It's... cold... I...
Everything was dark, and for some reason I felt so... tired. For a moment I did my best to move, only to stop as something wet flowed against me. No, after a few seconds I could tell that it didn't flow against me, it simply lay all around me. Trying with my all I managed to crack my eyes open, although I wasn't quite sure as the only sight before me was a solid void of black.
I raised my hand, able to see it effortlessly as if it were a sunny day. The trickle of liquid dripping along my arm explained the wet feeling I had. I leaned up, able to see that the rest of my body was intact, albeit free from any sort of cloth. A small pool of water coated the ground, although said ground looked no different then the void that engulfed my vision; I'd only realized the liquid was there because of the ripples that followed my every motion.
I managed to stand, and noticed the water barely reached above my ankles. I felt weary, and a small headache pierced through my skull as I tried to recall how I ended up in the strange place surrounding me. The memories were swift, and in shock I instinctively reached for my neck.
"Finally awake? Good."
The voice startled me and I flung around to face it, only for another round of shocked confusion to slap me.
"Y-you..." I couldn't fully recognise who I saw, and yet I felt an odd sense of familiarity.
"Yes?" He asked as his cocky smirk put me on edge. His raven hair; the silver eyes; something about it all just seemed so... strange, I felt as though I knew him. The man was just as nude as I, and yet he appeared to feel no shame upon appearing before a stranger in such a state; arms crossed lazily. However I felt no shame either, so maybe it was merely circumstance that kept us level headed.
"Sorry, it's just that you remind me of somebody I know."
"Really? Perhaps someone with a scar like this?" He moved his arms to the side, lifting his head back as I saw a scar circle around his neck.
"What do you mean?" I questioned as he pointed to the water below. I looked down, only to notice my reflection staring back at me. It felt as though my heart froze as the image of myself peered into my eyes, sporting the same scar along the neck as the man.
Hold on...
As I looked closer I noticed a striking similarity between the man and my appearance in the reflection. I gaze shot towards him and his smirk grew.
"You... look just like me... only-"
"Less Grimm?" He let out an eerie chuckle. "Yes, it's true. This form displays the state you'd appear in without Salem's corruption flowing through your veins. Although with our circumstance I doubt she needed to do much to begin with."
"Who... are you?" Every inch of my body, no, my soul felt as though it trembled; not in fear, but in delight, and it scared me.
"Oh? You mean after all this time you can't even recognise me" He walked closer, each step sending shockwaves throughout my body, and yet I remained frozen in place, unable to run away; unwilling to run away.
A hand pressed against my chest sending a burning wave through seemingly every nerve in my body. The silver of his eyes looked to glow, and I felt a tingling in my own. Apprehensively I reached out and pressed my own hand on him, and that same burning washed over as his smirk softened into a smile.
"Menagerie; just outside of Vale; the caves with Adam and Neo; I've scarcely had the chance to speak to you, but I've always been there." I felt the realization stab me.
"The obelisk's." He nodded softly. "The memories, and the powers they gave. You... you were the voice."
"Sometimes you needed a little push to fully comprehend."
"But..." I stepped away as he stared. Slowly I reached for my neck again. "I... my head..." The last instance I remembered was the sight of my body slack against Pyrrha; my vision cut off after that, and the sounds of chaos faded. "I died."
"You did." His voice was calm, no taunting or laughter, yet no sorrow either.
"So I'm... dead."
"You are." His words were direct, and yet lacked any sort of punch to them. I felt weak in the knees, and soon enough they could support me no longer and I dropped.
"Then it's over." I felt... numb, like every part of me died right then and there, although in this case that was more literal than anything.
"No."
"What?"
"No." He stepped back as I looked up to meet his gaze. "It's not over, not yet anyway."
"I... don't understand."
"You 'are' dead, but we're far from finished." His gaze felt as though it pierced my soul. "Tell me, do you remember what happens when the Grimm die." It was an odd sort of question, yet I found myself answer almost automatically.
"They disperse. Their essence flows away from everything into an isolated area where they reform."
"Just as Salem taught us. Yes, and by all accounts this would make them technically immortal would it not?"
"What are you getting at, are you trying to imply we're the same." I wanted to laugh. "Please, that's for natural born Grimm. As I recall we were changed when she blessed us with the gift. We're human, the Goddess said as much herself when we first awoke."
"True, we are not immortal like the Grimm, but that doesn't mean our work is done." He raised his arms, and the world looked to shake.
The rumbling was followed by several pillars bursting from the water below; all giving off an ominous violet glow. He stretched his arms out, and I saw what looked like text burn across the flat faces of each. I recognised them, and with a hint of curiosity I approached one.
"Wait... 'Left alone, time will experience itself from a single solitary perspective. The present.' These are..."
"You recognise them don't you."
"Why... how? I don't understand." I faced him once more. "What's going on?"
"Each and every place we've gone had one. Every choice we've made has seemingly allowed us to stumble upon them. Ask yourself this: at what point is coincidence 'too' likely?" I felt my eyes widen and his smirk returned in full force as he seemed to notice I caught on. "You see it now. These obelisk's were not planted haphazardly; each was meticulously allowed to grow along the path we would walk. Did you not feel how we were drawn to them?" He stepped closer and leaned in; lips just a hairs width away from my own as his eyes locked with mine.
"They were meant for us."
I didn't know what to think as he walked past and around to the obelisk. His hand graced it and I felt a wave of pleasure burn within me.
"There is still more to be done if we are to succeed."
"Who are you. I mean really, who are you." I was starting to feel fed up. "All this 'we' and 'our'; this whole bullshit notion of purpose." My voice raised in volume as I let the frustrations out. "I mean really, 'meant for us', what kind of waste is that? And what's this 'success' you're peddling. Before I even begin to fathom why I should believe you answer me: Who. Are. You." His smirk irritated me beyond belief, and another chuckle escaped him.
"You really don't know do you? I'm you... in a way."
"Lies."
"Believe what you want, but it doesn't change anything. The truth is the truth; whether you accept it or not is irrelevant. I 'am' you, although, I guess it's more accurate to say I'm a 'part' of you. I will 'always' be with you whether you like it or not."
"Fine." I let out. "If we're playing that game then I have nothing more to say. I'll find the answers on my own."
"Good." He chuckled as I grit my teeth. "It doesn't matter either way. But you can't go looking while trapped here."
"Here?" I asked, only to remember my current predicament. "That's right... where is here exactly."
"Now that 'is' the question isn't it?"
"Just answer me."
"No fun at all it seems. Fine. 'Here' as you so lovingly dubbed it isn't exactly all that far away from anywhere you're familiar with. In fact, I'd say 'here' is rather close to where you need to be."
"Enough of the games! Just tell me already!" His stupid smirk only pissed me off even more.
"When you died during battle your body, like that of any other Grimm, naturally dispersed. However unlike other Grimm you weren't flown randomly to an empty location, instead drawn into something else. Somewhere... familiar."
"Familiar?" He stepped away from the obelisk and motioned to it.
"Go ahead, touch it. They themselves have purpose, as with our influence they are renewed, to buy the world a scarce few hours."
I didn't like the way he said it with such savvy, but he didn't look like he'd follow up on my question any time soon. With a level of caution I carefully approached and placed my hand on it. There was a warmth, and suddenly I felt my palm sink into it.
"W-what!" I pulled, but it was no good, the stone was sucking me in. I looked to him and saw the amusement on his face. "You bastard! You tricked me!"
"I gave you exactly what you wanted. But you'll have your answers soon enough."
The last thing I saw was him sending a stupid wave my way before the darkness completely enveloped me.
.
.
Pyrrha felt herself come to, and with it a rush of fear. Her eyes dotted around as she shot up; on guard for any and all attackers. What she was greeted with however was something she never expected.
Gone was the crumbling ruins of the village, instead replaced with a clean looking hallway. The atmosphere was dark, and yet it held a sense of peace she wouldn't expect. The walls were a marvellously brilliant ivory, with scarlet curtains draped over the expansive windows. Pyrrha found herself drawn to them, and a quick glance out bought her the sight of a beautiful garden in what looked like an open field. It was surrounded by walls on all sides, and yet she could see the stylized carvings along the architecture.
"Come now." The voice pulled her away and Pyrrha felt her guard return. It didn't sound threatening, but she wasn't taking any chances, especially after what just happened with Tyrian.
The others! A sense of panic flowed momentarily as she realized they were still stuck with the Grimm. However for as much as she wished to return and aid them she herself knew the first step would be figuring out 'where' she had ended up in the first place; she could work on the 'how' later.
Footsteps gently graced her ears as she saw a pair round a nearby corner, and Pyrrha swore under her breath at the instant of rotten luck. Stance ready and weapon set she watched as the two approached. Something was off though, as their eyes were not set on her but rather ahead of her. Pyrrha watched with confusion as the two seemingly ignored her upon their approach.
W-what!? She should have known something was off to begin with, however she'd been so focused on her defence and had not taken the time to truly look at them. Pyrrha felt a shiver go up her spine as the two had not gone around, but through her, as if she were nothing but a specter. Her head whipped around as she saw the man pull open a door and bow, the woman returned a nod a she stepped in.
In a pseudo state of fear Pyrrha ran up to the two and rushed into the room, where she proceeded to try and speak.
"Hello!? Hello!?" She swatted at the woman, to which her hands simply fazed through. "Can anybody hear me!?"
"Come now Vermillion, it is time." Pyrrha froze.
"Right." Her head almost mechanically snapped back to the man behind her, only for him to pass through her as he followed after the woman.
Pyrrha was taken aback at the sight of the two, especially by their appearance alone. The woman looked similar to V with her pale hair and dark eyes, and she began to wonder just what was really going on. V was dead, and yet Pyrrha couldn't help but hope the man ahead of her was who the woman said. However he was a stark contrast to who she'd grown to know.
This V had rich raven hair, with the ends burned off into a deep purple. He wore a set of silver looking armor, accented in gold with a royal crimson cape draped over his shoulder bearing a symbol she couldn't recognise. The ivory rose he sported on his shoulder looked almost identical to the one she was familiar with, only brighter and full of life. He was younger than she knew, looking to be in his early teens. He wasn't quite as tall, and his face was slightly rounded with softer features, which gave him the air of a prince.
"Is this the place?" He asked as the two continued to walk along. Pyrrha followed after them as her curiosity won out over the fear.
"Soon. Just beyond this door." The woman held her hand out towards said structure. It was large, and decorated in similar style to everything else. However Pyrrha felt an odd sense of unexplainable horror well over her as they approached. The boy and woman held no such fear and walked through without even the slightest flinch.
The sight was astonishing, and wholly terrifying.
They had seemingly entered a small canyon; entirely lifeless as the moonlight cast a deep calming air over everything. Yet a small lake sat before the edge, it's waters pitch black and radiating a sense of dread that had Pyrrha almost quaking. All life around it seemed to die as nothing but brown dusted dirt would even go near it. The two seemingly ignored all of this and Pyrrha apprehensively trailed behind the duo.
"What is this?" The boy asked as the woman chuckled, reaching her hand in as she stirred the vile liquid.
"This is my reward to you." She faced him. "A power entirely unreachable to most mortals, however I have reason to believe you may partake in it."
"Power?" He asked innocently, and the woman wore a calm smile.
"I may have granted you your new title, however I also had another gift at the ready. This here is but a small puddle of a much greater pool, a gift I had moved here to remind me of my once home, and the turning point of my life. It is a small sip of my dark power, and shall grant you strength enough to see your days through." She stared deep into his eyes. "Now step in, and take what I've bestowed upon you."
He looked tense at first, but after another look to the woman he did as asked. The moment he lay one foot into the darkness several tendrils shot up and pulled him underneath at such speed Pyrrha hadn't the time to react. A swell of terror stabbed at her as she rushed to the puddle, however as she threw her hands in Pyrrha realized much like V her limbs only fazed through the substance.
She couldn't hold him; she couldn't save him; she was going to lose him again.
Not again, not again, please not again! She felt herself drawn back as the bubbles and thrashing stopped, and the pauldron from before seemingly floated to the surface, tainted a deathly black from the deadly substance. It's peaceful lingering caused her to nearly have a breakdown, had it not been for the pale hand that shot up.
A symphony of coughs resounded as the head and upper body tore itself from the darkness, a mix of heavy breaths and pained wheezing rippled through the air. The relief that swelled in her heart was almost enough to brush away the hate she felt; almost. Her eyes shot towards the dark woman who knelt down to the shivering boy, and she felt a snarl break free as the woman embraced the naked child.
V was changed, and the familiar pale hair and deathly skin had returned. His eyes had gone from bright silver to their usual dark crimson, and his veins visibly burned red against his flesh once again.
"She assured me you'd survive, and deep down I believed you would as well." The woman held a soft look as she pulled him close. "The moment I laid eyes on you I knew there was something different." The boy's coughs had died down as his breathing steadied. "You'll save me one day, you'll set us all free, just as she assured." The boy remained still as the woman smiled. "Sleep then, rest, you've earned it."
Pyrrha watched as the woman reached for the black rose and pulled it from the liquid.
"Strange... the rest dissolved and yet..." A look of understanding followed by calm graced her. "You sly girl, so it's the same as the blade. Very well, if it's the only bit to survive then it may remain."
She looked down to him and gently placed the rose on his shoulder. A dark mist surrounded her hands as she seemingly pulled it around him. Pyrrha watched with intrigue as a dark vine flowed from the rose, all the way around to connect with it once again. The woman stood as she carried the boy and started off.
"It'll guard you and protect you in my stead; it'll grow and wilt with you until the bitter end." She leaned closer to the boy, and yet Pyrrha had no trouble hearing her next words. "Let it remain, as the manifestation of my faith in you."
All color left; faded softly as a blinding light overtook the scene. Pyrrha felt a warmth spread throughout her body as she fell once more into sleep.
.
.
Sienna expected many things when she told Blake of her plan going forwards, but having the girl actually listen without trying to change anything was something new. Blake had a well known habit of trying to minimize damage when it came to any orders given, as well as a tendency to follow her heart rather than her mind. If she saw anyone in danger, or an excessive amount of potential foes her first instinct seemed to be to rush on in or run away.
It was due to this trouble-seeking attitude that Sienna often made the deliberate choice to exclude certain parts of the mission intel she gave, as a way to keep the girl from biting off more than she could chew. Unfortunately this time with the state of their situation and the plan itself Sienna was afforded no such luxury. Blake had to know every detail, otherwise it could all go up in flame.
"For now we'll set those two free. I'm certain we'll have to leave several others behind, but we can break them out when this is all over. Right now the Schnee is our main priority however." Sienna explained as Blake nodded.
"Right." She gave as Sienna sighed on the inside.
"However if things go sour we'll need to make a break for it. Ilia will scout it out, but she can only do so much without drawing suspicion. Once we move she'll be stuck waiting for us on the outside; I can't risk her being discovered with me."
"Didn't she already help with the humans? Don't you think they'll be a bit suspicious of her already?" Blake questioned as Sienna smirked.
"They haven't raised any alarms yet for the past few hours, and so far Ilia hasn't spotted them moving frantically, which is why I sent her out in the first place. I told her to mention she left me and the others down there while she checked on other things. It isn't a perfect solution, but it'll make them think twice before accusing her of anything - at least for a while."
"Right... and when we get this over we'll be able to set everyone free right?"
There it is. Sienna smirked as the girl held an air of well practiced apathy, however she wasn't fooled. Being the well practiced leader Sienna was a master of hiding her rage and disappointment, which was sad now that she thought about it, and could see Blake slightly shaking.
"We will. Like I said they're innocent, so there's no real advantage for us in the long run for keeping them locked up here. Besides, I'm certain Adam would have only killed them later on anyway, which is all the more reason we take back control of the Fang."
"Right... but what about Weiss?" Blake asked with a look of curiosity. "You said Adam talked about keeping her alive."
"Yeah, that was strange." Sienna felt her brow furrow as she thought about it. "Usually he'd be the first to suggest a public execution whenever we got our hands on one of them, but now he wants a Schnee kept alive. To be honest it's the reason we're prioritizing her over Sun. If Adam wants a Schnee for something then it has to be major."
"You think he'll draw the other kingdoms into everything don't you?" Blake guessed as Sienna nodded. She wouldn't deny it; Adam had gone off the deep end long ago, but he'd been so effective at getting things done she just couldn't let him go. Ironically it came back to bite her in the ass a heck of a lot worse then she ever could have imagined; and now she had a vengeful psycho in control of one of Menagerie's largest armed forces, which made the island as a whole look bad.
"We've got hideouts all over Remnant, if he does try to start something he'll most likely give the order for everyone to move at once."
"An attack from all sides." Blake said as Sienna nodded, yet the girl's shock died down. "We don't have the numbers though. If he made that call then their forces would be overwhelmed almost instantly."
"The signs are there though." Sienna reminded. "If he's willing to go through with it then he must be confident, meaning he must have something up his sleeve. Think back with Beacon. Rumors stated Grimm and Fang were in Amity."
"Yeah." Blake confirmed. "They came on airships."
"Right. However shouldn't Atlas or really anyone in charge of security seen that? Wouldn't it raise some sort of suspicion to see several of them fly in with no schedule or anything, and yet nobody paid them any mind or did anything about it."
"That was kind of odd." Blake admitted as Sienna frowned.
"And what about Vale? Sure there are plenty of Grimm surrounding the place, but not nearly enough to cause that much chaos so easily or quickly. If there were that many Grimm around then the city would have been overwhelmed years ago, especially with how much negativity such a populated place like that generates." Sienna explained as Blake gave a quizzical look.
"What are you getting at?" She asked as Sienna sighed.
"Think about it; the White Fang alone doesn't have the resources to manage an attack like that."
"You think he had outside help?"
"I do. After all somebody had to help secure enough Grimm right." Sienna said as Blake gave a sceptical look.
"Nobody's crazy enough to capture that many Grimm, and even if they were they'd have no way to keep them quiet or contained." Blake told as Sienna felt something was off. There was potentially one who could; heck it was the reason why she came up with the theory in the first place, and yet Blake looked truly confused.
"Blake, did V ever tell you about himself, or more specifically his home."
"Now that you mention it no, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Shit. Sienna had been hoping he told them at least some of his history, but then again he had no real incentive now that she thought about it. He told her because she saw something so unbelievable it tore her trust away, and he did so to regain it despite how crazy it sounded. More so she believed it because of how crazy the things she'd seen him do were.
How can I get this through to her? Sienna had only came up with her idea because of the queen V had mentioned and her affinity with Grimm. It was the only way she could reasonably believe anyone could possibly control such a large portion of Grimm. However without V around Sienna realized just how crazy it sounded, and yet it was all she had to go off of.
"Sienna!" Ilia burst into the room, sweating and at a loss of breath. Her panicked look had both of them up and at the ready.
"What is it?" She questioned in a calm voice, hoping it would calm the girl somewhat. Ilia's next words threw away any time they had left to put their plans into motion.
"The Fang made an announcement!" Ilia was coughing as Sienna walked over to pat her back.
"Calm yourself. Now, tell me what's going on." The fear in Ilia's eyes was soon shared among all of them as all their bravado seemed to fall in an instant.
"They're going to execute the Schnee!"
Author's note
...
Wild chapter this time. Things are happening, for better of for worse.
Everything's weird now, but hey, at least Blake had some screen time. Sienna and crew also have new troubles to deal as well.
V made an appearance this time, and I'm sure several of you are happy at that. Let's be real here you never really expected him to stay gone from the story, but thing's aren't the same anymore. This is the part where I've once again threw in some cryptic bullshit for you to try and solve; spoilers you can't... yet.
Also, just recently (as in today) I got a review asking an important question: Is future Ruby relevant for the main cast? This one is tricky, but the short answer is yes. Everything she's done so far has had an active and visible effect on the present - as I'm sure many of you who read her sections already know.
All of the characters in this tale are heavily important, but along with V I made Future Ruby a protagonist for a reason. Everything is done for a reason; make of that what you will.
While both halves of the story focus on pushing the main plot, they also focus on different aspects. The present time puts emphasis on character development and exploration, whereas the past focuses on fleshing out the worldbuilding of Remnant's history - or lack thereof. You're all free to skip parts if you want, but know you might be missing out on crucial information; the call is yours.
Small tidbit of info for the fun of it by the way: I've already spoiled several major plot twists so far. I blame the fun of foreshadowing, and the knowledge you don't have enough pieces to start putting them together.
See you next time.