Hello everyone, another chapter for you and hopefully I won't be spending too much time in Vacuo from here on out. I'm hoping to have the main details finished by chapter 90, so some of the next chapters might be a tad chunkier.
Not much to say, today guys, so with that, please enjoy the read and hopefully the next chapter comes out sooner.
Cheers, Searoar.
"...Hawkins?" Bastion loomed over the downed magician as he slowly gathered his senses and opened his eyes.
"Am I back in the world of the living?" Hawkins' throat felt sore as if he'd tried to swallow a stone and spit it out at the same time while having lungs filled with ash.
"Sorry to say, but if you see a hazy cloud of white smoke above you, then you're still definitely in the spirit world," Bastion said as his companion groaned. "Also, Qrow was taken away while you were sleeping, and I'd guess that over an hour has passed."
"I see..." Hawkins patted his chest and gave a hearty cough. "Though I've been wondering, how come your presence has improved so drastically? When I was at Patch, you barely had enough strength to give me simple sentences."
Bastion's spirit flickered. "I can't really give you a straight answer..."
Hawkins rolled his eyes.
"But I feel as though I've been given an extra charge so to speak. Like a waterfall of energy has poured into my being thus bringing me closer to my prime."
"What rush of energy?" Hawkins curled a brow. "I don't recall possessing the ability to manipulate souls, or provide any sort of spiritual power of any calibur..."
"Eh, let's not focus on the complicated details as we'll end up with more questions that won't help us in our current situation and put our efforts toward getting you back to your time. Though if your interaction with Qrow was anything to go by, we must face the fact that you need to seek out Raven instead."
Hawkins sighed. His gamble on being able to resolve his issues with Qrow had come to a dead end. He figured that because his partner shared the same bloodline, he'd be able to offer the same solution, but Hawkins was a pragmatic man who had to face the facts. If he wanted to get out of this spirit world, he needed to find Raven, and somehow convince her to make contact with him.
"Very well..." Hawkins turned his attention to his surroundings and veered his sights to an approaching bundle of joy who was skipping down the halls without a care in the world. Or at least that's what she tried to portray, for Hawkins knew well enough about his first friend to see that not all was well with her.
From the way her hands clenched and opened, to the way her brows were gently creased above her twitching nose, down to the slightest downturn of her thin lips, Hawkins knew all too well that Summer was worried about her teammate and friend. He reached out to her, but quickly retracted his hand. Even as a ghost, his simmering desires still put a fire in his gut, but whether this was out of longing or respect was still in question.
"Still haven't let go?" Bastion's voice was soothing, and there was no mockery in his words.
"How could I?" Hawkins blinked wearily as Summer walked toward him. He raised his arms momentarily and felt a wash of guilt flow over him when he tried to embrace her.
"I'm pitiful, aren't I?" The magician lamented. His crimson eyes were hollow as Summer fazed through him and continued her path without a second thought. "To lust after a woman who is already married to a good man... This is not something that I should even be thinking about..."
"I think it's time to consider, Hawkins, that you need to clean up your act and put yourself out there," Bastion said with uttermost confidence. "Why, after all is said in done and you're back in Vale, why don't you ask Qrow to bring you to one of those mixers he keeps talking about? I'm sure there are some lovely and compassionate women who are bound to strike your tastes. Or maybe there are some who are already close to your heart that only need a slight push to be put into the spotlight?"
Hawkins grew silent, and his stare lost focus. It was as if he were looking into a void knowing that it wouldn't show him anything.
"Jaune does want a mother... and he's been very patient for a boy his age. That, and I can assure you that having a beloved who will give you happiness, share your pain, and help mend it, will only be beneficial for you. I mean this not only as a guardian spirit for my bloodline but as a genuine friend who's been with you since you entered this world."
Hawkins slumped and he pulled out his cards. He shuffled them silently, stopping to only spare a glance Bastion's way from time to time until he came to a conclusion in the form of a loud clap.
"My tarot readings tell me that you're luck with impressing women stood at 26%. How on earth did you manage to find yourself a woman by yourself?"
Bastion's white smoke sparked and fluctuated. "What are you talking about, Hawkins?! If the Arc family weren't good with women, then our bloodline would have faded ages ago! Though I did have an uncle who swung the other way..."
"You were a rich noble in an age where political marriages were strained for the betterment of self-gain, it wouldn't surprise me that a few of those who came before you didn't marry for love." Hawkins countered.
"Alright, I'll admit it," Bastion huffed. "There were a few hiccups in my family tree that I'm not proud of, but that should not give you the excuse to push aside this important matter. Honestly, Hawkins, it would be nice to see you up and about on a date every now and then. After that, it's only a matter of time until the topic of marriage is brought up, then Jaune will finally have the little sister he desires!"
Hawkins couldn't see it, but he was certain that if Bastion's spirit had a face, it would be grinning with the abundant naivety of a child. However, a thought niggled at Hawkin's conscience, and his perplexed state showed on his face which Bastion noticed.
"Hmm? What's with the thoughtful face, magician? Was it something I said?"
Hawkins tucked away his tarot cards and looked Bastion straight in the eye, or at least what he assumed to be eyes, and blew a tired breath.
"Your most recent deceased descendant, Harold Arc, what sort of man was he?"
"Hoh? Why the sudden curiosity?" Bastion inquired.
"You raised him yourself," Hawkins mused, "yet you allowed him to marry a horrible woman who killed him. I'm sorry if this statement makes me question your ability to find a compassionate significant other."
Bastion's spirit wilted and lost its luster. Reduced to a cloud no bigger than Hawkins' head, it drifted closer to the ground till it nearly touched the floor.
"My memories... aren't what they used to be, so please bear with me..." Bastion said slowly as his form began to spark. "I can remember my son's and wife's faces, for those are images I refuse to forget... but the figure to who my son was betrothed, I can only remember her name..."
"It's Carmel, isn't it?" Hawkins finished for Bastion who had grown too weak to continue. "I've heard her mentioned in the Hunter's Monthly, and from the looks of it, she's a force to be reckoned with. However, she does hold a positive outlook among Mistral's people, so I can only imagine that she used your son's wealth to increase her social standing."
Bastion's spirit fizzled, and in a few seconds, it was twice its original size. Hawkins showed a rare sign of worry, as the light on his chest began to burn and his mind grew hazy and painful. However, amidst his clouded vision, there was another ominous feeling that stung his mind. It was as if his brain were under attack by a hoard of buzzing wasps, which to Hawkins, screamed danger.
"Carmel... yes, that was her name... How could I forget such a wretch?"
"...Bastion?" Hawkins muttered. Though he may resemble a phantom, Hawkins felt the hairs on his skin stand on end as his heart rate increased steadily. His face was damp with sweat, but there was no heat, only cold fear.
"Carmel... Tottoland... That was the name I was given when she introduced herself to my family. My wife was quick to take a liking to her, and I was won over eventually... then my poor son..." Bastion's spirit rose from its low position and looked to the ceiling as if it could see the sky.
"It's... all coming back, but it's still blurred like I'm looking into a lake of rippling water instead of a mirror. Cecelia? Is that you?"
Hawkins felt a jolt run down his spine and instinctively turned around. His crimson eyes wide and alert, set themselves on a sparking haze at the end of the hallway. The color of the haze was a deep purple, nearly black, and it approached Hawkins and Bastion cautiously.
"C-Cecelia?!" Bastion cried out. His voice rang Hawkins' ears. "How many years has it been? I've missed you so much, and I'm sorry for being away for so long! Let me see them, your beautiful blue eyes that captured my attention at that spectacular dance!"
The dark purple haze flinched, ever so slightly, and quickly blinked to change the complexion of its red, narrow slits. When the dark haze lifted its clouded lids, they were blue, blue as the clearest ocean.
Hawkins turned to Bastion, to warn him, but lurched forward and nearly fell when a vicious crack tore through the hall's ceilings to bring forth a white light that put the one on his chest to shame. This pressure was unlike any the magician had experienced, and it poured down on him until he was brought to a knee.
"Are you sure this was where you fell, Qrow?"
Hawkins craned his neck and saw a familiar figure standing only a few feet from him with his cane raised and expression stern.
"Yeah..." Qrow rubbed his head with his right hand while his left held an ice pack over it. "I'm not sure why, but there's been a lot of these random feelings popping up now and then. I don't really know how to explain it..."
"Very well," Ozpin pushed up his glasses and lowered his cane. When he did, the gray aura that radiated from him simmered, and a more jovial visage was presented. "Best we keep these random occurrences to ourselves, as even I am unaware of what has just transpired."
"You're the expert on the weird stuff..." Qrow sighed. "I'm gonna head off to my dorm now, but thanks for checking up on me I guess. I hope Raven doesn't throw a fit when she sees me and blames everybody again..."
"Your sister is just looking after you, as should all responsible siblings. Off you go, Qrow, I'll notify your teachers to give you light work for a few days." Ozpin smiled and gestured that Qrow head to his dorm.
"Thanks..." Qrow groaned and stumbled down the hall. However, he did spare a glance at the hazy clumps on the floor, but went around them and continued on his way with a sore limp.
"Hmm..." Ozpin quirked a brow and tapped his cane. "I thought I warned you about sticking your nose in my borders, or did our last encounter not teach you anything?"
Hawkins' gaze shifted to Bastion then to Ozpin. He still felt cold, but was glad that Bastion had broken from his sudden hectic outburst and spoke to him.
"Bastion?" The magician asked warily.
"Don't worry..." The spirit panted. "I'm not going crazy, I've got my head on things..."
"Oh, don't be so greedy!" Cackled the dark haze.
Hawkins and Bastion shuddered at the familiar feminine voice they had come to loathe.
"Last I recall, we built this kingdom together, so isn't it fair that we share it? Or have you gone and rewritten history to ease that guilty conscience of yours?"
Ozpin paid Hawkins and Bastion no mind, as it appeared the duo was invisible to him, and confronted the dark haze with a raised cane.
"It seems I've been too lax of late, if I allowed such a pest to enter my territory, I'm certain to hear about it from the others... Though if you continue to cause a ruckus, I suppose our deal is off then?" Ozpin frowned and the dark haze reeled back.
"...Very well, have it your way." The dark haze huffed snootily. "But I still have enough energy left to take what I came for..."
Hawkins' heart skipped a beat and his mouth went dry when the dark haze turned to him. Whether it was an act of bravery or fear, he did not know, but through sheer willpower alone, Hawkins coated his fist in a charcoal black; and swung his arm with all his might.
He backhanded the dark haze and the moment he made contact with it he thought his entire being had burst up in flames. The dark haze, however, reeled from the strike while letting out a disdained shriek. A window of opportunity present, Bastion flourished and increased his power to protect his friend. Bastion's white smoke mixing and combatting the black haze, they separated in a sparking explosion that blinded Hawkins.
The next time the magician would wake, he'd find himself in the world of the living.
/-/
"Damn that Ozpin!" Salem hissed as her fingers dug into her pale throne with an iron grip. Close, so close she had come to snuffing out that irritation, but of course her treacherous beloved had to be nearby to muck things up. Not to mention...
"And that stupid scarecrow... of all the things he could have done, he dared to backhand me?!" Salem hissed and massaged her left cheek, only to widen her eyes a fraction as an uneasy feeling nicked her skin.
Pain, as insignificant as it was, brought forth a plethora of horrible memories that Salem hated to recall. Nonetheless, she would bide her time and make do with what she had, and that meant not losing any potential assets in the future.
The creak of the door garnered her attention, Salem quirked a brow as Hazel entered the room with his regular glum expression.
Hazel was a broad man, with muscled limbs and a square face. He kept his brown hair short, and his eyes matched his name. He sported a simple green coat over a black shirt with matching pants, but his hands were callused and hardened from combat.
"Forgive me, your grace, but it took me some time to get here after your urgent calling. How may I help you?" Hazel asked after a polite bow.
Salem discarded any sign of weakness and stood from her throne. Hazel remained where he was, but it was clear by the look in his eyes that he was on guard.
"I sent you to Mantle to gather information on the winter maiden. Have there been any clues to her whereabouts?"
Hazel shook his head solemnly. "I've asked all the local hitmen and assassins for hire, and spent a pretty coin on the loose-lipped upper class of Atlas, but it seems George has done well to hide his asset."
"Very well," Salem sighed, "George and Theodore are the most cautious when it comes to information so it's not surprising that you didn't find anything. On the other hand, I want you to put that job aside as I have a new task for you."
Hazel seemed confused. "I've only been on this job for a couple of weeks. If you give me more time, I'm sure I can find something..."
"Fret not, Hazel, I'm not upset," Salem said gracefully. "It's just this new task is of greater importance."
"Greater importance than the winter maiden?" Hazel scratched his head. "Forgive me for having doubts, but other than Crocodile, who else is on our radar? Do you want me to do another search on Carmel's activities?"
"No," Salem hummed. "As it stands, Carmel is still loyal to me, but I do have my eye on her. Monet, on the other hand, has proven to be a tad more free-spirited and has even gone to Vale without my consent during her missions."
"Vale?" Hazel's fingers clenched into fists.
"I know you don't like that place, and frankly, neither do I." Salem positioned herself in front of her subordinate, and though she was tall herself, Hazel towered over her but kept his gaze humble so as to not seem imposing to his superior.
"But there's someone who will end up there that I want you to bring to me."
"Is it this Hawkins fellow?" Hazel asked.
"Oh?" Salem seemed a bit surprised. "How did you already know about this? I gave this mission to only Monet."
"Well," Hazel grunted, "she actually asked me for help a little while ago. I declined it since it wasn't a direct order from you, but if you want me to give her a hand then by all means I'll do as I'm told."
Salem smiled a tad too sweetly. "It's so refreshing to have people who are truly loyal to you. Now, Monet has already departed, but I'm sure Watts can take you on his private jet to ensure you arrive at the same hour."
Hazel nodded. "Understood, but what if Hawkins proves to be reluctant in being brought in? If he possesses similar strength to Crocodile, then I cannot ensure that I can bring him in alone. Would Vergo not be a better man for this job?"
"Unfortunately, Vergo is keeping an eye on Crocodile, so his hands are full. Also, I would not have chosen you if I thought you couldn't defeat Hawkins. You do, after all, have that special gift your sister left you, do you not?" Salem's red eyes flickered in delight when Hazel sighed.
"I've trained with this power ever since I awakened it, but I'm still not used to how it works. If anything, all it does is give a slight boost to my semblance."
Salem shook her head softly. "There's no need to doubt yourself, as out of all of my subordinates, you've done the most in regard to self-discipline and training. Which is why I want you to keep a close eye on Monet as well."
"What?" Hazel tilted his head. "I don't want to babysit a child, especially if I'm on a forceful recruitment mission."
"It's only a precaution," Salem stated, "and you only need to take action if Monet gets out of line. She too has a power I'd like to keep close to me, especially when we make proper plans to invade Atlas, as that floating city is by far the strongest when it comes to defense."
"Understood," Hazel nodded and bowed, "I will have Hawkins brought to you as soon as possible."
"Very good," Salem watched as her loyal pawn made his way to the door and asked one last question before he left.
"Out of curiosity, how did that devil fruit taste? The one Gretchen had before you, I mean..."
/-/
"So what kind of person was your dad?" Sun asked nonchalantly as he balanced an apple core on the tip of his tail.
"I don't know, so will you leave me alone already?" Emerald grumbled. She was elated at first, to find a nice person so soon after the ruins collapsed, but the monkey Faunus she found for company proved to be quite a chatterbox.
"Ah, don't want to talk about it, huh?" Sun nodded. "Starr was the same way when our parents died, and she's been taking care of me ever since. So who's been taking care of you? Are you with that weird-looking blonde guy?"
"Who?" Emerald sighed.
The two kids had found themselves walking down a wide space of flat stone that appeared to go on for as far as the eye could see. The pillars that held up the roof were also taller than fully grown pines and were decorated with a series of carved animals and sigils they did not understand. The sound of rushing water in the distance, Emerald and Sun ran to an underwater stream that was left untouched by father time.
"How do you know that it's okay to drink?" Emerald said cautiously, then blinked in alarm when Sun had already put his head halfway in the slow-moving water.
"Ah!" Sun beamed after raising his head and a loud gulp. "That really hit the spot! Man, if only I had a few canisters on me, I'd love to bring this freshwater back to the others!"
"...Did you really just drink that without knowing if it was clean?" Emerald said in disbelief.
"Eh, you never know until you try. Fortune favors the bold, isn't that a famous saying from you city people?" Sun replied.
"City people?" Emerald scrunched her brows and cupped some water in her palms. It appeared to be clean enough, and she sighed in relief when the freshwater went down her dry throat.
"Yeah, plenty of city people come out into the wilds," Sun continued. "Starr says you can notice if a person's been around fancy folk by the way they talk and behave, and you definitely seem like a city person. Though most city people who come out into the wildlands for business are pretty nice, but maybe that's because they know that most of the bandits they're dealing with don't give a damn about killing."
Emerald shook her head. "I'm not from the city, and I came from the Sustrai Tribe before they were wiped out."
"Sustrai tribe?" Sun scratched his cheek. "If a tribe like that existed, I would know, because Starr and our tribe leader always made sure to keep track of all the prospering tribes."
"What?" Emerald frowned. "But there were over fifty of us in the Sustrai tribe, how could you not of heard about us?"
"I dunno, because I didn't know anything about a Sustrai group." Sun shrugged as if Emerald was a particularly dim child. "But it really was risky going with the Branwens, because that bunch is flat-out crazy."
Emerald rubbed her arm. She was starting to feel uncomfortable, and Sun's brash nature amplified that.
"Well, I'm glad you came along at least," Sun said and dipped his tail in the river and started to sway it side to side.
Emerald tilted her head. "Why is that?"
Sun showed a pearly smile. "Because that blonde guy you brought finally took down the biggest threat to every tribe in Vacuo! Sure, the other tribes around here didn't really get along, but we never went out of our way to prey on others. It's like mutual respect, or that's what Starr says anyway."
"Do you think he's alive?" Emerald whimpered at the thought of the brave man who saved her from meeting an unfortunate fate.
"Pretty sure," Sun took off his shoes and rolled up his pants, "Starr says it's hard to beat a man who wants to win but it's even harder to take down a man who doesn't want to lose."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emerald asked.
"I dunno, I'm just saying what Starr says," Sun answered.
For a moment, all was well and the two kids had broken the ice between them, that is until a sudden roar from up ahead brought a disturbance to the river and rattled the stones Emerald stood on.
"W-Whoa!" The girl yelped and landed in the rushing water with a splash.
"Emerald!" Sun yelled. He pinched his nose, then jumped into the river after his new friend and allowed the water to take him wherever it may lead.