Summer wanted Ruby to go to sleep after noticing the time of night, but Ruby wouldn't listen. Even when her head was bobbing up and down and her eyes half-lidded, Ruby refused to let go of Summer's pant leg.
After Summer had let go of Ruby after a warm hug, Summer was currently walking Ruby back to her room.
"Y-Yang and Daddy said you were gone, B-But I believed in Mr. Hero," Ruby stuttered, large eyes blinking. Her feet were almost catching on the blanket she had draped around herself and it was making Summer worried that she may trip and fall.
"Mommy's very happy Little Rose, but she's also very mad," Summer stopped moving and knelt down to pick up the parts of Ruby's blanket that were dragging against the floor. Thereafter, she stared long and hard at Ruby who began to fidget.
Ruby could recognize the expression on Summer's face, it was the same kind Summer always made whenever Ruby tried to sneak another six cookies from the cookie jar at home.
"Do you know why Mommy's mad?" Summer placed her hands over Ruby's shoulders, using her finger to turn Ruby's face towards her when Ruby kept glancing away.
"No," Ruby answered in a small voice, her pupils darting.
"Ruby Rose, look at me when I'm talking to you," a smile crept up Summer's lips, but she did her best to maintain her sternness.
Ruby froze before nodding her head obediently.
"Good, that's my Little Rose," Summer ruffled Ruby's hair before hardening her resolve. "Do you know why mommy's mad?" She asked again.
Ruby stayed silent, twiddling her fingers and body fidgeting.
Watching her youngest daughter, Summer could only sigh before lightly bopping her on the head. "What did I tell you about leaving home without me or your dad?"
"That I have to ask first," Ruby lowered her gaze in guilt. "B-But Mr. Hero took me," she tried to defend.
Summer had no response to give other than a shake of her head. There was no way she could explain to her child that the remaining two red marks on her hands were something Shirou called Command Seals. It didn't matter if Shirou took Ruby or not if Shirou didn't have a choice in the matter.
Wordlessly, Summer took Ruby into her arms and hugged her. Even without saying it, she could understand that Ruby must have missed her dearly to risk a heavy scolding.
It warmed Summer's heart, but at the same time, it was like a knife was twisting itself in her chest. After all, she knew better than anyone, that she wouldn't be able to stay with her daughter for much longer.
Right hand pressing Ruby's head to the groove of her shoulder, Summer's eyes dimmed when she stared at the translucency of her other hand. The fingertips were already starting to fade in little mots of white light.
She fell into a daze, and it was only when Ruby tried to push away from her that Summer nearly panicked, her breath hitching as her muscles tensed.
Immediately, she put more strength into her right arm and prevented Ruby from turning around. Summer didn't know what Ruby would do if she noticed what was happening.
There would not be any words of comfort Summer could give if Ruby noticed her disappearing bit by bit.
Summer pursed her lips and carried Ruby directly back to her room, a tremble in her shoulders.
"Mommy?" Ruby called out to her, the grip she had over Ruby was getting tighter.
"It's alright Little Rose, don't worry about mommy," Summer comforted, placing Ruby down on the bed while subtly hiding her left hand. "Stay there for a bit okay?"
Perhaps Ruby realized that there was something wrong, so she wanted to refuse, but the stern glare pointed her way cowed her into submission. She anxiously bit down on her lips as she watched Summer move away from her and towards the desk in the room.
Once there Summer pulled out a piece of paper and an ink pen before laying them flat over the table's surface.
Holding the pen in her right hand, Summer's heart began to race as she peered down at her left hand. Most of it was already gone while portions of her body too were beginning to fade. Fortunately, she was still wearing her cloak, otherwise Ruby would have long since noticed.
Taking in a shuddering breath, Summer took the pen in her right hand and began contemplating. Her index finger had already disappeared and the rest of her hand was quickly following.
She was running out of time.
If her thumb were to vanish then she would no longer even be able to hold the pen.
Mind racing, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat and began writing.
Her lips were quivering. She was the most unwilling to see herself disappear. Not only did she want more time with Ruby, but she dearly wished to see Tai and Yang as well. Ruby didn't have to say it, but Summer could already imagine just how hard Tai and Yang must be taking her absence.
What she really wanted to do was pen down page after page of letters to comfort them, but all she could do was try to convey her meanings through the briefest of words in hopes that Tai would understand.
Maidens.
Ozpin.
Mission.
She scribbled the words down hurriedly while her thoughts spun around in her head.
She was unwilling.
The regrets within her piling up within her chest and suffocating her.
She swallowed as a stray thought entered her mind.
A light of hope. From what Shirou had said, she was only a spirit, but didn't that mean her body was somewhere else?
Trapped.
She penned the word down before she even realized it, yet quickly fell into trepidation. Even she did not know the extent of what had happened to her on her mission.
If Tai or Qrow were to see such a message, would they recklessly move out on their own?
The pen she had in her hand hovered over the word, yet she couldn't find the will to cross it out. Her actual body was her only sliver of hope to one day return to her family's side not as a spirit, but as she once was. A Mother.
She couldn't bare to do it.
The pen moved away and began writing once more.
By now, she was barely able to write by using her thumb and ring finger, her index and middle finger entirely gone.
She had to hurry, she reminded herself.
S-Something only she would know.
There was no way Tai or Qrow would believe in random words and messages without proof. Hurriedly jotting down the first things that came to mind, her writing was starting to become nearly illegible. In the end though, she managed to pull through.
She sighed in relief.
Staring at the obscure letter she had written, she wasn't certain of what changes it would bring, but at the very least, there was something of merit to it.
'I'm still here.'
It was a message.
A hope not only for herself, but for Tai, Qrow, and Yang.
Folding the letter up into halves, she suddenly stilled and stared back down at the letter.
With her right-hand moments away from completely fading, she hesitated before penning down one final sequence of messages.
She herself wasn't certain, but without a real physical body, she would never know. It was something else to look into. A tale of folklore that Summer was steadily realizing had more merit to it than what she had once assumed.
-Legends.
-Myths.
-Sword of Remnant.
She nodded her head as the image of a red-mantled individual entered her mind. His back straight, like the steel of a blade, and his eyes a deep bronze reflecting the flames of an eternal forge.
It was done.
Everything that she needed to settle was complete.
Moving away from the desk, she hid her faded hands away from Ruby's searching gaze and subtly placed the letter in front of Ruby. "Take this Little Rose and give it to daddy, okay?"
Ruby blinked, before slowly agreeing. However, even if she was still small and didn't understand the larger implications of the real world, her instincts as a child were spot on.
"Y-You're leaving again," she stuttered out accusingly, pointing a finger out in her unwillingness. The tears forming in Ruby's eyes were enough to cause Summer's own to moisten, but she forced the feeling down.
Stern,
Stern Summer.
For your daughter.
She forced out a wry smile. "Yes, Little Rose, I'm going on another mission. This time for a really long time. Promise me you'll behave and listen to Mr. Hero?"
Ruby didn't nod her head or do anything. She just stared, nearly causing Summer to flinch because somehow, in a deeper part of herself, she knew that Ruby could see through her façade. Even as Summer spoke, she herself could hear the misery in her tone, laced within the words she struggled to let out calmly.
Silence.
A minute, then two.
Summer suddenly stood up to leave, turning her back on Ruby. After all, Summer was becoming conscious of the fact that her entire body was finally beginning to fade and wished to hide the fact.
"M-Mommy no!" Ruby tried to grab Summer's cloak, but was shocked when her hands passed directly through. In her hysteria, her mind hardly even registered the phenomenon.
"RUBY ROSE," Summer strongly voiced out, freezing Ruby on her spot atop the bed. "Promise me."
"B-But,"
"PROMISE ME."
"Y-Yes." Ruby closed her mouth tightly, her cheeks puffed and red.
Keep strong Little Rose.
Summer's shoulder's sagged.
"T-That's my girl," her voice quivered before she spoke one last sentence. "It's time for you to go home. Daddy and Yang are waiting."
In the next moment, Summer quickly stepped out of the room, preventing Ruby from arguing any further.
"Mommy!" Ruby called, jumping out of her bed and chasing. However, from the moment she entered the hall directly outside of her room, the only thing that entered her sight were floating particles of dust: Balls of light that resembled stardust.
Summer Rose was gone.
Ruby forced her tears back. She wouldn't cry. She was a big girl now. Besides, her mommy was an official Huntress, she'll come back surely.
Pursing her lips, Ruby reluctantly headed back onto her bed where she took the letter her mother had passed to her and clutched onto it tightly as a source of comfort. Soon, the sound of her soft snoring was the only noise in the room, yet Ruby wasn't exactly alone.
Summer released her breath and stared at her hands which passed directly through her daughter.
Everything was back to how it once was.
She a spirit that could not touch nor interact with the physical world.
She laughed bitterly, but at the same time, she was grateful.
Staring at a certain corner of the room, Summer watched as Shirou took form.
He looked exceedingly exhausted, his complexion pale.
"I am never doing that again," Shirou murmured.
Allowing Summer to tamper with his spirit origin had caused no small amount of trouble. To begin with, he had no idea what Summer was doing while using his Spirit Origin, and secondly, in his state of temporary stasis, he had seen something too disturbing for him to imagine.
The Spirit Origins of men and women were different per Heroic Spirit, but the fact that he'd allowed Summer to access it, caused a problem with the script. For an instant, he had seen the image of an altered female version of himself as his Spirit Origin tried to determine the dominant gender.
He shivered.
No.
He was not doing this again. He swore it.
More than just the horrifying prospect of it, it taxed him greatly as he didn't want to drastically alter anything vital to his origin.
Fortunately, the state was temporary, his title as the 'Nameless' Heroic Spirit rejecting Summer's complete overlapping with his Spirit Origin.
At the very least, he hoped that Summer had done her job of convincing Ruby to leave.
Speaking of Summer, she was being oddly quiet. "Is there something wrong?" He asked.
She was floating in the air at this point, her legs crossed and her hands over her knees.
"No," she shook her head thoughtfully. "No, it's nothing, Mr. Hero."
Mr. Hero?
Who was Summer calling Mr. Hero?
Worse, did Summer call him that to Ruby?
Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose. He was already having enough trouble as it was trying to change the way Ruby addressed him, and hearing Mr. Hero from her Mother would solidify the form of address.
He conveyed his frustration to Summer, but the woman didn't seem to notice.
She was just staring at him.
"The Sword of Remnant," she murmured to herself. Was it really possible?
She continued to stare, a fire lighting in her eyes.
Shirou's brows furrowed, feeling like he was missing something important.
Yet regardless,
Perhaps the answer wasn't something he wanted to hear?
He shrugged his shoulders, and turned his attention away, a trail of moonlight basking over his form.
Neither knowing victory nor defeat.
In pursuit of a dream beyond reach, his was a story of solitude and loss.
Yet still, with the same hands that could no longer hold anything, the hopes of the people were ceaselessly piled upon him.
Saviour.
Liberator.
He who bore the weight of his responsibilities trudged on.
A Hero before the dawn of Dust.
His was a blade of myth, his means utilizing the pinnacle of Human strength.
Crystalized legends.
Objects of faith granted power by strength of belief.
He was a simple man, neither demanding nor obstructing.
A Nameless Sword.
That would one day arrive and bring an end to the cursed darkness illuminated by a shattered moon.
Never relenting.
Never ceasing.
For one did not need a reason to help another.
Praised and praised all around.
Yet always alone upon a desolate hill of swords.
Steel rusted and worn.
Abandoned by all.
Summer woke up the next morning with a start, well, if it was even possible for a spirit to sleep.
She didn't think too deeply on the matter and instead began frowning as she recalled the opening lines of the myth she once heard.
She stared hard at Shirou who was busy attending to Ruby's breakfast.
'Always alone,'
The words popped into her head without warning. It disturbed her far more than she wanted to admit.
At this point, she was almost certain of just 'who' Shirou actually was. Regardless of what things he told her or what stories he spoke of, there was no changing the fact that Shirou's capabilities were far beyond normal.
He was definitely who she thought he was. Based on what she could remember from the myth, many things were told of his coming.
Of his insecurities and his goals.
The many hardships along the journey something he would bear alone without hesitation.
She silently floated over. "If you need help you can always call on me," she said earnestly.
"Ugh, what?" Shirou looked at her funny, but she could tell that he must simply be acting.
"Please remember that you don't have to bear everything on your own."
Shirou walked passed Summer with an expression of bewilderment. Was she suffering an adverse effect after coming in contact with his Spirit Origin?
He kept his mouth shut lest he make the situation any weirder.
"Don't you dare forget!"
Summer's voice carried behind him, but by this point, Shirou was already leaving the kitchen of Rose Manor and heading towards Ruby's room.
Opening the door, he walked in and placed breakfast in front of Ruby who woke up at his entry.
"Morning, Master," he greeted.
"Morning Mr. Hero."
He forced his brows not to twitch, but it was beyond difficult.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Are you ready to go today?" He asked.
For the past few days since he'd arrived at the village of Faunus, he'd been trying to get Ruby to agree to go back to Patch every morning with little effect. Today however was different.
Her face scrunched up and she was clearly hesitating.
Off to the side, he noticed Summer float in and he discreetly sent her his thanks. It was clear that she had talked some sense into her daughter.
"Not yet," Ruby said after a moment.
He inwardly deflated at Ruby's answer, but grew hopeful when he realized that she wasn't done speaking.
"Maybe in a few more days?" Ruby spoke, her gaze lowering as she fiddled with her hands. She didn't say it, but she was hoping that Summer would return the longer she stayed.
Shirou considered Ruby's words and approved. "Very well," he said. "We'll leave as soon as I settle some problems for this settlement."
"Can I come too?" Ruby asked as Shirou stood up to leave.
"Not this time. Besides, you still wanted to practice with the others later in the morning anyway," Shirou reasoned.
As for the Faunus children Raymond asked for him to train, the majority of what he had to teach them were already completed based on what Summer had told him. To begin with, the one who was actually teaching Ruby and the other kids was Summer whose words he simply repeated after.
Summer had told him that he wasn't allowed to increase the difficulty of training too much until the children could use the Aura within their bodies to an efficient degree. After all, children's bodies were the least developed and over straining themselves would lead to more adverse effects than good. With that in mind, the Aura practices Summer taught were already sufficient for the time they spent in the settlement. Moreover, Summer had helped him to tailor-make a suitable training plan for the individual children.
Shirou didn't even have to monitor their progress very closely anymore. He left that task to some of the elder Faunus within the settlement.
In the mean time, he had many things he had to do.
Word in the town had spread of the capabilities he displayed in the last attack by the Grimm, and many of the Faunus were looking at him differently than before. Of course, their expressions weren't the warmest, but at the very least there was no longer any potent animosity.
It was something he already understood through observation, but Remnant had never seen the true power of a Noble Phantasm.
Caladbolg was too much of a shocker for them as it didn't possess any traces of Dust or Aura around it which could explain its explosive energy.
To them, and Summer who had witnessed it first hand, it was something directly out of a story book. As such, every time he appeared in the settlement, he'd be the center of attention, the crowd around him full of murmurs.
The entire situation made him uncomfortable so he tended to avoid the crowded spaces.
Exiting Rose Manor, his lip twitched when he noticed that he had a straggler on his tail.
Summer Rose was following him.
"Isn't it better for you to stay by Ruby's side?" He questioned.
"Who says I wasn't?" Summer asked in monotone, pointing to Ruby trailing behind him. "It would seem that she'd rather go with you than be left alone with the other children. Really, I worry for her future if she ends up socially awkward."
He turned around to look at Ruby, but by the time he did, she was already attempting to climb up his pant leg.
Inwardly lamenting, he placed an arm under Ruby's legs and hoisted her up into a carry.
He didn't want to bring her along because it could get dangerous, but at the same time, he was more concerned with the suspicion that she'd try to sneak out of Rose Manor and try to find him herself. Convinced that it was too dangerous to leave her, he reluctantly took on his role as a Servant.
"You're really a handful, you know?" He spoke as he tousled Ruby's hair.
"No," she was quick to deny.
He laughed and decided to just get on his way.
Making sure that the town's people weren't nearby to notice him, he quickly left in the direction of the surrounding eastern forest.
Summer had no trouble keeping up with him as the sound of her nagging entered his ears, but by now, he'd just gotten so used to it that it hardly phased him anymore.
Travelling while tucking Ruby's head into the groove of his shoulder to shield her form the wind, he soon ended up at his target location.
It was around this current area.
His eyes scanned back and forth before he nodded his head and proceeded to perch himself atop one of the highest trees.
Staring at him, Summer didn't quite know what to make of it. On one hand, the fluidity and certainty in his movements denoted a high level of experience, yet she could not understand his purpose.
As a Huntress that had worked in the field for years, she had developed a strong sense of awareness. In the nearby vicinity, she could detect no presence of Grimm or hostiles. This was primarily the reason why she wasn't too concerned about Ruby's safety after Shirou had placed her down on the ground.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask for a while now, but what exactly are you trying to do?" She called out.
Glancing at her direction, Shirou answered plainly.
"Provoking," was his answer. "Based on the information you've told me; the Grimm do not attack the other established Kingdoms like Vale or Mistral lightly."
Summer nodded her head in agreement, before deciding to float up beside Shirou so he didn't have to raise his voice. Ruby was already becoming confused, thinking that Shirou was talking to her. "Your point?" Summer furrowed her brows.
"The question is why?" Shirou said absently while turning his attention back to the matter at hand, crouching low as he narrowed his eyes towards the distance. He seemed to be searching for something but wasn't quite finding it.
He clicked his tongue.
"If you're asking why the Grimm don't attack Kingdoms like Mistral or Vale, it's because the Grimm grow smarter with age and experience. The Elder Grimm know that attacking without preparation could only mean death," Summer elaborated.
Arching his body, Shirou pulled himself up to a higher branch and suddenly smiled.
Found it.
It was sitting right here.
In front of him were the imprints of bird-like talons. From the prints, Shirou could detect the lingering energy that the Grimm normally exuded. This time however, the potency was far more intense.
Now in spiritual form, Summer was experiencing things that she could never have had felt in her physical body. Staring at the markings left behind, she felt an ominous premonition of danger.
"T-That is?" She asked Shirou.
"The Elder Grimm from the last attack," he replied curtly. "If the reason the Grimm don't attack the other kingdoms is because the Elder Grimm have learned to fear or grow weary of those places like you said, than to save this settlement, we must give them something to mull over."
Summer suddenly stilled. "Wait, you said 'provoke,' didn't you?"
"Yup."
"You want it to attack?!" Summer couldn't believe what she was hearing. Unlike Vale or Mistral which had defensive fortifications to defend the citizens in times of turmoil, the current settlement had nothing of the sort.
Summer glared at Shirou in accusation.
"There's no other choice," he sighed regretfully. "Although it's possible to track the Elder Grimm down, there's no guarantee that more Grimm will not just take over its place. We have to make them learn that the settlement is a hazard zone beyond taking a risk. It's called association."
Summer huffed as she crossed her arms. "I don't like it," she admitted. It wasn't as if she couldn't understand the points Shirou had made, but the entire concept of luring Grimm to areas of population went against everything she believed in as a Huntress.
The only thing stopping her from out-right arguing was the fact that a part of her strongly believed in the legends. If the Maidens were real, then didn't that mean that all the other mythological heroes had their own points of basis?
She wanted to believe in the stories she grew up listening to.
Remnant needed its Heroes.
Pursing her lips, her glare soon shifted into neutrality as her displeasure would lead to nothing productive. "Well, even if you've decided to provoke the Elder Grimm, tough luck. I can't sense anything in the area."
Shirou turned to face Summer, before giving a knowing expression.
Summer's words were true, and for any common Huntsman in Remnant, there really would be no way. But he wasn't exactly a Huntsman to begin with.
'Trace, On.'
His Magic Circuits thrummed as he extended his left-hand outwards, magic coalescing over his palm which slowly took the shape of a black sword of sharpened metal. Layer upon layer of thin obsidian steel were riveted in place by directly casting the blade along with its hilt. It was made entirely out of the metal and it possessed no cross guard.
Even just staring it could give on an uneasy feeling.
Summer herself was paying rapt attention to the entire process and understood instantly that what she was seeing was not a construct made from aura or someone's semblance. It was different.
There was an air around it that seemed to make it come alive.
If not for the fact that Shirou was clearly the one who made it, then she would never have had allowed herself to come so close. It felt like one of those times where one could just intuitively know that an item was malicious or cursed on sight.
"W-What kind of sword is that?" Summer stuttered out.
Shirou shrugged his shoulders. It would take too long for him to explain, and most of his explanation would go in one ear and out the other anyway. "You're a spirit, so this will probably give you the best idea." He extended the handle towards her. "Here, hold it."
Summer stared apprehensively at the sword offered in front of her, and then towards Shirou.
Even if they only knew each other for the better most part of a few days, the incident that occurred last night already solidified the trust she had in him.
Shakily, she reached her hand out, and grasped the hilt of the sword.
-!
The bards sing of a song of old.
Her eyes widened, her breath hitching as words and images played in her ears.
From the castle of Hrothgar, to its great hall of bountiful bread and mead.
Hail him, O great Hero of the Danes.
King of the Geats!
She swallowed. W-What was going on?
Shirou, the forest, everything around her seemed to vanish as her soul melded with the blade in her hand from her point of contact.
A sword that seeks the blood.
War, death, battle, the scenes playing across her mind led up to a single conclusion.
A streak of crimson tearing across the plains, feeding from the life of its prey.
The Red Hound of the plains.
"Hrunting, the sword that hunts monsters," Shirou's voice snapped her out of her daze. "Weapon of the Hero of the oldest surviving epic poem."
Summer was stunned. Even if she could hear Shirou's words, her soul was focusing on another aspect, the figure of a man so covered in blood and injuries that his skin was tanned and heavily scarred.
She knew this image.
She'd seen this image.
From the tales of heroes and legends recorded in Remnant's museums; most thought up to be mere fairy tales as the enemies and monsters involved were not the Grimm. She had read them regardless, even if she didn't fully believe in them- until now.
She stared at the sword in her hand. A weapon different from any she had ever seen, for it was a sword of fables.
T-The sword of Beowulf!
T-Then the story of the Sword of Remnant, it's true!
She thought harder and harder, trying to remember all that she could of the tale that she had read only in passing, before she abruptly staggered, unwillingness welling up from within her.
Alarm bells were ringing incessantly within her mind, but on her exterior, her expression remained exceedingly stiff, such that Shirou was able to take the sword away from her without notice. However, for reasons unknown, Summer was giving him a look of such great regret that he wondered if he'd done something wrong.
"…T-That kind of ending. I won't let it happen,"
Summer had the urge to explain herself, yet she couldn't. It was made known in the 'Sword of Remnant,' that divulging a Hero's origin would weaken them. Later in the future, she would realize that it was all a big misunderstanding on her part. After all, what was being referenced was the fact that knowing a hero's origins meant knowing their weaknesses from their stories.
As of the present instance, she had no idea.
Feeling stifled, she could only hold back her tongue and scrunch up her face.
Shirou chose to ignore what Summer was doing.
He realized that she'd been acting odd since the events of the previous night anyway. It was most likely a side effect of their temporary merging so it was best if he let Summer sort out her thoughts on her own.
He himself was the same as he was probably traumatized with how close he had come to becoming an altered female counterpart of himself.
He shuddered.
"I swear it-!"
'Uhm, right,' Shirou thought to himself as Summer proceeded to enact a self-drama. He soon shook his head, refocusing his mind.
Vision narrowing, he held Hrunting in his right arm and willed it to twist and bend using a magecraft known as Alteration which allowed him to change imbue new properties into objects. The obsidian metal that comprised the sword soon became sleek and thin, the density causing the sword to shine with a deep silver.
Looking at it, one could hardly call it a sword anymore, rather, it resembled something else.
An arrow.
Lifting his left hand up, a tall black bow manifested in his grip.
By this point, Summer was numb to the feats he was pulling off and just stayed murmuring to herself. Ruby however was different, she was staring wide-eyed and was even attempting to climb up the tree. Fortunately, she was far too short to even reach the first branch so she was left pouting overtop the thick roots.
Nocking the arrow, Shirou closed his eyes.
Hrunting was the sword that sought monsters, specifically Grendel. The components of its Legend remained as a Noble Phantasm.
When fired, it would seek it's target relentlessly. It didn't matter how many times it missed or what kind of obstruction was in its way, it would always hit until the user stopped aiming or it was destroyed.
Flooding Hrunting with magical energy, he poured just enough to serve his purpose.
To maim and not to kill.
To make it angry, to draw it out into the open.
His eyes darted across the open forest, unable to see anything, yet not caring in the slightest as he familiarized Hrunting with the residual energy the Elder Grimm had left behind.
It doesn't matter where you hide, this arrow has already locked onto the scent.
He straightened himself, his back arching as he drew the bow's wire to its maximum draw.
'O Red hound that stalks within the tall grass of the red plains, let loose.'
"Soar, Hrunting." His hand let go, the arrow fired.
The air itself seemed to distort as a veritable shockwave devastated the area. The leaves of the trees shook violently as they swayed, but due to the fact that the attack wasn't shot at full-power, the devastation was kept to a minimum.
Ruby fell onto her butt, startled while Summer's mouth slowly began to hang open.
What streaked across the sky was a blur of red so fast, that it was gone by the time Ruby blinked.
An arrow that flew at a speed equivalent to Mach 10.
What followed an instant later was an agonized howl so loud that the birds perching over the tree took to the air in fright.
Dismissing his bow, Shirou nodded his head.
The job was done.
Now it was time to wait.
Tension in the settlement was climbing to an all-time high. The Faunus had begun increasing the number of patrols since the eastern forest shook with the roar of an enraged beast that had spread out for miles on end. Worse, the fear festering within the settlement could no longer be contained
The Grimm were further attracted to negativity, and unfortunately, that negativity was now showing.
With the increased number of patrols, the number of active Faunus Huntsman and Huntresses was spread thin, many possessing bags beneath their eyes and looking utterly haggard.
Raymond Hail's long rabbit ears drooped in accordance to his mood.
He stared across at the children in front of him and sighed in regret. They were so young to be faced with this kind of situation.
Jake Diaz.
Jack Diaz.
Elena Read.
Emily Lockheart.
And Anna.
The children he had gotten Shirou to start training were showing stellar result. In truth, it was far more than what he had expected. The Diaz siblings for example were getting better and better at their reflexes and the fine tuning of their movement. Furthermore, the Aura capacity of all six children had seen substantial increases after the exercises Shirou had gotten the children to practice.
Raymond would have been happy if not for the impending sense of crisis suffusing the settlement with a thick cloud of unease.
Jake and the other children in front of Raymond were each clutching onto hand-written books detailing the training paths each of them would be taking for their future. The defiance in their eyes revealed their desire to give their all for their people.
It only caused the pain in Raymond's chest to amplify.
It wasn't fair.
The children didn't deserve this.
The Faunus didn't deserve this.
Already in the other Kingdoms, they were discriminated against and often left on the streets or forced into labour. Now that Raymond had led a group to escape that hell, the Faunus were now facing a different hell.
His hands balled into fists, and his wrinkled face, having grown old over the years, suddenly slackened in exhaustion.
He would not lose faith. He couldn't allow himself too.
Thinking back to the capabilities Shirou had displayed in the previous assault, Raymond understood that he was placing all his hopes on a man he hardly even knew.
It caused his already aged features to age further.
Currently, Raymond was standing at the highest building within the settlement. From its height alone, it was possible to oversee the entirety of the area. Looking towards the hastily built Eastern Wall, released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
The wall was constructed from chopped trees bound together with rope. It was entirely primitive and nothing like the formidable defences of the other Kingdoms, but there was nothing Raymond could do about it.
The Faunus simply didn't have the tools nor the means.
As such, they had to use what they could.
However, the prospects weren't pleasant. Against an Ursa-class Grimm the walls would collapse for certain.
If Nevermores showed up on top of everything, then the entire situation would be far bleaker as only the available Huntsman and Huntresses could stop them.
Falling into deep thought, Raymond suddenly stood petrified as he turned to look towards the horizon.
"Uncle Raymond?" Emily pulled on Raymond's pant leg, but Raymond would not respond.
He didn't even flinch when the other children looked his way. "U-Uncle Raymond?" They called out again in unease.
This time, the reaction was different.
"Run, go all of you!" Raymond pushed the children out the door of the building. "Meet up with your parents and evacuate immediately!"
"But Uncle Raymond, how about yo-"
"GO!" Raymond would not have it. He forced the children out and immediately ran towards the nearest bell tower.
"Ring the bells! Sound the Alarm!" He yelled hastily. "The Grimm, THEY'RE HERE!"
The chaotic sound of panic and loud reverberations of metal resounded throughout the settlement, rousing all from their business.
In the distant Rose Manor, a man raised his gaze and steadily began striding forward, a sword manifesting in his hands as he deposited a child to be kept safe by the locals. His gaze was strong, his demeanor shocking as it carried strange fluctuations of energy as the heat of the mid-day sun shone down from above.
Looking towards the Eastern Defensive line, Raymond's expression fell even as all the available Huntsman and Huntresses began to man their stations.
T-This wasn't a battle, it would be a massacre.
For as far as the eye could see, Grimm upon Grimm blotted out the land. From the skies to the ground, they were coming in great numbers; a particular Grimm within the crowd releasing such an ancient blood-thirst that it was palpable in the air. The Grimm itself was missing an arm, as if the appendage had been mauled off by a wild dog.
Raymond shivered just looking at it, before he nearly dropped to his knees when he considered everything.
There were simply too many.
There was no way they could all be fended off even with the power Shirou had displayed earlier.
Already Raymond could see it the people's eyes.
Their despondence and resentment at what life had given them. Worse of all, was the hollowness in their eyes.
There was no fight left, only regrets.
The negative emotions stemming from the settlement caused the approaching Grimm to charge even faster.
In the middle of the settlement, Raymond watched listlessly as his fellow Faunus began to panic in full. People were running despite knowing that there was nowhere to run to. So, what if they made it out of the settlement? There was nothing but Grimm infested forest all around. The only means of escape relied on the Huntsmen and Huntresses, the father and mothers of Jake and the others who Raymond had already ordered to begin fleeing.
Moments later, it was to his sorrow, that he realized that they did not heed his orders.
Along with their fathers and mothers, Jake and the other children stood facing the oncoming tide of Grimm in a show of their defiance.
Yet why could they not see it?
Death was all that would remain.
Raymond slumped, his knees giving out on him as the expression on his face blanched.
Near him, a pair of Faunus were yelling at each other.
He turned his head.
"What the hell are you doing?!" One Faunus asked the other Faunus who was holding onto a Scroll. "Is this even the time for that? We have to find a way to live you bastard!"
Scrolls were utility devices that both gauged a Huntsman's Aura and allowed for long-distance contact. It also served as a device which could stream video.
"I'm filming," the other Faunus spoke in anguish. "If we're going die anyway, then I just want whoever finds this place to see this video and tell my family at home that I died already and not to worry."
The topic of the two Faunus's conversation was too morbid and disheartening for Raymond to bear. He stared up and cursed at the sky; at the sheer uselessness of all his and everyone's efforts ultimately being worth nothing.
There was no longer any hope.
Raymond bowed his head, yet it was then that he felt it.
Light.
Gradually, he lifted his head up, and could not utter a single word.
"L-Look, it's him!"
Shouts began echoing within the settlement, a man walking down the center and drawing the attention of all who laid witness. The sword in the man's hand was ornate, crafted with an otherworldly beauty that could simply not be replicated by human hands.
Moving directly towards the Eastern Walls, the man easily jumped over them, moving alone to combat the attackers.
It was Shirou.
After waiting for the better most part of two days, the time had finally arrived.
Strength converged to his arms and into the sword in his hands.
A fighter of the righteous.
A defender of a forgotten Kingdom.
He stood strong, eyes narrowing at the Grimm's approach, specifically the leader of the group.
He needed to give a warning.
One that would not be easily forgotten.
He raised the sword up high, the rays of the sun above focusing upon him as he stood in direct contrast to the army of Grimm before him.
Hope found in despair.
Runic lines formed beneath him, shaping into sigils comprising a revolving magic circle, his form at the center.
The light of the Sun's heat bore down on the world.
A light beyond the dark.
Illuminating the horizon.
He leaned forward, one foot in front of the other as the revolving sigils beneath his feat expanded, forming the image of the stars.
No one in the settlement had ever seen anything like it before. They stared at the ground in wonder, the particular Faunus Raymond had seen, recording everything on his Scroll. The sigils gradually grew brighter and brighter.
To cleanse away all impurity.
The event everyone was witnessing was something never before seen.
It wasn't Dust.
It wasn't Aura, nor Semblance.
It was something more that thrummed with an impact greater than any other.
"Sacred Sword," Weapons of Legend. "RELEASE."
Shirou's words echoed with the reverberation of thunder.
To give life to myth. To give power to Legend!
Light blinded the area, neither overbearing, nor harming to one's eyes. Instead, what was felt was warmth.
Just as the Sun extinguishes all into ashes, it too was the giver of life.
A spherical ball rose into the air, from the Sacred Sword's blade, it's intensity immeasurable.
A Sword that was the Sun itself.
Shirou stood alone at the front, his figure unbending, his gaze unflinching.
To protect those who could not protect themselves.
To shine light over the darkness of the land.
His was the name of a Nameless Hero.
A man not of common flesh or blood, but of steel.
A steel though brittle and worn, would not hesitate to be drawn.
A Sword.
O Holy Sword.
He tossed the sword up, it's base overlapping with the glowing sphere above before landing back in his hands. A name resounding with a weight unimaginable.
"EXCALIBUR GALATINE!"
The sword was swung, light dying the world in a fiery orange.
Summer released a breath she didn't know that she had been holding, she wasn't the only one.
Ruby stared in captivation while the Faunus of the Settlement focused on the billowing Red Mantle before them as the world burned.
Red, the colour of blood.
The colour of hardship and struggles, yet that was what the new settlement was.
A crimson beginning brought about by the onset of flames.
A new Kingdom flying the colour of their labours, Vermillion, home of a myth and a fable captured entirely in film.
Utterly undeniable.
A Huntsman different from any other.
The Hero of Vermillion sought after by all.
The Huntsman of Red.
Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't bore anyone.
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
-Parcasious.