Important authors note at the end of the chapter. I hope you all enjoy :)
Relief and Satisfaction. Neo felt extremely satisfied and how could she not? She finally got Hush back after months of not having the weapon, and got payback against Jaune. It wasn't Ruby but it still felt nice to get some form of getback.
Neo's walk to her house on the other side of the green acre was quick, and the cool air on her skin after the fight felt refreshing. Still though she was covered in the knights blood, and once she got to her house she dropped everything right inside. Right after Neo stripped off her clothes and hopped into the stream through her house.
Every house in the green city has a small stream offshooting from the main river through the houses. the only house that didn't was Jaune's but there was still an offshoot close by to his and a fairly large one at that. Neo used hers as a bath and for laundry since it flowed well.
Neo bathes scrubbing off the blood and grime with a soap bar from the Jungle Acre. That place really had a lot of useful stuff. She knew next time she went to the Toy Acre though she had to try and get some of the scented beeswax soap from the Candle Man. She really enjoyed the Candle Man he was a fairly giant man made from some sort of magical wax, and he smelled like a different happy memory each time she saw him.
The giant bees he kept in the back of his shop though did unnerve her a bit. It was mostly the insect features scaled up that made her shiver though. The giant hum of their wings beating as the flew around every couple seconds also helped freak her out a little. Then again who wouldn't be at least a little weirded out. Last time she saw the Candle Man he was in the middle of making a batch of soaps that she was interested in taking a look at.
Climbing out of the stream and towling off Neo thinks about what else she needs while she's at the acre tomorrow. She cant really decide for sure so Neo instead just gets ready for bed. Once she lays down in the soft sheets and several pillows the mute almost immediately drifts off her body finally shutting down for the night after a long day…
Sometime during the night Neo must have made a Roman, because when she woke up early in the morning she was being held by him. The cold hard arms of the construct may have been uncomfortable for a lot of people but for Neo? She didn't want to move a muscle while in its embrace.
Even if they weren't the real thing. Even if it felt like she had her heart ripped out of her chest when she realized that she would never get to feel the comfort of the real Roman ever again. This was the most comfort she had been in since the man had passed.
Sure people had lost loved ones before. Hell the knight she had killed last night had lost his own partner, but he had something she didn't. He had people to support him. He didn't have to keep going on his own, he didn't have to join Ruby. He could have just stayed home instead, but instead he decided to go along with his teammates and his friend who took Roman away from her.
Neo lays in Roman's arms a bit longer her brain finally taking the time to catch up to everything that has happened these last few years. As she finally starts to process fully tears start rolling down her face. Tears that had been held back for so long finally escape, her emotions finally getting the better of her.
She lost her best friend, the love of her life, and one of the few people who really cared about her. She had been so focused on getting revenge that she didn't spend enough time to actually digest everything.
Neo was finally starting to break just like all the illusions, and constructs she made. The silent tears slowly turn into body wracking sobs as she lays in the arms of a dead man. It hurt so bad, and she had no one to comfort her nobody but herself. For hours until the Suns have risen high into the sky Neo lays there until her eyes dry up, and her head aches painfully.
Slowly sitting up Neo decides to drink some water, and start doing things. Neo sits at the desk in her bedroom, her weapons laying in front of her. Needle was easy to clean quick wipes, and oiling the blade lightly. Neo takes a look at Hush right after. Her only physical reminder of Roman besides the construct, and the hat that sat right next to her.
The parasol is in incredible shape for how long the knight had it. Outside of the blood on the blade and canopy nothing seemed wrong with it at all. The internals were cleaned, and the weapon felt incredibly smooth. Neo gained a small sliver of respect for him. She truly didn't expect him to take such good care of an enemies weapon, but it didn't surprise her too much. She had spied on him a bit in atlas he was a very helpful person almost to the point it made her nauseous.
After her inspection, and cleaning of the weapons Neo puts on Roman's hat, and walks to her small kitchen. She grabbed several of the food roots and devours the roots with gusto. She was depleted a bit after the crying. As she eats the cold food she can't help but wish just a little bit that she had taken the knight's fire fox. Maybe if she had one she could have a hot meal that she didn't have to walk all the way to the King's Acre for.
On the table in front of her something catches her eye. A book. The book she stole from Jaune's house the night before. Neo grabs the book, and opens it up the first page. Written in cursive are the words Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Jungle, Green, and King's Acre.
'How convenient.' Neo thinks as she flips to the next page. She's not lucky enough for the book to have a full fledged table of contents, but the book does have a note saying that the medicinal plants start on page 78. Neo rifles through the book until she gets to page 78. A page decorated with several dozen detailed drawings of plants with a title in the middle saying medicinal plants.
Page by page Neo flips through the book. Each one having beautifully detailed drawings, and in depth descriptions of what the plant does and where exactly to find each one. It even had a part listing whether it was found on a tree, plant, or root, and what part of the plant it was specifically. Some plants had several uses, and useful parts while others had one part that was useful, and the rest was either detrimental or deadly.
Eventually Neo finds a plant for headache pains. She originally thought she found the right one before but after reading the page on Migraine Mint it turned out that if she tried eating that one it would actually give her a headache. It did note that mixed into things like drinks and ice-cream it tasted incredible, and lost most of its painful properties.
A small footnote said that ice cream made with the plant has a chance to give brain freezes that could last for several days, and were painful enough to make the consumer writhe on the ground trying to 'tear their head off' though which confused Neo on why it was in the medicinal category and not the edible section of the book. Hell with a description like that why was it in the book in the first place.
What Neo was looking for was listed on a page about small flowers that grew in a specific clearing in the King's Acre. The flower she wanted specifically is called the Headache Helper. A small light blue variation of the flowers found in the clearing. The cousins of the flower had variations of uses or could make life much worse for anything or anyone who used them or even ate them wrong.
The thief memorizes the page number, and then closes the book. She's going to leave for the King's acre. The mute has nothing else better to do after all while she's down here. Might as well get to know the place a bit.
Neo really didn't know how to feel about the bridge between the Dessert Acre and the King's Acre. On one hand she was always a little wary of the bridge. The swaying, and the creaking and groaning sounds the bridge were the main contributors to that. On the other hand though, It gave her time to think while she walked seeing as worrying about falling off would just cause her to fall.
Once Neo steps off the bridge she immediately pulls out the book, and flipped to the page with the flowers. Neo reads the directions, and instead of heading down the regular path to the toy town the girl takes a side path one almost unnoticeable unless you're looking for it.
Neo walks the path for around half an hour before she see's a flower carved into one of the trees. Neo turns right, and walks for another ten minutes collecting plants, leaves, roots and several buds a good amount of which that looked like pills, that she either came across during her time in the Jungle Acre, or found in the book while she was looking for the Headache Healer.
Some were for wound infections, some for the common cold and other sicknesses. One is for nullifying poisons incase she happened to ingest the wrong plant, and one that would reverse broken bones. Some of the plants had parts that were poisons themselves. Neo left those alone though not wanting to accidentally mix something dangerous into the mix of useful stuff.
Her only problem was the bag she brought was filling up quickly, unorganized, and some of the plants would wilt as soon as she stuck them into the bag. Neo really wished she had a better bag than just the sacks from the Forest Acre for this. Luckily for her though she knew exactly who she could go to who wasn't that far away…
Neo walked into the town without a disguise. From all she knew Jaune didn't talk about her since she left him alone outside of the night before. He really was too nice or he was just forgetful. She knew he had spotted her before after all. As she walked down the streets she hears someone call her name. The girl knew who it was immediately, and went over to see the matter manipulator, and apprentice blacksmith at his shop.
"Hey Neo! How are you?"
'Fine. I'm just have to see Needle. I need a bag for some stuff.'
"That's fair. If you want I can probably give you some materials for her to make it with."
'That sounds good.' The girl responds mentally not invested in the conversation all that much
The Afteran rummages through a couple of boxes off to the side. "I couldn't help but notice you were carrying a different weapon."
Neo is slightly taken aback from the fact that Thread knew it was a weapon. 'How did you know it was a weapon?'
"Jaune brought that very same parasol in a few weeks back. It's called Hush right?"
'He brought it in? What was wrong with it?'
"Nothing was too out of place except the mechanism that pushes the blade out was a bit damaged. It looked like it had been through a couple pretty rough fights. He really just wanted to make sure it was still in good condition. So I fixed it right up, and told him to take care of it. Kind of strange you have it now."
'It was mine to start with he stole it from me, and I just got it back.'
"Jaune stole it from you? That doesn't really seem like him."
'I've known him longer than you have. It's definitely in character for him.' The lie slides off Neo's head so smoothly that Thread doesn't even realize it isn't the truth.
"Hmm. Well I guess not everyone is who they seem." The shopkeeper says as he finds what he's looking for and puts the large purple skein of thread on the counter.
Neo thanks the puppet, and puts the skein under her arm. " Last thing before you go Neo. Where is Needle?"
'You're sister?' Neo raises her eyebrow
"No the weapon."
'That makes more sense. It's in my house. I've been taking care of it I promise.'
"That's good to hear. Keep it well taken care of." Thread Smiles "Now go on and see Needle. If you need me I'll be here."
'Thank you Thread.' Neo smiles back as best she can before turning around, and walking away.
Neo weaved through the crowded streets, and arrived at Needle's shop. Setting the skein on the counter Neo waited for the doll for a few minutes before knocking on the counter. The resident weaver walked from the back of the shop, and looked down at the mute.
"Hello. You're Neopolitan correct?"
'Yes?'
"Jaune has told me a little bit about you." Neo tenses up her hand slowly going to Hush.
'What did he say?'
"To be very careful around you, and to not turn my back or let you out of my sight if you ever come to me. Jaune also told me to warn him if I ever run into you. He doesn't have a very high opinion of you, and based off what he has told me nor should I." Neo's hand rests on her weapon. Unfortunately for the doll though Jaune isn't really available at the moment.
'I haven't come here to hurt you. I'm just here because I need a bag.'
"I know that. Doesn't mean I have to like you or help you."
'Then I guess I can leave.' The girl says reaching for the thread.
"I'm still going to help you. You brought me the supplies I need. What kind of bag do you want?"
'Something simple and light that I can carry with me long distance, but that can hold any plants safely, and keep them from dying while in the bag.'
"Like a messenger bag?"
'That would work for me. How much can it hold?'
"More than youd think."
'Is it going to be heavy when fully packed?'
"No I make sure all of the bags I make are comfortable to carry, even when pushed to their maximum limits."
'Good. Can you make me one then?'
"How soon do you need it?"
'As soon as you can get it to me.' Neo tells Needle with a shrug.
"Alright. I'll have it to you within three days. Come back either tomorrow, and if I don't have it finished then the day after."
'Okay.'
"Do you want it in any specific color?"
'Brown or Pink.' The mute 'says' she wanted to at least keep her color palette the same while down here.
"I'll make sure to take note of that." The afteran says disinterested. Neo could tell Needle doesn't like her, but if she was talking to Jaune then she couldn't blame her.
'I'll see you then.' Needle nods, and Neo backs up vanishing back into the crowd.
After leaving the weaver's shop Neo walks around the town exploring places she hasn't seen before, and even visiting a few places she has been before. She even remembered to see the candle man about getting a scented bar of soap and a couple candles. Neo ended up leaving with two bars of soap that the man promised were long lasting, and a candle that would make her whole house smell like a different fruit every time she lit it.
Eventually Neo comes to the gates to the Crimson Castle. She had seen the Castle before from in town, but this was the first time she was this close. Neo circles the place taking her time to look at everything she can see. This would have been a great place for a heist with Roman. The girl thinks as she walks.
'I wonder where the King is?' Neo thinks.
She had heard of the Red King in passing, but she never had seen him. Maybe he didn't come out often. Maybe she could find out where he was. If she could get in then she might be able to grab some stuff for herself.
Neo passes by two of the guards at the gate the Toy guards eyeing her as she passed by. The girl gets out of view of the two and jumps the fence onto one of the hedges. Neo goes from hedge to hedge. Neo trips though and is sent tumbling to the ground. She rolls when she hits the ground to bleed the momentum, and keep it from making a loud noise.
Unfortunately for Neo though she had just rolled almost directly into several toy guards who were marching. Leading the guards stood a taller toy the guard a head and a half taller than the guards around it, and almost double the height of Neo. The girl backs up into another guard who snaps out of its stupor and tries grabbing her.
Neo ducks out and the toy stumbles on unsteady legs and crashes into one of its comrades. Neo tries backing out but the taller guard chases her down, and even when she uses her semblance to mislead the guard he completely ignores it and keeps chasing her. Neo eventually gives up running seeing as he wont stop chasing her and is agile enough to keep up with her.
Neo turns around and tries hitting the toy guard with Hush. The guard stepping out of the way and dodging every blow with ease. Soon the guard retaliates with a staff that whirrs to life and the tip starts to glows black. Neo doesn't know how but she can tell she really doesnt want to be hit by whatever it is so she goes on the defensive blocking and deflecting any shots she cant miss with the parasol.
Before her mind can catch up to her body, Neo is pushed back to one of the hedges. She can't escape, so instead she tries dodging, twisting, and using her sentence to get out of the way of the strikes. Her attempts are worthless its like the guard knows her every move and the girl is slowly losing each swipe and prod of the staff getting dangerously closer. Neo tries one last desparate attempt at escape, and throws two semblance made knives at the toy.
The knives stick into its chest and it pauses momentarily before the knives explode into pieces inside the toy. The toy is blown back slightly its chest smoldering and its outfit burnt with incredible recovery speed the toy lunges at the girl with inhumane speed, and Neo barely reacts in time the staff brushing past her head. Neo cracks it across the head. The head spinning completely around and stopping back at her.
Neo tries pushing the guard back but it doesn't budge, and instead pushes her back into the hedge once more. Neo is suddenly back on the defensive, and the guard is even more aggressive.
Neo tries defending, but her attempts are in vain as the wooden side of the staff smacks her in the head. Neo falls back into the heads small twigs poking into her back. The guard flips the staff around and shoves it into her chest.
At first nothing happens, and then Neo feels a chill along her spine. Then cold pitch black arms that irradiate a dark glow not dissimilar to the guards staff wrap around her arms and legs. Neo tries struggling but the arms don't budge at all. As Neo looks fearfully at the guard whos face is still emotionless.
Violently Neo is pulled backwards into a void. The arms disappearing as soon as she enters completely. The opening to the Ever After is right in front of her and she tries moving towards it but as she tries getting closer the opening gets smaller and smaller until she comes up to it and its nothing more than a spec of light before that disappears too.
Neo can't see anything the world around her is pitch black. Neo walks around in the void the little semblance lights she makes immediately snuffed out by the void. So Neo just keeps walking around aimlessly until she sees a light in the distance. The light becomes bigger and bigger until she can see her feet and the ground underneath them.
She can start to hear sounds around her. At first its small booms in the distance, and screeching, but as she walks further along the sounds get more and more diluted and the ground beneath her starts to move a little under her feet. The sky is still dark but its the dark of night, and she can still see especially with the small fires illuminating the metal ground she is walking on.
Neo starts to smell the scent of fire, and blood. It smells like Cinder, soon it clicks in Neo's head. The fall of Vale. How many times would she have to relive this? She already lived through it before, and it felt like every few nights she would have a nightmare about it.
'What would happen this time to make it different from any other time I've dreamt of this moment?' Neo asks herself with boredom. If they saw she didn't care maybe this place would let her go. She had been here for hours reliving her worst nightmare was at least something different even if fear was building in her chest knowing exactly what she would see at some point in this place.
Neo keeps walking. She might as well deal with it now than let it come to her later. Soon Neo is able to hear the sounds of fighting, and keeps her pace trying not to let her growing emotions show. Soon the fight comes into view, and Neo falters.
Roman fights Ruby, the thief beating the girl fairly well at points and holding her back from killing him at others. Just like how it was before. Neo remembers the exact thought she had when she first saw it. She can help him. The same thought runs through her head even now.
Neo realizes she still has Hush in her hand she's been gripping the weapon tightly even now trying not to lose it. If she's stuck in this maybe she can change it she knows shes not asleep after all. Neo picks up her pace and sprints at the girl her semblance activating and she falls perfectly in place with Roman both of them combining for a violent assault on the girl. Just like old times. Just like that night.
Neo hesitates and Ruby gets the best of her, but roman is there to keep her on the back foot. Neo blinks and suddenly she's on the edge of the airship Hush pointed down at Ruby. She knows what is about to happen Roman speaking behind her. Neo tries pulling Hush away but Ruby is too quick just like last time and hits the button to open the parasol.
Caught in the wind Neo hears Roman call her name. She knows that she can't get back, but it hurts twice as much as all the nightmares. At least in those she knows its not her fault she couldn't do anything, but she had full control this time and still couldn't. She was distraught as she floated down to the ground just like last time touching down onto a flat surface, and collapsing to her knees.
Slowly the world around her went back to pitch darkness. Neo didn't want to move it was still too fresh in her mind. It never wasn't playing in the back of her head but reliving the exact same memory playing out just opened the wound all that much more.
For hours Neo lies in the void. Only is the girl interested when the the void starts to brighten, and the ground feels more like the ground. Getting to her feet Neo looks around her taking in her surroundings. She was in Salem's throne room. Neo's breath hitched. She remembers when she was here last. She was with Cinder, and is with her now. She stood behind the maiden in line with her lackeys as she waited for the fabled woman.
Behind her she feels a presence that makes the hair on the back of her neck stand. "Cinder."
Salem walks past Neo completely ignoring the girl. She was reliving a memory. Thats what this place was wasn't it? A place that had her relive her worst memories. She lived through them once she could do it one more time.
That's when the memory started to differ. "Neopolitan." The authoritative voice of Salem said.
Neo's back straightened and she looked at the immortal. "You are here for vengeance."
Neo doesn't answer, but keeps her gaze pointed at Salem. "Cinder, Emerald, Mercury." The three point their attention directly to the queen. "Leave us." The three immediately turn and exit the room leaving Neo alone with possibly the most terrifying being in Remnant.
"Neopolitan. Come closer." She doesn't want to but her legs move anyways. "You are exactly what I need." Salem says excitedly and Neo's stomach drops.
"Restrain her." Neo barely has time to turn around when something big jumps on her. A beowolf. The mute panics as she tries to get free, but she cant. Salem gets off her throne, and walks over to Neo.
A cold finger slides from her neck to her chin and lifts her head to look at her. Salem's dark eyes stare back into hers. "Wonderful. Now sleep." Neo's struggling ceases as she drifts off into a dreamless sleep…
Neo wakes up to light above her. Squinting Neo lets her sight adjust as she realizes above her isn't the light of the sun but instead that of a lightbulb. She was lying down on a table with her arms and legs strapped down so she couldn't move. Above her to the right stood the silhouette of two people.
Salem, and her insane follower Tyrian. She never had the chance to meet with him one on one, but she saw enough to never want to be in the same room with him alone. Even less so with him and Salem together. Tyrian holds a knife up waiting for his queens command.
"You can start cutting Tyrian. Start with her stomach." Neo thrashes wildly, and gets the wind knocked out of her by tyrian who punches her in the diaphragm. Neo tries sucking in air, and stops her struggling as she keeps trying. Neo feels the blade slice into her. It feels cold. Then it feels hot as it plunges farther down. Neo screams as she feels him slice through her stomach the blade ripping through her organs.
"That's enough Tyrian."
"Yes my goddess"
Neo's relief is short lived as she feels the opening get pulled wider by magic from Salem. "Now to take everything out and replace it with something better."
Neo cant feel anymore. She must've went into shock. She can still see Salem implanting what looks like small squirming grimm into her. It's at this point where Neo loses consciousness…
Neo wakes up in a cold sweat back in complete darkness she puts a hand on her stomach. It feels normal. Or at least as normal as it can after what she just experienced. That was new. She never had anything that horrifying happen in any of her dreams. Nor did anything that painful ever happen to her in her life at all.
She still felt uncomfortable the feelings from whatever that was lingering in her stomach. Neo wanted out of here before then next thing she was forced to live through decided to get to her. Neo gets to her feet and walks around for a while.
Then she's falling. Nothing insane or nightmarish she's just falling. Neo falls for days it feels like she cant really tell with it being pitch black after all. Neo couldn't really sleep at first but after a while she managed to. Neo was honestly surprised she didn't feel hungry or thirsty or anything after all she knew she had to be in this place for days at this point.
Neo mostly felt bored. There was nothing to do but fall and feel the air rushing past her. Her nightmares had gotten worse, but that was to be expected she just lived through the most vivid traumatic hallucinations ever and sometimes while she was awake she could see a creature that barely glowed with the faintest of light, it didn't have a face but Neo knew she had seen it before either in a dream or in a nightmare in this place.
Eventually Neo's fall seems to quicken and the air rushing around her starts to take on an actual scent instead of just that of nothingness. Twisting around the mute looks for the signs of another 'experience' is coming. Neo sees a light below her and braces herself for impact her aura shining.
THUMP
Neo hits the ground hard a small impact crater from where she hit. It takes a moment for Neo's eyes to adjust. She's back in what looks to be the Ever After judging by the massive tree that she immediately spots once her vision returns to normal. She can't be sure though the other times felt extremely real as well after all.
Neo looks up from where she fell and sees a pale creature in the portal to the void. Swirling around with several sets of arms and a head that had no eyes, no mouth, nothing not even holes for breathing from what she could tell. Neo could tell it was watching her though as it circled the portal.
Soon the creature reaches its arms to the sides of the portal, and pulls it closed the whole world she was just in vanishing before her. Neo takes this as a sign that it's done, and sighs in relief. She's finally out the nightmares hopefully would stop but she doubted it. What she "experienced" with Salem felt too real and that memory would haunt her forever.
Neo looks around and sees she's in the King's acre still the town just in sight. Neo decides to just walk home, and when she does she is bombarded with nightmares of getting ripped apart, and the tree trapping her and eventually encasing her in a tomb made of wood.
Authors Note:
There wont be any new chapters or anything for the next three months which for those who have followed this story from the beginning are probably used to at this point. (I'm sorry seriously) I will be gone and wont have access to the internet for three months. I might actually learn to write better while I'm gone.
I wanted to get one last chapter out before I leave, because despite my inconsistencies I really do care about you guys and about this story. If you want to write something continuing it or improving it or taking it and making it your own I would love that. I love the premise of Jaune and Neo being together in the Ever After and figuring out how similar they are, and would love to see more of those stories. Especially considering I am a sucker for silentknight content
I really hope you guys like this story and favors. I hope you give me feedback while I'm gone both good, bad, in between. Your guys thoughts on the stories any theories or ideas you have. I want to see them all when I come back. You guys are so amazing seriously even those who aren't here yet, or feel negatively I think all of you are great.
As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter and enjoy the story. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you do and don't like as well as any theories or ideas you have. I love reading all of the reviews and I hope you all have a great day, night, morning or whatever time it is.