Rated M for Mature Audiences, Ultra-violence, References to Heavy Metal Music and epic battles of ripping and tearing demons!
(RWBY)
Awakening I: The Slumbering Man
"In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood. Burned by the embers of Armageddon, his soul blistered by the fires of Hell and tainted beyond ascension, he chose the path of perpetual torment. In his ravenous hatred he found no peace; and with boiling blood he scoured the Umbral Plains seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him. He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him... the Doom Slayer."
- Slayer's Testament I
(RWBY)
Art Courtesy by - JetXPegasus
In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows initially grew longer, there stood a man. Having been scorched by the remnants of Armageddon, he had his soul blistered by the infernal fires of Hell and tainted beyond any hope of redemption. Despite this, he made the conscious decision to embark on a path of perpetual torment. In his insatiable hatred, he found no solace; and with his blood boiling, he scoured the Umbral Plains relentlessly, seeking retribution against the malevolent lords who had wronged them.
They bore witness to countless worlds and realms succumbing to the clutches of these putrid beings, and with their fury unleashed, they waged a holy war against the corrupted souls of the damned. They were unyielding, unbreakable, and incorruptible. Through the sheer might of their wrathful fists, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the nine circles of Hell fell without end, and the blood of the wicked was splattered upon their mind, their body, and their soul.
He triumphed through the passage that preys upon the weak, and impervious in his relentless attack, he traversed between worlds and across time, rescuing countless worlds from unholy annihilation. Despite his name and influence spreading throughout the multiverse like never before, he remained unaware of the extent of his reach, focused solely on banishing all remaining unbroken demons to the void.
He sought retribution in every realm, be it dark or light, fire or ice, at the beginning or the end. Yet, amidst the birth and demise of stars, he discerned the falsehoods and treachery of the Ancient Ones. He struck down all who concealed the truth, meted out punishment to the gods, and shattered the essence of the Father.
Determined to end the eternal war, he stole the essence of the Dark Lord and took it to the False Beginning. He watched, hateful in his gait as the Luminarium resurrected the First, and thus set forth the Beginning of the End. Evil followed the abysmal shadows, and the Dark Lord roused Immora, the Armies of Armageddon standing to challenge all of Creation.
However, the treacherous shade stretched on indefinitely, he stood among them unfettered.
He traversed between worlds and rallied the armies of Argenta, thus commencing the Final War. With determination, he charged through the dust and the realm of death, tearing down the immortal gates of Immora, leaving destruction in his wake. He rampaged towards the heart of the Origin, where the Ancient Gods patiently awaited, and there he issued a challenge to the First; thus began the Final Battle, the End of the End.
Doom Slayer and the Dark Lord Davoth encountered one another, causing the multiverse to tremble as the immense power of the Primevals was unleashed, sweeping across time and space with devastating force. The strength of their opposing wills propelled them through dimensions, spanning the past, present, and future. Blow after blow, exchanging blood for blood, their battle gradually revealed the truth of the Ultimate Betrayal. It became evident that the Dark Lord was the True Creator, and the Father was nothing more than a usurper.
However, despite the circumstances, the armored warrior remained completely composed. The intense battle continued without any signs of abating, and the ultimate clash between two equally powerful forces unfolded. Nevertheless, the time for the decisive outcome of the entire existence drew near. One power triumphed over the other, and as the tremors of war subsided and the flames of disorder were extinguished, he stood at the pinnacle, possessing unrivaled might, unyielding, and invulnerable.
Upon the Ingmore Sanctum of the once revered Jekkad, the two adversaries stood facing each other, the atmosphere tranquil, the battle concluded. The life force, the very essence of Creation itself, flowed from the Dark Lord in an unprecedented manner as he wearily lowered himself to one knee, his body battered and exhausted, his armor in disarray. His ancient hand tightly grasped his sword of universal annihilation, yet there was an undeniable sense of acceptance in his demeanor.
Opposite the Dark Lord, the Destroyer stood, his fists clenched but his composure unbroken, a tempestuous storm of vengeance brewing in his eyes as he glared hatefully at the source of his suffering. The mightiest being, the one who had defied death and ascended from the dust to the cosmos, the Doom Slayer peered through the frigid visor of his impenetrable armor, known as the Praetor Suit, with a serene and righteous fury, the countless ages of torment he had endured flashing through his mind in an instant.
Everything he had lost, everything he had done to get to this point, every last demon he had torn to veritable shreds with his bare hands, every last god he had turned to pools of blood by his will, everything he had sacrificed...everything that he had loved. It all came down to this.
This was it.
All or never.
Slowly, gradually, his gauntlet hands reached for his helmet, gripping the sides of his headgear, and giving it a twist. A slight hiss blew to the side as the pressure seal was broken, and extricated his helmet from his protective covering. For the first time in eons, he flashed his scarred visage to another physical being. One that he despised deeply. He dropped the accessory by the soles of his boots.
He stalked forward.
The Dark Lord breathed heavily, his will to keep fighting siphoned away from the overwhelming strength of his opponent. He raised his weapon, but quickly realized it was deadweight, useless in his hand for what was slowly approaching; for what was inevitable.
"Tell me," he spoke, blood eyes glaring deep into his adversary's. He tossed his mighty sword to the side. "Have you nothing to say to your creator... before you strike him down?"
The Doom Slayer glared back, a scowl forming to his scarred face, lips warped by hatred. He bared his teeth one last time, the arm-blade extending with a harsh screech. The Hell-Walker shot his arm forward and plunged the blade deep into the Dark Lord's chest. Blood and energy spilling forth, and for the first time in countless eons, the armored warrior responded.
"No."
Pulling his arm back, he ripped the blade free. The Dark Lord grunted and his body shook violently; pain flooded his body. The limitless power within him swelled. He tilted his head back and the power of Creation and Destruction raged forth from his orifices, a pillar of infinite energy shooting far into the sky, billowing out as it reached the boundaries of Hell. The Dark Lord fell back, and from his chest rose the First Soul Sphere. Cracked and unstable, it shattered in an intense eruption that spread wide waves of power and influence flowing throughout the multiverse.
In an endless number of dimensions that had been infected by the treacherous demons, the denizens of Hell crumbled. Back in the Sentinel World, man and woman alike cheered the Slayer's banner as the demons that plagued their world turned to ash. On Earth, an imp was about to pounce on a woman and an UAC soldier, but the vile creature vanished in flames. Countless other worlds saw the end of their plight as the demons were erased from the universe.
The Doom Slayer gazed up at the infernal sky, the cold fury in his heart sated for the first time. For eons he had wasted away, slaughtering every last demon he swore to erase out of existence, living for the sole purpose of tearing Hell asunder. Today, he had taken rightful vengeance against the Dark Lord himself, the ultimate source of his pain. His conquest of Jekkad, his quest for revenge was over. The rage within him settled; he felt nothing but an empty void. What was there left for him now that the True Creator, the Father of All was dead?
It is done.
It is finally over.
"..."
The Doom Slayer slowly twitched from side to side as a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over him, nausea and dizziness overwhelming his senses. His brows furrowed in bewilderment as he fell to his knees, and he gazed down at his gauntlet hands, perplexed. What was happening to him?
"By his hand, all things were made," the Maykr Father's omniscient voice reverberated throughout the Holy Ingmore Sanctum. "... Even you."
Ah, of course, the Slayer thought.
For centuries, his rage was the only thing that had kept him going. Now, without said rage, his body stopped functioning. He was an empty shell that had lost what kept him alive for so long; a husk of a human being.
In his moment of weakness, he fell over, and his world engulfed in darkness. In his last fleeting moment of consciousness, he eyed the Seraphs that stared emotionlessly down at him. One Seraph in the middle raised his hand and the long, stone lid slid over him. Darkness descended from all sides.
The blood red sigil above him, was the one thing illuminating his sarcophagus.
His eyes became heavy and finally let sleep overtake him.
"Vacation! Yay!"
Summer Rose cheered as she pumped a fist high above her head with joy. She spun her head around excitedly, letting out a squeal of delight at finally being able to go on a five day vacation after one year of slaying Grim. Watching her jumping around excitedly on the airship's steel floor were the three other teammates of Team STRQ.
Qrow Branwen sat with his arms crossed, smiling at Summer's behavior. His sister Raven Branwen sat next to him, arms crossed, rolling her eyes at her team leader's exuberance. Qrow and Summer's best friend, Taiyang Xiao, sat next to where Summer was sitting whilst also watching Summer hopping up and down with joy.
Raven sighed, "Summer, we get it. We're going on vacation. You can stop now," she replied in a flat voice.
Taiyang chuckled to himself and said, "Oh let her have this Raven. I mean, I can't even blame her. I've been needing a vacation for a long while." He looked at his team with a smile. "This whole team deserves a vacation together, you know?"
Qrow smirked at Taiyang's statement then asked, "What's wrong Tai? Got tired of teaching noisy kids back at Vale?"
Taiyang raised both his hands up in defense and denied, "Nah man, I love teaching kids. It's just... Well, my job has gotten me so exhausted lately that I haven't even had time to spend with Summer or you two like usual."
"I still don't see why I'm tagged along in this," Raven interjected, looking straight ahead towards the far wall of the airship. "Vacation is not in my wheelhouse. I prefer to be training than relaxing and having fun."
Summer pouted and said to Raven, "Aw come on Raven. We could use the chance to do something fun."
Raven shrugged indifferently and said nothing else but merely stared straight at the wall in boredom.
Qrow rolled his eyes at her response. "Don't worry about her, short-stack," he said, turning his head towards Summer. "So, what's our first to-do list once we arrive on our destination?"
Summer's team stared at her with expectant eyes. Summer smiled sheepishly and scratched her cheek, saying, "Hmmm...well, we could go sightseeing, check out the sights, maybe visit that cute cat cafe downtown..? Oh, or go on the beach! Yeah definitely the beach!"
"Ugh, the beach already," Raven moaned in disgust. "It's always the beach."
Taiyang laughed loudly at the comment from the other side of Raven. "Oh, come on Raven!" Taiyang protested. "You'll have fun too, won't you?"
"Yeah!" Summer agreed eagerly. "We can play volleyball together. Or go swimming. Oooh, or maybe we could…" Summer trailed off as she saw above Raven's head through a window, miles away a bright red light began to glow in the distance. Her smile faded when said glow was followed up with a mushroom cloud of dark smoke that covered the sky with an ominous shade of black.
Taiyang, Qrow, and Raven notice Summer's sudden change of expression and looked towards the direction Summer's gaze was pointed at. The four of them stared at the rising crimson fireball as it continued growing intensely in size until eventually, it engulfed the entire sky completely. Even the airship passengers on board turned towards the fiery pillar and gasped in fright seeing the fireball. The sight sent chills down every single spine.
"Oh my gosh.." One passenger whispered, covering her mouth.
"Is that an explosion?" Another passenger asked.
"What's going on?" The passenger sitting next to them asked frantically.
Another passenger pointed up at the fiery cloud.
"Look how big it is," she whispered. "There's a lot of smoke…..and there's flames!" She shuddered as the fear rose within her.
Summer watched the cloud of smoke in silence. Her face evident in a mask of concern. While also in wonderment of what could've caused such a large explosion. The fireball was so large that everyone could clearly see its outlines even from inside the aircraft. There was no doubt about it. That was indeed a large explosion that appeared out of nowhere.
The fireball stopped growing for a brief second, the cloud slowly dissipating leaving nothing behind. The smoke disappeared completely and the atmosphere calmed down. Everyone waited patiently for another minute, trying their hardest to see if the fireball would appear again. After a while, they all exhaled in relief when they heard nothing else happened.
The remaining passengers started talking amongst themselves, exchanging thoughts on what just occurred.
Raven's eyes never left where she saw the cloud earlier. Her eyes narrowed.
"What was that?" Raven asked.
Qrow shook his head.
"I have no idea." He looked at Taiyang as well. "We should be counting ourselves lucky that it wasn't anywhere near us."
Taiyang nodded agreeing with Qrow. "That's true. And, well, at least everyone's okay, right Summer?" He said, glancing at his friend who stood in front of the window, lost in deep thoughts. Summer didn't respond. The trio exchanged worried glances with each other when they saw the girl remain quiet and unmoving. "Summer?" Taiyang called out gently.
Summer started forward towards the stairs leading up, leaving Taiyang, Qrow, and Raven staring after her with a stupefied expression.
"Wait, Summer!" Taiyang called out to her teammate who continued to climb up the stairs. He hurriedly chased after her while Raven and Qrow followed close behind.
They followed Summer to the doors leading up into the airship's bridge, as she opened them up and entered the room beyond. Following behind her, they watched Summer stop close to the captain's side looking directly ahead with his hands gripping on the steering wheel.
"Hello," Summer greeted with a warm smile.
The captain looked up at her for a brief moment before returning his attention to the ship before speaking. "Oh, uh. Hello, Ms. Why are you up here?" He asked bewilderingly.
"You saw that cloud earlier?" Summer inquired.
The captain frowned and nodded. "Yep, it came out of nowhere. I don't know what it was but thank the brothers it wasn't near us," he replied. "But you need not to worry ma'am we're safe."
Though the Captain's words were lace with reassurance, Summer's worry didn't seem to have subsided. "Captain," she said seriously. "Can you land us to where that explosion originated?"
The captain snapped his head up at her. His eyes blazed with surprise and confusion. Summer's team were equally perplexed by her request.
The captain cleared his throat. "Ms. I'm not sure that's wise. I mean you saw the explosion that happened a few minutes ago." He explained.
Summer shook her head and gave him a stern look. "My team and I have had several experiences in these types of situations, Captain. We would be fine," she assured then smiled reassuringly at him. "Besides, we're huntresses afterall," she added with a laugh.
"Well…alright." He sighed, "But I'm not landing all the way over there. Just close enough where you and your team can reach it safely."
Summer nodded. Her eyes closed whilst her smile widened and a sparkle gleamed in them. "Thank you very much, Captain. And don't worry, my team and I can handle anything," she told him sincerely.
It seemed like a long walk to reach the outskirts of the recent explosion. The forest had been silent. There was a moment or two where they had frozen, thinking they had heard the wing beats of a Nevermore, but it faded as quickly as it came.
What was even more odd was that none of the animals were out. There weren't any animals scurrying about in the distance, nor any insects buzzing about or birds twittering. It was almost unnaturally quiet except for the wind blowing gently around them.
Taiyang felt uneasy with the stillness but tried to stay optimistic. Qrow and Raven kept their eyes locked on their surroundings with wary and cautious expressions. They didn't dare let their guard down. Raven scanned for phantoms everywhere, while Qrow and Taiyang maintained their vigilance on all sides. Their silhouettes were slow moving. Taiyang's head twitched to every little noise that he hears. Raven's hand gripped the hilt of omen tight as she had the tense posture of a warrior. Qrow's eyes remained trained forward, following Summer's trail.
The only person that seemed unaffected by the eerie stillness of the forest was Summer who was still in high spirits, smiling brightly. "This place seems so calm," she commented. Summer took one step after the other along with her teammates in stride as she looked around, taking everything in, enjoying everything despite the strange stillness.
"So it does, huh?" Taiyang answered in agreement. But something made him frown. Something nagged in his mind that bothered him ever since they first landed. The forest was silent. What's more, it seemed too quiet... Too empty. The birds weren't singing as loudly, and all the sounds of small woodland creatures weren't as loud either. It was unsettling. Not even the Grimm seemed present.
He glanced up into the clouds above which hung motionless, devoid of the usual flying Grimm activity that usually accompanied them. This place feels different somehow. As if it's deserted. He thought as his brow furrowed.
"We should be close now," Summer suddenly announced. "I must admit though, it's kinda strange that there aren't any sign of Grimm nearby," she remarked, puzzled. She didn't understand why the forest had gone silent but it was weird. The only four inhabitants seemed to be the four of them as they made their way past the trees, quickly approaching the clearing.
As soon as they stepped through the thicket of trees, they spotted it; a massive crater of ash surrounded by debris, dust, and burnt pieces of wood littered the area. The sky was grey and gloomy as well, threatening rain at any time. The fire had burned away nearly every last bit of vegetation in the vicinity. All that was left was blackened earth, broken trees, charred grass, and broken rocks scattered about.
"Wow," Taiyang breathed out. "Look like a bomb was dropped here." His gaze drifted to Summer who looked equally disturbed as he did.
Qrow looked around. "Guess we missed the party, guys." He mumbled sarcastically.
Raven walked around the edge of the crater, inspecting its depth carefully. Her eyes darted about, trying to pick out the faintest of tracks that could indicate that something might've happened here in the recent period of time. She couldn't make out any traces. She blinked as she noticed something sticking out from underneath a fallen branch. She knelt down and picked it up.
She held up what appeared to be a hind leg of a Beowolf. She examined it closely. The bone had a red tint around its body, indicating that this Beowolf may have died recently.
'The were Grimm here? What were they doing all the way out here?'
The question popped up in Raven's mind as she stared curiously at the limb in her hands. However, it turned into dust as soon as she touched it and disintegrated completely.
"Did you find anything Raven?" Taiyang called out. Raven rose slowly to her feet, her eyes flickered to her teammates.
"There were Grimm here. The way I see it, whoever did this already took care of them and is probably long gone," she replied.
Taiyang crossed his arms. "But why would the Grimm be here of all places? It's very rare to see Grimm around these parts," he pointed out.
Qrow stared down at the massive crater. "Who knows. Probably someone carrying a whole package of negative energy," he speculated.
"I doubt that, Qrow," Raven disagreed before glancing at her brother. "Who do you know that's carrying more negative energy than anyone else?" She asked rhetorically.
"If I knew, I would've sent you a letter that says, 'hey guys look! There's a guy who just happens to have loads of negative energy in his back pocket'," he joked. "Why don't you check his pockets instead?" He suggested suggestively.
"Shut up Qrow," Raven retorted, annoyed.
Summer's lips parted, as to say something but paused. She looked down into the crater's hole and blinked. Laying in the crater was a black stone-like sarcophagus. Summer's eyes fixed incredulously upon the object that had seemingly been sitting there. The sarcophagus rested upon the dirt, concealing whatever lay within. The front of the stone and the sides of the sarcophagus were adorned with intricate red markings.
With a sense of curiosity overpowering her, Summer carefully descended into the crater and approached the stone, unable to divert her gaze, and unheeding Taiyang's calls. Her teammates trailed behind her. Once the group drew near enough, Summer attempted to decipher the inscription on the stone with the aid of her lantern, but alas, the symbols eluded her comprehension.
"What the hell is this doing here?" Asked Qrow, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Looks like a creepy coffin." Taiyang replied, rounding around the sarcophagus.
Raven raised a brow at the tomb. None of the peculiar symbols were familiar to her. She ran her hand across the lid's surface to examine the markings, tracing her fingers across it lightly.
The markings suddenly glowed brightly with an eerie hum.
Raven blinked in surprise, prompting her to stop her actions mid-stride. Team STRQ retreated backwards as the humming began to increase in volume. They watched the markings grow a bit brighter in every passing second.
"Uh, Rae, what did you do?" Summer asked, not pulling her eyes away from the sarcophagus.
Before Raven could reply, a slight hiss blew from both sides of the sarcophagus. Indicating that the pressure seal was broken. The group tried to peer through the cracks of the casket, but the aperture only allowed a glimpse of its interior.
The glowing markings vanished.
"Okay…" Taiyang said slowly. His friends were just as bewildered as he was.
After taking a momentary break from gazing through the cracked entrance of the sarcophagus, Summer resumed her cautious trek toward the open mouth of the coffin. After another moment's pause, Summer placed both hands on the half-opened lid's sides and slowly pushed. Stone scraping against stone filled the air as she pushed the heavy lid wider apart. Said lid fell to the earth's floor with a thud. She peaked her head within the tomb.
Summer's eyes blinked with disbelief once more.
Within the confines, Summer saw the face of a man.
The man in question was unclothed, a sight that immediately caused a flush of warmth to spread from Summer's nape to her cheeks. Furthermore, he possessed an impressive height, standing at approximately seven feet tall. His long, straight hair, a shade of dark gold, gracefully framed his noble facial structure. From what Summer could discern, his physique appeared to be well-built and muscular. Delicate scars adorned his cheek, nose, and brow, adding a touch of character to his countenance. Based on his appearance, she surmised that he was in his middle years, possibly in his early thirties.
His eyes were closed, and Summer deduced that he was obviously asleep. However, what truly strikes her is the fact that the slumbering man is terrifyingly handsome. His features are sharp yet refined, his skin tanned and chiselled. There was a certain aura of dominance surrounding him. She found that he reminded her of an ancient warrior.
"Why's there a man in here?" Taiyang whispered quietly, voicing his thoughts out loud. Raven and Qrow gazed inside the tomb with curiosity, looking at the sleeping man.
Summer outstretched two of her fingers towards the side of the slumbering man's neck. She placed said fingers gently on his pulse point. A heartbeat thrummed faintly under her fingertips. Summer's breath hitched as she retracted her hand abruptly.
"Summer, what is it?" Taiyang inquired, concerned for his friend. Raven and Qrow turned their gaze towards Summer.
"He's still alive." Summer answered softly.
Raven glanced at the unconscious man before redirecting her gaze onto Summer's face.
"But that's impossible," Raven stated disbelievingly. "it usually requires three weeks to several years for a body to completely decompose into a skeleton."
"Well, from what we're looking sis, he ain't a skeleton," Qrow added, pointing at the sleeping man.
After Summer stared at the slumbering man for a few minutes, her eyes narrowed and looked at her friends over her shoulder.
"Help me pick him up."
A/N: This is a rewritten series of a crossover between Doom: Eternal and RWBY. I'll be writing the epic battles between fights as always, character interaction, etc. This will be based on the show of RWBY and the rest of the volumes when the story progresses with more published chapters.