Juniper sighed as another crate of household goods was moved out from the keep towards a growing baggage train. Nicholas was worried of dragons attacking Ansel for the treasures within now that he'd weakened the garrison by marching off to wage a senseless war, and had ordered for the wealth they had accumulated over the years of careful, sensible stewardship of their lands to be spread out and hidden.
He had put her in charge of it all, and she felt like it was supposed to be some sort of consolation prize for all the humiliations he had allowed his priestess to inflict on her over the past month or so.
To be honest, Juniper wasn't sure how long Tock had been so…Tock towards her. There had always been an air of arrogance and malice to the woman, hidden behind a veneer of smiles and friendliness.
Turning away, her eyes were drawn to the magnificent shield that greeted travellers entering their keep. It was relatively small, but it had an inexplicable finesse to it, despite it's relatively simple design. The Arc crescent took centre stage, with unique and unexplained carvings at the lower end of the kite shield.
Arc family legend said the markings were dedicated to the shield by the founder of their house, who's name had long been forgotten. Supposedly, they were the sigils of a rival house whose daughter he had loved but had been unable to marry.
Juniper wondered what the man's wife would have thought to that.
A vindictive part of her, angry at Nicholas for selling off their daughters like they were property rather than people despite always saying otherwise, anger at how he ignored her counsel, how he ignored their marriage bed and how he allowed that bitch of priestess to undermine and taunt her at every opportunity made her want to turn to the men moving theirs goods, point at the shield and tell them to take it far, far away from Ansel.
Reluctantly, Juniper let go of the dark feeling. She refused to sink back to Tock's level, to do something needlessly malicious and cruel.
The feeling came back inexplicably, and Juniper frowned at the shield once more before shaking her head, reaffirming her earlier decision before wandering away to help supervise the ongoing effort to essentially plunder her own house of its wealth.
If she had remained, she would have seen the shield glow a soft, golden hue and hear a soft sigh echo through the hall.
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Their journey to the mountains to the north was quick and silent. Yang couldn't speak in her draconic state, and the strange voice that was apparently his sword refused to communicate with him.
The voice had guided him during their skirmish with the evil lady who was apparently some sort of powerful witch. The voice snorted when he thought that, making him blink and stare at the blue and golden hilt of the blade. Just what was this thing? Could it read his thoughts?
"Yes." The powerful voice intoned, and he could only stare at the sheathed blade as nothing happened. Yang didn't react to the voice, meaning only he had heard it. Did that mean- "You aren't mad, boy. Stop thinking asinine thoughts and ask me all you like when we land. I have questions of my own."
So Jaune promptly shut up and decided to stare out at the beauty of the landscape unfolding below them. The storm had painted everything white, but rivers were flowing and he could see the distant forms of crags, valleys and hills. Of caves and ravines and sprawling forests and distant human settlements. It was…amazing. How could the dragons be such a jealous race for gold and whatnot when they could look at beautiful sights like this whenever they wanted?
Jaune shook his head from the old prejudices. Yang wasn't hungry for gold and wealth. Sure, some dragons were, but were all of them? It was something he hoped could be true. If dragonkind and mankind could become allies, or at least less hostile to one another, then maybe Remnant would finally have a shot at peace.
"Peace will be an elusive concept so long Salem lives." The voice said suddenly. "We are nearing a suitable landing spot. I suggest you brace yourself."
'Brace myself for-oh my god!' Jaune yelled, both internally and externally, as Yang suddenly dived as if she intended to crash into the ground. He gripped onto the ridges protruding from her draconic spine and held on for dear life as they soared like a rock being thrown from the parapet of castle towards the ground, only to lurch at the last second as Yang beat her mighty wings, slowing them down just before they crashed against the ground.
"T-Thanks for the ride." Jaune stammered, sliding off of Yang's neck and clutching the ground. That had been the most terrifying moment in his life.
"I'm so sorry." Blake said, holding his hair back as his blood poured of his neck and he died from the wound she had inflicted, sacrificing him and gutting him like a pig all for-
"Focus." The voice said. "Breathe. You aren't dead now. I stopped you from staying dead."
"What are you?" Jaune begged, tears welling his eyes as he panted heavily. Yang rumbled, sounding confused. "Something is talking to me, Yang. I think I've gone insane or my sword can talk."
"Unsheath me." The voice grumbled, and Jaune obeyed, the silvery blade glowing purple. "Can you hear me?"
Jaune frowned in confusion until he heard the confused roar erupt from Yang, who scrambled away from the blade like a cat that had been thrown into water. The sheer confusion and utter bewilderment clearly visible on her face and in her wide, reptilian eyes was enough to make him laugh quietly.
"I will take that as a yes." The sword muttered, though there was a hint of amusement in its commanding, baritone voice. "I am the God of Darkness, one of your creators."
"You…w-what?" Jaune blinked, staring at the glowing sword before turning to Yang, who seemed caught between utter confusion and horrified curiosity. "Are you serious?"
"You question my divinity mortal?" The sword…The God?...the thing rumbled. "And do not think of me as an object dammit! I may be confined to this useless tool but at the very least you can refer to what I am properly. Yes. I am the God of Darkness, one of the Brother's. Though, as much as I am reluctant to admit it and as you can clearly tell, I am much diminished."
"H-How?" Jaune asked, feeling that at the very least pretending to accept the words of his talking and glowing sword might be enough to preserve what was left of his sanity. "Aren't you, you know, a God? Can't you just be…God-like?"
"Were it so easy." The sword sighed. "My brother and I, we are tired of this failed project. We abandoned Remnant eons ago, but as it was our creation part of our essence stayed behind. We could have, should have, just destroyed your measly planet so we were no longer tied to it, but my brother convinced me to find a less…certain path to freeing ourselves of our connection in order to preserve your lives and future. He always had a misplaced fondness for your species, even when you acted like you."
"Is…How…What?" He asked blankly, and in the corner of his eye he saw Yang nod in agreement, the movement so odd from a dragon that it somehow managed to ground him. "What are you talking about?"
"I wanted to destroy Remnant. My brother convinced me not to. We returned to help your ancestors defeat Salem, an immortal witch hellbent at the time with Remnant's destruction, but by then she had realised part of our essence remained on Remnant. She stole part of me, consumed it and used it to fuel her own powers. She did the same to my brother, weakening us and growing close to true omnitience, to true Godhood. We rallied Humanity and the Faunus, and we destroyed her corporeal form. By then, she had achieved a minor form of divinity, so her essence remained in an incorporeal state, in a form known as the Abyss. We destroyed all remnants of her in order to keep the knowledge of her existence hidden so that she could not be brought back to Remnant. Clearly we weren't as successful as we once were." The God paused for a moment. "You will need to finish what you ancestors started."
"You want us to kill Salem." Jaune said, and the sword pulsated. Was that a way for the God to nod?
"Yes." The sword replied. "I want you to kill Salem. You too Yang."
The dragon rumbled uneasily, shrinking onto its hind legs like it was ready to pounce, clearly on guard as it glared at the sword. Jaune shared her scepticism.
"Let's say we do." Jaune said, resting his sword against a stone and stepping closer to Yang, feeling safer at the sound of her soft, rumbling breaths. He touched her side gently, to let her know he was on her side and to try to comfort her unease. "What do we need to do?"
"Find my brother and then the Four Relics." The God answered, the sword moving of its own accord to float in the air. "We use the Relics to make a path to Forgeway, and myself and my brother will be forged into a sword capable of killing Gods. It can only be used to kill Salem, and it will destroy what is left of our essence on Remnant. Once Salem is killed, the sword will be destroyed and Remnant will be free to choose its own fate."
"Why would you help us?" Jaune shook his head. "Aren't you the God of Darkness?"
"Have you already forgotten the part where I said I wanted to destroy your pathetic world?" The God retorted. "I only stayed my hand because I will have a greater role in the next world my brother and I create, far away from this miserable rock. More free reign to inflict pain and misery where I please."
"That's…"
"Blunt, and also not your problem. Would you rather I be unleashed on Remnant, or a species you do not even know of and will never meet?"
Jaune said nothing.
"I thought so." The God said smugly, before sighing. "Take a few moments to confer amongst yourselves. There is much I have to explain, and I fear if I do not allow you to process what I inform you then we'll be here until kingdom come."
"Well we can't…really do that." Jaune admitted. "Yang can't talk like this."
"Then she can turn back." The God sighed. "She isn't too depleted in Aura."
"Aura?" Jaune frowned. "She needs to eat-"
"She needs Aura!" The God of Darkness snapped. "How far has Humanity fallen in the…how many years has it been?"
"Since what happened?" Jaune said wearily, standing closer to Yang, who looked just as lost and confused as he was.
"Wait…" The God paused. "You don't know about Aura, about Dust or Bullheads or…guns too? Not even mechashift weaponry? I…Even I didn't believe Humanity could fall from grace so far."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jaune replied. "To be honest I think my head's about to explode."
"That would be bad." The God said reluctantly. "Since I need you to help me kill Salem. The 'white glow' as you eloquently described it. That is the manifestation of your soul, called Aura. It can protect you and heal you, if you guide it correctly. Your Semblance allows you to heal others. Your Semblance is unique, yours will be different to others, and it represents part of your core being. Some Semblances can be used for combative purposes, to protect or destroy, as the people utilising them can be either destructive or protective at the very core of their being, their soul. You can heal, because you, at the very core of your soul, care more about others than you do yourself. That is the blessing, and curse, of being an Arc."
"So…" Jaune thought, trying to think and compartmentalise and digest everything being thrown at him by the ear-shaking voice claiming to be a God and coming from a floating sword glowing purple.
What…What had his life come to?
"Yang uses Aura to turn from a dragon to a human form." The God continued. "That is her energy, her fire."
Jaune turned to Yang, who blinked and stared back at him.
"Wanna try?" He asked, and she cocked her head. "Might as well be a test to see how truthful he is. Plus it means I'm not…wait does that mean I'm not human?"
"All beings of creation can use Aura, because all of Creation has a soul." The God replied, though his voice sounded different, distant even. "You just have to unlock it."
Jaune nodded. He wanted to ask more, but at this point he was genuinely starting to feel sick. This was…a lot to take in.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply to calm himself, reaching for the same feeling he had felt earlier. His whole body started to glow the same white hue as earlier, and he reached out with both of his hands, pausing for a moment before staring at Yang, waiting for an answer.
She nodded slowly, and his hands pressed against the side of her scaly face. She rumbled loudly, something he realised was a purr, and he watched as the white hue spread slowly across her body, though it was weaker than his own.
The God watched silently, and Jaune couldn't help but wonder how in the hell he'd gotten to the point where he was idly petting a dragon that could turn into a human in front of a talking,
floating, glowing sword that said it was one of the two Gods that created Remnant.
"The silver-eyed warriors." He asked quietly, and Yang's eyes popped open. "What are they?"
"Part of Humanity. Your former protectors." The God of Darkness replied. "They were supposed to be used just to kill Grimm, but it seems they found another purpose in the years where they were absent."
"What are Grimm?"
"Monsters of my own creation. They hate everything my brother has created, mankind, faunuskind and so on. Anything with a soul. They belong to Salem now."
Jaune turned back to Yang, who's red eyes stared back at him. Had…They had changed hadn't they? When she was human they were a beautiful lilac shade. Now they were the colour of blood.
"Where do dragons fit into all of this?" He asked, not taking his eyes away from Yang's. Even clearly reptilian, they had…an inexplicable human-ness and allure to them. It was hard to explain, but he could almost drown in them, all because he knew they were her eyes and that meant he was safe and happy.
"My brother and I created them in the aftermath of Salem's defeat." The God of Darkness answered. "We had won, but our victory was pyrrhic at best. We figured it would be wise to give Humanity another protector, another trump card, should Salem return. That is why they rely on Humanity to reproduce. We hoped that by intrinsically linking your species together, we could avoid some of the problems we witnessed between mankind and Faunuskind. That seems like another failed plan, if what I learned from you is correct."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, breaking his eye contact with Yang with a blink, feeling both flustered and scared for different reasons.
"I can only read your thoughts because you wield me. I told you I am much diminished in power on this planet." The God replied. "Hence why I am a sword rather than…literally anything else. After our victory, we needed a form to inhabit. We chose the weapons of your ancestor, Crocea Mors."
"The Yellow Death." Jaune muttered, feeling a strange connection with the word.
"Yes." Darkness replied, in a tone that suggested that if he had a face, he would be smiling. "It was the best thing we had to hand. I complain, but I'm glad I'm not the shield at least. This way I can do some killing after all."
"Shield?" Jaune asked, thinking for a few moments. "Your brother?"
"Yes, and we need to find him. I will allow you two a day and the night to rest. You did almost die and stay dead after all. If I hadn't ensured your Aura acted to heal you, you would have perished, and what I am telling you is a lot to accept." Darkness said, and Jaune felt odd at receiving sympathy from someone named the God of Darkness. "I may be evil but I am not stupidly so. I know if I push you weaklings too much you will falter at the finish line and we will all perish. And yes, I will stop reading your mind. In return, stop thinking stupid or insulting thoughts about me."
"D-Deal." Jaune stammered, turning to Yang, who was oddly silent. "Can you turn back?"
Her body glowed and he closed his eyes and pressed his hands to his ears as he heard her bones pop and creak back into shape. When he opened them, he saw her staring at herself confusedly.
"What's wrong?" He asked, and she looked at him briefly before looking away.
"I'm normally naked after transforming back to my Infiltrator form." Yang muttered curtly, a look in her eyes that made him feel uneasy. "Maybe your Aura did a more powerful job than we thought."
"I…We…"
She stormed away, leaving him to gape and stare after her. He blinked and turned to the floating sword behind him.
"I didn't do anything." Darkness replied. "Women are elusive creatures even to us Gods. I'd advise speaking to her rather than letting this fester. We do need her to serve as a fire-breathing, flying horse after all."
Jaune frowned before hurrying after Yang, who was stomping down the top of the mountain towards a cliff. His eyes widened and he sped up, grabbing her hand to make her stop out of fear she was planning on doing something stupid.
That turned out to be the second most biggest mistake in his life, as she sent him flying through the air and skidding against the dirt.
"You dare!" Yang bellowed, storming over to him and grabbing him up roughly. "If I didn't care about you so much I'd toss you over this cliff Jaune! You stupid, stupid idiot!"
"W-What-?"
"I told you! I told you that we should have left there!" Yang snarled, pressing her face against his so he had no option but to look into her furious eyes. "I told you it was wrong, I told you we couldn't trust anything about it and yet you still ignored me and still went in there! You died! If it wasn't for us stumbling across a literal God of Darkness you would have stayed that way!"
Jaune felt bad. A lot. He had always felt like a burden, so he took as much guilt and blame from the actions of the people he cared about and took it as his own. He always apologised unnecessarily, he always took the blame for others and he always felt like he should be alone, that he didn't deserve the people he called family or friends.
But staring at the tears welling in Yang's eyes as furious, horrified sobs spilled out of her made him feel worse than he had felt after having his neck cut open by someone he had trusted.
"Y-You died!" Yang sobbed. "I was alone again. I've been a-alone for so long then you came and then I w-wasn't. You left me. Just like e-everyone else. I was alone again, a-abandoned again, u-unloved again. I hate that I hate you, but I do. I…I loathe you! I love you and you left me!"
"I…" Jaune swallowed nervously, breath hitched and heart heavy. "W-What?"
"I-I…" Yang trailed off, eyes wide and filled with fear. "Not again. N-Not again!"
She dropped him suddenly, her body starting to glow. He groaned as he stood up, staring at the massive dragon in front of him and feeling a pit in his stomach for reasons different to what he would have normally felt.
"Yang…I…What are you doing?" He asked, watching as she turned away towards the cliff and stretched her wings. "Wait, no!"
She didn't say anything, because she didn't and probably didn't want to. She stepped off the edge of the cliff, beating her wings and soaring away from him, flying out into the orange, dusk-hued sky and leaving him behind.
"I'm sorry!" He screamed desperately. "Come back please! I-I'm sorry, I swear! Yang, please!"
She ignored him, or the wind caught his words. All he could do was watch through teary eyes as she flew away into the distance, staying there on his knees and sobbing as she became nothing more than a distant speck on the horizon.
"I love you too." He whispered hoarsely, closing his eyes as his salty tears spilled down his cheeks. "I really do. Please…Please don't go…"
He did. Yang was the outlier in the shambles that was his life. Sweet, friendly, innocent Ruby was actually a bloodthirsty murderer when it came to her sister. Mysterious, aloof but calm and knowledgeable Blake had turned into his betrayer and sacrificer. Weiss was hundreds of miles away and likely married to that rat bastard Nikos. His family was on another continent entirely.
He wasn't sure when, but whenever he looked at her he started to feel warm and happy. Her eyes always seemed warm and welcoming, her smile wide and pure and just so awesome to witness to make him want to do anything to see it again. Whenever she spoke he listened more attentively, even if he didn't always go along with what she said. She was like the fire she breathed, warm, comforting and reliable.
He was alone, if not for Yang, the only rock he had in the sea of chaos and blood and instability. She was all he had left now.
So when he couldn't see her anymore, he started sobbing unashamedly, heart breaking into a hundred million tiny, broken shards and a gut-wrenching pain slicing throw his body and leaving him feeling cold and shivering, as if he was trapped in a glacier.
For the first time in his life, he was truly alone, left behind by the one person he could truly trust and left forlorn and miserable at the top of a frigid, chilly mountain.
A/N:
A short and not-so sweet chapter to end the quick uploads on. Unfortunately, updates for the fic are going to drastically decrease in number over the next few months.
I'm taking a course to boost my skills/CV and there are tests for it in May and June. Because I'll be working on weekdays, studying on weekends and on weekdays after work I can't write as much as I normally could. I apologise for this, but I won't be able to keep up the current pace of chapters being uploaded on the 5th, 15th and 25th of each month.
Instead I will only be uploaded on the 15th for the next few months. If I have the time to write more, I may upload on the 25th or 5th as well, but considering the amount of work I'll have on my plate that seems unlikely. On the bright side, we're well over the halfway point in terms of how far in we are for the fic. Once I have the time to write more frequently, I think we'll be nearing the end point.
Thank you all for your patience, and I apologise once again for messing you guys and gals around.