A/N: Chapter 34 of REKT. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 34: The Past (IV)

That night...

The unsuspecting attack took the village by surprise as most of it's inhabitants were already fast asleep. The snarling and ripping of claws against flesh soon filled the air as the Beowolves ran amok through the streets. Night walkers screamed for helped before getting helplessly devoured while the others who could still run warned the others. Some of the wolves wielded torches which they threw onto the houses, watching them burn like little beacons to the ground.

"Run! Monsters are coming in!"

"Where's the Elite when he's needed?!"

"Hold them back! We must work together!" Chaos fell upon the village as the dark creatures did what they had to do and ravaged everything in their paths. Clans joined up in attempt to hold them back, using either weapons or Aura to fight. Bystanders did their best to avoid the clash between both creatures and fighters but were soon pulled into the war and innocent blood spilled everywhere.

"Tch! Where did these bastards come from?!"

"Fight back! We have to do what we can to protect our home!"

"TO ME YOU MONSTERS!" Rikter's demanding voice boomed as he blew a good chunk of enemies out of the village. He had cut his meeting short when he heard the shouting, his eyes burning with a massive amount of Aura. "How dare you...STEP FOOT IN THIS VILLAGE!"

"It's our Elite!"

"With him by our side, we have nothing to fear!"

"Charge men! Show those raging mongrels what we're made of!"

Strange...why are they attacking now? Rikter's eyes narrowed when something crossed his mind. Up until now, Raisa's been keeping a good relation with...A light bulb clicked in his brain and he turned his head towards his home in realization. A Beowolf, thinking that his opponent was distracted, attempted to attack only to get punched in the face by a fist infused with Aura. "That Raisa...I knew something was different about her! Wait till I wring her neck!"

"Mommy, what's all that noise?" I asked when I heard the distinctive howl of monsters even through the walls of my room. Woken by the terrible noises I got out of bed and walked into the dining room, rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes.

"So it's started..." Rhea murmured from where she stood by the door, looking out to where the burning embers indicated multiple fires within the village. "There's no going back huh..."

"Mommy?"

"Reina listen to me very carefully." She turned around and closed the distance between us, kneeling before me with an expression of nervousness. Leading me to the closet she pushed me inside, rearranging the clothes such that I wouldn't be easily spotted. "Listen to Mommy, don't open this door whatever you do unless it's your father. Promise me okay?"

"What about you?" I asked, unsure why she's telling me this. "Where are you going?"

"Mommy's going out for awhile." She smiled, brushing a few strands of hair out of the way so she could kiss my forehead. "Hopefully it wouldn't take long..."

"No, I don't want you to go!" I clung to her sleeves as she tried to pull away, holding the material firmly within my fingers. "Stay with me!"

"Reina..."

"Don't go..." I mumbled, moving forward to bury my face against her. "Please don't leave me." She knelt down and pulled me into a hug, holding me until she knew it was time to depart.

"Mommy has to go." Despite how much it hurt Rhea knew that she had to leave and she could only give me a smile as she pulled away. "See you soon, okay?"

"No! Wait! Mommy!" The closet door closed and I banged my fists against it, yelling for her. That's the thing about my parents closet, it locks from the outside. "Mommy come back! Please come back Mommy! Mommy!"

I'm sorry...Mommy may never return after this night. Rhea held back her tears and rushed out, tuning out my cries for her. If I stayed then Raisa wouldn't be stopped and the village would be brought to the ground...She came to a stop on top of the cliff that overlooked the village, chest heaving before turning to look back at her home. By now the tears she fought to hold back seeped out and she didn't do anything to wipe them away. Please forgive me...

"A lovely night for you to be roaming around huh Sis?" A voice spoke behind her and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "A lovely night to be drenched with more red don't you think? It's such a rich and bright color. I could practically bathe myself in it."

"Raisa...so it was you." Rhea spoke without any trembling in her voice, turning to address her sister. There was no more fear, no more doubt. The wife of the Elite stood tall and was ready to put her life on the line.

"Who else did you expect?" The younger of the two snickered, gazing at her sister without any hint of warmth. Her eyes were filled with malice, with hatred and also with pity. "Were you just crying Sis? Thinking about Reina and how she'll wonder this world without her parents?"

"Don't bring up my daughter in this." Rhea spat with rage. "Here and now it's just the two of us."

"Awww, did I hit a sore topic?" Raisa teased. "Really Sis, don't try playing the hero. I can't guarantee that you'll escape unscathed."

"If you don't stop what you're doing then I won't show you any mercy." Rhea's eyes hardened and she exerted a huge amount of power. "You may be my sister but the lives of our community comes far above all else."

"Ha ha...hahahahaha!" Raisa laughed before smiling, willing her level of Aura to spike. "Well spoken Sis, now I won't feel bad for what I'm about to do!" She crouched low, focusing her eyes on her sister with hunger. "Now why don't you be good and let me have that sweet girl! That sweet, naive child!"

"You'll have to go through me first!"

"It would be my pleasure! I've always wanted to beat you, ever since we were little and I'll do that tonight!"

Reina, my only regret...Rhea rushed towards Raisa with her Aura infused fist pulled back. My only regret...is not being by your side to watch you grow up. Just know, Mommy loves you no matter what happens.


Inside the closet...

My sobs turned into whimpers as I sat alone within my shelter. Surrounded by the scents from my parents clothing it did little to calm my nerves. It felt like a long time since my mother left me and I waited for her like she told me too. It was so quiet that I began to hyperventilate. Any noise from the outside made me jump and I could only wrap my arms around me even tighter.

Creak~ Creak~ Creak~

Oh! Mommy's returned! Excited to hear actually footsteps I took a deep breath with the intention of calling out to her when a chill came over me. My breath hitched in my throat and I exhaled quickly but silently. Noticing a hole to peep out from I placed an eye there and slowly looked around the room. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary but then the door slide open and a figure walked in. Wait...that's...?!

"Come out come out...wherever you are." Her chilling sing-song voice pierced my ears as she looked around the room. "I'll play this child's game with you. But I know you're in here...there's no other place in the house that my sister would stash you."

Auntie? Why is her hands soaked with so much blood? I thought to myself, looking through the hole with curiosity. The copper smell wafted over and I instantly recognized my mother's scent coming of her hands. It was a little faint but I knew what I smelled. I accidentally let out a small gasp and slapped both hands over my mouth. Too late, she heard me.

"Oh? There you are little one." My aunt's soothing voice floated through my ears as her piercing gaze found the closet. Peeking through the hole I could see her shuffle towards me, knocking the table out of the way with a sweep of a foot. Scrambling back I pressed my back against the far wall as she tore open the wooden doors with her hands, gazing down at me. "You can't hide from me."

"A-A-Auntie..." I spoke softly, starring up at her with saucer-size eyes. My heart was thudding so hard I could hear it beating through my chest and I knew she could hear it too.

"Did I scare you? I apologize for that." She said and held a blood-covered hand out for me, that twisted smile still on her face. "Come, I'll be your new mother from now on. You'll live a new life with me."

"NO!" I swatted her hand away and bolted out, diving between her legs and attempted to leave the room. In a flash the doors bolted shut and I desperately scratched away or searched for a way out. "ANYBODY?! SOMEBODY! HELP ME!"

"You just made a grave mistake." I slowly turned to face her, trembling uncontrollably as she stepped forward. The menacing aura that surrounded her frightened me just like in my nightmares. "How dare you disobey me, your own aunt. Your mother didn't raise you that way!"

"Stay away...stay away!" I howled, throwing whatever I could get my hands on at her. She merely dodged the objects or knocked them aside without much effort. As a last resort my hand brushed against the handle of a knife and I looked at it from the corner of my eye. Channeling what power I had into it I flung it with everything I got.

"What the-?!" Noticing the weapon coming at her Raisa step-sided, watching the object fly through the wall. Feeling something warm trickle down her cheek she slowly raised a hand, wiped it with a finger and looked at it in curiosity. Red blood coated her finger and something snapped.

"Guk!" I gasped when she lashed out, lifting me up into the air by the neck and held me there. I attempted to scratch but she barely budged.

"You...so that's how you're gonna play." She growled, tightening her grip on me. "So be it. See how well you handle this!" Raising her other hand she placed it over my face and began chanting. At first I thought of it as nothing but that's when the pain occurred, pain that no one my age should be subjected to.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed and when she released me I rolled on the ground, my hands over my eyes. It stung like a thousand needles tore through my retinas, tears couldn't stop flowing through my fingers. "AAAAAHHH!"

"Dear oh dear, did I go overboard? Honestly, how could you make me do that?" Raisa cooed, towering over my trembling form with an arm pulled back. "I failed to kill you that night...but now I'll put you out of your misery."

"Raisa! You fiend!" My father destroyed the door at the moment, his clothes ripped and covered with flecks of blood but overall he seemed to be okay. Eyebrows narrowing he rushed forward, knocking her away from me. "Get away from my daughter!"

"So you had seen through my plans as well...huh, Rikter." Raisa smirked, wiping the back of her mouth with a hand. "Hmmm...I should have known. After all nothing every gets passed the village Elite."

"She was your sister! My wife!" My father roared, his piercing gaze settling onto his in-law as he held me close. My voice turned into a whimper but I knew it was him even if I couldn't see, my sense of smell and hearing had kicked into overdrive. "Why did you do it?!"

"Why? Do I even need a reason?" Raisa threw her head back with laughter, placing a hand over her face. She took a deep breath before continuing, "Yes she was my sister...she was blessed by the Curse, a wonderful husband and..." She looked at me from between her fingers. "she was able to give birth to a live healthy child. Something I was unable to do."

"You murderer! You only spilled blood on these grounds because of your selfish desires!"

"You have no idea! Blessed marks are regarded as a high-status in this society. I desperately tried to get notice, staying by my sister's side when we found out she's been blessed. Even when she got married to you I did everything I could but nothing worked. Soon you became an elite and Rhea became pregnant. They say that the offspring of the elite becomes next in line as the village's exalt but a certain condition has to be met." Raisa held up a finger with a sneer on her face. "They have to bear the required mark, the blessed mark of the Curse."

"What are you getting at?"

"Don't you get it yet?" Letting her garment slide off till it reached the middle of her left arm Raisa turned around so he could see her bare shoulder. One patch of her skin was unlike the rest, stitched together with a needle and thread with the sides still caked in dried blood. "Your wife was blessed and it so happens that her mark fit the description."

"...so you killed Rhea and skinned her mark off just so you could put it on yourself?!" Rikter shouted when he recognized the mark. That explained why her hands was covered in so much blood. "How low can you go?"

"Oh I can go much much lower." A smirk parted her lips as she adjusted her clothes back to their normal way. "The one rule of the mark is that no two marks can exist at one time...now why don't you hand my niece over? I'll be kind to her...just like her mother."

"W-W-What does she mean by that Daddy?" I asked in a small voice, burying my face against his chest. "What happened to Mommy?"

"Sweetie, your mommy isn't here on this earth anymore. I made sure of it, she didn't even make a noise as I slit her throat." Raisa stalked towards us with that predatory gaze. "Though she put up quite a fight I made sure she went peacefully so there's something to look forward too. I always make my cuts clean."

"You can take my wife away...you can demolish the clan our forefathers built through sweat and tears...you can even kill me...but you for sure as hell won't take my daughter away! I'll see to it that she lives!" Rikter roared.

"That remains to be seen!" She roared, throwing her charged spell at us. Making sure I was safely secured in his arms he turned and jumped out, his feet hitting the ground firmly before taking off towards the ruined village.

"Hold strong Reina." He told me, holding me against his chest. Based on the smell in the air I could tell we were running through the ruins of our village. "We'll make it, I promise you!"

"D-Daddy what about our home?" I asked him, clinging to him like my life depended on it. "What about the others? Why aren't they with us?!"

"I'm not sure how to tell you this but...there are no others. We're the only ones left." He said gently, coming to a stop so he could look at me. I felt the tips of his fingers gently glide over my eyes and I tensed up. "I'm sorry...if only I arrived earlier she wouldn't have..."

"Daddy?"

"Yes honey?"

"...I can't see...I can't see anything anymore..." His eyes widened and I soon felt something wet drop on my face. I touched the liquid with my fingers before gazing up at him. "Daddy? Are you crying?"

"I'm sorry." He held me close in a hug, nuzzling against my hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Daddy?"

"There you are." I felt my father tense up when my aunt's voice reached our ears. "I believe this cat and mouse chase is over."

"Haaaa...there's no way this is the end." Rikter replied calmly, wiping away his tears. "As long as the two of us are alive...as long as Reina is alive...you won't get what you're hoping for."

"Hand her over Rikter, and everything will end quickly." Raisa growled angrily. "Or else, I'll send you both to see the rest of the Clan. You can be reunited with your beloved in the stars!"

"Rhea might not be here but her child still is! Our child!" He answered without hesitation, staring at her with utmost bravery. "Even if a little remnant of her is still left on this earth then I will defend her no matter what! I will watch her grow until my last breath!" With that he turned his back on her and ran off, attempting to make a beeline to the dense forest outside the village walls.

"If that's what you wish then just die then!" Raisa yelled at our fleeing form and fired some kind of weird attack at us. There was a flash of light and then everything went silent. The woman gazed through the heavy smoke with a sneer on her face. "Mark my words Rhea...I'll find you once more and we'll settle it once and for good. You can't run with your tail between your legs forever, I'll hunt you till the ends of the world if that's what it takes. You hear me?!" She shouted atop of her lungs, arms held out to her side. "I CAN'T WAIT TO KILL YOU AGAIN SISTER!"


Back to the present...

"My father was gravely injured from that attack but we managed to escape together, fleeing from our home. The last thing I heard was my mother's name coming out of that vile woman's mouth." I spoke, the room felt stuffy with silence as they took in the story of my childhood. "My condition was the last gift my aunt gave to me as a reminder of what happened that day and I have carried it up til now. My aunt knows that we alluded her that day which is why my father and I haven't kept contact with each other since."

"How long has it been?" Pyrrha asked just as quietly.

"I forgot the exact number to be honest." I laughed, scratching the back of my head with a hand. "I don't remember exactly when my mark began to change but before I left for Beacon my father warned me to keep my powers as discrete as possible."

"So then...the Beowolf attacks from the other day...?" Sun spoke up, the wheels in his mind turning. "And the attacks back in the city after uncovering the White Fang in Mountain Glenn?"

"They were in response to the Curse." I told them, folding my hands over my lap. "If you noticed the Curse only responds to Beowolves but no other Grimm creatures. We've always praised the wolves as spiritual beings and worship them on nights when the moon is full. That's why my mark depicts a wolf."

"Is there anyway to fix your eyes?" Nora asked. Usually she would get dramatic about story telling but this time she was calm, collective and unNora-like .

"My father checked on it when we were in a safe place but there isn't much that anyone could have done." I shook my head sadly. "My aunt placed a very intricate spell on me that no one else at the time had the power to remove instead of her. So instead of trying to fix it my father trained me to become more proficient with my Aura."

"Have you gotten any word of suspicious activities related to your aunt?" asked Blake from where she sat next to Yang.

"No, I've heard nothing. She's left me completely in the dark but I know she's out there. Just like how she left her mark on me I left a mark her myself. The knife from back then was infused with my Aura and she was taken by surprise. Hence I can tell you all for a fact that she sports a cut on her left cheek." I released a sigh. "I worry what her next steps are and I rarely contact my father because it's possible that everything I do is being watched."

"R-R-Really?" Jaune asked, a stutter in his voice. "S-S-So are we in trouble too?"

"The power of Reina's aunt could have increased but don't forget, we're working to increase our strength as well." Weiss spoke up from where she sat in her armchair. "Let's not worry about something we have limited knowledge about. The best course of action is to hone our own skills and prepare for something that may happen in the future."

"That's the reason why I want to become a Huntress, to overcome my aunt and restore my Clan. She's gone over the edge to bring back with reason so the only option left is to destroy her and I'm sure she feels the same way." I turned my attention to Ruby who looked ready to jump on what I said. "Your reason to become a Huntress is to help others correct? I'm warning you now that my aunt is one of those who refuses to be helped."

"But..."

"No Ruby, I know her better than anyone. She won't stop until I'm dead."

"Over my body!" Kairos slammed her fist down with anger, making some of the surrounding Huntsmen and Huntresses jump. "She'll have to go through me before she can get to you! I don't care if I have to be chopped into pieces! I'll bite if I have to!"

"She'll have to go through all of us, that I can get behind." Yang agreed with the enraged Faunus, cracking her knuckles as well. "But I'm sure you'd want to take her on by yourself."

"That's right."

"Reina!" Kairos shouted at me.

"I'm sorry but let me be selfish this once. I don't want to involve you guys any further than necessary."

"A little late for that don't you think?" Sun commented from the side, twirling his tail between his fingers. "I mean, we've gotten ourselves into a war against not only the other Grimms but the Beowolves that are becoming more and more active."

"Not to mention their heightened numbers and aggressiveness, hell even their attack patterns are becoming messed up." Neptune added with a nod of a head towards his leader. "These aren't your average furballs anymore that's for sure."

"There's no doubt the Grimms are something we have to keep our eyes on." Weiss tapped her chin in thought, her icy gaze calculative as usual. "There isn't much time if we are to increase our power."

"Calm down Weiss, we still got at least a week left...perhaps more." Ruby said as she went through the calendar on her Scroll. "We'll make it, you'll see!"

"Ruby, your optimism knows no bounds does it?" She sighed but with a small smile.

"Well if you want to be a downer all the time then the atmosphere would feel very heavily." The red-cloaked Huntress retorted. "Lets focus on the present with the future as our end goal. Worrying about what comes the next day without even knowing what you'll be doing the next minute isn't gonna do us any good. If something happens we'll fix it and since nothing has happened yet, then we should relax."

"Rubes, you amaze me sometimes!" Yang grabbed her and twirled around with a laugh. "That's my sister!"

"Yang! Put me down you're embarrassing me!" Ruby squealed before letting out a large yawn. "Wow, I didn't know the story was gonna be this long. Shall we go to bed?"

"Aye, we'll see you in a few hours." Sun said, helping Neptune up from the floor and disappeared out of sight.

"I'm gonna train extra hard tomorrow morning!" Nora was saying to Ren as Team JNPR called it a night as well. "The upcoming Vytal Festival won't be able to handle me once I'm through with it!"

"I don't believe anyone could handle you Nora."

"Anyone except you Ren!"

"Okay, time for bed." Pyrrha's voice stepped in and the chatty team disappeared. Soon it was only my team and Ruby's team in the parlor. I was hunched over, holding my head in my hands. Retelling the story hit me harder than I could ever imagine and my emotions were all over the place.

"Reina?" Kairos knelt beside me, placing a hand over my own and I lifted my head at the sound of her voice. "It must have been hard for you to relive your childhood...come on, lets go and sleep. You must be extremely tired."

"We'll get going as well. Thanks Leader, for sharing your past with us." Efram said and he led Timber away to their room, closing the door behind them.

"Good night then." I said, biding farewell to Ruby and her team. The walk back felt longer than usual and the moment we got back I laid down on the bed, drawing the blanket close to my head.

"I'm gonna go and wash up." Kairos announced softly and I nodded my head to indicate that I heard her. I didn't hear her step out of the restroom because I feel asleep already. Sometime during the night she heard a whimper and noticed it was coming from my bed. Sliding out of the covers she tiptoed to my side and watched me in curiosity.

"Mommy..." I whispered and reached out, as if to hold on to something. "Mommy...don't leave me again..."

Reina...Releasing a small sigh she lifted up my covers and slid in. At that moment my hands grabbed onto her pajamas and snuggled closer. The Faunus made herself comfortable before staring at my face in silence, lifting a hand to wipe away my stray tears. Then she wrapped her arms around me protectively and closed her eyes. I will never let you go.