For the beginning of Volume 5 I want to do something a little special. Give the main cast a bit of a break, and do something a little earlier than I planned. I feel that it is fitting for a season beginning, so to speak. This entire chapter will be dedicated to Cinder Fall, one of the main villains of this story. I feel that enough has changed with her in this order of events that a revised/rewritten version of her backstory is warranted. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it. Don't worry, next chapter we shall return to our friendlier cast members.
Beta: CrowSkull
The Blind Huntsman
Volume 5, Special Episode 0
The Fall of Cinder
Cinder Fall, many, many years before she would become a world-wide threat, at the tender age of thirteen years old, spent her many hours of many days working to the best of her ability at the orphanage that she was left at as a babe. This orphanage was not a happy place for her, but it was her home, and she had to take care of it. She never got along with the other children, and spent all of her time absorbed in work. She was one of the oldest there, and almost at the age where no one would want to adopt her. That was the main source of teasing against her, because the younger children always knew exactly what to say to her. She knew that the more she reacted the more that they did it, but she couldn't help it. It was within her nature to bite back, to snap back and to curse back at the other children who sought to hurt her feelings. But honestly, the fact that their feelings were the only thing that was hurt was on a good day.
She was feisty to say the least. Far more feisty than she would admit. That was probably why no potential parents wanted to adopt her. Her fiery amber eyes were always wide and at attention, her ears were always privy to even the slightest sound, and her demeanor was that of distrust. Sometimes, despite that, there were some offers for her adoption. But she rejected them all after a single meeting with those potential parents. She didn't want weak-minded parents; she could bend and manipulate herself, and sadly, there was never a soul stronger than hers willing to take her. She didn't want to scare them away, she just wanted to make sure they could handle her.
As she got older, her price went down. She felt like a slave for that. She was taught that a long time ago, faunus were sold into slavery because of their ability to work and for the presence of animal parts that sometimes made them generally stronger than any normal human. By the definition of a slave, you had to be a person who was owned by another person, and therefore acknowledged as their property. The secondary definition was someone who worked excessively hard. By that logic, she considered herself a slave with a dropping price tag. She did almost all of the work around the orphanage, taking care of the animals within the barn and cleaning after them. The home that they all lived in was always dirty, there was always something to clean, something to pick up. Dust to sweep, linen to wash, dishes to clean, diapers to be changed, and when it came down to it, she was the one who would protect everyone if a Grimm made it past their weak guards and thinned out pathetic excuses of patrols.
She hated it.
Cinder hated being a slave, and she wanted everyone to know it as well. Out of everyone in their little village, she was the only one with aura, she was the only one who knew how to use a pitchfork as a weapon, she was the only one who was powerful, and yet, she wasn't… She was still just a child, she knew that, but she desperately desired strength. Strength enough to free her from the chains of destiny that has bound her to this serving fate. She was strong, but she could not escape. She has already tried, but they always caught her. They always beat her, they always violated her by bringing her back every time. They wanted her gone, so why did they keep forcing her to stay there? The adults didn't like her, the other children despised her, and she hated them all in turn. She would love nothing but to leave them all to their own devices and live her own life. Cinder was confident that she could make it to one of the kingdoms of her choosing on her own. She had the skills to take care of herself, there was no need to even hire an escort.
Since she could not escape. She could only wait. Wait and work. Slave away for another day, and the next day, for the next week, for the next month, and for the next year. Sweep the dust. Wash the linen. Clean the dishes. Change the diapers. Clean the barn. Kill the Grimm. Don't escape. Day after day after day. Nothing changed.
Cinder hated it.
And yet she could do nothing about it. She couldn't control her own destiny.
"Cinder, don't you want to take a break?" One of the adults asked her suddenly, snapping her out of her train of thought. "You've been working for so long, surely you'd like to rest some, yes?" She was an older lady, not one that she recognized but she was sure that she's met her before. Ah, yes, she was one of the teachers there. Perhaps she was the one who taught her the definition of the word slave.
"I'm fine." Cinder said, continuing to sweep the floor with a half broken broom and calloused hands. "Leave me alone."
The graying lady tilted her head to the side and let out a sigh. "Cinder… You have to learn how to let people in. I am trying to help you-"
"No, you're not." Cinder snapped, amber eyes glaring at the elderly woman. "You're just like everyone else… pretending to care, pretending to be kind… I can see through it."
The woman laughed. "Do you know? I didn't think someone so young could point out such things in people. You truly are intelligent, Cinder."
"..." Cinder said nothing. Her broom moved back and forth in a practiced motion.
"But I do care about you Cinder," The woman continued regardless. "I was the one who found you in the woods when you were a baby. You were crying so loudly, almost as if you were begging for your mother to come back and get you. To see you growing up is both relieving and… well, a little sad, I must admit."
Cinder turned to glare at her again.
"What? I thought you appreciate honesty more than anything." She said. Making Cinder flinch and bite back her tongue. "You are thirteen years old already, Cinder. The average age of adoption here is six. Six." She stressed. "You are already more than doubling that number. At this point, I am afraid no one will adopt you."
"I don't need anyone to adopt me," Cinder said. "I can take care of myself. I don't need parents."
"Every child needs a parent."
"I am not like most children." Cinder remarked.
"That is true." The woman agreed. "But let me ask you this; Are you happy with the way you are living now?"
Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. Why would I be?"
"Then why are you always so difficult?" The woman asked. "I know you think we are trying to get rid of you by trying to get you adopted, but we just want what's best for you, Cinder. Please, try to understand that."
"I am not being difficult." Cinder snapped, squeezing the broom in her hand and feeling the old splintering wood dig into her hand. "I just don't want to be raised by weak parents. I can take care of myself anyway, just let me go to one of the kingdoms, and then you'll never have to concern yourself with me again."
"How can you claim to be so independent at your age?" Clara said. That was her name, Cinder finally remembered her name. "You have a roof over your head, a bed, blankets, food, and water all you can ask for. For free as well. You choose to do this to yourself, do you know that?"
"I didn't ask to be left here!" Cinder shouted, breaking the broom in half and throwing it on the ground. Clara gasped and stepped back, clutching her chest tightly with her right hand. She must have been startled. "I don't want to be here! I don't want your pity, I don't want your lies! What I want is to be left alone so I don't have to think about how everyone here wants me gone!"
"C-Cinder, we don't want you- Ah!" Clara was cut off as Cinder threw the broken broom at her.
"Get away from me!" Cinder exclaimed. Then turned to everyone watching them speak. They thought that she couldn't see or hear them, but she knew. The other kids and adults were watching her carefully. Talking about her behind her back and finding new things to tease her with. She has had enough of it! "I don't need this, I don't need any of you!" Her aura flashed angrily, making the bystanders all gasp and back away in fear. "You won't keep me here forever, when I'm old enough, I'll get out and become the strongest huntress- the strongest person, and make you'll rue the day you ever thought you could keep me here as a slave!"
"Cinder, we're not-"
"Stop!" Cinder screamed off the top of her lungs. Crying angry tears, she turned and stomped away, locking herself in the barn and hiding in there for the rest of the day and all the way into the night. She planned on staying there throughout the entire night, but she never got the chance to fall asleep. Wiping the angry tear stains from her face, Cinder snapped herself back to attention when she heard the barn doors open up. She already knew who it was, and how many they would be. The other older kids, some boys and girls, the usual group who would always pick on her when the adults weren't looking. With a huff, Cinder pushed herself up and went to challenge them, not afraid of their invasion of her temporary abode.
"What are you doing here?" Cinder asked sassily. Crossing her arms and tilting her chin up. "I didn't think you would all put so much effort into annoying me tonight."
"You hurt Clara." The so-called leader of the group said, a blonde bimbo-ish girl who was popular with the boys and some of the girls in the orphanage. She was so unimportant to Cinder that she certainly did not know nor wanted to remember her name. "You left a bruise on her arm you know. Before we were teasing you because it was fun seeing your reactions, but now it's personal."
Cinder's eyes went wide when she realized that the four other children behind her were all wielding weapons. One with a bat, the other with a big stick, another with part of the broken broom that she had thrown at Clara, and the last holding the shovel that she usually used to shovel up the waste of the animals in the barn. Her eyes narrowed and she widened her stance and clenched her fists, ready to protect herself at all costs.
"She is my favorite adult here." The blonde bimbo said, snapping her fingers like some kind of gang leader sicking her men after her. "So we're going to beat you bloody tonight for that."
"I have aura." Cinder pointed out. "I killed Grimm before. It will be all of you who I leave here bloody."
"Hmph," The girl smirked. "We'll see about that."
Cinder's vision blurred as she felt something strike her in the back of her head. Stars invaded her vision, dark spots blinded her as she fell forward onto her face. One hand reached to the back of her head, and when she looked at it she saw blood. Through half-lidded and half-unconscious eyes, Cinder looked behind her and saw an adult. One of the guards she despised, who was meant to protect them, stood over her with a broken glass bottle in his hand. He tossed it to the side and gave her a wicked smirk. Gesturing to the kids to do what they wanted to her.
Cinder hated this life.
Dazed, confused, and concussed, Cinder could not do anything to protect herself. She couldn't even use her aura to protect her body, she wasn't trained to use it properly. She never had the time to even try to learn how to use it of her own free will. It was just something that came to her when she had to fight a young and low-tier Beowolf. Children, younger than her, beat her from all sides with no mercy. She felt bone fracture, her skin tear and break, a tooth falling out and welts forming on her face as she was viciously beaten. By the time they were done, she was a crying mess balled up in a fetal position begging for them to stop.
"So much for aura, huh?" The leader of that group said with a wide grin. "You'll never be strong Cinder. You'll be trapped here forever because nobody loves or wants you. Remember that." The girl spat on her and Cinder whimpered.
"Are you all done here?" The guard who had originally concussed her said with an uncaring yawn. "I've gotta get back to my post soon before the Lieutenant comes looking for me."
"Oh yes, we're all good now sir." the girl said. "Thanks to you, we were able to teach this little brat a lesson."
They… planned this? Cinder looked through one healthy eye with a hateful glare. She growled as she realized it, hearing them talk about it now about how the kids somehow scrounge up enough money together to pay this man to knock her out for them so that they could beat her. Embarrass her, and humiliate her. Cinder grasped at the glass shards of the bottle that the guard had smashed against her head and clutched them tightly, ignoring the way they cut into the palms of her hand as she forced her body to push up off the ground. The guard and the other kids stopped talking and stared at her, laughing as she tried to get herself back up off the ground.
"Still not going to stay down, hm?" The girl asked, confidently telling one of her little minions into giving her their weapon. She took the bat, and sauntered her way over to her with a cocky smirk on her face. "I suppose I'll give you a few knocks myself, it's been a long time coming anyway. I'm going to enjoy this."
"Yes…" Cinder spat out blood and spit. The girl made the mistake of letting her get back on her feet. Her hands clutching broken glass. The girl probably didn't notice, either because she was too stupid or just didn't care that her aura was flashing around her hands. Cinder's hands began to glow with heat. The glass within them begins to melt and bend to her will. "Yes… it is about time isn't it? Heh… hehehehe…"
All that got was a raised eyebrow from the other girl. Cinder knew what she was going to do, and did it with a smile on her face.
There was just enough glass in her hands to make a dagger made up of black glass. Her superheated hands gripped the dagger with desperate strength, and the girl was far too weak to stop her from cutting her neck wide open. Blood splashed onto Cinder's body and clothes, and instantly, the barn was sent into disarray. The other children and even the guard screamed as the girl leading them choked on her own blood, drowning to a slow and painful death. The horses, pigs, and sheep began to screech as well as Cinder went on to cut each and every one of them down. Not even the guard stood a chance against her. Cinder just didn't care anymore. She was done holding back. Done with everything! By the time she came to, she had killed five of the other children and one full grown man, who took a little longer to kill than the others. She had to stab him more than a few times to finally get him to shut up.
"Hah… hah… hahaha…" Cinder laughed, proud of herself for what she had done. She felt so free, so powerful! The glass dagger in her hand began to glow a bright white-orange, the fresh activation of her semblance leading to one dire side effect.
An explosion.
Despite coming from such a small source, the dagger's explosion was massive. It engulfed the entire interior of the barn and set everything on fire. Killing the animals instantly. Cinder herself seemed to be immune to fire, and she laughed through it to her heart's content. She was happy with this, she could live with this. Inadvertently, even after they beat her nearly to death, Cinder now had the perfect chance to escape. She left the barn, almost completely naked due to the heat of the fire damaging her clothes, and ran. She ran and ran, right past the other guards and villagers as they ran to the barn. They wouldn't even suspect her, they would probably guess it was just an accident, and that they had all died from the explosion. Perfect, let them think that she was dead, she was perfectly okay with that. There wasn't even anyone protecting the gate to the village when Cinder got to it. Her smile was still wide and her mind was fraying, but she still had the sense to know that she couldn't get very far on foot. One of the horses nearby would have to do it. They were a rather remote village, so any cars or the like were nearly impossible to find. Within minutes, Cinder stole as much food and water as she could and stuffed it all into a sack, saddled one of the horses, and stormed off into the dark night.
That was probably the happiest night of her life as well. The pain in her face and body faded as the adrenaline levels within her body skyrocketed. For the first time in her life, she cried happy tears. She was free at least, free to do whatever it was that she wanted.
After a month and a half of traveling, her horse had died. She was low on food and was out of water. Starving. However, she had made it. She made it to Atlas, somewhere she thought was a myth after spending her entire life living in that orphanage up until now. Somewhere along the way, she was able to get herself some new clothes and she knew that no one would be able to track her down from that village. It was so unknown that when she told it to the Atlesian guards at the gates to Mantle they didn't even know where it was. That was good, it only ensured that she was safe there. They saw no reason to turn away a thirteen year old girl, and took her in without much prying.
Cinder faced another problem as soon as she entered the city of Mantle. It was cold, it was a city, somewhere she had never been before. She had little to no food, aching feet, and no shelter to protect her for the night. It was possibly worse than the woods because there wasn't even anything to hunt down to eat, no freshwater rivers to fill her canteen, and nothing to make a shelter with. Still, it was better than being at risk to the Grimm every day and night. Cinder spent days in the city just wandering around, trying to find a purpose, trying to find something to spark that same fire within her heart like it did when she was in that barn. But there was nothing. Nothing and nowhere for her to go. She ran out of food, and she began to starve. Begging for food and money.
From a life of slavery to a life of poverty.
Cinder hated her life.
She thought she would be able to take care of herself. After killing those meddling kids and that guard, she felt so unstoppable. Now here she was, dressed in rags and still relying off of the generosity and pity of others to survive. She was so sure of herself, so convinced that she'd be fine out there in the real world. Now… now she missed Clara and that stupid orphanage. But she could never go back, she burned half of it down and killed people. She'd never be allowed back. She wouldn't even be able to train to get into Atlas to become a Huntress like she'd planned. Not with no food, money, and no teacher to train her to hone her skills and teach her how to control her aura.
That was until someone made an offer to her when she was ready to accept that this would be the end of her story.
"You look like you need a job." A dark skinned man with brown eyes and a scar on his face said. Cinder looked up at him, seeing that scar go down at an angle from his right eye to the side of his face. He wore a dull gray and black outfit and what looked like bracers on his arms. His hair was tied up into a ponytail, with one long bang going down the left side of his face with the other snugged back behind his ear. There was one thing about him that Cinder noticed more out of everything else, he had weapons, two swords holstered behind his back.
"You're a… huntsman?" Cinder asked, wide eyed with surprise.
The man gave her a cocked smirk. "I am," he confirmed for her. "I guess the weapons give it away, hm? My name is Rhodes, I'm settling down here in Mantle and I'm opening up a restaurant once I retire in a few days. I've been seeing you here for a while… so I decided that I want to fix your homeless problem."
"What… why…" Cinder was so taken aback by this random act of kindness that she was instantly suspicious. "If you are offering for me to become some kind of consort for you, then you'll be very disappointed. I will not stoop so low into selling my body."
"Woah there, I didn't say that, now did I?" Rhodes asked. Cinder didn't reply. "I'm just offering you a couch in my restaurant and a job right after. I need a busser anyway, unless you want to be homeless, then I guess I can just leave you here to starve to death." Cinder's eyes went wide again, was he being serious? Her stomach suddenly growled loudly, and she reached her hands to cover her stomach and hide her embarrassment. She didn't expect that kind of response but… she found herself appreciating it, somehow.
"Take me…" Cinder suddenly pleaded. "Please… I… I don't want to die like this. Not when I'm so weak."
Rhodes gave her a kind smile and reached out to her, helping her up to her feet and keeping a hand on one of her shoulders to keep her steady. "Sure. I'll give you a few days to eat, drink, and rest up. Then I'll start training you to do your job. Sounds like a plan?"
Cinder's stomach growled again. She pouted for what she thought was the first time in her life.
Rhodes chuckled. "I guess it is then."
Rhodes ended up giving her two whole months to get healthy again. He had retired during that time and gave her a dieting plan. Protein rich oatmeal in the morning for breakfast, eggs and toast for a snack an hour after that, a roast beef sandwich for lunch, then a large bowl of brown rice and beans with pork on the side. Throughout all of that, she was also supposed to drink at least three liters of water a day. She never felt better in her life. After spending all that time in poverty and nearly starving to death, eating like that for her was like eating like a queen. She didn't know how Rhodes was able to get her the ingredients to eat all of that food every day like that, but she found herself becoming extremely grateful for it. He had earned her trust, even if it took bribing her with food and water every day in order to do it. By the time she was back to her former strength, she was now a hundred and fifty pounds. Fifty pounds heavier than what she was when Rhodes first found her. In that time, Rhodes seemed to have taken a liking to her as well, and he had begun training her to bus tables and clean them as quickly as possibly, such as carrying trays properly with one hand until she could hold a large tray full of plates and glasses above her head without spilling anything, cleaning the tables with cleaner and disinfectant, filling the fridges with bottles of water and other beverages such as root beer, club soda, cranberry, pineapple, grape, and apple juice and so much more. She learned quickly, and Rhodes noticed that. She hadn't started officially working there yet, but he had been paying her for the training time she had spent with him so far. For the first time, she actually had money that she could spend herself now.
And yet she knew that it could be all over if what she did somehow got to him. All of this luxury, all of this work into making herself healthy and able to do her new job properly could be snuffed out with just one sentence. "I killed five kids and a guard back in my home village. You are holding a murderer in your home. If you knew…" He'd arrest her, surely. Even as a retired huntsman, Rhodes still had the authority to turn her into the police, and she knew that he would. He was a man of honor and kept to his duty no matter what.
Which was why she couldn't tell him. Not yet anyway, she wanted to tell him someday but not any day soon. Not when he was now introducing her to his daughter, who was precious and innocent and the same age as her. Who was now shaking her hand nervously and introducing herself as Catherine Rhodes. She had all the same features as her father, and would also work alongside her as a server.
"Work together you two, alright?" Rhodes said, clasping a hand on each of their shoulders. "I expect you two to work well together. Cinder?"
"A-Ah," Cinder cleared her throat. "My name is Cinder, it is… good to meet you." She forced herself to say.
Catherine smiled back at her. "It's good to meet you too! Dad told me a lot about you, I hope we become good friends."
"Yes…" Cinder said slowly, glancing at Rhodes for a moment. "Maybe…"
"You two will get along just fine." Rhodes said. "I know I kept saying it before but we are going to actually and officially open for business tomorrow morning. Seriously this time. No more half-openings and just letting people in randomly as tests."
"About time, honestly." Catherine huffed. "You told me I'd have a job here years ago! I stayed with you instead of mom so I could help you."
"I know sweetheart, you know I love you for that." Rhodes said, reaching over and kissing her on the head. Catherine giggled and Cinder awkwardly bristled. Not used to being a witness to this kind of affection. "Now let's stop making Cinder feel awkward and let's get ready for work. Cinder, stay here for a bit," he added before she could walk away. "I want to talk to you for a sec. Cathy, don't worry, we'll catch up."
"'Kay!"
"A-Am I in trouble?" Cinder asked, suddenly nervous.
"What?" Rhodes looked at her strangely. "Of course not, did you do anything that would get you in trouble?"
"No…" Cinder lied.
"Then you're not in trouble. I just wanted to ask a favor from you." Rhodes explained. "You see… my daughter is… well, she's innocent. Very innocent. She's soft, and honestly she's way too nice for her own good."
"I can see that." Cinder said. "She comes off as someone who's never had to deal with negativity her entire life."
"I know," Rhodes laughed awkwardly. "That's sort of my fault. I never let her face negativity. Her mother too, when we were still together, did the same thing. We wanted to protect her. We were both huntsmen," he explained. "We didn't want our little girl to know the kind of life we all really live. That's why I'm asking this favor from you. You know how shitty life can be. You know how easily it can break down a person to their lowest point, how it can be ruthless and with no mercy."
"I do…" Cinder admitted.
If only he knew…
"Which is why I want to ask you to help her. She's getting to the age where she can learn more about life, but as you can see, I'm getting old." Rhodes gestured to his graying hair and wrinkly face. "I'm not going to be around forever, and I never went through the experiences you did. When I'm gone, I want to be sure that my daughter can take care of herself. Think you can do that for me?"
"Train me."
"Huh?"
"In return, I want you to train me." Cinder demanded. "Then I will make sure your daughter gets a little less soft."
"Okay…" Rhodes eyed her up and down. "Why do you want me to train you?"
"I want to become powerful." Cinder said. "I never want to be as weak as when you first found me again. I…" She remembered what she said just before getting beaten in that barn. "I want to be a huntress."
"Heh," Rhodes shook his head, amused. "I had a feeling you were that type of person. Alright, every morning before we open, I'll train you. I won't be able to every day, but as long as you keep eating like you are and exercising, I can promise that I'll be able to get you ready for initiation into Atlas Academy by the time you're seventeen."
Cinder smiled. "I agree to those terms."
For the next three years, Cinder spent every morning and every night training. Sometimes with Rhodes, sometimes on her own. Rhodes was surprised to see the vast amount of potential that Cinder knew she had. She grew stronger quickly, she absorbed his lessons almost instantly. He never had to train her the same move twice. Cinder was a prodigy, he knew that, and she knew that. Before either of them knew it, she was even beginning to even outpace him. His semblance was an obstacle, being able to turn his body into metal in certain places and becoming nearly invulnerable to any attack was a hurdle, but Cinder was good at adapting. She took a dual wielding style of fighting, the same as Rhodes, and adapted her semblance to match it. Soon enough, she had evolved her semblance to the point where she was able to make glass out of nothing and turn it into weapons. The explosions that came with it became more controlled and precise, and she became able to control what exploded and what simply disappeared once she was done with her semblance. She became a "Battle Beast," as Rhodes put it.
During that time, she also bussed tables and used her other skills to take care and clean the restaurant. Though for once, she didn't do it alone. Catherine latched onto her quickly, relying on her a lot for emotional support and seeing her as a dear friend. Cinder thought she was annoying and honestly hated her, but she was tolerating her as her side of the deal for Rhodes. So she couldn't hurt her feelings by telling her to go away and leave her alone. It would be so easy to show her how little she cared for her. She could literally summon a weapon and kill her at any time if she wanted to. But she didn't, because that would be wrong… Rhodes was a good teacher, and she didn't want to hurt him by hurting his family.
She kept working until one day, a strange pale man with yellow eyes, brown hair tied into a long thin braid and wearing a brown trench coat revealing a chiseled unscarred chest as he walked into the restaurant and sat at the bar. He had a scorpion tail, telling her that he was a faunus. She found herself staring at him curiously. She had seen faunus before, but nothing like this.
He was looking right back at her as well, grinning widely as their eyes met. "You girl, come here," he said. "I'd like a drink."
Cinder looked left and right. It was almost closing and there was no one else in the restaurant. Technically, she wasn't supposed to work at the bar, but she figured that since the bartender Rhodes hired was currently on break that she could stand in for him. Cinder walked toward the man, standing across from him.
"Okay, what would you like?" She asked with practiced grace. She knew how to talk to people now, how to not let them know that she didn't care for their existence. It became easy for her, but for some reason, she felt as though this man saw right through her.
"Hm… I'll have that one right there," the scorpion faunus said, pointing to an entire bottle of Atlesian thick vodka. It was a hard and aged drink that was literally thick, almost like syrup or honey in texture. It sounded disgusting, and so it has been collecting dust ever since she first put it there several years ago. Still, she shrugged and grabbed it, taking one of the glasses and popping off the cork.
"No, no, I don't want it in a cup," The man said with a thirsty glint in his eyes. "I want the entire bottle. Hear, this should suffice." He added, throwing five thousand lien at Cinder.
The bottle was probably worth far less than that, and she said as such.
"Keep the rest for yourself," the man said as he took the bottle. "All the same to me."
"Thank you…?" Cinder said, pocketing the extra three thousand lien. If he wanted to waste his money, then so be it. She couldn't help but cringe as she watched him begin to drink the thick vodka straight from the bottle. The honey-like substance was black and looked disgusting."If that is all then…"
"It is not." Cinder jumped when the faunus slammed the bottle back down on the bar. "You see girl, I've been keeping an eye on you for a while, and I must say, you look much stronger than you did when you were sitting on that curb begging."
Cinder narrowed her eyes, huffing through her nose. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" The faunus looked at her and laughed. "Why, haven't I told you yet? Or no, don't you recognize me? Hah, you don't, do you?" Cinder narrowed her eyes further. "Fret not, lass. My name is Tyrian. Tyrian Callows!" he eccentrically flapped his trench coat outward to his side. "And from one serial killer to another, I have a job offer for you from my queen."
"Callows-?" Cinder felt her heart skip a beat when she processed what he just said. Serial killers!? He knew what she did!? How?! When!? Why!? All those questions started piling up in her head and she began to sweat nervously. She wanted to run away, but Tyrian reached out and gripped her hand, forcing something into it as she thrashed and tried to get away.
"Read that, Little Cinder." Tyrian said, smiling maniacally at her. "You will see me again when you have nowhere left to go. Knowing you, I know you'll screw this up somehow. My Queen needs a maiden of her own, so you will do."
Tyrian let her go and she fell backward against the shelves behind her. Several of the bottles fell, some of them breaking. Rhodes came running out of the kitchen with his apron still on and one of his weapons out and aura ready. He saw her on the floor, and went right to her.
"Cinder!" He exclaimed, helping her back up. "What happened, are you okay?"
"Y-Yes." Cinder fisted the paper Tyrian put into her hands and kept it hidden. Afraid for what it might make Rhodes ask her. "I just… um…" Cinder looked around for the scorpion faunus, but she couldn't see him anywhere. He must have left while he fell back. "I tripped."
"You… tripped?" Rhodes asked her out of disbelief. "Seriously? After all that training too… looks like I'm going to have to train you how to keep your balance again." he joked as he brushed her down. "Don't worry about the bottles, most of that is cheap shit anyway."
Catherine came running out a moment later. "What happened?! I heard glass break and-"
"Cinder here somehow tripped, sweetie." Rhodes said, patting Cinder on the head as he said it. "Don't ask me how she managed to do that on a floor with no obstacles."
"Oh! I guess everyone has a weakness then," Cinder flinched when she said that. She didn't know what she just did to her by saying that. Everyone has a weakness indeed. Just because she was strong didn't mean she was powerful… Her history was her weakness. Her background could ruin her. If Rhodes came just a little earlier, her life would have been over right there.
"I-I suppose so…" Cinder said, her mind still racing as she stealthily put the paper in her back pocket to read it later.
"Well, clean this up and clock out. You're probably just tired." Rhodes said, leaving her to it. "I'll close up the kitchen as usual. Help her out, Cathy."
"Sure!"
Cinder locked herself in the room with the couch she slept on as soon as she was able to escape Catherine. She tore the paper out of her pocket and began to read. Wanting to get it over with first before it could eat away at her mind for too long. She turned on her scroll's light - a gift given to her by Catherine for her more recent birthday - and began looking through it. The message was short and simple but very impactful.
"Your history will catch up to you. I can give you a way to earn your every desire and achieve the strength you so desperately need. Become my maiden, join Tyrian, and pledge to me a vow of strength.
Everything falls into place, dear child, history has a way of catching up. Do not wait too long, lest you miss your opportunity for greatness."
Cinder let the paper fall to her bed once she was done reading it. Her heart began to beat furiously. Pledge a vow of strength? Was that meant to make her stronger somehow? She couldn't say that the offer wasn't tempting, however, though she didn't know exactly what she was supposed to be by being this persons 'maiden'. The person was right though, her history was going to catch up to her soon. She could feel it. She's been living too comfortably, she's become complacent. She was willing to let this become her life. There was no denying that she was a killer. But why send Tyrian Callows of all people, a known serial killer from Mantle to recruit her? It didn't make sense, was it some kind of gang or cult? She was willing to do illegal things to survive before, but doing it now was… no, she knew exactly what she needed to do. She was going to tell Rhodes. She was going to explain to him what happened, earn his trust, and ask him to adopt her as his daughter. That way she'd wring his heart into loving her as one, and he'd never let her go. He'd protect her, and then she'd go on to become a huntress. Sure, Catherine was annoying, but she could live with her if it meant that she'd be free from destiny at last.
"Tomorrow…" Cinder said to herself. "Tomorrow… everything will change for the better or for the worst…"
Cinder hated feelings.
This last training session with Rhodes had been a tense one. She never fought so hard before, and even though Rhodes was barely keeping up, he had a grin on his face that told her that he was proud of her. It tore at her heart, she was terrified to see how he'd react to her confession soon. In the end, they had both ended up sitting on the floor sweaty and exhausted. Their aura's were thin, but still active and protecting their bodies.
"You looked a lot more fired up today." Rhodes told her. "What's the occasion?"
"I…" Cinder bit her lip. "I don't know…"
"Oh c'mon, after three years, I think I deserve an explanation." Rhodes said. "It's amazing, by the way. You had a basis before but only that. Your potential is enormous, and as you get older your limits keep breaking again and again. The next generation will be safe as long as you are right there along with them. There is no doubt within my mind telling me that you won't be anything less than the best in the world."
Cinder felt her face flush red. She groaned under the affection, the fatherly affection that Rhodes provided for her. They were father and daughter in all but name and official record. She didn't know if he felt the same though, but she needed to know before she told him what she did before he found her.
"Do you love me?" Cinder asked suddenly.
"E-Eh!?" Rhodes flushed with shock and a slight amount of embarrassment. "I um… I mean… not in any unhealthy way but I…" he cleared his throat. "Ah, you got me all flustered for a second there. But I do, Cinder, I think I do love you. I think of you as another daughter. Catherine adores you and you've been great company and a great worker these past few years."
Cinder's heart skipped a beat. "T-Then… before I turn seventeen and become an adult, will you adopt me?"
Rhode's eyes widened. "You… You want me to adopt you?"
"Yes." Cinder's eyes were pleading. "I-I… I want to be able to call you my father. I never had one, nor a mother. But with you, I can feel at home."
"A-Ah, Cinder," Rhodes wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You never cease to surprise me. Catherine's been telling me to adopt you for a while now. She wants a sister, but I never knew what you thought. You're so hard to understand sometimes, but I still tried and… I didn't want to pressure you."
"Will you?" Cinder pried.
Rhodes took a minute to think about it, and then to her relief, he smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I think I will. I'll need to get a lot of paperwork done, but I'd be willing to make you my daughter if you'd accept me to be your father."
Cinder felt tears break free from her eyes. She leaned into Rhodes and for the first time returned an embrace from him. She never thought she needed to hear something like that. She was confident now as well. Confident that he will understand, confident that he will never let her go. Cinder pulled away and wiped at her eyes, ready to ask Rhodes a second question.
"I have something that I need to tell you. Something that I've kept hidden because I was afraid that you'd hate me for it." Cinder explained. "Will you listen to me? Try to understand me?"
"Cinder," Rhodes squeezed her shoulder assuringly. "There's nothing that can separate us. We're family now, and family always stick together.
That was all that she needed to hear. So, she told him. She told him everything. She told him about the village that she used to live in, about the orphanage, how she was left in the woods by her biological parents when she was a baby and how she spent the first thirteen years of her life slaving away somewhere she didn't want to be. He listened carefully throughout all that, but his expression changed more and more as she told him what she did to a certain group of five kids and a guard. The more she went into detail the more he became increasingly put off and worried. Cinder didn't even know, she was too busy looking down telling her story to realize that he had pulled away from her with an expression of shock, disbelief, anger, acceptance, and then resentment for her.
"It was you!?" When Rhodes said that, Cinder jumped on the spot.
"I… What do you mean?" Cinder asked.
"Before I found you on that curb," Rhodes ranted. "I was sent on a mission. My last mission. To go to a village that was being attacked by a Grimm. Someone left the gates open after setting a barn on fire, and they let the Grimm in. I was too late, the Grimm slaughtered everyone, and I was too late to save any of them!" He screamed at her. "Children, little children, and BABIES! All of them, DEAD! Because of YOU!"
"I-I don't understand." Cinder rasped.
"Why do you think I was retiring at fucking thirty-eight!?" Rhodes screamed at the top of his lungs. "I was so traumatized… so fucked up… I practically quit the second I came back here. I saw you on that curb, and I felt so sorry for you… so…" Rhodes glared at her. His eyes told her a story of hate and grief. All directed toward her. "I should have let you die on that curb."
Cinder's heart broke. "B-But… I thought you… I thought..."
"Adopt you?" Rhodes spat, taking his swords out from behind his back and getting ready to kill her. "That was before I knew you were a mass murderer, Cinder. I am going to hate having to tell Catherine what you did, but you need to pay for what you did."
"But… But… you said you loved me… and I loved you. We were supposed to be happy." Flashes of a life she would never have gone through her mind. She clutched her head, seeing herself going to Atlas Academy, training, learning, and then graduating with Rhodes at her side and with the support of Catherine. She saw herself growing, learning to move past what she did. Beating destiny.
"I was supposed to be happy…"
At that moment, she realized something. Destiny could not be altered. Destiny could not be thwarted. The only thing she could do was embrace it.
Cinder's scream was echoed by a massive explosion as Cinder ignited every square inch of glass within the building at once. Rhodes was instantly disintegrated, his aura being already weakened to the point where it was useless against the force of her blast. The entire building was on fire, and again, Cinder found herself in a familiar situation. A burning building collapsing all around her. She didn't know if Catherine was also caught in the blast, but either way, she was probably dead. Cinder didn't laugh this time around, all she could do was cry as she dug herself out of the building and ran out into the back alleyway before anyone could see her. She darted away into the darkness, and once again found herself on a curb dressed in charred rags and crying into her hands. With Rhodes dead and any chance at her finding happiness dead, she had nothing. Cinder had nowhere to go. She was too weak, too weak to lie and keep the truth hidden. She was strong but not powerful.
Cinder hated being so weak.
"Well, well, well, that happened a lot sooner than I thought it would." The voice of Tyrian sounded off. Cinder didn't even look in his direction as he stomped toward her. "I did warn you, didn't I? Or well, Salem did, anyway."
"..."
"Who is Salem?" Tyrian asked for her. "Well, she is a Goddess! The Queen of the Grimm, she granted me power, power enough to find you. You see, I was just like you before." he explained. "Alone, tired, covered in blood - in your case, metaphorical - and desperate to find my place. She saved me, so I now extend that grace to you. I will take you to her, and you will find a life that will make you happy."
Cinder looked up at him, her tears drifting down her face and a dead expression in her eyes. A spark of hope ignited within her. Maybe, just maybe, she could at least achieve something she wanted in her life. That something could be acquiring the power she has so desperately wanted for her entire life.
"Come with me, Cinder Fall," Tyrian said, grabbing one of her hands. His eyes sparkled purple, and she felt her aura waste away in a mist of acid. "If not, I can grant you death right now. Save you the trouble of living until you die somewhere in a prison cell."
"I…" Cinder didn't have the strength to cry anymore. "If I join you, will I become powerful?"
Tyryan smirked. "You will have more power than you could have ever fathomed in your miserable life."
Cinder let out a sigh of relief.
"I accept."
Ten years later. Cinder Fall, the fall maiden and Salem's greatest asset, sat down at the desk of headmaster Lionheart, forcing him to serve her food as a waiter. That was power, making one of the four esteemed and great headmasters of Remnant serve her food and drink. She ran her Grimm arm through one side of her head, brushing away some of the white hair that Salem had granted her with the extension of power she gave her. One of her golden eyes was now red and black, though occasionally it would turn back to normal when she didn't feel murderous. Similar to Salem, the left half of her body was a pale white with purple veins bulging out of her body. The other half was still normal, flushed with color and beauty. She was content with her new form, even if it did cause her some problems when it came to blending it with the populace.
"C-Cinder," Leonardo shakenly called her name. "I have to ask, when do you plan on… well.. Killing the spring maiden?"
"Don't be so impatient now, Leonardo." Cinder said, pointing at him with some steak still attached to her fork. "I was just reminiscing on my past, you interrupted that, just so you know."
"I'm sorry…" Lionheart submitted.
"Hm, I'll let it go this time." Cinder said. "Catherine Rhodes… I do wonder if you lived that night. You were there, but I suppose there's no use in thinking about it now. Whether or not you still live, it makes no difference to me."
"Excuse me…?"
"Shut up, Lionheart." Cinder sighed explosively. "Everything will fall into place in time. I am waiting for someone, you see. I can't be absolutely sure that this will work until I know where Kai Matsuoka is. He is still out there, and the greatest threat to my plans for Remnant. Once I know where he is, then we will strike. I'll kill spring, and all of his friends. Yes, that will certainly make Little Kai much more desperate to kill me."
"Are… are you sure that is the best course of action?" Lionheart asked.
"Elaborate," Cinder demanded.
"Kai is the greatest threat to your plans. You said so yourself," he explained. "You may well be the strongest non-immortal on the planet. But if there is anyone else who can contest that title, it may be him. I understand that you can siphon magic, you did so to kill Ozpin… but… Matsuoka has no magic to siphon."
"He has silver eyes." Cinder pointed out. "Silver eyed warriors use magic to activate the power of their eyes."
"With all due respect, madam, Kai does not need to use his eyes in order to hurt you." Lionheart said.
"Hm… you actually make a good point there, kitty." Cinder said. "He has potential. Limitless potential. Like I did when I was younger. We both have the potential to be the most powerful person on Remnant, that is why he is the only one who can be my nemesis." Cinder explained. "That was the reason why I put specific effort into totally avoiding him during my invasion of Beacon. It was rather easy, trap him down in Vale somewhere and lure him right to Salem. That was part of our agreement, after all. It has been a year and some change since the battle of Vale, however. Knowing him, he has most likely been training every single day with the sole purpose of killing me." Cinder laughed to herself, enjoying the situation. "I am beginning to enjoy the boy, in all honesty. After putting aside my hate for him after taking my left arm and eye, I've come to realize that we are rather similar. We both want to be powerful, we both want our enemies destroyed permanently. We both know how to adapt to almost any kind of situation. All so that we may never know weakness again."
"I…" Lionheart didn't know what to say.
"Forgive me, I was ranting." Cinder said as she finished her food and stood up. "Soon, the next stage of my plans will initiate. Be ready, Lionheart. I expect you to play your role when I ask for it."
Cinder enjoyed pandering to her destiny. She enjoyed being powerful. It gave her a fulfillment she never had before.
She loved being who she was.
Wow… I just wrote all of this in one sitting. It's been a while, it's 3am right now and I started writing this at 9pm. It'll be up in the morning, but wow, this makes me feel good about myself. I still got it!
I hope you all enjoyed this special chapter. Episode 0 of Volume 5, officially done!