The Story of a Queen, a Dragon and a Knight

by MatthosSeaworth5

The world of Remnant is one plagued by fire-breathing monsters. Humanity squabbles amongst themselves, the dragons remain as disjointed as ever and a mysterious threat rises in the shadow cast by war. This is the story of a Queen, a Dragon and a Knight.

75. The Hour of the Witch

"The Slayer of Men." Her Uncle Qrow said with a sincerity that shook her to the core, and Yang's world started to spin and her ears rang with distant, faint noise as the weight of what he said, what he was suggesting, crashed against her. "The Lord of the Dragons. A title left open since your mother's death Yang. A title we'll need you to claim if we have any hope of stopping a great war between dragons and mankind at a time where Salem has finally returned."

"What?" Yang breathed out, much more quietly than Jaune, who made a half-yell in surprise.

"You're dragon royalty?!" Jaune managed to cough out, though what he said washed over her like wind over her scales, her eyes fixated on Uncle Qrow alone.

"Time twisted mankind and dragonkind against one another." Uncle Qrow continued. "We became enemies, and we need to unite if we have any chance at surviving the coming storm. This isn't a royalty thing, not exactly, not like Jaune thinks, but you have a better chance than most of claiming the title due to your heritage. It's not a fact of some bloodlines being superior inherently, but rather the fact that you descend from a long line of incredibly powerful dragons that have managed to claim and hold onto the title by force through millennia. The odds are in your favour, so we need you to at least try."

"Is...Why can't you?" Yang asked desperately, trying to push away the dark thought clawing it's way through her mind. "You are my uncle, so we share the same blood. Surely you can take the title in my place?"

"I'm a freak of...I'm not even a freak of nature Yang." Uncle Qrow smiled ruefully. "Just a freak. Even if I wasn't just killed immediately by the other dragons for the crime of being an abomination and they humoured me enough to let me try and claim the title then they would just not follow me even if I managed to. It's a miracle you accepted me, despite me being what I am."

"Then why me?" Yang demanded. "Why does it have to be me? Why is it that I have to claim this title in your moment of need, when you need me to do so because otherwise we'll lose to Salem. Why is it that after what you said you search for me for years, you just manage to stumble across me at the moment when you need me most?"

"You don't think..."

"I do!" Yang bellowed, pushing herself to her feet and jabbing an angry, accusing finger at her uncle. "Why is it that you found me when it was most convenient for you, if you searched for me so desperately like you said? Why? Why Uncle Qrow! Are you even my uncle, or was that a lie you came up with to manipulate me easier?"

"I spent years searching for you!" Uncle Qrow snapped back, red eyes narrowing into an angry glare. Jaune moved around them, putting his hands up as a mediator, though he wouldn't be very effective at keeping the two of them apart if they truly decided to attack one another. "I didn't even know you existed but when I did I knew I had to find you, to keep you safe. For all I knew you'd hate me the moment you saw me. For years I had nightmares of you pushing away, just because I am what I am but also because you knew I failed you, that I'd let you down by not being there when you needed it! I knew I had to help you Yang. I knew you were alone and afraid and lost. I knew you needed me to be your family then, more than ever, but that I didn't. That I was too late. Don't you dare suggest I just found you now because I needed you to do something for me!"

"Don't act as if I don't have the right to be angry at you!" Yang seethed, hands curling into fists. "We've barely just met and you already want me to be a monster just because you asked. I will not pillage, I will not burn and I will not subjugate humanity just earn the title Slayer of Men! I saw from my mother what I'll need to do to earn that title, and even if the title technically is something else I won't 'earn' it if it means sacrificing what little decency I have as a person!"

"You won't need to do that!" Uncle Qrow protested with a harsh laugh. "You don't know things yet Yang, because I haven't told you yet. The title was Lord of the Dragons, and you didn't have to be a Slayer of Men to earn the title! If dragons started out with a title that mandated they had to slaughter and oppress mankind they wouldn't be very good guardians of mankind would they? You have to summon the dragons to Mount Infernicus, a volcano in Menagerie. It's the largest in the world, and when you summon the dragons they will all come, as Mount Infernicus is our birthplace. The Brother Gods created dragonkind there, and if you summon the dragons they will heed the call. After that you have to defeat any challengers in combat, which you can do. You have the blood of Lords of the Dragons, and after that the Slayers of Men. You can win, and you can become the Lord of the Dragons, all without killing anyone!"

"Why would the dragons heed this?" Yang demanded, feeling annoyed at her own ignorance. It wasn't her fault she didn't know this, and Uncle Qrow acting smug because he did irritated her further. "Why should they change their ways because I say so, or you?"

"Because by the time we travel to Beacon, where the old man can fill you in on everything properly, and by the time we gathered the Four Relics and the God of Light to beat her, Salem will have made her presence known, and dragons will not be spared her wrath and bloodlust anymore than mankind and faunuskind will. Many of them have already lost their homes to her, and even if we don't win over every dragon on Remnant then so long as most follow you we'll have enough to even the odds." Uncle Qrow retorted, and Yang made to bite back when Jaune cut her off.

"Enough!" Jaune barked, waving his arm downwards sharply. Yang turned to him, and Uncle Qrow did the same, though he merely raised an eyebrow at her mate, infuriating her further. "Look, I get it. You both have stuff you need to work through, and...Qrow? Qrow, it is oddly convenient you found Yang just as Salem returned and you needed her to do this. But, that doesn't mean you don't have good intentions. Yang saving the world by becoming this...Lord of the Dragons or Slayer of Men or whatever doesn't mean she'll be doing something just for your benefit, but for the world as well. If Salem wins, none of us live. I don't ever go home again. I don't ever see my family again, and neither of you two get the chance to know one another, to be a proper family. Family argue. A lot. But we can't bicker needlessly right now. Let's just take a breather, then we can come back and sit and talk things out a bit more. Sound fair?"

"Fine." Yang huffed, stomping away to the far end of the cliff with her back turned to Uncle Qrow, who scoffed and sat back down to watch the venison carefully. Stupid Uncle Qrow and stupid Jaune and stupid Salem and stupid her.

First she left Jaune on a cliff with something clearly powerful and that named itself the God of Darkness. If things were different, or the God more evil, then it could have murdered Jaune and gone off to do sword-god things whilst she would have been none the wiser until she returned to the mountain to find Jaune's corpse. Now she was lashing out at her uncle, and before either Jaune or Uncle Qrow were around she had irritated her mother until the point she hated her existence, bothered her father until he had tricked her and ran away and drove Ruby away too by being idiotic. Was it a curse of hers, to push away the people she loved?

Crunching gravel made her turn around, and she saw Jaune smile at her sheepishly. He looked awful frankly, and Yang immediately felt bad for having an argument and ignoring him. Not too ago he'd nearly been killed by someone he had trusted as a sacrifice to bring back a malignant evil, was it any wonder who looked rough? She had no idea how to make him feel better, so all she did was smile back at him, just as sheepishly and with a hint of ruefulness that she wasn't able to help heal her mate.

"Hey." Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Yang's smile got a little more genuine.

"Hey." She replied, before her smile fell slightly. "I'm sorry for the argument. It was childish."

"It's fine, you don't need to apologise to me." Jaune said, with the subtlety of a dragon trying to sneak into a butchers shop. "Besides, you have a right to be worried Qrow might have an ulterior motive. You...You haven't exactly had an easy life."

Yang nodded, exhaling heavily. They spoke in slightly hushed tones so Uncle Qrow wouldn't hear the, and the distance between them and the fire Uncle Qrow sat at was great enough she spoke honestly.

"You haven't had a very easy time of it either lately." Yang replied quietly, feeling her emotions bubbled to the surface. "I'm so sorry for just leaving you on that mountain! I abandoned you just like how everyone else abandoned me and I'm the one who keeps complaining about it! I'm so, so sorry!"

"You don't have to be." Jaune said firmly, frowning before looking away nervously and opening his arms. "Come here."

Yang willingly and eagerly took the offer, throwing herself against him and burying her head against the crook of his neck. She nuzzled against the warmth of his skin there, ignoring the coolness of the metal he wore and focusing entirely on the warmth providing from him and him alone. His arms wrapped around her, and Yang made a happy noise at feeling him return the hug.

"N-Need...b-breathe!" Jaune rasped out, and Yang's eyes widened as she stepped back, shame and embarrassment rushing through her as he spluttered for breath.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Don't start apologising again." Jaune warned with a mock glare, before opening his arms again and smiling sheepishly. "Maybe ease it up a little bit?"

Yang did so, finding her head resting against his neck again. She held him gently this time, and she exhaled happily as she felt his warm, comforting heat.

"Look, what you did was well, justified in a way." Jaune said, speaking quietly. "You literally tried pulling me away from that temple Yang, and like the idiot I am I still walked straight in there. You had a right to be frustrated with me, especially after what happened in there, but at the same time I won't lie and say that it wasn't slightly overdramatic, but we all have our moments. It's what makes us...well, its what makes us human. Its what makes us human slash dragon. It's what makes you so likeable. Your so honest and...open. It's refreshing, and if the price of you being you, which is awesomeness by the way, means the occasional 'flying away in a huff' then that's a price that I'm more than willing to pay. After all, you're gonna have to put up with a lot worse from me if you want to still stick around."

"Of course I do." Yang replied firmly, trying to say the words she wanted to say but faltering at the last moment. "Of course I will. You're better then me Jaune."

"I'm not." Jaune said sadly. "I'm really not."

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"Tell me, have you ever heard the name Salem?"

"No." Ruby replied honestly, wiping her lips clean of the last remnants of her food, her belly full and content unlike her heart. The way her mother spoke...it didn't sound right. It sounded zealous. Fervent.

"Salem is a Goddess." Summer smiled blasé, as if she were merely talking about the state of the weather or the quality of their food. "She was the original being in the world, and she created life, starting with two brothers called Light and Dark. However the Brothers, her children, were jealous of her, and the love she received from her other creations like mankind. So they conspired against her, and they created two beings of monsters to overthrow their mother. Those two races of monster were the Grimm, shadow-like creatures that can only mimic the animals they take shape after due to the Brother's lesser power and the other race was dragonkind. The Brothers attacked Salem, ambushing her and they did their best to destroy her, however a Goddess cannot be killed easily. They destroyed her physical body centuries ago, and Salem has finally recovered enough to rebuild her body. The Brothers are weak, as their power comes from leeching off of Salem's kindness and innate divinity, and the Grimm have been swayed over to Salem's side due to their mindless nature. But the dragons remain loyal to the Brothers, like the filth they are, and mankind has drifted away from its creator thanks to the pervasive influence of the Brothers. That's where we come in Ruby."

"We what?" Ruby blurted, mind spinning as her mother kept on talking. She stared at the woman who had given birth to her, who had loved her and raised her with a warmth that rivalled the heat of the sun and she wondered whether she may have lost her mind.

"Us." Summer smiled, though it seemed patronising, like the way you'd smile at a confused puppy for being confused by its tail. "Silver-eyed warriors. We are Salem's champions, the guardians and, if we need to be, reapers of the various creations of Salem. Humans. Faunus. Even Grimm. We have the power to curb them, to supress them if they do wrong, and we have the power to slay the dragons that are the enforcers of the Brothers. We are weapons Ruby, but weapons with purpose and weapons that are only used if absolutely necessary."

"No!" Ruby protested. "We're not just weapons! We're humans, humans with gifts to protect ourselves! Why are you talking about us like we're something separate, something different? We're not!"

"Ruby...sweetie..." Summer sighed, reaching forward and clasping Ruby's hands in hers gently. Her mother gave her a sympathetic look, and rather than comfort her like it should if anything it made her feel weird and wrong. "It was hard for me accept too, and I wish now that I told you sooner. I thought we'd have more time, but Salem's returned now. We need to help her, as we should, as her angels."

"This is madness." Ruby realised, shaking her head and trying to pull her hands free from her mother. "You've gone mad! What are you talking about? This is insane mother!"

"I am not insane!" Summer snapped, standing suddenly and towering over Ruby with a fierce glare. Ruby tried stepping back, but she brushed against her chair and knocked it back. She lost her balance and fell to the floor, and her mother's shadow loomed over her. "I am many thinks Ruby Rose, but insane is not one of them. I love you dearly, but I am your mother, even if you've been away from home long enough to forget that fact. Treat me with respect, I suffered through half a day giving birth to you damnit."

"Salem? A fallen goddess returned from death?" Ruby shook her head. "No one I've met has mentioned her. No one has spoken about her, worried about her, she doesn't exist!"

"She does Ruby." Summer smiled, though it was not like her usual warm, loving ones. It seemed almost cruel, and for the first time in her life Ruby felt scared of her mother. "Your magic, channel it. Focus on the source, focus on the negativity."

"W-What-?"

"Just close your eyes and focus on your magic, on your eyes." Summer instructed, cutting Ruby off. "Do it, then you'll see. Close your eyes, focus on your magic, and focus on the negativity. Then you'll see."

Ruby obeyed, breathing heavily as she did so, if only not to antagonise her mother further. She was confused and scared and her mind was still reeling from what her mother had told her. Her mind was a mess of spinning thoughts and emotions and contradictions, but somehow Ruby managed to wade her way through the mess that was her mind in that moment and focus on her eyes. She felt her magic thrumming there, and she felt even more confused and scared. She wasn't supposed to be able to...why could she use her magic without a dragon around like her mother had told her was the case before she left Bluhen?!

She gasped as her eyes burned, and she felt herself burn with anger. It felt weird, disturbing even, like her body was being hijacked by that singular emotion she had only felt briefly.

"Yes! Good! Just let it flow through you." Summer urged, and Ruby could picture the smile on her mother's face. "Focus on the negativity!"

Ruby did so, heart pounding in her ears and fingers tingling. She didn't feel angry, she felt furious, and she felt her lips curl into a vicious snarl directed at no one in particular. Part of her was panicking, utterly terrified by what was happening, but mostly she felt the rage, pouring through her blood like venom. Then she felt weightless, and she could no longer feel the hard ground of her mother's office floor. She was in a strange void, and she started to panic as she felt like she had somehow managed to slip from the world and into some sort of hell. It was the same feeling she had felt when she had awoke from her magic cocoon only to find Atlas smothered in snow to the point it was just endless, undistinguishable whiteness for miles around, though now there was no sunlight or anything. Just impenetrable darkness.

"W-Where? W-What?" Ruby stammered, and her voice came out muffled and echoey, fuelling her panic. Where the heck was she!?

"Hello there little one." A calm, unfamiliar voice said, cutting through the nothingness of the void around her like a knife. Ruby panicked once more, trying to find the source of the voice that spoke. "There is no need for fear. Not from you. Calm down, and look below you."

Ruby frantically peered below her, only to tumble forward and start spinning in the void. Ruby yelled out and screamed when she felt something against her shoulders and her waist. She looked and saw dark splotches of purple there, and they shifted Ruby so that she stood straight and stopped spinning.

"You are far too young to be here." The voice said, with a measure of concern. "Most newcomers are in their late twenties when their mothers reveal the truth to them. Why did your mother send you here child?"

"My m-mother wanted me to see Salem." Ruby stammered out. "She kept saying insane things about her, about us, and she told me doing this would let me see the truth."

"Ah." The voice chuckled. "A doubter. Did they send you here for punishment or learning?"

"L-Learning." Ruby replied. "I think. I hope."

"Hm. Who is your mother child?"

"Summer R-Rose...uh...ma'am?"

"Call me Salem." The voice, Salem, chuckled, and there was something dark, joyful and arrogant in her tone when she spoke next. "So you must be Ruby Rose. Your mother has told me a lot about you, she's very proud. You helped her slay the Slayer of Men did you not?"

"I did." Ruby replied quietly, and Salem started laughing uproariously, though to Ruby's ears it sounded just as much like a witch cackling.

"Good...Good!" Salem praised. "And from a young age as well! You'll be a fine dragon slayer Ruby, I can tell you this much."

"Are really a goddess?" Ruby asked, wondering if she had actually knocked herself out when she fell over on her mother's floor and was now stuck in some strange fever dream.

"I am, though I suppose I could be a fallen one following my usurpation." Salem replied easily. "Did your mother tell you about the Brothers?"

"She did...I don't..." Ruby trailed off. She didn't want to anger whatever this was, but she knew she needed to be honest as well. If this was truly a fallen Goddess then she would surely know if she's lying. "I don't believe her. It's all just...so much, and no-one has ever spoken of these things before as well!"

"That's because you were, are, too young Ruby." Salem explained, voice filled with an elderly type of wisdom that made what she said seem utterly irrefutable. "The truth is difficult to handle, and not only that many of my guardians grow to hate mankind for their betrayal, for being led astray. I take it your mother wants you to know the full truth?"

"She said we were weapons." Ruby whispered, and she heard Salem sigh.

"That was a blunt way of putting things and your mother should know that." Salem replied, disapproval clear in her tone. "Look down child, and head towards the light so we can talk better."

"The light?" Ruby asked, looking down and gasping as she saw a swirling pool of purple underneath her. "Oh."

Salem chuckled and Ruby flushed from her inattentiveness. She wondered how to get down there, before shrugging and trying to swim. She paddled through the empty void, as light as a feather, and she halted just above the purple pool. Something held her back, something instinctive, something scared, but she felt herself get pulled down suddenly and she screamed as the purple engulfed her, wrapping around her like a snake coiling itself around its food.

Ruby was falling again, though this time she had no idea of anything at all. Her body felt broken apart and evaporated, like steam rising from water, and the world was mess of purple light. She suddenly slammed into firm ground, and she groaned in pain. She slowly rolled onto her side, eyes widening when she saw and felt grass. She looked around her, seeing an open green field, no a hill. Below the hill were yellow fields that spread for miles around, and at the epicentre of it all was a resplendent, powerful looking fortress.

"Where am I now?" Ruby groaned, and she heard footsteps, as light as the wind, next to her.

"Ansel." Salem replied, and Ruby turned and gasped when she saw her.

A long black dress led to a face as pale as snow but criss-crossed with black veins. Her eyes were crimson red and her hair whiter than Weiss' was. She looked, felt, utterly evil, but her tone was wise and guiding and her face had a kind look on it that seemed at odds with the evil aura surrounding the woman...goddess...thing...

"Hello Ruby Rose." Salem smirked. "And before you ask no, we are not actually at Ansel. Or at least, you aren't. Your body remains with your mother, but you are currently using your magic to see from my eyes."

"How?" Ruby blurted, and Salem's smirk turned even smugger somehow.

"Because I created you." Salem replied, stepping forward so that she stood next to Ruby, who scrambled to her feet weakly. "Your mother and your father created you specifically, but I created your people. I gave you all your gifts, your powers, because I needed you to serve a purpose."

"What purpose?" Ruby asked quietly, no longer doubting for a single second that Salem was not some higher being of some sort.

"To serve, to protect, to guide and if necessary…to reap." Salem said, turning to Ruby and laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Long ago, when I first created mankind, I saw what they were capable of. The violence, the evil, the cruelty. But I saw the goodness in them as well, the kindness, the generosity, the love. I knew that all they needed was a shepherd, and despite my powers I could not always be there for them. I needed my sheep dogs, my guardians, my angels. So I created the silver-eyed warriors, capable of kindness to all the races on that dwell on Remnant and also capable of destroying them in order to keep them in line should their evilness, the darkness that dwelled in their souls, grow too strong for them to contain."

"Why not just make everything good?" Ruby asked quietly, and Salem smiled fondly.

"I get asked that every time by people like yourself." Salem said wistfully, as if she was thinking back to prior conversations like this one. "Initiates we call you, and every time we meet you ask that question. It is a good one, and one that is easy to answer. The Brothers."

"The Brothers?" Ruby blinked, remembering what her mother said before Ruby ended in this weird fever dream. "Light and Dark?"

"Yes." Salem nodded, tone sad and heavy. She sighed slightly. "They were my first creations, and I gave them all my love. I created more beings to fill up this world, and I loved them just as much as I loved the Brothers. They grew jealous of that, of my love for mankind and faunuskind and the silver-eyed warriors, so they corrupted them. Twisted them with lies and promises of greatness. They presented falsehoods as the truth and turned my other creations away from me. By the time I realised what had happened it was too late, and I could do nothing to stop them. They attacked me, their ambition having thwarted their jealousy. They destroyed my body, but not my essence, and in my absence they presented themselves as gods."

"But now you're back?"

"Now I'm back." Salem nodded, smiling wanly. "Though I was never truly gone. I was simply stuck, unable to interact with the world physically. Instead I did what I could to communicate through dreams and prophecies, and in doing so I managed to preserve much of the silver-eyed warriors' purity. Some are disobedient, led astray, but many remained loyal to the truth. The Brother of Darkness lost control of the Grimm, who he created to destroy mankind, due to a lack of focus and strength, and I managed to take his place as their Queen. I have held back their more murderous impulses for as long as I could, but with my return to Remnant they demand to be let loose. So they shall."

"W-What do you?" Ruby stammered, and the world spun in a dizzying flash of colours. When the world calmed once more, they were still somewhere green and calm, though a large mass of blackness was spread out across the valley she now faced. She gasped when she realised it was moving, and that it was a great host of black animals like the one that had attacked her in Atlas. They looked like wolves and bears and lizards and ravens, but their eyes were red like Salem, their bodies darker than the inky night sky and their furry or scaly or feather bodies covered in bone-like armour.

"I mean that the Grimm need to be unleashed." Salem said, with a heaviness to her tone that seemed to show sadness and determination. "The Brothers have their hold on this world, and they will rally great armies against me. Rather than butcher mankind or faunuskind in war, I will use the Grimm as cannon fodder. I fear the Brothers may not be so merciful to my creations. But I need the silver-eyed warriors to fight as well Ruby, as they are the greatest weapon against the dragons, those monstrous devils the Brothers created to bathe this world in flame. If the Brothers fear their defeat is imminent they intend to use their monstrous creations to burn down the world, destroying all life and leaving it barren. Scorched earth. I know you dislike them, but part of you, deep down, wishes you could have a sister again. Look at the Grimm Ruby. Look at them and see what the Brothers create. Tell me if you believe you can truly find your sister amongst that."

Ruby did not obey the command, and instead she stared at the ground, ignoring the tremble in her hands. She had always…No, she had made her choice in Atlas. It was too late for doubt or regret. The Grimm were monsters, and they were terrifying to behold. Ruby knew that her sister, even if she tried her best to be otherwise, would be nothing more than just another beast.

"Why do you look at them?" Ruby retorted, and when she looked up she saw a look of surprise on Salem's face. "You call them monsters, but you look more like them than you do me."

"Taking control of them…took sacrifice." Salem replied neutrally, flicking her hand. Someone, a human, materialised there, and Ruby blinked. It was a woman, one with light blue eyes and blonde hair that shone in the sunlight. Ruby gasped when she realised how closely it resembled Salem. Was this…Was this her before she took control of the Grimm? What had happened to her?

"I'm sorry." Ruby said, looking down shamefully. "I didn't mean-"

"I know child." Salem replied, lifting up Ruby's head by planting a single curled finger there. She was smiling when she looked at Ruby. "I know who you are, what you are like. You are kind and good, and you meant no harm. I wish I did not need to ask this of you, but I will need you and your mother and the rest of your sisters in the war to come. We will rally in the deserts of Vacuo, far from the Brother's prying eyes, and from there I will join you. But first I must capture Ansel, and seize an artefact that resides there. It could be critical to the enemy cause. Can I rely on you, in the war to come? To save humanity from the Brothers? To fight so you can protect?"

"I…I…" Ruby shook her head. "Yes. You can. I'm just…this is a lot to take in, but I'll fight. For everyone. For you."

"Good." Salem purred, lips quirking. "You have a lot of potential Ruby Rose. I wish to see it realised."

"Jaune." Ruby blurted out, swallowing nervously. "His family. He was accused of being a heretic, and it was implied they were too, the Arcs I mean. Is…Is it true?"

"No." Salem replied, shaking her head. "The Arcs do not know the truth behind what lies at the heart of their home, and I have hopes for Jaune Arc. He is a good man, though troubled, and the Brothers are trying to sway him to the cause. I am trying to show him the truth, and if he opens his eyes and joins us then he could be a very powerful champion, one that could potentially help our cause significantly. Why do you ask?"

"He's my friend." Ruby answered, shoulders sagging. "I was just worried when you mentioned Ansel. He cares about it a lot, since it's his home."

"I see." Salem said, before nodding firmly. "I will make sure to keep a tight reign on the Grimm then, to try and stop them from causing too much damage. I intended to anyway, though this will make matters complicated should they choose to side with the Brothers and resist the truth. Though you do not need to worry yourself about that Ruby Rose. Return home, train your powers under you mothers guidance and journey with her to Vacuo. There we will assemble our forces in case the Brothers choose war. I hope they don't, but I know they will. They have grown accustomed to worship, and they do not wish to lose their followers and their power."

"How do I get back?" Ruby asked, and Salem smiled at her.

"I will send you back, though in practice I will merely be halting your magic. You'll be fine, I've done this hundreds of times now, though I'm told you will likely have a headache when you wake up."

"Wake up? Was this a dream?"

Before Ruby got a reply, the world darkened and she started falling once more.

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Ironwood struck down a Vacuoan. his arms were heavy and tired, but he pushed on regardless. Another charged at him, and he too died like his fellow barbarian.

Emerald Vale was laced in the smell of smoke and death. Overhead the dragon roared as it circled above the city with its rider, unable to unleash its fires due to the tightness of the streets and the closeness of each house. The Lower City was packed with the homes of the poor and the destitute, though charity alleviated their burdens.

What good was that charity now? How many had defended their homes and their families? How many had fled at the first sign of trouble?

With the Lien he had spent sending food and medicine to the poorest of Emerald Vale he could have bought an extra set of armour for his men, bought another mercenary, hired another blacksmith to forge armaments and armour.

Ironwood strode on, his men keeping a wide berth around him. He was not so far gone that he could not tell friend from foe, but they knew to let him loose. The streets ran red with blood and filth, and every step forward was accompanied by a squelch that made it sound like he was trampling across a muddy field.

In the relative silence and peace that separated the moments where he fought and killed his enemies he could do little else but think. Think of Winter's cold, dead eyes. Think of Winter's pale, deathly coloured skin. Think of the blood wiped across her face, the blood he had stained their accidentally.

He thought of all the battles, all the wars he fought up until now. For nearly every year of his life since turning fifteen he had been at war. War against brigands and bandits. War against rebel lords and rebels Faunus. War against Vacuo in Vacuo and war against Vacuo in Vale.

He fought, for most of his life now, for the singular goal of protecting his wife. He fought to ensure her safety, to ensure her life was preserved and cherished as it should because she was his wife.

Now her blood stained the streets, her skin was cold and her eyes would never look at him with warmth again.

He did not fight to protect. He did not fight to preserve. Now he fought for the singular purpose of killing, of slaying, of cutting down his enemies. He would not stop until he was stopped, and until that moment came where he could re-join his wife and their dead children he would march onwards, even if his body screamed in agony and pain not just related to the loss of his wife.

"Take...Take your time. If you die too...too quickly...I'll...I'll…"

She wanted him to live. She had asked that of him in her final, dying moments. Ironwood didn't think he had the strength to give her that, to fulfil her last request.

So he continued to seek death in the streets of Emerald Vale, cutting a swathe through his enemies until he was stopped by the force of arms of those he cut down like a farmer bringing in the harvest. None of the Vacuoans he came across put up much of a fight, were capable of ending his rampage. He was covered in wet, metallic blood, and his armour was dented by dozens of blows and his arms were tired after killing dozens of his enemies, and yet he still struggled to find someone who could challenge him, who could face him.

Trumpets blared, and Ironwood found himself surrounded by men, bearing dozens of sigils from his own to that of Nicholas to that of the hundreds of other lords that had gathered at Vale to fight one another then fight their common enemy. They were nearing the North Gate, which was wide open and protected by a thick swathe of mounted Vacuoans. His men formed a shield wall, but Ironwood kept on striding forward, ignoring the cries for him to retreat and the gasped wonderment as they realised he had finally lost his mind, that he no longer feared death as one should. The Vacuoans were unnerved, and it threw them off their game. One of them loosed an arrow at him, and for all their faults the Vacuoans were feared for their accuracy atop a horse.

Yet this one missed, and the barbed arrow thudded helplessly off of the thick plate armour covering his shoulders. Ironwood couldn't find it in himself to grunt with the pain that followed, flaring up his shoulder and adding another bruise to his battered body. The Vacuaons murmured amongst themselves, morale shaking, and a single Vacuoan charged forward suddenly. He wore scale mail and aimed a lance at Ironwood, and from the bejewelled shield he carried Ironwood could tell the man was a Chieftain or a renowned warrior. Both sides watched silently, more than willing to let their leaders battle amongst themselves, and when the rider neared Ironwood finally moved, Winter's last words echoing in his mind.

"Take...Take your time. If you die too...too quickly...I'll...I'll…"

He couldn't die. Not yet. He wanted to. More than anything he wanted to finally enjoy peace, to be reunited with Winter and everyone he had lost in his life, for his suffering to cease. But he had to keep going. Had to push on. For Winter. For her last wish.

He stepped to the side, the horse thundering forward. His metal hand shot out and grabbed the end of the lance. Metal scraped against metal, but it was Ironwood's iron side that won out, and as the rider rode past his lance cracked and creaked and broke. Ironwood tossed away the chewed up scrap that had once been the end of a lance, and he turned around, raising his sword with a bellow. He swung it downwards and caused the horse to buck down as a great sword plunged into it's flank. The horse screamed and fell, and the rider did too. Ironwood ignored the horse and strode over to the rider, grabbing him by his askew helmet and dragging the rider to his feet. The man was dazed, and he could only blink as his helmet was torn of his head. Ironwood's metal hand wrapped around the man's throat, and Ironwood lifted the Vacuoan champion in the air effortlessly, watching the man as his feet kicked helplessly for solid ground and as his eyes widened with fear as he realised he was dying. Broken gasps burst out of the man as he choked for air, and the choked gasps reminded Ironwood of Winter, of the blood that had bubbled inside her mouth and made her dying moments even more uncomfortable.

He couldn't bear the noise anymore, so he creaked his fingers and let the echoing snap of the man's spine breaking echo through the air. He let go afterwards, letting the Vacuoan's body fall, and he turned to the small army arrayed against him. The Vacuoans stared at him with fear in their eyes, and it was the ones at the front who broke first. They turned their horses and tried to flee, and the ones at the rear stood firm for a few seconds which passed afterwards. They turned and fled like their fellow raider scum when Ironwood recovered his sword and strode towards them confidently.

The Vacuoans flooded out of the city, and Ironwood followed them until he stood inside the North Gate, watching the survivors of the once great horde disappear into the distance. The battle was won, but at a great cost.

He turned to his men, who were still stood nearby, some of them looting the bodies of the dead, whether it be the Vacuoans or their own dead brothers in arms.

"I want this gate closed and guarded." Ironwood ordered, drawing the attention of his soldiers. He walked forward calmly, before stopping in front of a young man who had been pilfering through the pockets of a dead guard, who had died defending the North Gate and trying to keep the Vacuoans out of the city. "Anyone who loots from the body of a dead Valean will be punished. Do what you will with the Vacuoans, but we will not disturb our own or loot their corpses."

The young man looked at him with fear. Ironwood lashed out suddenly, his metal hand curled into a fist and landed squarely against the young man's jaw. He did not wear a helmet, making his task easier, and the young man let out a choked scream as he grabbed at his dislocated jaw, which hung to his head by a few fleshy tendrils of stringy meat. The other soldiers nearby took a step back, but they did nothing to stopping him as Ironwood kicked the young man to the ground before slowly pressing his armoured boot against his neck. The young man flailed against his leg, but nothing moved Ironwood, and once the deed was done he turned back to his men.

"Secure the North Gate and the rest of the Lower City, search it for Vacuoan stragglers. Do not loot from the bodies of our own, but do what you will to the Vacuoan dead. If anyone loots a dead Valean, then kill them. Spread the word along."

Ironwood strode away, not caring if they followed his orders. There was one thing on his mind now, and that was of his wife's body. He had left it guarded, but the incident at the North Gate had shown that he could not trust his men. If someone had so much as laid a finger on Winter he would stay true to his word and burn Emerald Vale to the ground.

The thought of battlefield looters gave him a second wind that kept him from keeling over now that the battle was over. He could still hear distant skirmishes between Vacuoan stragglers and his forces sweeping through the city, but the victor was clear, even if the victory won redefined the meaning of a pyrrhic victory. The bloody viscera of a half-sacked city and a brutal battlefield passed by without much notice from him. He'd seen these images before, in dozens of battles and campaigns, so the sights and smells that would have made even the most hardened of warriors weep moved him as much as seeing a dead insect. He'd been here before, fought here before and survived here before. The only difference between the present and the past was Winter.

He staggered, partly from exhaustion and injury and partly from grief. His mind was still reeling, disconnected, and now that there was no enemies for him to face and kill he was left alone with the realisation his wife was dead. It hit hard, harder than anything that had cut or bruised or maimed him before. Nothing could parallel the pain he felt now, and no words could put the gaping wound inside him to justice.

So he walked silently, and he was silent when he returned to his wife's body, still protected by a ring of fearful men. They stepped aside for him, and he knelt down next to her in silence even though internally he was nothing short of a raging tornado of pain and guilt and grief and rage. He wanted to move her, but he also knew he was tired and weak. He did not wish to do her the disservice of collapsing whilst carrying her to her final resting place, and the thought of ordering his soldiers to do so on his behalf, of anyone touching her at all, made something ugly snarl inside him. No. She was his wife, and he was going to take her someplace to rest.

He scooped her up into his arms and cradled her close to his chest. His human arm trembled, but his iron side stood strong, and he felt himself relax with the knowledge he could carry her. He would carry her. He led her through Emerald Vale's battle torn streets, his soldiers forming a column behind him, and they made their way to the jubilant Middle City, who were busy celebrating their victory. Silence reigned on the streets Ironwood strode down, the people there only needing to see the thunderous look on his face before parting way for him and his wife. Some followed along silently, and Ironwood allowed them. He did not care what they did, so long as they didn't impede him. The funeral procession led up to the Upper City, whose gates were quickly opened for Ironwood. The streets were quieter, but no less filled with jubilation at their victory over Vacuo, at their triumph over defeat and slaughter.

Barges filled the river, laden with gold and supplies and refugees. The last of them had been halted due to the sudden turning of the tide in their favour, and Ironwood could see people celebrating on the boats too. Not once did he smile. Not once did he share their jubilation. He passed a solider with a stump for a leg, caked in blood and grime and looking despondently into the distance. Ironwood paused for a moment, and their eyes met. They did not say a word, but that single moment of a single look was all it took for them to share what they need. Ironwood nodded at the soldier, who nodded back, and Ironwood continued his march whilst the soldier remained staring into the distance, still trapped in the battlefield that would soon be forgotten by the celebrating citizens of Emerald Vale.

The Governor's Palace was silent. Much of the staff had been evacuated. Much of the guard had been sent to fight. He walked through the empty halls until he found his bedroom. Winter would need to be buried properly, but for now she would rest somewhere more comfortable than the cold stone of some bloodstained street. He laid her down on the soft bedsheets, setting her sword aside and tucking her into the bed as if she was just asleep, as if he would see her eyes again in a few hours when she awoke. It was denial, a delusion, but it managed to soothe the roiling beast inside him somewhat, so he didn't go out of his way to remind himself of that fact death had sealed her eyes forever now. He left the soldiers who had followed him from the Lower City to continue guarding Winter, a far better assignment than those that would soon be given to their brothers in arms to clear the streets of the dead.

Wings tore through the air overhead, and something roared. The roar was responded to by the roaring cheers of city saved from the jaws of defeat and death and misery, and Ironwood felt the walls tremble as the dragon landed. He headed to the gardens of the Governor's Palace, figuring that the dragon rider would have landed there or outside somewhere.

The dragon blocked out the sun, casting the gardens in an eerie darkness. Ironwood almost felt awe at the sight, and part of him quietly wondered how someone had managed to tame one of the rogue beasts that had plagued mankind for so long.

His eyes wandered, freezing when he saw someone stumbled off of the beast's side and landed awkwardly onto their feet. The person turned, and Ironwood trembled as he saw all too familiar eyes staring at him hauntingly.

"If you hurt my sister I'll behead you!" The little girl warned with a fierce frown, jabbing a finger against his stomach, the highest she could reach. Ironwood chuckled, unable to restrain himself after such an adorable display.

"I won't hurt her, never." Ironwood replied, holding out his pinkie finger. "I promise I'll look after her as well. I just made an oath to love and protect her, always, remember?"

"Fine." The little girl harrumphed, harsh glare melting away as she wrapped her pinkie around his. "I'll be holding you to your word Lord Ironwood."

"Call me James if you like, we're family now."

"James." Weiss greeted, looking awkwardly at him. "You look...You've been better. I'm sorry for not arriving sooner."

'So am I.' He thoughted. 'Maybe you could have protected her.'

"Weiss..." He managed to choke out, voice guttural. She swallowed nervously and looked away.

"I know we haven't gotten along for a while, and I apologise for not reaching out to you and Winter sooner." Weiss started, and Ironwood's knees buckled under the weight of her name. "But I thought...I thought I had time. To make things right, to...well...it doesn't matter now. I need your help James. I take it you can see the dragon behind me, well, above us?"

"Weiss..." He managed to choke out, and she seemed to realise something other than her surprise visit was wrong. "I...I'm..."

"James." Weiss frowned, taking a few tentative steps forwards. "What's wrong?"

"Winter..."

"What about her? Where is she?" Her eyes narrowed, and something clicked inside her mind. She spoke, desperation lacing her tone. "Where is Winter? Where is she? Where is my sister? She's organising the city right? Where is she James?!"

"Winter's...gone." Ironwood choked out, tears finally spilling down his cheeks and cutting through grime and stained blood like scythes cutting through wheat. "She's dead. They killed her. They killed her."

"No!" Weiss protested, and she started crying, each sob cutting through him like steel. "It's not...She's not gone! She can't be! I never...I won't...She's not dead! She's not!"

Wind started howling through the gardens, and Weiss' eyes started to burn. Ironwood took a staggered step towards her, wanting to comfort the little girl he'd failed to keep a promise to, but she ran back and threw herself at the dragon. It rumbled and hissed at Ironwood, it's thick tail wrapping around Weiss, shielding her from his view, and so Ironwood just stood helplessly as the dragon glared daggers at him, wishing more than anything he was anywhere but there.

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"Of course I do." Yang replied firmly, face contorted in something like fear for a moment before she frowned slightly and continued with determination and honesty filling her tone. "Of course I will. You're better then me Jaune."

"I'm not." Jaune said sadly, a weak smile flashing briefly on his face. "I'm really not."

Jumbled, confused memories swirled around his mind like a whirlwind, like a mess. He did not know if they were his own, as some of the memories he saw clearly did not belong to him. He saw a young man, around his age if not a little older, with brown hair and kind eyes and a soft smile. He wore strange armour of some sort, and in lieu of a sword he carried what seemed like some sort of staff. He looked like the sort of ancient hero who's deeds and legend had been immortalised in songs and tales telling of his heroic adventures. He could see a dark land covered in a purple miasma, radiating death and destruction and worse. He could see bones, some the size of pebbles and others the size of castle walls, jutting out across the landscape, and at the epicentre of the all the wrongness he could see a dark castle made out of black stone.

He saw a strange land with strange beings, walking teacups and bickering toy soldiers. He saw what looked like a striped, multi-coloured cat curled up at his feet, purring as a dark, purple hand gently stroked over its head.

He could see Miltia and her husband dead. He could see the fleeing guards dead. He could see the village in flames, could feel the urge to destroy.

Jaune shook his head. He was most definitely not better than Yang, someone who was more than willing to forgive. She had left him, that was undeniable, but unlike so many of the other people he had met and befriended since leaving Ansel at Jacques Schnee's command she had come back for him. He had nearly died ignoring her warnings and she had helped him avenge the shepherd in Atlas despite having no interest in doing so. It was Jaune who led the bandits to the old man, who had repaid his hospitality with torture and death. It was Jaune who needed to avenge him. Yang could have left him or stayed behind or out of the fight. But she didn't. She had fought with him, and in a way she had been fighting for him. Who else could he say had done that for him?

"I killed them." Jaune mumbled quietly. "The people back in Atlas, the barn, the burning hamlet. It was me wasn't it? Why...Why did I do that? I...I didn't want to...I wanted them to live!"

"I know." Yang replied, holding him tighter suddenly. It was like hugging a furnace, but Jaune didn't mind. He liked her warmth, the comfort it brought. "It was the sword. It's evil."

"Crocea Mors isn't that bad." Jaune protested weakly. "He's...helped me. It must be the God of Darkness's magic. That's where Mors' power comes from."

"So it's the God of Darkness' fault." Yang shrugged. "Not yours. You are a good person. One of the best people I know...thought I Uncle Qrow keeps being annoying then you'll be the best person I know very soon."

Jaune chuckled and reluctantly stepped back and out her embrace, the mention of Yang's uncle reminding him of their nearby chaperone. When Jaune looked over he saw Qrow staring at the fire, only for him to look up and meet Jaune's eyes with a cool look.

"You two done or are you gonna look for a cave?" Qrow remarked dryly, and Jaune felt a flush of embarrassment.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang protested hotly, face just as red as Jaune's. "Stop being weird!"

"Never. My entire existence is weird." Qrow scoffed, face softening slightly when he looked at Yang. "Are we cool now?"

"For now." Yang replied honestly, stepping over to the fire at Jaune's side. "Is the venison ready?"

"Thereabouts." Qrow answered, playing with the fire with a spare stick. "If you guys are all sorted then sit down and I'll do my best to ask any questions you have."

"How do you exist?" Jaune blurted out, earning a raised eyebrow from the man opposite him. "I...uh...No offence but Yang said all dragons are female."

"They are." Qrow replied with a straight face.

"But your not."

"I certainly hope so."

"Then...why?"

"To make a long story short." Qrow sighed. "My mother, a dragon, chose a wizard to be her mate. The wizard used his magic to change me in my mother's womb from whatever I should have been into to me, a male dragon. The old man, he took me in and after a death in the family let me inherit lands in Atlas making me a lord."

"Wizards can do that?" Jaune blinked. He always knew to respect the power of magic wielded so masterfully by wizards and witches, but to the point some could manipulate life in the womb? That was...woah.

"Apparently so." Qrow said, taking a slab of venison off the fire and handing it to Yang. He gave another to Jaune, and kept the third for himself. Jaune eagerly bit into the juicy meat, letting out a soft groan as the succulent meat went straight to his stomach, which felt like a gaping wound. Yang giggled at him and Qrow rolled his eyes, and after that they ate in silence until the meat was gone and they were licking their fingers for whatever scraps of more they could get.

"Will it really be easy?" Yang asked suddenly, and Jaune turned to see her staring at the fire. "Challenging the other dragons and...becoming the Lord of the Dragons. You made it sound easy. Will it?"

"Probably not." Qrow replied sadly. "Gathering the Relics will take time, and for all we know Salem might be content to just let humanity and dragons destroy one another before revealing herself to destroy whatever remains afterwards. That was the tactic she used before, but we don't know if she definitely won't use it again."

"How could Salem become a god?" Jaune asked. "If the Gods are, well, Gods, then surely they can't be stopped or just have their powers stolen from them?"

"I believe I will be of greater use answering such a question than Qrow over there will." Crocea Mors said suddenly, making everyone jump.

"God of Darkness?" Qrow asked warily, and Jaune shook his head as the sword answered.

"Not anymore." Crocea Mors replied. "I am Crocea Mors, and I am made from what is left of the God of Darkness' essence on Remnant. He abandoned his oath and has departed this world for good, creating me out of whatever he would leave behind in order to free himself from Remnant. As for why Salem could steal the Gods' power...they...well...they aren't Gods in the way some humans believe."

"Can...Can you elaborate on that please?" Jaune asked, and he unsheathed Crocea Mors, holding it out in front of him so the others could see it. Yang was watching it warily, whilst Qrow looked both curious and suspicious of it.

"Certainly." Crocea Mors said, with an almost jovial tone. "The Brother Gods created Remnant, so they are gods in the sense that they are the creators of life and death and the balance between the two. They also immensely powerful beings that could destroy this world with a snap of their fingers. With some concentration, they could utterly wipe out Remnant from the cosmos entirely, so that it would be like Remnant and its people never existed. However they use an innate power with in themselves to fuel such actions, and they accidentally left some of their power scattered around Remnant after creating it. It was the very first of their creations, so they made the mistake of leaving their essence scattered around. By the time they realised their error, and returned to Remnant to reclaim what was theirs, Salem had already seized it for her own. If she had not been cursed to live forever, the effort of doing so would have killed her. As it was however, it was the equivalent to an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object until balance was achieved by Salem absorbing the power and making it her own."

"So the Gods are still Gods just not all-powerful ones?" Jaune asked.

"To a degree." Crocea Mors answered, and Qrow just shook his head.

"Well we're fucked then." He said dejectedly. "We need the Brothers to defeat Salem, the old man was clear about that."

"Ozma, contrary to his own belief, does not know everything." Crocea Mors answered sharply. "I was created with a purpose in mind, and I shall achieve that purpose. Salem will fall. Permanently this time."

"So you can just use the God of Darkness' power?" Qrow demanded sceptically. "No curses or one-sided deals or nothing? All that power, just in a sword?"

"There are consequences to wielding me and my power." Crocea Mors replied carefully, and Jaune felt a pang of coldness when he realised it was going to tell them about what would happen if he wielded it. Yang wasn't going to take it well. "You saw that back in Atlas. Jaune became overwhelmed using it for the God of Darkness' power for the first time, and to my shame, so did I. It is why I have been so quiet-I've been recovering from the sheer power of it. I will recover, and the more it is used the easier it is to control. If you are wondering why we did not train beforehand, well, there is another setback to wielding me and using my power."

"He can speak with me in my mind." Jaune blurted out, interrupting the sword before it could continue. "So he can just talk me through stuff, but we can't actually use the power inside the sword since it's too powerful and obvious. As...As we've seen."

Jaune felt everyone, even Crocea Mors somehow, eyes settle onto him. A silence fell over the camp, broken only by the flickering flames of the campfire.

"Indeed." Crocea Mors said, and Jaune felt a wave of relief when he realised it was going along with him. "If Jaune speaks to himself he isn't mad, he is merely communicating with me in private."

"Right." Qrow replied, sensing something was off clearly judging by his sceptical look. Then he shrugged. "Could be worse I guess. Is there a specific wielder you have or is Arc just being greedy?"

"I could be wielded by anyone I suppose." Crocea Mors replied. "But it requires a large amount of Aura to wield me. Jaune has a significant pool of it, so can recover quicker and use me for longer than most. I am also a weapon wielded by his ancestors, so I suppose you could say I have a preference to Arc."

"Fair enough." Qrow shrugged, before yawning. "Well...This has been a lot. We don't need to set a watch since I didn't spot any paths leading up here, so we can all sleep. Or try. No kissing you two."

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang protested, through a stick at her uncle, who cackled as he swatted it away. "Stop being weird!"

"Never!" Qrow retorted, with a mock villainous tone. "I'm your uncle! It's my job to be weird!"

The two bickered between one another, and Jaune let the words fly over him as he sheathed Crocea Mors.

"Why?" It asked simply, though the voice was not spoken aloud like before, but just in his mind.

'She would have stopped me from using you.' Jaune though, casting a rueful glance at Yang. 'Then we would have had to find someone else to wield you. I'm not condemning someone to losing their soul, and with any luck I will only have to use you like that when we face off against Salem.'

"You truly are noble." Crocea Mors said, tone mixed with different emotions Jaune couldn't quite place. "You are going to be the death of yourself. I fear we may face Salem sooner than you think. We aren't the only ones in search of the God of Light."

Jaune stared at the fire, deep in thought and worried thanks to the sword's warning. Did that mean Salem was going to Vale too? That she was already there?

"You okay?" Yang asked quietly, hand squeezing Jaune's shoulder. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Just thinking." He said, yawning suddenly. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah." Yang nodded. "Tomorrow we'll be flying again. We should sleep."

"That sounds like a good idea." Jaune nodded, seeing Qrow curl up onto his side with his back turned to them. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Yang smiled, and they awkwardly laid down onto the ground. There was space between them, but it felt awkward and not awkward at the same time. He rolled onto his back, trying to get comfortable, and he heard wriggling behind him. He stiffened when Yang's back bumped into his, but he quickly relaxed when feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest. He leaned back a little, feeling her lean back against him, and his eyes drifted shut with an ease that was rare for him these days.

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Dust. Cratered ruins shrouded in a funeral veil of grey and brown dust, kicked up from the earth.

Wings. Pounding, flapping, flying. A mourning roar. A fierce some bellow. The howl of a monster.

Tears. Burning like molten lava, trailing down pale cheeks.

Blood. Blonde hair stained red, hands outstretched and broken by rubble and rock.

Atlas. A great city floating in the sky.

Atlas. A broken ruin crashing towards Remnant.

"Hello Jaune." Salem greeted pleasantly, voice disembodied in the Abyss around him. "Pleasant dreams?"

"It would be more pleasant without you around." Jaune grumbled, closing his eyes and letting himself float in the Abyss. He had no control here, in this strange realm controlled by Salem, and he was too troubled by what he had seen to care all that much about the Abyss. "What are you showing me? What have you done?"

"I've done nothing yet." Salem paused. "In this current era, that is. That may change. Or it might not."

"Have you suddenly decided to find your sanity?" Jaune asked dryly, and Salem laughed at him.

"Funny you should mention that." Salem said, in an annoyingly knowing tone of voice that made it seem she knew something, something that was certain, that he didn't. "But no, I'm already sane enough."

"I know you like to play them, but for once don't play games Salem." Jaune sighed, tired and worried and annoyed. "What are you talking about?"

"I have plans, plans for a better future." Salem replied. "That future will have to be built on something, and the foundation for the new world will be on the broken bodies of the Brother Gods. Humanity will reign supreme, and will be allowed to flourish without fools for Gods watching over them. Let me show you. Open your eyes Jaune."

Jaune sighed and did so, if only because he knew he would just unnecessarily annoy her by not doing so. He blinked when instead of murky darkness, he saw green fields that screamed of fertility and productivity, with vast fields of farmland carefully tended to. He could see great structures in the distance, buildings that could reach the sky, and he could see strange things flying overhead. They weren't dragons, and he couldn't tell how they were moving, as their wings didn't flap.

"This is our future." Salem said, and he jumped when he realised, and saw, her next to him. She did not look like the monster he had seen at the temple, instead a young woman with blonde hair and light blue eyes stood next to him. She looked disturbingly like Saphron, though with a lighter shade of eyes and hair. "The future we should have had. A blend of magic and technology, of freedom and security, of life and death. I will not need to keep the powers I have now, as the humanity I will create will have no desire for the evils they are capable of committing now, not when they are free from the Brothers influence. After that I will live my life, one last time, until I will die peacefully and travel to the afterlife to live with those I love, like I should have done millennia ago."

"What about the Grimm?" Jaune asked. "The Faunus? The dragons? The silver-eyed warriors?"

"The Grimm will be destroyed." Salem replied easily, a smile on her face. If he was more of a fool he may have been more distracted by her good looks than what she said. "They will serve their purpose as cannon fodder in the war to come, but after that they will be destroyed utterly. The Faunus will live alongside Humanity, as they do now, though with far less friction between the two groups. The dragons will be changed into something that are purely human. They cannot be dragons, but they will be humans. The silver-eyed warriors will remain, though in lower numbers, to ensure peace remains throughout the world after I am gone."

"Sounds like a pleasant world to live in." Jaune said carefully. "Is it truly what you seek to achieve?"

"It is." Salem said earnestly, so honestly to the point he wanted to believe her. "Once I wanted to destroy Remnant and everything on it. I was bitter, cruel, uncaring and worse. It took centuries for me to realise that the true problem rested with the Brothers, not with mankind or faunuskind or anyone else. I will atone for the sins I committed when I was a monster by building a new, whole, peaceful world. I cannot do this alone Jaune. I need warriors, champions, if I am to withstand what the Brothers will throw at me. Please. What I show you is what I want you to see, because it is my vision for the world to come. For the world I need you to help create. Join me. Fight with me. As my champion I will give you what you want in this world, within reason of course. A happy family? A hoard of gold? A certain someone?"

The world blurred, and he found himself on a gravel path in-between green hedges. The path led to a small cottage, with colourful flowerbed outside it. Gentle puffs of smoke crawled out of the chimney, and the door opened, and he tensed when Yang stepped outside the cottage. She waved at him, a beautiful smile on her face, but despite that he instead found his eyes fixated on the swell of her belly, round with child.

It didn't take a genius to know what Salem was showing him.

"If you think I'll join you for a fake, cheap copy of the woman I love you have another thing coming." Jaune snarled, and the world blurred and changed so instead they were on a hill overlooking the cottage.

"Who says it was fake or a copy?" Salem retorted, raising a brow. "Your lover will follow you to the ends of Remnant and back. If you side with me, she will follow. There'll be no need to create an entirely new version of her just for you to live out some fantasy."

"And her uncle?" Jaune snapped, trying to find a fault in her logic and what she offered. It was too good to be true, it had to be.

"Your lover will be my champion as well, should you join me, and as such she will get a request of her own." Salem shrugged. "Qrow Branwen will be loyal once I remove Ozma from existence."

Jaune stared at her. She stared back, cocking her head, a teasing smile on her face.

"Ambitious much?" Salem asked, and Jaune frowned before realising what she was implying.

"Don't flatter yourself." He grumbled, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't trust you Salem. If you truly are this force for good that you present yourself as, why did it take my sacrifice to bring you back? Why did Blake have to cut my throat and lay me over your altar like a sacrificial lamb?"

"Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good." Salem replied easily. "The world we live in is a cruel one, and to do well you must abide by the sadistic rules put in place by the Brothers. The world I will build won't have those limitations. Only freedom."

"And if that freedom breaches your peace?" Jaune asked, and she stilled. "You may truly desire to build the utopia you've shown me Salem, but it won't change the fact that the both of us were made in this world, with these rules. They are cruel, and sadistic too in many ways, but that is not all there is to this world. There's good, there's bad, but it's the good that's worth fighting for."

"Is that your final answer?" Salem said, a look of disappointment and resignation on her face.

"Yes." Jaune replied. "Can't we reach some sort of truce? Some sort of agreement? The Brothers want to destroy you because you want to destroy them. If you stop your crusade, I'll get them to do the same. We can live in peace, and together we can fight to build that utopia you want to build, just without the bloodshed."

"You are a naïve fool Jaune Arc." Salem sighed, face falling into a look of sad nostalgia. "You remind me too much of him. The Brothers cannot be bargained with, nor relied upon to be rational actors. I will take no glee in your death, but you will fall all the same. For what it's worth, Jaune, I truly am sorry for what I'm going to do to you and your allies."

The world started to spin, and Jaune started to fall from the sky.

Dust. Cratered ruins shrouded in a funeral veil of grey and brown dust, kicked up from the earth.

Wings. Pounding, flapping, flying. A mourning roar. A fierce some bellow. The howl of a monster.

Tears. Burning like molten lava, trailing down pale cheeks.

Blood. Blonde hair stained red, hands outstretched and broken by rubble and rock.

Atlas. A great city floating in the sky.

Atlas. A broken ruin crashing towards Remnant.

Ansel. His home.

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"Ansel!" Jaune cried, startling awake and jolting up. His cry stirred Yang, who had wrapped her arms around him at some point, and Qrow jolted awake as well.

"What?" Qrow mumbled, rubbing bleary eyes.

"Ansel!" Jaune blurted, scrambling to his feet tiredly. "Salem's at Ansel, she's going to destroy it!"

"What?!" Qrow exclaimed, bloodshot eyes widening suddenly. "How?"

"I don't know, something to do with what happened to Atlas that ended up creating the Mantle ruins." Jaune gasped out, breathing heavily. "We have to get there now! We have to save my family!"

"How the hell do you know this kid?" Qrow grumbled. "If you had a nightmare then it was just that, a nightmare."

"Salem has a connection to Jaune's mind." Crocea Mors piped up suddenly, and silence engulfed the clearing. "It has been present since he was used as a sacrifice to bring her back from her incorporeal realm. She has been using the bond to torture him in his sleep, showing him prophecies of events that may come to pass."

"The fuck?" Qrow blinked, looking genuinely taken aback. Yang shot him a worried look, and Jaune felt bile rise in his throat as he turned to stare at the sword sheathed against his hip.

"W-Why didn't you say anything?" He asked quietly. "Why haven't you done something if you already knew?"

"The only way to close the bond is if either you or Salem dies." Crocea Mors answered sadly. "I didn't tell you as I hoped we would kill Salem before she could realise and exploit the bond. I'm sorry."

"Fat lot of good that does." Qrow scoffed. "Can she read his mind? Know his thoughts? What he's heard?"

"Possibly." Crocea Mors said, making Qrow growl something unintelligible and kicked the dirt beneath him. "But it is unlikely. Salem cannot spend every waking moment inside Jaune's mind."

"Is that a risk we can take?" Qrow demanded, and the sword said nothing. "Look, kid, I mean this without any insult intended, I really do mean that. But your a threat now, we can't have you hearing our plans then letting Salem know them."

"We are not abandoning him." Yang snarled, stepping in front of Jaune protectively. He felt a brief glimmer of happiness to know that someone was on his side.

"I'm not saying that." Qrow said, giving Yang a look. "I know how you feel about him, you've made that plenty clear by now. What I'm saying is that whenever we plan shit he can't be anywhere near us. Sword, can Salem possess him?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Then we're not abandoning him." Qrow said simply, turning to Jaune. "Is Salem in your head right now?"

"If she is then she's being quiet for once." Jaune replied quietly, knowing that the darkness that whispered dark thoughts was Salem, lurking in his mind. The darkness was receded for now, hiding away in the dark recesses of his mind.

"Good." Qrow sighed. "What did you see? Why Ansel?"

"I don't know."

"In your memories of Ansel, there was shield in the main hall." Crocea Mors said. "Describe it for me please."

"It's...It's white, with the Arc crescent and what looks like a crown of some sort at the bottom. Apparently the first Arc added the crown to represent the woman he loved but could not marry." Jaune said, and he saw Qrow's face pale. "What's...No..."

"The God of Light is at Ansel." Crocea Mors said, confirming Jaune's thought. "Salem intends to strike the first blow in this war."

"We won't let her." Jaune said determinedly, and Qrow nodded in agreement.

"Let's go, Ansel should only be an hour or so away if we push ourselves." Qrow said, body burning red. Yang squeezed Jaune's hand before her body started burning gold, and Jaune's eyes danced with floating spots afterwards. He managed to quickly clamber onto Yang's back, and they took to the skies, the crisp dawn air and the urgency of the situation waking him up quickly. Worry gnawed at his stomach, overpowering his hunger, and he gripped onto Yang's back tightly.

They soared over green fields and rolling valleys, the landscape gradually smoothing out apart from a few dips here and there caused by ravines and crevasses. The fields were in bloom, with the crops at their peak before the incoming harvest. To the east in the rolling hills there were a number of vineyards used to produce wine, and to the west were vast orchards that grew various fruits like apples. Ansel truly encapsulated Vale's image as the breadbasket of the world.

Which is what made the distant smoke all the more jarring and clear.

Jaune closed his eyes, holding back welling tears and clenching his teeth to swallow down his fear and rising bile. He was already too late, but he wouldn't be too late. He couldn't.

"Faster Yang." Jaune urged. "Please go faster!"

Yang roared her assent and started to speed up, flapping her wings rapidly and panting heavily. They passed the barrier imposed by the large hills that surrounded Ansel, and instead of the idyllic image of home he remembered from his youth Jaune instead saw a mass of dark shapes surrounding and thundering into Ansel. They resembled animals in shape, but they looked nothing like them with their crimson eyes and bone armour, and Jaune realised that they were the Grimm, and that they were the reason all he could hear from his home were screams.

Jaune didn't say anything, but Yang bellowed in anger and swooped down, unleashing torrents of burning flame against the dark horde beneath them. Animalistic howls of pain rose in the air, and Jaune felt a savage satisfaction at hearing them. Qrow swooped down as well, burning a fiery path across the Grimm, and Jaune felt a swell of hope rise inside of him.

"I can help." Crocea Mors whispered, and Jaune didn't even need to think before unsheathing it. He hesitated for a moment, mind filtered with broken memories of losing himself and causing a massacre. "I'm ready this time. So are you. We can do it. For your family."

Jaune didn't hesitate anymore, and purple flames engulfed Crocea Mors. His body felt cooler, and he couldn't help but feel...less. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the broken gates, and dark storm clouds swirled overhead. Arcs of fierce lightning roared down in front of the gate, disintegrating the Grimm pouring inside Ansel instantly and leaving blackened scorch marks behind. A wave of large Grimm rolled over the hills to the east, bellowing through thick trunks and raising large tusks into the air. Jaune turned Crocea Mors as Yang swooped down to burn more Grimm, and as they flew past a beam of purple energy shot out from the sword and cut through the Grimm as if they were nothing.

Something warm and irritating pulsed through the air suddenly, and Jaune turned to the gray keep at the centre of Ansel's walls. He could see people fighting there, fending off the Grimm with spears and bows and axes and halberd. They were aided by the thick walls and moat, but the drawbridge had not bee pulled up and the Grimm piled up there, keeping it lowered with their sheer weight. He thought hard, and had to fight briefly against it, but he was able to dispel Crocea Mors' magic. He sagged against Yang's back, breathing heavily, before he mustered his waning strength and sat back up.

"Yang!" He barked, pointing with a now flameless Crocea Mors. "Fly down to that big group of Grimm and burn them. I'll head into the castle and get my family!"

Yang bellowed her assent and an banked suddenly, swooping over Ansel's walls and crashing against the drawbridge, crushing the Grimm underneath her and shattering the wooden bridge. Jaune leaped onto the battlements next to her, grappling against a parapet before being pulled over by the stunned guards. Jaune recognised one of them.

"Jaune?" Turk asked, voice light with disbelief. "We thought you were dead."

"I'm back from the dead." Jaune replied quickly. "Where are my parents? My sisters?"

"Your father...he's away. He took most of the garrison with him, not to mention the levies too." Turk answered, shaking his head. "Your sisters are in the keep with your mother. We're trying to buy them time to get supplies and escape using the sewers, but we've been caught off guard by whatever these things are and the sewers are overrun with things far worse than these monsters. How in the name of the heavens did you manage to get two dragons to fight with you?"

"It's a long story." Jaune replied. "The monsters, they're called Grimm and they're being led by someone intent on wiping out all of humanity. My family's shield, is it still in the main hall?"

"Yes." Turk blinked. "What? How?"

"Just survive." Jaune said firmly. "The dragons will do their work and I've got a few cards up my sleeve. Did you see the lightning?"

Turk nodded numbly, and a look of hope seem to filter over the battle-scarred master-at-arms face.

"I'll be back soon, just hold a little bit longer!" Jaune ordered, racing to the nearest stairs. He practically flew down them, jumping down multiple steps at a time despite the risk. His body was high on adrenaline and the determination to save his home and his family. He barely even registered the fact this was the first time he had entered Ansel in years. He thundered across the courtyard, entering the keep and coming to a stop at the doors, panting heavily. Outside he could hear the echoing noise of battle and the thunderous roars from Yang and Qrow as the rained fire down on the Grimm, sending great belches of smoke into the air. His eyes were fixated at the kite shield hanging off the very middle of the main hall, below which lied empty banquet tables.

"Hello Jaune." The God of Light said. It's voice was powerful, but unlike its Brother it was filled with warm. It's authority was not demanded or assumed, but was clear from the wisdom that also carried through its voice. "You've grown a lot since I last saw you. Is that my Brother?"

"I'm afraid not." Crocea Mors replied. "I am Crocea Mors, created by your Brother from what remained of his essence on Remnant. He abandoned his oath to destroy Salem, but he abandoned this world without destroying it."

"I suppose that is the most I can ask of him." The God of Light replied sadly. "If you wish to save your family you must be quick Jaune. I can sense a great power building, and it belongs to Salem. I do not know her intentions."

Jaune said nothing, and instead he raced over to the kite shield, sheathing Crocea Mors before clambering on top of the high chair his father would sit on in order to pluck it from its hangings. He tentatively wrapped the leather strips over his arm, and he heard no complaint from the God of Light at being used as, well, like a shield.

"Your mother gathered your family at her quarters to await news they can evacuate through the sewers." The God of Light told him, and Jaune quickly took off, following instinct and memory down the vaguely familiar corridors towards his mother's bedroom. "However Salem has stationed the Apathy, a particularly malevolent type of Grimm, in the sewers, both to block off any escape and to damage the defenders morale. I have done my best to counter their effects, but there is little else I could do stuck in the main hall."

The ground trembled suddenly, and Jaune yelled as he toppled onto the floor due to his speed and the sudden swaying. Dust fell everywhere and cracks started to open in the walls and ceiling. An image flashed in Jaune's mind, of Atlas high in the sky, and he felt a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Go!" The God of Light ordered, and Jaune scrambled to his feet. "We do not have long! I will try and delay Salem, but much of my power has been spent fending off the Apathy and rallying your men. Hurry!"

Jaune did not need to be told twice, and despite the rumbling ground that shook violently Jaune managed to stagger his way onwards, bumping against walls violently. He clambered up the stairs with haste, banging his knees and arms but not caring in the slightest as he drew closer and closer to his family. The ground felt suddenly light, and weightless, and the trembling ceased. Jaune stumbled to a halt as he adjusted to the ground, but it felt wrong. Unnatural. He moved on, and he passed window his eyes widened as he saw the hills surrounding Ansel disappear from view. Suddenly he could see the lands further away, lands he could only see on dragon back, and he gasped as he realised what Salem was doing.

"We're running out of time!" The God of Light exclaimed suddenly, breaking him from his stupor. "I'm barely holding her back as it is! Hurry or we'll be too late!"

Jaune ran. He ran as fast as he could, as fast as he had ever run before. He turned the corner and stumbled into the corridor leading towards his mothers bedroom. The door was open, and he could see distant shapes inside and heard soft whimpers and crying. His mother's voice echoed down the corridor softly, singing a song to calm his sisters, and he started to race down the corridor with a second wind.

Then the floor started to shift, and he slammed against the wall with a gasp, winding himself. He heard panicked screams and loud crashes from inside his mother's bedroom, and the sound galvanised him onto his feet. He raced along the wall, which had turned diagonally so that it was the floor. Cracks opened up everywhere, and purple aura seeped into the cracks. He feared the worst, but then he realised the magic seemed to be holding the walls together.

"Too late." The God of Light whispered, but Jaune ignored him. He lurched again, yelling out in pain as the ceiling became the floor. Salem had turned Ansel on it's head. Literally.

"Jaune?!" His mother's voice called, and his eyes widened.

"I'm coming!" Jaune yelled, scrambling onto his feet, swaying slightly after hitting his head. "I'm coming just hold on!"

Then the world seemed to fall around him, and he realised that was because the world was falling. Ansel was plummeting towards Remnant, and Jaune slammed against the ceiling that used to be the floor. He was pinned there by an unseen force, but he managed to roll onto his belly. He crawled along the ground, arms burning and body reeling from the weirdness of it all. His hand slammed against the doorway, and he pulled himself into the room. His family were huddled in the corner, bruised and bloody and alive. He saw his mother, one arm wrapped around his youngest sister and the other outstretched toward him, a happy, hopeful smile on her face.

Then they hit Remnant's surface.

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Yang defended the gate with her tail and her fire. The humans fought on the battlements, and when she swatted away one of the larger Grimm with the ease of swatting away a fly they cheered her. It felt odd to receive praise from humans other than Jaune, but Yang basked in it nonetheless. Uncle Qrow flew in circles outside the walls of castle, and Yang was confident everything was going to be okay.

Then the ground trembled, and giant cracks opened in the ground just in front of her. Yang bellowed in surprise and instinct caused her to take to the skies to avoid whatever was happening, something that wasn't afforded to the panicking humans and Grimm. The castle and the earth itself seemed to tremble, and Yang circled it, eyes searching for Jaune worriedly.

Then the castle started to raise into the sky. It was slow, steady and constant. Yang howled in fear and confusion, and the horde of Grimm below seemed to melt away as the castle, as Ansel-Jaune's home, started to rise into the sky. Yang followed it, and Uncle Qrow was with her, matching her confusion and fear with similar bellows to her own. Ansel continued to rise, until the very peak of the castle's turrets brushed the underside of a white cloud.

Then it started to tilt. The ground and castle cracked and Yang feared it would split apart, sending Jaune and his family plummeting to the ground amidst, but purple light engulfed it. It tilted and tilted until it was upside down, and Yang saw dark dots falling from the castle, and her heart sank when she realised it was humans. She flew closer, scared to see Jaune amongst them, when the castle suddenly plummeted. Yang squawked in surprise and panic, swerving just in time to avoid being crushed by the falling castle, and she hastily dove after it. The purple light held it together and her heart pounded in her chest as it plummeted closer and closer to the ground. At the last minute the purple light disappeared, and Ansel crashed into the crater it left behind with a thunderous noise that seemed to rock through Remnant and the air itself.

A great cloud of dark dust rose into the air and engulfed her, but Yang didn't mind. She flew aimlessly, hovering in the cloud of broken mess, trying to peer through it see Jaune, alive and well, her mind refusing to comprehend and accept the alternative, to accept reality. She howled desperately, a call that was supposed to be answered by her mate, and instead she heard her Uncle Qrow over a distant ringing noise that engulfed her the longer her cries went unanswered by her mate. The dust started to part, to filter out, and Yang swooped lower, eyes roving the broken chunks of rock and dirt in search of her mate.

A great beam of golden light suddenly pierced the air, breaking apart rubble by disintegrating it utterly. Yang swooped towards it, body starting to glow as she landed on her two feet of her Amator form amidst the broken ruins of Ansel.

A shock of blonde hair and familiar armour sent her racing towards Jaune, who was completely clean and surrounded by an area that was clear-cut, as if whatever had entered Jaune's vicinity had been completely destroyed. His skin was pale and clammy, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his heartbeat.

"I managed to protect him." A voice, similar but not exactly like the God of Darkness, said, and Yang turned to the shield strapped to his arm that glowed a golden colour. Uncle Qrow landed next to her, looking distraught and confused. "I...I couldn't save his family."

"You saved him." Yang said, feeling horrified with herself at her relief and what she felt and was about to say. "That's all that matters."

"I don't know if I did." The God of Light said worriedly, and Yang felt her worry return all at once. "Something...Something feels wrong about him."

"His home is destroyed and his family's dead." Uncle Qrow said sharply, surprising her by defending Jaune for once. "I'd be more surprised if he wasn't alright."

"It's not that." The God of Light warned darkly, and Jaune groaned suddenly. He pushed himself to his feet, stretching and cracking his neck, before freezing suddenly.

"Jaune?" Yang asked tentatively, and she stiffened when Jaune started to chuckle. It was not the chuckle of a sane person, or even a man. It was malevolent, cruel, and feminine.

She had heard it before. Deep in the darkness of the temple, she heard it coming from the figure that stood over Jaune's corpse. Jaune's eyes opened, and instead of the deep blue she'd come to love they were redder than crimson blood.

"Well then." Salem smirked. "This is new."

A/N: Next update 15/10/2023

Today is the 83rd anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much been owed by so many to so few."