"I don't own any of the series I write FF of. I only own my OC's and my unique aspects added to the story. I don't own any music or songs possibly mentioned, they are just recommendations. All credit of Rwby goes to RoosterTeeth."

VOLUME I: Der Ritter mit dem Azurschwert.

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." ~ Neil Gaiman.

Prologue: Aus der Dunkelheit.

Sunlight gleamed off the snow as a raven flew high above, its blue eyes scanning the horizon. Fields and forests of snow surrounded the land as it soared. Heavenly rays pierced through the thick clouds, bringing light to a land of ice and frost. Below, there was a simple town nestled close to a mountain. Tall concrete walls sheltered against the wild monsters far outside. Wooden and brick houses dotted the town, with a few stores, a church and a school. By the mountain, there was the entrance to a mine and a few big buildings. The barracks for the guards and two warehouses for the Dust. Trucks and signs all around featured white and black snowflakes. SDC and SPS posters were plastered everywhere throughout the town.

But as the raven flew down low, a snow ball hit the side of a tree. It glided down and landed on a branch and noticed that behind the tree was what appeared to be a cabin. "You missed Siegfried!" A young blonde with brown eyes taunted behind the tree, he ducked out and threw a snowball back. It pelted a dark redheaded boy right in the chest, he returned it with a throw that got the blonde right in the face.

"Got you Gunther!" The redheaded boy smirked, he had bright blue eyes and pale skin. He wore a blue hooded jacket and beanie, gray pants and black winter boots. Gunther cupped his hand in snow and formed a ball. He wore an orange jacket with a red beanie, red pants and yellow snow boots.

"Right back at you!" He shouted as he threw the snowball, Siegfried ducked to the side and grabbed a ball of snow himself. He raised his hand and threw it at Gunther, who jumped out of the way with an excited roar.

"Hey!" Gunther yelled as he threw a snowball and knocked Siegfried off his feet, snow flew everywhere. He landed on his side, but rose and threw another without missing. The blonde didn't even try to avoid it this time and got hit in the face, knocking him back. The redhead stood up, shaking the snow out of his hair.

"You alright Gun?" Siegfried asked, he was a few inches taller than his friend. His friend grunted as he brushed the snow off his jacket.

"I'm fine." He replied as he turned around and jumped to his feet, he threw a snowball at Siegfried, who ducked again and raised his hands. The snowball struck his gloves and shot snow around him. Gunther laughed as Siegfried brushed off the snow and got back on his feet.

"Are you alright?" Gunther asked with a smirk. The Redhead nodded and smiled back, sneakily grabbing a ball of snow.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said as he threw another snowball and Gunther jumped out of the way again. The blonde boy turn and ran. Siegfried laughed and threw another snowball.

Giving chase, Siegfried shouted, "I'm going to get you!" He laughed as he chased his friend, he threw another snowball and the blonde ducked again. He ran up to him and grabbed him by the back of his jacket. Furthermore, he threw him to the ground and they both rolled around in the snow. Gunther laughed as he got up and threw another snowball. Siegfried jumped up and caught it, he threw it back, and they continued to play.

"Siegfried!" A woman's voice called out, both boys turned to see a pale blonde haired woman standing in the doorframe of the cabin.

"Oh hey mom!" Siegfried said as he got up and brushed the snow off his jacket.

"You two are a mess!" The woman said. She wore a white winter coat and a black scarf. She wore black pants and black winter boots. Her eyes were a light blue, and she had blonde hair and pale skin.

"Oh, don't worry mom, I'm fine." Siegfried said, he picked up a snowball and threw it at Gunther. He jumped out of the way again, and Siegfried laughed.

"It's not funny, you could have gotten hurt!" The woman said, she walked over to them.

"We're just playing with Snow, Miss Walsung." The Blonde boy explains.

"But you both were still roughhousing." She chided, Siegfried brushed the snow off his jacket and sat down in the snow. Gunther did the same.

"No we weren't." Siegfried defended.

"Well, I think you were." She replied, she knelt down next to Siegfried and brushed the snow off his coat.

"You two are getting too rough for my liking." Siegfried looked at Gunther. The Blonde boy nodded.

"I know, we'll be more careful from now on." Siegfried lied.

"That's good, you two need to learn to be a little more responsible." The woman replied. "Also, you need to come in. It's about time for dinner."

"It's five o'clock already?" The redheaded Boy blinked. It seemed like three o'clock was just ten minutes ago.

"Yep, and that means your father is probably on his way back here." She popped her fingers, "You should get ready for dinner along with your sister."

"Alright..." He said with a sigh, slowly getting up. His friend did the same.

"You can stay for dinner if you want to Gunther."

"No thanks Miss Walsung," He politely declined, "My mom is gonna tan my hide if I'm late home. I gotta go!" He said turning and running.

"See you tomorrow Gun!" The redhead waved goodbye to his best friend.

"Bye Sieg!" He shouted back as he ran down the hill.

Turning to his mother, he huffed. Following her back inside the wooden house. As they entered, he was met by the warmth of the fireplace and the central heating. Taking off his jacket and beanie, he saw his younger sister Isolde siting by the fireplace reading some book. She had blonde hair and light blue eyes like their mother. She wore a black jacket and a white scarf.

After hanging his warmer clothing, he walked over to her and shouted, "Boo!" She jumped and screamed. When she saw who said boo, she became annoyed.

"Siegfried!" She bellowed, "Don't do that!"

"It's alright Isolde." Their mother said as she walked towards the kitchen. "He's just being silly."

"Yeah, I know mom." Isolde said. "But still, it's not funny." She got up and walked towards the kitchen. She had a faint frown on her face.

"Come on, Isolde, it's not that big of a deal." Siegfried said as he followed his sister.

"It's just not nice to scare people like that." She said.

"I'm sorry." Siegfried said. "But it's just so much fun." He replied with a smirk.

"Yeah I know." She said, she opened the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. "But you still shouldn't do it."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because you're supposed to be a big brother, not a little kid."

"But I'm just ten." He countered.

"Yeah, and I am nine years old. You are the eldest, therefore you should behave more mature." She lectured as she popped the top of the soda can and took a sip.

"You talk like an old person!" He insulted her, "Thinking your soooo special with those big words!"

"Yeah, well, you talk like a little kid!" She shot back.

"Enough!" Their Mom joined the fray, "Both of you, stop arguing!" They both shut up at her words, they turned to look at their Mother with her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry Mom." Siegfried apologized.

"It's alright, just try not to do it again." She said. "And don't argue with each other."

"Okay." They both said in unison.

"Thank you, now take your seats at the dinner table." She ordered them.

"Yes Mom." They said and sat down. Things were quiet for a bit as the two children mulled over their previous argument, and as their mother fixed dinner. They were quiet until they heard the front door open in the living room.

"Astrid! I'm home!" A gruff voice spoke, the voice of their Father. Entering the dinning room with a yawn, he was a tall man with a scarlet, dark red bushy beard and curly hair. He had bright blue eyes, the same as his son. He wore a t-shirt, gray jeans and black boots.

"Dad!" Siegfried and Isolde yelled. They jumped up and ran towards him, they hugged him. He looked down at them, a smile formed on his face.

"Hey, you two." He said as he looked down at them. He ruffled their hair and then moved to his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist before kissing her cheek. She chuckled as he whispered something in her ear, too quiet for their children to hear. After one kiss on the lips, he then sat down at the head of the table. The Boy and his sister followed and sat back down in their seats. The Man sighed in relief in his chair as he stretched his limbs.

There was a loud ding followed by their mother saying "Dinners ready!" She walked over with a large bowl of beef stew. Placing it on the table, she took a soup spoon and poured some into bowls for her family and herself. Siegfried and Isolde took their bowls and helped themselves to their dinner. They ate in silence for a while, their mother's and father's conversation filling the air with an awkward atmosphere.

"How was work today?" She asked her husband.

"It was smooth for the most part, but some other miners found something deep in the mountain..." He sighed.

"What was it?" Siegfried asked.

"Some kind of large chamber. It's a bit of a mystery, we don't know what it is yet." He replied, "Some guys deep in the mine accidentally busted a small hole into it. The SPS guards and our overseer have given us a couple days off over it."

"Why?" Astrid asked curiously.

"They're afraid there's Grimm in the chamber..." He answered solemnly.

"Grimm?" Siegfried and Isolde both gasped. The Boy's heart started to beat. The Grimm were monsters of Darkness, demons that preyed on Mankind's fear and misery all over the world, since time in memorial. He had never seen one in person, but he saw some on TV and at school in a documentary. The images still gave him nightmares, stirring fear of an ever present potential threat.

"Yeah, but it's very unlikely that's there's a lot." He tried to sooth their concerns. " We've would've seen some or a sign by now, that mine has been active for twenty years."

"But what if there's a monster?" Isolde asked, her concerned and terror on her face.

"We have safety plans in place." He replied. "We'll call in a Huntsman and send them in some SPS guards to check it out. If it's safe, we'll bring the miners back in."

"But what if it's not safe?" Astrid asked, "What if our town is in danger?"

"We'll all be safe." He assured his wife. "The guards are on high alert, the SDC already has contacted a Huntsman that is arriving tomorrow morning."

"Good." Astrid sighed.

"We'll be safe then." Siegfried said, his heart rate and breathing normalizing. Hunters: Huntsmen and Huntresses, they were the heroes of this age. They drove back the darkness and protected everyone from the Grimm. They hunted the beasts in the wilderness, slaying the most deadly and nightmarish Grimm imaginable. Not only that, they fought criminals and outlaws. When they weren't busy, then they protected Towns and Villages. They were the only hope for a town like theirs.

He wanted so desperately to be one when he grew up. To protect his family, friends and innocents from Grimm and bad guys. To taste glory, to adventure all across Remnant, to slay monsters, to become a Hero like legendary Sigurd. He wanted to be a Huntsman.

"What are you thinking about, Siegfried?" Isolde asked, noticing the smile on his face.

"Hunters." He answered jubilantly. Both of his parents looked at each other with a sigh. Siegfried knew what they were thinking, he could feel it. They didn't want him to become a Hunter, they didn't want him to become a hero. They wanted him to be the same as them, they wanted him to be a normal, boring Man working a boring job when he gets older.

He didn't want to be a normal, boring man, he wanted to be a Legend. His father set his spoon down and looked at him, "Siegfried," He began, "We've talked about this..."

"Yes." He cut him off, "I know."

"... We both want what's best for you-" He continued.

The Redheaded Boy interrupted him, "I want to be a Huntsman, Dad."

"You're just a boy. You don't know what you're saying, and you don't know what you're asking for." His Father stared him right in the eyes, "Being a Huntsman isn't as glamorous as it's made out to be."

"Dad, I know." Siegfried said.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Siegfried." His mother chimed in.

"I won't be a Boy forever Mom," He sat his spoon down, "There's a risk to get hurt with any job. If I get hurt, I might as well do so protecting others.

"What if you get badly hurt?" She asked, "What if you get killed?"

"Then I'll die with a smile on my face." Siegfried said as his eyes shone with determination, "I'll fight with a sword and protect everyone. I'll fight the Grimm and protect all four Kingdoms! Ours, Vale's, Mistral's and Vacuo, everyone!"

"Siegfried." His mother said wearily. "We want you to live a normal life."

"What life?" Siegfried asked, "What life would there be for me?"

"A long healthy one," His father told him, "You're a smart boy, you can go to college. You can work at a shop or a business, be a Teacher. You can be anything you want to be."

"But..." He said defiantly, "I want to be a Huntsman."

"No." His father said firmly. "Huntsmen die all the time. They have to be tough and brave to live."

"I want to be tough and brave." Siegfried said, "I want to live my life with a sword and protect everyone I meet."

"Huntsmen die all the time." His mother repeated.

"You can't choose your fate, Siegfried. It doesn't even matter how skilled you could become!" His father said. "You can't fight the Grimm, it's too dangerous."

"I'll be fine." Siegfried replied, "I won't let anything happen to me."

"But what if something does?" His mother said, "What if you're hurt, and you can't protect everyone?"

"I'll protect them. It doesn't matter if my bones are broken and crushed...I'd fight on." Siegfried replied. His father rose and slammed his fist on the dining table, scaring everyone sitting.

"DAMNIT BOY!" He shouted, "I've already buried my Father and Brother, I won't bury my goddamn son!"

"But, Dad!"

"DAMN YOU!" His father growled.

"SIEGMUND!!" His Mother shouted his father's name, "How could you say that to him!"

His Father turned and covered his face with his hand and began to cry, "My only son," he sniffed, "My stupid son..."

Siegfried didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry," Siegmund apologized, "You are my son. You are the best son I could ever have." He turned to his son, revealing a tear stained face. "But you are a fool! Just like your Grandfather and Uncle!"

Siegfried could only stare back at him. He didn't say a word, despite wanting to scream. He sat quietly, with gripped fists. His Father wiped the tears off his face.

"I love you, Siegfried." He continued, "I don't want you to die, to throw away your life in pursuit of vain glory like they did."

"Dad," Siegfried replied sternly, "They were great Huntsmen."

"They were glory seeking fools. They were suicidal and irresponsible. They had their chance to live, and they threw it away."

"But Dad, they were still Heroes."

"They were fools."

"They did their best."

"And you're going to do your best?" His Father asked sarcastically, "Doing your best isn't good enough, especially as a Huntsman. You're going to throw away your life?"

"I'll be the best Huntsman there ever was."

"And you'll die like your Grandfather and Uncle."

"I'll die with a sword in my hand." Siegfried replied. "I'll be a Hero."

"Siegfried," His Mother said, "That's enough!" Disheartened by his disturbing words.

"This isn't over, Dad." Siegfried stood up and began to walk away from the table.

"Siegfried, don't walk away from us!" His Father shouted.

"I am." Siegfried said firmly. He made his way upstairs and slammed his bedroom door, locking it shut. He slid down his door and cupped his hands on his face. Tears formed on the edges of his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

They wanted him to live a normal life. A boring one. One filled with endless amounts of homework, washing his clothes, eating meals with his family and working with his dad at the SDC Mine or some other job. A safe, boring and comfortable life. One that he would hate.

No. That was never going to be his life. He didn't want a life like his family. He wanted to live with bravery and courage, actions that will change the world. Furthermore, he wanted to be an adventurer, to help people and make a difference. He wanted to become a Huntsman like his Grandfather and Uncle.

He wanted to be a Hero, a champion of Light, a Legend remembered ever more.

An unknown amount of time passed as he sat there, it was night now. The moonlight poured through the window, illuminating his room brightly. It was like any other ten years old boy's room. There was a made bed with red plaid pattern cover on it, a brown dresser and a chestnut colored desk with a laptop on it. There were shelves with action figures, books and comic books. He got up and walked over to the window and stared at the shattered moon in the sky.

It had always hanged over the world in its dilapidated state for a hundred thousand years, since an event that the teachers at school called the great sundering. An event that supposedly shattered the moon and broke the continents of the world. He wondered what it would have been like to be present at that apocalypse, to see the moon break and the world crumble. It was a testament to the unpredictability of life and how short it can be. All civilizations and Men can find their lives forsaken or in ruins in the blink of an eye, so why waste your life?

There had been billions of People since life began, only so few of them are remembered. All of them bare glory, achievement and even infamy to their name. Praises, admiration and scorn. The keys to immortality, the legacy of a name. Siegfried wants his name to live on, to leave his mark upon this Remnant of a world. To be the brightest star of his age. Turning back to the interior of his room, he sighed.

The digital clock on his desk read 9:12. He could sleep in his bed, but there was something he wanted to see again. He grabbed a black blanket with images of stars and slowly tiptoed to his door. Slowly opening it, he looked down the hallway. His sister and parents bedrooms were closed, and the lights seemed to be off. He slowly tiptoed down the hall, his blanket in hand, as he made it to the steps to the loft.

Anticipation eat at him as he walked up them as slowly and carefully as possible. As he reached the top, he saw what he came to look at. His Grandfathers armor and his family sword sat in a glass display case. The plate armor shone silver with gold designs and inlays, a blue cape hang off its shoulders. Its helmet had a visor that could be lifted up and down over the eyes, wings at the sides like one would expect on the helm of a Valkyrie (A/N: Basically Irwin's armor from Dragon Quest XI and a little bit of Steel Plate Armor from Skyrim.).

The great sword it held upside down in its hands was magnificent. The blade was about five feet and three inches long, the cross guard was short and shaped like a wide 'U', the handle was eight inches long (A/N: shape, length and design looks similar to the Stalhrim Greatsword From Skyrim). The blade was dark blue, there were light yellow runes all down the blade from the middle to the hilt. The cross guard was gold, the handle midnight black with a rainbow dial in the middle for selecting Dust, the pommel was a clear diamond that glowed the color of the selected dust. There was a gold ring under the diamond that allowed it to be unscrewed to remove or add dust.

His uncle had told him its name when he was still alive, the blade passed down in their family since before the Great War, the Azure Blade, Balmung. It had slain many, Grimm, Human and Faunus alike. It was their Family's greatest heirloom, the last proof of their noble blood from the days of the Mantlean Empire. Likewise, it dwarfed him at his age, but still he wished to wield it one day. To wear this armor and to bear this blade, like his grandfather and his uncle before him.

"That's what I want, more than anything..." He spoke to himself, "To be like you Uncle, and all our ancestors before. I would give anything, to be a warrior. Anything for my wish to come true..."

"Be careful for what you wish for." He turned around to see his sister standing there with her arms folded. Her blue eyes like ice picks.

"Isolde..."

"I came to your room to check on you, and you weren't there, so I came to the conclusion that you were here again." She smirked, "Fantasizing about being some Knight in shining armor."

"You were right in your assessment." He turned back to the armor set encased behind glass.

"Listen, I couldn't care less if you wanted to become a Huntsman, but why did you have to go and ruin dinner tonight?"

"I didn't ruin dinner, our parents were the ones to go into a sermon on me." He defended.

"Yeah, but you sure did fan the flames."

"I'm sorry, Isolde, is that what you wanted to hear?" His sister sighed.

"I know you looked up to uncle Siegbert Brother," She walked up right beside him, "But you shouldn't try to follow in his exact path."

"Our Uncle was a Hero. He carried the honor of our family while our Father slaves away in a mine for that damn company." He turned to her, "Siegbert was everything I want to be. I don't want to be like you and become some academic person when I grow up. I don't want to be a soldier for Atlas, nor a slave for the SDC. I don't care what Father or Mother thinks, I've made my choice on what I want to be, and I'll strive for it no matter what comes my way."

"Your very stubborn Brother," She closed her eyes and chuckled, "In a way, your like Dad." She turned around and walked to the stairs, she stopped and looked back. "You got my support for your dream Siegfried," She looked forward again, "Just don't make me like Father..."

As she walked down the stairs, he looked back to the armor. Its visor stared back at him.

The Next Morning...

His eyes opened groggily, sunlight covered half of the room from a round window behind him. He had fallen asleep in an old leather chair, his star blanket wrapped around him. His eyes were drawn to the gleam of the armor and Balmung, locked behind the glass case, it was brilliant to the young boy. The loft was a cozy room with Bookcases filled with books and a few paintings on the wall. Siegfried rose up from the chair and stretched. He walked over to the glass case and looked at the sword, he could see his reflection in it. It was a good morning to be alive.

He looked at the clock, it was 8:45 in the morning. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. His mother was at the table, her hair was pulled back, and she was wearing a blue and white apron. She was making a breakfast of some kind, an egg and bacon sandwich. His sister was in the living room, she was playing a video game on her laptop.

"Good morning." He said.

"Good morning, Siegfried." His mother smiled, "Your Father is still sleeping in, it's rare for him to get so much time off."

Siegfried looked away and closed his eyes, "I'm sorry Mother," He apologized, "For the fight last night."

She frowned and looked at him with a sigh, "It's alright..." She patted his shoulder, "…but you need to understand that you can't just run off to your room like that. Me and your father are just...worried about you."

"I know..." He walked over to sit down at the table and waited for breakfast to be ready. Rubbing his face and yawning.

His sister came in from the living room, the only reason is to get some breakfast. "Morning, Siegfried," She greeted him.

He looked up and nodded, "Good morning Isolde," He smiled. She walked over and sat down to wait for their mother to get done cooking. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and then turned to him.

"Is Gunther coming over today?" She asked, just to have a conversation.

"Yeah," He answered with a sarcastic tone, "Like he does every day, you know he's my best friend right?"

"Yeah," She smirked, "I know he's your friend, I was just asking to fill the morning silence."

His mom came over with their breakfast, "Breakfast is served." She said in her usual cheerful tone.

Siegfried and Isolde both reached for the plate of food, They both picked up their forks and started to eat their eggs and bacon. After a few minutes of eating, Siegfried was finished, so he put his fork down and looked at his mother.

"You know, your father and I talk about you last night." His mother started, "We were thinking that maybe you could join the Atlesian Military once you're done with school," His mother turned to Siegfried, "I know you want to be a Huntsman, but the Army is a just option. You'd be serving our kingdom, getting paid fairly, and it's ironically safer than being a Huntsman."

"No," He shook his head, "I want to be a Huntsman and that's final. And besides, why would I or anyone around here want to join those bullies?" She opened her mouth to protest, but he spoke again, "Mother, we talked about this yesterday." Siegfried stated, "I made my decision, I'm going to be a Huntsman." She closed her eyes.

"It's your life, Siegfried. You can do whatever job you want to." She said with a solemn voice, "But, I really don't want to bury my only son." She looked at Siegfried and smiled, "I love you, Siegfried. I'll always be here for you." She got up and walked over to hug him. Siegfried wrapped his arms around her, he was glad that she was here for him.

"I love you too, mom." Siegfried said as he pulled back and looked at her. He never thought a mother could be so sad about a child. She was crying softly. Siegfried gently pulled her into a hug again.

His sister came over and patted her back, "Don't worry about it, mom, Siegfried's too stubborn to get himself hurt." She looked at Siegfried and then back to their mother, "He'll make something of himself, you'll just have to wait and see."

His mother wiped her face and then looked at Siegfried and Isolde, "I will, and then I'll be there for you three."

Both the Boy and the Girl blinked, "Three?" They said simultaneously. The woman placed a hand on her stomach and smiled.

"I just found out this morning that I'm pregnant." Siegfried and Isolde looked at each other then back to their Mother.

"Congratulations Mother!" He said with joy, taking her hand.

"Is it a Boy or a Girl?!" His Sister inquired excitedly, her mother giggled as she responded.

"I don't quite know yet Isolde," She reached out and patted her Daughters head, "It could end up being either."

"Does Father know?" Siegfried asked, letting go of his mothers hand.

"Not yet, it's going to be a surprise for him this evening." She grasped her hands together, "I'm trusting you two to keep this to yourselves until then, we're going to have a surprise party."

His sister jumped up in joy at those words, "A Party!"

"Shhhhh!" He silenced her, "Do you want to wake dad up?"

"Uh, sorry..." She became quiet and rubbed her hands together.

He turned back to his mother, "Is there anything we can do to prepare?"

"I need you to go into town and get me some ingredients to make a cake." She looked at him, "I'm going to make chocolate cake in particular, your father's favorite."

Siegfried nodded and turned to leave, "I'll go right now then."

His mother smiled, "Thank you, Siegfried."

"Wait up! I'm coming with you!" His sister followed behind.

Soon after...

The Boy and his Sister walked down the hill their house rested on, it was snowing very lightly. Isolde looked at him, "Are you okay, Siegfried?" She asked.

He looked at her, "I'm fine."

"You don't seem it with that frown." She said.

He smiled, "I'm fine."

"Then what's up?" She asked, "Are you upset or something?"

He sighed and turned to her, "I...I feel like Mom only capitulated to me because she's having another baby." He looked away with closed eyes, "If we have a brother, then I won't be their only son." He looked at her with sad eyes, "I won't be so precious anymore."

Isolde put her hands in her pockets and looked at her brother, "How do you think I'll feel? Right now, I'm Daddy's Princess, if it's a girl then that's gone." She looked away, "Either way, I'm no longer the baby. In the end, I'm the only one loosing something here."

"You way too smart for your age, Isolde." He was looking at her.

She laughed, "I get that a lot." They walked into the street of their hometown, it was called Einsam. It was a mining town in the Kingdom of Atlas, on the Continent of Solitas. Nestled by the Grey Mountains, with a population of somewhere around 2859 people. Founded twenty years ago as miners brought their families with them to find work. Siegfried remembered his teacher in school telling him and his peers that, technically, the Schnee Dust Company owned the town and that's why their products are everywhere and their guards police it.

Isolde looked around, "Einsam is alright, but nothing to brag about." She said.

"You mean nothing to brag about when compared to the mansions of Atlas City." Siegfried turned to her, "You've been watching those Remtubers vlogs again, haven't you?"

She huffed, "Yes, I have. So?"

"If Dad finds out, he'll get mad again."

"Dad is just a fool who thinks Atlas is the cause of our Kingdoms problems, that Mantle would do things differently."

"A lot of adults think that way. And it's pretty hard not to when you got a City full of know-it-alls lording over everyone on a inhospitable continent." He looked to her and pointed to a flag in a window. It was golden with a horizontal black strip with dark blue edges running through it, a shield with dark blue edges and a yellow interior was in the middle of the flag, there sat in the middle of the shield a black heraldic eagle. "That's the Flag of the Mantlean Empire, not the Kingdom of Atlas." He said.

Isolde stared at the flag and then back to him, "So?"

"The People of our Kingdom would rather return to the days of the old Empire than deal with Atlas." He explained, "Those Remtubers you see from Atlas have no idea what's its like to live in the tundra. They only let snow pass their barriers occasionally, we deal with it almost everyday." With a smirk, he added, "I thought you were the know-it-all?"

"It doesn't even matter really, Solitas is nothing but snow all year long." She brushed her hair to the side, looking away with a frown, "I would rather live in Vale, they actually have seasons."

"I'd like to visit there one of these days." He said as they walked down the street, "It'd be interesting to see green trees and grass in person without snow."

Isolde was looking at the snow falling around them, "I'm sure it's beautiful."

"I'll take you there one day." He said.

"You promise?" She asked.

"I promise Sister."

They walked to the market, it was on the other side of town. It was made out of cement and had a lot of shops. It was a large square that had a market, a few restaurants, a bank, a library and a post office. There were stores lined up along the edge of the street, a general store, a bakery and a tailor. Siegfried scratched his head as he heard a voice, "Hey Guys!"

They turned to see Gunther running up to them with a smile on his face. He about slides on the frozen sidewalk, but Siegfried grabs him by the arm. "Are you alright?" He asks his best friend, who is panting from running.

"S-Sieg! I saw you guys as I was making my way to your house, so I ran here." He says with short breath.

"Why did you run silly?" Isolde asks with laughter, "It's not like we're leaving town."

"I j-just wanted to hang out with..." He looked at Isolde then to Siegfried, who shrugged, "You guys..."

"You mean you wanted to hang out with my brother." She said with a smirk, "Come now, dear Gunther, you should know I'm smarter than the both of you."

He shook his head, "I don't think so." The Redheaded Boy busted out as laughing.

His sister rolled her eyes and sighed, "I will not be triggered by your blatant denial, I am a Savant."

Siegfried and Gunther smiled and shook their heads, he looked at Isolde and said "You are something alright..."

She huffed and then gestured to the market. "Let's go get the ingredients already."

"What for?" Gunther asked curiously.

"A cake," He explained to his friend, "Our Mom's pregnant, she wants to surprise my dad with a dinner."

"Aww, she's having another baby!" Gunther said in amazement.

Siegfried nodded and spoke sarcastically, "Yep, that's what I said."

"Can I help find ingredients?" The Blonde boy asked.

"Sure." The Boys and the Girl went around the market and the bakery to look for ingredients to make a chocolate cake. After an hour of shopping, they got the ingredients and started back to their house.

"Your Dad's gonna be so surprised." Gunther said to Siegfried. Both boys carried plastic bags filled with all the stuff used to make a cake, from eggs to flower.

"I hope so..." Siegfried said with a small sigh.

They walked back to the house and the snow was getting thicker and heavier. As they entered the house, they heard men talking in the living room. They found his father sitting in his chair by the fireplace, holding a bottle of Mantlean Ale in his right hand. He was smiling as he spoke, "Those were great times..."

Opposite to him in another chair, there was a Man unknown to him, dressed in slick obsidian plate armor with orange designs. He had long slicked back hair and a medium length beard with two distinct points like a two pronged fork, his mustache was stereotypical. It was curled in the fashion of the old imperial style that nobles used to have in paintings in Vale and the old Empire. His skin was tanned extensively from years under the sun, a sign of foreign origin. He looked at the kids with bright, piercing orange eyes. At his side, there was a war hammer unlike any other he had ever seen. It was obsidian black with an orange glow coming from the center of the hammer, a circle with a horizontal line on both sides of the hammer (A/N: a black version of volendrung from Skyrim). It was spiky and as big as a man's head.

"Are these your kids?" He spoke with a gruff voice, one filled with nobility but also with seasoned experience. Siegfried's Father looked at them with small shock before dispelling it and speaking.

"Yeah, two of them are, the Blonde boy is my Son's friend." He responded to the armored stranger.

"Who is this Father?" He asked as he walked into the room, his friend and Sister followed.

"This is Duncan, he's an old friend and a Huntsman."

"A HUNTSMAN!" Both Boys shouted as one, excited. They turned to his sister and gave her the ingredients to take to their Mother, her displeased complaints went ignored. They ran up to Duncan like fan girls to a celebrity. He smiled at the boys. They barraged him with questions on where he's traveled, how many Grimm had he slayed, what did his hammer do?

"Boys!" His Father scolded, "Give Duncan some space."

The old Huntsman bellowed out a hardy laugh, "It's quite alright Siegmund," He looked at the Boys, "These Lads have quite the spirit."

"Duncan," Siegmund said, "This is my Son, Siegfried. And this is his friend Gunther."

The old Huntsman eyed Siegfried up and down before saying, "You look just like your Father, but you have a fiery aura." He turned to Gunther, "And you, you have potential."

"What are you doing here?" Siegfried asked.

Duncan and Siegmund shared a look before the old Hunter explained, "I'm here to help the Schnee Private Security guards to sweep and clear the Mine for Grimm."

"Oh, that's right," Siegfried remembered what his Father had said last night before the fight. "You're helping the SDC."

"Yes, that's right." Duncan said, "Looking at the job listings at the last town, it seems that's all any non-military Huntsmen in Atlas does these days..." He finishes his sentence with a disappointed voice. The redheaded Boy decided to make his desire known to Duncan.

"I want to be a Huntsman." Siegfried stated boldly in front of his father and the old Huntsman, "I'm going to make a difference, I'm going to protect the people and the world. Like the Knights of Vale and the Reichsritter used to!"

"Siegfri-" His Father was interrupted.

"That's a noble dream," Duncan said, "The world could always use more noble huntsmen." He said, "You have a good heart. If you work hard, and study the knowledge needed well, you might just be a Hero one day."

"You're saying that Siegfried should be a Huntsman?" Siegmund asked, there was a empty look in his eyes.

"It's what the Boy wants to be, Siegmund. Letting him pursue it is the best thing you can do for him. He will pursue that path regardless, I can tell." Duncan said, his tone persuasive, "You can start him off with some books or videos for students, then start training him yourself, or-"

"I'll think about it..." His Father cut him off, giving his friend a look the young boy didn't understand. But he didn't really pay much attention to that.

Jubilation and relief filled his mind, Siegfried smiled ear from ear. He wanted to shout in triumph, to dance and run around like a cage fighter after a successful knock out, to bang on a drum like some old barbarian. To go to his crush Helga during the middle of class and kiss her boldly. To climb the tallest tree and wave a flag. To-

"Can I be a huntsman too?" Gunther asked Duncan, who laughed in response.

"Sure, you just gotta ask your parents." Duncan told him.

"I'll go do that right now!" Gunther turned and ran to the door, looking back he said "Bye Sieg! I'll see you later!" With that, his best friend was gone.

"Lord of Light, please ease Gibeche's and Amalia's future migraines." Siegmund prayed. Duncan laughed heartily.

"Indeed." He said, he rose up from the chair and grabbed his warhammer, "Well, it's time that I be off."

Siegmund looked at his friend with affection, "It was nice seeing you again, Duncan."

"It was, farewell, old friend." He said before heading to the door. Siegfried was left alone with his Father, as the door closed, his dad sighed.

"Duncan is a good man and a good friend." Siegmund said, a sad tone in his voice, "He has always had my back, through thick and thin."

"Why hasn't he visited us before, dad?" He asked his father curiously. He had never seen or even heard of Duncan before, not even a photo.

"He lives in a village in the Kingdom of Vale." He explained, "He said that he only stopped by because he was traveling around Solitas these last few months. The SDC just so happened to post a job at his destination." Siegmund ran a hand through his crimson hair. "Siegfried...I need to talk with you..." Those last words made him nervous.

"What about?" He asked, warily.

"It's...something we can't talk about here." He rose from his seat, taking one last swing of his ale. "Let's head into town, if you're up for it." Siegfried saw his sister by the Kitchen door, mouthing 'Do it' to him. Probably to let them have time to prepare for the party.

"Sure."

At Noon...

He followed his Father through the streets of the town. They met with countless greetings by their neighbors and others from the town. Siegfried was taken by the people and their optimism, he could feel it. He was so happy to live there, the people were so kind to him. It always felt like he was in a storybook or a movie. He saw a couple of younger boys playing with sticks like they were wooden swords. They both looked like fairytale characters, and he felt like he was in a fairytale whenever he walked through town and looked around. It was hard to believe there was a five year war before he was born.

His dad lead him to the town square, where a large celebration was taking place. He saw the town's priest, Father Bernard. He had long, wavy, blonde hair, wearing a white robe. The man was older, but still looked young. He had a long, yellow, flowing beard, his skin was pale. His blue eyes were kind, and his face was filled with a smile. There were several women in green golden robes singing a holy song, one about rejecting the devil and embracing the Lord of Light. The song was about how God had created the world and all the people in it, the champion of Light then saving the world as told by the scriptures. It is a popular song sung much in church. Passing by, he heard some lyrics in particular.

One woman with black hair began the next verse, "When ye remember all that ye done, know that the Father has only love." The chorus was angelic.

"Turn ye back on the Devil when he comes, for the Grim-Father doth deceive in tongues."

"Oh brave Hero, chosen by God! Hereto we sing thy song, oh brave Sigurd, the Champion of God!"

"He hailed from the north, a star shining bright upon his birth. Visited by a King Dwarf, his family was given a golden sword of much worth."

"Nothung, oh Blade-" He was broken out of his attention by his father, who shook his shoulder and beckoned him to follow.

"Come on."

"What is the celebration for?" Siegfried asked while following behind, confused at the random celebration.

"It's a celebration of the Lord of Light." He said, "Since the beginning of time, the Lord has given us hope and a future with the coming of the light. The people here are celebrating that, and how God has blessed them with life, love and safety."

"Why are they celebrating today? It ain't a holiday, isn't it?" He asked.

"The Lord has blessed us with the right to worship any way we want, any day we want, and now the people here are celebrating their right to worship." Siegmund explained to his son, "They simply gathered here to praise god, the Church's most devout members do this from time to time."

"What about the devil?" He asked his father, "The song is talking about rejecting him, what does he do besides create the Grimm?"

"The Dark Lord has tried to destroy the world." Siegmund explained, "In fact, he created the Grimm to do so. The devil has been around since the beginning of time, fighting the Lord of Light." Siegmund explained, "Every day, the devil's Grimm takes the life of anyone they can get their hands on. He feeds upon all suffering, misery and hatred. The Lord of Light is a symbol of hope, the light that he brings drives back the darkness."

He followed the lead of his Father into the center of the celebration. The people were singing holy songs and holding up a collection of small, wooden, idols. They were shaped as a bearded man holding a sword. His Father walked through and towards the vacant church. "Why are we heading to the church?" He asked his father.

"Because all the Church members are in the square right now. I want somewhere private to talk to you, and somewhere holy."

The large church was more like a cathedral and was decorated with green, white and gold, the holy colors. It was a large building, eerily empty. Green banners with symbols of the sun hanged all over the church, like banners of old nobility hanging on castles. The stain glass windows had images depicting tales from the Book of Light. The kingly Lord of Light facing the skeletal Dark Lord, of them facing eachother also as Dragons. The Lord was depicted as a blonde king with a golden crown with a flaming sword, a green flowing cape with a sigil of the sun behind him. The Dark Lord was always portrayed as a horned red eyed skeleton, wielding foul magic and in a robe of darkness.

There were other images as well, the four Saints, the rings of the divine and finally, the legendary hero Sigurd slaying the Grimm Dragon. A red eyed black dragon with an eclipse behind him. Sigurd was portrayed as the hero, with a golden blazing sword and a flowing blue cape behind him. He had a golden shining ring on one hand and wore crimson blood-red armor. Siegfried stared at the image intensely, it was his favorite story in the Book of Light and his favorite window in the church.

"What are we doing here?" He asked his Father, while turning to face him. His father sat down on the pew in the front row.

"Come sit," He said to his son while patting the space right by him, "I want to talk to you about being a Huntsman." He obeyed as he walked over and sat down. There was an awkward silence for a moment as they stared at the altar in front of them. His father took a deep breath and sighed, "There's something I never told you or your sister..." He broke the silence, "Before you were born, I...I was a Huntsman."

Siegfried's face finally registered the information, and he was caught off guard by the revelation. He stared at the window, staring at the glorious image of Sigurd. His father never spoke about his time before he was born, nor really talked about anything of his youth. It had never been discussed, he had always assumed it was because of the war. Siegfried felt a wave of relief at the news, until the anxiety of what came next kicked in. The Knight in crimson armor on the colorful window seemed to look right at him, as if staring at him. He sat on the pew, staring at the Knight as his father spoke.

"I had trained with my brother since I was young. When we both came of age, we went to the most prestigious Hunter's academy in the world, Beacon Academy in Vale. We both were the leaders of our own teams and graduated top of our classes." He explained, "When I was twenty-two, during a mission far north of Solitas, I met your mother when I tried to slay a Wendigo. It...it about killed me, if it wasn't for her, I'd be dead." He turned to his son. "As I stayed there to recover, we fell in love. When I finally defeated it, I asked her hand in marriage. Two years later, she told me she was pregnant." He looked away, "My Father died when me and your Uncle were young, I didn't want my Son to grow up without me." He rubbed his face.

"So I quit," He looked back at Siegfried who still looked away, "I retired and shattered my sword, I said farewell to all my comrades and took my family to this town where I took up a job in the mine. The reason I don't want you to be a Huntsman, my son, is because my Father and Brother all died early in life because of it."

He paused for a moment, "I'm not trying to control your life. I'm just trying to protect you." He paused again, "I'm always afraid of losing you or your sister."

Siegfried looked his Father right in the eyes, "I understand, but this is what I want."

"I know, I can't change your mind." Siegmund smiled, "The one thing you have in common most with me and Siegbert is determination and stubbornness." He looked back at him and shifted his face into a serious look. "But let me ask you this, do you think you can face Grimm?"

"I know I can," Siegfried replied, "I know I can kill them, I know I can do it."

"You've never seen one up close." His Father stated, "I've met a dozen boys who said as much who gave into terror at the sight of them. They are the Darkness made flesh, they have no soul nor reason for their savagery like Animals. They kill not because they can or for food, but because it's in their nature. Their Father commands them to." His Father then looked at him again, "So let me ask you this again: do you think you can face Grimm?"

"Yes." Siegfried said confidently.

"Huntsmen are called to protect the people at any cost, from Grimm, from disasters and from other people." He said, "You're a good boy, Sieg, but do you have what it takes to be a Huntsman?"

Siegfried looked at his father a moment, and a thought popped into his head, "I suppose I'll find out."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" His Father asked sternly.

"Sometimes." He replied honestly.

"It's good to always be wary of the dark," His Father explained, "Be aware of the darkness, but always remember to rejoice in the Light."

"I'll do my best." Siegfried said solemnly.

"Not good enough!" Siegmund shouted, "Promise me you'll give it your all! That you'll strive for victory no matter what, in all obstacles!"

Siegfried nodded, "I promise."

"Good," He stood up and patted him on the shoulder. He looked at the stain glass with a truly proud smile. "My son, you will be a great Huntsman." He looked back at his son with a smile, "You will be a warrior of light."

He smiled back, "Thank you, Father."

Siegmund took a deep breath and walked over to the altar, he kneeled and began to pray. Siegfried followed him and knelt next to him. The large church echoed with the Father and Son's prayers. "Oh Dagda, Lord of Light, Father of all, great and good God," They began in unison. "Guide us upon the illuminated path. Protect us from the Nightmares and our foe, the Dark One. Keep us unharmed this night if you will it. Be with us in our trials and tribulations. Show us the path to victory on the glorious dawn. We pray in your name Lord, you, who is the light of the world."

Siegfried added, "And the Father who created us all."

"Amen," They said in unison.

"Let us pray to the Saints," Siegmund requested.

"They that watch over us."

"They who lead us to your light."

"They who guide us to our soul mates."

"Hail the four Saints of the Seasons!"

"Anwen, Maiden of Spring."

"Eurwen, Countess of Summer!"

"Rowan, Duchess of Fall!"

"Gwen, Queen of Winter!"

"Saints be with us!"

"Amen!"

When the prayer was done, they both stood up. His father smiled sadly when he spoke, "I always heard of you from your Uncle, he always said you were his favorite. He died fighting Grimm to protect others. He died protecting you, and he'll be there, in your head, and in your heart. He'll be there watching over you."

"I miss him," Siegfried said quietly.

"I do too." His Father said with pain in his voice, "But we'll always be there for each other." Siegfried looked back at his father, nodded and gave a small smile back. Siegmund walked up to him and put his hands on his shoulders. "So, son, I bring you my blessing to pursue your dream." He smiled and stood up. Then he gave him a hug, "It's your life, son, do what you want. I only ask that you do this not for only your sake, but all those defenseless in the world."

"Thank you, Father." Siegfried spoke, his eyes welled with tears.

"Just remember: don't die on me." He said, "Everyone's counting on you."

"I…I won't. I swear."

"Good." His Father said with a smile. "I think it's time we head-" He was interrupted by a tremor, the whole building shook.

"W-What's happening Dad?" Siegfried questioned as they both lost their balance. He grabbed the side of a pew while his father fell to the floor.

"An earthquake?" He answered, not sure if he was right. The vibration slowly ended. Getting up, they both made way to the front door. Opening it, they exited out to see all the worshipers in the center of the town getting up or regaining their balance. The sky was ominous and gloomful, the bright sun that had shined most of the day was blanketed in dark grey clouds. They walked down to the crowd, Siegmund bent over to help Father Bernard up.

"Thank you, Siegmund," He said with a voice like butter.

"Do you know what's going-" The world shook once more, a sound like thunder and a large cracking egg deafened all in a hundred miles. Siegfried fell to his knees as the thunder intensified, a symphony of doom and despair for all to hear. Like a hammer being bashed against your eardrums. The mountain, everyone looked to it if they could. It was cracking, it was the source of the quake.

Then suddenly it stopped. As everyone got to their feet, he and his father faced the mountain over their small little town. His father spoke, "W-What could it-" A explosion erupted from the mountain that forced everyone down, a loud ear-splitting roar thundered. Rocks flew in the air for over fifty miles. Looking up, they saw something most only thought of as a legend, a biblical beast. There on the mountain rose Grimm unlike any other.

It's two purple wings, and its spiky tail were the length of a three-story building, its flesh was pitch black. It had white bone plating up from its belly to under its neck with purple markings, on the side and of its neck were purple vents that steamed. Furthermore, it had two arms and two legs, both were the length of a story. It's white bony head had seven horns, one small on its snout, two short ones pointed downward, two medium ones pointing behind it, and finally two long ones pointing skyward. It's eyes were crimson with hate. It roared like thunder and spoke in an ancient tongue.

"ÉG ER ENDURFÆÐIST AFTUR!" Its voice was demonic and thick, filled with power unmatched. Its wings unfolded and flapped, sundering the air. A Grimm told of only in legends, harbingers of the End Times. Everyone knew it, even the faithless knew the legends. Father Bernard proclaimed its name.

"BY DAGDA, IT'S A DRAGON!!!" He shouted bloody murder as he turned and bolted, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Everyone started to run, but Siegfried couldn't take his eyes off the Monster who roared on the mountain. Fear gripped him, rooted him to the spot.

[Play 'Watch the Skies' -Skyrim OST]

"Komdu bræður mínir! Komdu og veisluð ótta þeirra og hold þeirra!" It thundered, "Neyttu þeirra! Eyðileggja þá! Brjótið þá!" It flapped its wings and flew up into the air, and began to fly towards the town. Tears streamed down his face as a hand gripped his shoulder, he forcibly turned around.

"We need to go," His Father told him with a face of iron, "NOW!" He took his son's hand as they began to run. His father led him away from the crowd of people running, it was a wise choice. As he looked back, a stream of bright purple fire shot forth from the Dragons mouth as it flew overhead. The people caught burned horribly and screamed as they thrashed around. "We need to get to your Mother and Sister, then out of this town!" His Father said sternly. Gunshots and screams erupted all across the town, it was chaos.

They ran into an alley way where they saw an old Man he knew as Mr. Arbeit be jumped by a Grimm he recognized as a Beowolf from school lessons, he shot his shotgun, but it swerved to the side and knocked it out of his hands. It tackled him and bit into his throat with a growl, tearing it out with its teeth. His father grabbed the shotgun as it looked up into Siegfried's eyes, flesh still in its mouth. It's hellish red eyes met bright blue. Before it could chase new prey, it's wolven head was blown off point-blank, black viscus and blood splattered the snow, mixing with crimson blood.

Siegfried's ear rang for a moment, before his dad got his attention. "Let's go!" He followed his father, but not before seeing Mr. Arbeit's cold, dead grey eyes. "Why are the Grimm already here?" He heard his father ask himself, confused at the whole situation. The Boy could hear roars of pleasure and rage, screams of Men, Women and Children. Gunshots kept ringing out, especially in the direction they were heading. Purple flame set alight the town. As they left the ally, they were met with a chaotic war zone.

Men and Women with Guns along with SPS Guards in combat gear not unlike that used by the Atlesian Military were firing on the Grimm as others ran. They ran, ducked and weaved through the street. He saw a boy he knew from school named Gerben be grabbed by an Ursa and get his head bit off, then an SPS Guard with an automatic rifle be pounced on by a Sabyr cat, it's long teeth piercing his chest in a crunch. As they made their way to another alleyway, a Sabyr jumped off a house, right in front of his father. Its roar was silence by a shot to the face. His father pumped a shell out, and they ran into the alley.

He didn't know how to process all the death and carnage going on around him. He wanted to cry, to scream, to curl up in a fetal position. To pray for God to save them, to beg for his life. Then he also wanted to kill ever last Grimm in his sight, to avenge his friends and his neighbors. Right now, he just tried to focus on survival. He looked back to see a stream of purple flames incinerate the street they were just in, Grimm and People alike burned alive in pain. He saw it as it passed over them.

The Dragon flew into the sky overhead, laughing at the people's torment. "Ég er Fáfnir, ég er sonur hins myrka!" It roared with pride, "Ljós mun ekki frelsa þig!" It spread its wings and arms, like one would expect from someone wanting praise, "Dýrka mig! Óttastu mig! Hata mig!" Its wings flapped with a sound like a thunderclap, "Ég er þinn endir!"

They made their way out of the main town to the more rural outskirts by the walls, there were a few houses scattered with trees here and there, providing little cover. Thankfully, the Dragon was focused on the town, the majority of Grimm were too...not all. A few Wolf-like Grimm called Direwolves came at them, his father shot three and clubbed another so hard in the head with the shotgun, its head caved in. They ran up the hill to their house and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

[Stop Playing 'Watch the Skies'-Skyrim OST]

"It's us! Let us in, damn it!" Siegmund shouted. His Mother opened the door, a handgun in her hand. His sister held onto her in fear. They both rushed in, Siegfried let out a deep breath of relief at his Mother and Sister's safety.

"Thank the Lord, your both alright!" His mother said with tears in her eyes, both his Sister and Mother hugged him. He found himself embracing them with tears of his own.

"Astrid!" He Father said as he laid the Shotgun down, it was out of shells, "We have to leave, head for either Staubhafen, Port Diamant or Fort Eisen. Anywhere but here." He went up the steps of the house.

"All three of those cities are too far away for us to go on foot! Where are you going?!" His Mother said, her voice tense.

"I'm getting a weapon, we'll figure it out!" Siegmund responded.

Isolde looked at Siegfried with tears streaming down her face, "Brother, what's going on?" Before he could answer, their Mom kneeled down and rubbed her shoulders.

"It's nothing major, sweetie, just a...minor Grimm attack." She tried to reassure.

"I'M NOT STUPID!" She shouted, angry. "SOMETHING is WRONG!"

"Calm down, Isolde," He told his sister, a stern but understanding look on his face. "If you don't, the Grimm will come after us."

"I-I don't know what to do!!" She screamed, bursting into tears. He hugged his sister, letting her cry into his shoulder. "I don't want to be eaten by them!"

"It's going to be alright, we'll make it through this." He said with an uneasy voice but with eyes of determination, "I promise."

Their Father came down the stairs, his hands he held the Azure Blade, Balmung. He twisted the handle, and it became a one handed sword (A/N: basically the shape of a regular Stalhrim one handed Sword from Skyrim). He looked at his family, "We have to leave, now." He walked over to Siegfried, "Sieg, I want you to watch over your Sister, keep her safe no matter what. Do you understand?"

He took a deep, weary breath, "Yes." He slapped his Son's shoulder as he knelt by his Daughter.

"Isolde," He said gently to her, "Keep hold of your brother's hand, don't let go unless you really have to. Can you do that for me?"

"Y-Yes, Daddy."

He turned to Astrid, "Keep in the rear with that pistol honey, I'll clear a path with Balmung."

"A-Alright," She said, "Whatever happens, I want you all to know I love you."

"Nothing is gonna happen, we just got to get to the gate!" He said as he opened the door, "Let's go!" They followed him outside. It was snowing now, as the town was burning in orange, yellow and purple flames. The gunshots lessened with every second, but the shouts and screams of Grimm and Human alike still ruled the air, only dwarfed by the Dragon's thundering roars.

They ran to the eastern exit, there were others on the way there as well. Other families, vehicles and even routed SPS guards. He held his sister's hand as they ran, his Mother and Father held their gun and sword up respectively. His Mom shot the smaller Grimm from behind them, while their Dad sliced through any that get in their way in the front. There was also people being ripped apart in front of them, their entrails spewed out onto the snow, limbs torn and shredded, their flesh being devoured by Beowolves, Direwolves and Sabyrs.

His dad cut through them with ease, he wielded Balmung like a seasoned warrior despite being out of the game over eleven years. A Beowolf lost its head, while a Direwolf fell over from a couple of gunshots. It seemed like they would make it, the gate was in the distance, it was open. They just had to reach it, then open tundra awaited. They were so close, they just had to-

"NEIGH!!" There was the sound of Hooves, like two sets running at once. He looked back, and saw it. Steam emitted from its skeletal snout, its eyes were like melting rocks. Eight legs ran with speed that could out do any regular horse, even the other forms of Horse Grimm. It was a Sleipnir, and it was heading straight for his Mom. She only saw it for a second, before it hit her. She was thrown away from the gate, and towards a house.

"MOM!" He shouted, turning around, his Sister and Father following his gaze with looks of horror. She raised her bloody head up as it continued to neigh, she reached out with her left hand.

"Hel-AGH!" She screamed in pain as the first two hooves stomped on her back, "SIG-" She was silenced when the last two fell, one upon her shoulder, the other her head. It busted open, her brains and blood washing out upon the snow like a busted dam. It neighed with pleasure as it continued to trample their mother's corpse. Crimson viscera and white bones broken and busted, like a stomped-on bug. It bent it's horrid head down to bite and lick the gore, to sample a taste.

"ASTRID!!" Siegmund called out, his steely resolve broken into horror and rage. Siegfried just stood there as his Sister wailed. His world was shattered, all he could feel was his heartbeat. He was helpless and weak. A true warrior and hero would've been able to hold the Grimm off themself for the entire town to live and survive. He was no hero, he was no warrior. He was a little-boy. He wanted to kill it, to take the Sleipnir's head. His Mom, his sweet and caring mom, was dead.

What was he supposed to do? What was next? What was going to happen-"Wragghh!" His Father shouted as he charged the beast. It saw him coming and met him with a counter charge, he sidestepped and slashed one of the beast's left hind legs off. It whined in pain as black blood leaked from its stump. As it turned to charge him again, he ran up to it and slid on the snow, slicing one leg from the front right. He jumped up and slashed its side as it came around to bite him. He back stepped and jumped in the air, onto its back. Mounting it like one would a regular horse, he brought Balmung to its neck as it tried to buck him off, slashing at its throat. It wasn't enough to kill it. however, as it bucked him off into the snow.

He quickly rose to his feet and took the azure sword into his right hand, the horse neighed banefully. They ran at each other once more, he brought Balmung to his left to slash as it opened its mouth to tear his face off. Ducking out of the way, he twisted the handle of Balmung, and the bland unfolded into a great sword. Bringing it up underneath the Sleipnir's head, it realized too late as the blade dug upwards, severing dark blood and demon bone from its body. As its head fell, he dropped to his knees, blade in hand. His was panting.

Both Siblings were amazed at how their father moved, they had never seen him make such motions. He stood up and sighed, "That was for you Astrid," He said with closed eyes, a tear running down his face. "Now it's time that we get-"

"Þvílík sýning!" They looked up to see it swoop down, before his father could raise the blade it grabbed him with its left hand and flew into the air, the great sword fell from his grasp into the snow.

"NO!" Siegfried shouted, eyes wide. The Dragon looked at Siegmund, ignoring the Boy's cry. Siegmund looked up at the sentient Grimm with a look of horror and helplessness. He heard it sniffing deeply, as if looking for a particular scent. Then it spoke in its deep, hellish voice.

"Hversu kaldhæðnislegt, ég finn lyktina af hetjunni. En þú hefur ekki hans kjarnann..." The Dragon chuckled demonically, "Þú sorgleg, litli maður. Hvernig þorir þú að vekja vonir mínar? Deyja fölsku hetju!" Siegmund's last sight was its maw reaching forward. It bit his entire top half off, intestines hanged from his lower half, still held in the Dragon's hand. Chewing and swallowing, it let go of the man's legs to fall to the ground. "Hvar ertu?! Volsung!!" It roared as it flew away.

"DADDY!!" Isolde screamed, tears running down her face worse than before. "This can't be happening!!" She held onto her Brother tightly, he didn't notice it.

"F-Father...N-No..." Everything seemed to slow down around him. His Father, his Mother, his Uncle...they were all dead, there was no one left that he knew could help them. All that was left was him and his sister...a single sentence entered his mind 'Sieg, I want you to watch over your Sister, keep her safe no matter what. Do you understand?' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he made a promise to both his sister and his Father. He couldn't let himself break now.

A feeling of deep, burning resolve seemed to fill him as he opened his eyes. Letting go of his sister to her surprise, he ran forward and grabbed Balmung, the only weapon they had. Twisting the handle to the right, the sword shifted into a one handed weapon. It was heavy, but he didn't care, he had to protect his sister, no matter the cost. He turned and ran back to her, he could hear them coming. Taking her hand, he ran to the gate. They were just about to make it out, they had to make it out.

They were a couple of meters away, so close to at least escaping the town. As they made their way to gate however, there was a deep guttural grow. Behind the gate, a large Direwolf with spikes along its back strode into view. Its eyes glowed gold, it's mouth foamed and salivated with hunger. A long scar ran down its bone plated snout shaped like an x. Multiple others covered its legs and torsos, dents in it's bone armor, signs of past battles won or survived. Its breath was fetid and steamy, the scent of death. Its tail thumped against the ground as it came closer to them like a sacrificial drum.

They froze in their tracks, it had a cruel grin. Its teeth seemed to be yearning to shred flesh, to shed blood. It was laughing at them. A howl was like a nightmare. It was the voice of a Beast that had slain many, of an Ancient Demon. A voice that spoke from the abyss, a feeling of imminent death. It was a beast of the Darkness, one that loved Chaos. It was an Alpha Direwolf.

There were other growls as they looked around, gold and crimson eyes in the snowing darkness. They were surrounded on almost all sides, except to their right, where there was an opening along the tall concrete walls. He saw a building in the distance, an old house long abandoned. He had seen it before, the other boys at school claimed it was haunted, but he didn't care. Anything was better than the Grimm.

"W-What are we gonna-ah!" He interrupted his sister as he pulled her along in a sprint, the sword in the other hand.

"RUN!" He shouted as they took off, the direwolves gave chase. A lone Direwolf jumped in their way, but Siegfried swung Balmung upward with strength that even surprised him, the blade cut deep through the false-wolf's body, severing vital veins. Lethal, even for a minor Grimm. It fell to the side and whined like a hurt dog as they passed. He had no time to contemplate his first ever kill of anything. The snow slowed them down as they ducked and dived between the pine trees, but it did so for the Grimm as well. A few Direwolves even slipped face-first into the snow, their youthful bloodlust and lack of experience apparent. The large Alpha however, was gaining on them quickly. It had what most of them didn't, experience.

Demonic yapping resounded as the house came closer into view, the monsters were loving this. As they approached, Siegfried guided his sister towards the back, the front door was always locked. He and his friends would always sneak in from the back after jumping the chain link fence. When they came upon the fence, he turned to his sister quickly. "You have to climb!"

"W-What?!" She asked, fear and confusion ruining her ability to think straight. He hit the chain link fence, it made a rattling sound.

"Climb the fence, I'll be right behind you!" He ordered her as they heard the yapping and growls of joy. He looked back to see, to his horror, the Direwolves had caught up to them. There was at least seven regular direwolves, all in a position to block off any attempts to flee. In the middle, facing him straight in the eyes, stood the Alpha. Its mouth was curled upwards in a cruel, demonic smile. All their mouths, salivating and panting.

They were backed into a corner, it was just him, his sister and the family sword against some direwolves and one Alpha Direwolf. They both knew that this was it, they were going to die. Siegfried looked back at the house. It was just a few more meters away, but the wolves were in the way. It seemed hopeless, like they were doomed. That the Grimm would win and everyone he loved, including himself would die. They had already taken his parents, perhaps all his classmates as well, maybe even Gunther.

All that was left was them, a ten-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl. What hope was there? 'A true hero never gives in Siegfried,' The words of his dead uncle rang in his head, 'They go and face any and all obstacles to the path of victory head on!' His grip on the sword tighten, 'They have to be like an iron statue to weather the storm, to be a bulwark to protect the weak, and they have to be a fearless warrior willing to do whatever to slay their enemies!' His face became as steel, 'They have to be willing to sacrifice, to die saving those they love and to die fighting for victory. That is what being a Hero is about!'

He looked back at his sister, she was crying. He was scared, sure, but he was determined to save her. He had to be brave, he had to be a hero. To be like his uncle, to be like his dad. Courage and strength, that was all he needed now. Siegfried gripped the sword with both hands, his heart pounding.

The direwolves were all baying yapping, like a litter of pups about to pounce on a mouse. He looked back to her and said stoically, "Isolde, climb the fence."

She was still crying and shaking, but she nodded. She gripped the chain link fence and started to climb with all her strength. The Direwolf Alpha frowned and barked angrily. "Siegfried, I don't think I can, I'm scared!" She said in a tremble.

"Do it, Isolde, I believe in you." He said sternly as he faced down the slow approaching Direwolves. She kept on climbing and jumped off the other side, finding herself behind the fence in the backyard. She gripped the fence with a tear stained face.

"Siegfried!" She screamed, he paid her no mind. His mind was fluctuating between being a scared little boy and a brave big brother, he chose the latter. He had to protect her.

"Go inside that house, Isolde, lock the door and wait until the Atlesian Military arrives." He ordered her, "I will hold these Grimm off, and if I am successful, I'll join you!"

"Sieg-"

"Go!" He ordered, she cried as she ran away from her brother. As she entered the backdoor, he faced the Direwolves with a snarl. "Well then?! What are you waiting for?!!!" He shouted.

Two Direwolves charged, and he swung the sword, the blade sliced through the first Direwolf, it fell to the side and yelped. He had to be strong and fearless. A second Direwolf leapt at him, but he was ready for it. The blade sliced through the Direwolf's spine and neck, the beast fell to its death. Whined once, and then it was still. He hacked off its head with rage as it already started to evaporate into black mist. The others were frozen in place, their eyes wide and mouth gaping. They had heard his terrible voice, they had seen his formidable blade.

They hissed and snarled at him, he ignored their posturing and faced them with a mad smile. They were still frozen, none dared make a move. He took a step closer to them. They were real big, but with the azure sword in his hand, he was a force to be reckoned with. When he moved, it felt like he was being guided to victory. Every swing of a sword felt like his hands were being steered to their mark. It made him feel invincible.

"I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" Siegfried shouted at them, their heads snapped back as if he had punched them. "YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A JOKE! YOUR KNOCKOFFS OF YOUR BEOWOLF COUSINS!" He swung his sword to the ground, the blade sliced through the cold, hard ground and snow like butter. "Come and meet your death!" He challenged. His voice echoed through the woods, the direwolves hissed at him, trying to scare him. It didn't work. "Come on then!" Siegfried yelled as he swung his sword in the air, it made a thunderous noise. He had to be willing to sacrifice, to die saving those he loved. He had to be willing to die fighting for victory. That is what being a Hero was about!

The Alpha barked and other Direwolves ran forward. He swung his sword, his blade sliced through the first Direwolf's jaw, its head fell clean off. "AHAHAHAHA!" He laughed madly as he swung the blade with all his might and the blade flew through the air like an arrow, it sliced through the second Direwolf's rib cage and heart and through the thirds Direwolf's neck, severing vital blood vessels. The two Direwolves fell convulsing in pain before going limp.

Three more charged, one head on and two tried to flank him. Siegfried met the first direwolf off with a sharp diagonal swing of his sword, the blade sliced through the beast's bone plated head and neck, through the torso, causing the beast to fall down in death. Black Ichor and Mist sprayed in the air. He jumped forward and turned with a rightward swing, beheading the Beta Direwolf who tried to flank his right.

The last Beta Direwolf moved forward, coming at him from his right, he stepped forward and slashed its right side with great strength. It was thrown back, one hind leg flying in the air, rolling in the snow. Coming to a stop, It whined in pain as black blood oozed from its wounds. Its yellow eyes looked up to disappointed ones, as a large paw stepped on its head and crushed it. Black mist started to emit from its dead body under the Alpha, who stared at him with bared teeth.

He pointed his sword at the beast, with a angry look on his face. "I won't give in! You hear me? Monster!" It was slowly walking to its right, eyeing him up and down. It was growling low with rage, foam dripped from its mouth as it seemed to be getting ready to attack. Siegfried slowly backed away from the Direwolf who was slowly approaching him. The Alpha Direwolf was getting closer and closer, he could feel the bloodlust emitting from the beast.

It was now just a few feet away, it was time to make sure he wasn't going to die. He thrust forward with the sword with the intent to kill, only for the Monster to dodge. It lunged with a loud roar, its big paws smashed into Siegfried's chest. He was flung backwards and hit the ground hard. He was about to get back up when he saw the Direwolf's massive jaws open, it was going to bite his face off. He rolled out of the way, as it went in for the kill. Bringing up his sword, he tried to slash the Alpha.

The blade bounced off its scarred skeletal mask. He swore it could see it smirk as it turned and swung its huge tail, hitting him in the face. Siegfried was sent flying back into the chain linked fence so hard that it broke. Rolling on the snowy ground of the backyard, he came to a stop and rose slowly to his feet. His back and face hurt. His blue coat was torn, and his left arm was bleeding. He had a bruise on his face, but he was still alive.

He thought that too soon, for the Alpha snarled as it ran towards him. He saw his sword on the ground, he dove for it as the Direwolf pounced on the place he just was. Picking up Balmung, he ran forth with it to strike. The azure runeblade dig deep in its unarmored side with one slash, but it was not enough. It reared back and swiped with its left paw, Siegfried was thrown back into the snow with claw marks on his right arm.

Looking up from the ground, he lifted the blade up just in time as wide jaws came for him. White razor sharp teeth bit down on dark blue metal as he held the sword in front of him by both handle and blade to prevent his death. The beast tried to wrestle the sword from his hands, but he kept a tight grip on Balmung. It pulled back with all its ferocity, the blade dug deep into his left gloved hand, cutting his skin as he held on for dear life. He kicked its chest, trying to make it let go of Balmung, to no avail. Its eyes were wide, rage filled, it wanted to tear him to shreds and eat him alive.

His strength, as unusual as it was, began to fail him. His arms grew weak from fatigue and strain, his resolve weakened, fear started to cloud his mind once more. The Monster seemed to grow stronger from his weakness, like his despair rejuvenated it. It growled with pleasure at his struggle. He was tired, his vision blurry. His young muscles burned in pain, his grip lessened and then, he let go. The sword was thrown across the backyard, clattering against the concrete wall of the burning town, then falling into the snow.

He was at its mercy now, it looked down at him with hate and hunger. It opened its maw and- was hit across the head with a baseball bat, which broke on impact. "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!!" Isolde screamed, her valor amazed him as he laid on the ground. The beast was knocked back in pain, dazed from the surprise blow, it had to catch its footing. She went to his side to help him, "We need to go!"

"I-I told you to stay in the house!" He said, hurt and weary. She paid his lecture no attention as she forcibly hosted him up. Once he stood, he turned to the Direwolf which and looked back to them, it had regained its balance. Its golden eyes looked at him, then to her, and then back to him. He saw the ends of its mouth edge upwards in a fiendish grin. A smile of nightmares.

Its mouth watered again is sweet hunger, eyeing his Sister up and down. It was no longer interested in just him, it wanted her first. "GO BACK INSIDE!" He shouted, his Sister looked back at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was.

"Are you insane?! YOU WILL DIE!!" She shouted.

He kept his eyes on the beast, "At least one of us have to make it through this Isolde, and I made a promise to Dad and you to keep you safe." He said, picking up the handle of the splintered bat, now more like a stake. "If one of us must die, it will be me. I won't let a fate like Dad's or Mom's to befall you. SO GO!"

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU!"

"DO WHAT YOUR TOLD!"

It roared as it charged them, catching both children off guard. Siegfried brought up the stake and pushed her behind him as he went to stab the beast. Hitting nothing but air as it dived to the left and swiped with its right paw. He was thrown across the yard, slamming into the concrete wall, bouncing off of it into the snow face first. He spat out blood as he looked up, he saw his sister run from the Direwolf. She made it to the back porch stairs before its jaws clamped down on her left leg.

"N-NO!" He shouted with blood coming out his mouth, reaching out with his left hand. It dragged her into the backyard, she was crying and screaming for help, it lifted her up into the air and slammed her down, letting go as she fell. She looked up in pain, her eyes met his, and she reached out. She cried out once more as the wolf bit now her shoe, it's long jagged teeth piecing her foot. It began to drag her off, out of the backyard into the tree line. "ISOLDE!!" He tried to get up, but found a puddle underneath him, that last swipe had slashed deep into his torso. He fell in pain as blood poured out of his body.

He saw Balmung not far from in front of him, he reached out for it, it was just out of reach. He tried to crawl forward, but only caught snow in his hands. His vision dulled, his breathing shortened, his heart pounded like an unbalanced washing machine. He felt tired, oh so very tired...

He opened his eyes to find himself naked in the middle of a snowfield, he was in a large puddle of his own blood. His sister was being mauled by the beast in front of him at what seemed to be at an astronomically slow speed. They were in the middle of a blizzard, almost a whiteout. "Not doing too good, are you son?" A voice spoke, the voice of an old wise Man. Looking to his right stood a cloaked figure with a long wooden staff in his right hand. He had a long white beard, as white as the snow itself. The cloak was fancy, the kind he imagined old nobles wore on Solitas back when armies used swords and shields, with thick black fur on the shoulders and a long black cape that came down to the knees. Its hood obscured the man's face, like an impenetrable shadow. Other than that, he noticed simple deerskin boots and an old-fashioned tunic.

"W-Who are y-you?" The bleeding Boy asked, blood still being coughed up.

"I'm a simple wanderer," He answered cryptically, "But that does not matter right now, does it Siegfried?" The Man grinned, there was enjoyment in watching him go wide-eyed in confusion.

"H-How do you know my name?"

The Wanderer gestured around, "I know everyone's names, but I keep track of those who are...special."

"Special?" The Boy was stupefied, was this real? Or was this some sort of delusion before death?

"Yes, and no, this isn't a delusion. This is real." He stoked his beard with a hand covered in rings. "Your Family has had many special people. Recently being your grandfather, your uncle, your father and you."

Why didn't he mention Isolde? "What about my sister?"

"She's special...in different ways than I mean. Though, her destiny grows thinner by the second." He pointed his staff to the image of the Girl, the Direwolf chewed on her leg like a chew toy. Siegfried tried to get up, but incredibly pain shot out through his body, he looked at the man standing above him.

"P-Please, you have to save my Sister..." He begged, tears in his eyes.

"Saving your sister is your responsibility." The Wanderer said sternly, "You made an oath." The Boy flipped over, revealing deep lacerations across the chest, bleeding profusely, his arms wide like a cross.

"I'm dying." He said so weakly with a wheeze.

"Such is the way of battle," The Wanderer chuckled nonchalantly, "The weak die and the strong prevail, isn't this what you wished for? To be a warrior?"

"I-I wanted to be more than that, to be a Hero."

"They often bear the same fates," The Old Man pulled out something from nowhere,"They are but two sides of the same bloody coin." He then tossed a coin into the air and caught it, "And besides, does a true hero so easily give in like you are right now?"

"L-Look at me!" The Boy shouted, "I-I am wounded badly."

"So are many others in your town, including the Dark One's own children. Yet they still fight, struggling for victory." He stated with a closed fist, then pointed to him. "With the blood in your veins, it should take more than that to kill you."

"W-What do you mean?" The Man made the coin vanish into blue flame before spreading his arm out wide for one dramatic speech.

"You will know in time, but for now take heed of my words: You walk the path thrice treaded, The path drenched in blood, cleared by sword. Prepare thyself, for fate calls your name to glory. Harken to the four winds when the Gjallarhorn blows. Reclaim Andvaranaut and the rest of the Rheingold. Find the Sage and then the Green One, they will reveal your destiny."

"My...Destiny? G-Green One? This makes no sense?!"

"Focus on your oath for now, young one, your Sister needs you." He deflected, "I will give you but a taste of your own blood." He took a few steps and kneeled by him. Siegfried saw his face under the hood, he had one filled with authority, one bright blue glowing eye, his left one covered by a black leather eyepatch. His hands hand rings with weird symbols, the same symbols were tattooed all over his hands in blue ink. He dipped two fingers into the blood puddle beside the boy, and lifted them up to the nose and smelled it for a moment. He then ran his finger in a manner like a skilled painter to a canvas, he drew three weird letters first on his right shoulder, one looked like an arrow, the second an R, the third a combination of an S and a Z. Then he painted a large symbol that looked like multiple on his right arm. "For increased potential and health," He said, answering his mental question. Then he painted something on his forehead, he couldn't see it, obviously. "This one, will awaken your soul."

"What?" He asked, everything confused him.

"There's no time," He pointed his finger at his forehead, "Wake up Siegfried, Stand and Fight!" He then poked him, every thing erupted into bright light.

He opened his eyes and gasped, there was an intense warm feeling that formed all around him. Like a blanket had been wrapped all over his body. There was a blue glow that seemed to shine on his skin. He wasn't bleeding no more, despite there being a blood puddle all around him. He pushed himself up to see that the claw marks had been closed, despite white lines along skin and a torn jacket covered in blood, it seemed he wasn't mortally wounded at all...in fact he felt great, warm and powerful. He ripped his ruined jacket and shirt off to find he wasn't cold one bit, the weather didn't affect him. Looking down, there were no runes on his shoulder, nor any on his arm. Was the Old Man real? Why did he feel this way? What was-he heard her screaming and dispelled his questions.

He grabbed Balmung and took off running at a speed he didn't knew he possessed. He had to save her. Siegfried leaped over the collapse fence like it was nothing, he saw a trail in the snow, a trail of blood. In the distance he saw her and the monster. She was screaming on the ground as it continued to chew her leg and foot, most of the front half of the latter gone. Fire burnt in his blood, rage clouded his mind.

The Direwolf Alpha enjoyed teasing its meal, hearing her screams made it whine in joy. Tasting the pumping blood and live flesh was like a drug to it. As it took another bite, however, he heard something...like fast running, peaking its eyes in the direction-"LET GO OF MY SISTER!!!" Siegfried shouted as he impacted with the wolf, his blue blade dug deep into its stomach. His strength caused it to go flying and rolling in the snow, black blood painting the snow like chocolate syrup on vanilla ice cream. The Alpha cough some up as it looked at the boy.

[Play- 'Twilight of the Gods'-Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia OST]

He held the blade with resolve it had never seen in its long life, his eyes glowed bright blue, along with a shimmer all over his body. His hair was like crimson fire. His face was contorted in a snarl. It felt a bloodlust it had never felt from any Human nor Faunus, only some of its own kind. This...was supposed to be a boy, just a boy. Not-he ran at it, his blade ready to strike. The wolf had only just a second to duck under his swing, his sword cleaved right through several of the bone spikes jutted along its back. He grabbed one out of the air with lighting reflexes and stabbed it right in the right back hind leg.

It roared out in pain, as it turned around to find a fist coming for its bone-plated face. It was sent rolling right into a pine tree hard, it's face cracked, black ichor leaking forth. It rose up to find a kick slam right into its jaw, sending some teeth flying. The Direwolf looked up to see the blade held with both hands come down towards its face. It ducked and weaved as best as it could, but his sword still struck true. His soul resonated with every thundering strike of his blade, "Die, Die, DIE MONSTER!" He screamed with unrestrained fury.

Its face was cracking, and it had cuts all over its face. It...couldn't die here, it had lived for centuries, it overcame every obstacle, ever Human who stood against it. Its eyes lit up in its own fury, it wouldn't let itself be felled by a mere child! It snarled and leaping onto the boy, tackling him to the ground. It aimed its jaws for his throat to tear it out, but it was knocked off by one strong punch, it found itself under the boy instead, who pounded its face in ruthlessly, punch after punch, its thick bony face was chipped away. Like a hammer to an anvil for nine times before it ducked its head back once and bit the boy's hand. Instead of him crying out in pain, he gripped the Direwolf's left ear and ripped it off in retaliation.

It yelped in pain, letting go of his hand. He grabbed it by its long tail and pulled it, his unbelievable strength carrying it into the air in a twirl. The Wolf whined and barked, it couldn't believe what was happening. It was thrown a distance away, smacking into the two feet thick concrete wall, cracking it as it's own bones cracked. Lifting itself off the snowy ground slowly with one eye closed, it saw the boy slowly walking towards it, dragging the sword along the snow like a kid a red wagon.

His eyes, his damn blue eyes, they brunt bright. It's ruined face shook in rage, in desperation, in fear.

He could feel the feeling all across his body intensity, like more and more was being laid across him, with a place on his lower back becoming less covered. He felt near invincible. Spreading his arms out wide with a smiled, baring his teeth. Challenging the Alpha for dominance. It's mouth foamed, not in hunger, but in rage beyond comprehension. He waved his hand at the creature, daring it to come.

It broke out into a sprint, ignoring all its injuries, all it cared about was killing the arrogant, upstart child. He smirked as he side stepped slowly, it opened its jaws, intending on tearing the hand right off. As it's fangs made contact, however, they shattered against his skin. Looking up with one golden eye, it realized it made a grave error. The boy flipped the sword in his hand and thrust forth. The azure blade pierced the left side of its throat, it let go of his hand as it cried out in pain. He pulled it out partially, before thrusting it back. Black Blood spat out of its maw, along with a whine like a hurt puppy. Grabbing the handle with both hands, he pulled it all the way out and shouted, "THIS IS FOR MY SISTER!!"

The blade came down again, the Direwolf roared out in pain. He twisted the blade, digging it even deeper to the sad howls of the beast. It growled one last growl, before it wheezed its last breath, and its heart went still. Its head hit the ground, and it's tongue laid out the edge of its pitiful mouth. Its body began to evaporate into black mist as he pulled his blade free of the corpse. Siegfried held Balmung high over his head and shouted in victory, he then bent over to the dead beast and screamed in its face, spitting on it. He walked away held his hands high, screaming, challenging all who dared to stand against him. He was less a Boy, more a barbarian.

[Stop Playing-'Twilight of the Gods'-Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia OST]

It took him a whole minute before he realized the crying of his little sister. The adrenaline and dopamine wearing off, he turned around as saw her cradling her bloody leg. All the jubilation of victory overturned by fear of worry. He ran over to her, and stopped by her side, kneeling. "Isolde!" He said, wrapping his arms around her, dropping his sword in the snow.

"M-My L-Leg, it hurts!" She cried out, he looked down and saw it. Her skin was shredded, her foot was missing, chewed and bit off. Blood was still coming out, bone was exposed. Tears streamed down both of their faces, they didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to do. Behind them, he heard growls, turning back he saw them. Their yellow eyes glowed in the dark, but they stood taller than the direwolves. As they strode into view, creeping up on them with growls, he saw the patches and spikes of ice, the long humanoid hands, the white manes and tails. They were Beowolves, Ice Beowolves.

He immediately stood up and took Balmung into hand, ready to fight once more. However, suddenly, a feeling like breaking glass erupted all over his body. The glow shattered and he fell back, exhausted. It was like all the strength, all the protection and willpower he had was ground to dust. His muscles hurt, worn out from extreme use. He could see the joy on their faces at their helplessness, the same sadistic pleasure that the Direwolves had shown earlier.

Except now, he was unable to do anything about it. They crept up along, getting down and crawling on all fours. They were drooling at such easy prey. He tried to stand, to lift up the sword. But his muscles refused. He failed in the end, he failed his sister, his parents and the Wanderer. In the end, he accomplished nothing. All that was for naught, his victory just a small dot on the canvas. Nothing of note, just to be forgotten and out shined.

One Beowulf, too eager to feast, leaped forward-a spiked war hammer slammed into its torso. Both the wounded Kids and the Grimm's eyes widened as a Man in obsidian armor appeared before them. Siegfried recognized him, it was the huntsman from earlier, Duncan! His armor was coated in both Grimm and Human blood, his black cape torn, but his face was hard as steel. "I'm not letting anyone else die today!" He shouted, ripping his hammer from the dead Beowolf.

They growled, infuriated that someone would deny them scared and easy prey. The younger ones ran forward, but he slammed his hammer down into the ground. Fire erupted from the shockwave infront of him, sending the monsters flying back in flames. The rest snarled and barked, ready to attack, but then everyone stopped when they heard a thunderous roar.

Wings flapping as the Dragon flew into sight, "Ég finn lyktina af því! Gamla blóðið!" He spoke once more in a forgotten tongue. The Grimm took steps back and yelped as he landed not far from behind. The Huntsman's grip tightened around his hammer as the Kids looked up in horror. He looked down at them, his long neck moving forward, causing Duncan to stand ready to fight. Siegfried saw his Crimson eyes stop at him. "Svo við hittumst loksins aftur..." His voice filled with scorn, "Keppinautur minn, morðingi minn, Volsung..." Serpentine eye's looked him up and down and...busted out laughing. "Þú ert bara krakki!" Its demonic voice thundered across the valley, making everyone, including the Grimm, flinch. After a solid minute, it stopped its jovial laughter. "Ég gæti endað þetta auðveldlega...hvar er fjörið í því?" Siegfried could feel the smugness from its voice.

It flapped it's wings and roared so loud that even Duncan fell to his knees as it was heard miles away as thunder. When it was done, the Beowolves turn and ran, all the Grimm in the town ran, fleeing his awesome power. The three Humans were amazed as he lifted into the air, wings flapping. "Vertu sterkari, óvinur minn. Vertu viðbúinn, safnaðu bandamönnum þínum. Ég mun bíða, Siggi." He then flew away, saying one final thing, "Þegar við hittumst næst mun ég gleypa sál þína!"

Then, with one flap, he zoomed off like lighting. Siegfried had no idea what just happened, none of them did, but one thing was for sure. None of their lives would ever be the same again.

Authors Note:

17,243 words...that's how long this was without this note nor any revisions. Leave it to me to turn a simple Prologue into the length of two chapters. This story came to me out of the blue, main inspirations being the two Mythological texts Völsunga saga and Nibelungenlied, this was spurred on after I had played through Skyrim, Dragon Age and Dragons Dogma through this last year during the height and lows of the pandemic.

I initially planned on making Jaune the main character, but decided against it due to It making him way too OOC. This story is my attempt at writing a Heroic one, generic fantasy and all.

Just a fair warning, this is an AU. Some things in the background will be radically different, the main characters remain the same, most side characters as well. Let's just say I took one look at the Mythological origin story in the canon series and threw it out the window. I love Mythologies and Mythological heroes, so I decided my hand at writing a story kinda based on that.

I used Icelandic for the Dragon's language because it fits the lore I've created, think of it as an ancient language.

Pairings undecided, I'm still debating that right now.

I'm open to any and all criticism (I'm writing Fanfiction to improve my writing after all), So please review and give me your honest opinions. If you like it, please be sure to favorite or follow.