Chapter 003 – Broken Statues
Clover had recovered from her ice-cream overdose from the walk aiding in the digestion, and was falling in and out of sleep due to the after-sugar crash that children tend to get when consuming large amounts of sweets. Somewhere along the way, Velvet had volunteered to carry her the rest of the way as they stopped under the shelter of oak trees that followed the path, and now was carrying Clover on her back (thank Oum for the reinforced legs of rabbit Faunuses, and the small bodies of children). Although the combined weight of their school bags and her younger sister was a bit too much for someone her age, but did not voice any complaint as she trekked along the path, being used to carry both more often that she would have cared to.
Only a dull orange glow illuminated the sky as the Scarlatina siblings finally arrived at their destination, their home. It was a small, two-story cottage of earthen tones with a stone path of sedimentary rock leading to the front door, and a splitting path led to the tool shed on the right side of the property. The soft puffing of smoke rose from the chimney of the humble residency, showing that someone, likely their mother, was cooking, while a simple brownish-gray wooden fence circled the property. Various species of lilies grew in flower beds lining the walls of the abode, showing their well-cared-for state with the flowers standing tall with little sag. Several small plots of land could be seen with various vegetables like tomatoes, beets, onions, broccoli, and carrots growing nearby the tool shed. A few fruit trees were further past the garden that bordered the wooden wall, from which Velvet's mother made her delicious pies and jams.
Noticing the living room/kitchen light was shining through the window, Velvet knew their mother was probably waiting for them. And also likely, very, very worried. While few people were outright hateful towards Faunus in the village, their mother was always worried that someone might try to hurt them, or worse, kill them if they thought they could get away with it.
"We're home Clover," she called, her sister merely groaning sleepily for a few seconds, before shifting her body on Velvet's back, and promptly going back to sleep.
The eldest Scarlatina only shook her head in exasperation, making her way to the door, only to realize she couldn't knock with her hands full. Instead, she softly tapped the door with her right foot (not that she had to hit the door hard as their mother would most likely hear it regardless, since she was anticipating them and was a Faunus). The sounds of the deadbolt being unlatched and the doorknob turned could be heard as the coffee-haired girl stood in wait, wishing that their mother would hurry, since she was starting to lose feeling in her legs.
The door swung open revealing an average-height woman who appeared in her early-thirties or late twenties, her long, wavy, ash-colored hair reaching down to her waist (a color that Clover had inherited), with soft, almost-flawless skin that gave her a more youthful appearance, her emerald eyes softly twinkling from the dimming light, giving the impression of wisdom beyond her years. This was the Scarlatina matriarch, their mother, and she was scrutinizing both of her daughters quite intensely. Her eyes roaming over the bodies of her daughters, checking for anything that might be wrong.
Ushering in the two of them inside, she took Clover (who was still asleep) from Velvet's back and took the slumbering girl to her bedroom on the second floor. Being left behind, Velvet walked into the living room and with a soft 'thud' dropped both bookbags she was carrying, a sigh of relief escaping her lips of no longer having to carry them. Silently dreading the inevitable scolding her mother would be imposing on her, she resigned herself to her fate and sat near the currently lit fireplace, basking in the warmth coming from the embers, its soft glow bathing the rabbit Faunus and the room in a reddish-orange hue.
Creaking sounds broke the silence as the footsteps of her mother drew nearer. The couch she sat on sank a bit as the older woman sat next to her and draped her left arm over Velvet's shoulders, softly caressing her mocha-colored hair.
"So, Little Bun, do you want to tell me why you and your sister were so late tonight and didn't even bother to let me know?"
Her mother's tone was kind, but there was also an underlying layer of steel. Their mother had always been worried about them, and Velvet knew that despite her apparent anger, she was only truly worried about her daughters, and asking to make sure that nothing had happened to them. It did not stop her from dreading her mother's reaction, knowing that while she did not discourage them from making friends, she thought poorly of speaking to strangers, which they had technically done twice in the afternoon.
"Um... We went to go get ice cream and Clover ordered really big bowls of ice cream," offered the eldest Scarlatina sibling, a bit sheepish.
"Bowls?" repeated her mother, noticing the plural indication, with her daughter nodding in response.
Velvet's mother softly giggled to herself as she brought her hand to her mouth, trying to hide laughter.
"Don't tell me, she ordered a Code-7?"
"How do you what a Code-7 is? Clover never told me about it," asked the young Faunus, looking indignant.
"Who do you think told her the story?" grinned the older woman.
It was her own mother that was the cause of this suffering today!? Velvet shot her mother a look of betrayal as she continued to laugh.
"Ah, sorry that's just too funny. No wonder you looked so depressed when you came home. Let me guess she made you pay for it?" she snickered, as she wiped a small tear from her eye.
"YES!" sharply replied Velvet, but noticed she had spoken too loudly as her mother put a single finger to her pink lips.
"Sorry," apologetically mumbled the young girl.
"So… what's my punishment?" she asked, knowing that while it likely wouldn't be too bad, she wouldn't enjoy it nonetheless.
"Punishment?... Oh, I see… Well I already know what Clover's punishment will be on top of her soon-to-be tummy ache she'll have in the morning. Hmm, what about yours…." Hummed her mother, looking deep in thought.
"Did you know that your godfather messaged me what happened today?" she asked, Velvet shaking her head in ignorance.
"He told me you were being nice to a young lady and made friends with her. Well of course after a trial-by-ice-cream anyone would be friends. Especially since this said girl had never tasted ice cream before, then you carried your sister all the way home on your back. If you ask me you did good things today, Little Bun."
"So...?"
"So, no punishment for you!" Gleefully cheered the Scarlatina matriarch, her daughter letting out a sigh of relief. Velvet usually got punished alongside her younger sister due to her antics, but this time it seemed this wasn't the case. Her mother was usually very strict when it came to rules, but was surprisingly understanding and receptive. This was why she respected her so much, she was never unfair and always gave out punishments for good reasons.
"Well, it's more like you already had your punishment. You did spend your own money as well, which you were saving up for a new camera," added the emerald-eyed woman.
"Ugh, don't remind me…" a pained groan escaping Velvet's mouth. At this rate, her allowance would end up paying for her sister's fat, not a new camera.
A beeping noise rang out that drew the attention of both mother and daughter, it was the stove that alerted them that the pre-heat temperature had been reached.
"Oh! Almost forgot about dinner. Well, Little Bun, mommy is going to finish that lasagna that apparently only you and I are going to be eating. More for ourselves!"
A mischievous grin made its way across the mother's face as she walked towards the kitchen half of the living area. She had always been a bit of a glutton. Velvet was often in awe of just how much food her mother could put away and still retain her hourglass figure (even after she had two children!) with the only major exercise was her gardening and housework. The other women in the village surely envied her mother. At least they knew where Clover's own ravenous appetite came from.
Returning her gaze to the warm glow of the fireplace, Velvet fumbled around in her bookbag to finally read the book, The First Hero, she had checked out from the library and opened to the first page.
The First Hero
Once upon a time, long before the advent of the Four Kingdoms and their precursors but shortly after the dawn of mankind, there was a small village where a boy and girl lived. Their names were lost to history, but their legend not. The first legend of Remnant, one of great trials, tragedy, and most importantly, love.
It was here in this small village where they laughed, cried, worked, and just lived their lives together, that the legend began. They were mere children when they met, but grew together to become a fine young man and woman. Many in the village believed they would marry shortly after the boy's coming of age ceremony, as they were nearly inseparable, but the village's traditions did not allow for residents to marry until they had proven themselves capable of providing, hence the need for the ceremony.
The boy was a hardworking young lad who never hesitated to provide aid to familiar and stranger, never seeking reward in return, and thus was beloved by many. The girl was a reserved-young thing, but a loyal companion to any that gained her trust, which were few in the village.
The years past and the boy, now a young man, was preparing for his coming-of-age ritual. The contents of the ritual were lost to the annals of history, but it was known to be dangerous to any ill-prepared to face the trial.
The girl, now a young woman of substantial beauty, was struck with fear that she would lose her love and begged him not to go. Sensing that she would not be calmed, the young man reaffirmed their love, by word and by deed, the night before he departed, and promised he would return no matter what he faced for nothing, not even the Gods, would keep him from her.
The young man departed the following sunrise and braved the dangers of Remnant as he strived to complete his objective and survive. The memory of his love and their promise was the only thing that allowed him to continue despite the forces that sought to end him, trials barring his road at every turn. Many times, he came close to death, but his cunning, skill, and will to live triumphed over all. Eventually, the young man completed his task and began his journey back to his village, and more importantly, his love.
Two nights after his completion, as he retraced his steps, a shooting star streaked across the sky. A star, whose brightness could not be rivaled by any phenomena in the natural world, fell across the sky in the direction of his village. The young man took it as a sign that the world itself was congratulating him on his success. However, something was amiss as he neared his destination. The journey back home was too easy, the wildlife was missing, the sky almost seemed to radiate despair.
As the young man neared the gates of his village, he came across a horrible sight. The gates' guards, and several villagers' bodies laid dead in the middle of the path, all facing the same direction, with deep gouges across their bodies as evidence of what had killed them. They had tried to flee from 'something' inside the village. However, the body of his loved one was not among the dead. Fearing the worst, he entered the village with his weapon drawn.
The abodes of the villagers were in a pitiful state, with some sporting large holes in their walls, while others were razed to the ground with ashes all that remained of them. More dead laid in the streets, the village deathly silent and still. As he neared his own home, in which he shared his residency with his love, he found it to be completely intact, not a hint of damage done to it. As if whatever force that had attacked his village had spared his belongings.
He rushed inside and found what he had hoped survived the attack. His loved one sat curled up in a dark corner of the humble abode, sobbing. Just as he called her out to ask her what had happened, she threw herself upon him, forcing him to the ground. However, something was wrong with her. She was sprouting nonsense that was barely comprehensible, but that wasn't what caught his attention. No, what caught his attention was the corrupt state he found her in. Her healthy skin had turned to a deathly pale white, her lavish hair had lost all its colorful luster, and black veins coursed throughout her body.
Fearing his safety, he forced her off and backed away from the creature wearing his loved one's skin, for something had clearly possessed her. As he exited his home, creatures of darkness awaited him outside, as if they were standing guard. These creatures of darkness resembled black miasma given animal form, with plates of bleached bone adorning their abnormal existence. They seemed to greet his loved one's presence as one would a mother or father as they gathered around her. Still in her bout of insanity, she ordered the darkness to capture him and so she could love him forever.
He fled towards the center of the village, and recalled the village's sacred weapon. For he would need a sacred weapon to combat creatures of darkness for no mere mortal weapons he had in his possession would stop them and free his love from what possessed her.
He broke into the Chieftain's home and discovered the weapon still clenched in the hands of the now deceased man, the ruins showing there had been a great struggle before he succumbed to the superior numbers of the creatures of darkness. He pried the weapon out of the cold hands and walked outside, ready to face the darkness. But what awaited him was something he was not prepared for.
The bodies of the former villagers were awaiting him in their after-death state, the darkness having possessed their cold corpses to capture him. Knowing his former friends and family were long gone, he fought through them, and slaughtered them one-by-one as he neared his former home. It was with a heavy heart nonetheless that he slew the possessed corpses of the people he knew, for each one of them was a life he had failed to save.
Once he reached the doorstep of his home, no more of the possessed villagers were left alive, the sacred weapon still in dripping with the blood of his enemies. He entered the abode, his gripped tightened, and steeled himself for what needed to be done.
His lover stood there as if nothing was wrong, even greeting him back home as she took in his form. He raised his weapon to do the necessary deed, but hesitated. If he didn't strike her down, it was likely the phenomena would spread to other villages. But, could he really strike down the woman he loved? Even if she was possessed, he knew for certain that she was still present, albeit in a different way than what he would have liked. Her affection for him still clearly shone through her insanity as she hugged his waist like a lover would, his weapon still poised to strike.
He resolved himself of his decision and gathered all his faculties.
Summoning all his skill alongside the aid of the sacred weapon, he slashed down upon his lover.
However, this strike was not to kill, instead he struck the entity that was possessing her and forced it out of her body. The resulting scream from the entity and his lover was said to have killed any creature that heard its unholy screech, but the man survived. He recovered himself, and raising the weapon once again, he struck the now separated entity of darkness, destroying it completely.
With his loved one free, the First Hero embraced her unconscious form still wrapped around his legs. He tended to her wounds until she regained her faculties. After she recovered fully, they set out, hand-in-hand, to find another village to live in as two individuals cannot rebuild society themselves. They eventually came across another village that took them in, and lived happily-ever-after.
'Well, it looks like I picked up the happily-ever-after version of the story,' mused Velvet, quietly closing the book. There were a few words she didn't know, and made a mental note to look them up in a dictionary, but she understood the overall story.
The ending was a bit cliché in her mind, but there were also a few things that were odd in her opinion. Firstly, the fact that very conveniently for the Hero, that a 'sacred weapon' was available for him to use, seemingly just waiting for him to pick it up. Also, hitting someone with a weapon even if the intention wasn't to kill was dangerous, and even stranger was that the love just got off scot-free, even if in the end, she was not truly responsible for her actions, there should have been consequences to what she did, and Velvet realized that.
Usually, stories like this ended with 'the-power-of-love-and-friendship!' that frees the heroine from her suffering like the cartoons Clover watched every morning. Darker stories would have crippled her in some way, or just outright killed her off and that's what other versions of the story did, with the Hero killing his loved one to prevent the other villages from the darkness.
The story was quite old, predating even the Four Kingdoms, and scholars had several theories to the elements of the story. Firstly, the possession of the heroine. Many assumed it was a Geist Grimm that was known to possess inanimate objects, but even more morbidly, corpses. However, they always resulted in a mindless zombie bent on slaughtering Humanity and Faunus (for that is what the Grimm did). So, for her to retain for affection for the Hero was highly unlikely, even considering the possession of her body alluded to her being already dead. Although, it was strange that the entity was never referred to directly as 'Grimm' as all other iterations had in common. Some speculated that this was the moment in history that the Grimm had appeared, as some iterations of the story had the entity escaping shortly after separating with the Hero's lover.
However, the current major religion of the world contradicted that. In that religion, the Gods created plant life and wildlife, followed by the Grimm seeking to destroy all life, an error they sought to correct. It was only AFTER that, that humans were created.
The sacred weapon was even more of a mystery as there was no other record detailing the weapon used, as if it had never existed before that moment. However, like most others, the story was usually dismissed as just being another fairy tale with no basis in history. The product of wandering bards and minstrels spinning a tale for some quick coin.
Although, there were parts that Velvet did like. Especially how it showed the Hero was a reliable guy to his peers, and followed through on his promises, and never abandoned his lover, even if she was possessed. If she ever liked someone she wished that person would have those traits. Someone who would never leave her, defend her, and accept her for who she was, not what she was.
Alas, real life didn't work that way, real life could be cruel, and what happened to her father was the perfect example. Her father was a human (and from whom Velvet inherited most of her features, minus her Faunus ears) who had lived in Oakenhille, before he attended Beacon Academy to become a Huntsman. It was in the city of Vale that he met the love of his life (in a farmers' market of all places), and as her mother said 'swept her off her feet' and got married after he graduated from Beacon. They moved back to Oakenhille, and had Velvet shortly after settling in the cottage where the Scarlatina family now resided, her sister, Clover, following a year and half afterwards.
Everything was perfect for the happy couple, until disaster struck. He had gone on a trip to Vacuo to help with a particularly large Grimm incursion. The Grimm were eliminated with little to no casualties, but it was the return trip that took her father away. For a man who had survived hordes of Grimm, it was almost laughable that something inane as a Bullhead malfunction had killed her father. Apparently, when they took off, the inspection crew had skimmed out on all the safety checks and didn't discover a severed Dust-line that caused the Bullhead to explode over the ocean shortly after takeoff. Only a single Huntress survived because of her incredibly dense Aura, but even then, she had lost both her legs and was scarred heavily. The offenders were jailed for several years, and the families of the pilots, Huntsmen, Huntresses, and her own that were onboard were compensated quite handsomely by Vacuo and the SDC.
She was a bit too young to understand what was going on, but she remembered the anguish her mother was in for weeks after the accident. Her mother did not eat anything for days, effectively starving herself, and suffered from bouts of insomnia. She almost tore apart the check the Valean government gave her when she screamed at the men in suits for effectively 'paying' her for her husband's death. They had stayed with their godfather, Mr. Rocklo, all the while as Clover asked where her Papa was and what was wrong with their Mommy. It took a few weeks to come to terms with what had happened, but the woman returned to her daughters with bloodshot eyes and a forced smile on her face, and although it had slightly scared Velvet, she had just been happy to have her mother back. Their mother no longer had to work as the compensation would last her for many years if they spent it carefully, and had her deceased-Husband's best friend to help raise her now fatherless children.
It was a far cry from how her mother behaved now, but sometimes Velvet would catch her mother crying to herself when she thought no one was watching. So, Velvet did her utmost to be the best daughter she could be, so her mother would have an easier time coping. And so, time passed with no more heartbreak, the little girls grew, the mother recovered, and as it always does the world kept spinning.
But the world rarely gave respite to those who would write their legacy upon on the annals of history. For those who gain power, must always sacrifice something of value as the law of equivalent exchange demands it. The First Hero could not escape this fact, and Velvet Scarlatina was no exception. For the forces of Darkness were at work again, and they would not stop until no sentient life was left on Remnant.
A shattered moon hung in the sky, fractured pieces visibly floating a little away from the main celestial body, each threaten to fall from their place in the sky and down upon Remnant. The sight through a break in the clouds left a lone woman, if she could even be called such, given what she was, pondering on her plans as she stood on the balcony of a decrepit cathedral. Standing there with deathly stillness, she continued to take in the sight of sky, the soft glow of the moon basking her in an eerie glow. The woman's skin, if it could be called such, was a bleached white, like bone, the paleness only broken by unnatural black veins slithering over her skin, like cracks. Her long hair, of the same bleached white, was tied up in a large bun with several 'prongs' that stood out from both sides of the bun. Most of her figure was covered by what appeared to be elegant robes made of pure darkness lined with crimson, that almost seemed to have a consciousness of its own, fluttering in an absent wind. Her eyes, pure black pools only broken by twin, blood-red irises, could strike fear in the hearts of the bravest of men, if they could even get close enough to see that much, that is. Had anyone seen her and tried to describe her with only a few words and the most accurately possible, they would undoubtedly have called her a human-shaped Grimm.
The woman's moment of introspection was broken suddenly as she cocked her head to the left, as if listening to a sound that she alone could hear in the silence of the night.
"Oh? You don't say… The influx of emotion… Another one? ...No, the would-be original…" spoke the woman, apparently waiting for a reply each time she made a remark. The 'conversation' ended as she turned away from the edge of the balcony and began to walk down the halls of the cathedral.
The walls of the decrepit building were adorned in stained glass windows depicting various stories and legendary figures of history, but a single example of these once-majestic murals laid shattered, the dust-covered glass still present on the ground, cracking as she walked on it without a care.
Dust and cobwebs covered the windows and the borders of the interior alongside the depressing, purplish crystals that lined the edges of the hallway. Yet no 'normal' spiders would even dare come within a significant distance of this place, only small, black spiders with bony white plates adorning their bodies as they fled in the opposite direction the woman was traveling, as if they crossed her path their meager, hungry, pathetic existences would be snuffed out in an instant. Even amongst the creatures of Grimm, this… entity, masquerading as a woman, was feared by its own.
She reached the exit of the cathedral, but merely continued to walk through as there, as no door existed on the frame that separated the interior from the outside. A pool of black, tar-like substance laid in front of her, about the size of an Olympic-sized pool. If one listened carefully, one could feel the swirling negative emotions and concepts of fear, death, destruction, rape, despair, and various others coming from the ominous sludge.
A creature, much less intimidating than the woman, but no less unsettling, floated near the edge of the pool. The black 'orb' with a glowing red center, white bony plates and teeth and bloody tendrils sprouting from its bottom, resembling almost like a jellyfish, had been waiting for her.
The Grimm-woman stopped at the edge of the pool, knelt, and traced the surface with the tip of her finger. She turned her gaze back to the floating jelly-orb, and gave a silent command to leave, an odd 'humming' noise coming from the creature as it left. As it left her view, she returned her gaze back to her hand. Pricking her finger with a long, sharp and black fingernail, a single drop of black ichor fell from the small wound in the palm of her hand and joined the rest of the substance in the pool at her feet.
A few seconds passed… then a gurgling noise came from within the black sludge, as a white bone-plated 'hand' reached out from the depths, claws creating deep gashes in the ground next to the Grimm-like woman, the limb alone almost as large as her. With the black sludge still oozing from the creature, the woman gave her orders to her creation.
"Bring her to me alive at all costs, anyone else is expendable,' she finished and stood up.
Not watching as the ancient creature behind her rose from the pool, alongside several smaller monstrous beings, and began its journey towards the rising sun (if one could see it through the heavy clouds looming above), the Grimm-woman returned to the shelter of the cathedral.
Next Chapter: 004 - Losing it All
Author's Notes: The rating of the story will be raised to M as the contents will begin to take a much darker turn. So, do not be surprised and report me for not being in the correct rating. (Hopefully I can write a story like I'm planning for)
Much thanks to Arawn D. Draven for beta'ing my chapter.
January 20, 2017
