Empty In Remnant
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or any other works associated with them.
I currently despise this site's image manager. Trying to use a new cover, but the god damn image manager system keeps reverting it to the last cover. It is annoying. If the image is up, then halle-fucking-lujah. The new cover, by the way, was drawn by Fluoricia. Despite some details not being how I wanted it to be, which is mostly my fault as I probably didn't describe Vanitas well enough, it is overall a really good piece of work. Good job!
Eh, as soon as I can find it (or redraw it), I'll post it a link in my profile so you can see what I think Vanitas would wear if he was raised in the world of Remnant.
Last chapter, Vanitas and Ruby meet each other once again! Like that doesn't spell disaster all over it. As for everyone else, I'll be sure to make Vanitas mistreat the hell out of them.
As for those who may be worried that I'll just insert three OCs just to give Vanitas a team, don't worry. I won't. Instead, I'm just gonna follow KH's example and insert three characters from other games.
What's gonna happen in the Emerald Forest? You just need to know WHAT Vanitas is in order to get a sense of what's gonna happen. *Insert evil laughter*
On another note- Can't wait til the obligatory Beacon Initiation chapter(s) is done. I have a lot planned out for Vanitas.
Chapter 9: Obligatory Beacon Initiation Part 1
Hours before, Glynda was going about doing her usual thing as well as getting ready for the Initiation tomorrow when Ozpin had suddenly called her up to his office. In the Headmaster's office, her employer made it clear to her that he was expecting a visitor and that he wanted her to be here for it.
When she asked why, the man merely smiled in a coy manner and told her to wait and see.
Eventually, ten to thirty minutes after the air ship containing the students, both old and new, arrived, the guest arrived with a ding from the elevator that led directly to his office. When the door opened, she saw a red and black clad boy with black spiky hair, a scowl, and other looks that tend to plague people of ill temperament. From appearance alone, she quickly determined that the boy was the type to engage in hoodlum activities. It was only when she looked at the boy's golden eyes did she realized who the boy was.
To say that she was surprised would have been putting it short. No, in truth, she was completely flabbergasted. She was so dumbfounded by this that she temporarily lost her composure and let loose a few, thankfully quiet, words.
"Is that...the boy?" She had said at the time.
To see the boy that she and her colleagues have recovered from the Emerald Forest more than a decade ago right in front of her was...very surprising to say the least. Despite worrying of what will become of the boy and his future at the time, after Ozpin had sent the boy to the local orphanage, she had, in all honesty, never expected to see him again. After all, the world was big and many things could have happened that would have prevented the boy from ever meeting her and her colleagues. Though seeing the boy now with her own two eyes made her think that, perhaps, the world was smaller than she thought it was.
After a moment or two of inconspicuously gawking at the boy in front of her, she realized her current state and quickly regained her composure.
Soon after Ozpin spoke, the boy responded in turn, calling the Headmaster an old man in the process. Hearing that made her, out of loyalty to the man and because of the disciplinarian inside of her, automatically react the way a disciplinarian would. She began to reprimand the boy only to interrupted by Ozpin.
After that, she could only watch on as both Ozpin and the boy talked with each other. While they were talking, she had learned a few things. One- the boy went by the name of Vanitas. Two- the boy only went by Vanitas, indicating that the boy, despite being sent to an orphanage for adoption, had a lack of parental figures. And lastly, the boy was even more ruder than she had first thought as he directed a not so subtle dislike and insult towards her way.
She was offended, to say the least.
Their limited time soon came to an end as the orientation for the new students neared. As a result, the boy left. When he did, she took this opportunity to have a quick word with Ozpin. Though she was sure that was the boy, there was still a faint sense of doubt within her. So, to clear any remaining doubts, she asked him if that was truly the case.
He confirmed that it was indeed.
At this, there were only two questions in her head. How and Why? However, due to the impending orientation that will commence soon, Ozpin told her that they will be talking about this later. She could only accept.
So she waited.
When the orientation, which went by almost criminally fast, was finished, both she and Ozpin went straight back to his office to speak about the boy. As per Ozpin's words, he began to explain what he could to her.
"It all began two years ago when I decided to make a visit to the Orphanage where I had placed Vanitas in." He started. "After speaking with the staff, I had learned that the boy was not adopted. From what I learned, it was mainly due to Vanitas having an extremely disagreeable personality. The boy was, and still is, sarcastic, rude, and lacked respect for any person except himself. Furthermore, the boy had a tendency to go missing during the afternoon hours only to show up in the night time with a few scratch and bruises. It was then I decided to take action. The very next day, I followed the young man to see what he was up to. What I found was something that was...surprising, to say the least. Tell me, what do you know of the UFC?"
"Sir, what does that have to do with this topic?" She questioned.
"Answer the question."
Glynda let out a small sigh before answering.
"It was a highly illegal underground fighting circuit, hence the name, that pitted minors against minors and sometimes even against adults." She answered. "It wasn't until two years ago that the UFC was forcibly disbanded by the local authorities, who had only managed to locate it thanks to an anonymous tip." It was that moment Glynda realized where Ozpin was going with this. Eyes wide, she asked Ozpin a question. "Did you, no, were you the one who tipped them off?"
Ozpin nodded.
"Then...that means-!"
"Yes." the older man confirmed. "Vanitas was a part of the UFC as one of its fighters. Believe me, I too, was surprised. However, that didn't mattered because once I knew what he was up to, I knew what to do. After confirming that Vanitas was in the UFC with my own eyes, I waited for him back in the Orphanage where I had confronted the boy in person. I spoke with the boy and, after speaking with him, 'persuaded' him to give up his current way of life and to become a Huntsman instead. That is why he is here."
"But, why so early?" Glynda said, in reference to Vanitas's age of fifteen.
"Two reasons. The first is the same reason why I invited the young Miss Rose to Beacon. The young man is exceptionally skilled for his age." The man before her took out his scroll from his pocket. He began tapping the scroll with his fingers. "The second reason..." He tapped on it one last time. "-is this." The notification sound from her own scroll rang out. She quickly took it out and saw that Ozpin had sent a video. It was titled 'Vanitas's Test.'
"What is this?" She asked in relative confusion. She needed the context.
"It is Vanitas's test, the one that would decide whether or not he would be able to skip the second year of Signal Academy. I won't go on about that much, but I do encourage you to watch it on your own time. It will reveal the reason why I am so interested in the boy."
"You could just tell me." She said.
"Ah, but to tell is one thing." He said. "To witness it is another matter altogether. I believe that watching that will be much more illuminating than just telling you. Now, I do believe that it is time for both of us to turn in. After all we have a big day tomorrow."
EMPTY IN REMNANT
Just a bit before it would be considered late in the morning, Vanitas was in the locker room where he and everyone else that was participating in the Beacon Initiation were preparing themselves. Vanitas, however, having been the first to arrive, had already completed preparations and equipment inspection.
He had two pouches. The one that would be on his left contained ten small vials of Dust. Every two was a specific element. They were green, red, blue, yellow, and brown. They each represented wind, fire, ice, lightning, and earth respectively. The one that would be on his right contained various items such as food, rations, as well as things one might expect to have when traversing a forest.
As for his weapon, Void Gear, it was perfectly fine and ready for combat.
By the time he finished inspection, the room was filled with other people. So, with his back to his locker, Vanitas merely stood around and waited for the call that signified that it was time to go to the Beacon Cliffs. While he waited, however, he decided to take a look at everyone else and see what they're like.
He saw Ruby and a older girl with long blonde hair in the room. Briefly, he wondered how the girl had managed to get into the academy. He contemplated for a moment on the various possibilities that could have led her to come to same academy as him. Eventually, he came to realize that the most likely way for her to gain entrance was the same way that he got in. That is to say, it was likely because of Ozpin.
The next chance he got, he would hound the man.
As the smaller girl inevitably walked by, he couldn't help but glare at her menacingly. At this, she turned her head to the side in a vain attempt to ignore him. At this, the older girl looked at him with a glare that was meant to be intimidating. He met her glare head on and for a brief moment, both of them stared at each other with a burning intensity. Eventually, the buxom blonde had to break eye contact so that she could continue walking with Ruby. Before she did, with two fingers, she pointed at her eye before pointing at his.
Though he scoffed at this gesture, he also couldn't help but respect her for that. He didn't show it, but it was there. After all, not many would be audacious enough to challenge him like that.
Then there were others such as this obnoxiously loud and cheery girl dressed in pink and white and her much quieter friend who was wearing a strange green outfit. Like seriously. It looked like it came from another Kingdom. The girl was being excessively loud and spewing out words like how a minigun spews out bullets. As for her friend, who appeared to be taking it in stride, he didn't seem to be saying much. Perhaps, he's just the quiet, observant type.
He then looked around once more to see if there were anyone else. After a moment, he saw two girls and was mildly and possibly pleasantly surprised. One was a white long haired girl and was dressed in a fancy looking combat skirt that was primarily white. The second was another girl with long red hair and was wearing armor bronze colored armor. They appeared to be talking. About what - he didn't know.
He didn't know who the first girl was, who seemed like a manipulative stuck in the mud type of person, nor did he know what she talking about with the second girl. But that didn't matter. Because out of the two, he had interest in only one of them. The red headed girl with green eyes - Pyrrha Nikos.
He knew of her. In fact, almost everyone who aspired to become a Huntsman or Huntress did. The older girl is a accomplished fighter, being skilled enough to win the Mistral Tournament four years in a row. In her battles, it is said that she's never been touched in combat, giving her the reputation of being a untouchable warrior. If she's in Beacon, then he knew what he would do the chance he gets.
He would challenge the girl and see if he could put an end to that streak of hers.
Then suddenly, while he was observing the two talk about who-knows-what, a tall blonde guy with blue eyes came in and interrupted the two. Judging from his body language, he immediately began flirting with the white haired girl. This caused Vanitas to scoff because he could tell that despite the show of confidence the boy was putting on, it was all just false bravado. Not too soon after that, the white girl said something to the red head, prompting Pyrrha to throw her javelin at the tall blonde, pinning him to one of the lockers.
At that point, the announcement system came on.
"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliffs for initiation. Again, all first years students please report to Beacon Cliffs immediately."
With that, Vanitas moved out to the locker and headed straight to Beacon cliffs.
Ozpin looked on as students were lining up on or near their designated launching pads, which would launch each student into the forest below all of them. For those who have already lined up, they were waiting in intense anticipation. When the very last student made it to their designated areas, he was just about ready to began to speak his obligatory words, which would serve to inform each students the purpose of this initiation. With his cup of coffee in his right hand and his not-secretary by his side, he began to speak.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors." He said. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
After that, Glynda continued for him. Meanwhile, he kept an eye on the students. More specifically, he kept an eye on two of the youngest students that Beacon has ever received.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Ozpin saw that the boy, Vanitas, seemed to have raised an eyebrow at this. Glynda continued to speak. "Well, allow us to put an end to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given team mates. Today." At that, he saw that both Vanitas and Ruby reacted negatively to that. The girl made a slight audible complaint while the boy narrowed his eyes.
He picked up where Glynda left off.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here in Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the rest next four years."
The moment he said that, the red and black haired girl audibly said 'what' in what he presumed was some sort of combination of both despair and surprise. Meanwhile, the golden eyed, spiky haired boy was looking downward. There was sound coming from him, indicating that he was speaking, but the lack of intelligible words indicated that he was mumbling. Knowing the boy, it was probably complaints.
"After you've partnered up," he continued. "Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die."
At this, some of the students looked nervous and were making sounds that indicated this feeling. Vanitas, along with a few other aggressive looking students, were looking pumped up instead.
"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
The boy with blonde hair and blue eyes raised his hand.
"Um, yeah, sir?" he said.
He quickly ignored this.
"Good," the older man said. "Now take your positions."
Every student began to take their positions, posturing themselves for the moment of launch. All except the boy who tried to ask him a question and, for some reason, was still raising his hand.
"Um...sir?" the boy said nervously. "I've got, um, a question."
'Oh, bother.' the man thought. 'Might as well humor him.'
"So...this landing strategy...what is it? Like, dropping us off or something?" As the boy spoke, one by one, students were being launched into the air. Their destination being the forest below them.
"No," in the interest of time, he decided to be blunt. "You will be falling. "
"I...see. So...like, did you hand out parachutes for us?" At that, the golden eyed boy right next to blonde looked at the taller boy like he was an idiot for saying that.
"No. You will be using your own landing strategy."
"Uh-huh. So, what exactly is a landing strateg-!" the boy was unable to finish his question as he was swiftly and suddenly launched into the air. He flew into the air with the same amount of grace as a first time dancer performing an intricate dance. That is to say, none at all. The boy flew in the air, rotating backwards and flailing his arms.
A half second before the last student, Vanitas, was launched, the spiky haired boy utter a single word.
"Idiot."
The boy then launched into the forest, leaving both him and Glynda alone. At this, Ozpin took a sip of coffee from his mug.
In the air, the propelled Vanitas was flying in the air. While flying, the boy found that with the way that he was propelled in the air, he would soon land in a small clearing in the forest. In preparation for the landing, he quickly took out a small vial full of green Dust and inserted it into the teeth of his weapon. He flipped his weapon horizontally and held the trigger, prepping the Dust inside the top half of his weapon. When he finished the preparation, he began to fall downward. He fell, and fell, and fell. Eventually, at the most opportune moment, the red and black clothed boy swung his weapon at the direction of the impending clearing, letting loose a crescent wave of Aura in the process.
Instead of the usual black color that usually comes when he let loose a wave of Aura energy, it was green due to the effects of the Dust that was placed inside his weapon. Not only that, but it has also changed the effects of the wave as well.
The green wave of Aura energy flew at the ground at a faster pace than Vanitas. Soon, it made impact with the ground. Usually, with just his Aura, the wave of energy would have just made impact with the ground, create some destruction, and then dissipate simultaneously. However, due to the effects of the green Dust, which was imbued with the power of wind, the crescent wave of energy created a different result entirely. Instead, the green colored crescent wave created an enormous gust that blew in all direction. However, due to the fact that it was in a clearing, with trees surrounding it, much of the wind was forced to go up.
Thanks to the powerful wind blowing upwards and his Aura, which would have mitigated any possible damage as a result of doing this, his descent was slowed. By the time the gust created by the green crescent Aura was gone, the boy was merely a foot or so in the air above, making the rest of the landing as easy as counting to three.
The boy landed on the grassland, near the trees.
"Hmph." He was disappointed. No, not about the landing. It was about as good as it can be. He held his weapon, Void Gear, out in front of him and looked at it. No, he was just disappointed that he had used up one of his Dust vials so early. Granted, it was either that or end up as a splat on the ground somewhere in the forest, but he couldn't help but a feel a slight disappointment. After all, it could've been used for a fight. Instead, it was used for something mundane like a 'landing strategy.'
"Eh." Vanitas quickly pushed away his disappointment. After all, it wasn't the end of the world.
Now that he was on the ground, the golden eyed boy decided to take the moment to think. He thought about the words Ozpin had given. He recalled the part that stood out to him the most, the one about partners and team mates. At this, the boy let out a small, rumbling growl.
"Grr..."
He didn't want to be partners with anyone nor did he want team mates. It's not necessarily because he's horrible with working with other people. He could work others just enough to get something done, but only barely. He just felt as though he worked best when he worked alone rather than in a group. It was just that he didn't like other people in general. So when Ozpin announced that everyone would be having partners and a team, it didn't really strike a positive chord with him. Still, since he's in this situation, he might as well make the best of it.
'Ah, well,' he thought. 'If I'm gonna have a partner regardless, I might as well try to find someone strong. Like that Nikos girl.' At that, the boy moved. From his current position, the boy went straight forward, heading deeper into the forest. As he approached the thickets of trees and bushes and other types of thick vegetation, Vanitas heard something moved within it.
"!" He quickly jumped backwards, creating space, and immediately got into his battle stance. He lowered his body so that it was a bit closer to the ground. With his right arm, he raised his weapon, Void Gear, above shoulder height, extended his left arm and hand outward with his palms facing downward. His left leg was placed just a bit forward from his body while his right was placed back to the side in a horizontal position.
'Is it the Grimm?' he asked himself in his head. He was really hoping that it was. The only opponents he had had so far were human opponents. It would be his first fight with the creatures and he really wanted to see how tough the Grimm really were. 'Or...is it someone else?' If it was another person, then despite not liking it, he really hoped that it was someone strong. After a moment or two, he shouted into the forest to get whatever was near him to show itself.
"Show yourself!" He shouted. After he said that, the sounds of movements got more frequent. As it did, it also got louder, indicating that the originator of the noise is getting closer. After a good five to ten seconds, a figure, a tanned person, emerged from the thicket of trees and instantly made eye contact with him. It was a boy, five or so feet taller than him, with shoulder length blond hair, blue eyes and with a stupid happy go lucky look on his face. He wore a jacket with a yellow back and pale dark green front. He wore two gloves. The one on his left is a black with a green cuff and a red elbow length sleeve. The one of his right is plain black. The boy wore black shorts with yellow boots.
Upon seeing that it wasn't a creature of Grimm, Vanitas got out of his stance. He stood straight up and held his weapon to the side.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"My name's Shuyin." The boy, now known as Shuyin, said. Momentarily, the boy rubbed the back of his head with his right hand before continuing. "Yours?"
"It's Vanitas."
The older boy instantly began acting friendly towards him.
"Looks like we're partners now." He extended his hand towards Vanitas, gesturing for a handshake.
"Looks like it." Vanitas said without much interest. He decided to leave the boy hanging. After a few moments, Shuyin retracted his hand. "So, are you any good in a fight?" Vanitas asked.
"Oh yeah, totally." The light blonde boy said. He gestured to his equipment. On his back is a buckler, which he took with his left hand to show Vanitas before placing it back on his back. To his side is a sword with a black hilt and a light blue blade. He tossed in the air, causing the light blue blade to spin multiple times, before catching it on its way down, presumably as a way to show off his dexterity. "I'm good in a fight if that's what you're asking." He placed his sword back to his side.
"Hmph, we'll see."
Due to Vanitas's lack of social ability, the conversation just kinda died there. After a few moments, Shuyin, after looking at his weapon in a not so subtle way, spoke.
"So, what's with your weapon?" Shuyin asked.
"What about it?"
"It's just that, I'd never seen a blade that looked like that." The boy said, possibly in reference to the Key-Shaped nature of the weapon.
Despite not knowing the boy much, he decided to tell the blonde boy a bit about his weapon. It was something to talk about, at least. Vanitas held his weapon, Void Gear, horizontally in front of him.
"It's not really much of a blade," he admitted. "It's more of a blunt object with a vague shape of a sword so it's main purpose is for breaking rather than slashing." He then held his weapon vertically, then constantly flipped it, showing off the design of the weapon. "As for its shape...I don't really know, but...when the design came to me, I'd felt an extreme urge to implement it into the design." Vanitas, feeling as though as he was done talking, left it at time.
"Uh, huh...cool!" The boy said. Vanitas frowned. He knew, or at least thought, that boy didn't actually think it was cool. "Oh, before I forget, I need to ask. Did you happened to see a guy with black hair, blue eyes, and dressed completely in black?" Vanitas shook his head. "No? How about a girl with long, kinda curly pale blond hair in red and white clothing?" Before the golden eyed boy answered that question, he asked Shuyin a question first.
"Why are you asking?" Vanitas asked.
"They're my friends." Shuyin said. "We came to Beacon together. So, have you seen them?"
Vanitas shook his head.
"Aw," the older boy said in disappointment. He then shrugged his shoulders. "Ah well. Can't be helped." He then looked at Vanitas. "Hey, come on. Since you're my partner now, you gotta help me find my friends." He then turned around and began running deep into the forest.
"Hey, wait!" Vanitas shouted. Unfortunately, the boy seem to not have heard him at all. Shuyin continued walking onward into the forest. At this, Vanitas's eyes narrowed in anger. 'Ugh, just my luck. I get stuck with someone that goes at his own pace.' Because of the fact that Shuyin made eye contact with him, the older boy is now his partner. Due to his sense of obligation, Vanitas began to follow the boy lest he get left behind.
'Once I get catch up with him, I'm gonna give that guy a piece of my mind.'
Still, that didn't mean that he had to like it.
Vanitas was running towards the speeding Shuyin, who was still running around. Not only that, the boy was shouting names into the forest in a blind attempt to find his friends.
"Noct! Terra!" The older boy shouted. He kept shouting it repeatedly.
Eventually, when he was close enough to be sure that he would heard by the light blonde boy, he shouted at Shuyin.
"Hold it right there!" he shouted at Shuyin. The light blonde, who was ahead of Vanitas, stopped. Then he turned to Vanitas, who had stopped once he got close enough to speak properly.
"Huh? What's wrong, Vanitas?" Shuyin said, as if he had no idea what was wrong at all.
Now that the boy had stopped, Vanitas began to chew the boy out.
"What the heck is wrong with you?" he asked.
The older boy in front of him looked surprised when he said this.
"Wha-"
He interrupted him before the light blonde boy could say more.
"I mean, come on. You can't just go ahead on your own like that. And stop yelling, man."
"But I'm looking for my friends."
Vanitas frowned.
"That's all well and good," he said, despite him not really meaning it. Then, Vanitas continued to speak, this time in a aggressive tone of voice. "But think about it for just a moment, won't you?" He placed a finger from his left hand on to the left side of his head as a gesture. "If you keep yelling like that, you're definitely gonna attract Grimm to us." Not that it was a bad thing since he wanted to fight one, but he wanted to fight the Grimm on his own terms, not because some idiot decided to make himself known to the entire forest. "And plus, we're in a damn forest! The chances of you actually finding your friends while wandering the woods is nigh zero!"
"I found you while wandering, didn't I?" the boy responded.
"That was just chance and you know it."
The boy looked like he wanted to say something in response to that. However, after a moment of two, the boy seemed to have realized the truth of his logic.
"Then...what do you suggest we do?"
Once the older boy had asked that question, it was then that Vanitas cooled down. In response to the boy's question, he answered.
"I'll tell you what we're gonna do. Instead of wandering the forest like headless chickens, we're gonna head straight to the abandoned temple, where all the relics are."
Shuyin quickly caught on to his train of thought.
"Ah. So you mean..."
"Yes. Since everyone's mission is to return with a relic, all we have to do is go to the abandoned temple. Then, once we get there, we can wait for your friends and snag a relic at the same time. Got it?"
Shuyin nodded.
"Good," Vanitas said. "Now that we have a plan, let's move." He began to move only to hear Shuyin call out for him.
"Um, wait a sec." Shuyin said. "Do you know where the temple is?"
Vanitas shook his head.
"Nope. No idea. But we'll find it eventually. After all, an abandoned temple sounds like it could be huge, so it shouldn't be hard to miss." Well, he hoped. He then began to walk, moving in the same direction that Shuyin was moving towards before he had stopped him to talk. After a few steps, he looked back and looked at the boy with fair blonde hair. "Come on," he said. "Move it."
At that, the conversation was over. The two boys then began moving in the forest. The two walked in silence.
"Hmm..." Ozpin audibly hummed out loud. "Strange." He was looking at his scroll which had access to all the cameras within the Emerald Forest. Due to an incident, the one where he and his allies had found Vanitas, that had taken place ten or so years ago, the academy had taken the time to install cameras in every place imaginable to ensure that they would be able to have eyes in the Emerald Forest at all times. This means that Ozpin and, by extension, Glynda can see everything that was going on in the forest.
However, there was something strange afoot. As he switched from various different cameras, he had noticed a pattern. One that may potentially be malignant in nature.
From what he seen so far, the Grimm appeared to be acting strangely. At first they were moving. That much was a given due to the students that he had just dropped into the forest as their presence was enough to stir the creatures of darkness into action. However, that was when the normal ended and the unusual began. From the start of the initiation, the Grimm have been exhibiting strange behavior. The creatures of Grimm, known for their aggressiveness, have been passing up the students, ignoring them entirely unless provoked into fighting.
For example: The group of Ursa, or Ursai, that Miss Yang Xiao Long and her obviously Faunus companion had encountered early on had at first acted normally. Upon noticing her, they attacked. However, not too soon after that, the group of bear-like Grimm had suddenly ceased their attacks. They all then stood on their hind legs and looked to the sky. Then, those that were not dead quickly moved on, leaving behind a dumbfounded blonde and her partner.
That wasn't the only strange case. The Beowolves that Miss Weiss Schnee and Miss Ruby Rose had encountered bore symptoms of this as well. In fact, all the Grimm in the forest appeared to be doing this. And they were all moving in the same direction as well. Due to the strange behavior being exhibited by the Grimm, he began to wonder what was happening.
From what he gathered and from what knowledge of the Grimm he has, he quickly formed a theory on what was happening. The Grimm were attracted to negative emotions. It is how they detect both Humankind and Faunus-kind. Thus, it can be reasoned that someone, as it has to be a person, within the forest is attracting their attention. Someone with immense negative emotions. As this didn't happened until today, it would have to be someone that had very just recently made it into the forest.
Going by that line of that, it would have to be one of the students that he had launched into the forest.
'This is eerily similar to that event a decade ago.' Ozpin thought.
As soon as he thought that, a realization shaped as a hand slapped Ozpin in the forehead. Eyes wide, he quickly switched cameras in an attempt to locate what is likely the source of this problem. Eventually, he found a camera which currently had eyes on a boy with spiky black hair and golden eyes.
After a while of walking straight, a noise from the side suddenly caught their attention.
ROAR
It was the sound of a roar. Given that the Emerald Forest was supposedly filled to the brim with the creatures of Grimm, there can only be one possible suspect: A Grimm had made that noise.
Surprised, both Vanitas and Shuyin turned their heads to find the source of noise. Once they did, they saw not just one Grimm, but a large pack of them, numbering up to ten.
The type of Grimm before them were the Beowolves. The Beowolves are a type of Grimm. Their general appearance are similar to the werewolves that are usually depicted in fantasy stories. The main differences between Beowolves and the Lycans depicted in the stories are the red eyes that they possess, the bone-like mask on their face, and the bone-link spikes that are present on each of the four limbs that they possess.
They appeared to have located the two, and were quickly approaching the pair.
"Uh, Vanitas. I think we got company." Though Shuyin's words indicated worry, the way he said lacked any sort of worry.
"Hmph." Vanitas took on his battle stance. "Get ready to fight." Shuyin took out his sword and buckler and prepared for battle. The Grimm, meanwhile, quickly surrounded the two. With no worry present in his voice, Vanitas spoke. "I'll take the half on the right. You'll take the other half."
"Sure, but how are we gonna split them up?" Vanitas told Shuyin his plan. "Sounds good to me!" Shuyin said with confidence.
Both of them jumped over the pack of Beowolves. After this, Vanitas moved himself to the far right while Shuyin positioned himself to the far left. In doing so, they both planned to lured half of each of the pack to themselves. However, instead of that happening, all of the Grimm began making their way to Vanitas instead. They moved towards Vanitas until Shuyin ran in with his weapon and began attacking. He weaved in and out of the pack, quickly slicing and dicing with his weapon. When he was done with his attack, he quickly ran back to his side of the field.
ROAR
As a result of this preemptive attack on part of Shuyin, half of the Beowolves disengaged from Vanitas and began heading towards Shuyin instead.
Having lured half of the pack to himself, Vanitas was quickly surrounded by the Beowolves. The creatures, as per their aggressive nature, immediately went on the offensive.
One of the Beowolves came rushing in and took at swipe at him with its right claw. However, Vanitas easily avoided by performing a quick cartwheel to the right. On the Grimm's left side, he quickly retaliated, swinging his weapon with a overhead strike at the monster, aiming at the head. At the same time, he also performed a quick dash forward so that he was close enough to land the hit. The blow made contact with the Grimm, slamming it into the ground. Before he could apply the finishing blow to the Grimm that attacked him, another creature of Grimm charged at him at a fast pace from his right, as if it intended to run straight into him. Noticing this, he quickly turned around, moving just enough to avoid the charge. At the same time, he swung Void Gear at the creature's right arm. This blow broke the arm of the Beowulf's that charged at him causing it to fall on the previous Grimm that attacked him.
The three Beowolves that were still standing quickly approached the golden eyed boy. The third Beowolf took a swipe at the boy. Vanitas guarded against the attack, deflecting the swipe. The monster then went in for another swipe. Vanitas then pulled a reversal, a slide that allowed him to reach his opponent's backside, and then counterattacked the beast by striking its backside with his weapon. The power placed behind the attack broke the beast's back and the monster felled on the two Grimm on the ground as a result. The fourth and fifth of the Grimm, which were now positioned in front and behind him, ran at Vanitas, charging him from both sides. Vanitas simply rolled out of the way, to the left, causing both of the Beowolves to hit each other in the head with their own heads. The two Grimm promptly collapsed on the ground.
Before any of the Grimm could get up, Vanitas decided to go in for the kill.
Vanitas quickly moved backwards to make space for himself, then, when he figured he was at an optimal distance, he charged up his weapon with Aura. At the peak of its charge, he swung his weapon repeatedly at the Grimm in front of him. A crescent wave of Aura came out of his weapon each time he swung and they all flew straight at the Beowolves. The waves of energy quickly made its way to its destination and impacted the defenseless Grimm, killing them all in the process.
"Pathetic." He said. He then turned around to check up on Shuyin only to see him finish off the last of his Grimm as well. The boy had slashed at both the legs of the last Grimm, bringing it on its knees. Then, while the Grimm was down, the boy charged at the beast. With a horizontal slash, Shuyin removed the head of the Beowolf from its body.
After dispatching creatures of Grimm, the two boys regrouped.
"Man, that was easy!" Shuyin said in a cheery tone.
"Yeah, a little too easy." In contrast with Shuyin's upbeat tone of voice, Vanitas sounded disappointed in comparison. "To be honest, I was expecting a lot more from these creatures."
"Oh? What were you expecting?" Shuyin asked in a questioning tone of voice.
Vanitas gave a vague answer.
"A lot more than this." With an ever present frown on his face, Vanitas began moving the direction they were going before. Shuyin followed suit. However, not even ten steps, they both began hearing loud noises.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE
It was the sound of multiple heavy footsteps. Due to sheer volume and intensity, both Vanitas and Shuyin realized that a hoard of Grimm was likely the cause. They both looked for the impending Grimm and soon, they found the approaching creatures of Grimm.
"Well, Vanitas. I don't think you have to worry about that." Shuyin said in a worried tone. Having spotted them first, both Vanitas and Shuyin hid themselves in a nearby brush to get a read on the situation.
Scores of Grimm were approaching. Beowolves, Ursai, and Boarbatusks, were coming in from all sides of the forest. For some reason, they looked as though they were looking for something or, knowing their nature, possibly looking for someone.
"Hmph." Vanitas wanted to fight more. So he raised his weapon in his right hand and prepared to fight once more. "This might actually be a fair fight."
"Nuh, uh!" Shuyin shouted quietly at Vanitas. In a panic, he began speak at mach speed. "No way, man. Look, I don't know what you're thinking but we are not fighting that hoard! I mean, I like fighting as much as the next guy, but come on!" With his gloved hand, he pointed at the Grimm. "Look at them! There are scores of them, man! Do you know how much a score is? It's twenty!" Before Shuyin could say more, Vanitas spoke.
"What are you, scared?" Vanitas said in a mocking tone.
"Of fighting? No. Of getting torn to shreds by scores of Grimm? Yes!"
"Oh, shut up." Vanitas let out a small, somewhat exasperated sigh. He thought about it for a moment before finally coming to a decision. He then lowered his weapon and placed it by his side. "Fine, we'll do it your way."
"Good! Then we're heading straight towards the temple! Now, on my go."
Both Vanitas and Shuyin readied themselves to make a break for it.
"Ready?" Shuyin said. Vanitas nodded.
"Go!" Both Vanitas and Shuyin ran at the same time. Both ran at equal speed. Having rushed out of the bush that they were hiding in, they've inevitably created noise that attracted the scores of Grimm's attention to them. Thus, noticing that both the golden eyed boy and the light blonde was running away from them, the collection of Grimm, as per their aggressive nature, began running after them.
Thus, both Vanitas and Shuyin ran with the entire Grimm population of the Emerald Forest at their heels.
I got over 10,000 views on my story, over a hundred followers and about one hundred reviews on my story! \('v')/ That's three milestones down. If I can hit over a hundred on Favs, that'll be even better. But uh, only do that if you feel like this story deserves it. Now for some commentary.
0) The first scene that was in Glynda's Pov? I probably should've put that in the last chapter, but the idea didn't occur to me at the time despite the set up. Oh well, it's there now. Plus, now you all get to see what she thinks of Vanitas, both before and after their first proper meeting.
1) We get to see how Vanitas would likely view the characters of Remnant from just their appearance alone. Also, he knows Pyrrha. Not on a personal level, but on a 'Everyone knows who she is because she's on a cover of a cereal box' sort of level. And because of her reputation, there'll probably be a fight scene between the two.
2) Vanitas is impressed by confidence and shows of aggression.
3) For the first part of the Initiation, I'll be honest, I kinda despise it. Mostly because I've basically uplifted that from the show. Not much room or leeway for additional content in this specific scene. I've could've just ignored that one, but then the pacing would be off.
4) If I keep including Ozpin, I might as well just add Ozpin to the featured character list along with Vanitas and Ruby.
5) I'm trying to be realistic with the physics, but since this story is a crossover about a game which features world-traveling keyblade wielders and a show about teenagers fighting monsters and terrorists, I think that may be an exercise in futility. Gonna try it anyway and see where it goes.
6) Huh, I should probably take this time to describe Vanitas's clothing now. Okay, so, Vanitas is wearing something similar to Sora's outfit from 3D. Still with me here? If yes, then good. So imagine that, but invert all the colors of each part of the outfit except the hoodie. And the belt. And the shorts. Make the shorts into pants, then give all parts except the white lines a black color. Then make the white lines red. And give him normal shoes. Make the belt red. Remove the sigil (the X) from the shirt and apply it to the jacket. Make the shirt all black. Remove the gloves and give him a single wrist band on his left hand. Just black. As for the parts on the jacket that looks like its grey or beige, make that black.
7) Yep. I used Final Fantasy characters to fill up the slot. Since SE used alternate version of FF chars in KH, I decided to do the same.
8) Grimm uses negative emotions as a way to find prey. Vanitas is like a giant beacon to them as a result. Also, Ozpin is one smart cookie.
9) The rest of the FF characters that will appear soon are Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy 15 and Terra Branford from Final Fantasy 6. Also check out the first letters of their first names. If you add that plus Vanitas's and Shuyin's and rearrange them in a certain order, you get 'VNTS' which can either read as Ventus or Vanitas.
10) First of the fight scenes involving Grimm. I have to say, I like writing scenes involving people instead of just mindless creatures.
This chapter as a whole is Vanitas heavy. I might try to make the next one centered around Ruby's POV. Maybe. I also feel like adding more details to the fight scene in Chapter one. Probably will at some point.
Thanks for reading Empty in Remnant. Please leave a review, fav, or follow. I like seeing the numbers go up. Oh, and reading the reviews as well.