Intermission

World of Remnant:

Dracon

Sorry, I know everyone is eager to get back into the man story but looks like I forgot one more thing. We all know about the four kingdoms that exist today.

(A map of Remnant is shown)

But we didn't touch on any of the ones that used to exist.

We're talking about a kingdom that sprung up in what is now known as the Dragon Continent but it had another name once.

(The Dragon Continent was highlighted with a dark purple outline)

The name was Dracon.

A bit on the nose and rather simplistic but given the shape of the land it's probably the best you are going to get.

This land was barely populated, even in the old days but people would still come there for one reason or another. Of course, like everywhere else on Remnant, these people would find trouble, especially since this land had the highest concentration of Grimm on the entire planet.

Then one day everything changed.

(The map was replaced by two colored figures: woman wearing a long robe with her figure being purple and the other was a green colored man holding a scepter)

Out of nowhere, two beings hailing themselves as the New Gods of Remnant appeared and united the people on Dracon. The people were all brought together under their protection and soon enough a grand kingdom was built.

(The map of Remnant returned)

In addition to that, Dracon had a few small islands off the coast that quickly fell under its jurisdiction. Dracon quickly became the forefront on progress, being the first to recognize the power of Dust as a source of power but that wasn't the end.

Dracon would start inventing technology that used more than just Dust as a power source. After all, it was the only civilization with people who could use magic. This is what set Dracon apart from the others.

Well, that and one other thing.

It seemed Dracon had its sights on the rest of the world.

(Sailboats and Grimm were seen moving from the Dragon Continent to the lands of Sanus and Anima)

Within a few years, Dracon had built a massive army of Grimm and soldiers and began expanding its borders, crossing the sea to the other continents. For the parts of the new lands that were empty, they would immediately colonize these parts and the local Grimm would instantly join up with their 'cousins', so to speak.

(Dark outlines of wolf Grimm met the sail ships as they reached the lands and immediately joined them)

For the parts of land that had people…

Well, they simply said: 'This is our land now. Do as we say and there won't be any trouble.'

Sometimes this worked out and others…

(Soldiers shown as purple humanoids marches across the land, meeting green and orange humanoids. The purple soldiers raised their swords and Grimm immediately fell on the humanoids, causing blood to splatter across the screen before going black.)

Not so much.

Over the years, the Empire would grow very large especially since the Black Queen of this empire revealed she could control the Grimm and as more and more territories were brought into her empire she made a decision.

She wished to abolish self-expression.

Deciding that the lower masses were becoming too much of a problem by preaching for more rights and freedoms in the empire they had been forced to serve in, she had decided that self-expression was a privilege, an opportunity, not a fundamental right.

You probably read up on the Great War by now and found something similar.

Scary isn't it, to know that the Great War isn't the first conflict in history to be started by imposing the right to act like you have a heart.

(Lines of humanoid figures were now shown in lines, each of them taking on a different color ranging from red or green.)

Those in the lower caste would be made to dress the same, speak the same and live the same or you do not live at all while the higher ranked ones would be given a bit more freedom.

(A new line of humanoids were shown in colors like blue and purple, standing straight and looking like they were from a noble stock.)

Those in higher ranks would be made to serve as soldiers, advisers and servants to the royal rulers.

(The screen fades to black)

The rest of the world was disgusted, considering that force conformity like that was about as heinous as you could get. The kingdoms that had yet to be conquered banded together, deciding to fight with instead of against each other and waged a war against the Dracon Empire. The White Knight and the Black Queen should have been able to wipe them out but they ran into some trouble.

(A woman shaped figure appeared, colored blue and had short hair while holding a key shaped weapon in one hand)

As the war made its way east, it seemed the White Knight and the Black Queen of Dracon were not the only people in the world who could use magic. This person known only as the Silver or Ocean Knight appeared and cut down the Grimm destroying rebel kingdoms and villages, halting Dracon's advance. This is when the Black Queen and the White Knight had met their match. Deciding they had both gone too far, the Ocean Knight took the fight directly to them.

(The blue woman faced down the purple empress and the green emperor, all of them glowing their respectful colors now. The blue woman thrust her Keyblade out and there was a blast of light.)

("DAMN YOU!" The Black Queen screamed.)

("Consider this my only warning." The voice of the Ocean Knight echoed immediately after the Black Queen had screamed.)

I am told it was quite the spectacle.

Instead of killing them, the Ocean Knight warned them to stop attacking the rest of the world and take their forces back to Dracon.

The rest of the world had a chance to breathe for a bit after that. The Emperor called the Ocean Knight to meet him and his wife in their capital in Dracon to discuss terms of peace and the Ocean Knight accepted. What happened there…

(The screen was black as a white castle appeared and then exploded.)

(BOOM!)

Well, no one knows for sure.

All that is known if anyone can remember that far back is that the castle of the Dracon kingdom exploded, going up in flames and supposedly the Black King, the White Knight and the Ocean Knight perished in the blast. After that, the Dracon Empire immediately fell apart, many of its generals becoming warlords, fighting each other for territory while the rest of the Empire was scattered to the winds.

As for the Empress, the Emperor and the Ocean Knight…

(A dark red outline of the Empress is shown)

The Black Queen would be remembered as a monster, a witch, an evil queen depending on who you ask. In the Empire of Dracon however, she could do no wrong. She wielded great power and control over the elements without the use of Dust. She brought her closest, most trusted subjects in and taught them many things.

(Next appeared a green outline of the Emperor, holding his scepter)

The White Knight was notably kinder, if a little easy manipulated by his wife, believing in just and fair treatment for all but loved his wife dearly which left him blind to her imperfections. He was a brave warrior, always seen at the front lines of any battle and leading his troops against the enemy. The skill in both magic and combat hailed him as the god he claimed to be but he never referred to himself openly as a god.

He just said: 'I am just a man.'

(And last came the blue outline of the Ocean Knight)

As for the Ocean Knight…

She was a hero but a rather reluctant one at that. She preferred to watch from the sidelines, give people a chance to solve their own problems while helping those who couldn't help themselves. She never asked to be leader to anyone, never cared for whatever riches were offered to her. She would simply save one place and then move on to the next.

Word is though, she inspired a bit of a following but never claimed or confirmed that either.

Talk about being humble huh?

She barely told anyone about herself but word has it she confided in her closest friends and students but even then it's a bit of a stretch.

She is only known for the armor she wore and kept her face hidden from practically everyone but her closest allies. Probably because she didn't want people coming after her but in those times, a little paranoia is a good thing. This tale is often used as a caution for believing in someone, even when it's likely a good friend or family member.

Trust is good but it works both ways.

If people are not willing to remember that then…

Well, let's just say as much as trust is a boon…

It's also a risk.

Xxx

The Age of Fairy Tales:

The New Gods II

"Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise?"

In a dark room, a single crystal ball acted as the only source of light, showing images of Aqua battling the monster known as Sin and then Salem and Ozma appearing to people as the new Gods of Remnant.

"That woman…" The person who happened to be a woman hiding in the darkness narrowed her eyes at the sight of Aqua. "The same one who banished the master centuries ago."

"How is that possible?" Another voice that sounded feral snarled from behind. "She should be dead by now."

"She managed to keep her magic despite everyone else aside from the witch losing theirs. It seems clear now that even back then she was special." The shadow woman waved a hand over her crystal ball which then showed Ozma and Salem. "The witch is finally making a move after centuries of hiding herself away. But the man…"

He was different from before but that power along with the scepter he was holding…

There was no doubt about it.

"It's Ozma."

"IMPOSSIBLE."

There was a blast of fire that lit up the dark room for a mere second.

"OZMA DIED CENTURIES AGO AND HIS WITCH DAMNED THIS WORLD TRYING TO BRING HIM BACK." A deep voice boomed as the fire faded and the room returned to its previous dark setting.

"And yet it seems he has returned as well." The shadow woman brought a hand to her chin. "The so-called Ocean Knight appearing to fight a new monster that has never been seen before and the return of the Emerald Knight himself. And now the witch has decided to come out and proclaim herself a goddess to the weak and powerless alongside Ozma. It cannot be a coincidence that so many forces are now moving at the same time."

"Go after the Ocean Knight. She holds the key to the master's tomb. She was the one who sealed him after all." The feral voice spoke again.

"YES. SHE IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR."

"I agree but first we must learn about this monster she faced and then formulate a plan." The shadow woman stated. "Once we have all the answers then we will make our move."

The other two grumbled but accepted the shadow woman's advice.

"Be patient. We have waited centuries for this chance. We can afford to wait a little longer."

Xxx

The greatest benefit about having a complete copy of her original home was that it included the same kind of plumping. After awakening from her slumber, Aqua took the chance to clean and wash herself in the private bathroom connected to her bedroom. Once she was done and dressed again, Aqua walked around to see how her apprentice and friend Poppy was doing in their new home.

"Poppy?" She knocked on the door to the room Poppy had picked out for herself.

"Come in!"

The door opened and Aqua looked in to see Poppy on her bed with a book in her hands. "You finally came in from training."

"Yeah." Poppy softly nodded. "I thought I could unlock my Semblance by then but I still can't for some reason…"

"What time did you finally stop and go to bed?" Aqua asked, taking a seat next to the bed.

Poppy chuckled nervously. "I don't really know."

Aqua sighed. "Poppy, I know you're eager to help but you can't force progress like staying up all night training. This will take time."

"I know…But I felt so useless in our last few fights." Poppy put the book down on her lap. "I could only sit and watch you fight that monster and then that crazy woman."

"Well it wasn't a walk in the park for me either." Aqua muttered and then noticed Poppy staring at her. "Just an expression I picked up in my travels."

"I figured." Poppy rolled her eyes. "You really have been traveling across the world, huh?"

Aqua knew that Poppy was likely probing for more information but she wasn't sure if now was the time to come clean about it so she tried to change the subject quickly. "Enough to know about Ambrosius and the other three spirits like him."

"Really?" That caught Poppy's interest quickly. "There are really more of them out there?"

"Only three as far as I know." Aqua smiled, relieved that her gambit had worked. "Their names are Jinn, Nimue and Janus. Jinn is a Spirit of Knowledge, Nimue is a Spirit of Destruction and Janus is a Spirit of Choice."

"Knowledge, Destruction and Choice." Poppy softly repeated with a thoughtful look on her face. "I can get Knowledge and Destruction but why Choice?"

"Choice is the most important when you think about it, Poppy. It determines the kind of people we…Well, choose to be." Aqua shrugged with a helpless smile on her face. "I think it would be wise to at least seek Knowledge out. By which I mean Jinn."

"Why?"

"I don't know how long we have before that monster Lunalesca called Sin comes back and starts attacking the lands again. I know I can fight it but I got a good look at it before it left and it knows I am dangerous…At least to it." Aqua slowly explained. "I am not sure about facing it in another direct confrontation again, especially if it tries to avoid me. At the very least, Jinn might have some answers on how best to defeat it."

"Why not use Destruction to destroy it?" Poppy slowly turned her body so her feet were planted on the floor. "That might solve our problems."

"It could but if Ambrosius taught me anything it's that these Spirits have a limit to their powers. Ambrosius can only create one thing at a time on his own and Jinn can only answer three questions every one hundred years. As for Destruction, I am sure Nimue might be of some help against Sin but I don't know the limits she is bound by and it would take time to track down the Relic she is bound to." Aqua explained truthfully. "At the very least Jinn would know where the other Relics are if we can track down her Relic which is a Lamp. If we can find it and ask her what we need to know we might be able to work out a strategy to take down Sin."

"And what about the other Relics then? Shouldn't we track them down before someone else finds them?" Poppy asked.

"I am not sure about that." Aqua admitted. "I am not even sure about keeping Ambrosius' Staff here to be honest. Gathering all the Relics here might be dangerous."

"Why?" Poppy looked confused. "We could keep them all here and protect them or use them to protect everyone else."

Aqua looked unsure about that. "That might bring a lot of unwanted attention on us and I am not comfortable with that, especially after just getting a new home." She then stood up. "For now, I want to focus on learning what we can about the monster Sin before we make a decision to bring anymore magical items here."

Poppy looked up at Aqua for a moment and then sighed. "All right, we'll do it your way. So where do we start looking?"

"Honestly, that could take a while."

Xxx

To say things were progressing smoothly would be putting it lightly.

Salem gazed with pride and satisfaction on the statues of herself and Ozma, at least Ozma in his new form. They were sculpted perfectly by endless hours of hard work from their new loyal subjects who were working to build the new kingdom she and Ozma were establishing.

A kingdom from which she and her beloved would rule the world.

A mere fantasy she once had when she was a young maiden have just been rescued by her dashing knight but one that was about to come true. With her powers from the dark Grimm pools from the land of Darkness, Salem ordered the Grimm to say clear of this land where she and Ozma would take in countless people living in fear of the Grimm and fleeing here for safety.

A perfect way to gather countless subjects.

Already word was spreading the New Gods of this world and many people were flocking to be protected. It made Salem grin at the thought of becoming what the Brothers once were but she would be better than them.

Where they failed she would succeed.

She turned away from the statues and looked across the hill, watching as the people continued on building the new kingdom. Satisfied with what she saw, Salem turned and walked past the statues, continuing her journey deep into what would be the inner sanctum of her and her beloved's castle. The workers paused and quickly bowed to her as she walked past them.

"You're Grace."

"You're Grace."

"You're Grace."

Salem continued her journey into the center where part of the castle, the keep was already finished. 'This is how it will be from now on, wherever I go.'

There was a table with a crystal orb resting on it and a single chair waiting for her to sit on. This grand castle and everything around it belonged to her and her beloved Ozma. The Brothers no longer mattered for they had left this world and it was clear they had no intention of returning. She and Ozma would take over now, unite this world and maintain order.

How she had waited so long for this.

How she had dreamed of this.

She was one of two people in this world who still possessed magic. She and her beloved were immortal and they would never die. Their kingdom would rule for eternity on this world. They would do anything they wished.

No one would stop them.

She held her hands out to her crystal orb and watched as conjured images of faraway places, lands yet to be explored and humans fighting each other and the Grimm.

So petty.

So insignificant.

Was she ever truly one of them?

Perhaps when she was as a lonely little girl locked away from the world in a tower by her cruel father, once upon a time.

That time had long passed and she would now look to the future. No one remember that long ago that Salem had lead humanity against the Brothers in an act of rebellion for denying her request to bring her beloved Ozma back. The ones that had cast her out had long since died out and she couldn't care less about them.

The pain they had felt had been nothing to the torment she had endured at their hands and the hands of the Brothers.

She had hidden herself away for thousands of years, just hiding and waiting for something to change. Due to her curse of immortality, Salem had been forced to learn the virtue of patience and she had been given plenty of time to practice. Now with her beloved Ozma returned to her, Salem believed her patience had finally been rewards. The two of them would be rulers, sitting on the one single throne of this world together…

And hopefully their children with them one day.

The thought of holding a child of her own in her arms made Salem smile happily at is passed through her mind. Everything she had always was finally coming true. However she knew she had to play things carefully for the time being. Ozma had yet to be told of what truly happened when the Brother abandoned this world and took the gift of magic with them.

Her inciting a rebellion against them.

Ozma could never know of this.

Of what she had done.

What she had tried to do.

And all the people who died along the way.

A blue haired woman holding a strange key shaped weapon in one hand…

Salem's eyes widened and she shook her head at the thought of her.

The woman who had stood against her and her army when they arrived to destroy the Gods.

The woman who had fought her and her generals, somehow defeating them all so easily despite being vastly outnumbered.

The one who the Gods had favored.

Salem had no idea what had become of her and she did not care to find out. Time had washed over her as it did everything else while Salem herself had remained unchanged.

The past was dead.

Now was the time to look to the future.

She leaned her face against one hand, watching as the crystal ball continued showing her events happening off in the distance. The crystal ball finally settled on the image of her dear Ozma, having decided to journey through the land much like he did in his first life, wanting to know what else had changed since that time.

'Show me everything, my Ozma.' Salem wished in her mind. 'I want to see every corner of this world…My world. Show me everything that belongs to me.'

Xxx

Ozma decided it was best to travel inconspicuously for now, wanting to see this new world through his own eyes rather than Salem's crystal ball. Over his formal robes, he wore a long traveling cloak and carried his scepter in one hand. It had not taken much for Salem to convince him to go along with this plan to appear to the people as gods but Ozma told himself it would work out in the long run. The people were being protected and they were working together.

Admittedly to build his and Salem's kingdom but that was a start.

'Salem lives but the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone. Heed this warning…where you seek comfort, you will only find pain.'

Ozma wondered why the God of Light's warning kept resurfacing in his mind. Sure, Salem had changed physically but he could still see the kind gentle woman he had known and fallen in love with at the end of his first life.

Yes, her once blond hair had turned stark white.

Yes, her once fair skin was deathly pale.

Yes, her blue eyes were now red with black irises that reminded him of a Grimm.

But underneath it all, he could still see his Salem.

'Did the God of Light lie to me?'

Ozma had never once questioned the power and wisdom of the Gods for they had created this world and all life on it. Yet, Salem had claimed they had found humanity unworthy and stripped them of their magic. He wasn't sure what the full truth was yet and he couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right choice in accepting the God of Light's task.

He stopped by a river and looked at his reflection.

Pale blond hair which contrasted with the dark hair from his first life.

He could make a few similarities this body had with his original one that made him understand why his soul had bonded with it.

Bonded? Or assimilated?

Ozma's eyes widened from the voice in his mind, sounding similar to his own. Was that the voice of the body's original owner?

Weren't they one now?

One soul.

One entity.

Ozma had to wonder if this was what the God of Light meant when he truly wouldn't be alone as he reincarnated inside like-minded souls until his task was done.

Still, it was too late to back out of this.

"AAH!"

A scream up ahead diverted Ozma from his thoughts and he raced forward, taking off into the air to save time and a moment later found a carriage under attack by a pack of Beowolves.

"Stop!" He shouted, earning the Grimm's attention.

The Grimm turned to him, snarling as they recognized him as a greater threat, no doubt because they could tell he could use magic unlike their original intended victims.

That was fine by him.

He held up his scepter and fired a green blast of magical energy, hitting the nearest Beowulf and destroying it instantly. Just as he prepared to attack again the Grimm seemingly backed down…and even bowed to him.

Ozma was confused for a moment before he realized what was happening. 'Salem…are you watching me?'

It was impressive to see that Salem's control of the Grimm could extend this far out.

"He saved us!"

"The Grimm are bowing to him!"

"Does that mean he controls them?"

Ozma watched as the people emerged out of the carriage, a family or two based on their numbers, slowly approached him. The Grimm sniffed and snarled at them, frightening them for a second but Ozma raised his hand, warning them he would attack if they threatened the innocent bystanders. The Grimm seemed to understand and backed away.

"He does control them!"

"We're saved!"

Ozma watched in stoic silence as the people began to bow to him, much like everyone did no matter where he went.

This world had become so…different.

It was still hard to believe it was once the very world he had been born into.

Xxx

Salem smiled at her crystal ball, watching the Grimm obey her command to leave her beloved Ozma and the innocent travelers alone.

How easy it was to manipulate them into idolizing someone with a few simple actions.

'It will not end here. Soon we will spread to every corner of this world.' Salem thought to herself. 'The Gods called this world a remnant of what it once was. That may be the case now but we will ensure that one day it will be even greater than anything the Brothers could have imagined.'

Salem could see it all now:

Herself

Ozma

And the family that would come from the two of them.

Ruling together for eternity.

Xxx

"You ready?"

Poppy nodded, adjusting her backpack. "Ready."

Aqua had her own pack as well, carrying basic supplies such as food and water while attached to her hip was the Staff of Creation. They had a long journey ahead of them and Aqua didn't feel right leaving the Staff behind.

"All right. Let's go." Aqua opened the doors of the temple and both took their first steps out into the sun, beginning their new quest.