If anyone is here due to a false update, I apologize as I noticed a mistake I made that was bugging the hell out of me and corrected it.


Welp, here we are, once again into the breach. I did not expect the glowing reviews of the One-Shot or the clamoring of more but I will admit I like the ideas I'm rolling out and I do enjoy Emiya Alter as a character and what could be done with him in a good story. Admittedly it is more of an Emiya Alter Lily but still. I will give some info on how this series will go after you read through part two and hopefully, it will interest you. Anyway, I hope this is just as good if not better than the first in the eyes of those who consume it.

-OtherwiseR00K


-Two Weeks Later-


Evernight Castle was a large crystalline spire smack dab in the middle of the once domain of the God of Darkness, now it is the Grimm Witch Salem's domain. The castle wasn't made like most and instead carved out of the huge crystalline structure that grew within the God of Darknesses previous domain.

Now Salem stood in her throne room off to the side of said throne, looking out the window and gazing at the Grimm-infested land. She wasn't alone, however, which wasn't usually the case anyway but she had sent all her knights and servants out of the room but the four others who she told to stay.

The closest two were a member of her inner circle, Hazel Reinhart, and a lower brother of the cult, Tyrian Callows. One stood stoically, waiting for her to speak while the other was bowing on the floor and shaking. She could understand why, she was the head of his belief and there was a very good chance in his mind that she would kill him.

She wasn't sure if she would, it would depend on the continuation of their report.

"The Silver-Eyed Warrior," her smooth low voice began, "was said to be dead."

She turned to look at the two, Hazel stood tall ready for whatever she would say, Tyrian was shaking like a leaf but did not look up to her. She supposed he was ashamed of himself and averted his eyes as he believed he didn't have a right to look upon her.

"Why is it that this has been proven false? Speak, Hazel."

"Yes, ma'am," Hazel spoke, his voice deep and baritone, "Tyrian and myself arrived in Vale as you commanded. We encountered the woman and attacked her, It was arduous admittedly but she couldn't deal with both of us and eventually, Tyrian used his semblance and slashed at her eyes making her fall backward down a hill, he did take a pot shot at her as she fell but I wasn't sure what he hit. I believed that she would die as the area was pretty far from Vale so I decided it was best to leave."

Salem stared at Hazel as she thought. It made sense, an aura-less woman with slashed eyes and a beaten body falling down a hill into an isolated part of the woods, you'd most likely find the woman dead by morning.

"But someone did find her," Salem says pointedly, cutting directly to the point. Tyrian flinches as if struck by the very words but otherwise stays bowed.

"Yes, I had miscalculated," Hazel admits rather easily. Something she had come to appreciate about the large man. He didn't let his ego speak for him.

Salem's attention went to one of the other people in the room. A lanky man with tanned skin and short black with a fantastic, in his own 'humble' opinion, with a black and gold coat and with a burgundy waistcoat over a yellow shirt and loose tie.

"Arthur," Salem said, getting the man's attention, "When you tapped into the hospital network did it tell you the Silver-Eyed Warrior's condition? Specifically her eyes."

Arthur hummed and brought his hand out, his rings glowing blue before a screen projected out, "Fractured and broken ribs, severe lacerations, a deep gash in her arm believed to have been a branch from her little…tumble and a deep gash which cut into her eyes rendering them utterly useless." Arthur recounted these with a sense of levity.

Through it all the fourth person looked on in interest. A girl with silky black hair and amber eyes dressed in a white robe with a red sash across her waist.

"Is there any chance of her recovering? If she were to become an active huntress once more it'd still keep a piece on the board, even if it's no longer a knight piece."

"Hmph, she may be capable of doing field work again but even with prosthetics she'd never be capable of what she once could. Even the most advanced optics of Atlas have their issues, the top-of-the-line models can't even replicate color but that has more to do with the connection to the brain than anything else."

Salem nodded at the information and then looked to Hazel and Tyrian again, "Tyrian Callows, please raise your head," hesitantly the scorpion faunus looked up into Salem's red eyes, "You may have failed to kill the woman, however, you have succeeded in crippling Ozma's best piece against the Grimm. You have done well but in the future do try to finish the target."

"O-of course my Mistress!" A mad glee had arisen in the follower's eye, "In fact, I'll personally see to it that my previous mission is fulfilled! I'll head to Vale and tear out the vile woman's heart!"

Salem smiled, "As entertaining as that would be it is better that we not do that. Ozma will be on guard, far more than in the last few years. Time and peace have dulled Ozma's sense of danger and while this will make him weary he won't be prepared for what will happen within the next decade."

Salem noted the hint of disappointment on Tyrian's face which turned into a small pout. It seemed he was no longer worried about having disappointed her.

"But not to worry, Tyrian, I do have a need for you within Vacuo. It seems our chapter there has been having…dissent within the follower's ranks I'd like you and a few knights to head over and deal with it." And like that, the mad faunus jumped up with a gleeful smile.

"Yes, Mistress! I will vanquish their doubts of your greatness and purge any heretics within our midst!" Tyrian bolted from the room with religious zeal.

Salem smiled. Tyrian was probably her most devout follower rivaling even the oldest of her flock. It helped that he was a delusional psychotic and just a generally disturbed young man. The Mantel Chapter had done a fine job with his recruitment.

"Hazel, you may leave but never let this happen again. Just as I told Tyrian learn from this and always finish the job." Hazel nodded and left without another word.

Now that both the Tyrian and Hazel problem was situated, Salem directed her attention to Arthur and Cinder.

"Arthur, how goes the search for the Maidens for young Cinder?" At Salem's inquiry, Cinder perked up while Arthur frowned.

"Unfortunately, it's not going as well as I'd hoped," Arthur began, "I believed I had a trail on the Summer Maiden but she disappeared in the Vacuo wastes, I'm sure you know how treacherous the wastes are so I've abandoned my search for that one. I'm aware of the Winter Maiden's location but she's quite literally behind an army of Huntsman, Huntresses, and well-trained soldiers. The Spring Maiden disappeared from Mistral and I'm unsure if even Ozpin knows where she went."

Salem could feel the frustration from Arthur's tone and she could understand, if there was one thing Salem could still compliment her old husband on it was his capability of keeping the Maidens out of public records and the public eye. It frustrated her that he could keep them out of her hands as well but that doesn't mean he hasn't failed to do so before. The previous Winter Maiden was a lamb in her flock after all. It truly was a shame she was run through by Ozma in his time as the King of Vale.

"The Fall Maiden, however, is probably our best target," Arthur said, his mouth finally curling into a smirk instead of the frown he had, "From what I was able to find before it was struck from the network the Fall Maiden was found a few months back. She's a teenager and most likely confined to Beacon so for now is also out of our reach."

Cinder looked frustrated by the turn of events and voiced her thoughts, "Why is it taking so long to get one for me?"

Arthur looked to the girl, "Because, unlike most operators from this castle, I am the only one who is even familiar with the technology of this degree. It also wouldn't matter if I found one for you within the week as you are not ready for the battle to accomplish your destiny."

Cinder scowled and opened her mouth to speak but Salem wasn't having it.

"Bickering with each other is pointless," Salem said, her voice cutting off any further argument, "Arthur, you have done a fine job on tracking the Maidens and I will look into getting some assistance on more technical problems," Arthur nodded, "and Cinder, head to the training hall for your instructions."

Cinder obediently nodded and left through the same door Hazel and Tyrian had gone through.

Only Arthur and Salem remained in the throne room, "Mistress, do you wish for me to find the person who found the Silver-Eyed Warrior."

Salem looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, "No, they are not important. We have far more important plans to accomplish than killing a random samaritan."


-A Few Days Later-


A corpse was nothing new to Emiya, in any fashion. He came across them on his travels, and his crusades, he even made corpses out of the men and women who stood in his way. That being said it'd been a long time since he'd found one that wasn't of his own doing. Especially with their arms and legs strapped to a table and chest carved open with their heart lying within their own hand.

Passing through the streets of Vale he'd gotten a whiff of a blood smell coming from the building next to him. He'd promptly lept up the fire escape until the smell became stronger and he'd discovered the body within an unkempt apartment.

Maybe this was his chance to actually start something in this world. For weeks he'd been wandering Vale, with no clue as to the plan of his new goal. He was lost, drifting through the streets of this place until something happened.

Emiya wasn't positive but maybe this was the beginning of something for him. To fulfill the promise he made his first night here.

His molten gold eyes stared down at the corpse placed on the coffee table that most likely belonged to this man. His eyes caught a plate that was discarded onto the floor along with the silverware and half-eaten food.

A knife was amongst them as well.

A glance and a copy of the knife found itself in his inner world. Its history was now laid out for him, but he was only interested in the owner now dead on the floor.

The victim's name was Gale Blugent; severe anxiety issues so he worked from home on the Vale CCT network. Thirty-two years old and a talented programmer. Was eating nearly twelve hours before. Put down the knife to answer the door.

And that was it, he could put everything else together.

The victim was eating dinner around 7:28 PM last night.

He glanced at the body and then to the TV which was paused with a lack of user activity warning on it.

A knock at the door made the victim stand and walk over to answer. He opened the door and the assailant broke the chain lock.

He was crouched down holding the broken chain in his hand and looking at the now-closed door.

The victim is subdued and then has their chest carved open, suggesting this was ritualistic in nature.

'Ritualistic'. The same word that drew him into investigating the Sex Cult…he shook his head. This wasn't the same, the victim of the cult was drained of her sexual fluids and found shriveled as if the life force within her was taken.

His body shuddered in disgust at the memory, and where that memory took him to-

BANG

A monk fell dead as the bullet dug itself into the monk's head. Another rushed him with a knife attempting to stab him.

Clang!

Slash

He deflected the monk's knife and slashed Bakuya through their neck-

He breathed in gathering his thoughts, and the feelings from his leaking heart, and exhaled temporarily patching the leak and allowing himself to steel his mind for the current objective. His emotions were interfering, and while it wasn't a permanent fix he didn't need it to be.

Didn't want it to be.

He just needed to focus.

A large hole in the victim's chest suggests they used a serrated knife or saw to get to his heart. The ribcage is also cut but there's something else…

He looked closer at the hole, the smell being ignored, and caught a small glimpse of something where the heart should be. The attackers had replaced the man's heart with an object of some kind. He focused his senses on it but couldn't sense anything untoward. He reached for the object, his hand squeezing past the blood and viscera. His fingers wrapped around the object and pulled it from its resting spot.

It was a stone.

The stone was covered in blood, some of it still dripping from his hand as he held it. He noticed a depression on the stone, most likely a carving of some kind but with it covered in blood he couldn't get a good look at it.

Emiya glanced at the kitchenette and sink between the oven and cabinets. He walked over, the stone dripping blood as he went along leaving a crimson trail. He turned a handle on the sink and the faucet streamed water into the drain.

Placing the stone beneath the running water, he watched as crimson dyed the clear water before streaming under his gloved hand and pouring into the ceramic sink. He idly wiped the stone with his thumb as the blood flowed off under the water's cleansing wave.

Enough blood came off for Emiya to see the stone in his hand and he immediately noticed the sickly purple coloring and then the blood-red marking, a symbol. An eye within a circle similar to a compass rose. North, South, East, but the West looked as if it split off from the group. Now that he got a look at it he could tell it was an emblem of something. What, was the question?

He fingered the grooves, trying to think if he'd seen something like this while walking around.

That was the wrong thing to do suddenly the emblem pulsed and a small wave of magic emanated from the stone just as a red mist spewed from it.

Acting on complete instinct, he traced Rule Breaker and slashed at the stone. It chinked off the rock barely leaving a scratch but it didn't need to be a physical cut. It just cut through the magic within the stone.

The effect was immediate, just not completely what he expected. The mist dissipated immediately and the stone stopped glowing but he didn't expect the feeling of the magic inside the rock to leave.

As in it was it was taking an express route out of the apartment and leaving a slight trail.

Emiya didn't think, didn't need to. He had to find where that trail was going. Dismissing Rule Breaker, readjusting the case on his back, and reinforcing his legs, Emiya sprinted across the room and smashed through the window. He ignored the sun now on him and the screams of passersby seeing him fall.

The moment he landed on the street he took off into a sprint after the dwindling trail. He wouldn't lose it.


-Twelve Minutes Later-


"So, how goes your investigation into our mystery savior?" Ozpin asks as he pours a cup of, well...Qrow didn't know. He'd always assumed it was coffee but recently, relatively speaking, he's gotten to know Ozpin a lot better than when he was a student.

Learning of Salem's existence and Ozpin's immortal savior of Remnant status changed his views on the headmaster. For all he knows, Ozpin could be knocking back some kind of concoction that keeps him sane.

"Nothin', diddly squat on that front," Qrow admitted.

It'd been a few weeks since Summer was injured and it'd been an eventful few weeks. Ruby and Yang were glued to the woman's side after seeing her eyes covered by the white band she wore until the operation for her Atlas model eyes.

Taiyang hadn't been much better but understood he couldn't be too suffocating. Summer was a strong woman and loved her family but sometimes she liked having space, so between Ruby and Yang she didn't need Tai breathing down her neck.

On the topic of Summer, she was doing well. She'd been nervous about the girl's reaction to her eyes being gone but thankfully they hadn't pressed it and were simply worried. She had been using a walking stick to feel her way around the house but even without eyes, she could still navigate the house pretty well.

Qrow decided he wasn't gonna leave Vale for a while and had asked Ozpin to allow that. He was somewhat surprised when Ozpin was perfectly fine with that. Apparently, Ozpin needed him in the city to track down and keep an eye on, the guy who saved Summer.

Qrow was confused at first but didn't object, he'd wanted to hunt the guy down as well if nothing more than thank him over a round of drinks at the Crow Bar. He'd found the guy pretty easily, and while he didn't look that interesting, besides the snow-white hair that'd give the impression of him being a Schnee, there was something odd about the guy.

For one, he didn't go anywhere. Qrow had followed him for a few weeks and every time he's found the guy, he's just wandering around. Like he was lost.

"Nothing? Truly?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah, took a discrete photo while he was passing through a crowd of tourists snapping their scrolls at every little thing, though I gotta say, the way he's just been wandering reminds me of someone who's lost. Anyway, I ran it through the CCT network and couldn't get a ping. The guy doesn't exist. "

Ozpin looked troubled at that. Qrow didn't know why though. The guy could've been from an unmarked settlement, similar to Qrow and his sister…Raven. He goes to take a sip from his flask.

"He didn't notice you, perchance?"

Qrow nearly choked on his whiskey. Ozpin seemed to notice and raised an eyebrow, obviously wanting to hear what had happened.

Qrow sighed while twisting the cap back onto his flask, "I'm not sure if he spotted me. It was the other day, was just following him as typical and then he just stopped. I wasn't sure why he stopped so abruptly, then he turned and looked directly at me. Scared the shit outta me, it's why I've been taking a break from tracking and just trying to get any more info from the CCT. Don't know if he actually knew or something else but I wasn't gonna risk getting a stone for my troubles."

"So he quite likely noticed you. How?"

"Hell if I know, Ozpin. I didn't even think anyone besides one of the Queen's followers could notice me."

Ozpin nodded looking thoughtful.

Ozpin wondered if the man did see Qrow and what that meant, the sword only gave Ozpin small suspicions of the man's nature but those suspicions continued gnawing at him. In hindsight, he should have tried to keep the man within the lobby and pick his brain.

He didn't have that chance now.

Before any more words could be said though, Ozpin's scroll rang. Raising a brow he opened the scroll and saw Glynda's icon pulsing as the scroll buzzed in his hand. What could she want?

Ozpin pressed the answer icon, "Hello, Glynda, is there something you need?"

"No, sir, it is just I think I found the man you and Mr. Branwen were looking for. You may want to turn on the news." Glynda replied, her voice curt through the speaker.

Qrow looked at Ozpin as he did exactly as the deputy headmaster had said. A few scrolls and clicks later a newsreel with the headline "MURDER AT SUMMERCREST APARTMENTS" was displayed in bold white lettering on the typical red banner.

"This just in," A lady in a purple dress shirt with white hair began, "A body has been found mere minutes after police received a call of a man jumping from the third story of the Summercrest apartment building on Blooming Road. Reports are also coming in on a photo already circulating the CCT forums which seems to depict the perpetrator running from the scene."

Ozpin and Qrow stared at the holographic screen as a blurry image of the same man they were looking into running into the streets.

"Well," Ozpin began, his eyes slightly widened, "I didn't expect that."


-Forty-Five Minutes Later-


Ozpin strode out of the elevator and into a police-swarmed hallway. The Vale Police Department had done a good job of getting the apartment under control and sealing it off. It may not have been needed by many of the people outside but Ozpin had been informed of a certain fact the normal populace wasn't aware of.

The Church of the Grimm Goddess.

Ozpin and Qrow had been contacted on the way over by the Chief of Police informing them of the true severity of the murder. The true question was whether Salem had a hand in this or if it was simply a lower sect showing their devotion to their goddess.

Either way, it needed to be handled with far more care than usual, and the media needed to be kept out.

Qrow came through the stairwell doors a moment later, his eyes narrow and lips curled into a frown. Ozpin had noticed the way Qrow's mood had plummeted when the news of his mark being spotted running from a murder scene but it seemed to freefall after hearing of the involvement of the church.

Ozpin would admit to having an idea as to why but he'd need to address it later, after they checked out the body and scene.

The two huntsmen were soon greeted by a detective who both easily recognized, "Hello, Branwen, Ozpin."

"It's good to see you, Detective Redgrave, I only wish it was with better circumstances." Ozpin greeted, Qrow grunted and looked off at the door.

"We're of similar minds, Oz," Redgrave responded. Adam Redgrave was a veteran detective in the Vale Police Department, with over two hundred cases under his belt. Ozpin had come to trust the man after an incident with the Church of the Grimm Goddess forced him to reveal some details to the Detective.

Redgrave had thrown himself into the Grimm Goddess cases and had helped Ozpin keep Vale relatively cult-free. Unfortunately, a few sects had slipped into the Kingdom over the years but fewer and fewer tried thanks to Redgrave's efforts.

Recently it'd come to Ozpin's attention that Redgrave was due for a promotion to Lieutenant, Ozpin hoped Redgrave would become the Chief of the VPD one day so he knew Vale would be in safe hands should he somehow be killed in the future.

But that was farther in the future, he was getting ahead of himself.

"You kept everyone out of the apartment, yes?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah, the forensics guys have been chomping at the bit but they've listened to my standing order."

"Who checked the body, and confirmed it?" Qrow asked, his eyes not leaving the door.

"An officer, the first officer on the scene actually. He's a rookie so I've gotta give credit for actually recognizing the signs of the cult," Redgrave admitted.

"Hmm, well not to worry, we'll deal with any surprises left behind and then you and your forensics can go over the scene." Ozpin looked at Qrow and tapped the Long Memory on the wooden floor twice.

Qrow looked over and saw the look in Ozpin's eyes and backed up from the door, allowing Ozpin to get to the door. He grabs the knob and closes his eyes, his aura pulses green as he uses his own magic to search for a source within the room.

It pulses around the room, bouncing off walls, objects, and anything within. It's a moment of nothing and continues to be nothing. There is no magic within the room.

Ozpin allows the pulse to fade and twists the knob, entering the apartment, and is immediately assaulted by the stench. He is only affected for a moment, barely enough time to see a reaction from Ozpin before he strolls into the apartment.

Qrow is next but is noticeably affected, his nose scrunching up and he pulls out a red bandana that he ties around the bottom of his face. It doesn't help much but just enough to keep him focused. Red and brown eyes scan the apartment and both zero in on the body strapped to the coffee table.

Ozpin gets closer and examines the body, he doesn't touch it or get very close though. A cursory glance at certain parts of the body tells him the story anyway. He backs up from the body and somewhat relaxes.

This wasn't from Salem directly.

"The Queen didn't order a sacrifice," Ozpin said, Qrow next to him nodded and looked down to the floor. His eyes noticed something.

"Ozpin," Qrow said, getting the man's attention, "There's a blood trail."

Sure enough a long trail of crimson lead from the body and to the kitchenette. Both Huntsman followed it, making sure not to step in the trail, and came to a very bloody sink. The ceramic was stained with blood.

A draft of air disturbed the two Huntsman and both turned to see the broken window, the one that was reportedly used by their mystery savior. Though it wasn't the window itself that caught their attention, no, it was the object lying beneath the window.

A purple stone.

If one looked at it and didn't know what it was they'd just think it was some rock but to Ozpin and Qrow it was something far more important. Stones like these had killed many people unsuspecting of them.

The stone itself wasn't the true cause though, it was the crystals that grew through them. The crystals of the God of Darkness were toxic up close, especially if they were allowed to burn. The gas would kill anything besides the Grimm, only Ozpin had ever gone through it but he was a special case as the host it happened to had died.

The rock was comparable to an old Mantel gas mine. There was a reason they were banned in the Kingdoms.

Ozpin slowly approached the stone, its purple visage making both men very cautious. Ozpin let a small pulse of magic surge toward the rock and…nothing. Ozpin, foregoing his cautious gait, walked over to the stone and grabbed it.

Qrow looked pale as Ozpin examined the rock, "It's alright Qrow, the stone is inert."

A weight lifted off Qrow as he sighed, "Well, how about you tell me that before grabbing a death rock."

Ozpin smiled, the tension of their discovery now dissipating. Ozpin continued examining the stone, the Queen's sigil engraved on its side made Ozpin wonder what had made the stone inert. More importantly, was the how?

Only he and the Maidens could sever Salem's magic.

It seemed Qrow remembered this detail as his eyes narrowed, "Ozpin, I thought only you and the Maidens could deal with the stones."

"That is correct," Ozpin admitted, his eyes still on the stone.

"Then how?"

"That is a question I too am wondering the answer to. Though I believe it may have to do with our mystery savior." This was the proof Ozpin wanted. It changed the game, completely, another player had joined the game between him and Salem.

A Wildcard had entered the fray with their own deck. Another Magic user had arisen.

If Ozpin could get this man's help, he could beat Salem back to her domain. Force her to stay there as he dismantles her cult. Plan outlines were formed in his mind as the excitement grew, a new variable that could decimate the Queen.

But questions had also arisen with the variable, the most important one being how? How did this come to be? Was this other magic user like him and Salem? Was he born during their time? Questions danced through the old wizard's mind but no answers would be found without the man who caused them to appear.

"We need to find him, Qrow," Ozpin said.

"Yeah," Qrow seemed of the same mind as Ozpin. Whether he'd also worked out the same belief as Ozpin was unclear but he was sure Qrow was wising up to it.

"He couldn't have gotten too far from here, Qrow I need you to-"

Ozpin was interrupted by the door to the apartment being opened and Redgrave entered, he glanced at the body and frowned before looking toward the two, "Ozpin, Mr. Branwen, there have been reports of a fight happening in the Industrial District."

"Why would that concern us?" Qrow asked, confused, "We got a problem alre-"

Redgrave pulled out his scroll and opened it, "Because of this."

On the scroll was a photo of a warehouse in the Industrial District. In the photo was also a body, a body robed in the typical Church of the Grimm Goddess uniform, and they were bisected from their torso which sat a few feet away from the torso.

"This came in with the report, one of our officers is on the scene and staying outside," Redgrave said, "This is related I'm certain."

Qrow and Ozpin glanced at each other. It seemed their guy had found the people responsible for this murder.


-Twenty Two Minutes Prior-


Why…

Velvet sobbed through the cloth tied around her mouth. Her muffled sobs were rather justified as she was currently being dragged by monsters in white robes after being shoved into a chest similar to the one at the foot of her bed containing her toys.

These things had hurt her, hurt her mother while she tried to protect Velvet. They'd done something to Velvet's mom but she hadn't seen it, she only saw the aftermath. All that red around her as the monsters took Velvet from the house.

Mommy

She didn't recognize where they had taken her, it was dark and she could feel the cold concrete scratch her heels as she was dragged past more monsters. They all wore the same thing, some held spears while most held a book and chanted in a language Velvet couldn't have recognized.

Candles lit the path they had dragged her from, all dark hoods facing her. Not even her natural night vision could make out the features beneath the hoods. It made it far worse for her mind, imagining a grotesque monster under each hood.

Please…

The monsters continued dragging her until she began going up, she was roughly dragged up a small line of steps to a larger stage in the middle of the warehouse, Velvet could also notice a low purple glow coming from behind her. She whimpered as they lifted her fully, placed her on a table, and strapped her arms and legs to it. She got a look at the source of the glow and was momentarily awed by the large purple crystal before reality sat back in.

Another monster stood in front of the crystal, their form shadowed by the dimness of the warehouse and the light emanating from the crystal. They turned around and the monsters chanting quieted, as if this monster was the most important thing and they wanted to listen.

It came toward Velvet, the girl whimpered as she could finally make out one of the monsters' faces. It was a woman. A woman with black veins crisscrossing her face while her right eye looked sunken with a black coating over it. Her other eye, though, was piercing red with black sclera.

She didn't do anything but glance at Velvet but those eyes terrified the girl.

"Brothers and sisters," the woman spoke, her voice was raspy but could be clearly heard and was filled with reverence, "today we gather in honor of our goddess."

"FOR THE GODDESS WE LIVE!" the crowd chanted.

"Our beautiful and noble goddess has always provided for us but the others outside refuse to acknowledge her! The vile creature Ozma tore her from her rightful place in this world and banished her from it!"

"FOR OUR GODDESS WE FIGHT!"

"But in the future? You are her acolytes and I, her humble voice in this chapter, guide us in her name!"

"IN HER NAME!"

"For we are the beginning of a larger plan! The black waters below shall rise and flood the kingdom! Her holy cleansing shall wipe the slate and allow her glory to reign upon Remnant once more! But we must be the stepping stone for others, even if it takes years, this shall be our start! Our goddess shall bestow upon us a position within her kingdom after the floods and we will be her warriors! We will fight and purge the heretics!"

"FOR OUR GODDESS WE PURGE!"

"For the Grimm Goddess, Salem."

"SALEM! SALEM! SALEM!" the crowd chants, deafening Velvet with her sensitive hearing.

A small wave from the woman and the crowd quiets once more but the zeal hovers above them. The woman turns her eyes to Velvet, still strapped down, and tears flowing from her eyes.

"Do not worry child," the woman caresses Velvet's cheek with her hand, Velvet whimpers more on contact with the cold appendage, "You are part of something far larger than yourself. Your sacrifice shall be the start of our work within Vale and you shall have a place within her kingdom."

The woman brandishes a jagged dagger with a silver coating and red gem at its pommel. Velvet sees the knife and her eyes widen, she desperately begins thrashing against the binds but to no avail.

"Shhhh, your life will not end here, no, instead it will begin," the woman raises the knife above the young girl and chants once again in that language she couldn't understand. She cries to her mother, the world the universe in that moment.

PLEASE SAVE ME!

…and something answered.

A crash interrupts the sermon as the sound of shattering glass rains down at the back of the crowd of monsters. Velvet's head snaps in the same direction as the monsters looking to see what made the commotion as well.

A dark figure had landed in a crouch, the sun streamed down upon them making it easier to make out a few features even from the distance. A black overcoat with a hood covering his head, a red scarf streamed down the neck to their chest, and a case strapped across his back. His eyes were the most striking, however.

A golden gaze that froze the white-robed monsters in their tracks.

The man whispered something, a phrase that Velvet could barely hear even with her ears, "Trace on."

She couldn't take it. The entire experience had taken so much out of the poor girl. No one could blame her for fainting at the moment she knew she'd be saved. The very last thing she saw was a pair of white and black swords before it all went black.


-Twenty-Six Minutes Later-


All he could do was stare. Stare at the girl with wavy brown hair and rabbit ears as she lay on the table, unconscious, most likely mentally scared but physically unharmed. He didn't care for the corpses behind him or the one nailed to the stage behind the table as all he could do was stare.

How long had it been? Years? Weeks? A Decade?

How long had it been since he, Shirou Emiya had saved someone? Not a byproduct of his 'crusade' but a single person. He didn't know. He just knew it'd been a very long time since he'd done so.

Where had it gone so wrong?

Was it when he'd chosen this path? His apathy at Rin killing her own sister, Sakura for the safety of Fuyuki? His killing of Rin after her Archer faded away because he'd been killed by Berserker? Illya's death by his own hand?

No, he knew exactly where it began.

His final conversation with Illya before it all went wrong. He'd stuck to his ideals and been compared to his father, Kiritsugu. Now that he actually thought about it and knew of Kiritsugu's past and his deeds…Shirou felt that he was worse than his father.

Kiritsugu Emiya wouldn't have murdered his love.

Kiritsugu Emiya wouldn't have murdered his allies.

Kiritsugu Emiya wouldn't have murdered Taiga.

Shirou Emiya had done those things.

Shirou Emiya murdered Sakura Matou by doing nothing to stop it.

Shirou Emiya murdered Rin Tohsaka and Illya Von Einzburn.

Shirou Emiya murdered Taiga Fujimura.

Emiya's mind of steel had led him down to ruin. Emiya only realized it too late.

But, perhaps, redemption was possible? Was it? Could someone like Shirou Emiya be redeemed? Maybe. That was all he wanted, to be forgiven for his path. He knew it wouldn't be from the ones he killed, they were all gone. But maybe, he could forgive himself.

Shirou looked down at the young girl on the table and idly brushed the hair out of her face. She looked peaceful as if she knew she was safe. Did she really believe that? He didn't know. Saving her was the beginning, it would be the start of his path to redemption. To what Shirou Emiya was meant to be. He would not be guided by his mind of steel, he would allow his heart of glass to do so but use the steel to push forward.

He breathed out and allowed the steel to push him forward.

Shirou looked up from the girl to the purple crystal pulsing with magical energy. It was foreign tobut he could just tell, it was the same with the rock, though now he could actually feel it. He didn't recognize it, didn't know what it was meant to do nor what it could've done to him if he didn't trace Rule Breaker. But he could infer what it was meant for.

He looked back at the bodies of the cultists and scowled. They would have killed her for a ritual that he had no context for, no idea what it was meant to achieve. He didn't need to though because he'd stopped it in its tracks.

The mist would've killed him, he was sure of it. The crystal felt like the stone so there was only one path for him to take. He must destroy the crystal.

Shirou moved around the table, ignoring the corpse behind it, and walked up to the crystal. He didn't dare touch it but now that he was inches away from it he could feel the death. The death that this crystal held within it.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a strip of cloth he'd cut from one of the cultists he'd killed. A shoulder patch with the same symbol that was engraved on the rock. It didn't tell him who ran the cult or where they were truly based but it would be enough for now.

At that moment he knew what his goal was in this world.

Shirou Emiya would destroy this cult.

Crash!


-On The Other Side Of The Door-


Qrow had busted through the door with Harbinger at the ready, Ozpin directly behind him with the Long Memory just as ready. Both didn't know what they'd find at the warehouse but both Qrow and Ozpin hadn't wasted any time either having rushed to the scene as quickly as they could considering they were halfway across Vale.

Both stop when they notice the carnage in front of them. Bodies lay in various states of mutilation on the floor, most simply being slashed in the throat with so much force it looked as if they were halfway decapitated. Others had a single slash upon their chest in various ways, vertical, diagonal, from the shoulder to hip, and from the chest to stomach. Various.

Qrow grimaced at the sight, even with four years of being Ozpin's main field operative the sight of a massacre still made him uneasy. He supposed it was good he was feeling something, it made him remember he still cared at the end of the day. Unlike someone who could look at one while feeling nothing at all.

Ozpin was different though. He frowned at the sight but was far too used to these kinds of scenes, mentally reviewing it and deciding it wasn't as bad as some of Salem's more heinous actions over his long life.

It also helped that he had no empathy for anyone within Salem's group. They all signed up for this and knew what they were doing was wrong, or they had deluded themselves into believing their 'goddess' needed these monstrous acts to happen. He didn't even want to think of the ones born into the cult.

Ozpin looked over the corpses and toward the other side of the warehouse, there he saw it.

The dark purple glow of a crystal from the domain of the God of Darkness and the dim outline of the man they were here to find, but there was another presence. That of a young girl lying on the table.

A sacrifice to Salem most likely…

Ozpin noticed Qrow had shifted his attention toward the crystal as well. They both stared at the man, who hadn't spoken though Ozpin was sure he'd noticed them. Whatever the man was doing seemed tied to the crystal behind the man.

Ozpin looked at Qrow and tilted his head behind him, Qrow got the signal and allowed Ozpin to move forward while he backed him up. While Ozpin hoped the man could be an ally he was ready for a fight if he turned out to be wrong and while he knew Qrow was one of the best Huntsman in Vale he still had room to grow.

"Who are you?" the man spoke. That same dull tone from before was like a gunshot in the warehouse.

"My name is Ozpin," Ozpin says, "We've met before, at the hospital when you brought a friend in."

"Hmph, you know what this is?"

Qrow glances at Ozpin, "Yes, it's a sign you've tangled yourself in something far bigger than you can imagine."

"I'm sure," the man droned as he continued looking at the crystal.

Ozpin glanced at the girl on the table, "Is she okay?"

The man glances back toward the girl and Ozpin gets a glimpse of the same golden eyes, though they seem softer looking at the girl, "She's unconscious but unharmed. At least mentally, I'm the last person who'd be a psychologist."

Ozpin let a small grin carve his face, so far the conversation was going well.

That smile fell when he noticed the man was getting closer to the crystal. Ozpin's mind went into overdrive, did he not know? No, he had to have made the stone inert. He should kno-WAIT!

"Wait don't!" Ozpin's words were too late as the man had already summoned a jagged knife within his hand. Ozpin froze upon feeling the weapon's presence, it was something he hadn't felt in millenia and it gave him a sense of whiplash. He also assumed the feeling had stopped Qrow in his tracks as well, it made sense considering what the small blade seemed comprised of.

Ozpin would admit to having forgotten a lot of small details when it came to the way things were run when magic was a prevalent force on Remnant. He probably forgot hundreds of rules, regulations, and even just general manners related to it. But one thing he hadn't forgotten was the way magic users were jailed.

A type of magic that was paradoxical to the concept of magic itself. It was heavily specialized, and practitioners were extremely rare, but it basically destroyed all types of magic besides itself. Normal magic users couldn't get past material warded with it and it usually lined any official cells made.

In other words, Anti-Magic.

The man's dagger came down on the crystal and all that could be seen was white and then a roar of power as Ozpin assumed, the crystal combusted. He could feel himself being thrown back but without his sight, he had no chance of stopping it so he did the next best thing.

Reinforcing his aura Ozpin grits his teeth in preparation for slamming into the warehouse wall. He didn't have to wait long as he felt himself stop harshly against the metal and as if a switch flipped his vision was back, just in time to see the upcoming floor. Without much time he twisted to his side and slammed shoulder-first into the concrete.

Ozpin pushed himself up, noting his own disorientation and pushing through it to get a clear view of what had just happened.

His first concern was Qrow, he looked toward where he most likely landed and found him pushing himself up from a faceplant. He looked a little worse for wear but overall fine.

Ozpin's second concern was the crystal, he looked over toward the stage and found it to be completely devastated, as if a dust grenade went off in the middle of it.

His third concern was the girl, he doubted the man left her so that rolled into his fourth.

Where did the man go?

Ozpin looked around, his mind connecting the dots and then he turned for the door which stood open still. Ozpin shook his head and hurried toward the door, he assumed Qrow would be fine and he couldn't lose out on this opportunity.

Coming out of the warehouse Ozpin immediately looked around, attempting to find the man or get an idea of where he went. He didn't find that, instead, he found the little girl leaning up against the wall. The man had left her behind.

Ozpin sighed muttering, "Another opportunity will come."

Ozpin walked over to the girl and crouched down, carefully wiping the hair from her face and placing two fingers on the side of her neck. He could feel the steady beat of a pulse. Slight relief contorted his face and he gingerly wrapped his arms around the girl hoisting her up into his arms. The girl unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck as he did so.

Ozpin looked back toward the warehouse to see Qrow stumble out of the warehouse, he looked toward Ozpin, and on noticing the girl his eyes widened, he made to speak but Ozpin gave him a pointed look that said, quiet.

Qrow got the message and wisely stayed quiet, instead, he looked around his eyes narrowed. Ozpin assumed he was looking for a clue as to where the Wildcard had gone but he doubted Qrow would find one.

Ozpin didn't want to insult his best tracker but he knew that Qrow finding the man originally was most likely because he was simply wandering around Vale. The way Qrow had described the man before as seemingly lost may have rang true, but now.

Ozpin looked at the girl in his arms as police sirens began nearing and the officer who stood outside rounded the corner.

He doubted the man was as lost as he was before.


And there we go, now I'd like to first say that I didn't expect to push out a behemoth after the rather modest showing of the first but I couldn't help myself and alluded to some extra bits for the future. Now onto my plan for the series, first off, this will be a slightly disconnected story. It will mostly be leadup to what I truly wish to do so it'll jump around a bit, months, years, days, the point is to expect leaps and bounds within the timeline. Now onto the juicier shit.

So, Salem has a cult, and it is about as bad as one would think, The Church of the Grimm Goddess. It wasn't originally the plan but it came to me after a mixture of watching playthroughs on Alan Wake II and Tsiah IV that Emiya dealing with a cult is what gave birth to the EMIYA Alter in FGO and completely destroyed him after killing Taiga, now he'd been going down this path for an unknown amount of time but I'll assume he'd been doing it for a decade at most. By then he'd lost himself to the Mind of Steel and Kiara just tipped him completely over. So why not give Emiya Alter Lily a nemesis as It were, another cult nearly directly after his dealings with Kiara? Its my intention to make allusions to other happenings within the cult but allow you guys to figure things out before revealing what I'm doing as I'm sure you may have noticed something in the story already, I'll reveal the hierarchy and its intricacies as the story goes.

Besides that I'm also trying to do something a little different with Ozpin and his circle, I'm sure some of you have noticed the way I wrote him and his interactions with others. Also Salem, I wrote her as a thinking villain with a clear understanding of her underlings and of the people around her, I plan to do some things with that.

Another thing I'm sure surprised you was Velvet being tossed into this with no warning at all. I have a special plan for her in the future and Team CFVY, I won't say much but they will be integral and I plan to hint at this in the future. Also, I know Emiya says Velvet is the first person he's saved in a long time, and in his mind that's true, he doesn't really consider helping Summer as saving her.

Alright to wrap things up I'm also going to put a small warning here that I don't abide by schedules, I've been making myself schedules for writing but doing so takes the fun out of it so I'm just gonna be upfront and say I ain't got a clue when the next one will be out. A week, a month, a decade, a few hours, the point is to expect it to take a while, and don't be surprised if it does.

Alright, thank you for reading and I hope I continue to get good reviews and maybe some constructive criticism in case I messed something up so I can try to fix it later and in the future. Have a good day/afternoon/night.

-OtherwiseR00K