Elden Remnants
An: So, I'm here with another chapter! This one is mainly just setting up for the next chapter. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Elden Ring or RWBY.
Chapter 1: Rebirth
Radahn
Radahn heard someone above him talking, however he couldn't make out the words. His mind was a discordance of faded memories and pain. He tried to recall something, anything, to help him discern why he was so disoriented when a memory of pluming scarlet erupted in his vision before a distorted image of a warrior wielding lightning appeared before him.
'Ah. That explains it.'
The memories were returning, albeit slowly, and fractured. He was fighting Melenia, his sister, when the scarlet rot within her bloomed once more. Was it by accident or intentional? Radahn couldn't be sure. The two had been warring for days prior, and their fight lasted hours. Both were at their limits by the end of the fight.
More and more the images began to meld back into place, and the great general couldn't help but feel disgust and melancholy at his wretched fate. 'They have said the fate of a Demigod was to be beset by tragedy.' First, his father left his mother, leaving her in a deep depression. Then, his dear sister Ranni and stepbrother Godwyn, killed in the Night of the Black Knives. Then his younger brother Rykard fed himself to that monstrous serpent.
And there he was, Radahn. The great Redmane general, Conqueror of the Stars, brought low by a sickness that ate at his legs and then his mind.
'My soldiers. My friends. Forgive me for what I became. For what I've done…'
"…ease!" a voice broke through his recollections. "Wake up!" It was a young woman, pleading for him to wake. "Wake up!"
With that, his eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring at the young woman speaking. She looked younger than he expected and had bright silver eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, however he soon found himself coughing violently. Quickly bringing his arm to his face, he hacked into the crook of his arm as he doubled over in pain. The girl was quick to help by grasping his shoulder in concern, and he dimly noticed a second pair of hands on his other shoulder.
Thankfully, the coughing subsided, and Radahn was able to take a deep breath to calm himself. "T-Thank you," he said to the girl, his voice coming out in a rasp. The girl gave him a wide smile.
"Ah! It was nothing!" she proclaimed with a wave of her hand. "Afterall, helping those in need is what a Huntress does!"
"Among other things," another girl's voice drawled out, diverting Radahn's attention. He turned to see a girl with blue eyes and white hair. "If you're doing better now, may I be so bold is to ask why you're in the middle of a crater in the middle of the forest?"
Radahn frowned at the question before his mind noted something very crucial. He wasn't a giant anymore. His eyes darted between the two girls as his frown deepened. His gaze turned to the trees around him, and the frown turned into a scowl when he confirmed his suspicions:
The Erdtree was nowhere to be seen.
"…This is not right," he muttered to himself. He stared down at himself. "This cannot be right…"
Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss watched the teen in confusion. "Um…what can't be right?" she asked.
"…mirror," the redhead mumbled.
"H-Huh?" He turned to Ruby.
"I need a mirror," he said, louder.
"Why?" Weiss asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I need to confirm my suspicions," he explained. "A lake would do just as well, I suppose. I just need to see my reflection."
"Here." He turned back to Ruby to see her fiddling with a strange device. "Does this help?" she asked, as a full view of Radahn's face appeared before him on a glass screen. The device shocked him, but it was soon overshadowed by the visage he saw.
He…he looked like he did when he was a boy! Back when his greatest worries were when Rykard and he would use the vases around the manor for target practice! He stared at himself. While his eyes were still bright gold and his hair blazing red (which he was immensely thankful for), his skin was no longer the dark ashen grey it had become over the years. Rather, it was pale, as his mother's skin was.
Hell, staring at the exposed skin of his torso, he could see none of the scars from his times on the battlefield!
The thought of what was going on rang through his head, but Radahn could only think of one logical explanation. An answer to his plight from back under the tutelage of his mother. He burst out in laughter, startling the girls at his sides. The sheer impossibility of his situation made it impossible for him to deny it. 'I have somehow been reborn! And in lands far from the Lands Between! Oh, what an unfathomable turn of events!' he thought wildly.
"W-What's gotten into you?!" Weiss screamed in irritation.
"M-My apologies," he said, trying to reign in his chortles. "I…I'm just coming to terms with my new circumstances." The girls looked confused, but before they could question him, he smiled at them. "However, I don't think it bodes well for me to dwell on such matters."
Cautiously, he started to make his way to his feet, groaning in effort as he did so. Ruby and Weiss quickly steadied him. They noticed his hair was longer than they previously thought, reaching halfway down his back, and Ruby thought it looked far wilder than Yang's own golden locks could ever hope to be. Also, he had a cape around his shoulders, held secure by a golden chain. But, as he stood to his full height, they also soon discovered they only barely reached his chest.
"Whoa," Ruby mumbled. "You're tall." The redmane general let out full belly laugh.
"I have been told that my whole life!" he said jovially. He looked to the girls and spoke once more, "But where are my manners! Again, thank you for your assistance! My name is Radahn. May I ask you both for yours?"
"Oh! Yeah! Sorry, our bad! I'm Ruby!" Ruby introduced herself with a smile and a wave. Weiss let out a haughty sniff and curtseyed.
"My name is Weiss Schnee. A pleasure," Weiss proclaimed. "Now that you're on your feet, we have some questions for you." Radahn nodded.
"I shall try to answer them to the best of my abilities," he told her.
"Excellent. First off, why are you in the middle of this crater?" Radahn frowned.
"In all truthfulness, I don't know myself," he admitted. "The last thing I recall was…"
He stopped, suddenly aware of his own ignorance. What was the last recollection he had before waking here? He tried to sort out the myriad of fractured memories, but everything was simply blurring together. Images of the Shattering, of his family falling apart, to a small group charging up a hill towards him…
Weiss tapped her foot in irritation. "Well?" she demanded.
"Weiss, give him a minute!" Ruby reprimanded. "He's thinking!"
"Ruby, he's suspicious," the blue-eyed Huntress retorted. "We shouldn't let him have time to make an excuse!"
"He's probably still disoriented! It's most likely he's the one who caused this crater and the earthquake, if we go by the evidence here in front of us. That means that-"
"Dying." Radahn's sudden statement startled them out of their argument. The two looked to him in shock and trepidation.
"W-What did you say?" Ruby asked. Radahn looked to her.
"Dying," he repeated. "The last thing I recall…was dying."
Morgott
He had failed.
It was inevitable, he supposed.
He was born a failure, so it made sense for him to die one, as well.
However, as his conscious mind returned to him, he noticed he wasn't dead. How could that be? He remembered taking his last breath after speaking to the Tarnished knight that defeated him. He should not be alive.
Was this…his eternal punishment?
"Hey, buddy," a voice registered in his ears as he felt someone shake him. "You ok? Do you need us to call the hospital?"
The Fell Omen groaned in fatigue as he forced his eyes open to see two young maidens before him, one with hair of black but with eye of amber; the other hair of gold but eyes of lilac. The golden haired one sighed in what Morgott thought was relief as she spoke: "Thank goodness! Thought you might be in a coma or something. Need some hel-"
Before she could blink, Morgott had risen to his feet and held her in a chokehold. The blonde let out a strangled gasp as Morgott tightened his grip. The black-haired girl's eyes widened and she rushed him saying, "Hey! What-?!"
"What is thy business here?!" he rasped out. Blake noted how tall the teen was, and just how built he was. Whoever he was, he wouldn't be easy to take down.
"W-What are you…talking about…?" his captive choked out, futilely trying to escape his clutches.
"Why hast thou come to defile the Erdtree?!"
"Erdtree?! What are you saying?! What's an Erdtree?!" Blake demanded, grabbing and leveling Gambol Shroud at Yang's attacker. The horned teen's gold eyes shined with confusion at her inquiry before his eyes scanned the horizon. He spun around, causing Yang to gag as the crook of his elbow dug into her neck, still searching for…something. Blake stayed ready, not willing to attack her fellow Faunus when she wasn't sure if Yang wouldn't be in harm's way if she did so.
The young man turned back to her, and she noticed his eyes were wide. She blinked in confusion at the emotions his eyes displayed. They were filled with…disbelief? Sorrow? "What is this…?" he mumbled as his grip on Yang slacked.
This was all the brawler needed to yank his arms from around her neck and spin him around. With a loud yell, she threw him into a pillar. He grunted lightly as his body shattered the fractured stone and tumbled to the ground. The blonde turned to him with blood red eyes, making Blake blink in confusion. Were those flames dancing off her hair?!
"You've got some nerve, buddy!" Yang growled as she started stomping towards him. "I was just trying to help you, asshole!"
She closed in on him when she heard him chuckling. She stopped her advance in confusion as the teen pushed himself up on his knees and gazed up at the sky. "So," he breathed out in a defeated tone, "this is to be my punishment. No, death would have been too final." He chuckled again as he placed a hand on his face. Yang's eyes faded as her eyes widened a bit at the 'death' comment. "Instead, for my failure, I am to live, for as long as my cursed blood keeps flowing in my veins...hehehehe...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The two girls stared in confusion and worry as the Faunus before them laughed to the sky, seemingly in the middle of a mental breakdown.
Miquella
For one fleeting moment, Miquella was afraid he was back in the clutches of Mohg. He was quickly corrected once the scent of pines and fresh air became noticeable. And if the light stinging his skin was any indication, he was on the surface.
And hopefully, far from the Siofra River and Mohg's 'Dynasty of Blood.'
He heard someone say something above him as light slaps hit his forehead. He strained to open his eyes, but once he did, he saw two teenagers, a male with black hair and magenta eyes and, curiously, an orange-haired female with turquoise eyes staring down at him. The girl smiled down at him and held her hand out to him.
"Hi! I'm Nora! What's your name?! Why are you sleeping out here in the woods?! Is it fun?! How do you stop the Grimm from disturbing you?! Can I-!" Suddenly, the male placed a hand over her mouth, causing the rest of her rambling to be muffled. The boy turned back to him and gave a small smile.
"Sorry about her," he apologized and offered his own hand. "My name is Ren, and as she said, she's Nora. Can I help you up?" Miquella nodded stiffly.
"I would appreciate it, kind sir," the Empyrean commented hoarsely. "And, my name is Miquella." With some effort, he moved his arm and grasped Ren's hand. Nora quickly stopped her ranting, and offered her own hand as well. Miquella reached out for her hand as well, and the two pulled him to his feet, his legs trembling from lack of use.
However, the creator of the Haligtree noticed a change in himself. Being cursed since childhood with eternal youth, he had forever possessed the body of a child. However, as he attempted to steady himself on his shaky legs, he saw he stood just taller than Ren and Nora, youths on the cusp of adulthood. His confusion mounted as he stared at his body, noting it looked just as old as the teens before him.
Inwardly, he opened his mind's eye to view himself via magic. What he saw nearly sent him back to the ground. 'My curse…!' Unless his magic was lying, his body had truly aged. He forced himself to calm down and think rationally about his situation. Was his curse lifted? Or was this Mohg's doing?
"Hey buddy!" Miquella blinked as he returned to the real world to see the girl, Nora, waving a hand in front of his face. "You ok? You kind of spaced out on us there," she told him. Miquella shook his head.
"My apologies," he told her. "It's been…some time since I've been free of my imprisonment, so I am…reorienting myself."
Nora gasped. "You're a criminal?!" She reached behind her and grabbed something attached to her belt. The eldest child of Marika and Radagan gaped as the metal contraption folded out into a massive war hammer. She settled into a battle stance, and Miquella quickly addressed her.
"No, no! Nothing of the sort! I was…abducted, some time ago, and was locked up by one I thought I could trust," Miquella explained. The hammer wielding girl gasped again.
"You were kidnapped?!" she asked. Ren narrowed his eyes at that.
"And you escaped?" Ren asked. Miquella shrugged.
"I…suppose so," he said unsurely. "I…am unsure how, however…" He looked around and noticed through the forest canopy, he couldn't see his Haligtree or even the Erdtree, suggesting he may no longer be in the Lands Between or any land controlled by the Greater Will.
"Grrrrrrrr…"
However, before he could think further on this, the three quickly turned to see an Ursa stalking towards them. Miquella balked at the sight of the demonic looking bear. "What on earth is that?" he questioned, making Nora and Ren look at him in confusion.
"Uh, you don't know?" the orange-haired maiden asked. "It's a Grimm!" Miquella blinked and turned back to the black furred beast. It radiated nothing but violence and an urge to destroy. To kill.
Interesting.
Ren readied weapons the Empyrean had never seen before and said, "Stay back. We'll take care of this quick." However, Nora let out a war whoop and jumped onto the Ursa's back. The bear Grimm roared in anger and tried to buck her off, but Nora held strong as she wrangled control of the beast.
"Nora!" Ren admonished while Miquella gazed at the sight in confusion.
"Is this normal?" he questioned. Ren sighed heavily.
"No. This is Nora," he responded.
Nora had apparently wrested control of the Grimm and was now steering the Ursa towards them. "Micky!" she shouted and held out her hand to Miquella. Confused, he reached out his own hand, and she grabbed it with a firm grip. With impressive strength for a mortal, she pulled him behind her on the Grimm.
"Gah!"
"Onward!" she cheered, hoisting her weapon into the air. "To battle!"
"Nora!"
Godwyn
What…?
When consciousness returned to him, Godwyn wasn't sure why his body felt so heavy. After a moment of waking, he remembered assassins holding him down and carving into his back. With the memory of pain in body, also came the pain in soul. The eldest of Marika and Godfrey knew the feeling.
Destined Death.
Except, it seemed his body lived. He could remember things beyond the assassin's attack. His siblings' faces, hearing the news of Ranni's death, among other things. It was obvious to the first Demigod that the assassins' stole the Rune of Death from his Uncle Maliketh, or at least a piece of it, but it wasn't enough for a true Death.
Which begged the question as to why his soul was intact.
It took a moment to reconcile the heaviness he felt was not only fatigue and soreness from the attack, but also his soul returned and restored, causing Godwyn to feel awkward since it felt as if his soul…was not in sync with his body.
Yet, Destined Death should have destroyed his soul utterly. How was it restored?
"H-Hello? Sir? Are you well?" a young feminine voice asked as he was lightly shaken.
With great effort, Godwyn forced his eyes opened, and all he could make out was red hair. "M-Melenia…?" he gasped out.
'Melenia' appeared flustered. "S-Sorry, sir, but I think you've mistaken me for someone else," she commented. Godwyn was confused until his vision cleared, revealing a bronze armored redhead with green eyes. Her looks favored Melenia, however, her facial features were too soft, and her skin a healthier pallor.
"Oh…my apologies, fair maiden," Godwyn replied. He forced himself to his knees, frowning as he registered his body seemed…de-aged. "It would seem I mistook you for my little sister." The redhead blushed a bit at this.
"O-Oh! I-It's no problem at all!" she said dismissively. "I'm just glad you're alright. I'm Pyrrha," she continued, gesturing to herself. She gestured to someone next to her and said, "This is Jaune." Godwyn turned to see a scrawny young man with blonde hair staring nervously at him.
"H-Hi there!" the boy commented with a wave. The golden Demigod smiled at them.
"Well met. I am Godwyn," he introduced himself. He looked around and saw no Erdtree, which was a bit concerning given his current circumstances, but he decided he could worry about that later. "If I may ask, where am I currently? The last thing I recall I was…less than pleasant…yet I do recall being at my home, away from any forests."
"Oh, my!" Pyrrha gasped. "That's…concerning…" She shook her head. "Anyways, you are in the Emerald Forest, east of Vale and Beacon Academy." Godwyn didn't recognize any of those names, yet he nodded regardless.
"I see," he commented. Suddenly, his back throbbed, making him wince in response. A light rustling caught his attention, and he turned to the side to see black furred, bipedal wolves with bony armor stalking out of the underbrush. Jaune noticed this too and yelped.
"Grimm!" he shouted and readied a sword while its scabbard turned into a shield. Pyrrha readied a short sword and round shield and moved in front of Godwyn.
"Stay behind us!" she told him as she held her shield high. The wolves snarled at them and approached cautiously. Godwyn frowned and stood, groaning as he did so. Startled, Jaune and Pyrrha turned to see him standing and were shocked by how tall he was. "What are you doing?!" Pyrrha asked.
"Preparing for a fight," he said simply, rolling his shoulders. "I shall not sit idly and let others fight on my behalf if I cannot aid them in some way."
"A-Are you sure?" Jaune asked hesitantly. Godwyn smiled.
"Certainly! In fact…" Raising a leg high, the son of Godfrey and Marika brought his foot down in a hard stomp, making the ground tremble, nearly throwing the Grimm, Jaune, and Pyrrha off balance. Godwyn's smile never once wavered.
"I think this shall make an excellent warm up," the golden Demigod commented as he fell into a stance.
An: And so, this is the second chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Next chapter is where things heat up for our four favorite Demigods. And boy oh boy! Will things heat up! Let me know what you thought of this and I hope to see you all again when I finish the next chapter!
And now, a treat for you, my readers! Inspired by NeonZangetsu, I'll be starting a little preview section at the end of my chapters. However, instead of showing just future scenes for the story, I intend to do something different: the scenes themselves won't just be future parts of the story, they might be alternative paths I may take for the story.
Essentially, to pay homage to the game, my story will potentially have multiple different endings. Each scene I have in this preview section will link to one of many possible storylines I have come up with for Elden Remnants. So, without anymore stalling, here's what I mean by this:
{These are the potential possibilities before us…}
"I…I'm seeing things, aren't I?" Yang questioned quietly. "I'm dreaming, right Blake?"
Blake's eyes were glued to the sky. "If you are…I'm dreaming the same thing."
"T-This is…impossible…" Weiss breathed out in disbelief. The moon…
Ruby's wide eyes continuously moved from what had just transpired to the red hair of Radahn. How powerful was he to…?
"This world is fascinating!" Miquella exclaimed giddily, frantically flipping through multiple medical textbooks and journals. "All this information! Medical breakthroughs! Surely with these, I can find some way curing Melenia's scarlet rot!"
"Don't be foolish," Cinder purred. "Think of all that you could achieve joining forces with me."
"I have been fooled once by honeyed words," Miquella growled, his eyes glowing with power. "I shall not make the same mistake twice!"
Radahn balked at the power of the weapon in his hands. Turning back to Ruby, he couldn't not contain the boisterous grin making its way onto his face. "This!" he proclaimed to the silver eyed girl, presenting the massive rail gun her way. "Is perfection! Your talent is nothing sure of amazing, Ruby Rose!"
Ruby felt her face heat up at the praise.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Adam roared, brandishing Wilt in a threatening manner.
"I am your executioner," Morgott growled, golden light gathered around him, forming wings which beat once before vanishing.
"You had a chance, Sir Hazel," Godwyn said as he stomped the ground, causing massive tremors around him and lightning to spark out from his foot. "You won't be getting another."
Ruby stared in horror at what had become of her sister. "What have you done to her?!" she cried.
"She is the first of many! The intelligence of a human! The power of a dragon! And the ferocity of a Grimm! Bear witness to the Angel of Godrick!" the Grafted monstrosity bellowed with a mad cackle.
"W-What do you want?!" Salem demanded, feeling fear for the first time in millennia. A dark chuckle met her demand.
"I," the silky, hissing voice said, "want you to join me. For our goals our very similar. Join me, dark witch, and together, we will devour the gods that cursed us all!"
Ruby was about to make a suggestion when she noticed a gold symbol on the ground. "Huh? What's that?" she asked, pointing to the point. The four demigods turned to gaze at the golden object.
"A summoning sign?" Morgott questioned.
"Summoning sign?" Blake asked.
"Time is complicated in the Lands Between. Some individuals would create signs like this to aid others beyond their own timelines," Radahn explained, giving a really bare bones description of the phenomenon.
Qrow yelped in pain as the rampaging Melenia kicked him in the balls. Knowing time was against them, Weiss got a wild idea. "We don't have time for this! Could we summon this person to help hold back Miquella's crazy sister?!"
"Hey!"
"Good thinking! Ruby! Tap the sign twice! That should allow the creator of the sign to come through!" Godwyn told her. Ruby saluted.
"Got it!" Ruby did as she was told, but she frowned as the words morphed into a language she understood. "Um…what kind of a name is 'Let Me Solo Her?'"
