Intermission
World of Remnant:
Family Curses
Family, lot of people have those but not everyone appreciates what they got until it's too late and for a few others, they were born into a kind of family they probably think they'd be better living in the wilderness.
Don't believe me?
Well, I am a voice of experience.
But today, we're going to explore a few certain family traits that have been passed down Remnant.
(Emblems began appearing on the screen: A white rose, two Emblems resembling wings, with a clock in one and a gear in the other that resembled eyes with one grey and the other red, a snowflake emblem, a pair of yellow crescent shaped arcs)
Let's start with my favorite family, the Branwens.
(The emblems resembling wings lit up)
You see, the best way to tell if someone is a Branwen is by the color of their eyes which are almost always red. Of course, that trait can change depending on the family.
(A girl with blond hair appears before an aura of fire surrounds her and her eyes flash red)
Though in one way or another, the red eyes of a Branwen can always be found. And those red eyes bring a terrible curse.
(Next to the girl appears a woman with black hair, wearing a Grimm mask and wielding a nodachi followed by a man with dark hair, wearing a red cape and wielding a scythe)
Each Branwen's Semblance is unique and can almost never be turned off. It's always with them, one way or another.
(The woman and the girl vanish, leaving the man with the scythe behind as he sat in a bar)
One Semblance brings Misfortune to everyone around the unlucky guy who was born with it.
(The glass the man was holding suddenly broke.)
Great to have in a fight.
(Then the man was shown near a trio of children, two of them having short dark hair, apparently being twins while the eldest had long blond hair in pigtails and a knife suddenly fell near the twins and the man just looked on in horror)
Not so good to have around people you consider family.
(The man turned and sullenly walked away, ignoring the children calling out for him)
Another one works by forming bonds with people and can create portals leading to them.
(The man vanished and the woman wearing the Grimm mask appeared, swinging her nodachi and created a portal. She walked through it and on the other side was a woman with dark hair and wearing a long white cloak)
You'd think it'd be harmless, but that Semblance comes with a death sentence.
(The woman in the white cloak is suddenly struck down and the woman in the Grimm mask fell to her knees)
Supposedly, every person the Semblance gives a portal ends up dying in some manner. There's only been a handful of exceptions.
(A blond-haired muscular man appears, with a young blond-haired girl next to him, her height reaching up to his knee, but she was obviously the man's daughter)
So yeah, that's the Branwen Curse for ya. It exists only to bring misery and death to everyone around them.
Now let's get to the next unlucky family, though it's argumentative whether or not they are actually cursed:
The Schnee Family
(The snowflake emblem from before appears)
Since the days of Nicholas Schnee, the words 'noble', 'elite', 'leader', and so many others have been used to describe the Schnee family. I mean, look how big they've gotten. From a simple Dust trading company to a multi-national corporation that's got its claws in almost every corner of Remnant, thanks in no small part to Ansem Schnee who took over the company after Nicholas finally retired.
What's their curse, you ask?
Well, first off, they all look alike.
(The Schnee family is shown, almost all of them possessing white hair except for at least two)
Aside from the people who married into the family, all Schnee's have the same hair and same eye color. That's some pretty powerful genes at work right there. Next off is the Semblance…
(A Schnee Emblem is shown again as a glyph)
They all inherit the same Semblance which is very rare considering Semblances are supposed to be unique but there have been similar ones to appear.
(The blue woman who was Nicholas' wife had her own glyph that took the form of a star)
All in all, you'd think this family would have it pretty good but there's a downside, at least for the women who marry into the family. You see, aside from the wife of Nicholas, all women who married a Schnee ended up dying not long after having children. It's not something the public knows about because nobody thinks to question why a celebrity's spouse, especially one who has probably never been seen very much is suddenly not there. The story of Nicholas Schnee covers him using his inheritance from his father to help start his company.
But did anyone ask what became of the mother?
(A young Nicholas was shown kneeling to a pair of gravestones)
The mother of Nicholas Schnee passed away when he was very young from an unknown illness and his father was a very busy man, having originally worked in the mines of Mantle and then was drafted as a soldier, only to forced to work as a miner again after he was lucky enough to survive the Great War.
Then there was his own wife.
(The blue woman was shown in a ballgown, dancing with Nicholas)
Oddly enough, she didn't die not long after she and Nicholas had their first child but given how busy things were in those days, they opted not to have a second child and focus on raising the one they had. There have been several speculations, given that since she was rumored to be a Huntress, her body could handle the strain of giving birth to a Schnee child likely to inherit the family Semblance. Rumor has it, she had a similar but different kind of Semblance and that was why she was able to live for much longer.
Long enough to raise the child she had with Nicholas.
(A young Willow Schnee appeared, skating on ice followed by her mother)
But tragedy struck sooner or later.
(The mother fell to her knees as Willow and Nicholas rushed up to her and to their horror, she disappeared)
Nicholas' wife passed away from an unknown cause and that left for a great deal of mourning.
(Now Willow was shown, kneeling at the gravestone of her mother a blond-haired man approached and placed a hand on her shoulder)
Now, this curse seemingly only affects the women who marry into the Schnee family so it's speculated that it has something to do with how powerful their Semblances are, meaning that a great deal of power that comes from the Schnee bloodline, might be hard on the mothers giving birth to them. We might never know, but Willow Schnee, unlike her mother was able to have more than one child because she's the actual Schnee this time.
(Willow was now shown to be grown up, standing with her husband and her three children: two daughters and one son)
So not as bad as the Branwen Curse but more like a tale to spin caution that in order to possess something, then you must give up something of equal value or some metaphorical stuff like that.
(The Schnee family disappears and is replaced by the yellow arc symbol)
Now we're on to the Arc family. Now when you first see them, your first thought will be 'Wow, they breed you guys like rabbits, don't they?'
(A large family is shown, the parents and their eight children)
I'm not joking here. The Arc family has somehow managed to become known for having very light families, having eight to eighteen kids.
Seriously, how does the wife handle that and still manage to look good after at least of that?
But that might have to do with the Arc's secret power.
(An Arc is shown in armor, holding a shield and sword)
First, they have larger than Aura reserves. I mean, we're talking about massive reserves to the point they are like stamina freaks.
That might explain a few things.
Secondly, they are a family that has produced a number of great warriors, even before the time of Kingdoms. The patriarch of that family was said to be the greatest warrior Vale had at the time of the Great War.
(More Arcs appeared behind the first man, all wearing armor and holding swords and shields like him)
In addition to having massive amounts of Aura, they were able to create and wield Aura Techniques that is known to Huntsman, but most can't utilize on the same level as an Arc without the use of a Semblance.
(An Arc is shown swinging their sword, releasing a crescent shaped energy wave that cut through a dozen Grimm. Another one is show moving at high speed, seemingly disappearing from in front of one enemy and then appearing behind them, raising their sword, and cutting them down. Another Arc was shown, their eyes glowing as they fought and seemingly predicted how and when their enemy would strike, surprising them and leaving them wide open to being stabbed.)
Those massive reserves allow Arcs to use and preform many techniques to the point they can almost be considered a one-man army. Their grandfather was said to have started this, essentially starting what could be predecessor to the modern Huntsman, at least in Vale. Then came the Great War and after that, the system of the Huntsman was established and the Arc family kind of faded into the background, but they are still out there.
But little does everyone else know, that there is a price to the Arcs unlocking their power.
(An Arc is shown on his knees, exhausted as an enemy stands over him)
You see, an Arc does not unlock their Semblance like how a normal person can. That only happens after suffering a great tragedy that provokes a great emotional reaction from them.
(Behind the enemy, dead bodies could be seen. Suddenly a white aura surrounds the Arc, and he swings his sword up, striking the enemy down.)
Their Semblances are said to be very powerful and require a great amount of will power to control. It is said that once properly master, no Grimm or opponent can stand against them.
But like I said, there's a price to pay.
(The Arc continues his fight, defeating many Grimm and enemies)
An Arc is naturally drawn to the kind of fight where innocent people are put in danger. They fight and their Semblance in one or another helps strengthen or save the lives of the people closest to them.
It goes to such extremes that they even die fighting.
(The Arc is now shown to have died in battle, surrounded by his mourning friends and family)
Noble as hell, but they leave a lot of sad people behind.
(The screen goes black)
Now this next family, the Rose family is not an official name but the best one we got.
(A white rose is now shown)
No one really knows where this family really came from. One source says they came from the high mountains of Mistral, and another will say the vast deserts of Vacuo.
(A desert land is shown)
A friend of mine would say she had an ancestor in Vacuo, at least before the kingdoms so that's the best we got. And the Rose family or clan are known for only one thing.
(The head of a Beowulf fell onto the ground, following the sound of something sharp cutting into flesh)
Killing Grimm.
These people, and anyone considered a relative are known to have come from a line of great warriors like the Arcs.
Except they like to hide.
Though you might think they're hiding in the shadows…
(A woman in a dark cloak is shown next, wearing a skull mask over her face)
They ARE the shadows.
(Men and women of similar garb appeared and are seen fighting and killing Grimm before they can even react, moving with great speed and ferocity.)
They don't actually have a single home to live in as they prefer traveling all over Remnant, driven by an almost fanatical need to slay Grimm and to protect everyone.
Protect life itself.
Unfortunately, it comes with a cost.
(One by one, these warriors disappear from the battlefield)
They tend to die or disappear in their never-ending battle.
And the other…
(A woman in a white cloak is shown with two little girls, one wearing a red cloak and the other wearing white one just like the woman)
The daughters tend to look exactly like their mothers.
(The images fade, and the screen turns to black)
"Wow, this place is great."
"Jaune, get back here!"
A small boy with blond hair ignored his sister calling out to him as he walked around the village, an awestruck look on his face. The boy's sister, a young woman with wavy, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes followed after him with an irritated look on her face.
"Jaune, Mom told you not to wander off!" His sister scolded.
"I'm not! I got you with me!" The boy retorted.
"That's not the same thing!" The sister shouted, becoming even more annoyed with her little brother. "Get back here right now or I'll tell Mom!"
Jaune stuck his tongue out at her and turned around to run but stopped in his tracks.
"Jaune!" The boy's sister marched up to him. "Jaune, I-"
His sister paused, seeing someone up ahead. Entering the villages was a young woman, dressed in primarily black and blue with short blue hair and matching eyes. She wore a black and blue, high-collared halter top, two pink, intersecting belts over her chest, and black shorts and over her chest was a silver badge resembling a heart with a sharp cross over its base. On the woman's arms were white bell-sleeves and tan, fingerless gloves. She also wore a small, segmented piece of armor on each of her upper arms.
She wore what appeared to be black stockings or socks on her legs which reached about halfway up her thighs, leaving a small area of bare skin on her upper thighs. She also had two strips of blue cloth that draped over either side of her hips, along with a smaller, white strip of cloth tied around her waist, draped in the same manner. Finally, she wore pointed, armored, silver boots with a sharp 'hook' on the outer side of each.
In her arms were two small girls, both hugging her around the neck and their faces on her shoulders, seemingly sleeping, while another girl was holding onto the blue cloth draped around the woman's hips. She appeared to be about Jaune's age, even having blond hair in pigtails but her eyes were more lilac than blue. She wore a tan shirt with stitches on the side with an orange handkerchief around her neck and a belt around her waist and black shorts. She wore brown shoes on feet that were covered with orange socks.
Both Jaune and his sister watched as the woman walked past them with only a passing glance and both headed for the nearest inn. The girl with the woman looked dirty, patches of dirt and mud on her cheeks and in her hair while the woman seemed to be cleaner. The girls looked better too but they didn't appear to have bathed recently. The girl had dark circles around her eyes, a sign she hadn't been sleeping much recently which was worrying.
"Ruby, Xion, time to wake up." The woman said, seemingly to the girls in her arms who both yawned as they woke up.
Despite being twins, both had different sets of eye colors. The one on the left had silver eyes which was odd and the one on the right had blue eyes, almost like Jaune and his sister.
"Where…Where are we?" The girl with silver eyes asked while rubbing them.
"A place to wash and has actual beds hopefully." The woman said with a hopeful smile.
Jaune felt his sister grab him by the shoulders and drag him away. "Come on, let's go back."
He said nothing, simply watching as the woman walked into the nearest inn.
It was later in the afternoon and Jaune was with his family as they were grabbing food and supplies for their trip home. Shion was a good village for hiking and a great camping place. Jaune and his family came out here a couple of times a year to just relax in the wild. Jaune and his seven sisters were all seated at a table with their parents, waiting for their food to be brought to them.
"Wow!" A voice called out.
Jaune turned his head to see the same girl with silver eyes from before letting out a cheer while eating dinner with her sister and the rest of their apparent family.
"Ruby, please calm down." The blue haired said in a light scolding tone but was still smiling.
"Sorry." The girl sat down and delved into her meal with gusto.
The other girl with her and the older blond-haired one were quieter with the twin having a content smile while the blond one…
She seemed to be withdrawn, despondent for some reason.
Jaune couldn't help but overhear them speaking, given that they were only a table away from the one he and his family were seated at.
"Yang," The woman turned to the girl with a worried look on her face. "Would you like to speak with your father? I promised to call him when I had the chance."
"Oh, yeah!" Ruby slid over next to the woman. "Come on, Yang! Let's call Dad!"
The girl named Yang looked up, still withdrawn but overing a small smile as the woman brought out a Scroll.
"Okay, Qrow showed me how to use this." The woman muttered, looking a little unsure how to use it as her finger trailed across the screen.
"You put your finger here for contacts." The other girl, Ruby's sister offered, pointing at the screen.
"Okay." The woman did just that.
"And here's Dad's number." Ruby pointed at a specific number.
"All right." The woman touched the number and there was a ringing sound before someone answered. "Hello, Tai?"
"Aqua, are the girls with you?" A man spoke, sounding very anxious.
"They are and they're okay." The woman answered with a soft smile, angling the Scroll to show the girls.
"Hi, Daddy!" Ruby and her sister waved their hands at the screen.
"Ruby, Xion…I'm so glad you're okay. And Yang?"
"Hi, Dad." The girl simply said, only glancing at the screen for a second.
"Yang…"
The woman sighed. "We had a little trouble, Tai. Yang is still recovering."
"What happened? Was it Ra-"
"DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" The girl named Yang shouted and stood up, making everyone in the den look at her. "I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THAT NAME OR SEE HER FACE AGAIN!"
She stomped over to and up the stairs and there was the sound of a door closing.
The blue haired woman sighed and looked at the screen. "Sorry, Tai."
"Don't be, it's not your fault." The man on the screen said, his voice thick with regret. "I guess when she finally found her mother, she didn't like what she found."
"That's a bit of an understatement." The woman stated, glancing around and was glad to see everyone had gone back to whatever they had been doing but Jaune was still eavesdropping. "I'll see what I can do for her. We should be in Mistral in a day or two."
"Qrow will meet you there and he'll have asked Professor Lionheart to get you a ship to take back to Patch." Tai replied. "But I heard on the weather channel that a storm might be coming to Mistral so you should either hurry or take shelter."
"All right, thanks." The woman nodded.
"No, thank you, Aqua." The man said gratefully. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened and the girls…"
"We're okay, Dad." Ruby and Xion leaned over the screen, smiling at their father.
"I know you are and Yang…"
"She just needs some time." The woman, apparently named Aqua said with a reassuring smile. "She'll feel better soon but she needs to work this out on her own."
"Yeah." The man said sadly.
"And how have you been holding up?" Aqua asked, changing the topic. "I know Qrow said we couldn't call you for a couple of days, but I know it must have been hard."
"It was. I would say the longest days of my life, but I feel that's been thrown around a lot." Tai answered, sadness and regret being heard in his voice. "If I hadn't been so distrustful of you and feeling sorry for myself, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"You had no idea that this would happen and it's over now. I'll have the girls back home in the next couple of days and we can put this behind us." Aqua replied.
"All right." The man conceded. "Please look after them and try to help Yang as best as you can."
"I will." Aqua nodded. "Say goodnight to daddy, girls."
"Good night, Daddy!" Ruby and Xion immediately said happily.
"Good night, girls. I love you and tell Yang the same." The man said, his tone perking up with relieved happiness.
"We will." Both nodded. "Bye."
"Bye."
"Bye." Aqua said, ending the call and put away the Scroll before letting out a small sigh as she looked at the girls. "Let's take some up to the room. I don't want Yang starving through the night."
"Okay."
The woman took a plate of food and walked over to the counter. She held out the Scroll and with a little help, paid for tonight's dinner. She then took the girls upstairs and that was the last Jaune would see of her that night.
When Jaune went to bed, he picked up one his favorite fairy tale books that had been in the family's collection for generations.
The Silver Knight
When morning came, Jaune was back outside, his family getting ready to leave and go back home to Vale. Just as they were outside, their things packed and all of them ready, Jaune spied the strange family from last night.
The blue haired woman with the twins and the blond-haired girl from before but now the blond girl's hair was no longer tied in pigtails. Given Jaune's own experience with his sisters, it was enough for him to know it had been brushed and cleaned and looked much better than before. Those twin girls looked much better too as the blue haired woman picked one up and placed her on her shoulders while holding the other one in one arm and held out her free hand to the blond-haired girl who took it with a smile.
And with that, they were off, heading to Mistral from what Jaune had overhead but by that point he had forgotten most of what he had heard. It would be many years before he would see them again.
