A/N: Chapter 66 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. I also claim Ingrid, Teo, Reina's parents and aunt as well.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 66: Mark-bearers
Inside the Old Desert Ruins...
"You have your mother's charm, it's a breath of fresh air from looking at these rocks." Rikter's joyous laughter rang in my ears as we continued our walk through the old structure. After hugs and rekindling that skin-ship we couldn't get because of distance problems – well, it was more of not alerting our position to my aunt and my father's sister-in law. "Although, your mother would probably give an earful for me if she heard me forgetting the little things."
"That sounds a bit like Mom, nothing scared you more than her when she's really angry! I somehow remember that time she chewed you out for something incredibly important, you were scared for the entire night! I've never seen you voluntarily sleep outside because you didn't want to deal with her wrath!" I agreed and he playful slapped my shoulder. "What? That's all I remembered, I was young at the time!"
"Doesn't make it any less hurtful!" He clutched his chest playfully, sending me a wink. "Betrayed by my own daughter! The nerve! I am hurt...oh so hurt!"
"C'mon Dad, you know I'm kidding!" I smiled, before gesturing for him to lean a little closer. Putting my lips near his ear I said, "But between you and I, we both know Mom could kick both our butts if she wanted to just by lifting a finger."
"That she could." He agreed with a nod of his head. "Seriously, how in the world did I end up with the most beautiful woman in the world? As the village exalt, I never once remembered how the choosing began...all I remember was some ceremony and ka-blam, I got myself a wife. Years later, my bundle of joy was born."
"Really? You just chose Mom on a wham?" I asks him.
"Nah, I'm just messing around. I knew your mother back when we were in school. And just like any other teenager, we fell in love, went on dates and I popped the question right after I was named leader."
"Sounds romantic."
"Is that sass I'm hearing?"
"Your ears are getting old, you must've heard wrong!" I replied, laughing with good spirit. Honestly, I missed my father longer than I had imagined.
"Come this way, the breeze is much more mellow because this tunnel opens up to another area." With a hand on my shoulder, we stepped forward together. The wind blew around us and I took the time to take a deep breath, no longer worried of inhaling a large amount of dust.
"You had the time to dig all this?" I asked, thankful for the fact I didn't have to fear walking like I was on a tight-rope. Within my mind, the threads morphed and stretched to paint a huge landscape. It was as if a subterranean lake that had been above ground as a normal lake above was moved underneath.
"Of course not, the place here is all Nature's doing. To think that I could dig something like this with my own two claws, ha!" Rikter said, scoffing at the idea. Flexing his fingers, he padded off to a nice flat plateau and sat down. "It would have been impressive if I did do all this though."
"I won't lie, that would be pretty cool." I walked over and sat by his side. Everything around us was so serene, almost peaceful enough to make me forget about all my worries. "But, you were always amazing in your own right. Whenever you didn't rely on your powers to assert your authority, your raw strength alone was always something I admired."
"Are you just saying that because I was leader of our village?" He asks me, but I shook my head.
"Your status was phenomenal for sure, but I'm just saying that because...because you're my father. You did everything you could that day, the day my aunt burned everything to the ground and we were forced to leave. Despite everything that has happened since then... we never lost hope. I continue to look up to you, Dad. You were
"I love you too, my child." He says sweetly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders in a side hug. "Now...tell me. Tell me more about your adventures and the friends you have made along the way. I would like to know what my child has been doing after all this time."
Inside Salem's Lair...
Raisa paced around her room like a caged predator, eyes twinkling and nails digging lightly against her palms. Right after the meeting with the others, she racked her mind with ideas and other theories. There was just something during the meeting that didn't settle well with her; she believed it was just something about the way Salem was gazing at her, but the Grimm mother was always a mysterious being to converse with.
Hmmm?! What was that feeling...? Coming to a halt, Raisa stood with a straight back and her eyes closed. After a few more minutes, she reopens her eyes and sightly smiles. So...they're finally reunited huh, it's about time if you asked me. But their actual location...why can't I pinpoint it? Is it a place I haven't been to before? That shouldn't be the case...so why is that?
Shaking her head, she walks over and settles down on the bed, hands folded over her lap. Growling under her breath she tries harder to get an accurate lock-on the location, but then she stops when she felt a headache coming on. Holding hostage of her prey's mental state took a lot more energy that she was letting on.
So...is that how it goes? Mentally maneuvering my dear puppet at this distance is quite straining on my own mental state...and now I'm feeling the after effects. Hmmm...is it possible a skill that those with this mark have? She consciously reaches over her shoulder, fingers brushing up over the slab of skin that wasn't her own. It was a constant reminder of that day, and she frowns to herself. But if that's the case...why isn't it that my dear niece hasn't tried it on her own? Is she not capable...no...she hasn't unlocked the full potential of her own birth mark.
"Raisa."
"My mistress." The woman glances up immediately as Salem walks in through the open door, arms held behind her back. Getting up from the bed and lowering her arm to her side, she kneels on one knee and lowers her head before the Grimm mother out of respect. "How may I be of service?"
"Come. Have a walk with me." Rising to her feet, the younger followed after Salem. The hallway, illuminated by mere candles, lit their way; Raisa had a thought that Salem had a no clear direction, this was just a walk between them. They've had multiple walks and slight conversation; most of the time Salem enjoyed just having a physical presence of another without dishing out all of her ideals and motivation.
"Another moon filled night, not like I should think any different." Raisa notes once the two of them ended up coming to a stop, glancing upward to see the shattered object through the skyline. "The Grimm are feeling restless."
"Hmmm, as they always are when they aren't given a task to do, my dear." Salem spoke as she glances out the window, watching a couple of her creations play rough with each other. Others lazily lounged around, or seemingly slept along the dark ground. "They are merely creations that I bring to life. They can be intellectual creatures when they need to be...however, in this case they can only sit and wait around for a command."
"Yet, in the grand scheme of things...they are just simple-minded creatures that are enslaved to do our bidding." Raisa sniffs, nonchalantly folding her arms behind her head. "And it doesn't matter how many were killed, you can easily conjure up some more as replacements."
"Yes, it's such a simple thing. However, while it's true that I do...view...them as if they were my own children, it doesn't faze me just how dispensable they are." Salem gently gazes back at the other woman. "Life is such a fickle thing, I could snuff out that light if I honestly tried hard enough. It tickles me when I see humans and faunus try their best to do everything they possibly could with the only life they have. Prey that struggle to survive...brings about the greatest satisfaction when being crushed."
"Is that all you want? Is life just a game to you?" Raisa questions her, one eyebrow raised with mild interest.
"I wonder that myself..." Salem muses, drumming her fingers against her chin. Walking till she stood nose to nose with the other, she reaches out and grips the jaw lightly. "But you aren't that different from me now are you? You and I are similar, and that makes me wonder just how far do you plan on walking down that path."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I can see it, my dear. Your eyes are tainted with so much darkness. Your insides...even darker. It's like you have absolutely nothing else to lose." Salem let her go and padded off without another word, chuckling to herself like she heard the best inside joke.
How is that we're the same, Salem? Your intentions are completely different than mine. Raisa thought to herself, focusing her eyes on the retreating woman's back. She curls her fingers into a fist, and she swore the nails were sharp enough to break through the skin. But, what secrets are you still keeping hidden from even your most trusted subordinates? Or is it...that you never trusted any one of us to begin with?
Back in the Ruins...
"With Beacon nearly demolished due to the Grimm invasion and the enemy getting the upper hand, we were forced to flee. My friends are also separated and went their separate ways, my team as well." I was saying, finishing up my tale from start to up to the current predicament. My father had remained quiet during the entire story, keeping his wits about him. "With things as they are, there's no way we can communicate with anyone. But you already know that, otherwise we wouldn't be here by ourselves."
"Indeed...we wouldn't be here." His voice rumbled deep within his chest. He gazes out into the distance for a minute or two before turning back to ask me, "Does it hurt not having them beside you?"
"Yeah, it definitely hurts...of course it hurts. It hurts more than I could have ever imagine." I told him in a small voice, wrapping my arms around myself for comfort. "I've never felt so alone...other than when we had to separate. It's almost like a different kind of pain that I couldn't begin to describe in words. "
"Then, it's time to move forward." He said softly, pulling me into a hug. I leaned against him, taking comfort in his warmth. "I know the events were too much to take in, but what I do know is that you can't stay here forever while evil continues to lurk beyond the horizon. You have friends and teammates waiting for you to return."
"But...there's so much more I want to ask you." I told him, turning my head slightly upward. "And what if she figures out your location? You won't be safe!"
"Listen, don't worry about me okay? I'll be alright, I've survived this long so I believe I can go for much longer." He smiled, placing both hands on my shoulders. "Something your mother always told me was, 'A person leaves you because his or her purpose in your life is complete'...but I could tell that your friends and teammates are more than just people with purposes. You need them and they need you."
"Then, can you please tell me..." I moved my shirt just a bit so he could see my mark on my right shoulder blade. Tears moistened his eyes as he carefully traces his fingers over the mark, sending a warm tingle down my spine. "Tell me more about this. There's only so much that I know, but I need more."
"I feared it would come to this..." Rikter warned me as he rose to his feet, holding out a hand for me to hold onto. Smiling, I took hold of it and was pulled to my own feet. "Everything that you seek is located within our family library."
"The hidden one you wouldn't let me go to when I was younger?"
"The very one." He nodded his head to confirm my question. "It has a lot more secrets that even I can barely remember."
"If you can't remember much at this moment, then what can you tell me about this?" Rummaging around my pockets, I pulled out another scroll, the one with our family seal on it. He held out his hand and I dropped it in his palm. He didn't need to open it, for one look at the seal told him enough.
"Now this...was created by the ancestors who foresaw a prophecy. Well, four of them actually." He told me, handing the scroll back to me. "You may have already gather some sort of idea, but these scrolls...these prophecies... they have a connection to the mark-bearers."
"Mark-bearers?" I questioned.
"That's right, mark-bearers. It's not by coincidence your teammates have various marks on their bodies. The prophecies have the right to choose their own bearers, and it seems like they have. Now is the time I can teach you, the true meaning of your mark and unlock its true potential."
