Yo!
Happy New Year, everyone. Here you go, a chapter on the first of a new month.
Chapter 31. Across the World
Ten years...
The two words rang in my head again and again. Summer's constant sobbing only added to the weight of this statement. Honestly, for the first time since I arrived in this world, I truly had no idea how to proceed.
Oh, I was pretty sure that in a few hours, I could figure out a plan, but for now, my mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts. After all, I already accepted that I didn't arrive during canon. Hell, I even had some good ideas on how to continue through the years to stop the worst major events from ever occurring.
And now, all my plans lay in shambles. Canon was either right around the corner, or its beginning had already happened. To make matters even worse, I had no idea what changed due to my actions and what didn't.
Merlot's plague was something completely new. Taiyang dying and Summer disappearing must have had quite an impact on their kids. And I couldn't forget about Neo. Did she somehow join forces with Torchwick anyway, or did her fate change due to my short interference?
Fucking hell... Then there is also Salem, the mess with Amber and Cinder's plan. Has that even changed? I need more info. Quick.
As all of these things ran through my mind, Summer kept on weeping. The few people who passed by us continued to throw some weird looks in our direction, and so I decided to act.
Fast as lightning, I grabbed her limp arm and tugged her towards an empty back alley. If those people wanted a show, they should pay for one.
"Come on, Summer," I muttered. "Let's get out of here before people start asking questions."
Numbly, the woman nodded and trudged after him. Only when I felt no more eyes following our every step did I stop. What I didn't expect was for Summer to throw herself at me, burying her head into my chest.
My eyes went wide, but after a short moment, I awkwardly returned the embrace. I even patted the woman's back as the cloak I wore enveloped Summer like a blanket.
"My girls..." She whispered in between the sobs. "A-all alone for ten years. What have I done... What kind of mother am I?"
Ah shit. How often do I have to say that I'm not qualified to deal with stuff like this...
Yet even when I knew my words wouldn't help much here, I still tried. "This wasn't your fault, Summer. If you really want to blame someone, blame me, Salem, or even whoever gave you that mission. You were just doing what was expected of you, nothing more. No one will fault you for that."
"But Ruby, Yang," Summer shuddered at the mere mention of her kids' names.
"I know it sucks, and shit like this will stay with them for their entire lives," I muttered, pushing the woman away so I could look at her properly. "But if they are half as strong as you are, they will be fine. Besides, you're back now and will see them again as soon as we get you checked."
"But ten years!" The woman growled even though the tears hadn't stopped falling down her cheeks. "I missed so much."
A sigh left my lips. "I don't know what you want me to tell you. The past is in the past. There is no way for us to time travel again, not now, maybe not ever. You have to accept it and live with it. And then... try to make up for the lost time, create new memories..."
I trailed off at the end, my voice getting quieter with each word. Memories, once forgotten, rushed to the forefront of my mind. Images of smiling faces, words of comfort, and a familiar warmth I haven't felt since I arrived on Remnant.
Family...
[You will see them again, Umbra. I swear that on my Creator. And for what it's worth, what you said to Miss Rose might have been blunt, but I doubt many people could have said it better.]
Thanks System... But why now? Why do I suddenly remember everything so well? I could barely recall anything about my old life when you dropped me into Remnant.
[You won't like it, but... We blocked most of the memories of your previous life to help you adapt in the beginning. Over time, those locks were meant to slowly loosen and give you a chance to accept what happened... Unfortunately, something went wrong during our time jump and unlocked most of your past. I could have locked it all again, but... I decided against it.]
You... I shook my head lightly. You should have told me about this earlier. Not that it really matters anymore, does it? What's done is done. But don't do it again, okay?
[Understood, Umbra.]
"Umbra?" Summer's voice suddenly brought him back to reality. "Is everything... okay?"
The tears were still in her eyes, but as she looked up at me, I noticed some life return to her dull silver orbs. It would take time, maybe even years, for the old light to come back, yet my short speech at least helped to return the woman on the right path.
"Yeah," I gave her a small smile. "I just got lost in thoughts... Anyway, feeling up to seeing a Doctor now? We can figure out how to get to Patch after."
Taking a deep breath, Summer wiped her wet cheeks and nodded. Her posture remained slumped, and I noticed her hands shaking a bit, but at least she was trying. And that was all that mattered.
And so, with emotions somewhat under control, we stepped onto the streets again. The ever-growing crowds quickly washed over us, hiding us like we were never here.
It seems we have a long day ahead of us. How exciting...
It took some time and asking random strangers to find our target. For a large city, locating a private Doctor in the lower levels of Mistral was practically impossible. If it wasn't for Summer finding a half-torn note on a news board, I would have abandoned the search and called it a day.
And so, with the note in hand, we traveled through the streets of Mistral, this time hoping to find the correct address before evening. More than once, I had to scare away a potential thief when they thought that jumping two hooded, mysterious people was a good idea.
Desperation can really make humans act stupid. I grumbled as we stopped before a cozy stone house. The sign above the door seemed to match the note in Summer's hand, and so with a shrug, I knocked twice.
"This better not be a bait," I muttered when my ears picked up the patter of feet from the other side. "Here they come."
Next to me, Summer tensed, her hand reflexively reaching for something on her back. Only there was no weapon waiting there.
"Calm down," I hissed just as the door slid open, revealing a short person. A faunus, old one.
To no surprise, the small horns on the old man's head were the first thing I noticed. The wrinkled, almost gnarly face came as a close second.
"What do you want?" The faunus scowled.
I raised an eyebrow and removed the hood with my normal hand. "You're a doctor, right?" I nodded to the sign above us. "My friend here needs a check-up. There is something wrong with her wound, an infection if I had to describe it. We were hoping you could tell us how to proceed."
The old man narrowed his eyes when Summer revealed her bandaged arm. "Hunters, aye? Why don't ya go to your certified healer then? This ain't a place for folks like you."
"Not really Hunters," I shrugged. "More like travelers who want to stay off the records. And don't worry, we have money."
The faunus' gaze jumped between me and Summer a few times before he finally sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, stepping aside. "Follow me."
Nodding to Summer, I entered the building after the old man. Somehow, the interior seemed even cozier than the outside, yet when he led us through another door, everything changed.
Like completely another world. I snorted, scanning the sterile room that could only belong in advanced hospitals. It had everything: a bed, a few chairs, and more machines and tools than I could even imagine. How a doctor in low Mistral managed to afford that was anyone's guess.
"Sit there and take off that bandage," the old man ordered and went straight for one of the tables in the far-off corners.
Slowly, Summer did as was told and sat down. However, the bandage remained on her arm, hiding the parasite. "Sir, I just want to warn you. This might be unlike anything you have ever seen," she spoke, her voice firm once more.
The old man chuckled as he returned with a scroll and another tool in hand. "Girl, I have been doing this for over forty years. If you manage to surprise me, I'll be thankful. Nothing worse than a dull day at my age."
Be careful what you wish for, Doc. Yet I didn't voice my thoughts and just watched as Summer took the bandage off, inch by inch. Only when the first dark veins appeared did I swap to observing the old man. It was definitely the right decision.
The faunus' eye grew wide as he took a step back. "W-what in the world!? This... this is no mere infection! Ya brought a Grimm virus to me? Don't you remember what happened ten years ago? I need to call it-"
Before the old man could even touch his scroll, a long blade, Legion's manifestation, slid out of my sleeve. It stopped right at the faunus throat, freezing the man in place.
"Not so fast, Doc," I warned. "Off the records, remember? We wouldn't be here if we wanted the entire world to know."
"Umbra!" Summer growled, but I just ignored her.
The man swallowed hard, slowly turning his neck to face me. "A-are you mad?" He stuttered out. "This could be another pandemic in the making. I need to inform the higher-ups. It's my duty!"
"Oh, stop panicking, Doc. This isn't a virus but a parasite," I explained with a roll of my eyes. "For now it seems contained. We just need to know if it will stay that way... Now, are you gonna play nice, or..." I trailed off, nodding to my blade.
For a moment, it seemed like the old man would refuse. However, in the end, he just growled, "Fine! I will do a deeper check-up. No one will learn anything from me if it's just a parasite. But if it's a virus, I'm locking this place down. Understand that, you brute?"
I shrugged, dismissing the blade. "Good enough for me. Now get to work."
As the man kept grumbling under his breath, I backed off and leaned against the closed door. Without even looking into my inventory, I summoned a brand new Scroll into my hand and began my search. I needed information about the current state of the world.
Minutes flew by as I surfed Remnant's equivalent to the internet. I checked every news that caught my eye while digging through older articles in search of anything that would stand out. I wasn't disappointed.
Just like I expected, Merlot's virus created many far-reaching consequences. Atlas tried, but not even their technology could completely revert the damage the mad scientist caused. The Cursed, they called them, a group of thousands of faunus and humans alike that were exposed to the virus and then cured.
They became a new minority, and unsurprisingly, Atlas' denizens wanted them gone. Protests of angry and scared people exploded all over the cold city, and the government gave in. I couldn't even blame them.
Well, at least with Vale's help, those people now have a home in Menagerie. It isn't the best outcome, but it could have ended much worse. Though considering that apparently a lot of the Cursed joined up with White Fang, shit could still hit the fan soon.
Next, my search took me to Beacon, or rather, the students who should be attending the academy. The news about Weiss was the easiest to find, with Phyrra coming as a close second. I tried to scour for anything about Ruby or Yang, but there were no mentions of the two anywhere.
They are just random kids, one of whom should have started Beacon a few months back if what I found is correct. That is if Yang even wanted to become a Huntress in this timeline. Shit...
Grimacing, I abandoned this subject for now and typed in another name, one with the most personal meaning to me.
Neo.
However, no matter how long I scrolled and what sites I visited, there was nothing. To the internet, Neo didn't exist.
Please tell me she didn't. I prayed, waiting for the browser to load all the mentions about one Roman Torchwick. Thank gods...
The orange-haired man still existed in this world. Yet, Roman was far from the renowned thief portrayed in RWBY. Here, he was just a normal criminal who barely got any mentions in the news.
Without Neo, he can't take as many risks as he did in the canon. Now, he is just another worm trying to cheat the system. I almost chuckled before another realization struck me. Ruby didn't get her chance to enter Beacon faster.
No, that didn't matter anyway. With Taiyang dead and Summer missing, Ruby's fate was also altered. Just like Yang, she might not want to become a Huntress anymore.
Fucking butterfly effect. Who is even taking care of them? Qrow?
I instantly winced, vowing not to mention this to Summer. No matter how much I liked Qrow, I couldn't see him caring for two little girls. Hopefully, they had someone more responsible to raise them.
If they went into the foster system, that just might be wishful thinking. I released a deep sigh just to see the old faunus step away from Summer, a frown on his face.
"What's the verdict, Doc?" I spoke up, coming a bit closer.
"It is as ya said," the old man muttered, not even raising his gaze from the scroll. "It's not a virus but a living an' breathing Grimm."
Yeah, we knew that much already. Get to the point, old man.
"For now, it's mostly contained by your Aura," the doctor explained, looking at Summer. "As long as it keeps recovering faster than the parasite can destroy it, you should be fine. However, if your Aura happens to run out or slows its recovery..."
"It will spread and kill me," Summer finished for him.
"Aye, that's the most likely outcome. Amputation would be the easiest way to solve this, but if you got resources, I'm sure someone might have a way to remove this bloody thing."
"So overall, she is fine, right?" I cut in.
The doctor nodded. "Correct. Keep her away from fighting, and you might even have a few months free of worries."
I grinned. "See, Doc? It wasn't so hard after all. So how much do we owe you?"
"Ready?" I craned my neck to check on Summer sitting on my back. "This is the last straight. I won't stop until we reach Patch."
"I know. Just give me a minute," the woman growled, correcting the makeshift saddle made from a few leather strips. The damned thing barely fit me, and if it wasn't for the need to get to the island fast, I would have never agreed to this.
"Ready!"
Great. I took a deep breath and claimed my place in the air with one mighty jump. My speed kept on climbing, easily reaching the same pace I used to carry us from Mistral to Vale. If nothing happened on this last stretch, we should arrive in an hour or two, maybe even less.
And so minute after minute passed as the blue of the ocean glinted in the light of the settling sun. Sometimes, I thought of starting a conversation, but with Patch so close, I settled for silence. Summer most likely needed it now.
What do we have here... I mused when the small island appeared on the horizon.
Entering Major Territory number 1: Patch Island. To reclaim this territory, you have to eliminate 50 Grimm. (0/50)
Nothing complicated. Can do it in a matter of an hour or even faster. First though, Summer's home... Why do I have a feeling this is going to suck.
"Doesn't look abandoned," I commented as we neared the two-story wooden house. The grass was trimmed, the windows clean. These were all pretty good signs if someone asked me.
"What if it was taken away from them? What if I left them with nothing?" Summer whispered, hugging herself.
"Doubt it."
The woman's head snapped to me, glaring. "How can you know? Even in Vale, orphans don't have it easy. The foster system is brutal. I would know..."
I sighed. "You had friends, right? Qrow, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and gods know who else. Do you really think they would abandon your children and forget?"
This time, I didn't have the answer to those questions. I just asked them, hoping that Summer's relationship with those people was strong enough to calm her nerves.
Somehow, it worked.
"No..." She muttered, stepping onto the house's porch. "No, they wouldn't. Definitely not Qrow. Not after..."
"Raven," I finished and shrugged off her hard look. "What? I told you I know things I shouldn't. Now go, find out if your family is even here. I will take a look around the area. Scream if you need me."
When Summer nodded, I turned away and walked away. If Ruby and Yang were here, they didn't need me for their reunion.
And if they aren't... Well, I always wanted to visit Vale properly.
Well, that's it for today.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Once again, happy New Year, everyone. May it be better than the last one (Spoiler: It won't).
Anyway, like always, thank you all for reading! And if you are searching for something else to read that has a few similar vibes to Grimm's Evolution, then check out my original story on RoyalRoad called "A Universe of Bloody Evolution." It's completely free to read, so no worries about that. Link to that along with discord code below. Have a good day/night. See ya in a month.
My Original story: royalroad(.com)/fiction/58667/a-universe-of-bloody-evolution (Delete the brackets)
Discord code: b7JaQcpuc7