Author's Notes
Howdy! So this is Shattered Assumption's direct sequel, as mentioned in the description. You can try to read it without reading Shattered Assumptions, but you'll be incredibly confused for the first couple chapters at least. I hope those of you who do read enjoy, regardless of if you've read the first story or not!
Remnant was peaceful, these days.
The Grimm still existed, but Salem was gone. The monsters would never truly go away, but without their queen, they were weaker, and disorganized. Villages no longer disappeared overnight as frequently, many of them grew into townships. They established themselves, and they grew.
Five years ago, Salem had mysteriously vanished, her castle destroyed.
Five years ago, Remnant was freed.
Five years ago, Shi Cadere lost her dad, as he gave up everything to see Remnant delivered from the one who would destroy it.
She had been attending Signal Academy, and had just recently graduated. Now, in the months prior to Beacon's initiation, she spent her days training. This day started just as any other. The sun rose and shone its light down on her family home, a two story tall building made of wood painted a deep blue. It had four bedrooms and two bathrooms, incredibly spacious.
Although, those days, it felt a bit empty.
It used to be populated by her adoptive mom, Cinder Cadere, herself, and her dad's old teammates Jeanne Arc and Violet Merino. Now, Violet had her own place not far away, and Jeanne moved out to live with her wife. Cinder's biological daughter, Molly Cadere, lived there, but she was often visiting with Violet or one of the others of their group. Be it the remnants of Team CALM, Teams RWBY and JNPR, or one of Cinder's old friends, Emerald and Mercury, Molly didn't want for attention. That was good, because Shi knew that Cinder struggled to raise Molly. Shi pulled a lot of weight when Molly was around, because Cinder had never quite figured out the whole 'motherhood' thing.
The sunlight streamed into Shi's room, stirring her from her rest. She sat up and looked around, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. Her room had a queen sized bed with red and blue covers and a comforter, her floors were covered with dark blue carpet, and her walls had dark red wallpaper on them. She had a desk with a computer system on it, but other than that, her room was mostly free of anything extra other than the pictures she kept on her wall.
The oldest ones were of her and her birth parents, then they were gone and replaced with pictures of her dad and her, sometimes with her mom and sometimes not. She got out of bed and walked over to one of them. It was one they had taken in Atlas, the day before he vanished. They had gone out into the city and had fun playing video games, training together, enjoying a nice evening in the park…
It was the happiest memory she had, and it was the last time she'd truly felt at peace. Then, the next day, she woke up with his scarf folded neatly next to her bed, and he was gone.
She clenched her fists as she looked at the picture. Neve Cadere had black hair, ice blue eyes, fair skin, and that day he was wearing just his loose turtleneck, black slacks, and matching boots. In the picture she was wearing a burnt orange sweater, a pair of black winter pants, and her own black boots.
She closed her eyes and shook her head before looking at the full-body mirror she had nearby.
She met her own dark eyes, tenebrous enough that no light escaped her irises; blinking tiredly as she looked herself over. She was 5'6" and had burnt orange shoulder-length hair, along with two red panda ears covered in white fur that sat atop her head. Her body was filled out, curvy with some clear muscle definition.
If he was there, Neve might have complained that she had grown up too fast. She wasn't a little girl anymore, and she would tell you she hadn't been one for a long time. She matured quickly, and in spite of all of his and her mom's efforts, she hadn't been able to really make any friends during her time at Signal. Not that she minded, she hadn't really tried, not because she didn't like people, but because she was dedicated to what she wanted to be, a Huntress.
Some would say to her own detriment, but what did they know?
She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them her left eye was ocean blue and her right eye was matte maroon. They would change into brighter versions of blue and red if she actually planned on using her semblance, but in this instance she just held up both her hands and looked at them. Her left one had an icy mist dancing around it while the right one had a small flame in it. She closed her hands and her eyes, deactivating her semblance and snuffing it out before opening them again.
Then, she set about her morning routine.
When she was finished, she dressed in her Huntress gear that had just become her normal outfit. Dust-treated Mistrali-style wrapping covered her chest thoroughly, a pair of black baggy travel pants went on over her legs, and a utility belt went around her waist. Then, she slipped on a deep blue bolero jacket and grabbed Theta, her weapon.
It was based on Crescent Rose, the weapon of the woman who had become one of her many surrogate aunts. It had a black finish and the blade itself was gunmetal gray. It could shift into a gunblade that looked almost entirely gunmetal gray, with the black mostly relegated to the grip and lower area. It also had a .50 caliber sniper rifle form, something that she had become much more adept at using as she got older and stronger.
As she stuck the weapon to the small of her back, she heard her mom call to her from downstairs, "Shi! Are you awake?"
Shi called back, "Yeah, Mom! I'll be down in a sec!" She took one more look at the picture of her and Dad before closing her eyes and whispering, "I'll make you proud, Dad… I promise."
Then, she headed downstairs.
Her mom was in the kitchen. Her ash black hair fell to her upper back, and her amber eyes that held a glow to them shone pleasantly as she looked away from the oven and towards Shi. Cinder was wearing her favorite red dress, something that she had gone back to wearing whenever she wasn't doing Huntress work, which she was doing less and less these days.
Losing Neve had been hard on her too. He was the love of her life, and now he was gone.
They never found the body, but Shi knew he was alive somewhere, even if Cinder had given up hope and tried to move on. The writing in the book, his book, that had appeared was still clear in her mind. At the bottom of the very last page was dark purple text that had initially read: "One year from now, where the darkness retreats and the light threatens to subsume all. That is where you will find your answer."
But then it began to change. It started counting down, and contrary to what Shi had expected, one year didn't mean one year exactly. One year happened to fall on her birthday, which was that day. To her, it was a day like any other; she had never been much for celebrating her birthday. However, that didn't mean that everyone else felt the same way.
Perhaps she was lucky, then, that most of her extended family were busy today, or knew that she didn't like celebrations. That didn't mean all of them felt it was a good idea to skip it, though.
Cinder smiled at her, "I hope you're not planning to spend your whole day training, Shi. It's your birthday, you should be relaxing. You're finally seventeen, after all, plus Ruby and Lunus are baking you a cake. They'll be around in a couple hours."
Those two had married some time ago. They were living in a house they had built not far away, with the help of Taiyang of course. Most of the 'Saviors of Remnant' lived on Patch these days, having helped raise Shi in the five years since Neve disappeared. Now that she was grown, however, they were able to relax more often, even if most of them still actively did Huntsman work.
Shi smiled awkwardly, "I was planning on training today, and maybe hunting some Grimm…" What few there were on Patch these days; with a whole cadre of Hunters having taken up residence on the island, the Grimm presence had diminished to an insignificant number.
Cinder crossed her arms, "You'd better not, Shi. Just take it easy today, and get ready, breakfast is almost done. It's your favorite…"
Shi's smile turned more genuine, "Chocolate waffles?" Cinder nodded and Shi walked up and gave her mom a quick hug, "Thanks, Mom."
Breakfast came and went after that, and true to Cinder's words, Lunus and Ruby showed up a couple hours after. Ruby had made tiramisu, which had become Shi's favorite cake over the years as her tastes had changed and matured. She now understood why her mama had loved it so much.
Ruby and Lunus both looked incredibly similar to how they had five years ago. Ruby with her black and red hair that she had kept in its spiky form, Lunus with his fair-skin, brown eyes, and platinum blonde hair kept at the same length as before, fairly short but still messy. The two were wearing more casual outfits that day, with Lunus wearing a simple red T-shirt and black pants, with Ruby wearing a black T-shirt and red pants. The two were always incredibly coordinated like that.
Shi was at the age where she didn't really ask for gifts, instead she just said that if people wanted to get her something, they could just give her Lien so she could buy whatever she wanted or needed. That was the tradition for her now, although people would still buy her gifts anyway if they felt they wanted to give something more personal. This time, it was just Lien for the most part, sent by every one of her surrogate Aunts and Uncles, most of them having sent texts apologizing that they couldn't be there, as they were on missions. Not that Shi minded, and they knew that.
When the day was winding down, however, they did get a visitor, although it was one Shi would have never expected, and one that she had only ever read about, never actually seen.
While she was training in the backyard (in defiance of her mom), the person appeared at the sliding glass back door, standing on the porch. An androgynous voice greeted her, "Happy birthday, Shi." Shi stopped swinging her scythe and looked at who it was, her eyes widened when she saw them.
They had glowing blue skin, an androgynous body that Shi couldn't call male or female, and an equally androgynous face. They were wearing a dark blue T-shirt, a pair of jeans, shoes, and a puffy blue winter coat. Their hair was light blue and every part of them was emitting blue smoke.
Their eyes were dark blue in the sclera and a lighter blue in the irises and filled with a look of familiarity, happiness, and melancholy as they spoke, "It's been awhile. Five years, although you've never seen me before." They walked up to her and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Shi folded her weapon and put it away on the small of her back while responding, "You're… Alex. Dad wrote about you, but I never thought I'd actually get to see you… Why are you here?"
Alex giggled, "What, I can't meet my friend in eternity's daughter?" Shi's eyes again widened at the mention of Neve. Alex's smile became a bit smaller, "Truthfully, it's because I've been watching you, for when you were finally ready."
Shi blinked a few times, "R-Ready? For what?"
Alex gestured to her, "Hold out your hands."
She did so and gasped when, in a puff of smoke, an amulet appeared in her hands. It was shaped like a heart, with the heart itself being blue and the casing being gold, the chain made of silver. "Th-This is…" Alex nodded and Shi looked at her, "Sh-Should I… put it on?"
Again, Alex nodded, and Shi hesitantly did so. This was the Relic of Progress, the thing that had helped Neve become stronger, made his growth faster, and gave him access to a reservoir of magic unlike anything anyone else on Remnant had. Shi didn't have magic, of course, but this was still an important object.
As soon as she put it on, several text boxes appeared in front of her, causing her to gasp.
SAVE 1
LOCKED, FILE COMPLETE.
CREATING NEW SAVE DATA…
…CREATING NEW PARAMETERS…
…SOUL MELDING WITH NEW USER…
…SANITY CHECKING USER…
…ANALYZING WORLDSTATE…
COMPLETE!
SAVE 2
SHI CADERE
LEVEL 18 INFERNO
WORLDSTATE
SAFE
WELCOME, NEW USER!
That textbox vanished and another one appeared.
SHI CADERE
LEVEL 18 INFERNO
NO TITLE
Vigor - 20
Mind - 38
Charisma - 10
Endurance - 25
Strength - 28
Dexterity - 25
Intelligence - 18
SKILLS
Scythe Fighting - 75/100 (Experienced)
Gunblade Fighting - 50/100 (Experienced)
Gun Fighting - 48/100 (Above Average)
Sniping - 44/100 (Above Average)
Fist Fighting - 33/100 (Average)
Scouting - 45/100 (Above Average)
Aura Usage - 40/100 (Above Average)
Dust Usage - 43/100 (Above Average)
"So… this was Dad's relic." Shi blinked a few times before finally snapping her attention back to Alex, "Why isn't it with him? Where is he? Is he okay? What-"
Alex waved their hands in front of her, "Relax, relax! I'll explain everything. It isn't with him because he can't use it anymore. After he used it to defeat Salem, he was barred from ever being able to use it again. I'll explain where he is in a minute, but yes, he's okay. You have it because I've been planning to give it to you since the end of the secret war. I just had to wait until you were ready for it."
They crossed their arms and looked at the sky, "As for where he is… well. We'd better get comfortable. Go to your bedroom, I'll be there. Oh, by the way, if you don't want to make it obvious you have that amulet, which I recommend, you can will it to go invisible." Then, they vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shi did as was asked, and the amulet faded into nothing. She could still feel it around her neck, it just wasn't visible at all, which was strange, to say the least. After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she started up to her bedroom.
When she reached her bedroom, sure enough, she found Alex there. They were sitting in her computer chair, prompting Shi to go sit on her bed. Alex kicked off the ground to roll the chair closer to the bed and then rotated it so that they were looking at her, "Right… so this is going to get a bit complex."
Alex took a deep breath and then started to explain, "So, this world is only one of many. There are fifty main worlds, and a bunch of lesser worlds that are… things we don't really talk about. This is World One, although there is one before it, World Zero. In the middle of all of this is a plane of existence known as the Inbetween, home to magical beings such as myself and mortals who had some form of magical capability when they died."
Alex let all of that sink in before continuing, "Each world is different in some way to the others. Sometimes the differences are minor, other times they are major. There are Light Worlds and Dark Worlds, Light Worlds being worlds where the Grimm are the primary threat, you can call it the baseline. Dark Worlds… well, they're all very different. The Grimm are not a threat at all, in fact they're rather docile, and the primary enemy are the servants of the God of Light, called Nephilim. I won't go into too much detail, but… Neve, your dad, is stuck on one of those Dark Worlds, the Thirteenth."
Shi had read about the Inbetween, she'd read about the other worlds, but still, hearing about it was something else. She vaguely remembered a part of her dad's book that talked about the Thirteenth, and how it was behind many of the others in the 'timeline'. Now apparently he was there? This raised so many questions…
She stared at her lap for a few moments before looking back at Alex, "So… does this have something to do with the text at the end of his book? How can I see Dad again? What exactly happened to him?"
Alex shrugged, "It probably does, but I'm not exactly 'in' with the Dark Spirits. They don't interact with Light Spirits that often, just because our domains are so different. As for Neve, well… As you've read, he destroyed Salem with a power that, frankly, the relic isn't able to use anymore. It had some far-reaching ramifications, and sent him to the Nothing—think of it like limbo, a black void. After a while, he ended up on the Thirteenth; that was around twenty years ago in that world's time. Right now, I would say that it's about the time that he would have gone to Beacon in this timeline, although… there's a lot that's different about that… as you'll come to find out yourself."
Then, for the first time, a quest appeared.
New Quest Obtained!
The Other Side
Having been given loads of information about the truth of reality, you've been told that your dad is stuck in another world. His time of being the hero has passed. Now? It's your turn.
Objectives
Reach the Thirteenth through the Fountain of Light and the Inbetween.
Rewards
Rewards depend on method of quest completion.
Penalties for Failure
Don't fail. Trust me.
"And don't worry too much about the passage of time. The First and the Thirteenth have entered a period of, let's call it 'Near Equivalence'. You're not going to go there for a year and come back to find it's been ten here. One other thing…"
Alex leaned forward and clasped their hands together, "This is a quest you have to take on your own. You can't bring anyone with you, and you shouldn't pack heavily. Pack light, and don't worry about explaining yourself to Cinder, or to anyone. I'll take care of that for you. Just make sure you tell your mom you love her. There's no telling when you'll see her again."
This is the opportunity she'd been waiting for for years. This was it, her chance to get back what had been lost.
There was no room for hesitation.
Shi's gaze was filled with resolve as she nodded.
And just like that, the die was cast.
/-/
The rest of that day was nothing worth mentioning.
She told Cinder she loved her and told her goodnight, and the next day, packed the very travel bag she used to carry around with her five years ago for the journey. She left a note on the kitchen table and slipped out while her mom was still sleeping. Cinder might get upset that she left like that, and because her letter was so vague, but she would get over it when she brought back Neve.
Alex had said it had been twenty years over there; however, they had also said that she would be 'surprised' when she saw him again, that the twenty years hadn't really affected him that much.
…Shi wasn't really sure what they meant by that, but she supposed she'd find out when she got there.
Chartering a Manta that was willing to take her all the way to the Dragon Continent was surprisingly easy, mostly due to the fact that after Salem's defeat and the destruction of Evernight Castle, the Grimm presence had lessened to the same amount you'd see on any other continent. New settlements had begun popping up, and eventually those settlements converged and created a new nation.
The Remnantine Republic was a fledgling nation, still coming up, but it had found great success so far.
And, when she got there, she found the city to be about the same size as Vale, if not slightly smaller. It looked similar as well, although it had smatterings of Atlesian, Mistrali, and Vacuan architecture all over the place.
Shi would have loved to visit the city for longer, but she left as soon as she touched down. She had a job to do.
Even with the lower Grimm presence, a trek like the one she was making was dangerous. At least, it would have been, but she'd always had a strange effect on Grimm. They didn't seem to care about her that much, never really reacting to her unless she attacked them or showed hostile intent where they could see her. That made taking down most of the smaller ones easy, if she needed to, but on a trek like this, she didn't waste any time. She had to get to where the Relic was telling her to go. The Domain of Light.
It was in a mountainous part of the continent, on what was called the 'spine' of the dragon. There were a few villages on the way, and they provided places for her to sleep when night fell, but she didn't stay very long at all.
She was led to a canyon, with a set of chipped, tan stone steps. There was only one entrance to the Domain of Light, and in spite of its age, the area itself was filled with brilliant golden-yellow flowers that were only disturbed by patches of gray rock. At the very center of the area was a pool of water that sparkled, reflecting the area above it. Behind the pool was a giant golden tree with dark gold leaves.
Shi felt a serene sense of peace wash over her as she stepped into the Domain proper, but it was not entirely empty.
Within it was a pure white lion with both a mane and eyes that shone gold. On its back were a pair of angelic white wings, and Shi would have thought it looked beautiful if it hadn't roared angrily as soon as it laid eyes on her.
She deftly drew Theta and shifted it into its scythe form as the beast ran at her. It leapt in the air, beating its wings as it flew towards her. She slid underneath it as it tried to swipe her with its claws, and raised her scythe, catching one of its feet. As it caught, she fired a dust round, letting the recoil push her weapon to sever the beast's foot and push her so it twisted her around during her slide. It roared in pain and took to flying higher in the air, so Shi shifted Theta into its sniper form.
She transferred to a kneeling position from her slide and recoil twist before bracing the weapon against her shoulder before aiming down the sights, zeroing in on the beast as it continued its flight. She waited, knowing a cleaner shot would present itself with a bit of time.
Her patience was rewarded as the beast, the Nephilim, turned towards her and started to fly at her. It roared, and she muttered, "Smile you son of a bitch," before pulling the trigger. The crack of her rifle sounded throughout the valley, and the bullet sailed forward.
The .50 caliber round slammed into the beast's mouth, vaporizing its head into a red mist that mixed with white light and golden rays as it fell to the ground. The rest of its body landed and rolled, stopping at her feet as she stood up and smirked.
If Nephilim were that easy to kill, then this was going to be easy.
She folded Theta and slipped it onto the small of her back, adjusting her bolero before starting forward again. The feeling of serenity mixed with feelings of raw power, but not from her, from the fountain. It was almost overwhelming, and it took a great deal of resolve to not step back.
She'd been waiting for five years for this opportunity, she'd been training for this.
Well, not exactly this, but the intent was there.
Shi looked down at the pool, her reflection staring back at her. The only things she had were her Huntress gear, which she was currently wearing, a bag with essentials, the scroll in her pocket, and the necklace that remained hidden around her neck.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she stepped forward, disappearing under the water.
/-/
She sank deeper into the pool and felt its pull as it beckoned her downward, as if she was being yanked down by a current that didn't exist.
It pulled her deeper, and as she opened her eyes she saw the surface above grow smaller and smaller, the light fading before disappearing entirely. The Relic of Progress glowed, illuminating the darkness with a deep blue light. As if in response, below her, a light began to grow.
She twisted around and looked down, eyes widening as she saw what appeared to be the surface of a new pool of water. She started to swim towards it, sped along by its pull.
When she emerged, she took a large gulp of air. Immediately her senses were assaulted with the sounds of vehicles and people intermingling. She wiped the water out of her eyes as she stepped out of the pool and looked around.
It appeared like she was in some sort of city, except, as she looked around, she was absolutely blown away by the sheer scope of what she was seeing.
The city looked similar to Atlas, from what she remembered of it, cars driving one way or another, and what looked like large marketplaces between the buildings, but… the ships that flew in the air were far more advanced than anything she had ever seen before. The city roared with life and activity, but that wasn't all.
At the center was a giant sword, plunged into the city. She recognized it—the Relic of Destruction, except this one had an opening in it, and it seemed as if ships were flying into and out of it like some sort of sci-fi flick.
She realized that she was standing on top of the water then, and stepped back in surprise, but the water held. Around her, the only break in the city's urban environment, were the flowers she had seen in the Domain of Light.
As she finished taking stock of her surroundings, she realized people were looking at her. They looked like regular people, but they were looking at her like she was some sort of strange creature. She started to walk forward, hoping that maybe not walking on water would help the matter somewhat, but as she moved to leave the pool, a knight clad in black armor stepped into view. He was massive, much taller than anyone she had ever seen before.
She was scared at first, but he greeted her kindly, "Greetings, young one! I am the Knight of Yin, he who will guide you to your next destination! If you would please-"
Before the knight could even finish his statement, he was suddenly launched into the air, and shouted comically, "NOT AGAAAAAINNNNN!" before disappearing from sight.
Shi watched this happen with wide eyes before moving to leave the pool, but as she looked ahead, she spotted someone that looked markedly more terrifying, in spite of being the size of a regular person.
He was humanoid, but his skin was the same color of the Grimm, pure black, and his pure white hair was slicked back, while a pair of curved, segmented horns on his head arched back and curved upwards. His eyes glowed red, and yet in spite of his fearsome appearance, he was wearing a black business suit, like he was the maître d' of the Devil that Neve had told her about before.
She'd read about him, her dad said he 'looked like an eighth grader's interpretation of a cool character', and Shi felt that wasn't entirely wrong. This was the Butler, and he cleared his throat before fixing his black tie. He greeted her with a formal tone, "Apologies. He tries his best, he does, but you're not going where he would have taken you. I am the Butler, and I was asked by a friend of mine to be your escort to the Great Bridge."
This was getting more confusing by the minute…
Shi nodded and stepped fully off the fountain, "Okay… This is the Inbetween? It doesn't look very magical…"
The Butler chuckled as he gestured at the road and a black limo appeared, "You'll find things are a bit different here. Get in, I've taken it upon myself to explain to you the trials you will face on the Thirteenth."
The back door of the limo opened, and Shi cautiously stepped over to it. The inside looked like a normal limo, and so she got inside. The door shut for her, and she took Theta, still folded, off her back, and let it sit beside her so she could be comfortable. The Butler got into the driver's seat and the car roared to life before it began to move.
Shi watched the passing sights with wide eyes while he explained to her, "Alex has already told you about Dark Worlds, but they have only given cursory information on what they are really like. I will give you as much information as I can, but a lot of it will remain for you to discover."
"Okay…" She looked at the back of his seat for a moment before looking back to the passing city, "What do I have to know?"
The Butler cleared his throat, "To begin, you must understand that, while Nephilim and Grimm appear to have some similarities, they are their own creatures. Nephilim are the result of the God of Light attempting to create life on his own, and they range from humanoids to beasts. The humanoids are frequently, but not always, greatly intelligent. They are skilled fighters, and sometimes, brilliant strategists. I believe you encountered the beastly kind before you came here." Shi wasn't going to ask how he figured that out, this was confusing enough as is.
He made a turn and kept going, "They view humanity as unworthy, and the smart ones will either challenge you or attack you, while the beasts will only ever attack you. Additionally, the beasts are attracted to positive emotion, so anticipate that villages and farmsteads will be very… reserved."
Shi blinked a few times. Clearly, the Nephilim were going to be a bigger challenge than she thought, "Okay… if they're so dangerous, why haven't the Nephilim killed off humanity? The Grimm had us on the ropes for a long time, and most of them weren't very smart at all."
"Astute observation." He chuckled as he made yet another turn and stopped at a red light, "It's because, with intelligence, there comes disunity. The Nephilim form their own factions, their own clans, and they fight amongst each other over perceived slights and 'unworthiness.'"
"Have any of them ever worked with people? If they're intelligent, then…"
"Hmm… Not as far as I know, but it is technically possible, should circumstances permit. Additionally, you should be wary of other changes. Things are very different, in ways that you might have taken for granted otherwise. Now do hold on, we're about to speed up."
They reached the city limits, and suddenly the car accelerated rapidly. Shi was pressed against her seat as the scenery seemed to blur around them. Suddenly, they came to a stop, and the Butler got out, signaling that Shi needed to get out as well, which she did after grabbing Theta.
Once she was out, she gasped at what she saw.
The city she gazed upon was massive and looked very old school, her dad might have called it 'Roman', she would call it 'Argussian'. The streets were made of stone, with stalls lining them, and it seemed the city was in the middle of a festival. People of all kinds laughed, joked, drank, ate, and… fought. Yet even as they crossed swords, they seemed to be laughing, having a great time.
The Butler gestured to it, "This is the City of Destruction—the Yin Continent's version, at least. One of the twin cities. Come on, we must walk the rest of the way. This city is not vehicle friendly." He began to lead the way, and so Shi followed him. He explained, "This city is in a perpetual state of festivities. People come here to watch battles, to see legendary warriors duel to the death, only to rise again and fight the next day. Or they come to be one of those warriors, and while not everyone commands an audience fit for one of the many stadiums here, they are content to fight in the streets."
As they entered the city proper, Shi was hit by the smell of delicious food of all kinds, mostly meat, and it left her salivating. Her ears twitched at the noise, and she looked around, almost forgetting to put Theta away on her back. She asked, "Hey, can I-"
"No. Apologies, but we need to get you to the other continent as soon as possible."
"Aww…"
He grimaced before sighing, "Very well, I'll get you some food for the road, but you should hold off on eating it. You're going to need the energy later."
Shi could have asked what he meant, but she was too excited at the prospect of getting some of the delicious food here. He walked up to a stall and started to speak to the vendor, while Shi looked around the city with awe.
Only for that to be interrupted when she heard a boy's voice, "Hey!" She turned and saw a guy standing in a full suit of armor. He raised a hand in greeting, "Want to fight? You look like you can handle yourself."
"S-Sorry, I'm not really from around here, so-"
"Wait…" He lifted his visor and looked at her, "You're… the Planewalker! We've received news of you from the City of Creation. You're the first of your kind to walk in these lands for thousands of years! Tell me, what is it like on the First? I'm from the Tenth!"
Shi's ears folded against her head as she stammered, "U-Uhm, well, it's kind of…"
Then, more voices piped up, "Is that her?"
"The Planewalker is here?"
"This is amazing!"
"We have to get her autograph, this is huge!"
Soon, the whole street was talking about her, and Shi was feeling, frankly, overwhelmed. That was when the Butler returned, carrying a wooden picnic basket that smelled of deliciously cooked meat, "We should move. The locals mean no harm, but you really are the first living person to walk these lands in a very, very long time."
She nodded and soon they were walking again. The crowds still talked about her, but they kept their distance now that the Butler was there, seemingly out of some form of reverence or respect.
The rest of their trek was uneventful, using the giant facsimile of the Staff of Creation as their guide as they walked. Shi gasped when they arrived at their next destination.
A giant iron bridge, just outside the city limits, large enough that going from left to right would take a minute of walking. It stretched on, across a ravine covered with fog, so deep that she couldn't see the bottom of it, it seemed to continue endlessly.
The Butler gestured ahead, "You must continue on your own, here, for I can't trek across this bridge. Magic doesn't work on it, and if I set foot on it, then the relic I'm in charge of would cease to work until I returned. Alex will be waiting for you on the other side. Worry not about any danger, the bridge is safe, just don't fall."
The Butler was gone in a flash, all that remained as evidence of his existence was the picnic basket of food she was carrying. She took a deep breath before forging ahead, looking forward at the long bridge, where the fog obscured what lay in the distance.
Shi was left alone with her thoughts as she walked, and she wondered for the briefest moment if she was making a mistake. When would she get back home? When would she see the rest of her family again? Questions spun in her head and they threatened to make her dizzy, but she shook them off.
It didn't matter how long she'd be in the Thirteenth, it didn't matter when she'd get to see the others again, because she was going to bring back Dad. Everyone would be happy, and she was the only one who could make that happiness come true, and make it more than a pipe dream, the wish on a star a child once made.
Shi looked back, and saw that the city was getting smaller with distance. Soon, it'd disappear behind the fog. She looked forward and kept walking, and turned her thoughts to something else.
Just what would she say when she found him? What would she tell him? She knew she'd say she missed him, but what else? There was so much to say, and though she planned and planned, Shi knew that her plans would fall apart the moment she laid eyes on him again.
Such was the importance of this mission to her. She would achieve it and cry like she was ten again, she'd cry like she did when he vanished from her life. She'd forget all pretenses, because he was her father. He might not have been bound to her by blood, but some things were stronger than that.
She didn't know how long she had been walking for before things began to shift again.
On her left and her right appeared floating pieces of glass that looked to be windows, surrounded by strange colors. Within them, different scenes played out before her eyes, making them widen. She saw people that she had never met before fighting beasts of all kinds, some she'd never seen before.
One in particular caught her eye, a fair-skinned, dark haired boy wielding a strange sword squaring off against a giant beast in a burning village, though she couldn't make out just what the beast was. He stood in front of another boy, seemingly defending him. He muttered something, and then he grabbed the boy and dodged as the beast tried to strike them, startlingly familiar roses trailing behind him, though they were of a lighter red than Ruby's.
She shook her head and looked away, starting to walk again. This was short lived, however, as soon she looked at the sky and her mouth fell open in awe as her eyes widened.
The sky was dark, and an aurora played across it, casting its colors down upon her and upon the land beneath it. Shooting stars, thousands upon thousands of them, shot across the sky, some of them falling into the ravine below while others flew on, their destinations over the horizon.
While she was taking in the sight her eyes changed color to an emerald green, light reflecting off of them for the first time ever. She wanted to sit there and watch the sky above for longer, and she was feeling hungry.
She sat down beneath the falling stars and ate the delicious food that the Butler had bought for her, but she never stopped looking at the mirrors and the falling stars. Sitting there on that bridge, she felt small, insignificant. The feeling of the sublime had washed over her, and she realized then that she was but a small speck in a far greater, far vaster world.
She shook her head. Small she may have been in the grand scheme, but she still had a purpose.
Forward. She had to go forward.
So, she stood up after she finished eating, and took the now mostly empty picnic basket with her. She looked ahead and kept walking as the sound of the stars falling from the sky played in her ears. Her eyes darkened until her irises were black again, and unbeknownst to her, as she crossed the barrier between light and dark, they began to dim the path ahead of her. It was subtle enough that she didn't notice, and soon the effect was gone.
She must have walked for several more hours, but she had no way of telling. Her scroll wasn't working in this place. Eventually, she began to see the other side. The sky began changing into a normal daylight sky, and she left behind the strange bridge that let her peer into other peoples' lives.
Alex was waiting at the end of the bridge, and the other side seemed to have a city much like the other City of Creation, except in the center of it was not a sword, but a staff, the Relic of Creation.
Dark Destruction represented the same thing as Light Creation, it seemed. That confused her, but maybe the truth was more complicated than that. She didn't have time to think about it, however, as Alex grinned at her. They were sitting on top of a car, a black muscle car of some kind, "Welcome to the Yang Continent! Not the Yang you know, but still." They hopped off the car and opened the passenger side door, "Get in, word's already spread about the 'Planewalker', don't want people trying to sell you anything."
Shi nodded, walking over and taking Theta off her back again, leaving it in her lap along with the basket after she buckled into her seat. Alex took the driver's side, and as the car roared to live, they began to move. Alex cleared their throat, "Right, I was supposed to tell you some stuff about the Thirteenth. So, listen closely, because I'm going to tell you a little story."
Again, she nodded, this time without taking her eyes off the sidewalks and buildings they passed by. Alex began, "So, the Thirteenth isn't just different in the ways I hope Sebastian told you about. You're going to find that the people you know, and the places you know, are different too. Some cities remain mostly the same, Vale is the same. Beacon isn't called Beacon, though, it's called Sanctuary, and it's run a bit differently, but I'll let you figure that out on your own, mostly because I have no idea about the specifics myself."
They made a turn before continuing, "I don't have much knowledge on all of the specifics, because that world is one I'm not allowed in, which brings me to another thing. I won't be able to follow you there, and the Relic of Progress' effects and abilities will be severely limited."
Shi's eyes widened and finally she looked over to Alex, who smiled awkwardly, "It's a Relic of Light in a World of Darkness, things are going to break a bit. Maybe the relic will adjust and you'll get access to more down the line, and what that'll do to me, I don't know, but we'll find out when we cross that bridge. As far as I understand it, only the most basic features of the relic will be available. Quests, your stats, the increased progression in stats and skills, that sort of thing, but you won't have access to its magic. At least, not at first. Again, I've got no idea what's going to happen when you get there."
Well, that wasn't very reassuring. Shi took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright. I've made it this far without a relic, I think I'll be fine."
"That's the spirit. Now hold on, we're about to step on the gas."
Once again, as the vehicle reached the city limits, it sped up and blurred across the terrain, before coming to a stop. As both of them got out, Shi saw a place that reminded her of the pictures of Evernight Castle she had been shown by her family, except there was no castle there. The land looked dead, save for the purple gems sprouting out of the ground, which were accompanied by outcroppings of rocks, and as the gems glowed, Shi felt oddly drawn to them.
Yet Alex was quick to draw attention to something else, "See that?" They pointed ahead, and there was a pool of water there. It looked dim, not bright like the ones from before. "That's where you need to go. Jump into there, and you'll emerge on the Thirteenth. I don't know where, but you'll be there. I'm sure you can handle the rest from there."
Alex looked at her, "But… there's something else. Once you step into that pool, into the Thirteenth, there will be no going back until certain conditions are met. I don't know what those are, but… this is your chance. If you want to back out, and go home, now's your chance. Nobody would blame you."
Shi closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again, her gaze burned with resolve. She started to walk forward while saying, "I won't back down."
She could feel Alex watching her still as she kept walking. Her footsteps resounded against the dirt, until she got to the pool of weird gloopy water (or was it Grimm liquid?) and stopped. She couldn't see her reflection in it like she could with the other one, and she could feel just how different it was.
There was no turning back for her. In an act most would perhaps call 'overdramatic', she turned around and held her arms out, allowing herself to fall backwards, closing her eyes just as she hit the liquid.
For a time, she simply sank deeper into the pool, feeling it washing over her, and she wondered for a moment if maybe it would turn her into a Grimm. Soon, however, she wasn't in the liquid anymore.
She felt the wind whipping around her, and she gasped before opening her eyes. Above her, she saw a stormy dark sky, and the basket she had kept this whole time was falling with her. Both it and her were completely dry, as if they hadn't just dove into a pool of weird water.
As she turned around, she looked around and saw that she seemed to be falling in a forest. It didn't look familiar to her, and there were no buildings or structures that she could see. She had to quickly think of a plan on what to do, but luckily an idea came to mind almost immediately.
She let herself fall for a while longer, and she fell for what felt like a full few minutes before the greenery beneath her drew close enough that she felt her plan could work. She tossed her picnic basket into the air and drew Theta, shifting it into its rifle form.
Shi fired it behind her, letting the recoil speed her up, and then she activated her semblance. Ice shot out of her side as her eyes turned bright blue and light orange. Her right side shot fire out as the ice she made connected with a tree, creating a ramp that she slid down while the fire on the other side of her body melted the ice behind her as she went.
Eventually she reached the first tree, and her ice slid right over a branch before stopping at a slight upward curve. However, as she drew closer to it, the ice began to crack. Her eyes widened as her focus slipped. She shot beneath her and managed to leave the ramp just as it fell apart beneath her.
She landed on the ground with a roll, popping back up and dusting off her outfit and body as she sighed, "Lost focus. Man… I can do better than that." She looked above her and gasped as she saw the picnic basket falling from the sky.
Hurriedly, she moved to try and catch it, following it as it fell. However, she was so focused on the basket that she failed to notice the root beneath her. She tripped over it and fell forward, groaning as she landed on her face, "Ow…"
She stood up again and sighed, watching as the basket hit the ground just a few feet in front of her. It was still closed, so she walked over to it and picked it up, looking inside and smirking as she saw the chicken leg she'd been saving was still there, intact and ready to be eaten.
However, just as she was about to grab it, she heard what sounded like a dog's whine nearby. She blinked a few times and looked to the source before her eyes widened at what she saw.
A Beowolf was sitting on its hindlegs, somehow looking at her pleadingly with its glowing red eyes. She looked at the chicken leg, then back to the Beowolf, before sighing. She took out the chicken leg and held it out to the beast. It eagerly took the meat and chomped on it, before eating it and the bone whole. Shi lamented the loss of her chicken, but she was more confused (and a bit terrified) by the Grimm that acted like a house pet.
Luckily, it didn't stay long, after it rubbed itself against her leg and got her to pet it, the beast left, bounding into the treeline and leaving Shi alone with her thoughts. She muttered, "That's weird… I'm definitely not on the First anymore…"
Shi took out her scroll, thinking that it was going to end up being pointless but not willing to write it off entirely, and was surprised to find it had a signal. She was able to pull up a map that triangulated her location. She found that she was in the middle of the Valean frontier. The nearest town was a place she recognized the name of, Domremy. On the First, it was home to the Arc family. Here?
Well… she was going to have to find out.
She started in the direction of the township, careful to pay attention to her surroundings. If she ran into any Nephilim, she wasn't sure if she'd have the wherewithal to handle them without any injury, especially if they were one of the smarter ones she'd been warned of.
The sky looked like it was threatening to open and let the rain fall, but there wasn't much she could do about it other than be glad that her Mistrali wrappings were dust-treated and would hold in any weather. Her mother had been insistent on the wrappings having that, and it sounded like she spoke from experience when she warned against untreated wrappings.
As she continued on the path, her thoughts turned to the world itself. It felt… similar, but there was an oddness to it, just enough that it felt foreign. Maybe it was the Grimm she'd encountered, maybe it was the fact that she fell from the sky… Really it could have been anything.
She was starting to feel tired; she'd been walking a bunch that day. The bridge had easily been several miles long, and then there was the whole 'Inbetween' business, and then she fell from the sky… That wasn't mentioning the fact that she knew there was no going back, she was there, and she wasn't going to see home for a while.
Eventually, mercifully, she stumbled across a well worn path that seemed to lead directly to the town she was looking for. She walked the path, heartened by the signs she saw along the way. She tried to keep her mind on the objective, get to Domremy, then find a path to Vale, and find Dad.
Everything that came after would be dealt with as it came.
Finally, after what felt like an hour of walking, she reached Domremy. It was a walled city, and it looked a lot like what Jeanne had described before. Past the open gates were several houses in styles reminiscent of Vale's. There were armored guards with rifles standing watch at the gate, and they greeted her with a nod. One of them said, "Good day, Miss. Welcome to Domremy."
She smiled and gave a light wave, "Hey, I'm Shi, nice to meet you."
Both of them looked at her like she was weird, but before she could ask, they both looked past her and gasped. One of them muttered, "Oh of course…"
Shi turned around and her eyes widened as she saw another girl running towards the city. She had fair-skin, long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and ocean blue eyes that were wide with panic. She was wearing a brown stetson, a white crop-top under a brown (equally cropped) leather jacket, and around her waist was a brown leather belt with a holster with a pistol of some kind on its right, while there was a whip on her left.
Although she wasn't the shocking part, it was what was following her.
More of the white tigers she'd faced before, four of them, except these ones were being ridden, saddles and all. Their riders wore the armor of knights and their eyes glowed golden through their visors. The girl shouted with an accent best described as 'country', "I may a' messed with the bull!"
One of the guards groaned and muttered, "Verte, you idiot…" Then both of them raised their rifles and prepared to shoot. One said, "Listen, Miss Shi, you should probably get inside and-"
He was cut off when Shi drew Theta off her back and bolted towards the aggressors, her weapon in scythe form. As she drew closer to Verte, the other girl covered her face with her hands, seemingly ready for impact, but Shi shot the ground with a Dust round and used it to send her into the air.
She backflipped over Verte before landing on the ground just in time to swing her scythe at one of the lion beasts, slashing off one of its feet with ease and causing it to tumble forward on the ground before Shi fired another round at it, killing it while it's rider spilled onto the dirt.
Another raced towards her, a sword of golden light raised, but as it swung at her, she ducked and then twisted in place, spinning around just in time to catch the third rider with a rising strike. Her scythe pulled it off its beast and severed its head, causing golden light to spew from it.
The militiamen were shooting now, but Shi had to focus on the last rider, who was racing towards her. She planted her scythe on the ground and fired a round at the lion, causing the rider to fall forward while she shifted her weapon from a scythe to a gunblade.
The rider got up quickly and raced at her with its sword, but she was able to duck under its swing before stabbing forward with her blade. As she connected with its metal chestplate, she detonated a dust cartridge, the explosion knocking the rider back.
It landed on its back, and just as it was getting back up, it was shot in the head and fell back again, although Shi hadn't been the one to pull the trigger.
She looked back and saw the girl, Verte, breathing heavily while holding a revolver in her hand, "Man…" She holstered her revolver before smiling, "I dunno who you are, but you're somethin' else! Your timing's impeccable." She held out a hand, "My mama named me Verte. Verte Arc. Nice ta see a new face 'round here, most a these sad saps get real borin' after awhile."
Shi blinked a few times in confusion before she folded Theta and stuck it on her back before she reached out and shook Verte's hand. The other girl shook her hand with vigor, "You take out Aslans like nothin! Riders too! C'mon, I'm sure my mama will love ta meet the girl who just saved my hide."
Shi was about to say something, but Verte was already walking back to the town, the guards looking a mixture of annoyed and relieved. She sighed before going to follow the other girl. Verte Arc. She wondered if that meant Jaune was there? Or Jeanne? Familiar faces might help her get her head on straight, even if she didn't know these versions…
Verte was quick to start talking, and the guards looked at Shi with sympathy as she and Verte walked past, into the town proper, "So I was goin' out tryna get some practice shootin', just at birds, nothin' big, but then those damn Aslans and their Riders spotted me! We're lucky they were some a the dumb ones. Those two Nephilim types are always kinda stupid, y'know, only know how to charge and swing their swords. The ones with spears, those are the ones ya gotta watch out for…"
Shi had to wonder if she'd ever get a word in, but the other girl was perfectly happy talking the whole time. She hadn't even gotten to introduce herself yet… At least she was learning about Nephilim. An "Aslan" seemed to be the lion-like beast.
The Arc house was nothing like what she'd been told about before. She had been told about a grand manor that looked straight out of the Great War era, but this place looked smaller, and slightly newer. It was a townhouse as well, with no indication of there being any of the land that Jeanne had talked about before on the First.
Verte opened the door and yelled, "Mama! I almost got my head torn off, but good news, I'm still kickin'! Got my butt saved by this girl here!"
Her mother emerged from the kitchen, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, much like Verte, although she looked older and more worn out. She smiled when she saw Shi, however, "Nice to meet you. Thanks for saving Verte, this is the third time this week, and all because she wants to pass Sanctuary's initiation…"
There was that name again, Sanctuary, Alex had told her about it before, but… What about Beacon? Did it still exist?
The mother Arc asked, "So, Verte, what's your friend's name?" Verte froze and erred for a moment before her mother rolled her eyes, "I knew it. You need to learn to let other people talk sometimes, Verte! I swear…" She looked at Shi, "What's your name, dear? I hope Verte didn't cause you any trouble."
Shi smiled politely, "Shi Cadere, ma'am. It wasn't any trouble. I'm happy to help someone in need."
Both Arcs looked at each other in surprise for a moment before Verte asked, "Any relation to the Headmaster of Sanctuary? Headmaster Cadere."
Shi's eyes widened, before she answered vaguely, "U-Uhm… That's… what I'm trying to find out." She had no clue how she would explain herself to people, and if her dad had become the Headmaster of some academy called Sanctuary, well… At least she knew where she needed to go.
"Well, Shi," began Mama Arc, "Why not stay for dinner? We'd love to have a guest, it'd sure help brighten the mood a bit for a little while. Even if we can't afford to be too jovial."
Shi was about to decline on reflex, but then she realized she had nowhere to stay the night, and she was very, very tired, "Uhm… Yes, please, thank you. I'm a traveler, was going to try and get a hotel room before all that stuff with the Gr- The Nephilim happened."
Verte patted Shi's back hard and laughed, "Ah, don't worry! Ya can stay here, we've got a few free rooms."
That made Shi curious, and she decided to just outright ask, "So… Is it just you two, or…?"
Both Arc ladies' faces fell. Verte smiled weakly, "Ah, why not come with me? I'll show ya to a room so you can sit a spell and maybe get some rest before dinner, I'll answer your question on the way."
Mama Arc seemed relieved as Verte led Shi up the stairs of the house. Verte explained, "We used to be a lot bigger of a family. Six sisters, not countin' me, and a brother, but… Well, things changed. Our parents got into a big fight 'bout somethin' one day, and then Dad left."
As they reached the room, Shi started to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to bring up anything sensitive…"
Verte chuckled and pulled open the door, revealing a modest room with wooden floors, a twin-sized bed that was fully covered, comforter and all, white walls, and a nightstand next to the bed, "Nah, it's no big deal. Anyway, so my older sister, Sarcelle, she went to work in Alsius as a tech nerd or somethin' to send money back ta us. Last I heard she's doin' fine. Then, well…"
As they stepped into the room, Verte sighed, "Jaune and Jeanne vanished one day. They said they were goin' to apply to Sanctuary, but… they never made it. Never answered any calls, nothin'. So, I figured, well, I gotta carry the torch, y'know? It was their dream, so I made it mine. That's why I was tryna shoot some stuff."
Verte rubbed the back of her neck and suddenly grew sheepish, "Ah, but, sorry, I've been jawin' a bit too much. I'll let ya get some rest." She turned and waved as she walked out of the room, "I'll knock when dinner's ready!" Then, just like that, she shut the door.
Shi took a deep breath as she took her backpack off her back and set it on the floor next to the bed before she sat on it, back against the wall.
That was precisely when she got a notification.
Quest Complete!
The Other Side
You've crossed Remnant, and the Inbetween. You've made it to the Thirteenth, and now you're faced with a world somewhat familiar and very, very foreign. You've made it this far, but what's next? Only time will tell.
Objectives
Reach the Thirteenth through the Fountain of Light and the Inbetween.
Rewards
+2 Endurance, 100 Lien, New Title: Planewalker.
She dismissed the notification and checked her travel bag. Sure enough, there was 100 more Lien in it than there was before. She zipped it closed and then sighed, leaning back again.
There was a lot on her mind, so much that she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, so… she did what she always did in situations like this.
She took out her phone and began to record.
/-/
(What follows is a second person view of Shi's personal vlog)
The camera turns on, and you see Shi looking back at you. The girl looked haggard and worn out as she sighed and looked away for a moment, "Hey, me. Today's been rough."
She looked back at you, "Hell… this whole month's been rough. Alex showed up and gave me Dad's old relic, then they told me all about the 'Inbetween'. Then I actually went there, and that was a whole thing."
She leaned back and closed her eyes, resting her head on the wall, "I can still see it if I close my eyes." Then she opened them again, "Weird cities, and a bridge with the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen… I wish I'd taken pictures, but maybe I'll get to see it again someday."
You can see how tense she is, even as she is clearly trying to relax and destress, "If you asked me a year ago what I'd be doing with my life, this certainly wouldn't be it. Still…" She managed a small smile, "It's kinda nostalgic. Dad led the Saviors of Remnant across Remnant, and I went with them… Mistral, Vacuo, Atlas, then back to Vale and Patch again. Now I'm on my own quest, My own story. If only I was half as good a writer as Dad is. If I was, I'd write about this."
She shook her head, "But that's fine. I've got you, future me. I'll tell you all about how I'm feeling through all of this, because I really don't get to talk about this kinda stuff often…" She rubbed the back of her neck, "I'm a bit scared, but I'm more determined to keep going than anything. I met this girl, Verte, and her mom. They're relatives of Jaune and Jeanne, but… those two are missing, and I'm pretty worried about that… I hope they're okay."
Shi looked off in the distance, forlorn for a moment, before looking back at you, "But that's enough for now. I'm really tired, and I've finally got a chance to rest again. I'll see you next time, okay? Goodnight."
She messed with the camera for a moment, and then the screen went black.
