Author's Note: Hello and thank you for checking out my story, this is the first time I'm writing fanfiction in a while and am hoping it's worth your while. I'm fairly intent on writing this story until I'm no longer interested rather than with a definite end goal, though I am aiming to reach the Vytal Festival.

If you had a question about the images used in the cover then I can say that the two characters besides Salem are AI generated from my descriptions, but in no one in particular art style merely what the generator cooked up after more than a few changes. However I tried to find the artist of the Salem image and couldn't confirm it so if you do know then I'd be happy to change this to reference them.

As for my writing itself it leans heavily toward a level of realism in reactions and actions in general along with an emphasis on AU worldbuilding to the series to add just those little extra bits here and there to fill in gaps that either didn't matter in the show or were things I found I wanted to alter. Semblances, Aura, Grimm and other things are liable to have changes, though nothing massive and if that is the case I'll do my best to explain it.

Lastly all the chapter titles are going to be the names of songs, like the actual title of the fic itself, however the song the fic is named after is very gruesome or brutal in its depiction of real things that happen so if you're squeamish to disgusting events then I'd advise against listening to it. I chose the name due to the ultimately grim aspects I plan on incorporating in this story.

Chapter 1: Point of No Return

Arc 1:Behold a Pale Horse

Deep in the heart of the Grimm lands, putrid and foul as they were a place of pure evil were in nothing possibly human could fester, stood a lone black tower, in the black tower were the only forms of sentient life found in the entire continent.

In a large windowed room in the highest part of the tower was a black and purple throne decorated with ornate golden fixtures, on it was a tall deathly pale woman with silky spider web like stark white hair, black sclera, red irises and veins of most abyssal colour to be seen across her skin. Draped in the finest pitch black gown reaching the ground, it had red accents across it, with bare shoulders and long baggy sleeves, over her chest was a diamond keyhole showing her impressive cleavage.

The woman sat languidly waiting for the man with a bushy moustache in front of her to finish his report she'd ordered him to tell after arriving back in the Grimm lands from his latest visit to Atlas to further progress in her plan. She knew he thought himself the smartest of any present in her castle, but enjoyed the frivolity he brought in his idiocy about such thoughts.

Finally when he finished speaking the woman adjusted herself in the chair sitting up straight and giving an answer in her oppressively smooth and rich voice, the mature regalness of it able to silence a room.

"You have performed well Watts, now be seated and I shall give you compensation after the meeting." She spoke, watching the man's every twitch and stutter across his body as he waited for praise and nothing else.

"Of course, thank you my lady." He bowed his head low before stepping back and returned to the massive long table in the centre of the room, which her throne looked upon.

Watching as the man sat down, she motioned for the next of her slaves to come forward, a tall man of eight foot stature and irregular muscle size stepped forward with the gentle grace of someone half his size. His short dark hair and beard were well kept, his informal dress of a green coat over a black tunic, black trousers and steel capped boots were acceptable because of his status within her court. Otherwise the Matron expected nothing short of perfect dress.

He soon regaled his tale of events transpiring in Mistral as he made his way to the heart of the White Fang where she had been hoping to suffocate their leadership into allegiance. The woman in charge of them seemed to be of higher quality to those who had previously ruled the Faunus rebellion and as such the Matron was glad to extend a hand offering support with benefits leaning heavily in her favour to that of the Faunus of course.

"Your hard work is much appreciated Hazel, please return to your seat." She said when the man finished knowing no reward she could provide would be of any interest to the man driven by grief and anger.

She didn't even have to motion for her next visitor, one she had been grooming into the perfect tool for many years now. A useful dagger to be driven into Ozma's current incarnation's side and twisted red hot until his world crumbled under the weight of the flimsy systems and alliances built throughout the world outside her domain. It had disappointed her greatly the way the world had evolved with her dead partner at the helm, the way it struggled and found itself constantly choking on the grip of its own ineptitudes.

"Please tell me of your plans now Cinder, you've had many years to plan this, I have high hopes to witness the fruits of your labour." The Matron spoke interested to finally hear what it was her doll had worked out, spending so much time gathering and forming all sorts of little pieces all over the kingdoms just to start it.

"Yes Mistress Salem." The raven black haired girl answered, her fiery amber eyes glowing with pride as she got to explaining the details of her master plan.

By the time she was finished Salem found herself genuinely impressed with the scope of it, all within the rules and bounds of the field she had set for the young woman to complete. The ruler found herself unable to hide her pleasure at the plan, smiling something fierce and near manic.

"Good -no- Great work Cinder! Please be seated now." Standing from the throne the woman drew the attention of all in the room watching as she descended the seven steps to the floor where the table all her minions sat.

All seated and looking at the woman in silence the Matron gave her final words before leaving. "See to it you don't disappoint me and fail, there is no second chances- so cease the day and the opportunities found in it to make the most of your plans."

With that she walked past everyone around the table to the large ten foot tall arched doors, which opened on without her needing to touch it allowing her through before closing after leaving a deathly still silence to be broken by the sigh of Cinder as she relaxed into her seat. The exhaustive pressure of the woman she served could be more than suffocating at times especially when she was in a good mood, the others in the room merely stood and left a few minutes after their leader leaving the black haired woman alone in the throne room with her thoughts.

~{Measuring Worth}~

Elsewhere within the tower Salem slowly walked the halls of an undisturbed section of her stronghold, it was a place only her and the persons she was coming to see were allowed to be. Though her slaves knew of those she had come to visit, they had never been to this part of the tower.

Knock knock knock

The tall pale woman gently wrapped her knuckles on the door before her, shortly after there was a soft click as it was unlocked and opened wide allowing her to step in.

At the door was one of her two children, her son Gilles, he bowed his head. Her son looked only slightly alike with pale skin and white hair, red eyes and a tall stature.

"Where is your sister Gilles?" She asked with a raised brow.

"She's…" He looked around the living space that connected to two doors that went into the separate rooms the twins had.

"She's trying to escape on my subordinates' aircraft again isn't she?" the older woman said, sounding exhausted at the premise after years of dealing with her escape artist daughter.

"Yes she is." Her son confirmed.

"Come with me Gilles, I wished to tell the pair of you about this together so I don't wish to repeat myself." Salem stated and the boy nodded his head following behind her as she left the room.

As they walked down the long halls the older woman waved her hand and a being emerged from nothing appearing a floating glossy black orb with long red tendrils that had bone-like protrusions on the tips and a white bone crown around the top of the orb itself. It floated like a wisp bobbing up and down slowly as it matched its summoner's speed.

"Go and find my daughter, warn her that she needs to be in the throne room before I reach, else I will punish her."

The being made a motion that could be interpreted as a nod before shooting off down the hallway disappearing as the mother slowly walked with her son asking mundane questions about how his day had been and what he had been doing prior to her arrival. Their talk continued like this as they made their way to the throne room, while they conversed the tall woman showed emotion like which none of her minions had ever seen her express, that being joy and laughter.

When the pair arrived at the large doors they heard a shout coming from the opposite direction as a girl came sprinting down the hall trailed by the bone crowned orb stopping in front of the tall woman out of breath. Salem found herself unable to reprimand her daughter for her wish to see the outside world through more than paraphernalia that she had her servants bring back for her and the children. This and her daughter looked alike she had when she was once human, Abigail was a golden haired bright blue eyed girl with a fair complexion making for the image of a beautiful girl.

Not acknowledging whatever issues she ought to have had, taking them into the room and sitting them at the table, herself taking one of the seats next to them to discuss the plans she had for them.

"I'm going to be sending the both of you to be my eyes and ears in Vale, Cinder has finalised her plan, but after what happened with the Autumn Maiden I wish for the two of watch her from the shadows and even attend Beacon Academy to make sure her plans aren't foiled or to step in and take over if she fails." The woman explained, her red eyes watching for their reactions.

"Do you want us to take her out when she fails and take over?" Abigail asked her mother, immediately picking up on things.

"Yes, I would much prefer your overseeing it should she make a fool of herself." The woman answered, nodding her head.

"When do you want us to leave mother?" Gilles asked.

"Before tomorrow, you'll need to pack your things and ready yourself for the long journey. I will have someone set you up once you arrive and help forge details for your new lives while watching Cinder and attending the school as it is a key part of her plan." Salem answered, going onto explain her minions plan and how she wished for her children to act exactly.

~{Mounting Expedition}~

Two weeks later Abigail and Gilles found themselves standing on the port in Vale City under their identities as the Foxe twins newly arrived in the largest city in the country soon to be students of the prestigious Beacon Huntsman Academy. The twins got to networking almost immediately upon landing on the port making short work of befriending serval workers and finding out what they needed about the city along the way, using their cover as frontier children who'd grown up with little in the way of means to here about the cities and other places to easily explain away discrepancies in their knowledge.

They looked an odd pair with Gilles dressed in a silverish suit of armour that had red accented grooves carrying his and his sisters bags. Abigail herself was dressed in a long black trench coat, dark coloured shirt, dark blue jeans and black heeled boots, looking quite adult despite the fact that she and her brother only turned seventeen years old recently.

Once they'd gotten a good grasp on what the city was like from the workers and other members of the public they causally spoke to as they made their way to the hotel they were put up in by one of their mothers contacts in the city, they got to setting themselves up in said hotel where they would start looking into where exactly Cinder was working out of and start running shifts of trailing her.

While the twins unpacked their equipment they'd soon be using, the normally quiet Gilles posed a question to his talkative energetic sister.

"If we are meant to be spying on Cinder then why are we not also attending Beacon through another academy's transfer during the Vytal Festival Tournament? Surely mother would have seen so much ahead?" He looked quizzically at his sister who hummed in thought going about her business not bothering to stop as she answered.

"I believe she wants us to see the man that ruined her life in person and see what he is like for ourselves, as well I think it is so we have a strong cover and alibi throughout the year when we do happen to disappear." The blonde girl answered while pulling out her weapon case.

Popping the case open with the subtle click it revealed the girls favourite tool, her brother stepped over looking at it with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The pair were looking forward to getting to put their years of training into practice.

More than a decade of being crafted into the perfect soldier and master assassin, finally amounting it their first real unsupervised mission. The only missions they had done before were under the eye of their mother and were in low population places where no one would know them or remember them.

Here though they could make their mark on the world.

Taking some initiative they split duties with Abigail going to go find Cinder and her groupies, Gilles was off to start making more connections in Vale's criminal underground so as to have information brokers and other sorts of the like. While at the port they had caught word of an information broker who owned a bar that they could speak with, his name was Junior and he ran "Club" which Gilles wasn't very impressed with as far as naming things went.

~{Job to do}~

Some hours later after finishing most of his other inquiries found Gilles stepping off of a bus, part of the Vale Central Transport, with a heavy metal clinking, he made his way toward the large blacked out building.

The bouncers outside were in black suits, red tinted sunglasses- at night?- and had gloves on as well. The bouncers had a long line of men and women of varying ages dressed up waiting to get in a few at a time, not bothering to get any sort of wave in as the armoured teen walked right past them through the door.

Someone called out but the albino boy kept walking, entering the building and finding himself in a deafening hole of horrific techno music blaring louder than he could think. Very quickly Gilles figured out what his plan of attack was, find the broker, get the information, give something in return or offer to do work and leave with the new contact in hand. He did not wish to be in here for longer than needed as the song thumped and screeched.

The enormous dance floor with hundreds of people on it in the centre of the building seemed almost alive as those on it danced and moved to the rhythm of the songs playing. Gilles got many odd looks as he made his way straight to the bar top to speak with the tall dark haired man standing at it serving drinks to several people as a blonde girl approached just ahead of him, she seemed to be showing him an image which helped confirm the bartender as the man he was looking for.

Getting close enough to hear the conversation Gilles took the moment to eavesdrop and maybe collect some information.

"Look Junior all I want to know is if you've seen this woman?" The blonde girl said.

As the tall man was about to respond he took the loud clinking of metal armour approaching as his way out of the conversation with the annoying girl looking at the man before him.

"What did you need?" the bartender asked.

"Information, but you can finish with her first." Gilles answered not fussed as long as he was given what he needed in a reasonable fashion.

"C'mon Junior, even the tin man thinks you ought to answer me!" The girl retorted, putting her elbows on the counter and leaning in making her cleavage more pronounced to the man who looked away.

"Listen Kid I don't know her and no one I know does, give it a rest and piss off already I don't need the cops down here busting my balls and taking my licence cause some fifteen year old is looking for her Mum." The bartender took an empty glass he'd been rinsing and started drying it, walking along to where Gilles was standing and starting talking to him.

This pissed the blonde off enough that she shouted a curse at the man seemingly about to do something stupid-

Gilles hand shot out and gripped her hand so tightly his own knuckles popped making a clicking noise. "Do not." He stated flatly, she attempted to rip her hand away and he kept a hold of it as he continued speaking. "He does not have your information, so make haste and disappear so that I can attain mine."

The lilac coloured eyes of the girl went wide realising that the man's vice grip was so intense she could feel her wrist straining.

"O-Okay! I get it!" She relented and stepped back leaving as the albino let go of her wrist and got back to asking questions.

"Thanks for that I wasn't really interested in making my guys waste their time on some girl- what was it you were after exactly?" The man asked while preparing a drink in front of Gilles and setting it on the bar saying it was on the house.

"Information about-" Gilles would speak with the bartender for long enough that they would eventually move from the bar itself to a backroom where an office was set up for such conversations.

After an hour and a half Gilles was happy with what he had learned and the two started discussing payment for the information. It was then that the son of Salem offered his hand as help for those in need of someone who could do a job and be quiet. Though the information broker turned him down for the moment he said he would keep him in mind for later, until then they would keep in contact.

Later when Gilles was walking through the streets of Vale he would notice five men dressed like Juniors bouncers walking with a man in a white coat with black bowler hat smoking a cigar, all clearly making their way to do something loud. He didn't follow them but merely made sure to memorise the man in the white coat's face.

Author's Note: For some reason I had a bunch of trouble formatting the chapter when I uploaded it to , I'd never had problems like it before, so if you notice any issues like bold or italicised text in the wrong spots please point them out.

As well thanks for reading, the release of chapters will be slow due to me wanting to take my time with this story.