As Arthur slowly looked back to properly examine the figure. She was tall like really tall but that was all he could see about her since it was dark and she had a cloak on. If he was honest a part of him wished it was his mother standing there.

'Still holding onto hope?', a dark part of his mind make itself known but he refused to give in.

'They are not gone, i know it they must have survived and are looking for me', Arthur thought.

'How long are you going to keep lying to yourself'

"SHUT UP!"

'What an odd child'

She mostly lived in seclusion but did sometimes venture out to explore just to see how far Remnant has evolved under Ozma's guidance from the disgusting and barbaric mongrels they once were to the disgusting and arrogant mongrels they've become now. After all she's seen it all, the rise and fall of kingdoms lost to history, the birth of legends and heroes who rise to the occasion only to fall.

When Atlas was raised into the sky for the first time she was there.

When the CCT was first launched she was there.

When Remnant witnessed the first Vytal festival, she was there.

And yet she did nothing but simply watch.

She didn't know what was more infuriating, the fact that she's become so passive over the years or the fact that Ozma considered this ruined and devastated world a better alternative than letting her rule.

The bloodied child before her could be considered the result of his actions, if she was in power there would be no shivering child like this, this wouldn't have happened. If only Ozma trusted her...

"Are you here to kill me?", Arthur bluntly asked.

"No, I'm looking for someone" she said with a frown as she observed the child's cold eyes.

'There's no sign of life around here expect for the village so she must be looking for someone there?', Arthur thought in confusion.This was just too much of a coincidence, bandits show up and at the same time a mystery hooded stranger that he's never see around here also appears.

'Don't trust what she says, you don't know her intentions'

"Don't waste you time, everyone else is gone I'm the last one left." It hurt to say it out loud and left like he was admitting defeat to the voice but it was the truth.

'I'm not that bad you know. We don't have to be enemies-'

'Can you stupid up!'

She looked ahead to the smoke in the distance that wouldn't be seen this far away by normal eyes, but she wasn't normal, was she?

"I'm certain she's there"

'Looks like my hunch was right' "So you're working with the bandits" and here he thought he could trust her but it looks like he really gonna die here or maybe get his organs harvested or sold into slavery it maybe illegal but he didn't expect bandits to have any moral boundaries or maybe they're cannibals and might just eat him.

'Stop being so dramatic'

So this is it, this is rock bottom isn't it? Not only does he have to deal with his parent's death but now his new found insanity was starting to become a problem as well. Arthur couldn't help but wonder if just giving up and ending-

'Okay, I'll shut up. There is no need for such thoughts!'

She choose to simply ignore the child and focus on her beasts. It wasn't was the most powerful force she could muster but it was quite sizable and would serve its intended purpose, which was to send a message to Ozma's lapdog that dared to disrupt her peace.

'Go, hunt and leave no survivors'

Arthur was considered a genius but with every happening so fast he could hardly keep up so it really gave him a fright when the Grimm he forgot about suddenly charged through the tree line and headed straight towards the village, completely ignoring him and the strange woman.

There was a wide variety from the usual Beowolves,Ursai and nevermore that can be expected around these parts to more exotic Grimm like Lancers,Beringels,Sphinxs and even a freaking Nuckelavee and not one of them even paid attention to the two.

'This is impossible, a human should be able to control them only he could do this!'

He was too shocked to even listen to the voice. His father had told him about Semblances, the power a huntsman gains after awakening their aura, was this what it could do?

"...lady, just who are you?"

The woman turned to him and chuckled slightly at his astonished face.

"I've been called many things over the years but you may address me as Salem."