"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

The End


Sand. It was all sand and rock, a dusty expanse that stretched as far as his sharp eye could see. He stood above a chasm, a natural corridor of rock that stretched up on both of his sides. Behind him was that barren, desolate forest he had come to in, and ahead… a desert.

No thoughts except the sound of the dirt under his feet, and not even that after a while.

He'd spent at least half of his life among towering skyscrapers and neon lights – no wasted space, no empty ground. Everything within the walls of the Kingdoms had been saturated with the pulse of human life. Atlas and Mantle; Buildings spiked towards the sky in an uneven canopy in a vain attempt to create room for the throbbing masses of people that flocked to the city for protection like moths to a nightlight. When he'd settled in another Kingdom, there was Forever Fall, of course, but any illusion of being away from the city of Vale was shattered by the constant noise in the distance.

Never before had he seen such a vast expanse of… nothing. There was the ground, a tannish mix of sand and rock. Cliff walls, a deeper and less faded brown. The occasional stone, jutting up from the dust like a snaggled tooth. And the sky — oh. That was right.

He supposed there wasn't really a sky.

Not anymore.

Not since the world had become… this.

He craned his neck, watching the buildings and structures far above him seemingly growing at all angles around him, pulled inward by the immense gravity of the orb that sat in the centre of the world.

At least, he thought it was the sun. He'd never seen a blue one before.

As the faunus made his way through the wasteland, time passing ever onward, the sky, what passed for it at least, with each moment... It seemed to get brighter, if such a thing was possible — It dimmed and shined brighter again in a single day, unlike anything he had ever seen... It seemed almost like the moon, it appeared to have…. phases, yet in its full phase, it burned brightly, brighter than any sunrise he had ever seen.

Looking up, the uneasiness becomes more apparent as the light once again grew gradually brighter. It certainly didn't help that unnatural light served to distort his sense of time; he couldn't tell day from night anymore, and he had long since given up trying. What little sleep he had been able to gain had been brief and fitful, and the lack of sunrise, sunset, and even stars made it impossible to tell how many hours had passed. Worse still, the lack of stars made it equally impossible to glean what continent he was on, much less where in the hell he was.

And on that disturbing note…

That left his surroundings.

It was like he was on the inside of a giant inverted hamster ball—-the entire world contorting spherically as the vast horizon seemed to bend upwards around him. The rules that once governed gravity were but vapor in this new eldritch, circular world, as the curvature of the entire planet had seemingly reversed itself, whole continents and oceans dangling from the upper echelons of the space above the sun. Some he recognized, others he could not, but the utter insanity of the situation was something he simply couldn't ignore.

He had spent most of his time wracking his memories, but he didn't remember much. Flashes of things slowly swam back, but nothing he could truly make sense of. He supposed, at the source of It all, it came back to her.

He'd been at his camp with his men.

Dealing with the delightful Miss Fall and her entourage.

Fall…..

The thought of her was enough to make him stumble.

Weeks ago, she and her little sidekicks had approached him with an offer of alliance. They had been planning a revolution of their own, a shattering of the status quo.. or so they'd said.

The woman, for all her painted beauty, had simply oozed snake oil, with her ill hidden eagerness and attempts at charm, made her come off as little more than a little girl playing the part of a desperate used cars salesman. Even still, the faunus had entertained her, listening to her pitch with at least half hearted interest… right until she tried to demand the manpower of the White Fang to see her undisclosed vision through. Adam had laughed in her face and seen her on her way. That was the last he had expected to see of her.

Evidently, he had been wrong.

He recalled that second meeting well.

"You're a hard man to track down, Adam Taurus."

How something had changed in her...


She stood before him once again, and the difference was palpable. Her yellow eyes once filled with ego and disgust, with only the slightest flickers of fear were gone. Now, they glowed with a supernatural intensity, radiating poise and confidence. Where once, she seemed tense, full of uncontrolled emotions that were barely hidden beneath a pathetic veneer, in that moment, she had appeared perfectly calm.

It was clear from the way that even his hair stood on end in her presence that she was a far cry from what had once stood before him.

Despite the severity of the situation and its implications, Adam couldn't resist pushing her buttons just a little, "Evidently not hard enough. You managed the first time after all."

To his own private surprise, she smiled genuinely at his little witticism, with none of the barely veiled contempt she had shown in their first encounter. Her minions, however, much to his delight, seemed less amused… well. The green haired girl did. The other one had a look of apathy that had it been on any one else but him would have been genuinely impressive, though Adam did note, that he too was studying his Master for a reaction.

If he was expecting her to deliver Adam's comeuppance, he would be soon disappointed. She turned to her subordinates.

"Amuse yourselves elsewhere."

"What?"

Fall's tone hardened.

"Leave. Now."

The boy gulped and began backing away, The dark skinned one, however, stayed at her side, waiting for the black haired woman's orders. Something that clearly angered her, with the way her eyes narrowed into reptilian slits, and her face darkened.

" I won't repeat myself. Go." The faunus could practically smell the girl's fear as she staggered back, desperately trying to contain the tremble her Master's tone evoked. Sensing his amusement, the girl glared at Adam before walking after the silver haired boy, the two leaving the leaders alone. Once they were far enough away, Fall spoke, a smile stretching across her cheeks.

"You didn't have those the last time. They suit you."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"The horns, Dear. I like them."

The faunus folded his arms. "I've had them all my life. As you well know."

Again, unlike her first encounter with him, she seemed to take his insolence in stride, without even a hint of irritation, laughing in a way that again seemed entirely genuine, and even be considered girlish. "That you have." She replied in a wistful murmur. "This life, at least."

And before he could fathom exactly what she had meant, she dragged him away by the hand, deeper into the forest, away from the camp. Instinctively he made to push away, but she wouldn't let him. She strengthened her grip on his hand, entwining her fingers with his.

It felt… familiar.

The sensation nudged at something hidden in his brain, a little voice that screamed deja vu at the top of its lungs, that he had done this before, but it was silenced when he saw where she had brought him.

This was the place in the forest where the treeline broke, giving a clear view of the Kingdom of Vale and Mount Glenn beyond. The grass here, like everywhere else was rust-red, but unlike the rest of the forest, here on the knoll it was thigh-high to a thrush. It was the only part of the forest surroundings that looked off in some way.

It was usually where he disappeared to think. To centre himself.

But all he could think of now was the steep drop at the edge of the hill that would be more than deep enough to hide a body, even one of his considerable height.

If she had meant to kill him, this would be the place to do it.

Instead, she chose to keep a hold of his sword hand, running her thumb across his knuckles. "I'm glad I made it in time... I wouldn't want you to fall prey to another demon. I'm far too invested in you."

Almost unconsciously, he had let her drag him into a sitting position in the grass. The menace in her tone that she had addressed her sycophants with had all but gone now, replaced with one that could only be described as bright, and almost could be mistaken for… soft. Which made her next words all the more chilling.

"As it is, neither of us have much time. This world is about to be engulfed by chaos."

Adam was dumbstruck for a second time. The severity in her voice was unmistakable; there was ice in that voice, and it was as if she had switched personalities entirely, the conviction in her words enough to close whatever witty rejoinder he had considered combatting her with.

"The rebirth of the world, an event which no human has ever witnessed. At least, in this lifetime. Everyone you know, everyone beyond this place will perish. I doubt even you would approve of such a terrible thing... But, it is necessary all the same." The hand that wasn't holding his gestured nonchalantly to the horizon. "Even if we allowed this worthless world to continue to exist, it would eventually lose all of its power. This world must once again die, for it to be born again, to be better... And we alone will bear the burden of sins of the past."

"Wha—"

She pressed a manicured fingertip against his lips, halting his words in their infancy. Again, there was something in her eyes, in the way she touched him that seemed to quell the contempt he would have normally felt at being touched by a human, something that seemingly removed decades of ingrained revulsion at the idea of human contact.

Fall let out what sounded like a sigh, looking out again to Vale.

There was a tint of black on the horizon; storm clouds, the faunus realized. They would be here soon. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyelids half closed. Adam swallowed. Now that he looked at her, there was certainly something different about her since their last meeting. Was it just the light, or were her canines…sharper somehow? Noticing his stare, she gave a soft smile.

"What is it?"

"Uh, nothing, Nothing of consequence..."

The bewitching smile she showed him caused the words to stick in his throat.

"Always so easily flustered… I'm glad that hasn't changed."

She was closer than was necessary, their hips almost touching. He turned his head to the woman to glare her straight in the eyes. She took it in stride and flashed him a grin.

His head wasn't working properly. He couldn't think things through calmly. Her smile deepened, and she leaned closer. Her petite torso collapsed into his. Reflexively, he wrapped an arm around her. He felt her perfect weight, and the warmth and softness of her skin.

W-what are you-?"

In spite of his best efforts, he was at her mercy, shuddering: his entire body in a state of deadlock; though whether it was from his inability to respond, or the girl's seemingly immeasurable supernatural power, he truly did not know.

"Shhh" she whispered, her cool, bated breath wafting over him. "Let me…"

An invisible weight pressed down upon him, pinning him to the ground as her pale, soft lips lingered perilously closer to his own… her perfect countenance and luminous eyes set with zeal and anticipation. This woefully shameless desperation she displayed, and the fact that she was practically sitting astride his lap, compounded Adam's dread a-thousand fold. She cradled his face in her palm, and for a moment he saw that momentary flicker of sadness in her golden, half-closed eyes, pained remorse.

"You came here, led by fate. And it is your fate that you will live through the Cataclysm to come. It may actually be more painful than death... But...I believe in you. I always have. "

"Who are you?"

She laughed.

"What a silly question, Darling. We've known each other for so long after all."

But before he could press her on the absurdity of the statement, she spoke again, her tone becoming serious once again.

"...I know it's difficult for you to understand now. It always is. But, we're out of time, my darling. This vessel is running out of steam. Frail human shell. There's something to say for her strength of will, I suppose, but she's about served her purpose, wouldn't you say?"

Fall smirked, her eyes boring into his. Only now did he notice her eyes were now inhuman, too. Snake-like slits for pupils set inside her eerie yellow irises. Snake like scales peppered across her face, and he could have sworn he could hear something… hissing. His guard was raised; his hair standing on end, but he couldn't force his arms to work long enough to bring his sword to bear.

"What are you talking about?!"

Fall, if that was indeed who she was, sighed dramatically, "If you had your memories, this would likely be a much more emotional reunion. But that is no matter. If you can find me on your own, I promise that I'll tell you everything...The answers to all your questions."

Adam looked back out to the horizon to see that the world became cellar-dark, the buckling, heaving sky looked fit to collapse. Doom-black clouds, churned and roiled over the sun, blotting out its light.

"...Seek me out. No matter how the world changes, I shall always be your strength…"

A sound broke through her words, cutting off whatever last words she had hoped to impart. It was as if a huge anvil was being dragged across the vault of the heavens against its will. Branched lightning lit up the Stygian sky. Buzzing and hissing, they appeared to tremble with an unquenchable rage

Then it hit, with such vigour and force that nothing could contain the terawatts of violence it unleashed. It struck Vale with an explosion of branched lightning-flame that shook the faunus to his core.

And for a moment , there was nothing. He couldn't hear a thing. It was as if he was underwater, as he watched the very atmosphere begin to distort, and particles of debris float upward. Synoptic flashes of ebony and crimson filled the peripherals of his vision, and a feeling of trepidation overtook him as his ears started ringing. Everything around him was grinding to a halt, like the wheels of time itself were being stopped.

"No…" he whispered.

It was the sound of thunder that brought him back to reality, as he watched on in horror. Black lightning tore through what little peace remained. Buildings and trees crumbled as the land crumpled up to surround them... no, surrounding a bright blue star that was still forming.

Fall closed her eyes and leaned back, as the light in the sky flashed between blue and black.

And then there was… silence.

He'd come to later, half buried in a sand drift and… everything was just gone. The trees were gone, the grass had disappeared, his soldiers were nowhere to be found, and all he could see around him was desolation. And the further he walked, the more of it he saw.

He was brought out of his thoughts by his foot colliding with something solid in the sand. A cursory glance revealed a bleached skeleton, or at least, part of one, the clothes it had been wearing reduced to mere rags, half buried in the dunes. Faunus or human, Adam couldn't say; there wasn't a single scrap of flesh to be found on the bones, and no identifying features. Not that he really cared. It merely confirmed that which he already knew. His mind was swimming as he finally collapsed onto the edge of the dune. He had watched the entire world collapse in on itself and yet it was only now the situation was made truly clear. Every living being beyond Forever Fall had been wiped out. Obliterated. Killed.

On the one hand, it could have been the greatest day of his life. Humanity, perhaps his single greatest enemy he had known from the day of his birth, was no more. It was something beyond his wildest dream, something he could never have imagined in even his most desperate fantasies. There would be no more abuse. No more hatred. No more pathetic excuses for their sins, or attempts to brush them under the table. Parasites, slavers, fear mongers, dividers of rich and poor, The ever corrupt political establishment… Sinners of all stripes, protected and abetted even by those of Adam's own kin, who thought themselves moral authorities and above reproach. All of them either unwilling, unable, or outright complicit in untold legions of wickedness, secure in the knowledge that they would never be held to account. But now, Judgement Day had come, and it, as he did, had found them wanting.

Their evil had been firmly and permanently wiped from the world.

But he couldn't find it in himself to enjoy it.

Because while the enemy were at last defeated, the cost had been far, far too high. He never imagined he'd live to see his battle come to an end, but in all of his imaginings, it had never been like this.

There would be no more idle chatter as his men milled about camp, no more stupid ghost stories around the campfire to frighten the recruits, no late night stargazing with his brethren, dreaming of a better tomorrow. All of the people they fought to protect…were gone. His comrades were gone. People who had trained with him, bled with him were gone. His family was gone. The Fang was his life, and now… it was gone.

Adam looked at his gloved hand.

He was alone.

And yet.

He moved his fingers across the ground and could feel the coarse texture, but nothing moved as consequence. It simply sifted through his fingers like mist, draining through his hand with ease. As he made to find his feet, the silver glint at his wrist seemed to gleam as brightly as ever, the coarse sands seemingly having no effect on the precious metal. Another of many curiosities.

He hadn't woken up completely alone. He had his clothes, oddly unruffled for having survived the apocalypse. Wilt and Blush were fine too, though the spare ammunition stores and his supplies were gone with the rest of the camp. But the real surprise was the bracelet he was now sporting on his arm that he most certainly hadn't had before he'd passed out.

Its design was that of a serpent that had swallowed it's own tail. The Ouroboros, if he recalled the name correctly. The bracelet seemed almost plain for the most part. It was kind of heavy, but the engraving of the scales and fangs was beautiful, and incredibly detailed, but that was all there was to it. No jewels or other embellishments, or anything that might tell him anything deeper.

Except for the fact that he seemed incapable of removing it. He'd tried everything short of cutting off his own hand, without making even a hint of progress, and he was fairly certain at this point, even if he had attempted it, it probably wouldn't have worked.

Aside from that disturbing detail, it appeared innocuous enough, and so Adam hadn't given it much thought, eschewing those questions in favor of more pertinent ones. But now, looking at the heavy bangle, he could again feel a sense of familiarity from the design. He suspected Fall had something to do with it. It seemed reasonable enough, seeming as how he'd only acquired it after their meeting. But what purpose could it serve?

A stronger gust of wind buffeted his face, throwing sand and grit in his eye.

He swore profusely, desperately trying to clear his vision as he leapt to his feet, barely able to keep himself from tripping face first back into the dune he'd been perched on.

Maybe this wasn't a good hangout spot after all.

Coughing and flicking the last of the sand away, he moved on.

The hardest part of this, Adam found, was getting used to the absence of noise. Before, whenever he'd had to go on missions into one of the Kingdoms, he'd often cursed the endless crowds under his breath, wishing for a reprieve; open space and freedom that the city could never provide. Now, watching the wind tug trailing motes of sand up from the dusty ground, he felt a strange sense of discomfiture. Too open. Too alien.

There was nobody here. Only the howl of the endless winds.

He shivered in spite of himself.

Of course, that meant that nobody was around to attack him, so he didn't feel like it was all bad.

He guessed he could get used to it eventually.

It wasn't as though he had a choice.

Figuring out where he was going was a mite easier than he had expected. Parts of the train tracks that had once carried freight through Forever Fall to Vale, fractured and contorted — still existed, giving him a somewhat concrete path to pursue to civilization , or what remained of it. From there, Beacon was probably his best shot at finding Fall and getting some damned answers; It was good to have a literal trail to follow to where he wanted to go.

But then, who needed trails anymore when the land distorted and stretched in every direction of this circular world? Perhaps in eras long past, when empires had made the desert their straight path and had marched across it to bring death, justice and order to the world. But there were no armies here today. No order. Nothing but the wastes, and echoes of once what was. But what else could be expected from the end of the world?

He could not tell whether it was eternity or an instant (because how do you measure time when everything is the same), but he finally came up to the edge of the desert, climbing a particularly tall sand hill to see a city in the near distance… or at least the outlines of one.

He frowned, while looking around. Something was growling; it was a muffled rumble, faintly reminiscent of a distant Bullhead engine. But the air was empty but for a wisp of cloud and the burning sun.

He got his answer when he checked behind him. There were several slow-moving shifts in the sand, something crawling through the dirt across the rocks in patterns, obscured just enough to make him waste a few seconds trying to figure out what they were.

He lost another second in blank-faced disbelief once he finally made them out.

Skeletons. There were five of the bastards, creepy looking things that seemed to all be missing at least one limb. And while the extent of any wildlife he'd ever seen didn't reach anything stranger than a stray cat, he could safely assume that the way they seemed to be self-animated and crawling towards him was anything but a natural phenomenon. He could barely hear the sound of them dragging their body parts along the dunes behind them, the spitty hiss they made as their decayed teeth gnashed on the dirt.

Immediately, Wilt was drawn, and Blush aimed, ready to strike down the abominations looking to claim his life.

Until a thought occurred.

Each of the reanimated skeletons were missing either part of a leg, or a whole leg in its entirety. It was the entire reason why they were crawling in the sand and not walking, or sprinting, after all. Granted, sprinting may not be possible without actually having muscles for the task, but if someone asked Adam a week ago whether zombie skeletons were in the realm of possibility, he'd have thought them insane for even suggesting it, so he couldn't very well rule it out. The point was, without a full set of working limbs, they'd never even catch up to him, let alone be able to harm him. Indeed, as the fact dawned on him, he watched one of them try desperately to gain purchase on the sand dune with its fingers, only to slowly slip to its base, as it scrabbled to stay upright, knocking down another that had been trying to right itself.

Adam looked beyond them, shielding his eyes against the glaring sun as he stared across the vast wasteland that had once been the Kingdom of Vale. Impact craters had transformed the horizon into something unrecognisable, a reddish haze lingering in the air as sharp winds whipped pale sands into squat dust devils. Killing the creatures would have been an act of pity… but for once in his life, he couldn't bring himself to do the deed.

The faunus lowered his hand and heaved a sigh.

He didn't need to fight them.

He could simply walk away.

And with a heavy heart, that was what he did.

Like a slowly marching caterpillar, Adam slid down the other side of the dune, and advanced towards the city step by step. Before long, the swordsman found himself at the mouth of the abandoned Vale shopping quarter and scanned his surroundings. It didn't take him long to realize there was no one alive here either.

'Not long' consisted of about three seconds. Two to blink and another for his jaw to go slack at the sight before him.

To start with, whatever had happened to Remnant when that lightning had made landfall had divided the city beyond repair.

Multiple buildings were charred black and had crumbling supports. The roads weren't any better as rusted cars cluttered them. The debris of fallen buildings and pilled up cars required him to make a detour, clambering over the wreckage, as he cautiously navigated the apocalyptic jungle. Everything was falling apart. The roads were asphalt, but they looked like they hadn't been repaved in several millennia. Massive cracks aside, there were potholes bigger than the average Goliath… and the silence only served to be more disconcerting when compared with the deafening noise of bumper-to-bumper traffic he knew.

And in the distance, that mountain mocked the dead expanse. Beacon Academy lorded far above him in the distance, almost as if in mockery, ignorant of the devastation that lay below.

The street he found himself on was desolate. The storefronts were devoid of displays, which was just as well, because not a single person was there to admire them. The husks of cars sat empty along the curb, collecting dust. The streetlamps that weren't burned out projected little barely visible circles of white light onto an empty, cracked pavement. Traffic lights swung in the breeze, telling all the nonexistent drivers to stop. The "walk" sign was on, letting all the nonexistent pedestrians step out onto the faded white lines of the crosswalk.

A Bullhead, half turned over and missing a wing, lay in the middle of the intersection. It's body was leaking fuel profusely, pooling on the remains of the asphalt and sinking into shallow potholes.

As Adam clambered over the wreckage, careful to avoid the puddle leaking near his feet, he saw something odd.

A bright yellow sports bike, with a black stripes and a sleek design emphasizing speed and aerodynamics. The garish, ugly color aside, it was a pretty looking thing, and maybe the only vehicle around here that wasn't completely trashed. In fact, he realized with a growing smile, it looked relatively brand new, untouched by the cataclysm that had befallen the world. Which probably meant it's owner was somewhere nearby…

With the beginnings of hope beginning to settle in his chest, he jumped off the Bullhead onto the street, moving briskly towards the bike, which happened to be perfectly parked on the remains of the curb, outside the ruins of a storefront. A heavy sign lay in front of the entrance the bolts that had likely been securing it above, long gone. 'Dust till Dawn', only the n of "Dawn" was missing— Adam could plainly see the imprint of where the missing consonant had once been. Huh. Well if nothing else, there might be some Dust to make use of, if he couldn't find anyone alive here. He stepped into the shop and looked around. The windows were shattered, with broken glass littering the floor. Nature had swept in from the massive hole and covered nearly everything in sand, facilitating the soft crunch of his footsteps as he delved deeper inside.

"Hello?"

He called out tentatively. his hand on his weapon.

His face settled into a scowl as he surveyed the extent of the damage. It looked like part of the floor had caved in, and someone had used as much junk as they could find to plug the hole., lockers, shelves, cabinets, all of which blocked his path. Whatever the case had been, it was incredibly inconvenient.

But Adam had never been a slouch in the strength department; he couldn't afford to be, given his previous line of work. That didn't make the result any less tedious though.

He could slash his way through most of it with relative ease, but if he wanted to get further inside, he'd need to be particular about his destruction. Leave some things standing, and wrecking only what he could get away with — thereby making enough space to pass through without collapsing through the floor himself. He did his best to leave the heavier things standing as supports, and slowly but surely he managed to make progress.

When he felt like he'd done as much as he could do, he gingerly picked his way through the path he had cleared, his body full of trepidation.

The faunus walked down the dimly lit aisles, examining the shelves; those that were still standing at least. There was a scent here of a human; there had been some humans here at some point, more than one, but he couldn't count. What he couldn't tellwas when they'd been here; before or…after. There were a fair few skeletons lying around, and he was careful to avoid them; he really wasn't in the mood to deal with more of the undead right now, and aggravating them didn't exactly prove wise, especially in an enclosed space.

The shelves were mostly bare of anything useful, aside from some decent quality Ignition Dust, and after the tenth empty Dust container, Adam stopped paying them mind. By the time he'd reached the counter, the only place to go was the back room behind it. He'd already searched most of the place, he might as well round off the search before he moved on. He vaulted the counter, before trying the handle. It didn't budge an inch.

"Let's see how much of Infiltration Training I remember…"

He rooted in his pockets for a moment, before producing a bobby pin. He always kept at least two in his blazer, in case he ever ended up in cuffs, or, more often, when he needed to get places he wasn't supposed to be. Adam allowed himself a smirk. Even after Armageddon, forethought always paid off.

Kneeling and looking at the lock, a frown quickly furrowed his brows.

There was no keyhole, but he was familiar with this type of door. With the spate of Dust thefts that had occurred across the Kingdom of late, prior to the Cataclysm, several of the more prominent stores had been installing new security systems, including these supposedly state of the art vault-style mechanisms, that either required a regularly changing access code, or high explosive ordinance to get through.

However, these 'secure' doors weren't all that secure to someone who had spent his formative years leading stealth raids on SDC warehouses, and knew their weaknesses. Like the override keyhole built into the mechanism as a fail safe, in case the door ever got stuck.

He fiddled around with the pin for a moment. There was a time where he would have thought that lockpicking was a useless skill, particularly when he could just slash and tear his way through most doors, but time and experience had taught him that the values of subtlety were not to be underestimated.

"And….done." The faunus pulled out the pin with a flourish, moments before realizing there was no one to appreciate his handiwork. He grimaced.

" Of course no one's around when I finally beat my personal record…"

Tucking his lockpick back into his jacket, he pulled the handle and went inside.

He was greeted by more empty shelves, and, at the very back of the vault, a striped canvas satchel: pink and brown with a single white strap, hanging haphazardly on the wall.

It was an ugly looking thing, probably belonging to someone who had severe color blindness, but it was conspicuous enough to draw his immediate attention. "Why would you lock a bag in a vault?"

To prevent it from being seen in the light of day? That certainly seemed plausible on its own but he couldn't help but suspect there was something else to it, a feeling that was proven right once he unzipped it and started searching through its contents.

Lien…. lots of it. A small fortune in fact, certainly not the kind of money that one carried around on their person normally. Adam sifted through it without a care. Given the state of the world outside, he had an inkling, a hunch, really, that legal tender might not have the same value it once did.

More importantly, it meant nothing in comparison to the real prize.

A bright yellow key fob, that Adam would have bet anything was for the bike outside.

He may not have found it's owner, at least not alive — any of the skeletons out in the store could have been them, but coming in here wasn't a total waste, especially since there was plenty of Ignition Dust to keep him going in the meantime. As for figuring out where to go… He could work that out later.

But as he was trying to work out his next move, the faunus felt something cold press against the back of his neck. The chill was so sharp against his skin that his head twisted like a whip— enough to give him a serious case of muscle cramp later —. Only to see nothing. The vault door was still open, and through it, he could see that none of the skeletons had moved from the positions they'd fallen in.

He saw nothing.

With an exhale he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he slung the ugly bag over his shoulders and prepared to leave the creepy Dust vault.

And found himself staring at a face.

Adam yelped, tripping backwards and falling into a shelving unit. His weight immediately tipped the almost bare shelf, sending both him and it, backwards with an almighty crash.

It didn't come across as too manly a response in hindsight, but in his defense, encountering an actual ghost, most certainly warranted the scope of his reaction. The undead were one thing. Yes,the idea of being hunted by reanimated skeletons was terrifying, more so than Grimm had ever been, and he was still getting used to that, but they were still physical things. You could fight a skeleton. You could shoot it, stab it or smash it; you could disable it at the very least. What could you do against something that didn't have a body?!

But before his terror could truly take hold of him, he heard something.

It sounded like…. giggling?

The ghost thing began to float towards him. Adam felt the instinct to flee get stronger and stronger with every second.. Thankfully, it stayed a bit aways from him; far enough that he could stop shaking enough to look at it.

It was… a girl? Now that he was over his brief moment of skin curdling terror, Adam took the time to examine her. Her form seemed to flicker, whisking in and out of existence intermittently, which made the details hazy and difficult to place. It took a few moments for his vision to catch up, to see that the ghost girl was wearing a cropped wide, broad tailed jacket with a wide collar, and an overbust corset. More interestingly, her hair seemed to be two different colors , though Adam couldn't tell what those were. They simply were different shades of blue—One dark and one light, split evenly across her scalp.

The little girl, who was in the ending throes of laughter, wrapped her arms around herself, desperate to draw breath… which was an incredibly odd thing for a ghost to do, now that he thought about it.

Adam glared.

"Hilarious."

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, and ignoring the pain, he noticed her mouthing something at him, and tried to read her lips.

After a few seconds, he shook his head.

"Could you slow that down? Who are you, anyway?"

The ghost seemed to be studying him. Like a child staring at a bug for the first time. Watching it crawl on the pavement and go somewhere it's never been before.

Truth be told, that much at least was accurate.

Twisting her lips into a pout, she jabbed a finger at the bag, and then herself.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"This is yours?"

She nodded, almost angrily, which didn't really have the effect she was hoping for; He had a fairly hard time controlling the urge to laugh at the way her glare seemed to lack any sense of the venom that one would expect from anyone else displaying that level of anger, which went a long way to getting him over the fact that he was talking to a godsdamned ghost. Ok. Maybe he wasn't quite over it yet.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she cocked her head questioningly.

Had she not understood him? Adam took a moment to compose himself, of how he was going to phrase his next sentence. Finally, he decided to keep it simple.

"Can you understand me?"

The little gremlin girl nodded.

"Ok, so we're getting somewhere." Adam nodded, spinning the yellow fob in his hand.

She then began to move her fingers rapidly, forming shapes that the faunus simply couldn't track

"Neil? That's a pretty odd name for a girl, I have to admit. But, I guess it's yours.."

At that, she glared, waving her arms frantically, along with several rude hand gestures that caused him to bite his tongue and raise his own hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright! Your name's not Neil!"

She signed again, a fierce glare moulding her cherub-like features, though privately, the faunus suspected she was far more gremlin than angel. He read her lips again, tentatively speaking up again.

"Neo…?"

The ghost girl nodded with excitement, elated to finally be understood, and Adam couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The first non-hostile reaction he'd had since he'd woke up.

"Can you tell me what happened here?"

She shook her head, before signing something with her hands this time. Luckily, Adam was a little better versed in signs, there having been long periods of time during missions where talking aloud would have compromised his objective. When he had deciphered the ghost girl's message, his heart sank again, as he sighed. "You don't know… Makes sense, I suppose. I wasn't expecting much…. Wait. Have I seen someone?"

This time, a nod. This one accompanied by a look that he couldn't glean. Her eyes — well — what he could see of them, looked hopeful, but he got the impression there was more that she wasn't letting on to. He rested his hand on Blush, the familiar weight of the weapon being enough to help calm his nerves.

"No." He admitted finally, sounding oddly disappointed. "You'd be the first. Aside from the reanimated skeletons crawling around."

Another nod, though this time, he was able to catch the look of sadness that crossed her face, with perhaps a look of fear? If he was reading that right. Adam couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by that in all honesty. What did she have to fear? She was dead. The worst had already come to pass, and there was nothing left in the world that could do her harm now. There was nothing for her to fear…was there?

Granted, the idea of spending the rest of eternity in a Dust store with only the dead for company didn't sound great, but compared to what could have been her fate, he could honestly consider it fairly benign, all things considered.

Perhaps she was worried about whoever she was looking for?

Whatever it was, it was out of his power, and he already knew that there was nothing to be done for them. Even so, in spite of his suspicions, he again felt an unnatural sense of compassion for the wandering spectre. Whoever this Neo was, she was in the same position as him. Everything she knew and loved was gone, for good or ill, and unlike him, she was unable to even find closure for herself. Muttering a silent blessing to help the phantom girl's spirit pass on to the next world in peace, he left the bag where he had found it, and prepared to leave the vault. It wasn't like he had any use for the money after all, and he had what he came for.

Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the ghost quickly blocked his path. He swore loudly, almost tripping over his own feet at her sudden proximity. To his credit, he was able to keep his balance, though her knowing smirk did very little for the remains of his ego.

"What is it now?"

"You want to follow me around, huh?"

An emphatic nod.

"…Why?"

The ghost girl — Neo— he reminded himself, shrugged. His first instinct was of course to say no. He worked better alone. Always had, and it wasn't as if a dead girl had any use to him, even less so as a human. And yet… the faunus paused, rubbing his chin in thought. He didn't know much about ghosts. Until today, he'd never even seen one, but that didn't mean he hadn't believed in them.

He hadn't always considered himself a superstitious man. He had slain many, and had felt little compunction for his actions. Even so, he had at least attempted to be respectful to his fallen enemies where he could, avoiding the desecration of their remains, and while he couldn't give them proper funeral rites for obvious reasons, he would take the time to light incense for them, in his own time, in the hopes that their spirits might pass to the next world a little easier. It probably didn't mean much to them, true, but it didn't make his actions any less necessary. There was one thing that his parents had always drilled into him in his youth, lessons that had stayed with him well into adulthood.

There were consequences to angering a spirit.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Life was bad enough now without drawing the wrath of a malignant specter…. even if she was a little on the short side.

"Well…" He sighed. "I guess I could use the company. Deal?"

Neo made to shake his hand… only for her hand to pass right through his.

Oh.

Right.

Ghost.

They stood there in silence for a moment, processing what had just happened.

"Well now, we both look stupid."


Once they were back outside, refuelling didn't take too long and in a matter of minutes, he was sitting astride the vehicle, placing a gloved hand on the shiny yellow finish framing the lone headlight bulb.

It could certainly use some work; if Adam ever found the owner of the bike alive, he was going to have serious words with them about basic maintenance, but it would take him as far as Beacon at least. With a tentative grin, he fired up the bike. Everything about it from the weight and engine noise felt… sluggish, at least compared to any machine he was used to, as he properly mounted the vehicle. He expertly checked the gauges, and tested the pedals and handles.

Even with everything checking out fine, Adam couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as he finally opened the throttle. It had a much different feel and balance than the motorcycle he had owned. Then again, that had been a simple custom bike he had gotten and worked on himself, just something to get from here to there…. at least before Blake had totaled it the one time he'd let the little idiot borrow the damn thing. A Kamikaze Yaiba model, it had basically been a hollow frame that he had put together with his blood, sweat and tears on his off days, adding new parts as he found them, until he'd transformed it into something he could be proud of. And like everything else she'd ever touched, she'd ruined it.

"Still never paid me back for that…"

He looked up to see that he had drawn the midget ghost's attention, noting that she seemed rather confused. Realising quickly she had overheard him, a single wispy eyebrow raised like a question mark, he shifted his focus to the bike again with an irritated huff. He was working himself up over nothing.

"It's nothing. She's probably dead now anyways."

This bike seemed to lack some of the style and plenty of the raw power of his previous one but he supposed that couldn't be held against a machine sturdy enough to survive the apocalypse in working order. He'd just have to make it work. Adam flicked up the kickstand, looking out at the road ahead. It was then that a thought occurred to him, one that made him rub the back of his head in confusion, as he turned his head to stare at the ghost.

"So…how are you going to keep u .."

The little girl, seemingly reading his thoughts, wagged a finger, winked, before shifting into her original ball form. She circled his head rapidly, before once again settling in front of his face, bobbing as if to taunt him. The faunus winced.

"Right. That's not going to get any less creepy any time soon."

She giggled in turn, a noise he already knew was going to be a headache for the foreseeable future. But it was one he was going to have to live with.

With a smoke-churning wheel spin, the engine rumbled in the iron horse between his legs as he sped away onto the tarmac. The faunus grinned despite himself as the wind whipped his hair about, and gave an unconscious squeeze to the lever on the y-shaped rudder, coaxing yet more power from the vehicle, as he sped back out of the remnants of Downtown Vale and into the desert again.

Ahead of the whipping sands, in the distance, he could see the spires of Beacon Academy, and the low dome of the shattered tower. He didn't know what he would find there. Survivors. More ghosts. Answers. But as the miles flew away under black wheels, and the sounds of the engine filled his ears, he was certain of just one thing.

Even at the end of the world, there was always time for the simple pleasures.


New story. Red Moon's latest chapter is going through some last minute revisions and I've been playing a lot of SMT Nocturne lately, as well as some Persona to refamiliarize myself with some lore for Imperfect.

Anyway, this story takes elements of SMT 3 and V– two games you absolutely do not have to have played to understand any of this, as the lore will be mostly different. I'm just taking some worldbuilding ideas and concepts.