I don't own RWBY nor Marvel
Year II: Oscar
One year has passed.
One year since half of Remnant died.
For a year people didn't know what to call it; some wanted to call it Judgement Day saying that the ones that died were sinners, others Reset thinking it was a new start, some extremists even called it Natural Selection saying that those who died had been too weak to live.
Until finally the majority of the kingdoms decided to call it Day of the Vanished.
The shock of what happened, was felt all across Remnant both emotionally and physically.
Even in the most remote zones of Remnant the news arrived, although weeks or even months after.
Such had been the case for Oscar and his Aunt.
During the first week they didn't know what was happening around the world after all they lived alone in the farm and had little to no contact with anyone else. It wasn't until the weekly buyers from the nearby town didn't appear that they started to think something was wrong. They didn't think anything of it at the beginning, maybe they had more products left from last visit than usual.
But then the week after they didn't come again, and his aunt started to worry, they were starting to have too many crops for them to handle together.
It wasn't until the third week that they concluded that something bad had happened. They went on their week as normal, but the feeling of something bad happening to the village stayed. Maybe it was something small and not, brothers forbid, the Grimm overrunning it.
During the fourth week his aunt sent him to town to find out what had happened, if Grimm had overrun the town, then they needed to move, or they'll be next.
When he got there, he noticed there were less locals around and not many people doing their daily jobs. Everyone he asked, 'what happened?' ignored him and some even gave him looks as if he was seriously asking that.
Until he asked a kind man who knew his aunt and him. When asked the man, he broke down crying, but did manage to inform him of what had happened.
He too would've cried, but the news shocked him more than anything.
He ran straight back to the farm, where he hugged his Aunt as hard as he could and crying into her clothes. He was lucky he didn't lose her. He didn't know what he would do if he had lost her, a life without her.
She hesitantly hugged him back, confused since the last time he had hugged her like that had been when he was seven. He cried hugging her until settling down and finally telling her what happened.
When he finished, she too hugged him fiercely and they stayed like that until the next day.
They continued with their daily work, Oscar even volunteered to deliver the village their crops without seeking payment, it was the right thing to do after all. He and his aunt tried to keep going as they had, with less people in the village they had to work less, but they would never be glad for less work. Not when this was the price.
A month later a Huntsman finally arrived at the town and explained the situation to everyone in there. It was bad. Really bad.
Remnant was hit hard. The economies of all the four kingdoms were in disarray and the food distribution was halted for the first month, before starting back up during the second month, although hardly and with many shortcomings.
Towns that had farms like his aunt's nearby were able to sustain themselves somewhat but put a strain in the farms in the dust department, that stress was relieved when the first supplies of electric dust arrived from Mistral, although not too much it would be enough to sustain them for month and a half until the next supplies arrived.
Their lives eventually returned to normal, as much as they didn't want it to happen, but they couldn't help it. They lived isolated away from all the kingdoms, and they both survived nothing had changed for them, maybe besides the fact that they now had less crops to grow and more animals to care for.
And now finally after one year since the Day of the Vanished, or DOV for short, they were going to Mistral to mourn the year anniversary.
This was arranged by the whole kingdom; a messenger came by to the village with the news and gave everyone candles. A massive memorial had been built in one of the mountain sides of the city, all the way from the academy to the lower levels.
They joined a caravan organized by the village and departed three weeks before the event. They reached the city in two weeks…surprisingly. They hadn't seen any Grimm and that was one thing that the whole world was benefitting from was the sudden disappearance of Grimm.
No one knew where they had gone, just that they had started to fight amongst themselves, until they had suddenly disappeared from the public eye. Not even huntsman and huntresses found any trace of them in their expeditions.
And now thousand of people were standing inside of the giant academy filling all the floors around the main courtyard, from all floors Oscar could see Human and Faunus of all ages and colors each with a candle in their hand, waiting for the words of Haven's Headmistress Olygarden.
The massive doors started to open and out stepped the Headmistress with two huntsmen at her side. Murmurs started to die out as she took the stage set in front of the entrance. Since he was on the second floor of the building, he could see her clearly as she stepped out of the main building and into the stage.
She was tall, with a tanned skin and coal black hair, he couldn't make her eyes, but he just looked at the screen above her where he could see her face more clearly. She had green eyes or eye in her case as she had her other one behind a brown leather patch.
The place suddenly quieted down as a light shone on the Headmistress.
"Hardships in nothing new to our species. Since recorded history we've fought for our survival in this world which we call our home. We have fought united against the creatures of Grimm, just as we have fought against each other divided by our ideas, there is no doubt that our history is covered in blood." Oscar had never heard a speech before in his life, but if there was one thing, he knew about speeches is that they were supposed to inspire, right? Then why did it feel the exact opposite?
"But even through all of our wars, all of our conflicts, all of those hardships, we've prevailed and risen stronger than ever…" around him he saw few people nod at her words, other scoff at her, but the majority stayed silent "…until one year ago, when the world suffered something it could not recover from, neighbors disappearing, friends gone, families ripped apart, all without a single drop of blood being shed. In under five minutes, half of the population was killed by unknown means."
Some people dropped to the ground sobbing, while others clenched their fists and lowered their heads. Those are painful memories, Oscar really wishes he could sympathize and at some degree he can, but he didn't lose anyone, and his life didn't change. He felt shame for being unable to getting better off than most people here.
"It's for that reason we have all gathered here; to lend our strength to our fellow men and women, to stand united, to overcome our losses while remembering them for who they were to us, however those are actions for the future. For this day every year is the day we will mourn their early and unjust departure from this world…please feel free to visit the memorial whenever you want to" and with that last piece she stood there silent. No one clapped, why would that's not the purpose of the speech.
Eventually one by one, everyone started to empty the premises, he felt his hand be grabbed and looked up to see his aunt start to move towards the stairs. They were going back to the inn they were staying, they didn't have no one to mourn.
"What's wrong Oscar?" he looked at his aunt looking at him worryingly.
"N-nothing"
"It's not nothing, I know that look something is troubling you" darn, he was so easy to read, and it didn't help that she raised him since he was five.
"Its just…that I feel bad, sad even"
"Well, that is understandable it has been the greatest tragedy in history, I just can't imagine how bad those poor people must be feeling"
He pointed at his aunt "That's it, that's what is bothering me!" she gets startled by his sudden outburst "I feel bad that I can't sympathize with anyone here! They are all over there crying for their lost ones and meanwhile we are going in the other direction completely!"
His aunt looked at him with wide eyes, before smiling reassuringly and hugging him "Oh sweet Oscar, with such a golden heart! I know it is hard, seeing all those people mourning, meanwhile we were left unscathed, and it is that feeling you have, that you want to empathize with them that shows that you are a good person"
Suddenly her eyes started to fill with unshed tears "but how would you feel if any of us had died? How do you think I would feel if one day I had woken up and you were one?" at that he became speechless and started to feel remorseful for making his only relative cry.
"We were some of the lucky few Oscar, it is good that you want to help those around you" he hugged her back, not knowing what else to do "but never remember that it could've been us, so don't hold your head in shame just because we were lucky because sometimes… sometimes we just have to treasure what we still have"
The conversation stayed with him for the rest of the day, as they made their way home, he felt guilty, but he could no longer deny what he had been feeling for a long time.
He was glad.
Glad to have been one of the lucky few who did not lose family or friends.
And although he felt guilty for feeling that way, he wouldn't change a thing about it.
I've had this chapter sitting around for 2 years now, but oh well.
-The Knight in Dark Flames.