Hello I'm bock!
So uhh yeah schools back so the struggle has returned, lots of stuff coming up but I should be okay overall.
I had a lot of fun writing this one as i had to actually read the new naruto chapter in order to keep up, I don't really buy it's better than the peak of shippuden or part 1 stuff, but it's leagues above what we got in next generations, so blue vortex has my interest, even if the art is…Cheeks.
Also RWBY is now owned by Viz Media now i think, so hope is back for that.
Moving on, I forgot how to write action scenes, so yeah.
Anyhow, onto the chapter!
Chapter 8: Infinite Horizons
He entered the tent with a blank, stoic expression, his features seemingly frozen in place. It was difficult for anyone to read his thoughts or emotions; It had reminded him of the emotionless robots he had seen in cartoons as a child.
He walked over to the bedridden woman and gently placed a hand on her forehead. "She's stable," he stated flatly. "But she won't last much longer without sustenance. You mentioned the others will come soon enough?"
"Yeah, a few days…" Dawn replied.
He preferred his own silence, but when duty called and their group needed a leader and Dawn was out of commission…he found himself speaking more than he realized—a skill he hadn't recognized in himself since their days fighting together at Haven.
Simpler times…long gone now into his memory.
"Thank you for everything," Dawn said gratefully, breaking the silence.
He nodded respectfully, his hair fluttering gently before reaching into his robe, and pulling out an assortment of weapons ranging from pistols to blades and their own weapons.
Lycoris and Dawn looked on slightly shocked as they took in the sight of the weapons, finding Stella's and Dawn's other tools.
"Do you…just keep that in there or-"
"When I deem it convenient."
The two before their eyes landed on Onyx's previous weapon. Their eyes noticeably dimming to everyone but Toneri.
"Cherry bomb." Lycoris muttered.
"Cherry….bomb?" Toneri looked at Lycoris with a raised eyebrow.
"That's...that was Onyx's weapon before he…." the silence that followed spoke louder than any word thus far.
"My condolences then, let these weapons be not only a testament to his will, but in remembrance of his bravery then."
Dawn's eyes held a glint of sorrow, but she took them nonetheless. "Thank you."
"Yet you work with his killer." Lycoris countered.
Toneri didn't speak, sensing more to the man.
"...why?"
Toneri looked at both of them, with a hint of guilt. He was working with the person who murdered their friend. A person he failed to save, it didn't matter he didn't make it in time. It was a failure on all accounts; no one was there to prevent this cycle from continuing.
The cycle that Madara had seen through in an attempt to save the damned world.
With how complex the circumstances appeared to be, who was he to decide another's life when he wasn't even there for ten thousand years? How can he as a failure determine their fates when his legacy is beyond tainted?
'Ten thousand years of failure. Who am I to judge another's path when I can't even correct my own?'
'Do you even have anything more to lose?'
…
He glanced in his general direction.
"Because it is my duty to ensure everyone is able to survive, good or bad, regardless of their past…I know as I'm not someone of innocent descent."
"And that justifies it?"
"No Lycoris. It doesn't, we do what we must under the circumstances were dealt, I can only assure you nothing of harm will come about from this union."
"That sounds like an excuse."
"I suppose it is, but that energy would be better spent on the future, than the past." he gestured to the weapons at hand.
"I empathize with your plight, please have faith in my ability to steer not only myself, but everyone in the right direction, for all our sakes." he finished his plea, leaving Lycoris silent.
"Lycoris…I know how you feel, but he isn't the one that deserves your anger…" Dawn added, attempting to subdue the situation despite the emotions present.
"...You're right…I can't believe I almost lost it." he sighed.
"If my presence deems it so, I shall take my leave for the time being." he made way for the tents exit.
"Toneri?" Lycoris called out, stopping the pale god as he turned to face him despite his blindness.
"...Thanks…"
…Toneri merely nodded and continued out of the tent. Whereas Lycoris exhaled slowly, his gaze lingering on the weapons.
Some wounds take time to heal.
'The last one.'
Toneri settled the dead man into the ground, the dirt greedily swallowing the lifeless corpse as it became one with whence it came from. Toneri walked back to her, the soft sound of his footwear seemed like they were slamming.
The same stone ocean stilled stare, with the same frozen facial features, like he was completely unbothered by anything and everything.
It scared her, at the casualness in his causality. It was a reminder of not only his indomitable strength, but his alien-like will.
Like her. Except it wasn't overbearing or oppressive, it was withdrawn if anything.
Maidens couldn't sense emotions, but a well trained huntress could tell when someone was hurting.
Toneri seemed like he was somewhere there. l she could help him or not wasn't her's to decide.
…
"Hey Toneri?"
"Hmm?" Toneri raised his eyebrow
"Thank you for this, you didn't have to..."
"It was only fair Raven. Have you decided if you would join me?"
Raven looked at him in silence, Toneri could sense the lack of movement.
"If you wish not to, I shall not force you, only call upon you when the time comes, from what you've told me about this Salem, It's only natural-"
"I'll join you."
Toneri looked at Raven.
"What changed?"
Raven sighed, her hand hovering to her hips.
"If you just fly over to Vale they'll more than likely see you as a threat and try to shoot you down. You don't exactly scream 'friendly' and clearly you're too naive about the world to be left alone…you need a guide."
Toneri monitored the points and they, in a sense, made sense. If an unknown entity appeared over a village, he would also question their intent…
'Am I not approachable enough? Well I suppose I have been 'wound up' as mortals would put it, since the celestial beings invaded…and what did she mean by shoot down? Would they fire a cannon of some kind?'
"Besides, you'll still need me."
'I need to maintain a positive relationship with him no matter the cost, if all else fails I'll teleport back to Vernal and make for Haven for the relic. That is the only thing that might be able to stop Toneri...'
"I suppose so." He walked up until he stopped right in front of her. "I will ask this one more time. Will you join me to save this world."
"...yes…"
Toneri maintained a stoic face before it fell into a small smile.
"I'm glad you've chosen to join me." the robes parting elegantly as he did so. His hand was as pale as the stars in the sky.
Raven eyed the hand with a blank look, distant fear maintained in her form.
…
After a ponder of a session, resolution formed on her features, her hand rising from where it had shifted to from Omen.
She would do this for not just her tribe, but for Remnant's sake.
As well as the others.
"Come at me with full force."
The settlement was in ruins, from near back to back attacks from the defunct Branwen tribe, and the creature of Grimm. It made him wonder as he got into position.
'Did other towns and villages have to deal with such things daily? No wonder the cycle persists, creatures unknown to even the sage of the six paths threaten his people.'
From what he had been told, the Grimm had one master, and all listened to her and her alone. Someone that Raven feared to utter the very name of, someone who the spring maiden stayed away from.
His thoughts were broken up as he stood prepared. Continuing forward despite his clouded mind.
The huntress and the huntsmen circled around him, similar to his thoughts.
They were created by one of those brother gods, not unlike Hagoromo and Hamura, but more akin to Kaguya herself with the Zetsu.
Regardless the history didn't seem to line up, it had been ten thousand years, however Raven said the Grimm had been around since humanity could remember.
Which was incorrect.
Not even the tailed beast was as old as humanity. And with ninja the Grimm could be held off.
If they weren't destroyed by the bijuu themselves, he had little reason to suspect anyone lesser than the Grimm goddess could take them on when even high class jonin would struggle in even grazing them.
Of course that wouldn't explain the innate similarity present between the two.
Raven was powerful but not that powerful, not from what he could sense of the maidens power.
If anything it was more akin to a more powerful sage mode, but not alike the kind of which the six paths could muster. It was as natural as chakra could be when properly refined. It was the closest he could consider to be a 'shinobi'. He would use that term loosely as well.
Aura was half of chakra, Raven and the hunters described it as using their own soul as a shield or to attack. But it was much more limited to chakra despite its superficial similarities, this was something he could confirm as not of the Sage of Six Paths design.
Or even the Otsutsuki's.
As it was so it could still be depleted, as well as sensed.
Which begged the question, did the Otsutsuki drain the earth and just leave? Or did they leave creatures like humanity to survive, with the two of them becoming these brother god figures and channeling chakra into this new form they called magic?
Then what exactly did that make aura? The embodiment of the soul or something akin to a universal bloodline trait beyond those semblances, of which still seemed to apply by similar rules. Aura felt different enough from chakra, but not the same, it was a vexing sensation. If anything, the magic Raven talked of was more akin to chakra than aura was.
Aura wasn't chakra, however magic was nature chakra, but it wasn't sage chakra.
And of course. Dust.
He didn't know what to make of it.
A mineral that contained naturally occurring nature transformations. He had never seen anything quite like it in his life. The best he could perhaps compare was the miniature Tenseigan cores that were in his puppets before it was destroyed.
But in abundance, and much weaker, but as, if not more versatile than said cores. It was what made weaponry of which he had never seen before possible.
He would look into it in the future, perhaps ask the other maidens what they knew of when the time came.
Until then…
BOOM!
The huntsman shrouded their faces with their arms against the shockwave.
"You think that finally got him?" Lycoris replied with a steady breath.
"Don't think so, I don't feel him on the ice…" Dawn finished off with a steely look.
The blind god had danced blind all of their attacks so easily, each stroke of the blade or the ground turning to ice, it unphased him. No bullet or lightning dust round could hit him.
They had to create a perimeter of lightning dancing around ice stalagmites growing out the ground in order to trap him and then lycoris laid out most of his dust crystals on the ground before shooting at them to make them explode under the god.
IsThe smoke distanced itself as the crater made itself clear, little lightning dancing between shards of shattered ice as the wind blew. The floor of the crater was sky blue and dared to range from yellow to green and various purples.
"Very clever."
Both their eyes widened as the voice registered to them. He was behind them.
Whipping their bodies around to face him, only to find his vanishing facade.
They felt a hand rest on their shoulders with a firm but soft grip.
Lycoris had to stop himself from unconsciously heating his body up, he was standing too close to his ally and was worried he may hurt her.
"I believe that wraps up our little spar. I am impressed, you're both quite capable in a fight." he took his hands off them, allowing them to look back at him.
Lycoris sighed. 'We didn't even scratch his fit.'
"If you want to call that a spar, it was like trying to fight a human sized nevermore." Dawn followed up as she visibly relaxed.
"I suppose it was…however it's vexing to be compared to one of those birds." Toneri folded his arms into his robes, trying to make sense of the saying but decided to look past it.
"Because your-oh nevermind."
'I wasn't that fast was I? I thought I held back enough…Perhaps huntsmen are slower than Jonin class…Or maybe I just got faster.' Toneri's mind flashed to humans that had helped invade the moon in the past: Shikamaru, Sai, and Sakura.
"Then let's head back shall we." He gestured towards the line of trees that hadn't fallen over and made way for a paved path of rocks that became a road.
"...Toneri, why did you drag us out here really?"
"You're not just warriors, your protectors. You're strong despite your failures, never forsake that for gifts upon others." He pointed at both of them.
"If you consider yourselves warriors, then you will continue to hone your knowledge, weapons, and skills to continue doing your duty. Until the day comes where you need not lift a sword again.
Lycoris looked at him curiously at that, Dawn just looked a bit annoyed "...i guess."
"No, I can see it. He got us out to make sure we were still combat ready…He wanted to make sure we could defend ourselves…right?" Lycoris finished, a hand on his chin as he looked from the ground to Toneri, who all but nodded at the words.
Toneri placed his hands together, the robes roaming together to hide away unseen shadows.
Dawn's face became calmer. "Then it's a reminder…I guess that's fair."
"Now with that out the way… Let's get you back and rested, I don't sense any disturbances so I know the people are okay, however you need to prepare yourself for that rescue ship that will be arriving soon."
"...you're right." Dawn finished, however her mind wandered ever so slightly at one though. 'The fact he can sense the people from this far proves he can't be an ordinary guy…Maybe he did come from the sky like those villagers said.'
He let the atmosphere wash over him, it felt peaceful, it was times like this he really wished he could see it, take in the colors and the scope beyond of which he could tell from their size and shape and velocity.
He had been out in this spot since Raven fell asleep, it was close by to the humans so he could maintain his steady sensory range without worry. He had thought about potentially going to grab the humans coming by to sooner move on in his journey but he decided to allow things to happen as they go, not to mention the Grimm goddess would undoubtedly use that moment and time to try and attack Raven.
Said area was an area of the forest where the trees gave way to a small break in the monotonous hall of trees. The grass was high but he had since taken care of that, before crafting a rock in the center of it where he could bask in the light.
He found himself hesitant to meditate, however it would be unwise to ever forsake his thoughts in favor of inaction when he could be looking within.
Even after 10 thousand years.
The grass maintained a steady pull against the natural flow, on the rock he sat it was ever so comfortable.
He imagined himself back home, in his castle. He could still recall the first time he ever truly saw it for what it was.
Its beauty and splendor, it made for an amazing cage from which his life stemmed.
The trees surrounded him eerily, its silence not for one moment striking him as his range of senses ran through any factor during his meditation.
Including the fact he wasn't ever truly alone.
"You know it's dangerous to be out here at this time of night."
The young girl flinched from behind the tree, realizing she had been caught, she slowly walked out from behind the nearby tree. Her form illuminated by the light of the moon for all but him to see. A look of slight surprise but it soon was replaced with a small smile.
"I know but…you knew I was here anyways right? I would've been fine."
"You are a child. You need not wander in the forest in search of me." Toneri had sensed her following him throughout the day, assuming she would go back to the village afterwards.
"I know but…" she shuffled awkwardly.
"Nothing needs to be said. I assume your grandfather is not acquainted with this idea?" he patted the area beside him from where his marbled glow meditated among the country darkness.
Approaching steadily, the young girl sat beside him, letting the steady silence carry her thoughts as she looked down.
"No…" she replied guiltily.
His hands rested in his lap with a zen prose "May I inquire why?"
"Because he wouldn't get it. He's lived in the village for all his life but i…there is no village left."
"You seek a fate beyond what your family comforts themselves in."
"Well uhh…yeah." She replied slightly shocked he read her so easily.
"And you believe I can deliver that to you?"
"Yes!" She perked up at that.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline such an ambition."
"But why not? You're going to be leaving soon anyways?" she looked at him with an upset expression. She had been expecting this answer however, so she tried to keep from lashing, especially in front of him.
Toneri placed a hand on her head and ruffled it gently from where he sat. Silencing her.
"I believe you're under a misconception."
"What?" She replied confused.
"You don't need me to be strong. It is true I can train you, but I don't have to, the way I see it you're destined to be not just strong, but also a wise and understanding warrior someday…if not on the battlefield then perhaps off it as well."
"Then…why not train me now?"
"It's not up to even me to decide what you want for yourself."
"But that's why you're here to save us from the Grimm? I mean…it's like a sign I'm meant to be a huntress."
"You speak as if I am omnipotent."
"You are a god!"
"I am no god." his voice echoed as it firmly solidified, the wind stirred at his words.
The image of the moon split in twain made its way into his head. His home shattered and reduced to ash by something.
Maggy flinched at the words, having truly ever been on the brunt of such sternness, unwavering and unnerving at the same time. It was worse than when she didn't listen to her grandfather.
Then as suddenly as it came, the pressure vanished. Despite the lack of anger or ferocity, his voice conveyed so much power.
"And you shouldn't refer to me as such. I am as mortal as you or anyone else, I merely have the privilege of being from a higher place, nothing more, nothing less." he finished, his voice gently setting down as he maintained his blank facade.
"...you're not anyone I've heard of…but I can tell…" she replied with a dying voice before looking at the ground awkwardly…
A fellow minute passes with eagerness as the electricity brokered off into pieces from them, Maggy's eyes remaining downtrodden. Occasionally stealing glanced at the blind god as the being positioned its head up towards the starry night sky.
"I'm sorry I bothered you." Her feet moved on their own, getting her up to escape this situation she had placed herself in from her own ignorance.
"I wasn't finished…"
She held back a 'what?' before shaking her head and sitting down beside him with some gentle ruffles of the grass. Her small frame sat as Toneri looked up at the shattered moon, his glow breaking the ominous darkness surrounding them in an extra terrestrial awe.
"I have reservations against such a title, however…I do recognize it's not entirely false, I don't deserve anyone's praise or anyone's worship, I merely fulfill my purpose." His voice remained stoic, but it seemed to be graced with more emotion than before, and even some nostalgia.
Her face softened at that, it was like listening to her grandfather go on about his own failures in life, but he was grateful nonetheless.
"As an apology for my outburst, I offer you something a bit more valuable to your future." he finished.
"Really?"
"Indeed."
"But if you can do so much…why would you think you're lesser for it?"
Toneri remains silent at that.
"It's because I've lived a long life…" he replied. Letting only a small fragment of his feelings be played bare for her.
Maggy looked on contemplatively as the silence began to stretch for a few minutes, from which Maggy also looked up to as well. Up to the darkened sky with the glowing moon.
The moon was shattered as it was from the day she was born, no one knew why that is, but now…
She looked back at Toneri.
"You said something about my future?"
"In essence, I can dictate your fate…but I can't tell you exactly what will happen."
Maggy's eyes widened, her disappointment fading. "You can see the future?"
"When you put it that way, I suppose it is akin to foresight. But really it's more like intuition combined with visions and knowledge."
Maggy moved a hand to her chin as she contemplated his words.
"Is that why you can see?"
"No, I sense my surroundings, it's similar to that but much more…subtle I suppose."
"How does that work?"
Toneri found himself giggling slightly "I don't think you could grasp the concept at which my foresight operates."
"Bite me."
"Excuse me?" He replied bewildered and confused at the saying.
"uhhh…just try to tell me anyway."
"Ahh, well." Toneri positioned his stagnant body towards her, pointing up at the stars. This confused Maggy as for as much as she knew Toneri could only sense from the moon and his surroundings, however it extended beyond the solar system as well?
With his finger up to the stars, he himself started.
"Fate is predetermined. However that predetermined point is often fraught with messy and disjointed actions that can easily branch off into another fate, it won't matter but in time could prove to decide your own purpose-"
"Wait wha-"
"Think of it as a river, and me a fishermen. Reading the rivers for fish, in this case, fortune. There will be many ripples leading up to the one that matters, those ripples may overlap or overcome one another, however it's the big one I feel out for, the one that will matter. I can't exactly weed through them all for one…in fact it takes a lot out of me doing it and even then, certain conditions have to be met-"
"Where did the fish-like what?"
Toneri continued "However, the biggest ripple often tends to be visible and undeniable…seeing past the fakes for one catch so true it can't help but occur…I see that in fragments for what it is seperate…does that make sense?"
Smoke seemed to come out her ears as she attempted to process it all. Toneri deadpanned slightly. 'perhaps a child isn't the most capable of understanding how my powers work…'
"I warned you, and I even tried to make it make sense."
"How does a river of fate make any sense? Are you tapping into the fabric of the universe?!"
Toneri put his finger down. "I suppose sense is a relative term depending on the mindset…how about this?"
Maggy both settled down, yet perked up at that.
"I see images of undeniable truths relating to your future. That sounds fair?"
"A lot more so."
"Now do you still want to know your fate?" He looked towards her with a gentle look.
Maggy looked in turn, her mind racing with the idea that this being could give her so many answers…but upon talking to him, she just wasn't sure if she needed those answers.
'I don't quite get it, but this feels like one of those things that could change my life forever…'
Her thoughts began to wander.
'Mom and Dad didn't know they were going to die…but if they did know could they have prevented it, if Grandpa knew, should he try to? Would anyone try to? I mean it makes sense but…If I could do it, does it mean I should?'
…
…She looked up to him, with a soft smile.
"You know what. I think I'm good, I don't need to know what a god can only guess."
"Wise decision." He smiled softly, causing the young girl to pause, before something dawned on her, a content smile drawing upon her lips as well.
"Wait did you know I was going to say no?"
"No I didn't." he replied genuinely "Also, I'm not a deity of any kind."
"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."
She chose to giggle along, as the stars streamed along through the night sky.
The cone of a bird graced the ground as the grass stirred from its wind. Its sleek metallic form glinting in the heat of light, with twin engines roaring like the bellow of a distant beast. its legs came out and poised the ground, the sound polluted the surroundings as the rectangle slid open on its sides and people in armor came out, from what Toneri could tell they were various huntresses and huntsmen.
"Raven?"
"Hmm?"
"Did the flying box with two cylinders just produce multiple humans?"
Raven couldn't help but giggle.
"That flying box is called a bullhead, and yes, it carries people, those villagers will...be in good hands." She hesitated, which did not go unnoticed by the blind one, however Toneri knew he was in no position to guess on further matters without more information of a corrupt government or the likes.
He sighed. "Bull…head…I can see how one may describe it as a bullhead, given its shape at least."
He remained silent for a few seconds before responding. "Could you tell me how these came to be? Or would that be too specific?"
"I'm not well versed in that sense, but they're not really called bullheads, their VTOL; vertical take off and landing aircraft, specifically a tiltjet. It's meant for combat in the sky to sky or sky to ground encounters, as well as retrieval missions like the one you see before you."
"Ah. I see, though the specifics still elude me, the system at hand is…quite unique to say."
"I guess there's one way to look at it." As she finished her sentence, Toneri turned around in the opposite direction, confident the people he had protected were in safe hands. Raven followed close behind, slowly walking into the forest.
"That's it?"
"Indeed, my goal takes precedence now that the innocent are secure, I must restore the equilibrium of this world and the next." he replied vaguely. "Before we see the next future renewed."
Raven looked intrigued at his words, assuming he was talking about not just the planet and the moon, but the fate of humanity.
With a silent nod, she followed behind. Fading silently into the forest as their journey began.
Maggy sat down, beside her was her grandfather and her new friend Kenta, who had fallen asleep. She had been unsure before but now she started to really come around to the younger boy.
Letting out a sigh of relief, her mind raced and the final words Toneri spoke to the refugees echoed in her mind.
"As the other humans will arrive in relative time, I wish to impart you all with this. You are all capable of moving past this tragedy, as there is a spark of something great in each and everyone one of you.
Now I must continue my journey, just as much as you continue on yours." He let a small smile wash over his features.
Anytime he spoke it felt as if a blanket was covering over his every word, melodic almost in the sense that it could do no harm but the harm he so chose. Comforting would've been an understatement.
So as her eyes drooped, she didn't realize that Toneri's words, and his face, would be etched in everyone's memory forever.
And that's that! A little experimentation here and there but really I just played around and had fun.
Anyhow there may be some stuff i missed, but i feel like i'm getting better as i go on, it's a weird feeling but it's nice nonetheless compared to how stilted i felt when i first started.
Anyhow it's late, so i'm going to bed, love yall and be safe.