Woo, this is the last chapter for this prolonged prologue.
Enjoy the chapter.
Cover art by: Notgustiarp
Chapter 6
His head hurt.
An understatement, as an intense burning sensation was all he could feel. The rest of his body was thankfully numbed. However, his vision was hazy, and it was impossible to tell if he was even breathing anymore. In short, his head really hurt.
His mind started fading in and out as he—presumably laid there, nearly slipping into sweet unconsciousness. His vision, already hard to decipher, became a blend of colors all dotted with black spots growing threatening to block it all out.
Yet panic didn't set in like usual, only blissful relief. The pain subsided, and along with it, his will to fight against the encroaching darkness.
As he fell into a deep slumber, he wondered why all of a sudden, his clouded vision violently shook and why all the previous color abruptly cut off. In its place, a vast wall of chaotic reds and oranges overtook the once serene blues and whites.
It didn't matter.
I haven't had a good night's sleep in a while, have I? Not since...since...huh, I can't remember. I'd better get to sleep then, don't wanna make mom angry—wait.
Mom?
/-/
She hadn't been thinking.
I had to stop him. They were right there, and they needed my help!
She'd lost herself in despair as images of her nightmares started to play out right in front of her very eyes. A hallucination of her daughters created by anguish, and her haggard brain fell right for it.
"It seems I wasn't the only one projecting."
He was right. He was so right.
She felt the heat on her skin as the monument collapsed, engulfed in Dust flames. They burned hotter and spread quicker than the standard variety. It clung to the statue at first, but as the seconds slowed to a grinding halt, sparks visibly shot out and onto nearby buildings. In moments, the entire village would go up in flames with them all trapped inside. The bastard included.
Her eyes wouldn't look away from his form, her body content with dying as long as she could watch him croak first. He stood halted mid step, caught off guard. He must have been too stunned to react.
Or he should have been.
Instead of seeming panicked, his demeanor remained unchanged, calm, relaxed, and unflinching in the face of impending death.
Resolute.
In those microseconds before the impact, he paned over to reveal his dead, lifeless eyes. They trailed upwards, ignoring her entirely and instead focused on the incoming danger, never once gaining a semblance of worry or concern.
She'd never seen someone so unfazed with certain death than this, and as time seemed to return to normal, she had one last shot of panic.
That stance…there's no way he's gonna try to—
In the end, her thoughts were cut off as the heavens came down to strike them from existence. She lost sight of him as he was consumed by a veritable mountain of rock and flames. She ducked as an equally massive tremor rocked what felt like the entire countryside taking her off her feet as the intense heat cruised overhead.
She could only hope the man died in agony.
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If his head hurt before, it was on fire now. The agony was overwhelming in its pressure—like it'd been split in half. So why was it that he'd rather endure that for eternity than to listen even a second longer to the screams all around him?
They were deafening, a mash up of multiple voices all screaming out in a chorus of misery. They were high pitched in tone yet incoherent in meaning, giving no clue as to their origin. Yet, one voice cut through it all differently than the rest.
"Strength that has yet to exist cannot be given."
Trying to cover his ears was futile as his limbs refused to budge—like they weren't there in the first place. He still tried anyway, as it beat sitting there trying to drown out the screams with his own. Opening his eyes didn't help his confusion as all he could see was a perpetual fog smothering everything. Yet the voice still pierced through it all.
"But strength that has yet to be unlocked can."
Only when his vision violently shook did another join in, identical to his yet so much more panicked.
"Please, I don't wanna die!
"That strength is lacking and thus will not grant you salvation."
"Then how-"
Memories. This conversation was just a memory playing out around him. Swirling and melting together, it became hard even to decipher their meaning. It only grew more violent as it continued to play out.
All of a sudden, the intensity had jumped exponentially, clearing away the fog giving him a window outside. At that moment, he realized the danger he was in.
It's happening again…I'm gonna die…
Through the window, he hoped to have seen the light of the outside world. What should have been the clear blue sky transformed into a sea of flames surrounding an ominous shadow that was fast approaching. Just like before, he was trapped, unable to save anyone—let alone himself.
Hadn't he sacrificed enough never to have this happen again? What more did the world want!?
No. I'm not giving up again!
As the shadow of death approached, he didn't cower like before. Instead, he searched within himself for that strength he'd lost so much to gain. The feeling of calm washed over him as he regained control of his ethereal body. With that newfound sense of control, he set off for the source of his power.
The second he began to move, he sank.
It was as if he was falling; endlessly into a dark abyss as he tried to search deeper and deeper. However, it wasn't difficult as it felt like his entire being was submerged within this strange yet comforting substance.
Opening his eyes was surreal as he saw exactly what he was swimming in.
Mom…Dad…everyone…
It was a mass sea of colors, all different yet alike in their vividness. From light pink to a deep blue, all gorgeous in their purity. He drifted closer and closer to what he could sense was the 'Core,' all the while unconsciously keeping track of the colors around him.
As time went on, it had transitioned from a rainbow of colors to a singular all encompassing shade.
White.
It was so overwhelming as if the previous colors had only been a single drop of mixed paint on a massive blank canvas. It dwarfed whatever meager amount he'd come across before, and thusly the feelings he got from it were just as overwhelming.
It's me…
All around him was the odd yet completely natural sensation of being in his soul. Speaking of souls…
He couldn't feel them yet somehow; he knew of the tears streaming down his face. Knew that if he continued to stare at its majesty, he'd stay there forever.
A sphere. The purest white imaginable, as if a star was right in front of him. Suspended admits the white energy it stood out through sheer dense purity. Yet though it was dense, it was also incredibly small. Oddly enough, it also seemed encased in a transparent outer shell of some sort. Within, he could see an infinite amount of him selves all congealed into a single crystallized form.
His soul.
It occurred to him that what he had been swimming in prior couldn't have been his soul then. Yet, the question of what it was precisely didn't cross his mind.
Drifting closer, he could feel the soul's radiance glint off his ethereal skin. Taking in its awe inspiring majesty, he nearly forgot what his mission here was. Closer and closer, the feeling of oneness grew alongside it.
Up close, it was even smaller than it appeared, almost the size of a marble. His hands surrounded its entirety and gently enveloped it. The second his hands touched the transparent outer dome, he became connected with it and the surroundings.
This is me…all that I am…
It was so empty.
Simply touching this outer shell allowed him to view the infinite area that housed his Core. A bottomless pit where his Core was suspended admits that odd substance around it. All and all, It fits less than a tenth of the empty space.
With this newfound awareness, he could now tell that whatever substance he was swimming through was also a part of him. Most of it anyway.
Where did those other colors come from?
Knowing that his soul and its contents were white, he wondered where and what those random wisps of colors were?
The next instant, his sense flared, alerting him to the looming presence outside.
Hatred, anger, and a deep sense of…something I can't place. Where is that coming from?
Outside.
Ah, I remember. I was dying.
The fear that would normally accompany that thought didn't surface, only a deep sense of bitterness.
I've lost so much to die here?
Names and faces sprung to mind as he thought of death and about what it would mean to give up and let it happen. He couldn't give in to his fear again. He wouldn't!
His soul responded. The odd substance surrounding it began to churn, rumbling. Responding to his emotions, it swirled in agitation as if waiting to be unleashed in a torrent of power.
Letting loose never felt so good.
/-/
Hope was a fleeting thing. It waxed and waned like the phases of the moon. She'd thought herself numb to its fluctuations—used to being disappointed.
Nothing could have prepared her for how violent this shift was. Like a pendulum, it slammed in the opposite direction knocking her for a loop.
They'd never stood a chance. Doomed from the start through her hubris. She'd arrogantly walked into her own grave in coming here alone. Worse, she'd dragged an innocent boy along with her.
But how could she have predicted the monster that lay in wait?
The very ground beneath her trembled, shifted, and began breaking under the insane pressure being administered. As if the very world was shifting in horror at what was happening. If she weren't just as horrified, she'd have refused to believe it.
Brothers, what is he…
Gaping up, she was in awe as a ceiling of stone blocked out the sun. Hovering above her—close enough to touch was the very thing thought to save her. Her problem solver.
Suspended mid air, she felt the heat from the Dust fire continuously spreading along its stone surface.
That's not possible…
In the smoke and flames stood Hazel. Beneath the veritable flaming mountain, he stood, arms outstretched as if to catch the falling heavens. He might as well have.
He did it…he actually caught it…
Worse, he was still holding it.
Veins bulging, arms quivering all while his legs caved in the ground from sheer weight alone. She could literally see his fingers dig through the thick layers of stone to create pockets to hold. Yet, it still held.
This…this is too much. There's no way he should've been able to catch it! T-this is insane. Madness!
The sheer weight, the momentum, the—
Jaune!
Ripping her eye away, she willed them to stay open despite the intense smoke, trying to spot him. Thankfully It wasn't hard to find him. Still slumped against the now burning structure, he looked even worse for wear. Only now could she spot the mangled and twisted left arm he sported—not to mention the numerous cuts and bruises. Though the still leaking head wound worried her most.
He's safe.
Alive, at least. That means there's still hope, however slim to escape then. It was their only chance with Hazel preoccupied to make a break for the woods.
If only the pendulum had swung back instead of crashing even further away.
The statue trembled and shook, causing her teary eyes to refocus back on Hazel. She thought he was finally being overwhelmed by the weight, and she was ashamed that the idea satisfied her despite it meaning their deaths too. It would still be preferable to what she saw, though.
A scraping sound reverberated as broken cobblestone was violently shifted. Flames dripped from above like water sloshing around as the statue tilted and swayed, nearly toppling over. Like the waves of fire washing off its back, hope completely drained from her as she stared dumbfounded for the hundredth time.
He'd squared up, taking a low squat. His legs trembled as he puffed his chest and stretched his arms out wide as if to embrace death itself. His body seemed to be beyond its limits as it was crushed against the extreme mass it balanced. This should have broken not just his body but his very mind and spirit as well, but instead...instead…
Those eyes never changed. Is he even human anymore?
Still facing her, those same eyes that had so casually dismissed her existence and his impending death stared back. His expression didn't change; even with his body deteriorating as bones were visibly breaking and muscles tore with flesh seared, he didn't flinch. Didn't even seem aware that his body was being completely and utterly ruined.
Resolute. He embodied that trait, didn't he? For him, this was nothing— just some disgusting way to atone for coming so close to failing his divine mission. Hatred gripped her heart, mixing in with the disbelief and fear to create an ugly combination.
Only the fact that he was still shifting kept her from crawling forward in a futile attack. Instead, she kept low as the intense heat and movement kicked up a crazy wind storm. On the outskirts of the statue, she could even begin to see the beginnings of a sort of flaming tornado start to form. Wonderful.
As the seconds ticked by and as he continued to shift around, she began to question what was happening. She'd thought he was finally losing his strength. That his body would fail him, and all this would finally end.
Then he took a step.
And another.
And another!
Why is—H-he's using it as a weapon!?
In a single act, he'd managed to turn their best weapon against them.
She'd thought it was over. That he'd throw down his attack and end her then and there. In disbelief, she could only watch as he instead twisted at the hips, already having turned halfway around.
He didn't even spare a glance in her direction.
The statue's feet tilted down, scrapping terribly against the ground carving a massive rent as it spun. The sound knocked her out of her trance as she lunged forward to avoid being crushed. But she didn't stop there; instead, she dug her bloody hands into the ground and began clawing her way to him.
He'd come to rest fully facing Jaune, and though she couldn't see his face, she knew that expression wouldn't change. Knowing that not a hint of hesitation would cross those dead eyes only made her futile crawl more frantic.
She was only a few seconds away as the statue's head tilted back. He was reading his throw.
Faster!
Her fingers bled as nails were ripped out of their roots in a desperate scramble.
Faster!
His foot shifted back in what was her final warning. Her last sign that she was too late and much too weak to have stopped this mess she created.
Thankfully something or someone decided to intervene.
A blinding light enveloped them all, shooting out into the sky. A stream of white light pierced the clouds with brilliant tendrils of energy expanding out into the plaza. Yet it didn't burn even when washing over her in intense waves.
Is this Aura?
It was. The most concentrated form of Aura she'd ever seen, and it was continuing to charge up right in front of her.
While she was stunned by the sudden explosion of Aura, Hazel was not.
He never slowed nor hesitated, refusing to be caught off guard by even this unexpected event. He flexed his muscles one last time and dug his feet into even deeper craters. He wound up, and with all his might, he heaved the massive statue forward.
Like a hammer, it smashed down onto that light that she realized only now was emanating from where Jaune was.
That thought became meaningless as the two forces clashed in a moment that was decided in an instant. The world became nothing but white for a brief instant as her ears wrung and conciseness faded.
/-/
Her head hurt.
No scratch that her head really fucking hurt. Sadly, her body hadn't gone numb, and instead, she felt every little scrap and bruise all at once. Not pleasant.
A deep shuddering rumble echoed through the ground.
What even…What was that light?
Opening her eyes did little to help as all she could see was a thick cloud of debris settling around her.
Guess I'm not dead…Jaune…
She didn't even have the energy to freak out again. The adrenaline pumping through her body ran its course, and all the exhaustion finally caught up with her. If she had it her way, she'd close her eyes and let it consume her.
It's over. It's finally over…
The rumble soon turned to a colossal tremor that shook the already disturbed ground below. It wouldn't have meant much to her haggard brain if a rather distinct roar didn't accompany it.
Grimm?
That got her brain going. Huntress instincts kicked in, and she was able to just barely push herself up. Looking for the source wasn't easy as it wasn't just a single roar, but a cacophony of screams all melded together. Each was an ear piercing wail of death followed by sounds of crashing objects.
It was coming from her left, and with an intense amount of effort, she looked and was stunned to see a massive ravine had opened up right next to her. Reverberating off its narrow walls were dozens of Grimm roars, all sounding as if they were plummeting punctuated by distant slams.
Peering down was difficult due to the smog being sucked down into it, but the odd shadows thrashing around gave ample ideas about what was going on.
We're there Grimm underground?
Another quake alerted her to a disturbance nearby. Multiple spots on the ground blew away, spraying the air with fresh debris. From within pitch, black arms and bone white claws shot out.
They must have been there the whole time burrowing below. That clash must have disturbed them.
It dawned on her that she had met very little resistance when coming here. Wasn't that weird? This deep into the frontier and with this much commotion and negativity, not a single Grimm came to investigate?
He hadn't been using them to attack either...
In the distance, a sequence of roars echoed throughout the village.
"We're surrounded. No…we've been surrounded this whole time…" She whispered out in realization.
No wonder he hadn't panicked when thinking that Jaune was escaping. Hundreds of Grimm would have run him down before he'd have made it out of the village.
How? Why? It didn't matter at the end of the day. Doing nothing, she'd die. But what could she do? She was out of Aura, and her body was already beyond its limits.
"My eyes…"
Wouldn't work. Magic wasn't like Aura, which ran on its own source of power. Instead, it ran on pure energy, and she was completely out.
So this is it? After all that, this is how I die?
Maybe she should have been scared or concerned, but it was so hard to feel anything but angry. Anger and pain were all that was keeping her up, so there wasn't any room left to feel fear.
I refuse to die. Plain and simple, I won't let anyone else down by dying here!
If her eyes didn't want to work, then fine. She'd just have to push them past that limit. What would it matter if they broke? She'd be dead either way.
Closing her eyes, thoughts of her family crossed her mind. The husband she failed by coming here, and the daughters she failed by not being there. She wouldn't let this be the end cause she had too much to make up for!
So much lost time.
I'll be home soon...one way or another.
One last flash enveloped this desolate and weary village. Bathing the area in a blanket of silver energy. Distant roars we're all at once silenced bring it all to a crashing halt.
Author's Notes:
Welp, that's that. Finally, we're done with what I'll refer to as the prologue…now the hard part.
It's simple to write action as long as it's fast paced, and consistent people will like it. I don't mean to say that it's easy by any means. As you can tell, I still struggle on…we'll every aspect of it, I guess.
But fights are inherently a little interesting, and it's made easier with Fanfiction as there are already pre-established emotions for the characters. To an extent, at least.
What's harder is what's coming next. Where I have to slow the pace down without coming to a screeching halt, next will be a transition 'Arc' before we get into the meat of the story.
I'll find out if I did it right soon as the next chapter is already fully written and just needs to be fine tuned and edited. Maybe in the next week or two…no promises.
By the way, it's been a while but trust me; I haven't been idle. I came out with a new story called "An Eye for Regicide" Check it out if ya want and standby for newer stories too!
See ya next chapter.
Date Published: 2021/11/09
