The final chapter before the epilogue. Please, enjoy, and thank you for making this journey with me. Final author notes will be next chapter.
It was cold, chilled winds blowing all around him as he did his best to keep pace with the incredibly angry woman in front of him. Chester was on the backfoot in this fight. It had started that way and yet to change. Weiss was relentless in her assault, and a small part of him was regretting challenging her on his lonesome. Still, he wasn't without his own tricks. He'd made a career of killing people stronger than him, after all.
His original trick had been to shoot out one of her tendons with his crossbow, of course. He would have played with her after that, made her realize just how foolish crossing him had been, but somehow she heard his bolt flying and avoided his surprise attack. Her damn hearing was supposed to be damaged!
He snarled beneath his mask, ducking beneath a thrust of her rapier and sending out a sweeping kick, attempting to trip her. She leapt over it, bringing her rapier downwards in a strike as she landed. Rolling to the side, he avoided the thrust meant for his thigh. He spun back to his feet with a twirl, drawing his crossbow and firing a quick shot. She dodged it.
Curses. He stayed ready to dart at a moment's notice. He needed to load another bolt, but the girl was quick. Incredibly quick, and Lords above it was cold. He could hardly feel his feet! At least he had dodged her attempt to skewer him without damage…
Wait. Chester squinted, staring at the tip of her blade. The small frown he had beneath his mask dipped even further, a full blown scowl covered only by a porcelain face. She had ripped his coat. His coat! A piece, no bigger than perhaps his palm, had been torn and was pinned to the ground.
T-That bitch! This was his favorite coat, one of the few mementos he had of his own, twisted world! And she had ripped it, torn it! She reached towards her hip, removing a sorcerer's catalyst. "You're no real sorcerer, girl," he growled, unable to pretend to not be pissed, "I've battled and killed real sorcerers."
She narrowed her eyes, not saying anything else as she cast a spell in silence. Balls of blue soul-sorcery formed above her, except they weren't quite normal. He felt his eyes widen. They were that same damn crystal that Sibyl had. He hadn't realized Weiss had advanced that far in her studies.
No matter. They could be dodged all the same. Taking the brief pause to load a bolt, he readied his crossbow and charged forward. She did the same, using her glyphs to launch forward. The crystal soul masses launched at him, their speed accelerated just like her own. It was like his own crossbow bolts, the balls of sorcery seeking to pierce him at high speeds.
He weaved, avoiding the first one. The second one was a glancing blow, at most, on his shoulder. It hardly mattered. He leapt to the side as two launched at him, along with Weiss's rapier seeking to pierce his mask, rolling through his shoulder and skidding to a stop, using his foot as a slingshot to turn his body back as he brought his crossbow up to fire-
As he pulled the trigger, firing his bolt, the final Homing Crystal Soulmass slammed against his mask. He screamed, the crystal blast shattering his mask when it exploded, sending shards of porcelain against his face that pierced his skin. One was lodged in his eye!
He tried to calm his breathing, but his face was an inferno of pain as he stumbled back to his feet. He could feel his aura acting to heal minor cuts, but the pieces were still lodged into his flesh. Those ones couldn't be healed.
Trying to focus through the pain, he frowned when he saw that his bolt had not successfully pierced Weiss. In fact, it looked like she had parried his bolt with her blade. Not even Sibyl had ever been bold enough to try something like that with a blade. The wind was picking up again, and the girl was approaching him slowly.
Reaching into his coat with a lightning quick movement, he grabbed a rose-like throwing knife and tossed it with a flick of his wrist. Weiss dodged it easily, but the only real purpose had been as a distraction; he grabbed two small daggers hidden beneath his coat as he rose back to his feet.
Charging forward, he met Weiss's rapier with a parry, steel scraping against steel; he struck out with his other blade, hoping to slash her abdomen. She teetered backwards, avoiding it before pushing off with her rapier, creating a bit of space. She grabbed her catalyst and wasted no time in casting another spell. He grabbed a throwing knife to try and interrupt her, but she ducked to the side as she waved her catalyst over her blade.
It was glowing teal and had soul crystals growing from it now. Great.
She launched forward again, rapier in one hand, catalyst in the other. He barely parried a thrust of her blade, hissing in pain when the soul crystals attached to the once clean blade skimmed his hand, burning it with its magical properties. If only he had a longer weapon; his daggers were too short for him to try and parry anything.
He ducked below a slash meant to decapitate him, and was continually pushed backwards as he tried to dodge attack after attack. It was even more difficult than usual; the damn crystals attached to the blade made it hard to gauge its striking distance. As he was forced to use both his daggers to catch an overhead strike meant for his torso, he felt the tip of one of his fingers get pierced by the crystal in its entirety.
Chester spared a look at it. It was practically mush, blood gushing freely. He grimaced.
"Are you ready to hurt, you fiend?" Weiss asked, staring at him without remorse. Scowling, he spat straight on her face, his own spit tinged with dark blood.
She raised her catalyst while she pushed down with her rapier even harder. Shit. He tried to think of the most feasible ways to get out of this- his mind racing at a million thoughts a second- as magical energy began to focus at the top of her catalyst. He decided to try and get her off balance.
Turning his hips, he attempted to redirect her blade to the dirt and hopefully send her stumbling; he felt his eyes widen with surprise when her blade was flung from her hands, flying across the open courtyard and clattering as it landed.
A soul spear slammed against his chest as his eyes turned back to Weiss, and he was thrown skidding back, his body flopping uselessly along the ground. Pain. Lords above, he couldn't feel anything. Had his lungs burst? His heart?
He forced his head off the ground, turning to look at the girl who thought to best him. She had left him lying there in the dirt, instead going to retrieve her damn rapier. Well, he'd be damned if she got away with that; reaching into his coat, he retrieved a dagger he always had prepared for moments like these.
It was extremely poisonous. Cinder had helped him find ingredients in this world to replace his old ones. He forced himself to a knee, glaring at that damn girl and trying to calculate how he'd have to throw this. He wasn't given much time, seeing as she was already leaning over to retrieve her blade.
Pistoning his elbow back, he smirked- a crazed thing- and made to throw his knife. Except he didn't, because something sliced clean through his arm. He blinked, turning to his right. Sif, the Great Grey Wolf, was inches from his face, a growl in its throat and a blade between its teeth.
He looked down. The wolf's blade was coated in blood, and laying there on the ground was his right arm. It had been detached at his bicep, and blood actively gushed out of where it was formerly attached to the rest of his body.
"...Did you really think I was that stupid?" A voice asked, and Chester turned back to the left. Ah, it was Weiss. The girl who had bested him. Sibyl's silly little love. Lords above, he hated that undead.
Chester made to respond, but it was impossible. His mouth tried to move, but all that came out was blood. He watched as the blood dripped downwards onto his chest. Blinking, he looked to his right to see Sif's barred teeth, the wolf growling. It opened its maw and Chester felt his skull crunch.
He tried to scream but couldn't. 'Why… me?'
Mercury was ready to strike, but something was holding him back. "Stop being a coward," Emerald said, pointing her finger at his face accusingly, "Cinder gave us a job, and we're going to complete it."
Right, but the job didn't make any sense, not anymore. Realistically, these three? They were just protecting people; they were no more a threat than any other group of students. The only thing that made them dangerous was that they were more dangerous than most other students. Not dangerous enough to stop Cinder's plan, because no one was going to be able to stop the dragon flying overhead, but still.
Mercury sighed, watching as Yang uppercutted some poor Beowolf straight to death itself. Well, Emerald was going to act impulsively, so he was going to have to help her. He really hated Cinder more and more these days; she had practically gaslighted Emerald into loving her as some sort of weird parental figure.
He didn't care about a lot, but it would be a pain if Emerald went and got herself killed. She could be pleasant to be around, sometimes. Emerald had removed her finger from his face around the time he sighed, and now she was staring really hard down below, which told him she was using her semblance.
On cue, Ruby fired her snipe-scythe thing at Blake, the latter barely managing to turn and avoid it. She yelled out, but Ruby had already loaded and fired another shot; this one hit Blake in the leg, and even her aura couldn't protect her from something like that. Yang rushed Ruby, grabbing her weapon and swiping it away.
That seemed to snap whatever hold Emerald had over Ruby away, and the girl looked around dazed and confused. Well, now was the moment to strike; Emerald had already leapt off their rooftop, and he did the same, coming down to where Ruby and Yang were and hoping to put one of them out before the fight even began.
Unfortunately, Yang saw him from the corner of her eye and parried his kick. Ah, great. He landed on the ground with a flourish, seeing Emerald taking some shots at Blake who wasn't able to dodge most of her bullets, given she'd just had her calf destroyed by Ruby's rifle.
"Sit this one out, Blake," Yang said, cracking her neck and her eyes sparkling in delight at the prospect of kicking his ass, "Ruby, you get the girl." Well, at least he'd get to fight the more interesting one.
Blake seemed to protest, but being unable to stand, much less move, made her concede.
Mercury took a lazy stance, eyeing the girl in front of him, "Emerald, just don't lose. I'll be able to help you in a minute. Two minutes, tops."
Emerald didn't even glance in his direction. "I don't need your help, jackass!" He sighed, shrugging lightly.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"What'd help me sleep at night is strangling you in your sleep."
"Don't tempt me with a good time," Mercury said, and Emerald groaned in disgust.
"You're disgustin-"
Yang chose that moment to strike, rushing forward and throwing a quick jab; he met her strike with a block from his prosthetic legs. He struck out with his other leg at her stomach, but she turned aside to avoid it, her off-hand conjuring a freakin' fireball?
He'd nearly forgotten that Yang had been training with that Sibyl guy. She would have more tricks up her sleeves than what was shown in duels, then. She definitely hadn't shown it in duels at the school. She must have been wanting to keep it a secret for the tournament. He felt his brow furrow.
That'd make things a bit more difficult, but he had to win. Cinder didn't take kindly to failure, even if their "mission" seemed to have no real purpose. And she'd long ago stopped punishing him for when they failed.
As Yang tried to slam her fireball into his stomach point-blank, he leaned back with unnatural grace and flipped backwards in the same motion, striking with the heel of his feet to create more space. As he made it back to up-right position, Yang had already rushed at him again, throwing a fist at his face; he met her head on in a flurry of kicks, not wanting to let her get a tempo advantage.
He landed a few glancing blows, but from what he'd observed, that was Yang's style. She didn't care about a few attacks here and there landing. Feinting a jab of his foot to her face, he instead opted into a roundhouse kick, Yang being forced to block it and take the brunt of the blow. It pushed her back a few feet, but it gave Mercury what he needed: tempo.
Rushing forward, he gave her no reprieve; a sweeping kick into a spiral roundhouse; his hands touched the ground and he pushed off, avoiding a blow and striking her in the back of the head with his heel at the same time. She went crashing to the ground, but tumbled with her fall, popping back to her feet without much worry.
She conjured a fireball in one hand, this one larger than the ones he'd seen previously, and rushed him. He was forced on the defensive, as she seemed to have no intention of throwing the thing.
He dodged her first jab, but she wasn't punching with the hand holding the fireball; she had to have something planned. She was pushing him back with her flurry of punches, and he was barely able to keep one step ahead so she couldn't get an opening with that fireball.
In short, she was being annoying, and Mercury was about done with it. As she threw another quick jab meant for his chin, he tilted his head back, avoiding it by the skin of his teeth, before stepping forward and jamming his knee into her stomach.
She crumpled forward, and he took a step to the side, his free leg already swinging as he planned to send his heel right into her vertebra. She blocked it with a forearm, though it sent her closer to the ground. She'd also blocked it with the same arm that had been holding that fireball, which he noticed at the same time she flicked her wrist and launched it at his face.
He scrambled to get his hands in front of his face, and Mercury was damn glad he did; the force of the fireball, in addition to him being balancing on one foot, sent him falling backwards onto the ground. It was more a stroke of luck that he was able to roll backwards on his back to get to his feet, because he could barely think. It had hurt. A lot, and his aura had only helped mitigate the attack some.
Mercury narrowed his eyes, clutching at his chest. God, it felt like his damn chest had been caved in. "I don't know who the hell you're with," Yang said, cracking her knuckles as she walked closer to him, "but I'm guessing you're part of all… this." She gestured around herself, and then her eyes came back to him.
"And that really, really pisses me off."
Mercury shot forward, striking out with a low, sweeping kick to try and knock her off her feet. She deftly leapt into the air to avoid it, and he could see her conjuring another fireball. Shit. Feet still extended in a makeshift split as a result of his kick that had been dodged, Mercury placed one hand between his open legs and pushed up and rotating his body, managing to slam his heel into Yang's side and send her skidding across the street.
She bounced back up easily enough, but Mercury was already in her face, striking out with a series of rapid kicks that even she had trouble dodging. Good. He jabbed at her chest with his left foot, and she managed to deflect every blow with her gauntlets.
He needed to win. Just for once in his fucking life, Mercury really, really needed to win. As he struck out with another kick, this one aimed at Yang's side, he took another step inside her guard. Then his forehead smashed against hers, and she was sent stumbling. Her eyes widened, and she slammed her open palm against her chest. He didn't know what she was planning, but he was going to finish the fight right here and now. It was the only opening he needed.
Ducking low, he launched his foot out at a 60 degree angle, catching Yang beneath her chin and sending her into the air with a kick. He jumped into the air after her, landing another kick beneath her chin, and another, and another, but it was hard to keep her up there. It felt like she weighed a ton! Still, he kept kicking, doing his best to put more force into his next attack than the previous.
-Would his dad just fucking die!-
-And as gravity started to really affect them, he gave one final kick with all his strength, and she was sent crashing down to the ground. She even left an imprint on the ground. She had to be done for. Mercury turned his eyes towards Emerald, finding her on the backfoot against that Ruby girl, Blake playing some long-distance support.
Not only was Emerald on her backfoot, she was outright losing. He could see bruises and blood on her, even from here. Well, things were about to get turned on their head-
Mercury felt the fireball impact his back, sending him forward and onto his hands and knees. He could hear the wind over the inferno, could tell Yang was about to try and shove her fist through his spine. He barely rolled aside, scrambling back up to his feet. It was hard to stand, though. His back was on fire, both literally and figuratively.
She was standing there, all smug, her hair on fire and only a little bit worse for wear after what he'd done to her. "How? How the hell are you still standing!"
Yang smirked, and Mercury really wanted to kill her. More than usual. "Iron Flesh. I'd told Sibyl I didn't want to learn it, but he had insisted. Guess he really does know what he's talking about," she conceded. Of course. It was that fucking Sibyl.
Mercury took a deep breath, trying to stay calm and failing. Then Emerald came crashing to the ground in front of him, unconscious. He screamed in rage, launching forward at Yang in a quick attack; she blocked his outstretched leg, but he pushed off, flipping backwards and landing next to Emerald.
Ruby, Blake, and Yang were all converging on him. Great. Just great. He didn't waste a second, scooping up Emerald. "Gonna run, huh?" Yang taunted, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah. Guess my old man was right about me." He didn't say anything else, putting as much as he could into his legs and taking to the rooftops. He didn't know how long he ran, or even where he was going. He did eventually collapse, too exhausted, his aura too drained. They were on some rooftop. It seemed like a good place to nap.
Emerald stirred as he laid himself and her against some brick wall. "M-Mercury?" She asked, and he tried to speak. It was hard, though. He was so out of breath. In the end, he didn't speak. He laid his head back against the wall and pulled Emerald just a hair closer.
"...C-Cinder isn't going to be happy." God, he hated that woman. He hated her, hated her! He flicked open an eye to see Emerald reaching a trembling hand for her back, rubbing lightly. She did it whenever the idea of Cinder not being 'happy' came to.
"If we're lucky, that Sibyl guy she's been so worried about will kill her." Emerald gasped, looking at him in shock. Her mouth opened to protest, but no words came out.
"...Cinder cares about us." Sure she did; she just had an awful way of showing it. "You shouldn't say that." Well, he had.
He sighed, pulling Emerald in a bit closer. "Right. You're right. Cinder's gonna be fine, and things will go back to normal for us."
All he could do was hope he was wrong.
"Well, here we are, pal," Roman intoned, giving Sibyl a look as he stared at the carrier that had brought them here. Neo, luckily, had been smart enough to remember the way back to it, so they'd avoided any embarrassing situations like getting lost when the world was at risk.
Sibyl gave it a look over, staring at it. "How do I operate this?" Roman rolled his eyes- the guy really took his whole knight-gig seriously, having to be technologically impaired at the best of times- and gestured for him to follow as he stepped inside the Atlas carrier.
Neo stayed behind them, keeping an eye out for any Grimm approaching. "Right, so," Roman began, gesturing around the cockpit, "this is where you'd be." He showed him the chair and the joysticks; it took a few minutes for Roman to give the crash-course in piloting, but he eventually became confident that Sibyl wouldn't die moments after taking off.
All the guy really knew was how to go forward, but that would be good enough. They didn't go over landing scenarios, because Roman was sure that crazy bastard had some way to fall thousands of feet to the ground and live. "There's also an auto-pilot, but we need to set a destination for it to work."
Roman racked his brain for a good place, but only one really stood out. "The only place I can think of is Mountain Glenn. It's far enough away, isolated. There's also an underground, so you'd probably be able to hide out."
Sibyl chuckled, shaking his head. "Set Mountain Glenn as the destination." Roman grumbled at being told what to do, but he did do what he was told. Meanwhile, Sibyl had gotten some giant chest from somewhere, and he was pulling out a stupidly-large bow from it. That didn't even make sense!
Whatever. Roman finished setting in the coordinates, gesturing to a touch-panel on the control panel. "You press that button and it'll take you to Mountain Glenn." Sibyl nodded, cracking his neck as he shrunk his stupidly large chest and put it in some pouch. Roman's brow twitched in irritation.
He had a ton of arrows, his bow, his armor, and that giant greataxe. If anyone was going to stop Cinder's plans, it was this guy. "Roman," Sibyl began, addressing him directly, "yourself and Neo may leave. This is a journey of my own undertaking, and you have played your part."
Well, they hadn't exactly planned on directly helping Sibyl in whatever hair-brained scheme he cooked up, but it was nice that someone thought they'd been willing to do so. "All I ask is you inform Beacon Academy of my actions as soon as possible."
Roman nodded. "It's been a pleasure, I guess." Sibyl laughed.
"Yes, I suppose it has."
Roman exited the ship, watching the transport leave with Neo. Eventually, an arrow flew out from the open door, and around ten seconds later, a darkness so pure, so uninhibited wavered through the air. Time itself seemed to freeze.
And then time continued, and Roman turned to run.
Sibyl took a deep breath as the transport he was on took off in the sky, the technology within it guiding it to his destination: Mountain Glenn. He stood in the open doorway, watching Vale burn from so far away. A few wayward Grimm were still flying towards it, and his stomach could bear the sight no longer.
Reaching up with one hand, Sibyl shifted the eyepatch around his abyss-infected orb to his free eye. He had no desire for what purity he had left to see this slaughter. He was effectively blind, and yet, had never seen any more clearly. He took aim with Gough's greatbow, and he fired an arrow. It landed against a Griffin's skull, penetrating through and killing it instantly.
His craft had reached its max speed; he could feel the wind brushing against him. And as the abyss tugged against his soul, a soul fit to rival the greatest of heroes, to rival Nito, the Witch of Izalith, and Gwyn himself, he finally gave it the access it so desired.
And the world cried out.
Weiss, accompanied by Sif, had been inroute to Ozpin's office, wanting to investigate some strange flames they'd seen at the very top of the tower, when it happened. A darkness filled the air, a suffocating presence she'd only ever felt once before. And, involuntarily, her head snapped to the distance. Where she knew it was emanating from.
Her eyes couldn't see, but she knew. Oh God, she knew. It was impossible to forget, the stench, the aura of wrong. Sibyl. Sweet, lovely, good Sibyl. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her up Ozpin's tower, forgoing the elevator entirely. Sif was on her heels, the wolf whimpering every once in a while.
When the pair finally reached Ozpin's office, it was to the sight of the office in ruins. And to the sight of a woman panicking. "W-Where are they going! Those stupid Grimm, they're supposed to-" Ozpin was on one side of the room, his cane in hand. He was injured, but by no means beaten.
Weiss tried to figure out what was going on. The Grimm? She looked out his window, watching as all the Grim were flying south, south to where this awful aura was coming from. Flying south to Sibyl, even that Grimm dragon was flying towards the south. And it was no peaceful journey- the Grimm tore each other apart if they dared to get within feet of each other.
The Grimm Dragon burned Grimm alive by the hundreds as it flew, chasing after the dark source of power. "You've lost, Cinder." Ozpin said, coughing. Weiss took a step forward, Sif beside her. 'Cinder' turned around, facing at Ozpin with rage, only to freeze at the sight of Weiss and Sif.
"Y-You!" Cinder hissed, her eyes sparking with rage at the very sight of Weiss. Weiss readied her rapier, and smoldering flames met an overwhelming blizzard atop Ozpin's tower.
Glynda had been prowling the streets of Vale, a squad of second-years with her as she did so, team CFVY, when Grimm began to just… leave. Not just leave, but they attacked each other, their aggression heighted to the point they couldn't even tell themselves from their human enemies. It was strange behavior, and she'd had trouble putting two-and-two together until she happened across the remnants of team RWBY, minus Weiss.
Blake was practically hyperventilating, her eyes wide and not quite all there. Ruby was crying, but trying to keep it together for Blake's sake, and Yang seemed to be frozen. And then it hit here, why the air didn't seem just right. She'd only felt it once before, when they'd found Sibyl and Blake after escaping that White Fang base.
It was the abyss. Not just the abyss, but it was more overwhelming than that. It was like feeling the radiating heat of a burning fire miles away. That was what was in the air, and it worried her. Because the source was rather obvious: Sibyl.
Still, if the aura was in the air, it meant he still lived. And while team RWBY might be in shambles, Glynda was a teacher and master Huntress for a reason. "Team RWBY, report." It snapped them to attention, just as she'd always intended. Authority could overwhelm fear, provided the proper response had been conditioned in.
Her strict doctrine had more to it than just her personality, after all. "We were ambushed, miss Goodwitch." Ruby said, voice quiet and subdued, "two students. Emerald and Mercury. We'd spoken with them a bit before, but… yeah." She was staring at the ground. Yang had shaken her out of her own stupor.
"Miss G, you feel that, right?" Glynda nodded.
"Yes, which is why I need all of you to be composed." Blake stood up, favoring one leg over the other. It was clear she'd been injured in the fight with Emerald and Mercury. "Team CFVY, with the withdrawal of the Grimm, your mission priority has shifted. Get civilians medical attention, continue evacuations."
The four second-year students nodded. "Team RWBY, with me. We're doubling back to Beacon to get a transport. Blake, you're wound should heal itself soon enough, but for now, Yang will carry you."
Their mission would be a simple one. Find Sibyl. From there… the plan would be adjusted.
Weiss stared at the corpse in front of her, breathing heavy and ignoring the burn marks on her arm. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to beat Cinder normally, but with Ozpin and Sif at her side, even just as support, the one behind all of this had been overwhelmed.
She looked out the window. Things were more in control now. The Grimm had all withdrawn, all but thrown themselves against each other in doing so. It gave those on the streets time to organize their defenses more, evacuate more civilians, create a sense that they knew what they were doing.
The elevator opened, and Weiss saw the disheveled forms of her teammates enter. "Weiss!" Ruby all but screamed, her semblance carrying her across the room and into a massive hug. Weiss returned it readily, Yang and Blake joining in a moment later.
"Perfect! The crew's all back together," Yang said, slapping her hands together, "Uh, wait, we need someone to write this down for-"
"I can hear now," Weiss interrupted, getting raised brows for her words.
"Not the weirdest stuff to happen today," Yang muttered, continuing on, "Right, well, anyways: Miss G is getting us a transport. We're going to go find Sibyl. Now."
"Glynda," Ozpin said, voice a bit strained, "It's too dangerous. Mr. Sibyl is making a sacrifice for all of us. Chasing after him is akin to throwing your lives away for nothing."
Glynda's riding crop found it inches from Ozpin's neck. "Ozpin, you and James are the whole reason this even happened! And if you could see beyond your ego for two seconds, you'd realize the Grimm are all killing each other! The way to Sibyl will be clear, and if we're lucky, only a few Grimm will be there."
Ozpin didn't say anything, but he nodded. Weiss smiled. They could do this. They could find and save Sibyl.
'One, two, three, four… four… what comes after four?' Sibyl thought to himself, trying to keep his mind clear as he stood amidst the ruined streets of Mountain Glenn, dark energies circling him. His transport had crashed, and from there, he'd been fighting-
He roared, his greataxe moving the earth as it dug through the ground, striking upwards with enough force that the air shattered, splitting the Beowolf's body in half-
For awhile-
Two Ursa were charging at him, fighting and stumbling against each other as they sought the darkness of the Abyss for themselves. A primal desire. He leapt to meet them, a fireball in one hand, axe flying overhead in the other. It dug into the skull of one of the Ursa, his fireball striking down upon the other at the same time.
Then, the fighting had stopped. He'd been alone since, here in this abandoned ghost town. But he wouldn't be alone for long. His mind, despite not being all there, was still together enough to know that the Grimm Dragon would be coming soon. And he would be ready.
"Now," Gough intoned, standing beside and above him as Sibyl readied his bow, keeping his abyssal eye focused on the skies above, "I knew thou thought much me, but to blind thineself, too?" Gough laughed, the air reverberating with his jolly spirit, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, my dear friend."
Sibyl smiled, even as his skin crawled and he shivered, the abyss whispering at the edge of all his senses. "Of course, Gough."
"I recall when thou entrusted I to down the great Kalameet, so thine blades could pierce its hide more readily," Gough reminisced, sitting down on his bottom next to Sibyl. "A truer shot had never been loosed than that one. Until today, that is."
The blind giant chuckled once more. "Dragon slaying, yes! A knight's highest calling. It warms my heart to see the passions of the past carried forward…"
Gough sighed, unable to keep his tone light. "There is one legend among ye humans, and it is Gwyn's blessing that I have been able to call him a friend."
The Giant rose to his feet, staring at the sky. "I await good tidings. I know thou won't disappoint! May every honor be bestowed upon you, Chosen Undead, Slayer of Kalameet, Keeper of the Lord Souls, Conqueror of the Abyss, Master of the Arts, Sibyl of Lordran."
A final laugh left the giant's throat as the sky roared. "Thou has enough titles for three lifetimes, my friend! May thou find thine soul intertwined in the arms of thy loved, to reprieve from the great battle to come! Good hunting upon thee!"
The sky cleared, and Sibyl saw. And so, he let his arrow fly, the air screaming as it pierced through it, flying true, never shifting from its chosen path.
It penetrated the great dragon's wing, and the greatest beast of Grimm cried out. Sibyl discarded his bow as the dragon came falling towards the ground with an anguished roar. He picked up his Black Knight Greataxe, previously resting in the dirt, before grabbing the Cleansing Greatshield, which he'd found in the bowls of the Chasm of the Abyss in Oolacile, upon recusing Sif. There was no need to hold back here. It was but him and the beast.
The dragon's landing was not clean, and multiple buildings came down with it. Still, it was of no concern. Sibyl walked forward, his eyes seeing all even through his visor. It took a moment for the dragon to orient itself, and the moment it had, the beast's eyes snapped to him as it leapt forward with a roar.
It was truly a giant beast. Bigger than Kalameet, bigger than any dragon he had ever seen. The only beast that might come close would be the gaping dragon. And he would slay it.
He allowed dark energies to swell around him, enhancing his movements. He sprinted forward, his axe crawling along the ground as he did so.
The dragon shifted, striking out to bite him, but he avoided it deftly, shifting aside. He struck upward, and the dragon moved back on its hind legs to avoid having its head damaged. Not wasting a moment, Sibyl leapt forward, his Greataxe burying itself into its chest in an overhead strike. He pulled his blade free, blood coming with the movement. The dragon roared, though Sibyl didn't get the feeling it was from pain. Given the size of the beast, his blow had hardly done anything. No, it seemed more angry.
It came crashing forward to try and crush him beneath its body. Given the size of the beast, it was practically impossible to avoid.
The abyss did not care about practicality.
Speed honed from a hundred battles just as deadly, he sprinted and rolled, avoiding one of its front claws, easily the size of ten of him, from landing on his chest. Using the momentum of his roll, he swung his Greataxe around, smashing it into the dragon's forearm.
It turned its head amidst the pain, a stream of black fire coming from its maw. He blocked it with his shield, feeling the unbearable heat wisp around the blessed metal. Given the size of the beast, the flames didn't just hit him, they surrounded him. The beast did not stop its bellowing breath, and so he stepped forward. And then he took another step, and another. And as the beast finally stopped its whirlpool of flames, the flames subsided after a moment, and Sibyl leapt forward.
His axe clipped the front of its snout, and the beast snapped forward, attempting to get a bite of him. He leapt back, avoiding the teeth by the slimmest of margins, before swinging his greataxe once more, this time catching the beast in its extended chin. It made to bite him again, and Sibyl realized there was no way he could dodge.
So, the abyss answered him. Dark beads shot forth from his infected eye, twelve black orbs filled with such power, slamming against the roof of the beast's mouth. It stopped its attempt to eat him, then, and instead cried out in pain. It did not last long, however. The dragon retaliated with a swing of its claws, catching him in his chest and sending him skidding across the street. He bounced upon impact, but never lost the grip he had on his weapons. Eventually, he slowed, and he forced himself back to his feet as the dragon closed the distance with a roar. It only took two steps.
It turned its body, striking out with its tail. It smacked into his shield, the force sending him skidding, but not flying. The abyss surrounded him like an inferno, dark, black and purple energy lighting up the dark. It amplified his already impressive strength. The tail, temporarily stopped, was vulnerable. Sibyl struck with his axe, getting a deep cut into it before the beast pulled its tail back.
Not wasting a second, he charged, getting another slash at its hind legs before it had fully turned to face him. It slashed at him, but he rolled, avoiding the blow, only to find its maw inches from his face, chopping at him again. The abyss answered his call once more, though not in the same way.
It made to bite down on him, and Sibyl leapt. Higher than he had ever leapt before- higher than even Artorias, in his own corruption, had been able to leap. And as he avoided the snapping jaws, Sibyl brought his Greataxe down upon the beast's skull-covered face, abyss enhancing his strength.
The creature's mask cracked, and it cried again. Sibyl was atop the beast, now, and he dug his axe out of the crack he'd created to swing it again. The beast stood back on its hind legs, blowing fire out of its maw as it tried to buck him off. It succeeded, though not entirely. Sibyl was sent sliding down its back, and he could see its tail at the bottom. Grinning, he heaved his greataxe up in the air, readying to remove its damn appendage.
And it was glorious, the sound of his axe catching into its tail, the squish as the tail separated itself from its master. It roared, and what was left of its tail flickered, catching Sibyl and sending him flying back, slamming into a crumpled pile of wall.
Sibyl saw a crack in the ground in front of him, and idly remembered some of his lessons about Mountain Glenn. There was a city beneath these streets. Setting his cleansing greatsword beside him, he grabbed his Sunlight Talisman from his waist and conjured up a bolt of lightning.
It was not just great lightning. No, he could feel something… more. It was not its entirely normal yellow hue, it was a darker gold. The shield next to him seemed to pulse, and Sibyl realized just what he was wielding. Arcing his arm back, he took aim as the dragon turned to face him. He tossed the Sun Spear, his aim impeccable, as it slammed into one of the beast's many eyes.
The clap of thunder as it reverberated was deafening, and Sibyl felt himself scream as the Sunlight Talisman in his hands burned to the touch. It was intact, but he knew. He was no longer worthy to wield it.
Very well. He reached for the catalyst at his back hip, taking aim and conjuring the most powerful spells he could as the dragon overcame its mind-numbing pain. A Crystal Soul Spear formed, flying forward with all the strength he had in his possession, slamming into the beast's skull. It flinched, but did not stop its charger forward.
Sibyl readied another Crystal Soul Spear, but also some Homing Crystal Soulmass. They fired in combination, slamming into the beast's head. This one sent it stumbling, veering off its track just slightly, but it still did not stop.
Good. Sibyl discarded his catalyst aside where he'd discarded his shield and talisman, and flames formed in his hand as the beast was almost upon him. He focused, closing his eyes. Chaos Storm was supposed to cast pillars of chaos flames all around; it was not intended to be controlled. It was nonetheless deadly, but trying to focus all the pillars into one particularly spot was… dangerous.
He did not care.
As the beast finally extended its front paw, intent on crushing him, his eye flashed at the same time he slammed his open palm into the ground. A large black orb shot forward from his eye, every bit as powerful as a Crystal Soul Spear, if not more so, at the same time as Sibyl forced the Chaos Flames to bind to his will, however temporarily.
Hundreds of pillars of chaos fire formed, all at once, all directly beneath the dragon. They formed in almost an outline, and the beast cried out again. Sibyl didn't move, too intent on focusing his casting.
The beast's gigantic claw barely missed slamming into him, yet he didn't escape unscathed. One talon snatched his left arm clean from its shoulder socket, a gush of blood spraying the air as he lost his arm. At the same time, the ground beneath the beast collapsed, and it was sent falling into the underground below.
He laid on the ground for a few moments, body in monumental pain. His head turned, and Sibyl stared at his removed arm, unable to truly think about the fact it was his arm. He knew what he needed to do, and while he loved his Greataxe, it was not the weapon of choice for his next actions. He meticulously removed his chest from its pouch with his one free hand, allowing it to grow to its true size, and retrieved the Black Knight Greatsword from within. Ah. Yes. It would do.
He left his chest open, his bloodied axe beside it, and crawled towards the hole in the ground.
The dragon was still alive down there, but it was in unbearable pain. So was he. Sibyl stared at his new Greatsword, and his eye listened, dark, abyssal energy coating the greatsword. Looking down below at the hundred-yard drop, Sibyl forced himself down the chasm.
And so he fell, eye never losing sight of his target. He readied his blade as he fell towards the beast skull, positioning himself so that all of his weight would be atop it. And as it met the skull of the great dragon, it penetrated, further than even Sibyl did; he felt his legs break as they slammed into the great dragon, and he might have cursed himself for not casting Fall Control if his mind had been in any position to.
No, instead, while the Black Knight Greatsword, coated in the energy of the Abyss, penetrated through the dragon's skull, finding itself lodged in the creature itself, too far deep for even its hilt to be seen, Sibyl fell.
He fell off the great beast, his body slamming into the ground pitifully. The beast took a moment to realize it had been slain, but then it, too, fell beside him. He stared, eyeing the beautiful, star-filled sky above as the abyss encircled around him. And he prayed that whoever might find him would be wise enough to run.
Run as far as their legs would take them.
And so, Sibyl found himself alone in a room, none to judge within earshot. He was more fearful than he had ever been, and would likely ever be, which was a terrifyingly familiar feeling that he had repeatedly experienced. It was as familiar a feeling as any he knew; it always left him to ponder why he was feeling this way. Perhaps it was because the odds were so stacked against him?
Who wouldn't be scared, really? Long ago, he'd sworn if left in a room by himself, he would admit to being scared, fearful, and hesitant.
And he was so very, very alone.
It was obvious where he was. All one had to do was follow the path of destruction. They'd already found his transport, crushed and torn asunder. What buildings in Mountain Glenn that had been standing were now collapsed, undoubtedly by that dragon. Weiss felt her breath hitch, but she tried to keep calm. This was Sibyl. He had slain Gods. A dragon, no matter how large, was not beyond him.
Mountain Glenn smelt like burnt blood, like scorched earth everywhere. And they could see the scars of whatever battle had happened. It was easy to see the dragon's influence- crushed buildings, the ground itself distorted from where it had crashed, but Sibyl's was more subtle. Shards of crystal, undoubtedly from magic, and a discarded greatbow. Not to mention the clapping of thunder they had heard so long ago. It hadn't just been thunder. They all knew that.
Then they found Sibyl's arm, still covered in the armor he so adored, but clearly having been cut off an hour or two ago. No, cut off was not the right word. It was more like something had caught hold of it and pulled it off. Weiss wanted to throw up, but in spite of all they saw, Yang could still feel Sibyl. He was alive, just like he'd been alive when they found him and Blake.
He had to be alive. They found his gear later, overlooking a chasm a hundred yards away. His catalyst was discarded, along with his talisman. There was a shield there, too, one so large and bulky only Sibyl would have been able to wield it in battle to some degree of efficiency. His Greataxe was on the ground, dried blood all over its sharpened edge and sprayed over its shaft.
His bottomless box was there, too, open. He must have grabbed something out of there, before… what? They could see a trail of blood on the ground, and Weiss felt her breath hitch as she realized it looked like Sibyl had crawled towards that chasm ahead. She shared a look with her teammates- Ruby, Yang, and Blake, and then their teacher, Glynda. More people would be enroute, but they'd been the first to get a transport to come and find Sibyl.
"I can feel him. He's… he's down there." Yang confirmed, a flame waving in her hand, so bright and strong, flickering forward and downwards. Weiss took a deep breath. They knew where he was. He was so close, and he was still alive.
The silence was suffocating. What was there to say? That they might find him, dead? That they might find him alive but… different? All there was to do, was to find him. Weiss was first to the edge of the chasm, peeking down and trying not to hyperventilate. They could see it. Well, not it, but its skull. For some reason, the mask of the Grimm Dragon hadn't disappeared. It was all that remained, cracked and burnt.
"Of course Sibyl won," Yang said, trying to bolster up her confidence, "'Ol' Fireball killed plenty of dragons in the past. What was that one… Kalameet?" Weiss recalled that story, about how Sibyl spoke about some kind, blind giant- a literal giant- who had helped him defeat the dragon by downing him with a well-shot arrow.
He'd ever shown her the giant's bow, though it was of a smaller size meant for a human. Magic, Sibyl had explained, could do strange things. It was the same bow they'd found earlier while scouring the city. Weiss stepped forward, gesturing for the others to follow, as she used her semblance to create platforms they could travel down.
Eventually, they were all on the ground, and the giant mask of the dragon seemed like the first place to investigate. Glynda led the way, and Weiss wasn't going to stop her from doing so. She didn't know what they would find. It was a semi-long walk, but eventually they reached the skull. Blake was the first one to jump a top it, marching across what was left of a beast that had once been so menacing. She seemed to find what she was looking for quickly, and gestured for the others to gather around. There was, not just a crack, but a hole in the mask, roughly the size of one of those gigantic swords Sibyl liked to use.
It must have been what slew it. Ruby giggled in spite of herself. "Sibyl leapt all the way down here and stabbed the dragon through the skull?! That's so cool!" Weiss smiled. It sounded like the exact sort of insane plan Sibyl would enact, one that always seemed to work.
"It does seem like something he would do," Glynda confirmed in exasperation, pinching at the bridge of her nose.
Yang shrugged. "Hey, if it works, it works. The dragon's dead, and Sibyl's around here somewhere, still kicking." Yes, yes he was. Blake's ears twitched- she had removed her ribbons earlier in the night, wanting to have nothing muffling her hearing- and she immediately stepped into the hole they'd all just been staring at.
Weiss followed right after her, ignoring the sound of alarm in Ruby's voice as she did so. She used her semblance to catch herself right before the ground, landing lightly beside Blake. Blake was staring ahead, but it was a bit too dark for Weiss to really see anything.
She did hear the sound of a blade dragging, though. Her heart skipped a beat. Yang landed next, and upon seeing how dark it was, conjured a fireball. Weiss almost wished she hadn't, because she could finally see Sibyl.
He had the blade that had tore through the skull of this dragon in the hand he had left, the tip of the blade dragging on the ground. He was a mess. He was favoring one leg over the other, and had dark energy encompassing him. Ruby landed beside her, but Weiss didn't move.
"S-Sibyl?" Was the first thing their leader said, Glynda joining the four of them- five if one included Sibyl- a moment later. Sibyl seemed to stand just a hair straighter when Ruby said his name, but he shook his head, staring at them with hatred beneath the visor.
And he leapt, his giant blade crashing down before them and kicking up dirt. The movement, though, was not what they expected. It was sluggish. Weak. It wasn't too surprising, given his condition, but… still, she'd always expected if this happened, he would be... deadlier.
Glynda moved to step forward, but Ruby interrupted her before she could. "No, stop! Look, Sibyl's not a threat," and it was true, because as he mustered his strength to drag that Greatsword behind him, he turned to stare at Ruby before launching forward. Again, though, it was not a quick strike. It was… pathetic. And that might have been what hurt most of all.
This wasn't Sibyl.
"Sibyl, it's me! Ruby," their leader said, taking a step forward towards Sibyl. As he raised his blade, Glynda moved with her semblance, grabbing hold of it and discarding it. He took a defiant step towards Ruby, but their leader didn't move.
"Sibyl, please. This isn't you-"
He'd been here before, but it had been different. He had beheaded her with one smooth slice, the blood flickering against his eyes as he refused to blink. Her words, "Please, Sibyl, this isn't you-" had been interrupted halfway through. Her head, back then, had hit the ground with a squishing sound.
Still, that had been then. This was now. Where was he? He didn't have an axe like back then. No, he didn't have any weapon. There were more than just this strange girl, too. There were others. Others he knew he knew, but couldn't remember. It would be easier to kill them.
The one with the glasses, too, he'd killed. His Crystal Soul Spear had shattered her sternum. He remembered her glasses echoing as they shattered on the ground. A deafening noise. He could hear it now, too.
Who else? The blonde. Something was intimately familiar about her. Oh, that was right. He had stabbed her body, over and over, blood spraying all over him. He'd burnt her to a crisp, too. Why did this all hurt to remember? Who were these people? Where… where was he? Why did his very soul cry? He needed to kill them; they were dangerous. They were hurting him, and he was over being hurt. Over being used!
One of them approached him. She was… beautiful. White hair, long and flowing, with eyes so blue he'd mistake them as a lake. His heart sang in joy, and he felt his anger leave. Weiss. That was Weiss, and that was Yang, and- and Blake, and Ruby. Glynda, too.
He remembered. Weiss was inches in front of him, now. She was so beautiful. He'd do anything for her. Anything. For all of them, actually. Even forego his destiny. Lordran had never wanted him; these people, they wanted him. And he needed them.
Weiss reached forward, grabbing at his eyepatch and removing it. And, finally, he saw again.
"Sibyl?" Weiss whispered, staring into that black eye. Slowly, she reached forward, not knowing why he'd switched his eyepatch, but wanting so badly to see his real eye. And it was there, staring at her, unblinking. Was… was he still in there? She could see the shine of recognition; he knew him. He remembered her.
"Weiss?" he whispered, his hand trembling as it reached its way to her cheek, grasping to make sure she was real. And he seemed to believe she was, because he pulled her into a tight embrace, his whole body shaking, wracking in tears.
She held him as close as she was able, rubbing his back.
"...I'm scared," he said, admitting something she'd always suspected. "P-Please. I… I don't want to die." The others crowded around close, and Glynda spoke.
"You're safe, Sibyl."
"...Did I save everyone? I… I always was supposed to be a savior," he babbled, his tears held back by a choke. "I never was very good at it." He laughed. "Everyone died. Everyone."
"You saved everyone this time, Fireball," Yang intoned, reaching a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "All of Vale's fine. Hell, you even killed that fucking dragon!"
It wasn't the complete truth. Vale wasn't completely fine, but it was as close to fine as it could be. No one would tell Sibyl differently.
"Y-Yes, suppose I did. Gough was with me. He guided my shot, told me it would be truer than any loosed before." Sibyl said, and his weight got just a bit more slack, Weiss having to work harder to keep him upright. Ruby removed her cloak, not giving it a second thought as she used it to wrap up Sibyl's shoulder, hoping to stop the blood from flowing freely. Blake was helping Ruby, trying to stem the blood loss.
"It was," Weiss informed, holding him close.
He coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. "Sibyl?" She said, trying to get a response, but he wasn't speaking. His eye was getting just a bit dimmer, too. She could feel his soul. Glynda and Yang could, too, given the look they shared. Soul Sorcery made her attuned to these things, and Sibyl was teetering on the edge.
Sibyl was going to die if they didn't do anything.
She pulled him as close as she could, and begged, prayed, swore at whatever Gods existed and decided to torment Sibyl, that they might for once do something to help him!
It was unfair. It was all so unfair! He did everything, for everyone! A-And those Gods, the ones he sometimes prayed to, that Velka?! What did she do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, while he was getting torn apart by the abyss!
She hated them all. She hated where Sibyl came from, where it could take someone so powerful, so kind, and ruin them. She'd give anything, even her own soul, to just give Sibyl a chance to live.
Yet life was cruel, and she watched as Sibyl's skin lost its lively quality, reverting to his undead form. No. This wasn't happening- this wasn't happening! She shook him. She yelled, screamed for him to stop this.
She only silenced when she felt something enter the air, and her eyes shifted to his chest. She was left staring as his soul just… floated out of his body.
And even still, that was not enough; she was made to watch as his soul floated itself into her hands. It was both pure and dirty; she could see the inner brightness, a gold so beautiful she'd never mistake it for anything but good, and yet, blackness clung to its outer edges, trying so hard to ruin it.
It was his soul, clutched in her hands. She hadn't had to reach to grab it; it had gravitated towards her. Sibyl's soul belonged to no one but her, it seemed to say. She screamed.
Epilogue next.