A/N: Happy 2023, y'all! Sorry for the delay, holidays were stupid busy. As always, give me your reviews and criticisms, if any.
Ruby Rose was no stranger to violence. She had been training for years to be a Huntress, to become the savior that people looked up to and read about in stories. She had even made it into an advanced combat academy in the form of one of the four Huntsman Academies of Remnant, Beacon. And, to top it off, she had learned how to fight from one of Vale's top tier Huntsman in the form of her Uncle Qrow.
But that wasn't what she was focused on. Instead, she watched with worry from their temporary home as one of her best friends was beat down repeatedly by the Cleanrot Knight Finlay. Beside her stood Ren and Nora.
She watched as Jaune was shoved back by Finlay's scythe, the shaft having been planted to his gut. Her sword whistled through the air, barely being caught by the edge of Jaune's shield in a maneuver she recalled Pyrrha having used fairly frequently, though the deceased girl's was clearly far more perfected. And usually not used while a polearm was preventing her from breathing.
Crocea Mors' blade sang in retaliation beneath its shield in an attempt to catch Finlay's legs, yet the much taller woman easily stepped out of range whilst shoving Jaune further back.
It was a good thing he had so much Aura compared to the rest of them, Ruby decided. Any of the decisive blows that Finlay had landed on Jaune would have easily dropped her own Aura into the danger zone. But then, she had the benefit of using her Semblance to avoid such strikes. Regardless, the blows were taking a toll on both Jaune's Aura and his temperament. Something apparently Ren had noticed as well.
"He's letting his emotions take over," the young man noted with concern. "Notice his returning strikes getting more sloppy? He was at least able to force Finlay to block before. Now she's simply dodging them."
Nora tilted her head as she noticed what Ren was saying when Jaune attempted to charge at the Knight, reminding them all of how he tried to fight Cardin Winchester at Beacon. All of them winced as Finlay punished his actions with a sidestep and brutally delivered a knee to his unarmored gut, before the hilt of her sword made impact with the center of his back. With how hard Jaune went down, none of them would have been surprised if his armor had been dented.
"Ouch, that has to hurt." The eccentric hammer user muttered.
"It does," Ren answered. "But he's bearing through it admirably well. The problem is his short fuse. He cannot better himself from this experience if he loses his temper any further." He glanced at Ruby when he felt her gaze shift to him, causing the man from Mistral to wince. "Speaking from experience, of course."
Ruby nodded and returned her attention to Jaune. Unfortunately, it seemed like Jaune would not learn anything further. She recognized the fury that had taken over the blonde's expressions from her own sister.
Yang learned how to fight from their father, and Tai did let Yang off easy when he tutored her in hand-to-hand combat. The sheer rage at having been bested one too many times was not a new sight to Ruby, but she had a feeling that Finlay had noticed as well.
Which made the Knight's conclusion of Jaune's test no surprise to her, except for the way in which it was done. On paper, Ruby knew the enraged individual needed to be subdued in some fashion until they calmed down. That's how Dad eventually made Yang calm down in their sessions. She didn't ever see him just knock her out cold though.
Jaune had risen from his spot on the ground, his shield forgotten as he held Crocea Mors in both hands and attempted to hew an arm off Finlay with a rising strike. The Knight dropped her own sword, stepped forward, and grabbed the blade at its crossguard to stop it from moving. Even with both hands, Jaune was unable to overpower the Knight. And then her armored head made impact with his, releasing her grip on his sword, and delivering an uppercut that finally shattered Jaune's Aura and left him on the ground. Ruby could tell that he was unconscious when he didn't move afterwards.
The Reaper let out a sigh, expecting the outcome. When Nora and Ren turned to face her, she began to explain.
"When we're fighting Grimm, Jaune does fine. Great even, considering where he started from. But… he still can't fight other people without letting it get to him. His anger… I can't really tell if it comes from him knowing his own performance was worse than his opponent's, or something else. But we need to start helping him overcome his anger." She cocked her head briefly as another thought struck her. "Or maybe to use it properly. Maybe I can start using what Dad was trying to teach Yang? I understood what he was saying when they sparred before Beacon, but Yang never fully understood."
Ren nodded. "That could help. I would like to join, if that's okay with you? My own anger management… might need some work, without the use of my Semblance."
That caused Ruby to blink in surprise.
"Oh… um, yeah. I don't see a problem with it? But you're like the most level-headed person I know, Ren. Besides, uh… Pyrrha."
The young man shrugged.
"I bottle up my emotions. It's not healthy."
Whatever else was going to be said was halted when Finlay stopped next to them, their blonde companion being held by his chestplate with his feet being dragged. A slight gurgle came from the Knight's throat, and then two raspy words that shocked them all as she held Jaune out towards them.
"Train. Him."
Mistral Below. It was a fitting name, Malenia decided.
She and Qrow had descended multiple tiers of the city, going into the depths of what one might call a cesspool of shade and crime. The living conditions were likewise becoming worse, though they had stepped out of a strangely shaped elevator before they went into the true underworld of the city.
"There's a tavern here that Millicent often stays at, despite owning a place of her own in a village not too far from here. Since Rowgy's still gone, I can only assume that she's still staying here," Qrow had stated.
They navigated the streets with a practiced ease, thanks to the Huntsman. Their destination looked to be a tavern, the sign covered in the runes of the language that Malenia did not know. Instead, she memorized it by the carving above the door of a man wearing a cape taking a drink from a stein.
Upon entering, she was embraced by the scent of smoke and alcohol. Both of which were not unfamiliar to her, but neither had she partaken of them. Dim light filled the spacious room, as well as a number of individuals who looked to be nothing more than mere workers. Her height drew the attention of some, but it seemed that most of the patrons were minding their own business.
Qrow moved further into the tavern, his destination unclear until he stopped next to a barmaid, who was busy wiping down a table.
"Excuse me. Millicent wouldn't happen to be around right now, would she?"
The young woman glanced up from her work, scrunching her face as she seemed to recognize Qrow.
"She's not here at the moment. She said something about trying to 'get to the roots of why Huntsmen were going missing'. Can't say I know much about that, but I do know the regular Huntsmen here haven't been coming in as often lately. Now get out of here, perv."
The Huntsman sighed as he turned around, glancing at Malenia.
"You heard her. Time to go see someone else."
They left just as quickly as they entered, returning to the elevator. Malenia watched as he pushed the very top button.
"The top level?"
"Eh, it's just Haven Academy. Figured we would need to go see ol' Leo if we wanted to find where Millicent went off to. Should be empty for the most part, this part of the year there shouldn't be any school."
When they reached the top level, Malenia found herself somewhat impressed with the feat of engineering that must have kept the Academy suspended between the two mountain peaks. Then she decided that it was also quite vulnerable, should it have been besieged by someone like Radahn. A few supports removed would be all it would take to cause the entire structure to fall into the chasm between the two mountains. And the supports, while thick, didn't look like they could take a falling star crashing into them.
Her internal musings were cut short as she followed Qrow into the Academy itself. They walked through a courtyard lit by street lamps by this point, and finally went into a large building that Malenia assumed to be the administrative center. Upon entering, they noticed two things.
The first was that Malenia recognized Millicent immediately, feeling the too-familiar pull of the Rot within her, as well as the formation of her soul. Like the other examples she had felt in this time, with the exception of Finlay, the Rot was laying dormant, though it also felt slightly different. As if it was waiting to be unleashed. Millicent herself stood at the same height of the man whom she was currently berating, her red hair the same hue as Malenia's own, but pulled back into a ponytail and held by a green band of fabric. She wore the same clothing that all of Gowry's protégés wore, though hers was personalized with several green accents. Like Malenia herself, the woman wore an Unalloyed Gold prosthesis of similar design to her own to cover for her missing right arm. A shamshir lay upon her hip, though Malenia found herself surprised to see her own tutor's Flowing Curved Sword mirroring the shamshir upon the opposite hip, a talisman depicting a man wearing blue flowing robes dangling from its pommel.
Millicent's face was contorted in what appeared to be anger, her prosthetic raised and pointing at the man in front of her. Malenia noted that Millicent's face could have been her own, if not for the lower cheek bones and lack of Grace to be found within her bright green eyes.
While it didn't bother her to the extent it might others of her lineage, Malenia had decided that not finding the Golden Glow of Grace in any of the eyes around her to be a rather strange turn of events. Her own eyes were, as far as she knew, naturally golden without Grace, glowing in a hue not dissimilar those with it, but she knew better than to suspect that she or her beloved brother had its blessing. A slight against the Golden Order, though Father had never outed her own lack of Grace. Even as an Empyrean, she and her twin had never held the Greater Will's blessing, proven by the fact that they were the only two Empyreans not gifted with a Shadow to try and keep them aligned to the path of the Greater Will's choosing. That she knew of, at least.
The second thing that Malenia noticed was the clear resemblance to a lion that the man Millicent was angry with possessed. The lion guardian of Godfrey, Serosh, came to the front of Malenia's mind, but some part of her just couldn't equate the two. While she had never met Godfrey and Serosh, she had seen many depictions over her life by those that had. Serosh was noble, a true guardian devoted to Godfrey. This man… reeked of cowardice. Weakness. And ultimately… submission. He could not be trusted further than Malenia would dare push him.
"Their deaths are on you, Lionheart! More have been lost in the last month than the previous ten years combined. On missions that you specifically advised them to take. What is your defense?" Millincent stated with anger. Her voice matched the one she had before being reborn from her bloom. It appeared that Malenia's attempt at making sure she retained all that she was before she was felled outside her own room had succeeded.
The lion-man flinched before her accusing finger and words.
"T-they took the missions themselves. I gave them warning that it would be dangerous. To be aware of what may be around them. I do not enjoy sending my former students, my colleagues, to their deaths."
That appeared to be the wrong thing to say, if Millicent's reaction was anything to judge by. Instead of a further burst of anger, the woman's features turned cold, her finger lowering.
"I spoke to their families. They were going on routine patrols where reported sightings of an Alpha Grimm were last seen. There should have been nothing out of the ordinary. I see the pattern, Lionheart. You are deliberately sending them to their deaths against something that you refuse to reveal. You're not the first to mislead Huntsmen, but you're the first to be in a trusted position where your authority leaves them little choice. I suggest you work on your defense. I'm taking you to the Queen and Council."
"W-w-what?! Wait, Millicent, surely there's-"
Whatever the man was going to say, Qrow cut him short as he made himself and Malenia known by clearing his throat, though Millicent ignored him until he spoke.
"I seem to be interrupting something. What's going on here?" Qrow asked.
Millicent's head whipped around to face Qrow and Malenia as she seemed to finally notice something. Her gaze ignored the Huntsman completely, resting instead upon Malenia herself. And then what Malenia feared would happen, occurred.
Her daughter took a knee, bowing before her in subservience.
"My Lady! You have awoken! Pardon my ignorance of your presence."
The lion-man, Lionheart, glanced between the two women in confusion. He seemed to be trying to understand what was happening, though Qrow nodded to himself as if he just had something confirmed. But Malenia wouldn't allow this bowing and scraping; she had seen enough of it before the Shattering, and too much of it afterwards when she had earned her titles.
"Rise, Millicent. No bowing is needed." Malenia finally said. Qrow's nodding gained a small smile.
"Hmm. Seems I was right. Malenia is indeed the demigoddess from the story you told my team all those years ago."
As Millicent rose, she shot Qrow a sharp glare that could have killed.
"Be silent, bird. We have a traitor in our midst."
"I've done no s-such thing! Qrow, you have to believe me! I would never do what she's suggesting! I didn't kill any Huntsmen!"
The black-haired man shrugged.
"If you haven't been doing anything, you have nothing to worry about. Especially if the Queen of Mistral is getting involved. Besides, you and I need to have a talk about a few students you sent to Beacon last year."
As the Huntsman approached the Headmaster, Malenia gestured to the front of the building to Millicent, who nodded quickly. As they withdrew, they could hear Lionheart's words growing more frightened, leading Malenia to suspect that he was indeed guilty of whatever he was being accused of.
Upon reaching the courtyard, Malenia let out a long sigh that drew Millicent's attention.
"It's… overwhelming almost, isn't it?" The Valkyrie asked. "Everything is different now. I've lived longer in this world than I did the Lands Between, and even I am still taken by surprise by some things still. Everything seems smaller, and yet bigger at the same time. Mistral and Anima, they used to be the Lands Between. But now the other continents play a much bigger role. They are equally as important as the one we stand upon now, with no Elden Ring to be found to dictate the laws of nature and death beyond those of us who had felt its blessings and curses long ago. The only Great Shards that still exist to my knowledge are your own, and Miquella's, though he has… changed. When you meet him, and you will, be prepared for what he has become."
Malenia blinked at the information that was just handed to her, thinking it over for a minute. Then, she decided to ask something that surprised Millicent.
"And how are you handling everything Millicent? As you say, this world is quite different from the one we were born in. While you may be born of my own Rot, I was… occupied, while you and your sisters existed. I never knew my children. Losing any of you, I could feel it hurt the Rot within myself. But not like the sting of losing a child one would give birth to, I would imagine."
Millicent crossed her arms, frowning despite her surprise at Malenia knowing and asking.
"Do not be so taken aback, Millicent. I was more than Miquella's warrior. You saw the Haligtree, the veneration for both my brother and myself. I didn't earn their adoration purely by my talent to kill. I spoke to them, listened to their stories. Miquella was their guiding light, but I have always been open to listening when they needed someone to listen. Speak to me."
The woman in question glanced at Malenia, reminding the demigoddess of herself when she was younger. Mayhap there was something to the Valkyries being her children.
"I'm… fine. Pyrrha did the best she could. Can you feel the Rot within me? It was the same for Pyrrha. What you feel from me, I felt from her. I knew she passed when her gift from the Scarlet Rot returned to me. But with it came her defining memories, not lost to the Rot. Like how you saved my own sense of self for when I would be reborn once the Tarnished betrayed my final wish, and instead followed the directions of Gowry. Maybe Pyrrha could be reborn one day, but not today. Not any time soon. This broken world doesn't deserve to be shattered further by the Scarlet Rot. My pride as a mother is preserved, knowing that my daughter stood up for what she believed was right. Even at the end, she tried. It is thanks to her that I know the identity of who ended her before she could truly blossom, and I have made it my goal to kill her. With your return my Lady, we could even put an end to the threat that has plagued this world for millennia."
Silence reigned for several moments, leaving both of the women to their thoughts until Malenia spoke.
"I would know more about where my brother is, before I make any such decisions. And perhaps what Gowry has done over time."
Millicent's mouth pursed slightly at the mention of Gowry, but she nodded in acceptance.
"I've already warned you that Miquella isn't as you remember him. He's changed, even as I have changed from a miniature version of yourself. Even in the time that I've known him here, a not-so-grand scale of a couple centuries, he has gained, lost, gained again, and finally lost his hope. And the change is not for the better for obvious reasons. Temper your expectations, Lady Malenia."
The demigoddess frowned and crossed her arms. An unfortunate habit she had picked up long ago was to rub the elbow of her prosthetic when she was in deep thought, something that apparently Millicent knew about if her knowing smirk was anything to go by.
"What has happened to Miquella? Has his curse evolved? Taken another form?"
Millicent didn't answer immediately. When she did, it was clear she was choosing what to say carefully.
"In a way, I suppose. You might be happy to know that he is no longer a child in body. Or at least, he wasn't. After what happened to Beacon Academy, I fear he may have started the cycle anew once more. But his story is his to tell, and it shall be him to tell it. Know that despite his changes, he never failed to find a way back to the Haligtree every year to grieve for you, and celebrate your eventual return. I believe he was the one to return your prosthetics to your Aeonian Bloom, after he was certain that he could no longer replicate Unalloyed Gold. How he accomplished such a feat, returning to an island long lost to time without Grace, I doubt will ever be revealed to myself."
After the Valkyrie finished speaking, Malenia made a mental note that the woman was certainly talkative. Towards herself, at least.
"Miquella created everything around the Haligtree. I would not be surprised if he knew of some way to return that others would not know. But what do you mean about being unable to recreate Unalloyed Gold?"
It seemed Millicent didn't have an answer to the question, if her shrug were anything to go by.
"I don't know the specifics. Only that he had found and repaired your prostheses, and had tried to create more for some purpose. When he was unable to, he gave up on his line of thinking. If I had to take a guess though, I imagine he was hoping to create another weapon of the material. And knowing you would return, he didn't want to replace any of yours with a lesser substance, likely due to the Scarlet Rot. He certainly avoided the topic when my own prosthetic was brought up."
"And do you know where he is now?" Malenia asked, hopeful.
"I do. Somewhere in that direction." As she spoke, she pointed towards the south. "I can't feel exactly where he is, but I can feel the general direction. The remnants of his Great Shard, I've finally come to understand. Compared to his, yours draws my attention like a moth to flame. But his flame is out there still, small, but easily felt nevertheless. Gowry feels it too. Unlike us, he's seen everything that's happened since the Tarnished and Ranni brought forth the Age of the Stars. He was left to his own devices in the Lands Between, which was now left Lordless by Ranni and the Elden Lord's departure for the other continents. It was he who safeguarded my own prosthetic and weapons, and returned them when I had awoken much like you had yours, I imagine."
Again, silence reigned for several moments. The silence was only interrupted when Qrow came barreling through the door behind them, Lionheart's neck held in his grasp with his sword, Harbinger, drawn in the other. The Vale Huntsman's face displayed unrivaled fury.
"I found a Seer hiding in the shadows, observing what was being said. There's no doubt about Lionheart's guilt anymore."
Malenia and Millicent nodded in tandem, though their actions differed. While Millicent dug her hand into a pocket, Malenia's blade was drawn faster than Qrow could react, the demigoddess lunging forward towards the lion faunus without hesitation. He was unable to move the Headmaster before the Unalloyed Gold blade pierced his chest, the man's Aura being ignored completely by the blade.
And then Qrow's heart sunk as he realized that the curved sword had gone straight through the faunus's own cowardly heart. He released his hold on the man, cursing himself for not handling things differently. He knew at least a couple of vague stories about Malenia. He knew that she was both a hero and an executioner for those who sought to harm her brother.
Now the former Headmaster was dead. There would be no saving the man that even now was being hoisted into the air effortlessly by the goddess. He couldn't guess what was going to happen, and he wouldn't ever know due to Millicent sighing and placing a gentle hand upon Malenia's side.
"This was not what should have been done in this time, my Lady. You do not possess divine judgement here, nor the authority of an executioner. Pray, leave his corpse here that I may leave a trail directed towards an agent of Salem."
For a moment, Qrow was sure Malenia was going to disregard anything that was said to her. But her sword lowered, setting Lionheart's body upon the ground. And then Qrow was forced to wince as Millicent went to work with a knife drawn from a reagent pouch.
The short blade went to work widening the wound into a rounded triangle, then its wielder glanced up to the tallest person among them.
"We… need your curse, milady."
Even now, Malenia could feel her curse within her, writhing in excitement at the prospect of being used. She hated it, but she nodded after a moment of hesitation.
The needle, her prosthesis, even the collar of her clothing, all made out of Unalloyed Gold. Despite this, she could still make small use of her curse without it affecting her. It became a highly honored ritual to be 'blessed' by her use of it among her followers, and led to the creation of her Cleanrot Knights.
Sighing, she knelt down to the warm corpse, glancing at Qrow all the while.
"Stay away from this corpse. It shall be burned the moment its use has expired."
The living Huntsman merely nodded, though the curiosity upon his face was plain as day. And then Malenia acted, removing her glove and dipping her fingers into the wound. An orange glow seemed to emanate from where she touched raw flesh, and then her hand was removed.
Qrow paid careful attention to the scarred and blighted flesh that was her hand the entire way, up until it was hidden beneath the leather glove once more. Then his eyes were drawn to Lionheart's corpse, observing the triangular wound that was now drenched in a reddish liquid that looked far different from blood. And then he realized what it was supposed to emulate.
"A wound from a scorpion?" He muttered. He had seen the like several times, on a much smaller scale, in Vacuo before.
"Quite so. One of Salem's pawns is a scorpion faunus; such wounds have become rather common among the Huntsmen that have gone missing and turned up dead lately. But my Lady is correct. His corpse must be incinerated at the earliest possible convenience. Scarlet Rot is not something to experiment with. One bloom is all it took to reduce Great Caelid to naught but an Aeonian cesspool. Even this amount of the Rot can lead to great tragedy."
Qrow merely nodded as he felt a shiver run down his spine. Knowing his luck, his Semblance, he knew he needed to handle this himself. The chances of something unfortunate happening were too high.
And so he went to work.
Salem stood as still as a statue as her mind pondered what she had learned. It had been a long time, longer than she cared to remember, since she had felt an emotion greater than her hatred for everything this world stood for. In fact, she felt multiple emotions stronger than this now.
First, and the most prominent emotion that had her meditating, was uncertainty. Uncertainty in her own fate, having learned what she had about a demigoddess of Eld returning. She knew of them, even if she hadn't lived among them.
Even having been born during the Age of the Stars, there were still stories, histories, of such beings. And now one had returned Remnant, bearing with her both the means to destroy everything - Salem herself included - as well as the one thing that could allow her to stand against the Brothers. And so she found herself pondering a difficult line to tread upon.
She had initially pondered on befriending the Empyrean, but it seems that Ozma's minions had found Malenia first. Even worse, Millicent had found Malenia. She was not blind to the initial purpose of Millicent's creation by the one called Gowry. So long as Millicent remained by Malenia's side, the Blade of Miquella would stand incorruptible. It was a magic woven into the Valkyrie's very being as she had been birthed by the Scarlet Rot within the Swamp of Aeonia, cast by none other than Gowry himself.
This left her with naught but a plan filled with risk. Tyrion had been given a weapon from the Age of the Erdtree, given to herself by Ozma when they had been happy as part of her wedding gift. The very weapon that he, even before becoming Ozma, had wielded and slain demigods with.
She held no delusions of Tyrion being able to kill Malenia, or even being able to stall her. No, his mission was to kill Millicent. No being from the Ages of Eld, even if they are not one of the fabled demigods, could be killed without such a weapon after all.
Taking a deep breath, the Pale Witch opened her eyes and turned around, facing the other occupants of the room. For obvious reasons, Tyrion was absent. Hazel was also absent, having been told to continue his mission of killing Huntsmen in Mistral. That would be much harder now, without Lionheart keeping her updated. Watts sat quietly as his hands fiddled with a small piece of technology, while Cinder had finally returned to being an operational agent. Salem had assumed that she would have returned to a healthier state much sooner, but something unforeseen had happened when she killed Pyrrha.
A Silver-Eyed warrior unleashed their power.
But it ultimately didn't matter. Cinder had recovered, and now needed to learn how to utilize the abilities of the Fall Maiden. And the time to start was now.