Annnnnd preview time! A new dream, and some more interaction between Weiss and Ichika.
To answer your question a bit more, StealthSymphony, the idea of the void came from my own head. If it seems close to something already existing, it's unintentional. Im trying to be as original as I can (following the canon beginning notwithstanding). That being said, i am drawing influence heavily from the Fate/Stay series and Zero no Tsukaima series, though I wont be copying either one completely. Hopefully, as the story progresses, it will make sense.
Welp, for now, please enjoy this small preview while I work on the rest of this chapter!
Some of you may remember what I said earlier about Ichika being sidelined throughout the fic. After Monty passed, and reading some of the things he's said over the years, I realized that what I was doing was limiting myself. I was tying my hands to try and make a fic that i thought people would enjoy. I realized, that a fic isn't enjoyable for anyone, if the author themselves hate what they wrote. That being said, I do enjoy all the fics I've written so far (A Link to the Present: Final is in the works! Not sure about the Spin off series a few suggested though...) but I tried to write things that I believed appealed to everyone else. When I envision this fic, I see lots of interactions between Ichika and all of the cast of RWBY, but I squashed those images because I thought no one wanted to read a story with your stereotypical, "My character shows up, is a total boss, and everyone loves him!" (Not saying every fic is like that, some self-insert/oc character fics are amazing! The ones i've read anyway.) So from now on, I'm going to follow Monty's advice and 'Keep moving forward' writing this story and all future stories the way I see fit. (I'll still take any advice/ criticism into consideration. But I will not limit myself because of it.)
MY MUSE HAS RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE!
A line break denotes a change in POV.
And Bold Print are Weiss' feelings. (Not thoughts.)
Bold Italics are telepathy.
"I think there are many things in this world we are better off not knowing.
Sometimes the truth is the cruelest thing of all.
Not everyone can bear it." ~Maria Akitsuki, Shinsekai Yori
She had thought that, with the arrival of the one from her dream, she could finally enjoy a peaceful rest. She was, of course, wrong.
And so, she dreamed of flames.
There was fire everywhere. The flames lashed out at anything it could to prolong its burning fury. She couldn't breathe. The smoke hurt her lungs. She could hear the screams of the dying, calling out for help only to be suddenly silenced. Large shadows darted about within the flames. Is this what hell was like? This inferno of pain and suffering?
"Mommy! Where are you!?" She whipped around, the child's voice seeming to come from behind her. A small, frail looking boy staggered about towards her. He looked no older than six, and somehow familiar. She noticed a pair of furry ears laid back on his head and a small fluffy tail that he was holding in his hands, seemingly for comfort. "Mommy! I'm scared!" The boy called out again, his voice almost lost in the roaring fire. Once again, she could not speak or move. A low, feral growl pierced through the crackling flames, causing the boy to freeze. His eyes widened in fear as he turned towards the large shadow looming over him. She wanted to move, to grab the boy and run, but she could not. She could only watch. "A bad d-demon! No, go away! Go away!" The sound coming from the beast could almost be considered laughter. "Sorry kid, orders are orders. Die cursing the world for your misfortune." The beast raised its wicked claws and slashed down, tearing through the boys chest. His blood spurted out and he collapsed without another sound.
The beast laughed, cleaning it's claws by licking the blood off, "Ah, the blood of a child. Delicious." It continued, seemingly unbothered by the flames around it, more interested in the peculiar taste of the blood. "Hmm... something about this is... wait a minute! This is-!?" As it was speaking, the temperature dropped sharply, despite the fire raging around it. She found that she was able to look around now, and focused on the boy who was beginning to emit a dark aura. The demon was watching as well with a mixture of interest and caution, "Boy... who are you?" The dark aura erupted around him with an unearthly wail that chilled her to the bone. The boy rose from his back, slowly, like he was being lifted by some invisible force. He fell forward on his hands and let out a low growl.
"Heheh... hahaha... Ahahahaha! What a hypocrite you are, brat! You called me an evil demon, yet your own spirit is as tainted as my own!" The boy said nothing, his tail now swishing around in anticipation. His eyes were as blazing red as the flames around him. "Hehe, come boy! Let's see what you- huh!?" In a single instant, the boy was gone. "What!? Where did you- Guhua!?" More blood splattered the ground around them as the demon was torn apart in a single strike. Hearing the commotion, other shadows appeared in the flames. The boy didn't move, even when they began to charge. When they were finally on top of him, he vanished once more.
Blood rained down on the remains of the village. And when the smoke settled, a child could be heard crying to the heavens.
Again, Weiss found herself jolting awake covered in a cold sweat. "Are you serious...? Can I not just have one night of peaceful sleep!?" She grumbled to herself, shaking the images from her head. Dwelling on them now would do her no good. "Still, that was so weird." 'Are you always so noisy in the mornings?' "Waaaah!?" *thud* The young heiress found herself on the ground now, staring at the ceiling. "Who's there!?" 'I see. You're also a bit slow aren't you?' She leapt to her feet at that, "I am not slow! Who do you think you are to call me- ah?" Slowly, the memories of yesterday come rushing back to her. The initiation, the battle, and of course, Him.
"Oh no... so that wasn't a bad dream after all?" She heard Ichka's voice in her mind, scoffing, 'Oh believe me, short stack, I'm just as thrilled as you are. Now would you open the window please? I really don't feel like breaking in.' "I can't help that I'm short, you overgrown jerk!" She almost continued her tirade when she realized something. How was he talking to her, if he wasn't in the room? 'If you'd open the window, like I asked, I could explain that.' He can read her thoughts!? "I can't let you in right now! Everyone in here is sleep... ing?" As she was speaking she glanced around the room, only to find the other beds empty. 'Yeah, they left just before you woke up. Apparently, they needed to collect the rest of their personal items. From what I could hear anyways. Now, seriously, open this window or I'm gonna break it down.' Moving over to the window quickly, she opened it up, cool air blowing in. She would have stepped out to enjoy the view a bit if Ichika hadn't dropped down from the roof right in front of her. "Jeez, took you long enough." She took in his appearance once again, as if confirming he did indeed exist. Yep. Same black, full length hooded coat, though he left the hood down.
Stepping into the room, and past the heiress, he allowed his furry ears poke out from under his hair again while letting loose a small sigh of relief. He stretched, and loosened his joints with a few satisfying pops before turning around to face his 'charge'. Who was currently staring at him. Staring at him rather oddly, in fact. "It's not polite to stare you know." She blinked a few times before huffing, folding her arms, and glaring at the wall, "I wasn't staring." He gave her a blank look before opening the link he had to his master. Slowly, he felt the pull of magic syncing his mind with hers though she didn't feel it, apparently. 'Is it possible...? No way. It couldn't be. But they look so similar...' "Who do I look similar to?" She went rigid when he asked the question, leaving him slightly amused at her response. "N-no one! Stop reading my thoughts, Perv!" Ichika felt his eye twitch, "Perv? What about that is perverted?" Shaking his head, he motioned for her to sit on one of the beds, himself currently standing in the middle of the room. She eyed him suspiciously for a minute, before finally giving in and sitting down, smoothing out her nightgown as she did so. "So, you promised me an explanation." He nodded and took a moment to collect his thoughts.
"First off, I think I should explain the 'finer details' of the contract itself." She was silent, so he continued, "The contract is a type of binding magic. My soul is bound to you through this magic, and your will gives me form." She cocked her head to the side at this, "So, my will gave you 'form'? What does that mean, I control what you look like?" Ichika shook his head, "No, it means that your will, or magic power, allows me to maintain a physical form. As a servant, I need my master to supply me with power." She nods, understanding his explanation, "What happens if I run out?" "Then the amount that I have at that time would have to suffice until you regain it. Otherwise, my soul will not be able to sustain itself, and I will vanish." He watched her process the information carefully. "What would happen then?" He frowns a bit before answering, "I if die, or disappear, before the contract is complete, then it would be considered a failure on my part. Everything that I am, would cease to exist. Both in this world, and the next. I would simply, vanish."
Her reaction was just as he expected it to be. She was completely dumbstruck with fear. Not for him, per say, but at the very thought of what he just told her. A living being cannot imagine what it feels like to just cease to be, just as much as a human cannot imagine life without timekeeping. The idea that you could vanish like that, to have your consciousness fade from existence, is terrifying. He himself also felt that same fear. "T-that's..." He sighed, there was more explaining to do so he could not allow her to stay caught up in this particular piece of information, "Simply put, as long as you control your power output, and I don't make any mistakes when it comes to a fight, then it will be fine. Now, moving on, I think we should discuss what servants are and what they are not." He really wanted to make this particular point clear, as the girl was apparently of some noble status, so as to avoid any... misunderstandings of what their partnership was.
"When I say I am a 'servant', I don't mean a slave or some personal assistant to be at your beck and call. I am a weapon, a tool. Weapons do not wash clothes, cook, or anything of the sort. The defend, they destroy, and they fight. Any such requests will immediately be refused." She looked confused at this, "So, you're a servant... that doesn't take orders?" Ichika shakes his head, "No, well not exactly. Orders related to your safety and well being, I'm bound to obey. Orders like, 'Catch me!' or 'Intercept this attack for me!' for instance." Although he didn't want to divulge this particular bit of information, it was deemed necessary by the old man so he had no choice, "However, there is... an exception of sorts." He sighs, "Once every seven days, a contractor can issue one Absolute Command. Using this forces a servant to carry out what the contractor says regardless of what the servant thinks of it. It strips away our free will until the command is fulfilled." It was the one rule he never agreed with. When he first entered the void and read the rules of contracts, he vehemently refused to follow any such orders. Such power over a person, could lead to terrible consequences. "Activation is fairly simple. Focus all of your will into your words and say, 'By my right as your Master, I order you,' and give your command. However, despite what it sounds like, this ability isn't all-powerful and some kinds of orders can be resis-"
"So what you're saying is..." She trailed off in a way that he didn't like. "Right now, I could order you to become completely obedient!" Ichika leveled a glare in her direction, "Master, perhaps I should go into a bit further detail before you-" She wasn't listening anymore, closing her eyes so that she could focus, "Alright! By my right as your Master," Ichika tried to stop her, "Master, think about this for a second! I haven't fully explained-" He felt her magic power begin to swirl around, waiting to be unleashed. Despite the circumstances, he found himself entranced by the feel of her magic. It was cold, but not freezing, like a gentle breeze that signals the coming fall. He could see it now, a pure white aura enveloping her casting an ethereal glow over the room.
Weiss felt odd as she chanted the command. Like something inside her was awakening. It was different from aura, which was a manifestation of her soul. It felt like she was drawing energy from the life around her, bringing it into herself and amplifying it with her aura. She felt... powerful. She could feel the energy building inside her, waiting for her to direct it. "I order you to ob-!" *WHACK!* "OW!? What the hell was that for!?" Weiss dropped to her knees rubbing the sore spot on the top of her head where Ichika had chopped her with a book he found on the ground. "Ichika Chop. Level 1." He calmly stated before placing the book back on the shelf. 'Level one? There are other levels?' He was standing over her now with an odd expression on his face. "First, you have to be the biggest idiot I know to waste something as powerful and advantageous as an Absolute Command on something as vague and unobtainable as complete obedience." She narrowed her eyes at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"
I'm inexperienced, not an idiot. I'm not worthless.
He folded his arms again, in what she dubbed was his 'stuck up teacher' pose, and continued, "No magic is powerful enough to completely control a person's free will. That is divine territory, something magic can never cross. I was about to explain that when you started chanting. Secondly, did you honestly think i'd just sit back and wait for you to fling around a spell like that with your lack of knowledge on the subject?" She was about to retort when she stopped to consider his words. What if she wasn't actually doing it right? What would happen then? She could have been about to blow the room to pieces for all she knew. "Ok, I'll give you that one. But what did you expect!? From the start, you haven't listened to a word I said, ignored me, and sided against me in the forest! Then suddenly you tell me there is a way to get you to be a bit more polite. If anyone is an idiot here, it's you!"
They stood there glaring at each other for a while. Then, Weiss saw him smirk. Not a cold smirk like she saw before, or a sneer. An honest, this is kinda funny, smirk. "Fair enough, Master. However, remember this; show a person power, and they will fear you. Show them respect, and they will follow you. Which brings me to my final point." Weiss just watches him as he extends his hand to help her up, which she hesitantly accepts. His expression changes as he does so, and it leaves her a bit stunned at the suddenness of it. It almost looked like... pride. "Without any training whatsoever, you were able to channel magic power. Even the most powerful spellcasters in my world had to train for days to feel the magic power in the world around them before they could even cast a single spell. Yet, you were doing it as if you'd been casting for years. Not only that, but the sheer quantity of it almost scared me. It was impressive to be sure, but also dangerous." She was standing in front of him now, looking up at him as he continued to speak, "So, I'll make you a deal. You have earned a bit of my respect, but I'm still not convinced that you are completely capable. So, whenever you do something I consider worthy of my respect, I'll give you one free command. It isn't a spell, but a request that I will not refuse. An Absolute Request. In exchange, you are not to try and overwrite my will unless absolutely necessary. Deal?"
She didn't speak, still struck at his change of character. He looked kinder now. Not cold, angry, and tired like when she first met him. He looked more like the man in her dream. Realizing he was waiting for an answer she withdrew her hand from his, which hadn't moved since they'd stood up, she coughed into her hand and straightened up, "Deal."
I'm inexperienced, but I will learn. I'm not as strong as I want to be, but I will become stronger.
He almost smiles at her. Almost. But then he see's 'her' face in his mind, his hands covered with 'her' blood, and his shell snaps back into place. "Good. If you can manage not to screw up for at least 10 minutes, that will be a miracle in itself." And she's yelling at him again. She tries to get in his face, but slips on one of the papers that she'd scattered throughout the room and plows into his stomach head first, "OOF-!?" *Thump!* knocking them both over. "Ow... see? Not even ten min... utes..." She's on top of him now, both frozen like startled deer. She's so small and pale, like a porcelain doll. Her legs are on either side of his stomach when she sits up. 'This is a bit awkward... well, not as awkward as it could be. At least no one else is-' "Well well well, I knew something was up with you two. Gotta say Ms. Schnee, that position looks pretty 'Neiss'." Oh come on! Seriously!? "Th- this isn't...! We weren't...! It's not what it looks like!" Ichika sighed. Ah well, might as well have some fun, "Yeah. If you'd have waited a few minutes, it would have been better." *SMACK!* "Shut up, Pervert!"
It was a rocky start. But even the smoothest stone had sharp edges. Only time will tell if this partnership will become something great, or crumble and fall apart.
Character Profile: Weiss Schnee
Age: 17
Height: 5'3"
Occupation: Student, Huntress-in-training, Contract Holder.
Abilities: Aura and Glyph Semblance, Beginner level magic.
* Overall Rating: B
*Current skill level. F=Lowest. SSS=Highest.
In loving memory of Monty Oum. I never knew him personally, but without his talent, imagination, and personality, RWBY wouldn't exist. We love you Monty, and although you aren't here with us anymore, your memory will always be with us. This one's for you, my friend.