Kieffner was standing before a closed door, and he feared what stood on the other side. But this was a step he had to take, he had to at least try.

To his side stood his faithful bodyguard Siegfried, who he ordered to stay there. He got rid of his staff too, it was an important requirement for what was to come.

Normally he shouldn't risk anything, but it didn't meant that he wasn't scared, far from that. However showing signs of fear would start this meeting on a wrong foot. He had to remain calm.

Taking a deep breath, Kieffner pushed the door open and took a look around him. The room he entered was cut in half by a thick glass window. And the wall to his right was covered by a massive mirror, through which he could see the subject of his visit sitting on the other side of the window.

If looks could kill, it would be safe to guess that little would be left of him. Despite this the necromancer advanced until he found himself right in front of the young woman glaring at him with daggers in her eyes.

He slowly sat down on a nearby chair, fruitlessly waited for some kind of signal to start, before opening his mouth to speak.

"I suppose we should start with proper introductions. I am Kieffner."

He waited a few seconds for an answer, and when it became obvious that there would be none, he continued.

"Listen. I'm sorry, about everything."

"You're lying." Were the girl's first words.

Kieffner briefly clasped his tongue before resuming.

"That's right. I don't regret what I have done, and if I had to do it again, I would."

His interlocutor remained silent, and Kieffner needed a moment to carefully chose his next words.

"However... I understand your pain, and I do feel guilty for being its cause."

The girl reacted by furiously standing up and punching her fist against the glass between them.

"You asshole ! You know nothing about what I've gone through ! You killed my friends ! And made me look like their killer !"

"I understand you, because I've gone through similar things."

This seemed to slightly calm down the bunny girl, causing her to eventually drop back into her own chair. The necromancer took this as a signal to go on.

"When I was a kid, I think it was five years ago, I insulted someone very important. I didn't knew what it really meant back then, I was just a kid."

"But of course this didn't stop him from slaughtering my entire family before my eyes. My father, my mother, my big brother, and even our dog. And I simply stood there, powerless, forced to watch as life left the peoples I loved."

"For a reason I have yet to understand, their killer took me in as his apprentice. I only learned years after that this was all on purpose, he wanted to use my anger, my thirst for vengeance. All for me to become stronger."

"A soon as I was confident enough in my skills, I ran away. Of course I still wanted justice for my family, but this wasn't a foe a mortal man could kill. I had no choice but to leave my old life behind, and try to build a new one."

Silence returned to the room when he finished his story. He could see that the girl mind was racing, and then, ever so slightly, her gaze softened.

"My name... My name is Velvet."

A timid smile spread on the necromancer's face. This may actually work out. That's what he thought, until Velvet asked a dreadful question.

"My friends... Can you bring them back, like for real ?" She said with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Kieffner hesitated for a unbearably long time before daring to answer. Should he lie ? But she would probably ask him to bring them back then. Rubbing salt into the wound probably wasn't a good idea. In the end he had to choose the least bad option.

"No, I cannot. I'm sorry."

The disappointment on the girl face was defeating, but there was nothing that could be done.

"I don't think we will ever get along. But I still hope that one day, you will be able to stand my presence without trying to kill me." Kieffner said half jokingly. But as expected the girl didn't even crack the shadow of a smile.

"I know that nothing I can do will bring them back, but as long as you're the same person that killed them without remorse, I won't be at peace knowing that you're roaming free."

Kieffner winced upon hearing those words, the situation wasn't really improving. However the girl wasn't done speaking.

"And you look like some kid whose teacher forced to apologize to his classmate. I can't help but think that you wouldn't be here if you had a choice."

This was getting quite mentally taxing for Kieffner. He put his head in his hand, took a few deep breaths, and told the truth.

"I guess that's closer to the truth than you would think. Doing this won't bring back the dead, it won't make any of us feel any better, it's just a massive waste of time to be honest."

He then got up from his chair, before turning to his right towards the imposing mirror, and faced the life force hiding behind it.

"Ozpin ! I know you're here. I won't take part of this farce any longer. I'm tired of your games. Don't you see nothing will come out of this ? Just let her hate me on her own, at least it will give her a reason to keep going forward."

Nothing happened in the material realm, but he could feel Ozpin's soul getting agitated, confused, and even scared.

"It's over. I am leaving. If you want to terminate our agreement and hunt me down, then so be it. Just don't expect me to go down without a fight." He then briefly back towards Velvet, and with a slight bow, bid her goodbye, before starting to leave the room.

All of this could be considered a gamble, even if it was a calculated one. In case anything or everything went wrong his army should be safe underground, a few sleeper cells were ready to wake up all around the city. The only weak links was, well, himself. All those fancy undead tricks would mean nothing if he were to die, but his opponent had no way to know this. Hell he could even be immortal for all they knew.

His gamble reposed in great part on this lack of knowledge, and some amount of emotional manipulation was also there to help. Just as he was going to leave the room, a voice echoed coming from no place in particular, like the walls themselves were speaking.

"Kieffner ? I have the pleasure to announce you that you succeed in my test."

"What the..." Muttered the necromancer. Was this staged from the beginning ? Did he just invent this on the go ?

A chunk of the wall suddenly slided sideways, revealing a small opening from which Ozpin came out. The headmaster appeared as composed as usual, however the presence of a string of sweat on his forehead and his irregular breathing broke this facade.

"You didn't manage to make amend with your victim, and that's okay. No one would expect such a grudge to be overcome so fast. I still hope it will work out in the end, but for now you've proven your goodwill, and that's what matters the most in the end."

Well, this was better than what he expected. His position was secured, his allies trusted him, it was almost too good to be true.

"I don't really know what to say Headmaster, but I guess I'm happy that your fate in me wasn't misplaced."

"Yes, once more my gut feeling was right. However I fear that very pressing matters await me, so now that everything is good and well, why don't you go back to your city ? I will ready a bullhead for you." The tone in Ozpin's voice left no room for argument, he wanted him to leave.

Only a few minutes later Kieffner saw himself being hauled through Vale along with his bodyguard, but as they were nearing the city's walls, something catched his attention.

Almost right under them a large commotion was heard, and the vehicle temporarily shaked. When the necromancer finally managed to get a good look at what was happening, he ended up being quite surprised.

A few unrecognizable fighters were currently struggling against some giant of steel, all while racing on a suspended road. I wasn't long before the giant machine noticed the presence of his airship, and he apparently mistook them for enemies, judging from the multiple red bolts he sent towards them.

His bodyguard Siegfried, who was standing beside him all along, managed to tank a hit destined for his master. However this didn't save the airship from being critically hit, making it start spiraling towards the ground faster and faster.

A moment later the bullhead crashed on the edge of the massive road below. When Kieffner recovered his bearings, all that surrounded him was destruction. Siegfried had used his body to protect his master, which probably saved the latter of a certain death.

However this protection didn't extend to the pilot, whose torso had been pierced by a metallic pole, while his pistol laid beside him. Kieffner hesitated for a second as the dying man's cries echoed all around him. There was probably nothing that could be done to save him, and he had to guarantee his own survival.

Kieffner put his staff on his back and then extended his only arm to grab the weapon before him. With little more than a thought the necromancer used his newly acquired weapon to end its original owner's suffering, by blowing his head up. That small pistol was surprisingly powerful. It would probably come handy sooner or later.

And looked like it was going to be sooner, as the giant human shaped machine was currently locked into a fight against the unknown warriors.

Kieffner wasn't granted the luxury to appreciate this spectacle for very long before a particularly powerful attack struck the giant, sending it stumbling towards the downed airship.

The necromancer barely managed to dodge in time, just before the machine crashed into the wreckage. The vehicle was now dangerously close to the road's edge, and it took some careful balancing for it to avoid falling. During this risky maneuver Kieffner got a look at the giant's pilot, a classy redhead who seemed to be bordering a mental breakdown.

The machine's controller noticed Kieffner's presence and their eyes locked. The man was backed into a corner, ready to do anything to survive.

This eye contact was quickly broken when the machine took another attack. This one had been quite weak compared to the one that came before, yet it was just enough to send it tumbling over the edge.

In a desperate bid to hold onto the street the mech stretched its right arm while it was starting to fall. It tried to grab the road, but missed and only managed to seize Kieffner.

The necromancer's confusion at this development was apparent, and judging from the redhead's dumbfounded stare, it was probably the same for him.

Yet Kieffner soon recovered and used the now dead pilot's pistol to shoot at the wide glass cage through which his opponent could be seen. This did little more than anger the mech's pilot, who reacted by throwing the necromancer onto a nearby pillar.

He barely had time to reach the pillar in question before someone else grabbed him. The sensation of dead cold metal on his skin let him know that this was his bodyguard.

While the ground closed in beneath them, Siegfried hurriedly held his master under his left arm. He then used his other arm to plunge his sword into the nearby stone pillar, slowing their fall.

Another loud crash was heard, this time caused by the mech meeting it's end at the hands of gravity. A few seconds later the master and hid champion landed on their own, with little more than bruises to show for their fall.

The mech's pilot wasn't as lucky however, and when he finally managed to leave the machine wreckage, it was with a visible limp and a generous amount of blood flowing out from his shoulder.

Then something strange happened. Kieffner suddenly felt Siegfried being pulled back behind them. But the strange part was that he could still see him at his side, yet his magical senses were telling him otherwise.

Cautiously he reached out to try to touch his bodyguard, but when his finger made contact with him, he instantly exploded into a cloud of glass shards with the sound of broken glass.

Focusing for a moment, he managed to locate another person's presence. Without saying a word he turned around and aimed his pistol at the apparent emptyness before him.

At the exact moment where he was pulling the trigger, something hard hit him from behind. The bullet still left the barrel and quickly hit it's target. With the same sound as with his bodyguard another illusion shattered, only this time revealing a young girl, whose cheek had only been grazed by the bullet.

The girl briefly glared at him with her heterochromatic eyes, before being forced to concentrate on Siegfried, who had begun swinging at her with focused strikes.

Meanwhile Kieffner was reminded of the cause of his shot missing when he was once again hit in the back. The strength behind the strike made him fall on his knees, and was only thanks to hard learned reflexes that he managed to dodge the swing that followed by rolling to his right.

He got up using his roll's momentum, and was finally able to face his aggressor. Unsurprisingly it was the mech's pilot. His once sparking white outfit was now tainted in blood, and he was breathing heavily. The only weapon in his hands was a seemingly ordinary cane. This fight should be a piece of cake.

"Really, a walking stick ? I think we both know how this is going to end. I promise that if you surrender now I will leave you walk away."

"Tchh... Insolent brat. Look like I will have to put you back in your place."

The man followed this by raising his stick in a seemingly useless move as his opponent was standing way to far away. However the cane's butt suddenly came off, revealing a hidden barrel.

Kieffner lacked the time to dodge in any meaningful way, and reacted in the only way he could before being blown into pieces, by shooting his own gun.

His bullet and his opponent's flare flew towards each other, and in an instance of miraculous luck, made contact in the middle of their course.

The ensuing explosion was strong enough to blow the pistol out of the necromancer's hand. When the dust dissipated he noticed that his opponent's barrel had literally melted. Kieffner grabbed his staff from his back and both fighters began slowly circling around each other.

Of course nothing prevented the necromancer from using magic, and his opponent supposed that the staff was merely a melee weapon. Thus it shouldn't come as a surprise that first act was to subtly drain the classy man's energy, all while continuing this pointless circling.

However, if his enemy wasn't yet aware of the spell cast upon him, he knew very well that he had not much time left before his wounds made him unable to fight. It was now or never.

The man readjusted his hat, before charging at his opponent with a powerful scream. It was pretty easy for Kieffner the block this clumsy attack, yet the redhead had another trip up his sleeve.

While his only arm was occupied keeping his enemy's weapon at bay, he heard a quick beeping sound. The man threw his head forward in a try to headbutt Kieffner, which failed and only ended up making his hat fall.

However the man managed to catch the accessory with his right hand, while the other one was still used to keep his enemy unable to react. Now that the hat was upside down, Kieffner could see that a small device was hidden in it, the origin of the beeping sound.

He tried to get away but was his arm was locked, and he could do nothing as his opponent placed the hat on his chest. In a last ditch attempt at survival he used his magic to throw boiling blood at his enemy's arms.

The man's screams could be heard immediately, his entire body was shaking and his skin was slowly melting. However he was able to hold on, hold on just long enough for the bomb inside his hat to explode.

Kieffner could feel nothing but an excruciating pain and the world around him slowly faded to black. The last thing he saw was the sorry state of his defeated bodyguard, and the heterochromatic girl running at him.

Everything was weird, he could only see strange shapes all around him. A voice could be heard somewhere far away, saying something he couldn't understand. His body felt weird, like he was swimming through some thick liquid. It was only now he noticed the middle of his torso was missing, a black void in its place. The darkness swirled through his guts, with a small spurt of liquid gushing out every now and then.

The voice was closer now, yet it still felt so distant. A light over him slowly began to pierce the sea of foreign shapes and colors. He tried to reach for it, but it was too far away.

The voice was louder now, he could hear it coming from the light. As he tried swimming upward, the matter around him suddenly felt heavier, more oppressive.

It was getting hard to breathe. His swimming evolved into a crawl as his surroundings hardened. The voice was yelling at him. He could hear it now, yet couldn't understand what it said.

His vision was quickly fading to black. Each crawl was incredibly painful. He had to get out of this, he had to reach the light.

As if it heard his thoughts, the light expended towards him. All the oppressive matter was instantly banished upon contact. Like tendrils, the matter slowly retreated into the abyss below. His last picture of this thing was a mass swirling in the depths below, just before the light enveloped him and air filled his lungs once again.

The first thing his brain registered was the powerful light hovering right above his head. The second thing was that he was laid down in some kind of dirty warehouse. And the third was that his chest was under an incredible amount of pain, almost like a hole had been dug into it.

"Hey you. You're finally awake." The voice said somewhere near him.

When he tried to roll over to his right to face the person who just spoke, his left hand found itself unable to budge. The familiar feel of handcuffs was pressing on his wrists and ankles.

"..." Speaking proved impossible as it looked like he had been gagged too. A finger belonging to an unknown person slowly landed on his lips.

"Shhhh... You don't need to speak for now." Said a feminine voice, and sure enough it's owner soon appeared in his limited field of view.

It was a stunningly beautiful young woman, wearing a suggestive red dress. However her eyes betrayed a cruelty and lust for power. Without his magical senses he undoubtedly would have mistaken her for a vampire

"Your power is certainly an interesting one. But in your efforts you have also drawn the attention of forces far beyond your comprehension."

The woman stopped looking at him in favor of something behind him that he was unable to see. He barely had time to wonder on what had catched his captor's attention, before something slimy landed on his shoulder.

Instinctively he forced against his bounds, trying to escape this unknown thing. Yet his chains stood strong, and he was unable to do anything more than squirm in place uselessly, all while whimpering in fear.

He could feel it crawling, slithering. It left a strange feeling of soreness wherever it touched. Eventually he managed to get a glimpse of it. It was a long tendril, blood red in color and ending with small blade akin to a spear's tip.

"You did a good work Cinder, and you shall be rewarded in time. In the meantime this specimen will undoubtedly prove useful to our cause." Said a deep voice, feminine in nature but distorted in some way. It didn't feel natural, like whatever was speaking wasn't supposed to do so.

Another tentacle appeared on his neck. Slowly it made its way upwards. All his efforts to shake it off proved fruitless. If his body hadn't been so pumped up with adrenaline, he probably would have noticed how his body felt weaker and weaker as time went on.

The tendril soon reached his mouth, and to his surprise stabbed his gag and forcibly pulled it out. He had been wanting to speak for all this time, but now that he was finally able to, he found himself to be otherwise unable to. He simply couldn't muster the strength to speak.

Breathing was painful, each gulp of air letting out a rasp out of his throat. He felt tired. If only he could go back to sleep.

"Don't be scared little one. Everything will be alright... If you listen to me." The thing was just behind him now. He could feel its cold breath on his ears. All of his body hair stood up while his entire body shivered.

"What... What do you want from me ?" Kieffner managed to ask after managing to muster an abnormal amount of energy.

"All I need is your allegiance. Nothing more, nothing less. At least for now."

The necromancer remained silent, not risking himself to speak. A tentacle slowly circled around his throat, the cold metal pressing on his skin.

"When the time comes, I will need you to be ready. Ready to betray your allies, ready to bring down death and destruction upon this kingdom."

Did he really had a choice in all of this ? They could kill him in an instant. Maybe lying could get him out of this alive. Make it look like he joined them, until it he was able to get rid of them.

Being powerless felt absolutely awful. Since arriving in this world, up until now, he always had a backup plan, an ace up his sleeve. But now he was at the complete mercy of this thing.

If only he had his staff. If only he had fled before getting tangled up into this mess. However this kind of thoughts would lead him nowhere. For now he had to stay alive, whatever the cost.

He was barely able to stay awake by this point. Raising his eyelids was difficult now, and speaking was completely out of question. To answer the being he had to do with an affirmative nod, and even this proved painful.

"Good...good... I do appreciate it when one sees the truth in front of them."

Yeah, yeah, whatever. He was tired. Everything was cold. He had to go to sleep.

"However... I hope you understand that I cannot trust your word just yet. I will need to have some kind of... guarantee." Kieffner barely heard those words as his vision was becoming blurry. Yet what happened next kept him awake for a bit longer.

Without any warning a tendril sprung into the air over him, and plunged right into his wounded chest.

The pain he was expecting didn't appear, only a feeling of cold numbness around his belly. He managed to slightly raise his head to see what was happening, and what he saw was downright horrific.

A small pool of black goo had amassed into a gaping hole in the middle of his chest. He saw it move around for a moment, before slowly draining away through the tentacle. However the black matter left something behind.

Moving his head was easier now for some reason, and he could get a closer look at what was happening in his torso. Chunks of black mass had been left behind, and it soon appeared that they were moving on their own.

One of those chunks, somewhat oval in shape, was experiencing a rapid cycle of inflating and deflating. It felt almost alive, like it had its own... pulse.

The realization suddenly dawned on him, this was his heart, and the others were surely organs of some kind. He was being kept alive by this... Thing.

A tendril landed on his shoulder, like some mockery of a paternal pose. It was also then that Kieffner finally got a look at the thing on which his life would depend from now on.

If he had to choose one word to describe it, it would be unnatural. A sort of transparent sphere in which a dirty light was glowing. Some bones looked to be glued on the glass like matter, and a dozen tentacles were floating under it.

"Your power shall be put to good use, do not worry. And when everything will be over, you will have your rightful place in my new world."

Hi everyone.

First I want to apologize for the massive delay. It's been one month more or less since I last updated this fic, and I really don't like where this update rate is going.

If you want to hear excuses I guess I had some moderately important exams. Also holidays started which means that I spend hald of the day sleeping and the other playing video games. I usually write while going to school and things like that, so I have a hard time setting time apart to write when I'm at home.

Otherwise I don't have anything to say for now, but it's midnight right now and I will probably get remained of something by tomorrow morning. Also I don't want to spoil anything so I won't tell you what to believe, but please refrain from jumping to conclusions.

So have a good day, please leave a comment and pray for our lord and savior Raptor Jesus.