A man with silver hair sat in a room inside a government building, scribbling on a few documents while a few other people were nearby. The room was deathly silent as he looked at the paper then at the group in front of him. They were all Faunus, each one dressed in sharp clothing and had a calm expression on their faces. He looked to his side and saw leaders from each of the kingdoms.
"You all are aware that the world cannot keep this a secret, right?" He asked.
"In time, the world will know. However, tensions are high due to the conclusion of the Great War." A Faunus man said.
"How can we trust you all?" A Vacuoan asked.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to allow the public to know about the Ancient's existence?" The Faunus asked. His question threw everyone into silence. Just before the Great War could reach a bloody conclusion, a beast from some bygone era breached the surface and shattered any manpower the armies had. A creature so massive that it made ancient Grimm seem like mere house pets; and so powerful that their weapons practically did nothing but enrage it. When it was done, it destroyed the resolve of Remnant's armies and the Grimm, then retreated back to where it came.
The man stared at the Faunus with a neutral expression. He knew about the existence of the Monster for centuries and avoided its wrath after experiencing firsthand at what it was capable of. He also knew about the clans who held ties with it, simply writing them off as a nomadic tribe that didn't have much influence. Never in his immortal life would he expect them to gain so much influence.
"We need to annihilate this beast before it surfaces again and-" A Mantle representative spoke up but stopped when a blade was suddenly against his throat.
"You will watch your tongue before it is removed from your mouth." One of the Faunus said in such a tone that it was mistaken for a whisper. However, the blade was gently guided down by the leader.
"There is no point in trying to track the Ancient down, you all will not survive no matter how many soldiers you muster, weapons you create, nor fighting styles you learn. He is a force that exists to keep the world in its natural order." The leader said as he paced around the room. It was clear he was educated; which was a rare sight considering the state of the world at the moment.
"Do you take us for fools?" One of them asked.
"No, but I am here to keep you all from making any more foolish mistakes." He said as he fixed a slanted painting on the side of the room.
"What mistakes have we made?" The man asked.
"Are you all familiar with the Down Below?" The leader asked. His question gained several looks of confusion with the exception of the man sitting at the desk. He's heard of a place but never seen it with his own eyes.
"No." A Mantle representative shook his head.
"It is a place where the Ancient lives. A place where things that shouldn't exist in nature somehow do. Where beasts of gargantuan sizes dwell and plants that can possibly cure any ailment flourish." The leader said as he snapped his fingers and another Faunus brought out a folder and set it down on the desk, opening it before backing up.
Each one of the kingdom's leaders saw pictures of large beasts. A few that some soldiers had frantically told others about but were quickly dismissed. One was a serpent the size of a bus, yet seemed to be spitting a beam of ice at a Beowolf. The Atlas leader paled when he realized that the story his underling told was true.
A Vacuo leader gulped when he saw a large creature that resembled an armadillo, but was covered in glowing spikes. Those rumors turned out to be true as well.
"These are fake." A Vale leader said.
"The rumored Bull-man you all encountered seven years ago during the cool summer night. One that slaughtered an entire group of fifty, yet it was written off as a pincer attack from the forces of Mistral." The Faunus leader said, making the woman flinch at the sudden information.
"H-How did you-" She stopped herself when saw the picture of the horrible creature. Each one of these pictures had the same similarities as the others.
None of them were Grimm.
"You all opened up holes to the Down Below. These creatures surfacing was the result. We are not lying when we say that these creatures come from that dangerous place. By all the war and death you have enacted upon one another, you attracted Grimm; so much that you upset the natural order." He said.
"..." Nobody said anything and they looked at the final picture on the desk. A picture of the Monster himself, an unfortunate man in his left hand while a Beowolf in his right. Both seemed to be utterly terrified of the beast as he stood larger than anything they've ever seen.
"Why are you telling us this?" The man asked.
"We've come to make a deal." The Faunus leader answered.
"What kind of deal?" The Mantle leader asked.
"It's no secret that you all are struggling to rebuild things after the war. You don't need people to find out the existence of these creatures and cause pandemonium. So the deal is that we... take care of these issues for you all on a few conditions." The Faunus leader said.
The others looked at one another and then at the group. A few didn't remotely trust the Faunus in front of them, sending distrustful glances at their appendages. The man didn't care about that, he simply looked at the group and instantly knew that they were people who knew more than what they let on. It was stupid to believe that they were just some random group of people. Their clans' history ran deeper than the existence of some of the kingdoms.
"What are your demands?" The man asked, much to the shock of others.
"Our secrecy, funding, immunity, and that continent south of Anima." The leader said.
"Deal." The man said instantly.
"You can't be serious. Just because they made this claim, how can you be sure they have the manpower and resources to deal with these things? How can we even trust these dirt-" One of them stopped when the man held his hand up.
"They're right. People will be more afraid should they learn about the existence of a place where these creatures originate. We are at a sensitive period and tensions are still high, if they learn this then more Grimm will spawn and we won't be able to fend them off this time around. It's important that we focus on rebuilding our world." He carefully explained.
"What do we get in return for your conditions?" The Mistral leader asked.
"Information. Each discovery we make about new creatures, you will be the first to know so long as you respect our conditions." The Faunus leader answered. A few murmurs were heard and discussions were held between them.
"You mentioned immunity. What for?" The man asked.
"Multiple reasons." The leader alluded.
"Such as?" The man asked.
"Let's not play dumb, you all know the reasoning behind the request for immunity. It's the same reason you would have." The leader said, his expression darkened a bit. His eyes seemed to have a malicious glow to them that put them all on edge.
"We'll discuss things further... Mr.?" The man trailed off.
"Belladonna. Mathias Belladonna." He introduced.
"Belladonna. However... your god..." The man started.
"We will keep you informed. If he surfaces... then something is wrong and needs to be corrected." Mathias said.
"..." The room went silent and Mathias eventually turned to leave, letting them mull over the proposition. As the group talked with one another Mathias' expression turned unreadable as he pondered several things. Unlike their underground counterparts, the clans were still on the surface and had to adapt to the modern world. Creating an organization that dealt with these creatures, both through research and termination was needed. It was something all the clans had collectively agreed upon, the only reason they were having this meeting was to avoid any problems in the future.
In truth, they didn't need the funding. Throughout the centuries, they had gained a vast amount of wealth. This only made things easier if the leader of the kingdoms agreed.
"Do you believe they will accept our terms?" One of them asked.
"They have no choice. The public will panic the moment they see something they don't understand. Panic breeds negativity and that in turn brings more Grimm." Mathias said calmly.
"Should they reveal our existence?" Another one asked.
"We erase theirs." He answered instantly. The others fell silent as they followed Mathias through the hallway. Of all the clan leaders, he was the most feared. Behind that warm smile was a man that held cold intelligence and wasn't shy of using underhand tactics.
"What of that young man? Nicholas Schnee?" The first one asked.
"He is an asset." Mathias said.
"We should bring him into our circle." The second clan leader said.
"He is not trustworthy in the slightest. Despite being a good person, he seems naïve in some ways." Another clan leader commented.
While the others were discussing, Mathias just hummed and rubbed his chin, thinking about the future. His eyes flashed as his semblance was activated. It was a rare semblance that was considered a blessing and a curse.
Precognition, a semblance so rare that it was akin to winning the lottery. There was a downside to it unfortunately; every use cut the user's life short by one year. Mathias had used it several times over the course of his life and it was only a matter of time before he dropped dead. His goal of creating this modern organization would be something he wanted to achieve before his eventual demise.
The only regret he had was not allowing his son, Thomas, to grow up in a normal world. A world where no man-eating monsters existed, but this was the place they had to survive in.
Beggars couldn't be choosers.
After the Great War's conclusion, an organization was founded. One that only the highest members of the newly founded council knew about. They had made a deal with this faction to keep their existence a secret. In turn, this group would deal with the more... dangerous creatures that seemed to cause rumors and myths to arise. There were creatures that even Grimm didn't bother too much with, or outright avoided in a sense.
This organization specializes in dealing with said creatures. They shared information with the council but were largely secretive in what they did. Anybody who tried to investigate usually ended up missing or the recipient of... unfortunate circumstances. Not even the council was safe as the decades passed by, and this organization started to gain more influence.
They were masters at their craft and weren't shy about using underhand tactics to achieve their goals. Cover-ups, murders, blackmail, bribery, and other horrid actions were commonly used among them. While they claimed it was necessary, it was really more or less in order to keep people from finding out about the Down Below.
At the moment, Mathias sat inside his manor on Menagerie. The years had not been kind to him and he blinked tiredly as he sat on a couch, the coffee table in front of him had two sets of cups. Across from him was the man from decades ago, his hair white as snow but he recognized the scent anywhere. He knew the secrets of the man in front of him, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
"I suppose you don't intend to see me for visitation?" Mathias asked.
"No." The man shook his head.
"Figures." Mathias huffed as he poured some tea.
"You know why I'm here." The man said and Mathias looked at him with a bored expression.
"I know what you want... the answer is still no. Your war with the witch is none of our concern." Mathias said as he poured some tea.
"The underground-" The man started.
"We were there when you were ripped to shreds and when the witch was swallowed. From that point on, we stayed out of that ordeal. Neither one of you will succeed in your goals. The Ancient will make sure of that." Mathias leaned forward a bit.
"Chieftain, think about it. With no Salem, the Grimm will possibly dwindle. The world can heal." The man said.
"You don't seem to understand. Humanity nor the Grimm won't be the top species in this world. Whenever either one of those two gains the upper hand over one another, the Ancient is there to set things back in its natural order." Mathias said.
The man fell silent when he thought about the Monster. How long has it been since he first encountered the creature? A phantom pain washed over his body when he thought about his terrifying experience with it. As soon as his scent was caught, he was the main target and it was like his mere existence threw it into a rage. Part of him was glad he didn't encounter it a second time and he never intended to come face to face with the beast again.
It was like he was facing a force of nature rather than a simple monster.
"What about the denizens from the underground?" The man asked.
"What about them?" Mathias asked back.
"There's been cases of them surfacing. People will be curious." The man said.
"When you all opened up those holes to the Down Below, the creatures weren't the only things that came out. The denizens did as well, and we've had to guide them back." Mathias sighed. His voice was filled with exasperation and the man was naturally curious.
"..." He stayed silent and let Mathias continue.
"They've changed. Not a single trace of their Faunus roots are visible anymore. The blood of the Ancient runs so deep in their veins that I'm certain they are something different now." Mathias said.
"And if they side with Salem?" The man asked.
"Do you honestly believe they would?" Mathias asked with a raised eyebrow.
"..." The man remained silent and already knew the answer. If the creature's blood ran through their bodies so deep at this point, who's to say that they didn't inherit some of his untamed hatred for him and Salem?
"Plus, it is better that they don't interact with the denizens of the surface..." Mathias said as he stirred in some more sugar slowly.
"Why?" The man asked.
"The creatures from the Down Below aren't the only thing that's on the menu..." Mathias nearly whispered.
It fell silent and the other man finally realized what he was hinting towards. A picture was slid into his hands and he saw a photo depicting a group of the tribe feasting on an unfortunate group of researchers.
The man finally saw how this group looked. Everything about them was different from the last time he encountered them.
They held a more monstrous appearance and it was hard to tell if they even had any humanity left at this point. Cannibalism was seen as taboo by both humans and Faunus, yet here this group was, feasting on some poor souls. The expressions on their faces were savage and delighted, most likely at the fact that they had some form of food in their stomachs. Just the thought alone filled the man with disgust. It made him question how one could fall to such savagery.
"Do not think about trying to have a conversation with them. They won't understand you and your scent alone is what will get you killed." Mathias said as he took the picture back.
"This won't go unnoticed for long. People are going to investigate the reason as to why those researchers went missing." The man said.
Mathias just shook his head, despite what the man in front of him thought. The clans and organization had already made a cover up story. It was a good thing they still had individuals who could understand the language of the tribes below. Had they not been able to come to some middle ground, there would've been a bloodbath. The tribes themselves were able to tell who was and wasn't a clan member by scents.
The Belladonna clan had a distinct scent to them, it had a sweet and floral scent to it. They were also the clan that interacted with the tribes the most, often being able to understand them the best and avoid bloodshed in most cases. Other clans would learn under them to deal with the tribes whenever they surfaced across the world. While they weren't necessarily the strongest, they were the most respected.
Mathias had managed to get the secret organization up and has kept dozens of creatures from being discovered. Getting his hands dirty wasn't something he enjoyed but found necessary.
"You can't hide these creatures or the organization in the dark forever." The man said.
"And you can't hide your cursed existence or the Salem's forever either." Mathias countered and the man went silent.
"..." Neither one said anything and simply stared at one another.
"Our existence will not be discovered for some time. It won't be in this generation or the next." Mathias sighed quietly as his eyes flashed. Images of the future struck his mind; A man-made flying machine, a crash, a lonely infant survivor, the tribes from below coming across the crash, and a lonely figure standing in front of the Ancient.
"You saw something, didn't you?" The man asked.
"Nothing of use." Mathias lied easily. It was so well masked that even the man sitting across from him didn't pick up on it.
"Are you going to try again?" The man leaned forward a bit.
"No. This is the last time I'm going to use it. I'd like to be with my family for some time." Mathias shook his head. Using his semblance so many times had cut his lifespan short by several years. It was better to enjoy the time he had left with his son and grandson before being buried next to his wife.
His grandson, Ghira would follow in his footsteps as well as his son's. He was already speaking well despite his young age and he looked forward to their next visit.
"This is goodbye then." The man said as he stood up.
"It is..." Mathias nodded and stood up as well. Both shook one another's hand and they gave their final goodbyes. Despite having a somewhat rocky relationship, neither one saw the reason to interfere with the other's personal life. They sought the same goal, protecting mankind, but one did it for a more personal reason. The other did it out of loyalty to a primordial creature and mankind as a whole.
The tribes had continued their way of life as usual
He didn't want to break their hearts and tell them he only had a few years left. It's why he wrote in his will that the members of the Belladonna family would be the rulers of this land known as Menagerie.
It was best to enjoy these last few moments of life with his loved ones.
The tribes had continued their way of life as usual; hunting, fighting, and surviving. They had begun to find various ways to the surface and the clans above had to always guide them back. It had begun to get more difficult over the years and the organization was always documenting each encounter. It was hard in some ways, Mathias was usually the one to guide them back.
However, due to his failing health, it was difficult now. The tribe seemed to be more violent without the presence of a Belladonna and the organization was quick to take note of that. So Mathias' son had taken up the mantle. His skills were not as great as his father's but it was enough to quell the rage of the underground denizens.
Over the course of years, he began to grow more proficient with each encounter, and the tribe recognized him. Not many knew that the Belladonna name has held closer ties to the tribes for countless generations. They were the only clan to actually have the bravery to make the journey to the Down Below and interact with the locals, learning their customs and language.
Even the Monster had recognized their scent. This was seen as a great honor to the tribes but the clan saw a primordial beast that didn't seem to care for the presence of his followers. Behind those untamed eyes lies a creature with a disturbing amount of intelligence.
This planet was his domain, they were simply existing in it because he allowed it. If he wanted to, he could destroy everything and leave nothing but ruin in his wake. He chose to allow them to occupy his territory and that scared the ones that knew. Should he crave the taste of human flesh, then there was little one could do to stop him. Even with all the advancements mankind made over the centuries, they still wouldn't be any match for him.
He was from a bygone era. One that nobody knew about. Not a single person knew that before there were humans, Faunus, or Grimm.
There was nothing but light, darkness, and monsters.
The Monster was a result of the Brothers' machinations. He was the last born on Remnant and was the result of countless generations of his kind's evolutions. No disease could infect him, no man could beat him physically, and no animal could match his ferocity.
His very existence was a force of nature, one that few understood and the ones that did, knew that it was futile to try to tame or control him in any way. He went where he wanted, when he wanted, and did what he wanted. There was little one could do to him. Unless his hunger took control of him or he was attacked, he largely ignored humanity and Faunus. Their existence meant little to him because they were so insignificant. Like insects.
The tribes continued to find different ways to the surface. Over the course of years, they found different ways up and the organization didn't know why. Theories were thrown around, ranging from the need for more hunting grounds, or simply curiosity. It was usually younger members that trekked up and it shocked the organization when they saw a group no older than eleven. They made the mistake of forgetting who these children belonged to and paid the ultimate price.
A group of organization members were slaughtered by the wild eleven year olds and the small party of savage children went on to brutalize an extremely dangerous Grimm and drag it back underground.
So Mathias' son made the bold journey underground, after managing to pacify the group of feral children and taking advantage of their somewhat naive nature to convince them to allow him to accompany them. He disappeared for several weeks but came back with a vast amount of knowledge and photos of the ecosystem below the surface of Remnant.
He told the organization of what he learned. That the tribes had an entire network of secret tunnels to the surface, how the children they encountered were simply on a rite of passage journey, and the vast amount of creatures they hunted on the regular. A goldmine of information he had managed to come across peaked the curiosity of the many researchers in the organization and even in the clans.
Each village was made from the countless pelts, bones, and scales of the dangerous wildlife they hunted. To some, it was a miracle of how they survived so long despite the size of these creatures, but some knew that the only reason they managed to stay alive for so long was because they adapted to the environment for thousands of years.
The most prized photographs were of the Monster's sleeping form and the temple surrounding him. In the photo, there was a large gathering of the tribes, seemingly dancing in a large circle. Another photograph depicted some of the members wearing costumes made from the creatures they hunted, while others wore more elegant clothing and sat on large thrones made of bones and fur. Children seemed to play instruments made of bones and wood while others simply sat nearby.
For the first time in decades, they had a better understanding of their underground counterparts. While they were savage, they had an entire culture that was vastly different from theirs. The people on the surface worshipped the Brothers while the people underground worshipped the Monster.
The only existence of the Monster that the general public knew was through fairy tales. Nobody, with the exception of a few factions, knew that he actually existed.
However, the clans knew that the council wouldn't understand like they did. The more religious people in power wouldn't take too kindly to people worshipping something as powerful as the Monster. So to avoid complications in the future, they simply kept this information a secret. If the time called for it, then they would reveal this information, but for now they just stayed silent. Dealing with the creatures that made their way to the surface and telling the council the bare minimum information was key to maintain peace.
Plus, this council was different from the one when the Great War ended. The people in power now were more dogmatic in a sense. Their first instinct would be to storm the underground and cause another war due to their ignorance. They would send countless Huntsmen and Huntresses to their doom and force the tribes to storm the surface in retaliation. Massive amounts of blood would be unnecessarily shed.
While the council was of concern, the tribe was as well. Their frequency of surface travels was becoming harder and harder to hide, and if a Belladonna wasn't present, then more forceful approaches were required to send them back. A mixture of curiosity and the desire to hunt was what made them head to the surface more and more. Instead of them appearing every few years, they started to appear every year.
Hunting was a large part of their culture. If it wasn't the dangerous creatures of the underground, it was Grimm. Although the latter was more of a sport to them as well as bringing the creatures of darkness as sacrifices for the Monster.
That was another thing the clans had to worry about, certain factions taking advantage of the tribes if they found that they hunted Grimm for sport and sacrifices. Despite their underground counterparts' strength and superior physical capabilities, they didn't understand the rules and way of life on the surface. None of them understood that killing one another was usually frowned upon and was usually met with prison if caught.
In time, all would be revealed. Things that went bump in the night should remain under lock and key until the time was right. It was only a matter of time until that day finally arrived.
A time that would shake the majority of Remnant to its core.
It's been a while, everyone. Sorry I haven't uploaded in some time. I don't have access to my laptop and using my phone to write doesn't have the same feel and it bugs out a lot on the app. At least for me it does. If there's any mistakes then I'll fix them, but enjoy this chapter despite it's quality, I'm a little rusty and it'll take a while to knock some of it off.
Anyways, take it easy everyone and see you next time.