I know what you're going to say Luna and Chey... "About time! Took you FOREVER to post the next chapter!"
Well, schoolwork, having your personal PC's battery die, and having to spend a set amount of time on homework will do that to you. You of all people should know that by now. JK, I love you guys.
This is probably the last chapter of Diego's past and then it's on to the main event once again! On that note... I am so far behind on the most recent episodes, but what I've seen so far is pretty great. I'm more or less hyped by what I've seen! But for anyone who hasn't seen it yet... I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum.
One last thing to say about this chapter which contains a slight spoiler: after seeing Volume 6 of the series and of Salem's past, I understand if a few things from the last chapter doesn't exactly make sense. So I have some form of logic behind it all: the Salem whom Diego knows and the Salem whom Ozpin knows (and knew), while sharing the same body, are not the same person. Figuratively speaking, Salem was reborn into a different person the night she and Ozpin officially became enemies.
Anyways, apologies for the MAJORLY delayed update, and I hope y'all enjoy!
Note: Text like this is Diego speaking over the flashback.
"Salem? Salem!" Diego called to the Grimm Queen, hoping that she was somewhere nearby. He needed to talk to her, for recently something had happened which made him start to question her motives a bit. He didn't want to believe it... but he needed to know.
It wasn't long before he was greeted by the sight of his lover in question, who was wearing a genuine smile on her face as he approached. However, when noticing his troubled expression, she got concerned.
"Is something wrong?" she asked him.
"Yes, unfortunately," Diego replied bluntly, then he looked to her with a slight frown. "Someone showed up today at my place. He claimed that he knew you; he even called you by name."
Salem felt a bit suspicious about this, so she asked, "What was his name?"
"He went by... Ozpin."
Salem's expression went a bit wide eyed and Diego could feel a flurry of emotions from her being built up with her magic. Smart people would have run, but while Diego wasn't dumb... he wasn't exactly one to run when it was perhaps necessary at times. In fact, he did something else; he held the Grimm Queen's hand and spoke softly.
"I'm guessing you have a history with him?" he asked her.
"That's putting it lightly," Salem growled, reeling in her anger for the sake of keeping Diego unharmed. She breathed, then asked him, "What did he tell you?"
"Lot's of things, many of which I don't want to believe are true," Diego replied with a serious tone. "But I need to be reassured, so that's why I came to you." He looked Salem straight in the eye and gave her the most serious expression she had seen him wear. "Tell me everything. From the very beginning, and be honest about it."
"Diego... you won't like what you hear," Salem told him.
"Maybe not... but I need to know. Please... you said you wouldn't keep secrets from me anymore," Diego said softly. Salem briefly considered not telling him anyways, but the look in his eyes seemed to pierce her very soul and eventually she made a small sigh.
"Fine," she said, and then she gave him the information he wanted to know. Apparently, she and Ozpin knew each other from a different age. Back then, she knew him by a different (but rather similar)name, and they had been lovers. However, one day he had gotten sick and died. She had tried to bring him back to life by asking the gods of Remnant to bring him back (something that surprised Diego to know about), but they had refused. On top of that, she had also been made immortal by them, cursed to forever walk the earth until she had learned not to be selfish. Feeling wronged by them, she had tried to turn humanity against the gods... only to have the whole of humanity wiped out. In her sorrow, she had tried to kill herself multiple times, but her immortality had prevented this. She had even tried doing so by diving into the Pool of Darkness, where the Grimm came from (something Diego had seen himself). Instead of killing her, it had turned her into what she was now; a sorceress with power over the creatures of darkness.
Eventually, she and Ozpin had managed to be reunited, for one of the gods had made him able to be reincarnated whenever he would die. For a while, they had managed to be together again, until the night he discovered her true intentions and she learned of his task given to him by the god of Light; to take her down and prepare mankind for judgement. That night tore them apart once again, and their battle not long after destroyed both their home and the family they had together. From that point on, they had been sworn enemies, always fighting to keep the other from succeeding. Never once did she ever consider to bring it all to a stop, always seeking to get her way.
"...and then you showed up," she finished, looking at him with a slight smile that faded again with a sigh. "And you gave me something I haven't felt in a long time... love, compassion, kindness... And on top of it all, you made me feel human again. That alone was the greatest gift you could give to me."
Diego was silent for a long while, since it truly was a lot to take in. Salem clearly wasn't in the right for trying selfishly to get Oz back and causing the destruction of mankind in the process... but neither did he feel that it was fair for the gods to make her cursed with immortality and forced to forever walk the earth. They should have let her die so she could eventually be with her loved one at last. Heck, he found them a bit hypocritical about their balance of life and death, considering that they were unwilling to bring Ozpin to life, yet were apparently willing to massacre an entire planet and THEN bring Ozpin back through reincarnation. It was things like that where he could feel sympathetic about what happened to her.
And the fact she had started to truly change all because of him... He felt some pride in this, especially since he knew it was real. Diego wasn't the best at reading people, but some said that he possessed a trait from his mother that allowed him to see the intentions one held in their expressions or words.
And there was no lie in Salem's words. She had been completely honest with him, and had shared everything with him.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her, his tone and expression neutral for now as he looked at her.
"Because... I didn't think you could handle the truth," Salem said. "Who would believe such a tale as outlandish as that?"
She looked down at the ground in sadness, not noticing the smile forming on Diego's face.
"How about the one person in all of Remnant who was not only willing to befriend the Queen of the Grimm, but also fall in love with her?" he suggested with a smirk. This managed to earn a small smile from her, though she at first tried to play it off with sarcasm.
"Oh please. You were practically begging for mercy when we first met," she stated. "I could have killed you, and given my nature I probably should have too."
"And yet, I'm still here," Diego responded with a smile.
Salem smiled back, then asked, "What do you want to do now?"
"Hmm... how about I share some of my knowledge with you?" he suggested. "I know much about the other kingdoms that could be useful in many fashions should one be looking to improve upon what they already have."
"Then I'm all ears," Salem nodded and sat back to listen to what Kapila had to say. She didn't admit it, but what she heard him talk about was more impressive than he realized. For it could indeed determine the improvement of the kingdoms...
Or herald their downfalls.
It was all a mistake.
It shouldn't have happened, it couldn't have happened... but it did. Salem had done the unforgivable act in the eyes of her lover. It had started off simple. Some Grimm had started to attack a settlement nearby, which was not an uncommon occurrence. The Queen had decided to walk in and oversee what was occurring herself, perhaps even to see if there were any survivors whom she could prevent from dying. It was a slim chance, but it was worth the trouble if it meant making Diego happy.
And then, it happened. Up ahead, an Ursa had managed to corner a Cheetah Faunus who had survived the previous ordeal, but was now beyond rescue as the Ursa attacked. Salem had at first thought nothing of it, for she knew even her command couldn't save the girl in time. But when she saw the glint of a familiar family symbol on a ring she wore, Salem immediately felt a pang of shock go over her.
That was Diego's "betrothed" whom he had talked so often about. From what Salem knew, the engagement was nothing more than a false assumption and in truth their relationship was like that of a brother and sister. And now, she lay dead at the feet of one of her creatures of darkness. Panic came over her as she tried to do something to bring the girl back, but in vain. She didn't have the power or time to do anything...
"Katherine!" she heard Diego scream, and then he was beside her at a moment's notice, cradling her body with care as her life faded swiftly, unable to speak to him in her final hours. The sight made even Salem feel heartbroken and saddened.
"Diego... I - I'm so sorry. It was an accident..." she started, but then she stopped when he looked at her, pure anger and betrayal in his eyes.
"Back then, I didn't know that she didn't have her killed intentionally nor that she was not to blame. Back then, I thought all she had said and done to be my friend and lover to be a lie. All of Ozpin's warnings about her came to my mind, and I felt betrayed. So... I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life..."
"Murderer!" he screamed at the Grimm Queen. "How could you pretend to be my friend? Or more than that?! You - you MONSTER!"
His voice seemed to echo across the reaches of Remnant, and it penetrated her very soul and shattered her heart. His words struck her deeply, far deeper than any wounds she had been dealt before. It made her want to break down in tears, just like she had done when Oz had been taken from her the first time.
But she didn't have time to react in such a way, for from Diego something emitted from his being that caused the Grimm in the area to act in a way Salem had never expected to see: they were running away in fear. Fear. The very thing they thrived on, that drove them to destruction, and yet now it was causing them to flee. And to top it off... Salem felt something else from him. Her power was coursing through him, and she sensed it was changing him too.
But that was impossible... unless... She took one more look and then realized what had happened. Diego had discovered his Semblance, or more precisely inherited it, and was already putting it to use.
"Diego... stop! My powers... they'll -" she started, but was interrupted by Diego himself. He looked her in the eye as his image changed into a terrible monstrosity; a Grimm that was almost as human as she was... but with the same dark skin as the Grimm. And his eyes were a blood red color like her own, glowing with malice, hate, and rage. But deeper down, she could see something else - no, someone else; someone unexplained by this world, and far more intimidating to her than the gods. Whoever it was, Salem knew only one thing for certain.
She was afraid.
"Leave!" the creature that was Diego roared, and with a scream, the Queen of the Grimm turned and ran from her former lover into the night. The creature kept on roaring and bellowing out in anger and grief, then after a long moment it went silent. Then it shifted back into the human, who was both afraid of what had happened to him but also saddened by the loved ones he had lost, one of which was now beyond his reach and had ran off into the night. He took this time to grieve for several minutes, then with a newfound look of determination he looked to the moon above and made a solemn vow.
"Mark my words. One way or another, I will put an end to you Salem. I will not rest until you are dead... whether by my hand or another... That is my promise..."
*Present day*
"...And from that say since, I sealed my fate with my own words," Diego finished, looking to Yang fully. "I joined Ozpin for a spell, trying to make a difference in the world. But it didn't seem to go anywhere, so eventually I left the group and decided to do the same on my own. Vengeance always pushed me forward and it clouded my vision. Until the night I met you..." He managed to give a small smile. "You gave me a different meaning in life, and gave me purpose once more. Because of that... I feel whole again."
Yang looked at him in utter silence, a surprised expression on her face. But not because she didn't believe him; she knew somehow that despite everything he had said, no matter how outlandish or insane it seemed, it was all true. The idea of him becoming a Grimm, however, is what got to her the most. Hearing about how he had become one of the very creatures that sought to destroy humanity... it made her feel sorry for him. And hearing that she had made such an impact on his life was a touching note as well. She had been confident before, but now knowing one of his darkest secrets had been revealed willingly even with the risk of tainting what they had made her all the more positive that he truly cared for her.
And yet, one nagging detail still rested in the back of her mind, something Diego had touched on while explaining things to Yang.
"So... if Salem can't be killed, how can we stop her? Doesn't it seem a little hopeless to you?" she asked him.
"It's only hopeless if we decide to give up," Diego explained. "Besides... who says we have to kill her? Sometimes, defeating your enemies doesn't mean to kill them; sometimes, it simply means that you make sure that they are no longer a threat to anyone, and to let them know that if they come back, you'll be waiting for them. And if we don't try to stop her... then who will? Most, if not all in this world don't even know who Salem is nor are they aware of the hidden conflict between her and Ozpin. We either try and at least give future generations the time and inspiration to fight back, or we give up and everyone dies."
Yang was silent again, for Diego did have a point. Not only was it unfair to other generations if they simply dumped the problem into their lap without ever trying to solve it themselves, but there was also a possibility nobody would be around if they didn't try at all. For better or worst, this problem with Salem was something that she and her friends had to deal with now so the world could sleep easy at night.
"Alright... before we make any major decision, I'd like to ask you something," she said to him.
"Of course, Goldilocks," Diego replied with a smile. "What is it?"
"Well, it may sound like an odd or crazy request... but I'd like to see the other side of you. The side you keep hidden," she told him. Diego's smile faded for a second and he gave her a serious expression.
"I don't think that's safe at all, Yang. I mean... I could hurt you, really badly in that form," he stated.
"You don't want anymore secrets to be hidden away, right?" Yang demanded, but not harshly. "Well, if you truly meant it... then don't hide it from me like everything else."
Diego wanted to object, but one look into her purple eyes made him break. Besides, she had a point. There was no point in hiding any longer.
"Alright. But first, you need to do something for me," he said.
"And what's that?" Yang asked.
"Try on the new arm, and get yourself back into fighting shape," Diego said bluntly. "I at least want you to be able to defend yourself, in case I lose control..."
This impacted Yang quite a bit to say the least, but she eventually gave him a nod to assure him that she would do just that. Satisfied, Diego smiled and then looked outside the window and noted the light streaming in.
"It's getting late. You should get some sleep," he told her gently. "I'll be back by morning... assuming that your father won't let me sleep under this roof."
"What? And be rude to his daughters' savior? Not a chance," Yang chuckled. Diego gave a small laugh too, then he stood up from where he had been sitting and quietly left the room, glancing back at her gently at the door.
"Sleep well, Goldilocks," he whispered, then he shut the door and left the Huntress to get the rest she needed.
For any complaints you may have for me giving some spoilers away... I said I'd keep them to a minimum. I never said that there wouldn't be any spoilers. Besides, with what I had gone for in regards to Salem in the past, that was more or less inevitable.
Thanks for reading and I apologize for not updating in forever. A ton of stuff crashed down on me all at once, some of which I mentioned at the start of this chapter. I haven't abandoned the story at all! I'm just delayed heavily.
Fun fact: I originally was going to have Ozpin talking to Diego personally, but since I didn't know how to incorporate that in, I decided against it.
See y'all in the next one!