip, downwards. The sides of my helmet gained antenna blades to my cheeks, mostly like Ultron, I even had horns. Last were my wings, now replaced with a bulky, red jet booster with dust pumped into the thrusters, the power that hummed in my back was certainly packing a larger kick than wings.
"You little brat!" Charron reached forward, but with a solid punch I fired a high-caliber round from a muzzle between my arm and scimitar-gauntlet, shattering the false world as I stumbled back into the chamber torn by mine and Mars' battle
"That sound, it was like..." Peering down at my body, I noted the blades attached to my arms resembled that of Crescent Rose, did Mars really create an armor based off Ruby's own designs? Clasping my hands I chuffed once. "Thanks, Trinity... Mars... for everything. For you Ruby, I'll call this beauty..."
-~Form V - Red War~-
"W-what is this...? How am I...?" Iota? What's wrong? "T-Turn around..."
"Wooooooah! I have actual arms and legs and stuff!" Eric jumped around, eyes bulging from... his actual face? Iota was the same, observing his hands wide an almost misty-eyed expression, and a genuine smile on his face as he chuckled between pauses
"Heh... hehe... I-I'm really here."
Eric was shorter than Iota, who was the same height as me. His hair was messy but red instead of a warm black, his eyes a piercing scarlet, his clothing matched my own, only the white was replaced by red and the blues back black, leaving the fur lining the same snow-white.
As for Iota, his trenchcoat was cropped to the standard size of a jacket with the sleeves rolled back to the elbows, cuffs fanned out. His colors were instead reversed; White blue accents, and a white body. His eyes were a cool crystal white under a pair of black glasses, his hair like mine and Eric's only light-blue.
I could only blink back at the vastly different personalities that continued to take in their new forms with awe and bliss, that's when Penny appeared to me once more. "Sky, I am glad you are unharmed."
"I... yeah, you too Penny," I pointed to the duo. "Penny, please explain."
She nodded then brought up a diagram of Cognitum in Iron Regalia. "EC-1101 underwent a complete overhaul of all systems, creating this schematic you wear now, Red War, and several key elements that have now unlocked, one of which was a temporary augmentation allowing you complete manipulation over the ether you had absorbed from Mars, in which Cognitum helped to manifest Iota and Eric's bodies before us," Penny's deep, intricate breakdown was alot to process. "To summarize, the ether was converted and their souls placed within the bodies, thereby, you created two new lives."
"Amazing... but can they still merge with me? Or is that no longer possible - Grah!" I jumped back as Eric dispersed into red light, slamming into me as I felt his presence
"Nope, still connected, yay~!" Eric was thrilled and then slipped right out of my body again, grinning sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry~"
Coughing slightly I answered. "Never do that again unless I'm aware." However, while I was happy for the two, now with their own lives to live, the very foundations of the Spire trembled greatly, as though a slumbering beast finally woke up. "That... doesn't sound like an earthquake."
"Charron is waking," Iota grimaced, adjusting his glasses. "We can worry about our forms later, right now we still have an objective, right?" He eyed me critically, I nodded, then paused to inpect the two carefully. There was something else that I needed to do, and they might just be the tipping point we need
"Eric, Iota?" Their eyes locked to my armor and I motioned with a finger for them to come at me. "Before we put a stop to this, there's one last thing to do."
"What?" "What?"
From under my armor, Red War's smooth red plating radiated with a touch of amethyst. Time was running out, but I only needed a few minutes to test my theory, if I granted them forms, passing along their minds, memories, and souls, then perhaps a part of me was gifted too. "Let's see what else you gained from those forms. Come at me."
To Be Continued...
Things are starting to heat up, and Sky... how will he handle the news Charron has left? Also, I have used the word 'Existed' so many times. I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter!
Next Chapter: ...But Unbreakable
Amber, Albatross, and Summer face the manifestation of Charron, but time is starting to run out.