Hey everyone! I know it's been like four months since my last update and I deeply apologize. I've been neck deep in so much work I'm not sure I was going to survive, but the semester is finally coming to an end and I found some time in between my grandmother passing away two days ago to now to write up this chapter. I never miss dropping one on my birthday in 4 years so I don't intend to stop now.
Hope you guys can forgive me for the slow updates.
Chapter 99: The Beginning of the End
-Everafter-
Onyx and Cinder had traversed the majority of the Everafter by now, time seemed to move at a crawl, days felt like weeks and nights felt like months, time was relative here, something Onyx realized after enough of it had passed. It wasn't so much their perspective on time but rather time's perspective on them relative to where they were. As if each section of the Everafter was moving at its own speed with its own sense of time dilation.
The Curious Cat was happily trouncing around in front of the two as they passed through the dark forest and into the open shores of the next side of the island.
Onyx was growing quite tired and impatient with the cat, "How long until we reach the tree?"
The cat hummed, "Could be today, could be tomorrow. The tree isn't somewhere you go, it's somewhere you know."
"The fuck does that mean?" Cinder growled as she raised her claws to challenge the cat.
Little hid in Cinder's cloak, strangely, despite her constant threats and the fact that the mouse no longer served a purpose to her, she kept it around.
"Aw, it's okay Little," she cooed, stroking its head gently, "The cat is just being a dickhead."
"I'm not sure what a dickhead is," Little squeaked.
"Don't worry about that, soon we'll teach you to say even more bad words like fuck and shit!" Cinder cackled, completely forgetting to continue her threat against the cat.
The cat's disembodied upper half floated up to the mouse, "Hmm, seems like we can't find the tree because one of us hasn't found acceptance."
Onyx felt his blood boil, "If you don't stop speaking in riddles then I will skin you and wear you like a scarf."
"So violent~" he purred and flicked Onyx on the nose. The bear Faunus swiped the air and tried to strangle the cat but simply came upon nothing.
Onyx was replaying what happened back at the Herbalists hut, something he couldn't quite shake, "You mentioned Ascension before, but what exactly is it? The Herbalist didn't die, did he?"
"Ascension is what happens to us when we no longer serve our purpose." The cat's tail flickered eerily as he prowled around the path in front of them, "You are taken in by the tree and you're given a new purpose. You are reborn!"
Cinder's brows furrowed as she began toying with the idea, "So... you oversee that process? Is that your purpose?"
The cat grinned broadly as it's teeth gleamed... it seemed it liked that question, "I am a caretaker of sorts for this place. I guide those who need it to who they need to be." he turned around and eyed the rodent on Cinder's shoulder, "Little mouse, what do you want? What are you?"
The mouse squeaked and hid in Cinder's clothes, "I-I want to go home, I don't know what I am besides a mouse."
The cat's eyes began to glow as they shaped in blacks and whites spreading across his cornea like pixels, "No, no, no, you want to be more… otherwise why else would we still be here~?"
"I… I don't know…" Little cried out.
"Oh… but I think you do, deep down you've found a new purpose but you aren't sure exactly how to realize it."
Cinder saw the cat inch closer to her shoulder where Little sat and glared at him, "Don't you dare hurt him!"
"Come on Little mouse, dig deeper…"
Little saw the cat come closer and tried to jump off Cinder's shoulder.
"Seems you need help…" The cat had an evil glint in his eyes as he snatched Little out of the air.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Cinder snarled as she tried to catch Little.
"Speeding up this mundane process…" The cat droned as he swallowed Little whole.
All at once a crater opened up in the floor dragging everyone down, "WHAT THE FUCK?!" she screeched before darkness eclipsed her vision.
Onyx and Cinder woke up to find themselves sitting on a wooden floor surrounded by an endless myriad of branches, a large golden gate standing before them and… just sprouting out of a trunk was a tiny statue of Little.
"Are we… at the tree?" Onyx rubbed his head, thoroughly done with this land's bullshit.
"Fuck that, what did you do to Little?!" she scrambled over to the curious cat only to find him slinking out of the tree branches.
"I simply helped him figure out what he wants, and you two…" the cat snickered as he began to grow in size turning bright white, "Are going to help me leave this place…"
-Castle Seastone-
Nova, Ruby and Luna, along with the rest of the team, sat with Queen Marina in the castle's meeting hall to finalize the details of what is to come.
Marina donned a serious expression after Ruby explained the situation, "You mean to tell me that our years of peace are about to be broken by the witch who lives in the Badlands? Why now?"
"For years she's been biding her time, playing a long and ongoing game of chess to gather the necessary pieces, the relics, and now with her existence threatened she's amounting a final assault on Remnant." Ruby showed Marina the various documented fights, information on the relics and the details thus far.
"I can see why his highness wants to unite the three kingdoms… if the threat is as large as you expect then no doubt we'd need more than a small army…" she looked at Nova, "The problem is that in our time of peace, the only kingdom that still supports a sizeable military is the Aeros Kingdom."
"Speaking of which, is there any chance we can get your support to speed things along with them? A direct meeting would be ideal." Nova stepped in sensing the conversation was entering political territory.
Marina sighed, "There's a problem."
"There always is…" Weiss moaned from off to the side.
"The Aeros Kingdom isn't a Kingdom as it is more of an authoritative military collective run by one General Corvus Bladewing, and he's not exactly… amiable like the rest of us."
Nova nodded in understanding, "Still, anything you can do to help would be appreciated."
"I won't need to get you a letter of recommendation… but I can send word ahead of your arrival. By now word has spread that the Prince of Legend is making his way across the continent, so he'll be expecting you. If you want to have any success then you will need to prove to him that you're strength far outmatches anything he can bring to the table, as for your trial he already has something in mind. He's meticulous if nothing else."
Neo rolled her eyes, "Sounds like General Ironwood but cranked up to an eleven."
Weiss snorted, "Nah at least Ironwood was reasonable for a short period, this guy just sounds like an ego case."
Oscar looked at her curiously, "Weiss… who are you talking to?"
She blushed in embarrassment forgetting the others couldn't hear Neo, "Uh…"
Neo elbowed her to keep quiet.
"Myself…?" Weiss shrugged awkwardly.
"She's lost it…" Blake made a pitying expression.
"Don't make me go over there!" she shook her fist in the air.
Marina burst into a fit of giggles, "You are all quite close for such a large team."
Nova watched them in amusement, "We've been through a lot together."
She clapped her hands, "I'll provide my support to you when the time comes, the day the banners of the new King rise on the horizon of Pandora, then the old Kingdom of Gaia will be reformed."
"Gaia… you mean what the unified kingdoms were once called?" Luna voiced with a glint in her eye.
She nodded, "There isn't anyone on the continent alive that remembers the days we were united under the banner but its written in every history book. It told of prosperity and power, I look forward to those days, my prince." With that, she bowed to Nova and the team before getting up to leave.
It was time to head back to castle Flareheart, now that their time at Oceanis was over, they needed to rest and strategize before heading to the Aeros kingdom.
They stepped through the King's Passage and back into the calm and inviting air of the castle. Ascending the staircase Hex made a mental note to one day install an elevator here.
As soon as they entered the throne room from the dark passage they were met with Aurelios and several of the staff dusting up.
His ears flickered and his head turned toward them, "Y-Your Highnesses, you're back!" he had a happy glint in his eyes.
Nova warmly met him with a shoulder pat, "Aurelios, where's mother?"
"Her ladyship is upstairs in the library sir, would you like me to summon her?" he asked.
The prince shook his head, "Nah, don't bother her," he flipped the rite of passage coin in his hands, the sea stone glinting in the light like a piece of metal.
"My word! You've succeeded in such a short time! This is cause for celebration!"
Nova held him back, "Woah, easy, no need for celebration yet. I think the team just wants to rest, right guys?" he turned around to see several feverishly shaking heads.
"Then I shall prepare dinner," he bowed and clapped, gathering the staff and headed toward the kitchen.
The team all dispersed into the castle to rest and relax leaving Ruby and Nova alone.
They linked arms and traversed the grand staircase to the royal quarters, as soon as the door was shut they both simultaneously flopped onto the bed, letting out sighs of relief.
"FINALLY!" they both said aloud, before looking at each other and laughing hysterically.
Ruby snuggled into his arms, burying her head into the crook of his neck before kissing him lightly, "Politics is so draining," he murmured into her hair.
"And I'm also sure you're tired of being in this form," she reached up and pressed the button on his armband transforming him into female form.
"Damn right I am," Nova felt all the stress just leave her body at once, "Can we just… lay here for a few hours and not move a muscle?"
"Mmf you're thinking what I'm thinking…" she cooed.
"We literally share a brain cell."
"I think you mean soul, love."
It was late at night when Nova awoke, finding herself wandering the halls of the castle and admiring the years of history-laden within the walls. Tapestries and paintings of ancestors she never knew or even heard of.
There was even a painting of King Alexandrite the first's queen, she was a Shadow Claw Faunus, suggesting that Blake was probably related to the Flarehearts somewhere along the pumpkin vine.
Nova was out in the garden by the crisp early hours of the morning, feeling lost in a daze, her head spinning from the recent events.
"King, huh?" she glossed over the metallic Flareheart symbol pinned to her heart pocket, "There's gotta be a more gender-neutral term for this like Monarch."
"Nova?" a quiet, gentle voice called from behind her.
The prince knew that voice anywhere, "Mom? What are you doing up?"
"I should ask you the same thing," Elain adjusted her lab coat.
"Something I learned from Jormungandr has been weighing on me I guess."
"Jormungandr?"
"It's a whole thing… the trial taught me that I needed to let go of vengeance, to let go of failure if I wanted to succeed."
She quietly listened, taking up a seat on the white, wooden lounge chair.
"I understand what he was trying to tell me it's just… my whole life I've been chasing vengeance. Onyx ruined our family, he tore us apart and took away precious years of our lives that we could've spent in happiness. He killed so many of the people I knew, caused the death of possibly tens of thousands, and I'm just supposed to let that go?"
Elain witnessed Nova shaking as if trembling in rage or frustration, as she got up and moved to her child.
"He took dad from us!" Nova yelled in frustration as Elain wrapped her arms around Nova in a warm embrace.
The dragon felt a sudden ease wash over her, like all her pent-up frustrations were spilling forth all at once, "I've already made my peace but the idea of just… letting it go isn't something I think I can do."
"Then don't let it go," Elain answered, breaking her silence.
"Huh…?" she looked at her mother wide-eyed.
"I think your other half has already come to terms with what she needs to do, you'd know better than anyone. You don't have to let that hate go, you don't need to forget nor do you need to forgive. You just need to prioritize the bigger picture."
Nova sniffled and leaned into her mother's embrace, "It's better to hear it out loud sometimes, from someone else I guess."
"That's what parents are for," she smiled and stroked her hair, "When was the last time I got to act like a parent around you?"
Nova flinched, "I…"
"You know, you carry about yourself like you're already a grown-up. You might be an adult on paper but you'll always be my baby, even if sometimes I lose sight of that."
"What are you…?"
"I lost you both for ten whole years, when I came back I found a son that was all grown up, and a daughter who didn't recognize her own mother. You grew up without me, and you kept growing, never slowing down because the world didn't allow you to. A kid that's forced to grow up too fast, who saw the horrors of the world is now supposed to sit on the throne and lead an entire kingdom against monsters that threaten us all."
"When you put it like that it sounds like I'm some sort of messiah," Nova snorted, "I'm not. I never wanted to be the hero, mom, I just wanted to keep the people I cared about safe, and I wanted above all else to take revenge on the man that ruined my… our lives."
"The best heroes are the ones who never wanted the responsibility. They never choose that path, the path chooses them. It's also why I know you'll be a great King."
"What if… I don't want to be king?" Nova asked quietly.
Elain smirked, "Then that's fine too, at the end of the day the choice is yours to make. Once that crown is on your head you can do whatever you want with it, keep it, give it away, sell it… doesn't matter to me, or to those people who have been following you since day one. You've never been, Nova the Prince, to them… you've always just been Nova the friend, the son, the brother, the beloved."
"I miss the good old days, when we were goofing off at school, and all we had to worry about were exams."
"We can't turn back time, but even if you could, would you have chosen a different path?" Elain asked earnestly.
Nova thought for a moment, "No… I wouldn't…"
After three days of rest and recuperation, they were off to the Aeros Kingdom.
The moment they stepped through the King's Passage they were met with an incredible sight. The tunnel deposited hem on a sheer cliff drop that overlooked the massive mountain range. Tall spires of rock spread above the clouds like jagged thorns along a stoney vine.
A blanket of clouds covered any glimpse of the land below followed by brushes of crisp, cold air and warm, unfiltered sunlight.
"It's… incredible," Weiss breathed out, filling her lungs with the clean air. Somehow it was fresher than the world below.
No smog, no smoke, unlike the other continents of Remnant, Pandora's air felt clean, but this place was on another level.
Off in the distance, they could spot a massive city towering from the highest peak. Spires of mountain rock, carved into towers and buildings that reached up as if scraping the sky. Tall, grey stone buildings connected by bridges and platforms like a carved tree-house city, plated in golds and softer metals, all surrounded by a titanic circular wall that formed a jagged maw encompassing it all.
A long, serpent-like pathway connected both south and north entrances to the city, the south was barred by a heavy iron gate while the north was blocked off by jagged rocks and armed to the teeth with mounted ballista the size of a small house.
As the team followed the narrow path to the city, they could see clearly the craters, scorch marks and dried bloodstains that littered the ground of the north entrance. It was too far away for those with normal eyes but the dragons, Blake and Ruby could spot them from afar.
Despite the bloodshed on one side, the city seemed bustling and undisturbed like a sky-based utopia.
Upon approaching the gates they were met with a pair of winged guards wearing full-plated armour covering every inch of their bodies aside from their wings and bird-like feet.
"Halt, travellers, state your name and purpose," one began in an abrasive tone when the other elbowed him sharply.
"Don't you recognize who that is?!"
"Uh who…?"
"That's the bloody prince and princess you imbecile," he smacked him over the head before bowing, "My apologies your Highnesses, we were informed of your arrival beforehand, please enter. The General would like to speak with you."
Nova nodded awkwardly, "Uh… thanks guy?"
They just walked in without much resistance. They would soon find out, however, that the niceties of these guards were but a small outlier in a grander state.
The city was quite bustling despite it being a military hub, Faunus of all kinds were walking around the streets that were paved in large mountain rocks.
Many places had tall spires where a vast majority of traffic came through, whether they be pulley-type elevator systems to aid the ground-born Faunus, or the flying harpy-like Hawk Faunus.
The tallest spire amidst the entire city was shaped like a large lotus bulb, closed and layered with petals of stone, platforms outstretched from the four cardinal directions of the tower like landing strips.
"Looks like that's our place," Hex whistled as she covered her eyes with her hand like a visor. They weren't wearing their disguises, something they were reminded of by the constant stares and whispering of the citizens.
"Wow… they really don't have feathers or wings!" someone said.
A mother and her child were staring cautiously, "Don't stare too much sweety," the mother guided her son away.
"Humans…! They don't have scary faces like the books said," another bystander said.
The team did their best to ignore the unwanted attention as they made their way to the central spire.
Upon approaching they noticed there was no ground entrance aside from a pair of elevators that went up and down the spire.
Ruby approached the guards who stood beside the system when he stopped her, "Halt! Elevator access to the Military Head Quarters is strictly off-limits to civilians."
"We're not civilians sir," Ruby politely responded as she wordlessly gestured to her lack of Faunus traits, "I'm Ruby Rose, and this is my team."
Nova stepped beside her with Luna in tow, "Prince Nova Flareheart. I believe the General is expecting us." He gave a light bow.
"Princess Luna Flareheart," Luna also curtsied.
The guard at once stiffened and eyed them, no motion was made to correct their attitude or greet the royals. It was as if they were ordered to not show any form of courtesy, "The elevator access is currently down for maintenance."
Oscar looked up and down the elevator, no workers were on it and it didn't seem to be undergoing any maintenance, in fact, he thought he saw someone use it when they entered the city. "Doesn't look that way to me," he pointed out.
The guard glared at him slightly, "It may not look that way, but it is."
"Then how the hell are we supposed to go see the general?" Weiss put her hands on her hips in annoyance.
The guard looked at them and Ruby could swear he was smirking, "You could always fly up there… but I see you don't have any wings."
Ruby snorted, "If we could fly up there it would be okay to enter right?"
The guard nodded, "Yeah, but like that's ever going to happen…"
Nova at once understood. It seemed the General anticipated their arrival and set up precautions to dissuade their meeting. Well, that wasn't going to slide.
"Alright guys, you heard the man, we're flying up there," Nova clapped his hands and grabbed Luna like a doll.
Ruby smirked, "You guys know the drill."
At the same time, Nova ignited his fiery wings with the power of he Fall Maiden, transforming into female form and grabbed Luna before flying to the platform.
Ruby grabbed Yang, Hex and Oscar before Petal Bursting alongside him.
"What the fuck?!" The guard recoiled in alarm as they sped off. He looked back at the remaining members in confusion and fear.
Weiss leaned on Neo as the latter's eyes glowed with the Winter Maiden's power and she carried Weiss up.
Blake flipped her hair before holding Sun and disappearing into the shadows, leaving the guard on the ground in bewilderment.
They strode proudly into the main conference room, the grand structure of the dome curved along the stone walls with large mosaic-styled glass windows that cast a myriad of colours amidst the heavily lit room.
A massive golden war table sat at the centre with a map of Pandora, and different-sized castle markers in the shape of royal insignias representing the different kingdoms.
Several hawk Faunus have gathered around with one black-haired man who looked to be in his mid-forties with a rugged look. He wore a grey military uniform with several medals decorating his left breast pocket, a cloak of black feathers hanging from his shoulders like a cape, pinned with gold-laced shoulder pads.
All heads snapped up to the team's arrival as they waltzed in through the large doors.
"Who dares enter the war room without authority?!" the General glared at them.
Nova folded his arms, "Prince Nova Alexandrite Flareheart, I'd think given the circumstances, you could spare a few minutes. You were expecting us after all."
The General frowned as he glanced at them, eyeing each and every one of them with scrutiny, "Was I? I'm sorry but you'll have to wait. I'm in the process of setting up the troop rotations for the next quarter solstice."
Nova's eyebrow quirked up as he glanced at the table and the people around them. The next quarter solstice meant roughly a quarter of a year. No one schedules troop rotations for that long of a period. If Nova had to guess, based on the map it was more like a defence setup to compensate for something. If that was the case then their intel on Salem would provide help on setting this up, and if the general was wise then he'd listen to what they had to say before proceeding.
It was like they weren't being taken seriously.
This idea was cemented by the fact that the general seemed to have no recollection of issuing orders to allow them in. This was either a form of undermining... or it was a test.
Nova let out a heavy exhale, "Haaah," as he walked over with shoulders broad and standing at his full height, given the passage of time he'd managed to finally hit that six-foot mark. Granted he wasn't as tall as the hawk-Faunus, it was still effective in showing his authority.
Striding over and ignoring the glares of the other people in the room he dragged a chair from beneath the table, making sure it screeched along the floor before he promptly sat down, crossed his legs and relaxed on the chair. Propping the side of his head with one arm as he looked at the General in the eye.
"Didn't you hear me? We'll have to meet after so please wait outside," Corvus Bladewing glared at Nova.
The prince eyed him dangerously, "I don't think you heard me."
"What was that?"
"I don't remember asking." He drummed his clawed hand over the armrest, making sure the Agniseki was flashing in the sunlight that beamed through the stained glass windows.
"How dare you…!" one of the commanders off to the side flared up and instantly Blake was behind him, grabbing him by the shoulder harshly.
Nova waved his hand and Blake released the man, "General Corvus Bladewing, I'd like to believe that you know why we're here. You're no fool. You also know exactly what kind of information we have and how it would affect your strategies, so unless you're actually a fool, I'd suggest you stop looking down on us and start acting the part."
Corvus's brow twitched but he kept calm, a small smile playing on his lips, "And why should I acquiesce to your request?"
"It wasn't a request, and if you don't then may I take it that House Bladewing has forgotten the noble hierarchy? That the so-called 'requests' of the crown prince can be brushed aside? Especially when it pertains to a matter of national security?"
Sun let out an impressed whistle from the back, "He's good!" before getting elbowed by Neo.
The General flinched before begrudgingly sitting down, issuing his retainers to clear the table. "Alright, I understand. Let's get this over with."
Nova smirked and leaned forward, beckoning his team to sit beside him. Ruby promptly taking her seat at Nova's right and Luna to the left.
"Now, General Corvus, I can guess what you're thinking," Nova started as he took off Helios and rested it at the side of the table, an act of showing he meant no hostility. "Who are these children to come in here and talk to me about security when I've been fighting this war longer than they've been alive?"
Corvus snorted, "Hmph."
"You're also probably thinking that this so-called crown prince who barely knows the ways of our people, showed up barely a month ago and is now trying to tell me what to do. Am I wrong? Feel free to voice it, nothing will be held against you."
The General hesitated before smirking, "Indeed you are correct, your Highness."
"Well let me get straight to the point then, I'm here to earn your rite of passage sigil. I'm not here to demand it. Respect is not something I intend to gain by force. We're also here to share with you the information we have on Salem, the demon queen you've been fighting all these years. Information that could help us win this war."
"I'm listening…"
Nova began to explain the situation, recalling the events from Beacon up until now, revealing the existence of the four maidens as well as the relics and what Salem intends to do with them.
"She can not only command the Grimm, she can create them, and if the events that have transpired over the past few weeks are anything to go by, it's that she's no longer holding back."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Corvus was serious now, the information gained was eye-opening for him. Perhaps these children were not as foolish as he thought.
Nova folded his arms, "I'd like to propose a joint, full-scale attack on her territory with the combined forces of the three kingdoms. I've already spoken to Luxalia and Oceanis and they've agreed to follow the banner of Flareheart as long as I ascend to the throne, we only need your help to do it."
"And what makes you so sure a full-scale frontal assault is a good option? If it was so simple we'd have won long ago."
"That's the thing," Nova leaned forward, "The last time you didn't have a King to guide you, you didn't have help from humans, and most of all, Salem's strength lies in her tricks and manipulation. She wants our forces divided for in unity lies the key to victory. You also didn't have a Silver-Eyed Warrior as an ally."
Ruby had stood quietly, watching the interaction, interlinking with Nova's thoughts as she understood the situation. This was her queue as the co-leader of the team to step up and add to his proposal, she was, after all, the ambassador for humans now.
Ruby stepped up, placing her hand on her chest, "My power allows me to vanquish any Grimm, and we believe it will be key in defeating Salem. The Grimm are strong but together we believe that we're stronger. They have numbers but at the end of the day Grimm are mindless animals, we have skilled fighters. Two of the four maidens, a silver-eyed warrior, four Aspects of Remnant and some of the most talented fighters and smartest people on Remnant. We're the best of the best and with our guidance, we can create an army capable of wiping Salem and her forces from the face of Remnant."
"So General Corvus," Nova continued off of her, smiling broadly from pride, "What do you say?"
He took a minute to think it over, "It sounds like a suicide mission… but if what you're saying is true then we may very well have the best chance to take her down once and for all. If we fail, however… it would mean the end of all of us."
Nova looked at him in the eyes, "General, should we fail, it won't be the end of just Pandora, but the entire world. She's coming after us whether we like it or not, we need to be the ones to shoot first this time around. With two of Salem's generals gone we have the best chance of defeating her if we act as soon as possible."
Corvus initially had a poor image of this team. Humans and Faunus working together alongside a prince and princess who'd been missing for more than a hundred years. They didn't know the ways of their people, and to top it all off they were children. They surely had no experience in war. When he heard tales of their exploits in Luxalia and then Oceanis, he claimed them to be heavily embellished.
Speaking to them now, meeting the prince in person, hearing the human called Ruby speak. He was… moved.
"Well… if you want the rite of passage, you're going to have to truly earn it. It is, however, not earned from me. My rite of passage comes from the people, it is the trial of integrity. You must earn the trust of the people of my city, then return to me."
"I take it our treatment outside up until now was part of this test. Is that safe to assume?"
The General smiled with pride, "Correct, a King needs to have a certain level of audacity and confidence. Had you chosen to back down I'd have already failed you." he picked up a clipboard seemingly from a drawer under the table and slid it across to them, "Here's a list of things that you can do to help out around here."
Nova eyed the list, "Easy enough..."
"This also extends to your team. It is written in the scriptures that the test must be imparted on the members of heir's royal retainers, for they are an extension of him/her."
Sun looked at the others, "Hear that, guys? We're retainers!"
"I heard… I mean if you think about it… I guess we are?" Oscar looked at them confused.
Nova nodded, "Understood, we shall reconvene in two weeks."
"Two weeks? Is that enough?" Corvus asked genuinely.
Nova shrugged, "It'll have to be, any longer and I fear our chances may dwindle…"
"How do you know?"
"… I'm not sure… just a hunch."
There wasn't much discussion needed amongst the team, they all had skills specialized in different areas they could lend to the city.
From observation and listening in, it seemed the rear walls needed fortification, Nova would handle that. Ruby learned that working with the local police force would be enough to cement that humans were here to protect them. Hex took to fortifying the city's industrial situation along with Nitro while Blake and Sun took posts on night watch.
Luna, much to no one's surprise, took her post at the city's library where she would host classes on general education and recount what it was like to grow up among humans, naturally, Oscar followed.
Weiss and Neo, unsure exactly what to do, decided to make use of their ice powers to… make a snow-cone stand in the town square and donate any proceedings to available local charities.
-The First week-
Nova showed up bright and early at the crack of dawn at the rear wall. He opted out of his normal attire for manual labour, instead sporting a black short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans.
The rear wall was the most battered since it suffered the most attacks, there were several holes in the concrete, scorch marks plastering the exterior of the craters. From the top of the wall it seemed a massive chunk in the shape of a 'V' had caved in from a heavy impact, with several chunks of stone cluttering the ground.
Scaffolds towering all the way up to the top of the wall were populated by various Faunus, mostly terrestrial races as the bird Faunus were utilizing their wings to transport material up and down the construction site.
A large burly man, standing at around seven feet tall wearing bright yellow overalls was ordering most of the similarly garbed workers around. He had a pointed nose with black whiskers sticking out, like a large mole of sorts.
Nova approached him with confidence, "Excuse me sir, I'm here to help with the construction."
The man eyed the prince, seemingly not recognizing him at first, "You got anything that makes you qualified? Can't have any run-of-the-mill civilian running around here makin' the work even harder for us."
Nova looked over himself and then back at him with confusion, "Uh… I was sent here by the General? Does that make it any better mister…"
"Guys around here call me Spade, like the tool, 'cuz I'm good at digging things up. I'm also chief of construction. As for you, the general sent a letter of recommendation. You don't look like much…"
Nova scratched his head, "No… but I can do this?" he ran over to one of the large stone blocks that looked twice as tall as him and almost five times as wide.
"What the hell are you…?!"
Spade watched in awe as the prince lifted the chunk of rock with two hands and heaved it onto his back.
"Is this enough qualification?" Nova asked breaking a little sweat.
"Uh… yeah… hey what'd you say your name was?" he asked as Nova put the block down.
"Nova Flareheart."
"Huh, that's the same name as the prince… wait… OH SHIT"
-Six hours into construction-
Thanks to Nova's absurd strength and his semblance of Adaptation, he was able to speed up the construction process, by now about half of the largest hole had been patched up.
Initially, his presence among the workers was off-putting, as many were hesitant to approach him or speak to him due to the difference in status, but after enough forced interaction, the dragon's natural charisma as a leader helped the people to warm up to him.
Soon enough he was bantering with them as if he'd been working there his whole life.
"Shiv this hole needs a new coat of plaster, I'm gonna head down and grab three more slabs and knock 'em into place." Nova hollered from the top scaffold as he waved at one of the workers.
Shiv, a Pangolin Faunus, nodded, "Uh don't you think you should take a break? It's almost lunch."
Nova shrugged, "Eh, I can starve, a few nights in a prison cell will do that to yah."
"I have so many questions…"
"Maybe when this is done we can go grab a few drinks together, I'll tell you and the crew about the stories. Drinks on me of course, in honour of my first day here."
Shiv whistled, "HERE THAT LADS? THE PRINCE IS SPONSORIN' US TONIGHT!"
Cheers erupted across the site.
-Meanwhile with Ruby-
Ruby was dressed in a blue police officer's uniform, quite similar to the one found on Remnant aside from the symbol being different. The symbol on the uniform was a pair of wings connected by a sword with the slogan 'The Watchful Eyes of Justice' on it.
She was on an assigned squad consisting of two hawk-Faunus, a male and a female. They were supposedly seasoned officers and wanted to test out the rookie.
Currently, they were on patrol in the central town square where Ruby spotted Weiss and Neo happily handing out sno-cones to the kids who'd never even heard of the treat before. Business appeared ot be booming.
"Alright rookie, first day on the job, just a standard patrol nothing crazy. You said you were a what'd you call it?" The female Hawk addressed her. Zen Greyfeather, an eight-foot tall and slender built Faunus woman with short cut spiky hair that was shaved on one side of her head. The hair resembled the grey feathers of her winged arms, she was a harpy-race hawk Faunus with bird-like feet that sported four razor-sharp talons.
"A Huntress, we're like soldiers, if that helps." Ruby politely replied.
"Right…" The male hawk Faunus replied, he was similar to Zen but he had a long flowing mane of feathers for hair in a dark brown colour. On his breast pocket was a nametag that said 'Squall' on it. "Look, I don't mean to be rude but you don't look like much of a soldier but on the general's recommendation we'll take your word for it. Just don't fuck anything up."
The patrol was very slow as the city, being primarily a military state, was quite peaceful. Nothing happened for the first four hours of her patrol until a loud crash was heard.
All heads peeled toward a nearby jewellery store where the officer's hawk-like vision spotted a raccoon Faunus in a black mask holding a knife to a terrified pigeon Faunus store clerk's neck. The poor man was making loud 'coos' in alarm.
Ruby had to stop and scratch her head… what was this generic turn of events? Was this their idea of crime? It would've passed as a joke in a poorly written-play.
"Looks like we got a robbery in progress, let's go," Zen motioned, "Perps got a hostage so we can't act carelessly."
Ruby blanked, "Are you guys serious…? He's barely a threat to anyone, more so he's a threat to himself with the way he's holding that knife…"
"Hmph well if you say so, rookie, you can handle it." Squall eyed her.
Zen smacked him, "Are you serious? You could endanger the civilian!"
Ruby rolled her eyes, "Ugh you guys are wasting time, I got it…"
"Wait…!"
But she was already gone, vanished in a burst of petals that disappeared into the wind.
"Where'd she go?!" Squall was looking around frantically.
Zen tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at the store.
The Racoon bandit didn't know what hit him, as within the second he was having the jewels filled into a bag, and the next he was on the floor with a stinging pain on the side of the face like he'd been slapped. Towering over him was Ruby folding her arms.
"Seriously? In the middle of town, in broad daylight? Come on, if you're going to commit a crime then do it properly yeesh," She rolled her eyes and handcuffed him.
"Y-You saved me!" The store clerk exclaimed.
Ruby scratched her head, "Uh… just doing my duty?"
"A human saved me! WOW!"
Ruby felt quite awkward and underwhelmed.
The team found separate accommodations, it seemed this city had fully furbished hotels, almost modern in design without elevators and electronics. Lighting mostly came from the same light crystals that were in the chandeliers at Castle Firestone.
Their suite was a common light brown aesthetic with cream wallpaper and wooden flooring. It was unimpressive by modern standards, seemingly archaic, but it was akin to a tier lower than the royal quarters at Castle Firestone. Naturally, the prince was to stay in the royal suite with his betrothed, something about the owner not wanting his royal highness to stay in anything less.
Nova was already inside after their first day, sprawled out on the white sofa. He'd just taken a shower so a towel was draped un-graciously around his shoulders while he observed a map of Pandora on his scroll. It was projected holographically to get a larger layout.
The sound of the door unlocking roused him out of deep concentration as Ruby stepped in, wearing her new uniform.
She was… to put it simply… breathtaking. He couldn't help but stare at the way the blue uniform contrasted her normal red look, the tight black stockings that hugged her curvy legs.
"Is something wrong with the way I look? God I knew I looked ridiculous in this thing…" Ruby groaned as she tugged at her collar.
When Nova didn't respond she read his mind and instantly turned bright red, "W-W-What?!"
Nova had to clear his throat, "Ahem… I… believe you've awoken something within me I didn't know I had…"
She was embarrassed for a moment but decided to own it, waltzing over and sitting on his lap while draping her arms around his neck, "Oh really? And what pray tell did you awaken?"
"Something we can… deal with in a bit," he buried his head in her neck before just laying there.
She giggled and played with his horns, "What's on your mind my prince?" she asked airily, realizing he was thinking a long string of thoughts that were causing his brain to go overtime. She couldn't make much headway when his thoughts were all jumbled up so he needed to elaborate verbally.
"Right," he adjusted himself and reached around her waist to the map, "We're here," he pointed on the map at the point just before the black earth showed up. "We've been west, to Luxalia, then we travelled east to Castle Firestone then a little south to Oceanis. We've covered a great deal of Pandora so it begs the question…"
He hovered around the two islands, one to the west and east of the larger continent and the islands above, "Where are those and why has no one mentioned them?"
She frowned, studying it carefully. "Remember when Jinn told us about Ozma's story? There used to be a shrine of Creation and one of destruction, to the respective gods. Maybe that's where they are?"
"Maybe…" he zoomed in on the western island, "Let's assume that this one is the shrine of creation, then based on what we were shown the shrine of destruction can't be far off. Since the majority of corruption is concentrated around here…" he pointed to the dragon's head on the map, "Then we can safely say this is where Salem's fortress is located. So what's over there?" he pointed out the eastern island.
Ruby hummed, "We'll have to find out right? If it's important I'm sure we'd find out somehow. Ozpin would've said something."
"What if it's not Ozpin or Salem related?"
"Then is it that important?"
"Probably not. What about locating her fortress?"
Ruby sighed and pushed him onto the couch, forcing him to lie down as she turned off his scroll, "Love, I know you're worried about the future, you always are… but you're going to get wrinkles at this rate. One step at a time, okay?"
He gazed into her eyes and felt all the worry melt away, "You're the boss," he whispered before leaning in for a deep kiss.
-Meanwhile In the Everafter-
The tree roots spread out forming a small arena in the center of the space as the Curious Cat began to take on its true form. Its normally purple-coloured fur turned startlingly white as it grew larger in size until it was almost towering over the 8-foot-tall bear Faunus.
"I'm going to kill you and take your body for my own!" The cat snarled viciously as bared its claws before letting out a shrill cry that resembled the roar of a lion.
Soon the trees began to tremble as the bare roots and branches came crashing down, out of the woodwork came a Jabberwock, the very same one that they fought when they first entered the Everafter.
Cinde bared her claws as well, "Kill us? Big talk from a cat who's done nothing but try to trick us."
The cat flickered its claws as well, "So you knew? Can't say I'm surprised," a deep purr came out of its throat as it and the Jabberwock began to circle them. "I tried to make you question your beliefs, but that didn't work… so I took you to the Herbalist hoping it would break you… but that didn't work either."
Onyx chuckled haughtily as he calmly strode over to the nearest branch, "Realizing you couldn't defeat us mentally and force us into an Ascension, you're now resorting to direct methods. Surely you know this is going to end horribly for you, correct?"
The cat growled, "I'm more than enough to kill you…"
Onyx looked at the multicoloured leaves on the tree, their browns mixed with reds and purples were quite like the ones the herbalist used on them.
"I've noticed these leaves everywhere, the Herbalist used these as well. They're connected to the tree, correct? To the deeper will of this place?"
The cat stopped his prowl momentarily, "What are you on about? Enough of this talk!"
Cinder looked at Onyx in confusion, "What are you doing?! Get ready to fight them!"
He simply grabbed a handful of the leaves in his hand and crushed it into a fine powder, fusing it with his miasma it became a sickly purple and black liquid sparkling with the leaf colouration, "You fight them. I've got a better idea…"
The cat saw what he was doing and lunged in alarm, "NO STOP WHAT ARE YOU…!"
Onyx drank the liquid in one gulp, and all at once his body was encased in wood, forming a statue of him in the exact pose, like a man overcome with power.
Cinder dodged to the side as she avoided the cat's claws, "Great… now I'm on my own…"
-With Onyx-
Onyx at first was plunged into an endless void, similar to when he was thrown here in the first place. The stars that fell alongside him began to spiral into a vortex that quickly sucked him in.
Abruptly he landed on a strange luminescent space-like floor dotted with stars. Around him were glass cases containing a multitude of weapons, all various shapes and forms. Among them he even spotted Nova's old weapon, Asura, the very thing he shattered to pieces all those years ago.
The sound of hammering on an anvil echoed like a dull vibration in the room, a shining light illuminating a lone silhouette of a woman in overalls standing over what appeared to be a workshop.
Onyx chose not to directly heed her presence as he approached the case containing Asura, "This brings back some memories, hah… good times."
"Then I'm sure you'll find these far more interesting," The woman said without looking at him. The cases spun rapidly until a pair of weapons stood before him.
A mace shaped like a pillar, it was tall and mysterious, etched in an intricate design of runes that were all too familiar to him. It spiked roughly around the edges and the rusted stains were that of dried blood against its dark green metallic frame.
"My father's weapon…" Onyx mumbled as he touched the cool glass. Alongside it was another weapon that was all too familiar.
It was a great sword that stood almost as tall as he was. Its blade was thick and jagged up to the middle before curving into a sleek, sharp point. Along the middle was a bone-like structure while the blade was almost a translucent white and orange accompanying its blackened hilt.
"And The Sword of The King… the blade that cut down my father…" Onyx scraped his nails across the glass making an ear grating sound. "How do you have these, creature?"
The woman stopped hammering and turned around, "Onyx Steelmane of the Blackpaw Tribe, your cruelty and tyranny knows no bounds."
He shrugged, "What can I say? I do my best. Who are you?"
"I am the embodiment of the will of this place, and you are not supposed to be here. You are neither seeking redemption nor a new purpose. You know who you are, and what you are and yet you refuse to change. Why?" she asked calmly.
Onyx grinned madly as he walked up to her, "Why would I change what's already perfected? You still haven't answered my question."
He noted that she had no eyes, her face was stony like a mask, almost as if she was made of living inorganic materials.
"The Everafter as you humans have taken to calling it, the land of your so-called gods. The brothers of creation and destruction were born here. Where things never die."
Onyx listened with interest, "The gods were born here? How interesting… tell me more…"
"The brothers were originally created when all things began. Creation was born to bring new life into the world, sentient life, and as there must be balance, Destruction was born to ensure that those that live must have an end."
"Yet things here do not die unless you count being killed by the Jabberwock. They ascend to become new." Onyx pointed out.
"Indeed, it is as you say. Things here did not die, so the Destruction created Death, Death birthed the Jabberwock… but soon it was found that with the abundance of life that death was not controllable, but death could not be killed."
Onyx was confused for a moment… then he recalled what the cat said. It called itself a caretaker.
"Realizing the failure of their system, Destruction and Creation formed The Curious Cat, to oversee and control the Jabberwock while managing the life of the realm…"
She stiffened, "You catch on quick. The reason for the cat's anger is that it was abandoned by its creators. Left to tend to a world with no end, a slave to the greater will."
"What exactly is the greater will?" he felt something bubbling inside of him… a desire which he had never felt so strongly about.
"That which governs all things here, I oversee this realm functionality, I ensure ascension is possible."
Onyx chuckled as he walked over to the case containing his father's mace and the king's sword. "Interesting, so if you oversee ascension yet I who came here by force and does not need it were to take these weapons in front of me… what would happen?"
"You would become the version of you befitting of your choice. The old you would cease to exist."
Onyx carefully caressed the cases, glancing back and forth, "Cease to exist?" he tapped the stone around his neck as his body began to transform, skin turning special and covered in the blanket of a night sky. His body grew larger as his face was covered in a black helmet crowned in stardust and gold.
"I am the carrier of the stone of Death, it embodies me, I embody it. Death cannot be killed here, nor can it reform… so let me ask again… What. Would. Happen?" His voice came out booming, layered in tones that shook the room. The stone vibrated violently as his hunger grew insatiable. He could smell the magical power in the air like a savoury delicacy.
"You forced yourself upon it! It was never yours to have…" the blacksmith responded, now feeling an emotion it didn't know it could feel.
Fear.
Onyx growled in a low voice, "That didn't answer my question…" before he smashed the case containing the King's Sword and held his own in his hands. Draco Belthor and the King's Sword began to fuse into one as the power of death enveloped them both forming a large towering Great Sword with thick bony handles made of dragon bones. The blade edges arched upward forming a broad, pointed tip. It leaked with a malicious aura as he thundered over to the blacksmith.
"I think I'll be taking this place…"
"What are you…?!" she was silenced when he grabbed her by the throat, his mouth unhinging to reveal a jagged maw of an endless void that swallowed her whole.
Power surged through him, his stomach felt full as it swallowed in the world around him, the forge streaming into starlight that was sucked into the vortex of his body.
"Now…" he looked at the weapons on the cases, "To find that staff…"
-Meanwhile with Cinder-
Cinder was fighting tooth and nail against the Cat and The Jabberwock. Her darkness had spread across the ground summoning visages of Wyvern heads and King Taijutus, even Death Stalkers to aid her in fending them off.
The Cat was exceptionally fast and agile, its reflexes were made to deal with high-speed combat while the Jabberwock was applying pressure with heavy hits.
"Anytime now Onyx!" she cried out as she threw a fireball at the Jabberwock before avoiding a claw swipe from the Cat without looking.
Soon the tree began to shake violently as the bright sky of the Everafter was swallowed in a blanket of darkness.
The Cat stopped its assault as it shrunk back, "What's happening?!"
The leaves of the tree turned bitch black and began to fall, first slowly, one at a time before soon every leaf was falling at once.
The brown bark began to petrify into a white stony material and the statue of Onyx cracked and shattered in a blinding light that forced the cat back.
"NO NO NO! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" The ca screamed in horror as Onyx emerged from the rubble. His Aspect form had evolved before it was purely starry skin that enveloped him like a suit. Now… he was different.
Onyx was wearing a full-body suit of armour that seemed to fuse with his skin, the metal was ingrained with markings of an otherworldly origin. It was lined with black and red fur that covered the neckline with a billowing cape of stars behind him. The armour itself looked alien, consisting of blackened scales like those of a dragon but much more burnt like obsidian or brimstone. The shoulders spiked into pads that layered in three jagged folds while his head was covered in a black helmet. The helmet itself was like a full-head mask with no openings, his eyes glowing with a myriad of colours like that of a far-away star. Atop it all was a jagged crown that split into three long spikes.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The cat lunged at Onyx but the man opened the mask, its parts folding away like transforming technology to reveal his grinning face as he grabbed the large cat by the throat and slammed him into the floor shattering the petrified tree in a large crater.
Cinder could feel the immense power radiating off of him… it scared her… far more than Salem ever could.
Onyx smiled darkly as he squeezed the cat's neck tighter, "Do you want to leave this place? Slave?"
"SLAVE?! I AM NO SLAVE!" it choked out.
"You are. A slave abandoned by his former masters was left to rot in this place. I offer you a choice… come with me and join my forces… or die here by my hands."
"Why are you offering me? With your power, I could be killed in an instant. You absorbed the greater will didn't you?!" The cat screamed out.
"I have, and I feel sorry for you. You remind me of myself… so why don't you quit serving your old masters… and serve me instead?" Onyx offered him a hand after releasing his chokehold.
The cat coughed before reaching out, "A way out of this place and a new purpose? I'd gladly take it…"
At once the Jabberwock stopped in its tracks before Cinder and sat like a dog waiting for orders.
Onyx smiled, "Good choice."
Cinder, finally coming to terms with what was happening, approached him. She didn't understand it, but she knew Onyx had done something irreparable.
"How are we getting out of here?" she asked him finally, "What about the staff?"
Onyx snapped his fingers and out of the ground sprouted the Staff of Creation, "You mean this? We'll leave the same way we came in," he cast a gaze to the door, "No need for that thing. We'll just wake old Ambrosius up…"
-A Forest at the foot of The Bladewing Mountains-
Gauge was hiking seamlessly despite being loaded with a large backpack... and a short old fox lady on his back, "Remind me again why we're not using the Grimm to travel here?" he complained while adjusting his clothes. He was now wearing a full body suit of gray steel fibers which he wove himself using his semblance. It was primarily dark grey with a black vest like a tailcoat. He resembled some sort of combat butler.
"It builds character, now keep going we need to make it up there by tomorrow!" the old woman bonked him on the head with her stick.
He groaned loudly, "You could stand to lose some weight old lady! OW!" he was bonked again harshly.
"Don't comment on a woman's weight, brat!" she huffed and shifted her staff so the forest began to move and shift to form a path up the mountain, "There, happy?"
"Thanks lady!"
That's it everyone! Chapter 100 is going to be the tipping point in this final arc. From 100 onwards it's going to be fast and... well some of you may hate me for what happens.