Yang Xiao Long
"It's not fair." Again and again, it repeated in her head like a chant for a Spell. As if something so simple could actually change anything.
Over and over, each repeat was accompanied by another squeal of misshapen steel. It was supposed to be cathartic, hitting the solid metal and feeling it cave with every hit of her fists, yet she felt no relief. It wasn't satisfying enough, it couldn't be. What little work it did to shave away at her torrent of anger and frustration was an effort akin to draining an ocean one handful at a time.
Still, her punches refused to stop. Despite the lack of the intended result, Yang refused to halt her attempts. In fact, they even hastened as time went on. The sweat that fell from her body stopped appearing all together as her skin erupted into a glowing liquid flame. Resembling magma, it was as if her entire form was made of the glowing swirls of inferno. Her strikes lost their sound, no longer indenting the steel, now her fists left the metal molten as they approached. Liquid steel splashed across her body when her fists connected with it, but against her own flame, it wasn't hot enough to even hope of burning her.
With another splash of liquid metal, her fist slowly drew back, this time. "Again...?" Further frustration welled inside of her as her Crimson eyes lay their sights on a spot of black, clearly visible on the back of her hand surrounded by the orange glow.
After doing some research - then asking Blake to do it properly - Yang had learnt more about her power. Truly, when activated, the Ingrained Spell of the Solar Dragon made her skin and scales glow with a power like that of a star. She became like the sun's surface, and using that, she could measure her progression with the ability. Like the sun, the colour of her glow would change with its temperature, she simply had to figure out how to improve it, and the colour would tell her when she succeeded.
These black spots, she believed they were also tied to the sun. After all, on the star, they were signals of cooler spots. Which, to Yang, meant that whenever she found one, she had reversed some of her progress.
Channelling her Mana into the back of her hand, Yang's brow furrowed as she attempted to fix the spot; hoping to make it glow once again. It only further enraged her when the black spot grew on her fist.
"Why!?" She didn't give up, of course. Instead, she only continued with her attempts to erase the spot of black. No doubt Blake would tell her that it was a product of her frustration and the lack of control she displayed when she lost herself to rage, after all, Blake was smart, Yang knew that. Obviously, this was her own fault. Which was why she was so determined to fix it.
Surely, she could fix this if she tried hard enough. Surely, if she used just a bit more Magic, or even all of her Magic.
"If I try hard enough, it'll glow again. It'll come back." Yet it didn't, the spot remained.
"Just a bit more Mana, just a bit more." The Spell didn't take this much Mana, it never had. "I'm just not trying hard enough! I know it!" Could she even try harder?
"I just have to be better! If I'm better, then she'll come back!"
So why did the spot only grow? Why did the black expand and flow to cover Yang's hand?
Roaring with outrage, her clenched fist shot forward and struck the molten metal once more. Another splash of liquid sounded in the courtyard, only this time, Yang wasn't sprayed with the metal. At first, she didn't notice, frustration still too potent inside of her to allow the registering of anything else. It was only when she looked up from the floor, eyes focusing on her fist in the now solid metal, that confusion replaced rage.
The steel, it was no longer molten. Where her fist had collided with the block, it had reformed into a solid object mid-splash; like her fist was a droplet causing ripples. As she pulled her fist away, slowly but surely, further confusion welled inside of her as the black spot covering her fist had stuck to the metal. Even as she retracted her hand, the strangely sticky substance refused to let go of either her, or the metal. Only after she pulled it far enough away did the strands break like a liquid glue.
Eyeing her fist carefully, the supply of Mana to her Spell cut off, and the black covering her fist disappeared with the molten fire. The remaining black liquid left on the metal, slowly disappeared as well, now no longer being supplied with Mana. Still, she couldn't help but stare at where it had been, questions swarming in her mind about the strange effect her Magic had created.
It had been dark, too dark to be a product of the sun. Blacker than black, a colour akin to a void. In fact, it was a 'colour' she had seen before. Though, that connection only further filled her with confusion.
"What does it matter?" More likely than not, it was just a strange deployment of her Magic. A glitch, a malfunction; surely it couldn't be anything else?
Still, after that, the fire welling inside of her had become easy once again. The destroyed metal before her had served its purpose, she could store it again, then melt it down and reform it for later use. No doubt she would have use of it again soon, recently, it seemed that she had to work through some kind of stress every day.
As she turned away, deciding to clean herself before bothering with the metal again, Yang was quick to replace her gloom with a bright disposition. A smile, a happy glow in her eyes, Yang was never particularly good at lying, but her acting would put even the Schnee's to shame. "I won't be of any help to anyone all mopey." Yang was confident that this would be better for everyone.
Her anger, her despair, it didn't matter before the others. It didn't matter what she wanted to say or do, she had a responsibility to make sure everyone else was alright. No matter the cost, or sacrifice. Yang would gladly chip away at herself until nothing remained, so long as the people she cared about never had to lose anything.
But, she had failed at that already. One of the people she cared about most had lost everything in order to protect the people they cared about... Including her.
"I'm more than just a failure." Passing by a room where her kids were playing, she gave them all a bright smile filled with love. "I don't deserve to be here."
One thought had been flowing through her mind ever since Ruby had been lost.
"It's not fair... It should have been me."
This feeling of inadequacy, this ever present destructive feeling that wished to tear her apart, more than anything, it filled her with the urge to barf. This was the one thing she was supposed to be able to do. If nothing else, what was she meant for but this? Yang was the strong one, that was her reason for existing. The people in her life, the people that loved her - or at least pretended to - they were the greatest thing she ever could have wanted. Even just the idea that she could be loved was enough for her, yet to feel it so strongly around them, it was more than a bliss.
So why? Why couldn't she protect them? Why wasn't she strong enough?
"Why can't I hit you...?" She knew why, of course. After all, her opponent was one of the strongest people in The World. No one would call her weak or even judge her for being thoroughly outclassed by a Harbinger, but that wasn't good enough for Yang.
With another failed jab, Yang leaped back in the hope to retreat. It was a foolish effort. With a flick of her hand, Pyrrha struck Yang with another bolt of golden lightning, shocking the Dragon to her very core and causing all of her nerves to well with pain.
Years ago, it had been an impossible idea to ever stand against Pyrrha. Still, after becoming a Dragon, there had been a hope, however slim. That hope, it was all taken away when Yang had given Pyrrha her Affinity. In the hands of Conquest, it was even stronger than Yang could make use of it; that was before even counting that she could stack Jaune's Holy Affinity on top of that.
Of course, that had only been the start of it. During the war, Pyrrha had secured Nora's Affinity for Lighting too. Of course, while she couldn't copy Nora's Berserker curse - or Yang's - that was irrelevant thanks to Jaune's Affinity, once again. In no way was Pyrrha the strongest Conquest ever, however, since she currently possessed a three times Affinity for Fire, and a four times Affinity for Lightning, there was the chance that she was now capable of beating Qrow in a fight.
Not that either Harbinger was keen to have that fight. Pyrrha still refused to make full use of her power, and Qrow had never pushed himself to go all out. It was frustrating, knowing that both of them individually could annihilate her, while still holding back.
Barely cancelling out another blast of Lightning with her own Fire, Yang found herself at a clear disadvantage as she stared at Pyrrha across the courtyard. This was only a spar, a mock fight simply for the means of training. They couldn't hold this in Amity unfortunately, as it was being prepared to ship off to Mistral, so for now, the Arc estate would have to do as an arena.
Luckily, it was still plenty big enough for them. Taking off with a flap of her wings, Yang barely skirted the ground as she sailed towards her foe. Conquest, not skipping a beat, moved to intercept Yang as they collided. Trying to copy her wife, Yang halted mid-flight by slamming her feet into the ground, trying to spin out of the way of Pyrrha's counter before it was too late. Surprisingly, it actually worked!
The sudden changing of her style had left Pyrrha out of position, and Yang had perfectly lined up a devastating blow to Conquest's face. But, her burning fist never connected with its target. Before it hit, Pyrrha let out a surge of Lightning in all directions that blasted Yang back, pushing her off the ground with a violent explosion of Mana.
"Dammit!" On the outside, Yang let out a laugh as she barely managed to stick the landing. "Thought I had you there."
"As did I." Pyrrha gave Yang her own smile, one as gentle and friendly as ever.
Glancing away from her opponent, Yang's eyes wandered over their observers. There weren't too many at the moment, only Jaune, Blake, and the kids were present. Jaune had the unfortunate task of wrangling the ever curious Neo, a girl who seemed constantly filled with awe and joy at every aspect of The World. Meanwhile, Yang's own kids watched with bright eyes. Of the three, only Celica seemed to be actually analysing the fight.
It was Blake who worried Yang. All the others looked fine, calm and content. Blake, of course, wasn't. Unlike Yang, she showed her emotions plainly, looking straight into Yang's own Crimson eyes with concern. The second their eyes connected, Yang looked away, her sight flicking back to Pyrrha.
"Don't look at me like that." Why did Blake have to do that? Why of all people did she have to possess the perception to see through Yang's act? Those eyes, every time Yang looked into them, she clearly saw herself as she actually was reflected back at her in Blake's gaze. Anger, despair, mourning, Blake knew everything Yang felt at just a glance, and Yang was left knowing how clearly Blake saw through her in that same time.
Out of everyone, it had to be Blake that she couldn't trick. Her wife, of all people, the one person she couldn't reassure. The one person she couldn't protect like she did the others. "I want to make you happy too. Why are you so concerned with me...?"
Yang knew the answer of course, after all, Blake was her wife. Yes, she knew the answer, she just couldn't emphasise with it.
Leaping from the cracked ground and sailing across the battlefield, Yang began the fight anew with a series of wild jabs and burning fists. All were extravagant, all missed their target. Every time Yang threw out an attack, no matter how wild or unexpected, it missed without fail. Physical might, Magic, Mana, skill, Pyrrha simply outclassed her in every category. To even compare them was foolish, yet Yang refused to give in. She refused to let Pyrrha have this victory.
It was selfish, but to Yang, she had to win. She had to be stronger than Pyrrha. "I need to bring her home." It was just like Rose had told them, there was no one here who could defeat her. Not Pyrrha, not Qrow, not any of the Dragons. Despite that, Yang felt she needed to raise her power, she needed to become strong enough to bring Ruby home. Even if it was the wrong person under those Silver eyes.
Could she, though? Did Yang have enough strength, enough skill, enough potential to even reach that level? Here she stood, battling Conquest without a hope of victory, yet beyond that peak lay an ever higher one. None of them knew exactly what Rose could do, none of them knew exactly what the Scythe she wielded was capable of. Only Qrow had an idea after inspecting the battlefield, and his lack of details spoke louder than anything he could have actually said.
If any of them could match her, it would have been Pyrrha. Qrow couldn't do it, he wouldn't be able to use Death's full power without going for the kill. Ruby had known what they were all capable of, and Rose with that knowledge had dismissed Pyrrha anyway. "And that was before she had time to make herself even stronger..." The peak they climbed grew ever higher.
It was up to them to grow stronger to bring Ruby back, yet only Pyrrha stood a chance - for now, anyway.
Argus, Ruby's own son. His potential was likely higher than all of them, even the two Harbingers. If he reached his peak, surely he would be able to match, or even surpass Rose. That thought, it sat in the back of Yang's mind as she fought.
Here she stood, begging to become strong enough to bring her daughter back, while two others who actually stood a chance at that climbed further and further past her. Yang was left behind, forced to watch as others went where she couldn't.
"Why...?" Another miss. "Why?" Another counter she couldn't prevent. "Why?!" Letting out a burst of Mana, she threw a wild punch with all of her weight at the Harbinger. Deciding not to go for a counter, Pyrrha met her burning fist with a punch of her own. "It's not fair!" Conquest stood unburnt by the flames wreathed over Yang's body...
But as the Solar Dragon pushed through with her fist, still applying the force of her punch as if they were stuck in a tug of war, a spot of black began to consume her hand. It started small, but grew ever bigger and bigger without her noticing. The Red slits of her eyes stared only at Pyrrha as she roared with effort, trying her best to beat her.
Neither of them expected it to start working.
The black had fully wrapped around her hand and began to move up her arm, and the more it covered, the stronger and stronger the force she applied grew. Butterflies filled Yang's stomach, an excitement she couldn't describe welled within her when she managed to push Pyrrha back. Still in shock, Pyrrha moved to attack again, but Yang was faster this time.
Stepping deeper into her range, Yang's fist finally connected to her foe, delivering a devastating attack directly to her stomach. Pyrrha was launched back by the sudden blow, the wind taken from her breath. She barely managed to stop herself with Magic before she collided with one of the nearby buildings. When their eyes met again, Pyrrha looked on with shock... and a sliver of rage.
Yang's arm dripped with the strange black liquid, though the drops that hit the ground faded away into ash, unable to exist without a connection to her Mana. As she looked down at it, eyeing the way it failed to burn anything around it, the way it moved and flowed unlike her usual Magic... Yang was forced to once again see it as the strange thing it was.
"Why does it look like a Grimm...?" Her thoughts were left incomplete when she failed to see Pyrrha's next attack coming. The Harbinger had recovered quickly, and finished the battle with a decisive blow infused with an incredible amount of Mana. Lightning filled and shocked Yang's entire system, but her arm specifically screamed in pain as the Holy Magic stung it from within.
The pain was too much, Yang fell unconscious before she hit the ground.
"And you're sure it was this arm?" Yang was getting a bit sick of answering that question, but once again, she indulged Glynda.
"Yes, I'm sure." Even still, after her answer, Glynda glanced at Blake to get her confirmation. "You know, it's not like I forget which of my arms is fake."
With a sigh, Glynda released Yang's remaining arm, unable to resist glancing down at her other prosthetic arm momentarily. "Well, it would have been much more simple if it was the prosthetic... At that point, we could have just assumed it was a malfunction with the arm. But, this...?" It seemed the older woman was having trouble thinking through all of it. "Once again, you're sure it looked like Grimm?"
Before Yang could answer, Blake spoke up from next to her. "Even I saw it. It was the same void of colour that they always are." Blake had been more worried about it than Yang was, then again, perhaps she should have been more worried.
"You said this happened earlier today?"
Yang nodded. "I couldn't even really feel it when it happened... It just did. But, it made me stronger. Way stronger!" After glancing at Blake, she dialled back the excitement. "Also, it was weak to Holy Magic-"
"-Just like normal Grimm." Glynda continued the thought. "Unfortunately, I can only guess as to what's happening. My knowledge on Grimm isn't too extensive. When compared to Ozpin, anyway."
"We can't talk to him about it?" Yang asked.
"No, unfortunately, the Queen has forbidden anyone from entering his chambers right now... They're talking, and it's likely that Ozpin will be dead when those doors open." Glynda spoke without a worry about that situation, but Yang wasn't sure if she was implying that Ozpin was going to pass soon, or Weiss was going to kill him. "Yang, how much do you know about the Branwen family?"
It wasn't a question Yang had been expecting, and it stunned her for a moment. She didn't like talking about Raven, or situations involving her. "Only as much as Qrow has told me."
"Which I assume isn't much?" Glynda's suspicion was confirmed by a nod from Yang. "I see... Well, first, allow me to explain the families origins. A man by the name of Azrael Branwen. An inheritor of the Death Title, he killed six Harbingers while he lived, and was finally put down by two at once when he was an old man." Yang hadn't known this, it was something she had never really thought about before. "He was by far the greatest wielder of the Death Title. By the time he died, it had practically soaked into his blood."
"I think I know where this is going..." Blake muttered.
"Before he died, he had amassed an army, a tribe of people willing to follow him. After his death, they followed his daughter, who quickly acquired the Title of War." Like other Titles, War had specific requirements in order to obtain it. Specifically, War required the user to be the leader of a force capable of fighting as an army. "The Death and War Title's haven't left the Branwen family since then, they keep appearing in the sons and daughters of that clan."
Even Yang had put it together now. "So, you think this Grimm stuff is a result of that?"
Nodding, Glynda continued, "There is a connection shared between Grimm and the Harbingers, though, besides Death's obvious connection, I think only Ozpin would understand."
"Would this affect the kids too?" Yang's Red eyes were locked on her palm as Blake asked.
Luckily, Glynda shook her head. "No, not unless they became Dragons, I believe." Seeing their curious looks, she elaborated. "It's as Ozpin said before... The result of someone being a Harbinger and a Dragon is incredibly potent. In a way, we could say you and your children are 'part Harbinger'. Without being a Dragon, I don't believe this can affect them."
Blake seemed relieved, but Yang wasn't finished with her questions. "It made me stronger... What happens if I keep using it?" That was of course ignoring the fact that she didn't yet know how to trigger it at will.
"That is less clear. Judging from how it activates for you... I assume it's a transformation of some kind, similar to how the Harbingers 'transform' when they access their power. I believe you are either using it accidentally when using your Innate Spell, or the power is using the Innate Spell as a way to function. I see no reason why it should negatively affect you... But, once again, I am not the expert." She looked upset at the fact that she couldn't tell them more, but to Yang, she had already told them more than enough.
"This will let me get stronger... Right...?" Perhaps she should have been more concerned, but it was as if The World itself had answered her plea. This was the way she could reach the others. Yang would climb that peak, she would match or even surpass Pyrrha's pace. "I'm going to bring her home."
"I have one more question, sorry." Blake spoke up, pulling Yang from her thoughts. "You say this is possible for Yang because she comes from a family drenched in the Harbinger's power... But, what would the minimum requirement for that be? How many Harbingers would it take in a line to make someone able to use this power?"
The question surprised and confused both Yang and Glynda. Mostly, Yang was wondering why Blake asked in the first place. "Well... This is all theoretical, of course. But, if I had to assume... I suppose even just having one Harbinger ancestor may be enough in order to produce such a phenomenon."
"I see..." Blake looked... resigned? As if she had accepted her fate. "I wanted to avoid this, but... Guess I have to." Turning to Yang, she let out a gentle sigh. "Yang, you've always respected the privacy I keep of my past..." Already, this was a conversation Yang hadn't been expecting. Not today, not ever. What little Yang did know about Blake's past was clouded and incredibly vague... All she had gathered was thanks to a comment or two, and the fact that the current Famine knew her by name.
"Of course, I would never want to make you uncomfortable." Though, she did know of one event, at least slightly. It probably happened a few years before they had met, and it was why Blake and Sun had left their home and come to Vale. Yang had never tried to push to get answers about who they were or where they came from... But she had always been curious.
"I used to think I would never tell you..." With a sideways glance, Yang noticed that Glynda had left the room at some point. "But that was foolish of me... I just figured that it didn't matter, it was such a small part of my life compared to the time I've spent with you."
"Blake..." Yang cupped Blake's cheeks gently, drawing her closer. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, I want to." Taking a deep breath, Blake let it out in a sigh. "I'm from a place called Menagerie-"
"The town Ilia mentioned?" Yang had just assumed it was a small town she had never heard of.
But Blake just shook her head. "No... It's a small continent south of Anima."
"... Blake...?" Yang had never once heard of such a landmass.
Her surprised reaction had seemingly been expected by Blake. "My name, before we met... Was Blake Belladonna."
'Belladonna' was a name Yang knew. Though, she doubted it was common knowledge.
"Belladonna... As in... Asbeel Belladonna...?" Someone so lost to history, none of their feats or details were recorded. They existed after the Great Erasure, yet not even their gender was known. Besides their name, only one thing was known about them.
They were the only person after the Great Erasure, to ever hold two Harbinger Titles at once.
I'm debating what next chapter should be, so if you would like to influence that, I'll be holding a vote on my Discord :D