Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I had lots of work and exams and stuff, then my local anime/comic-con came up and I cosplayed as Nova. Pictures of my terrible cosplay are on my Twitter ( I guess it's called X now?) if you guys wanna check that out NovaFlareheart.
Totallynotaduck: Yeah it's going to be a lot to cover as things move forward, but as I explained: The souls are connected but it's more like Nova ripped off patches of his soul to give to Ruby thereby bridging a connection that was enabled by the Silver Soul. If one dies the other won't die but they will definitely feel it.
Anyway without further ado...
Chapter 94: The Demons That Made Us
After discussions were settled with the King of Luxalia, the team was left to prepare for their long journey ahead. With roughly two months on the road, they were bound to encounter danger, especially now that Salem knew of their existence. Things were getting more complicated and they had no time to spare... they had to move soon. As nice as Luxalia was, they had a mission to do.
As they gathered in the grand hall, preparing for their journey, Aurelios was ever present, to the point it felt like he would not leave them alone. Even now as they were organizing their plans, he stood in the background.
"A few weeks on the road… this isn't good. The more time we waste the more Salem grows her forces," Ruby said, folding her arms authoritatively as she rummaged through her bag of supplies.
Hex was taking inventory, but her mind was elsewhere, "A… couple dozen cans of food… some dried jerky… water…"
Yang quietly shifted to Hex's side and placed an arm around her shoulder, "Hey… you okay?"
Hex sighed as she stopped counting, "I'm just… worried about Nitro. I got this bad feeling in me… like he's in trouble but…"
"We can't get to him unless we make this journey," Nova eyed her worriedly before giving a reassuring smile, "Hey, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself."
"I know that… but…" Hex's gaze cast downward. "There has to be some way we can speed up this thing…"
Nova nodded, "Agreed, this timing is… too long."
Aurelios suddenly had an idea, "If I may interject young master," he stepped forward, the clap of his dress shoes against the newly refurbished tiling echoed across the room. "I believe there is a possibility to make things go quicker… if you are so worried about your friend."
The prince perked up, "How?"
Aurelios cleared his throat, "Deep under Castle Firestone exists a series of tunnels known as the King's Passageway. These tunnels were said to allow the king and his aides to move from one kingdom to the other almost instantly".
Nova blinked, "Instantly? Like teleportation?"
He shook his head, "I am unsure young master, as only those who bear the blood of the King can open the passage. Trust me… we have tried…" he looked into the prince's eyes.
Nova frowned, "Then if we head to the castle first, we can get to Nitro faster? That's great! Aurelios you're beginning to prove yourself."
The older man smiled and gave a light bow, "Thank you, young master."
Yang blanched, "Is it always going to be like this…?"
"Would you like me to carry your belongings, princess?" Aurelios bowed in front of Luna.
The younger dragon eyed him, "Uh… sure?"
As they were beginning to pack their things up, Hadar walked down the grand staircase.
"Wait! Before you leave, there's something that needs to be done!" Hadar called from above.
Nova eyed him dryly, "Oh… why do I feel like this has to do with…"
"…a public appearance…" Nova finished as he and team ASHNRWBYONE were all standing amidst a giant crowd of people, on a decorated stage… in the middle of town square…
Hadar, Aurelios and Leandra were at the forefront of the podium, a microphone made of Dust and strange metals none had seen before allowed for his voice to echo loudly above the crowd.
"My people! Today I would like to formally introduce a group of very special people. They've come from lands far away. You may not know their faces but I assure you, they are the real deal."
His words made the people confused as murmuring began to spread throughout the crowd.
"Standing behind me today, in the flesh is none other than the last two remaining descendants of…" he paused for effect, "The Flarehearts!"
Gasps rang throughout as Nova and Luna felt Aurelios give them a light push while Leandra smirked at them from the side.
"I did not agree to this…" he said quietly, casting a sideways glance at her.
She snickered, "You have to. If your plan is going to work the world needs to know."
Sighing he cast a glance at Ruby who shot him a message through their bond, "Oh no mister, I'm not doing this. You're the prince, go be princely."
Rolling his eyes at her antics he stepped forward, "Let's get this over with..."
"I present to you, Prince Nova and Princess Luna. The last two dragons on Remnant!" Hadar said with gusto as people were standing in awe at them.
"Um… Hello everyone," Nova began a little shakily, he was used to crowds but he was unprepared this time. His words here would carry serious weight, and as a royal, he needed to make a good impression.
"My name is Nova Alexandrite Flareheart, the descendant of the Flareheart family and heir to the throne. I do not come here and expect you to bow to me. I understand that I am a new face, for more than a century my bloodline was considered dead. I… know my sudden appearance here may cause you to worry that there will be a change in the way that things are going to be from now on… and I cannot deny this.
Many of you already know of the Queen that resides in the dark lands to the north. Her presence has plagued these lands for a long time, and my team and I are here to put an end to her reign of terror.
To do that… I'm going to need your help."
The crowd grew silent.
"I'm not asking you to enlist to fight a war, I simply ask for your support. I intend to bring House Flareheart back to its former glory, and for that, I need to gain the approval of the Three Kingdoms. Before you ask, no. I'm not some warmongering prince who wishes to usurp the balance of power and spread chaos. I'm here to help bring peace to this land, to this world once and for all, and I don't intend to do it alone." He cast his gaze toward his team briefly.
"My team and I will be heading to the other kingdoms to gather their support, King Hadar has already assured me his. If all goes well, we can unite our forces and take back what's rightfully ours! I'm not asking you to fight for me, I'm asking you to help us fight for you! Long gone will be the days when these monsters, creatures of Grimm, plague our lands. Long gone will be the days of living in fear that the walls of your Kingdom will be breached.
Long gone will be the days that we are fearful of the threat of her power. We will take back our peace. We will take back our world!"
At first, the crowd was skeptical, but as Nova's speech grew on and his emotions began to fill the hearts of those listening, it was like a spell of charisma being cast onto the people there. Their hearts were captured by his sincerity, by his drive.
"WHEN WE STAND ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE WE HOPE TO SEE YOUR BANNERS FLYING HIGH! Change is coming!"
"BAH THAT WAS NERVE WRACKING!" Nova exhaled loudly as he sat in the carriage. Hadar organized a series of carriages each with enough space to hold four people comfortably to take them to Castle Flareheart.
In the first carriage, Nova, Ruby, Luna and Oscar sat together with Aurelios in the driver seat, insisting it was his job.
Ruby looked at him proudly, "For someone who claims he was unprepared you did a pretty good job."
"I think it comes with the territory," Luna said tapping her chin, "I do the same thing when I need to make speeches… is it in our blood?"
Nova looked at her dryly, "Oh… you might be right."
As they began to move, Nova waited patiently until they were out of sight of the kingdom before snapping his armlet and transforming into female form.
She stretched her hands out high, "KYAH! That's so much better holy shit!" she relaxed, "You guys have no idea how uncomfortable it gets staying in one form for so long."
Oscar blinked, "Does it get I don't know... weird?"
Nova shrugged, "More like sleeping in a blanket on a hot night. Uncomfortable and makes my skin crawl. I think I just got so used to switching between forms that one just doesn't feel right anymore."
Ruby snickered, "I was wondering when you were going to change. I missed girl you. Don't get me wrong, boy you is pretty nice to look at but there's something about this one that makes me…"
"Please don't finish that sentence…" Luna said dryly.
"Is it too late to switch cars?" Oscar groaned.
And thus began their journey to Castle Firestone.
-Meanwhile in Castle Seastone-
-8 Hours Ago-
It was the dead of night when Sami returned with his fishing boat, dragging behind in a tight-knit net was a fish almost twice the size of the small boat. Several elongated spears with jagged teeth-like heads were impaled into its torso. Its body glistened silver like the very moonlight that cascaded across the dark ocean.
As he made port, docking his near the castle he stepped onto its wooden decking, his feet making an ominous creek as the wood stretched under his weight.
It was a quiet night… or at least it was until the sounds of rapidly stamping armoured shoes dragged his attention to an oncoming squadron of soldiers, none bearing arms. In the very centre of the patrol was none other than his sister Morgan.
"My dearest brother, I see your hunt was successful!" she faked her cheer, inwardly she was hoping he wouldn't find any… yet here he was with the biggest catch she'd seen in the last few years.
He folded his arms and smirked, "The queen wanted, I delivered. I think you guys can handle it from here. I'm going to head home alright?"
Morgan nodded, "Of course dear brother… but first I must know…"
He felt something was off about the way she smiled at him.
"Did you by chance give someone your key?" she asked innocently.
Sami felt his stomach do a small flip, "N-No… why?"
She tapped her finger to her chin and looked at the sky, "Aw… that's odd. My soldiers say they saw someone with red hair leaving your house… they tried looking for him but…"
"WHERE DID HE GO?!" Sami immediately flew into a panic.
She giggled, "Oh dear brother, you need not worry. I inspected it myself and nothing seems to have been stolen. Not sure why they broke in but they're long gone now~…"
"WHERE?!"
"Not sure, scampered off into the woods I suppose… should I put some guards up with you if you're that worried?"
Sami struggled to calm himself down, "N-No… I'll be fine it's just… surprising is all…"
She snapped her fingers and the guards began to robotically offload the gigantic fish. "Well, I'll be sure to let the queen know about your success. You must be tired, do go rest…"
Sami nodded stiffly, "Y-Yeah…" he began to walk off in the direction of his house but he couldn't help but feel something was wrong.
Nitro wouldn't just run off like that.
He knew him better than that…
Right…?
The cell walls were cold as the sea stone floors were icy. The air smelled of saltwater and weathered wood. The silence was occasionally broken by the cawing of gulls outside the small, brick-sized barred window that let in but a small glimmer of light amidst the shadows that plagued the interior of the prison.
Nitro felt sore, it wasn't the first time he'd slept on the floor but it was by far the most uncomfortable one. At least the prison wasn't as bad as the ones he'd seen in places like Atlas or Mantle. It wasn't small, but rather just large enough to fit about five of him. There were no rotting stenches of unwashed bodies or rambunctious shouting as the prison was all but empty aside from him.
Now that he thought about it, the prison was more like a castle dungeon. It even had a dark hole in the ground, too small enough for a person to fit through but large enough to act as a toilet. The changing tides and wafting waves were the dungeon's flushing mechanism. He didn't have to sit in his own filth either as a pipe jutting out of the right wall just above his head that spewed water at six am and six pm respectively, giving him a chance to at least was his body.
He'd been in here for about 24 hours now, Sami would have come back by now.
Nitro just had to wait it out and answer whoever came through that door to feed him.
The guards had simply escorted him to the dungeons and he didn't have an audience with the queen or anyone attached to her, leaving him to wonder what purpose did his incarceration serve.
The echoing sound of heels against stone alerted his senses. It seems he would find his answers now.
A beautiful woman with sea-blue hair and ornate ceremonial garb entered alone, stopping just outside his cage. He didn't know who she was but he doubted it was the queen herself.
He sat in silence, staring up at her expectantly.
"You really are… a human… incredible," she mouthed and immediately Nitro recognized her voice. It was the same one he heard the day before when Sami went to answer the door.
"I am, and you're Sami's older sister right?" Nitro eyed her.
She gasped, "You speak coherently. I thought humans were savage monsters that killed Faunus without hesitation, yet you do not display any signs of aggression."
Nitro smirked, "Well I've had some dealings with royals and how they work. I know what to do and what not to do. You didn't capture me without reason, so I ask why?"
She frowned as it seemed her mind did some calculations, "I see… so you are allied with the lost prince and princess."
Nitro looked at her wide-eyed. Lost prince and princess… Nova and Luna?!
"Your friends have just made their public appearance in Luxalia. It seems the prince intends to restore his family and the old regime. They should be coming here next since it's the closest to Luxalia," Morgan leaned against the back of the prison wall.
Nitro immediately perked up, his posture shifted and his body seemed to gain more energy. His friends were on their way!
"Don't get your hopes up," she said coldly, her tone shifting from mild intrigue to bitter in an instant, "It would take them months to get here by carriage."
Nitro shrank back defensively, "So you intend to keep me locked up here for that long? What about Sami? He'll start asking questions he'll…!"
Morgan smirked, "My brother won't be coming for you. I've already told him that I saw someone of your appearance leaving the village. He thinks you've abandoned him~"
"W-What…?" Nitro felt his throat dry up as his heart hammered against his chest.
"Indeed," she continued, "No one's going to come looking for you, either way, I have no intentions of letting you go. The Queen believes you're a savage beast, and she'll continue to believe…"
"B-But why? I'm not going to attack anyone so w-why lock me up here?"
She walked along the prison floor, dragging her nails against the bars so it made a clicking noise, "You know Pandora was originally a land filled with indescribable things and wonder, like magic but more like manipulating the primal forces to your will…"
He frowned, "What do you mean…?"
"In the beginning, only those chosen by the gods could wield the natural energy freely, but eventually the powerless found a way to manipulate that energy themselves. While magic would create something from nothing, there were those of us who found an art that could take something and make it into something else… we called it Alchemy."
Nitro sat silently taking it. Pandora knew about magic, or at least it was recorded… the way she was talking it seemed like ancient history.
"One particular branch of alchemy was especially potent as it didn't require a Fragment of Remnant to be present. This one used a particular ingredient… of course, this technique was destroyed when the new regime took over. They saw it as barbaric and evil… so no one really knows about it… no one except those who were lucky enough to own a copy of the original texts…" She patted her cloak where he heard the sounds of fingers drumming against a leather-bound book.
"What are you getting at?"
"Did you know? According to some historical texts, humans did come to Pandora before, during the First Great War. It was only after that war did our people destroy the records of this ancient technique…"
Nitro's brow furrowed. He wasn't the smartest person in the world but he knew when he was being threatened…
If it was an ingredient that caused a technique to be labelled as taboo… and humans were gone before the technique was outlawed then…
"Does that technique require a human?" He asked cautiously.
She snapped her fingers, "Correct you are. That's why I need you," she smiled darkly, leaning against the bars of the prison, "I hope you get comfortable because for the rest of your miserable life, you're going to be my personal human blood bag… to create a special little potion to poison the Queen's mind…"
Nitro paled, "NO! WHAT?! I WOULD NEVER AGREE TO THIS!"
"What makes you think you have a choice~?" Morgan sneered, gripping the cage.
"W-When my friends find out they'll tear this place apart! They would never let this go!" he glared daggers at her.
She simply craned her head and laughed hard, "GOOD! Let them come… they will join you~ I hear dragon's blood is just as effective if not more powerful…"
He clenched his fists in rage, "You're going to regret this…"
She smirked, "I highly doubt that~ Now do be a dear and sit quietly, any attempt at forcing your way out of here will only result in…"
Nitro wasted no time, charging up his Aura into his fist he blitzed into the bars with all the force he could muster. The moment his fist collided with the metal it bounced back, slamming him against the back wall with the exact force he used against the cage.
"Ugh…" he groaned, picking himself off the floor, "What?!"
She tapped on the cage, "Reinforced Sea stone bars with Titanium. The special thing about Seastone is the reason why this castle stands so strong when there are monsters in the ocean below you… it's because it reacts with the same force is applied to it, flinging that force back in the opposite direction! Incredible right? The walls are lined with the same stuff…"
He felt his anger boiling… if only he had chosen to fight the guards back then he could've avoided this whole situation… the one time he chose not to use brute force. But it would've caused problems for Sami… he couldn't do that to him…
"Don't bother screaming. It absorbs sound just as well as it does force. I'll be back later to check on you okay~?" she smiled and walked away, leaving Nitro to grip the iron bars with white knuckles… seething.
The moment she was gone, "Sami… I'm sorry but the moment I get out of here I'm going to tear that bitch a new one…" he muttered to himself and slumped on the floor.
He had to find a way out… but how…?
-Everafter-
After leaving the Red Kingdom, Onyx and Salem found themselves being strung along on a journey by the Curious Cat. While the two were occupied with getting the staff and Little was occupied with ensuring they stayed alive, the cat was more preoccupied with asking them relentless questions.
"So... you two are... powerful beings hunting for this... staff? And there's this other powerful person called Salem who is like your... boss?" The cat asked as its front half trailed ahead and its lower half was doing back flips.
"Yes," Cinder answered with effort. Before her Grimmification process, she would have thoroughly denied being Salem's underling but her DNA would not let her refuse. A slave even when the Queen wasn't there...
Onyx on the other hand spat on the ground, "That woman is not my boss. If anything she's my stepping stone..." he snarled viciously.
The cat made a light shriek while Little cowered in Cinder's black cloak out of fear of the menacing Aura he was letting off.
"You dare take that tone when speaking about our Queen?" Cinder glowered at him, "Those words are reason enough for me to cut you down..."
Onyx's stone began to float wildly on his neck as his long mane of black hair rose up, his eyes staring darkly at Cinder, "Do not mistake my cooperation with you people as submission. Salem would be nothing without me, and her plans would not nearly be as effective if not for my help. We simply have a common goal. I am no one's pet, I am no one's pawn. I am my own master and you will do well to remember that..."
The miasma around Onyx seemed to take a new form affected by his building rage. Before it was akin to a poisonous cloud of vapour, but right now the mist that emanated out of him became fused with his Aura and the mysterious power of the Kuroseki such that it was like an entirely new creature manifesting behind him.
"If I told Salem about this she would not take it lightly..." Cinder threatened warily.
"She is already aware."
"W-what...?!" Cinder was shocked stiff.
He glared at her, "Do you think I was hiding it? Of course you would..." he scoffed, "Inferior beings such as you could not hope to fathom the thoughts of those who are at the peak of it all. It is precisely why you could never rise higher than you are."
The Curious Cat sensed this conversation was not something it could interfere with, and instead listened in, intrigued.
"H-HOW DARE YOU?!" Cinder's hands snapped into Wyvern Heads and threw blasts of the raging inferno at him with lightning speed. A lethal attack sure to kill a normal person, as the fireballs flew through the air, crashing into the meadows behind, exploding outward violently as dirt and grass splattered across the path.
Then she felt something grab her, strong and brutal hands grasped her neck and hoisted her high into the air.
"When did he get behind me?!" she thought but could not speak as her throat was being crushed by brute force.
Onyx hoisted her to his eye level while strangling her, "You would do well to remember the pecking order..." he stopped strangling her and placed her back gently onto the path.
Rubbing her throat she coughed violently, though she could not die as easily as strangulation, the pain was still very real. "W-Why did you stop...? Is it because you know you can't kill me like that?" she snarled, determined to be defiant until the end.
Onyx was amused with her attitude and smirked, "I am nothing if not a benevolent god. You still have a role to play, and despite your misguided mind I'm beginning to find your companionship rather entertaining..."
Immediately she gagged as if struck by a revolting smell, "Blegh..."
"Not like that you deranged woman," he rolled his eyes.
The meadows eventually crossed to an end as they now bordered on a dark forest that was bathed in the shadows of night. It was bewildering to see, on one half of the space was the bright, sunshine-filled meadow and a few steps ahead of them was a sea of trees covered in darkness, illuminated only by the glowing bioluminescent plants and insects that scattered like broken glass amidst the forest.
"Cat, how long until we arrive at the tree?" Onyx asked with annoyance.
The cat skipped a few meters and smiled, "Soon~ We just need to pass through this forest and we should be on the straight path out!" he lied as naturally as he breathed.
As they continued along the path, Onyx and Cinder found themselves alone, as the cat seemingly disappeared after chasing a butterfly. By now they were used to its antics but this time... it had been gone too long.
"Where is that damned cat...?" Cinder asked, looking all around them only to find trees and fireflies.
Onyx peered into the darkness and held up his hand. "Hold... something is up ahead..." Just as they rounded the corner a large mushroom that glowed bright blue and tinged in purple stuck out of the ground. It stood about two stories tall with a window on the upper level and a door on the ground floor.
"It seems like someone's house...?" Cinder asked curiously.
"Hmph..." Onyx brushed past her and walked straight up to the door and barged in, "Cat, are you here?"
The interior was dark, lt only by moonlight and a few jars of fireflies that buzzed against the glass container. A table stood in the center of the room that rang long across the back wall. On it stood various vials of liquids and items none of them had seen before.
"What are you?" A deep, raspy voice bellowed from the darkness as Onyx and Cinder stood back. Manifesting out of a string of smoke was the largest insect they'd ever seen. It was humanoid almost with a caterpillar-like posterior and six arms, three eyes and six insect wings growing from its back. Its body was dark blue matching the mushroom while its wings matched the bright blue of its glow.
"You are not the cat," Cinder pointed out blankly.
"Cat? I am no cat. I am the Herbalist, my question is What are you?" Herbalist responded in kind, his voice was even and calm for someone whose house had just been broken into.
"I am Onyx, and this is Cinder Fall," Onyx introduced them, "Where is the Curious Cat?"
The Herbalist frowned, "What exactly is... an Onyx and a Cinder Fall? What do you do?"
Cinder began, "We..."
"Doesn't fucking matter. Where is the cat? Or better yet how do we get to the Tree from here?" Onyx demanded, getting into the Herbalist's face.
Herb sighed heavily, "I see... I can help you, but it would take some time. Come with me," he lead them into the sitting room that resembled a hookah lounge with a large bonfire in the middle. Onyx and Cinder curiously followed in as the Herbalist began mixing several multicoloured leaves into a boil.
"What are you doing Herbalist?" Onyx demanded, being cautious not to begin threatening this creature. He was unsure whether this being had the same powers as the cat and if it did, he was unsure if the Kuroseki could devour its magic.
"A simple bit of preparation... I can get you where you need to go..." as the pot came to a boil he filled the liquid into the large bong device and took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke and before Onyx and Cinder could properly react he blew a thick bellow of black smoke that encompassed the room.
When Onyx opened his eyes he was not standing in the same room as before, but now he was standing in a room made entirely of walls of smoke, the floor too was covered in grey clouds. It smelled of nothing and felt as light as air.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he roared in fury, swinging his arms wildly, but his voice merely echoed around the room.
As the words died down, the smoke began to pillar into a humanoid figure as tall as he was, and much to his shock as the clouds dissipated, standing tall amidst the darkness was none other than... himself...
Meanwhile, Cinder found herself in a very similar situation... except standing before her was not her current self. No. It was her past self, who she was before the Fall of Beacon, before the scarring, and especially before Nova struck the fatal blow.
"My my..." her younger self said with a smug look, "Look at what you've done to yourself..."
Cinder stood quietly in shock as her other self spoke. Was this some sort of figment of her imagination? Or was it something else entirely?
"You've gone pale, lost your beauty... all in pursuit of power..." her other self taunted, "I know exactly where you went wrong."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" the real one snarled back viciously.
Her other self rolled her eyes, "Do I really need to spell it out for you?" she waved her hand as the smoke began to curl and morph into a mirror that stared back at her. The vile reflection of the person she'd turned into began to change.
"You've gone right back to square one..." fake Cinder snarled as the reflection transitioned into young Cinder, naught but a child less than twelve years old. The little girl with her black hair in pigtails, wearing a dirty apron and a shabby white top and matching pants. Covered in stains, working as a servant to a household that did not see her as anything but an expendable toy to be bullied.
Day in and day out Cinder would be forced to work like a slave, picking up after her masters, being treated like an animal, fed only scraps and old food while they wallowed in lavish luxury at her expense.
Seeing her past made Cinder fly into a fiery rage, "HOW DARE YOU SHOW ME THIS!" she lashed out at the fake Cinder only for her arms to pass through the smokey creation.
"Don't get mad at me," she growled back, "I'm just reminding you, that you're in the exact same position now as you were back then."
"I AM NOT! I AM POWERFUL I AM...!"
"Are you really?" the fake one tapped her chin, "If you were that powerful then why did you get beaten by those kids? By that prince?" the smoke showed the very moment when Nova struck the final blow, sending her near lifeless body careening over the edge. Then when she was fighting Weiss, Neo and Winter only to be saved by Summer.
"Looks to me like your 'power' isn't so great..."
"THAT WAS BECAUSE THEY...!"
"EXCUSES!" Her fake self smashed the mirror in rage and stomped over to the real Cinder. "ALL YOU EVER SEEM TO HAVE THESE DAYS IS EXCUSES! IT COST YOU EVERYTHING TO BECOME LIKE THIS, THE VERY THING YOU WANTED MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!"
"... my freedom..." Cinder finished in a small voice. The fake's words rang like alarm bells in her head, it was like her subconscious was talking to her.
"That's right, your freedom," she balled up her fists, "All your life you've wanted power but you've forgotten the reason why you've needed that power!"
"I..."
"SAY IT."
"I wanted the power to never be chained down again..."
"And yet here you are... a slave in your own body..." the fake spat, "You've become the very thing you swore to never be again..." she trailed circles around Cinder, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "You should have chosen to die back then..."
The fake was making more sense than Cinder had heard from her own head in years. She'd coveted power her whole life and lost sight of what she truly saught after... and in that process lost herself. She was no longer her own person, a mere puppet on strings to a creature more vile and powerful than she could ever comprehend.
But perhaps it was in meeting Salem that Cinder realized subconsciously that she was but a mere frog in a well, unaware of what monsters the world truly held. Salem was stronger than her, Onyx was stronger than her, Summer was stronger than her, Nova was stronger than her... Ruby was stronger than her. Everyone that meant something was far more powerful than she was...
So what hope did that leave?
Where was her place on the pecking order?
Was she doomed to be a mere bottom feeder her whole life? Despite her attempts to be better, to be stronger...
"What would you have me do...?" she felt her voice choke as she asked her fake self.
"Me? Well if it was me I'd have done it differently. I'd never look for power from someone else... real power comes from yourself, and no one else, because Cinder Fall needs no one else..."
Her eyes shot wide at the realization. Cinder Fall needed no one else.
A plan began to form in her mind...
Onyx looked at himself and smiled broadly, "Well now... I have to admit I don't look half bad."
His fake version folded its arms, "Is this really what we've become?" its eyes narrowed and glared at Onyx. "Mistaken for a mere underling? What kind of image have you been portraying..."
Onyx's eyes narrowed in return, "What are you implying?"
"What are you? Onyx Steelemane, what are we?" it asked, standing tall without moving an inch.
He was confused, "What do you mean? We are Onyx Steelemane, High Commander of the White Fang, master of legions, a power strong enough to make the very earth tremble in fear!"
"Really now? That's interesting..." the fake mused, "High Commander of a faction that no longer exists, eradicated by the hatchling and his friends. Master of legions of dead soldiers and an army that was destroyed. Power strong enough to make that pathetic woman think you were on the same level. How disgraceful."
Onyx felt the veins in his head swell with anger, "YOU DARE UNDERMINE ME?!"
"Wow, and resorting to anger and displays of force when they don't take you seriously," fake Onyx let out a throaty laugh, "You are a sad sight to watch..."
"I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT! I AM ONYX STEELEMANE I AM..."
"An egotistical maniac who's so blinded by his goal that he forgot what we were doing this all for..." the fake passed through Onyx and just like on Cinder's end, created a mirror out of smoke that stared Onyx in the face.
"Let me... remind you..."
-Pandora 150 Years ago-
The Kingdom of Pandora reigned for the past few millennia, undergone numerous changes and evolutions. Now it consisted of the Three Kingdoms of Luxalia, Oceanis and Aeros, with Castle Firestone standing in the very center of it all. Overseeing smaller towns were the Belladonnas (formerly the Shadow Claws but opted to change their family name), the black panther clan aided by the blue-tailed Peacock clan.
The Grey Wolf and Black Bear clans joined the royal house of the Flarehearts as branch families, becoming the arms and legs of their military.
The Bears would become their main attack force, the knights that would serve the family directly while the wolves were the scouting force with their superior tracking skills. The king at the time, the first Alexandrite Flareheart was a well-respected King of great integrity, but his methods were... extreme. He would not tolerate lawbreaking and civil unrest to the point where lethal force would sometimes be used. He strived to uphold the values of the first king, Adamantite Flareheart to the point of being overbearing.
The Fragments of Remnant at the time were guarded by different families, the Agniseki by the Flarehearts, the Cryoseki by the Frostfangs, the Aeroseki by the Bladewings (Hawks), the Terraseki by the Blackpaws (Bears).
These gems acted as the source of power for the families, their children born as Aspects were at least once per generation and due to the close proximity to the primal sources allowed for children to be born with powers of the Aspects to a much lesser degree.
The Frostfangs learned to manipulate the cold while their aspects learned much more becoming powerhouses of ice and water. The Belladonnas became conduits of shadow and darkness the assassins of the King. The Blackpaws gained control over the earth, manipulating it to an extent for some, while others had their bodies hardened like tempered steel, their Aspects would be strong enough to move mountains.
The Bladewings could channel the wind to their will, and their Aspects become lords of the storm.
The Flarehearts were special however, their children could channel fire but their Aspects could erupt volcanoes at will, draw the very magma from the earth and set fire to the world if they so chose to, but in addition to all of that, occasionally a Flareheart would be born with the power to wield magic, create things from nothing, bend the laws of nature to their will beyond what any Aspect was capable of. But... they were rare.
Once King Alexandrite was crowned, he deemed the rampant spread of this power to be too dangerous to be left uncontrolled. His first act as King was to retrieve every Fragment of Remnant, to lock them in a vault below Castle Firestone, never to be touched again by the likes of the Faunus. To him, this was a necessary measure to ensure continued peace for his Kingdom, as he foresaw that as the Faunus evolved they would become prone to mortal desires. By the teachings of the first Dragon, each King ruled differently but abided by the same rules:
The Fragments must never be misused.
The Aspects must never be allowed free reign of their powers.
Peace must be kept at all costs, we must never become a reason for the gods to erase the earth again.
The Faunus must be the prime example for the rest of the world.
To Alexandrite the first, he saw the only way to maintain their peace was to restrict the power.
To the rest of the Kingdom, this was seen as unreasonable, a move that was far too drastic and unnecessary.
Some gave up their Fragments willingly, the Frostfangs whose loyalty to the crown was undeniable gave theirs up without hesitation as did the Belladonnas. To the others, force needed to be used. The Blackpaw Knights, Frostfang scouts and Belladonna Assassins were sent to those who refused.
The Bladewings caved without much show of resilience, their Fragment was taken, but the Blackpaws, the most loyal knights of the kingdom... had an inner conflict.
Bastion Blackpaw, leader of the clan and right-hand man of the King was adamant against giving up his clan's stone.
"It is because of this Fragment that we can perform our duties to the Kingdom!" Bastion would claim at the meeting of the clan elders.
"We must obey the King's command. Does your trust in the royal family waver?!" the elders would fight back, "If our King deems it necessary then who are we to disobey?!"
At the time of this struggle, the clan leader's son was but a knight in training. Onyx Blackpaw, son of Bastion Blackpaw was a promising warrior, a genius fighter on the battlefield blessed with a steel-like body so much stronger than anything the clan had produced before. No blade could pierce his hide, he bore no scars for he felt no pain. Sixteen years old and standing already at a towering six feet five inches in height, he was nicknamed the Goliath.
Despite his brawn, he did not lack in brains, for Onyx was a quick study, a calculating mind that was colder than ice and sharper than any blade. The promising heir idolized his father, for he saw not just a knight in him, but a hero, a man who would not waver his beliefs no matter what, and always strived to do the right thing.
When asked what his side on the matter was, there was only one answer from the young Onyx's lips: "I will follow the lead of my father."
This conflict would last several weeks before the King gave Bastion an ultimatum. "Give up the stone or be tried for treason. It is your choice, old friend..." Alexandrite said as he sat upon the throne of Castle Firestone, staring down at his right-hand man with a cold and unwavering gaze.
Bastion would feel the shock and pain of this order, he was sure that his King would understand his views... but... he was wrong. Friendship and loyalty were never as strong as Alexandrite's beliefs in his ideals. There would be no compromise, Bastion knew this.
That night he would head back to his home with a grim look on his face, gazing upon his son he would say, "The crown has abandoned us, my son. They will come for me soon to take me away, they will take our Fragment. I will not ask you to go against them, I would not wish the same fate upon my son..."
"D-Dad what...? B-But you've done nothing wrong you...!"
"I have given the King my answer, and I shall be punished for it, do not let my sins stain you..." with that Bastion would leave his home and his son behind.
Onyx followed his father out, desperately chasing after him into the night as Bastion approached the steps of Castle Firestone, "ALEXANDRITE!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, thrusting his hand in the air with the dark brown prism in his hands, "YOU SEEK OUR FRAGMENT! THEN COME AND TAKE IT FROM ME!"
The son could only watch as the King and his guards stormed the castle steps, and what followed was a brutal and bloody battle. A single man stood alone, fighting off dozens of guards and the very King himself. Earth flew, fire rained, spears were thrown, swords clashed... heads rolled.
At the end of the clash, Bastion was finally brought to his knees not before killing almost an entire palace's worth of guards. The Frostfang scouts were staring with cold indifference while the Blackpaw knights resolved their conflicts against their captain.
The scene remained ingrained into Onyx's head that night, of his father covered in blood with three spears piercing through his chest and out of his back, with wounds deeper than any medicine could heal.
Something snapped within the boy that night as his rational mind abandoned him. With a violent rage, Onyx charged at the King, tossing the remaining guards to the ground as he clashed swords with King Alexandrite.
"Determined to avenge your father," King Alexandrite said to him as their blades meshed, "You are far too young to fight this battle." The King would then summon the power of the Aspect of Fire, as the earth erupted below Onyx scalding him with magma and sending him high into the air before the King's sword heated white hot. That blade would slash across Onyx's back as he fell, the first scar to grace his features.
"I will overlook this insubordination as a blind act of grief. Pick up your sword and leave now before I try you for treason just like your father..." Alexandrite gave the young Onyx mercy. A warrior who only knew kill or be killed was having his life spared... it was disgraceful.
The King would soon learn to regret this decision...
Onyx left the Kingdom that night with vengeance and hatred in his heart. Disillusioned with his path in life he wandered the continent until his feet could wander no more. He began to see the Kingdom in a new light, that those living under the regime were living a false life controlled by people who were of a higher power than they were. At the end of the day, what made the Flarehearts so special? If it were not for Alexandrite's irrational paranoia, then his father would be alive. The Kingdoms would still have their power...
Did the king just want all the power for himself?
Beyond the mountains, beyond the chasm, into the dark lands of which no Faunus dared step. Lands filled with the vile creatures of Grimm. Onyx entered into a land where danger lurked at every corner, and monsters attacked him day and night without giving him a moment's rest, it was truly a living hell... yet it was in this place he had never felt more alive...
As his weary legs collapsed on the desolate, blackened earth near a particularly large pool of blackened ichor, Onyx would find his strength. As if waiting for him to walk by, the pool bubbled like a boiling broth as the ichor bubble grew bigger and bigger until it exploded, splashing liquid destruction across the plains, narrowly missing the downed man.
As his head tore up in a panic, he witnessed a world of nothingness. The land beyond was a vast space of death, there was no trace of life... no trace of the Kingdom. It was there he gained enlightenment, for in this death where only the vicious and strong survived, there was innate peace.
In order to fix this broken system... he had to destroy it. Raze it to the ground and from its ashes he would light anew a world just like this one, where peace reigned, where only the strong would survive and the weak would be crushed. Where ideals and morals didn't matter... because in chaos there was harmony...
-Present Day-
"And so you went on to every kingdom, sewing seeds of discord and dividing their loyalties to the crown. Little by little for years you turned them on each other and amassed enough force to start a civil war..." fake Onyx narrated as the scene ended. "It was in that civil war did you abandon the name Blackpaw and take on the mantle of Steelemane"
Onyx snarled, "It worked, though not as well as I hoped... we still lost..."
Fake Onyx shrugged, "Yeah your faction lost the war, you were driven out but look at the impact you left behind. Pandora was never the same, the Flarehearts were almost wiped out and the Faunus were scattered across Remnant. You did this, you are the reason things are the way they are today..." he mused as the smoke began to swirl around him, "If you ask me, that you was far more impressive than whatever this is..."
Onyx growled but slowly it transformed into a throaty laughter, "I see... I think I get it now..."
Fake Onyx nodded and smiled darkly as the smoke manifested into a throne, "The strong reign supreme, and in the world of the strong, you are King. You know what to do when you get back..."
"I do indeed..."
The smoke dissipated and Onyx and Cinder found themselves back in Herb's room, with the Curious Cat standing over the Herbalist with a shocked expression, staring at the two with wide eyes. The Herbalist looked worse for wear as his eyes were sagged down and his chest heaved unevenly, his body frailer than before.
Onyx and Cinder looked at each other, the former spoke first, "I assume you had the same experience I did?" he raised an eyebrow at her.
Cinder seemed to glow with newfound confidence, an aura of inspiration that was almost visible from her posture to the look in her eyes, "Indeed, it was... quite enlightening..."
"So was mine," Onyx smiled evilly and snapped to the cat, "Are we ready to head to the tree now?"
The cat sighed heavily, "I was hoping this would turn out differently... but I see now that I may have to undertake a new strategy..." he said it so quietly none of them heard.
"What was that?" Cinder glowered.
"I was saying that if you're ready to head to the tree then we can head soon, we just need to make it out of the forest and..."
"Good, it's a straight road I assume," Onyx smirked.
The cat rolled its eyes as it tapped Herb on the shoulder, a path of magic flowed from the cat to Herb, "It's okay Herb... you've worked hard... its time you found something new..." the cat said almost despondently.
Onyx and Cinder watched in mild horror as the ground beneath the Herbalist opened up into a dark chasm filled with roots that sucked the caterpillar man down.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Cinder exclaimed in horror as she watched it unfold.
"Herb simply needed a restart... it's quite normal..."
"SO YOU KILLED HIM?!" Cinder was alarmed.
"No, in this world you don't die you simply ascend..."
"Stop speaking in riddles and just lead us to the tree already!" Onyx demanded, unphased by what just happened.
The Curious Cat simply sighed again and beckoned them to follow, meanwhile, Little inside Cinder's cloak was shivering in fear... when Cinder said she had a plan... the mouse felt something sickening crawl down their spine...
Alright that's it for now! Next time we're going to look after Gauge, check out Castle Firestone and hope Nitro doesn't bleed to death! Also maybe the epilogue of the Shade War!