I slept

I'm not sure how long my rest lasted, but I do know I woke up from time to time, here in this dark place. I knew I had spent a very long time here. If only I knew where 'here' was.

It's not always dark here. Sometimes I see flashes of colour, glimpses of places and people that even now I find hard to visualise, even after witnessing them. The memories of those places are already leaving me, only to be replaced with different and new ones. Sometimes I'd see shapes that can't be put to paper, or colours that I can't find any words to describe, no matter how long I think on it.

Occasionally I'd get glimpses of my life, from the dusty paths and minarets of my home by the sea, to the skyscrapers and bustling walkways of the west, and the struggle it took to get there.

I remembered living a varied life, one of highs and lows. I remembered hurting people, mostly in my youth, ad helping people more and more as I aged. I remembered fighting in pitched battles, with my rusty AK-47 and scratched billao all I had to hand, as I fought both my countrymen and foreigners alike. I remembered taking to sea in a small boat, and raiding vessels so much larger than ours. Hunger was a great motivator in those days, yet as I grew richer with my compatriots, the all-encompassing drive that starvation provides was replaced by greed and ambition. I remembered when we were finally shot out of the water, our crew of eight being reduced to three survivors, one of which would never walk again without a stick. I myself was left with a scar on my temple and a bullet hole near my collarbone.

I remembered finally leaving my country behind with the remainder of my family, as drought and war became too much to bear. I remembered becoming a student in the west, unsure of life but grateful for the chance to make something of myself. I remembered meeting the love of my life once more, both of separated when the bombs and bullets became too much for our hometown. I remembered our wedding and her becoming the mother of our children, which was when I felt the greatest joy. I remembered opening my clinic for the first time, for which I never felt prouder. I remembered travelling back home to administer both medicine and aid, for which I was both lauded and criticised. I remembered meeting those I shot at and those who shot with me, most of whom were glad to talk and reminisce over a meal. I even met the man who gave me my scars on the sea, a former fishing trawler captain who retired a mere ten-minute drive from my house. The years had changed him, but you never forget the face of the man who almost killed you.

I remembered befriending him and sharing long talks on the side of a lake while we both fished, laughing at jokes told by each other. I remembered the trouble he had with his son, who should have turned out to be a good kid, considering the upbringing he was given. I remembered when his broke into my house, brandishing a gun during an attempted robbery, and shot my daughter. I remembered when I took his life that very same night, and the anguish on his fathers' face when he killed me in retaliation three days later.

I saw the faces of everyone I loved, anyone I hated, my acquaintances and my dalliances. I remembered my friends and enemies, and those who were both. I remembered the places I had been, and the places that I wanted to go. I remembered the promises I had made, and how I would now be unable to uphold them. I remembered my goals and aspirations, those I had achieved and those that would now be going nowhere.

And all of that had only been an infinitesimally small amount of time compared to how long I've been here.

I know that I'm dead, that much I'm certain of, however this place doesn't remind me of any afterlife I'd heard of. I hadn't been as religious as I was in my youth, but I'm fairly sure this place doesn't fit my sheikh's description of the afterlife. Or perhaps it does? Maybe I'm being taunted with the faces of those I'd never see again, as recompense for the lives I had taken, and maybe I haven't been sent to hellfire because of those lives I'd saved as a doctor. I know I had broken the Hippocratic oath, but those I'd killed in my time as a doctor were those I'd deemed irredeemable, those who would murder, violate and enslave without question. The ones who, back home at least, were responsible for so much of the strife that we faced.

Either way, I've yet to receive an answer, so it seems I shall remain here evermore.

This mortal soul is fairly unique all things considered. Seeing a pirate turned doctor was rare, especially from an Earth world. Where most souls would have returned to the cycle by now, he has somehow persisted. Perhaps I should find a way to reward him. He will surely make for some excellent entertainment. Now, what should I gift him with before I send him off?

I feel something approaching, even though I have no body to feel with. It feels great, all-encompassing even, yet it still takes time to approach. Is it time for my judgement, then? Am I finally about to gaze upon the creator?

*Ha ha, I'm not your creator, mortal. *

"Then an angel of some kind?" Huh, I can vocalize my thoughts now.

*I'm not an angel either. And before you go off on some tangent, just know you wouldn't understand what I am. All you need to know is that I come to you with an offer*

"Then what of my faith? Which deity do you represent? Are you Jesus? Buddah? Brahma? Someone else?"

*ughh… listen, all religions are correct in their own ways, yada yada. Again, I'm not something you could understand. Anyways, I've come to you with an offer, and after all of the time you've spent here, don't you wanna hear me out? *

"… sure, why not?"

*Perfect! How do you feel about living again? *

"Huh? I can go back?"

*No, you can never go back. Death is permanent, you know. At least it is on your world. What I'm offering is a chance to go to another world with a freebie from yours truly, since you've lived a fairly unique life. Is that a yes? *

"Well, I've already spent an eternity in here. A body would be sorely welcomed."

*Great! Since you were a pirate in a world where it isn't really done as much as it used to be, I'll be giving you the full Haki package. I won't be sending you to that world though. Instead, I'll be sending you to Remnant *

"Remnant? Remnant of what?"

*No, silly! That's the name of the planet I'll be sending you to! Now its time to spin the wheel. What Semblance are you hoping for? Since you were a haematologist, don't you think something blood related would be cool? *

"A semblance of what exactly? What are you talking about?"

*Why, I'm talking about the power system from the once decently popular show RWBY! Anyways, here comes the wheel spin. Let's go! *

I gazed upon the gigantic wheel with many labels too small for me to read. Once a minute passed, it seemed to come to a stop. I used that minute to think about this immensely confusing experience, and what this being could possibly want from me.

*I want you to live your best life, silly! Like your previous one, except you have superpowers. Hunt down those that wrong you, protect those that need protecting, do what you want and most importantly, entertain me! I am giving you haki, which no one else in Remnant should have after all. Plus your semblance is a killer one! *

"…okay? So, what did I end up with?"

*Blood Sovereign! It allows you to control your blood as well as others blood to strengthen yourself, attack, heal, create constructs, control bodies and so much more. Aren't you chuffed? *

I could've sworn they said they wanted me to have something to do with blood earlier. "Was this spin really left to chance?"

*Hey, that was a completely fair spin, promise! By the way, what's your favourite animal? And your favourite colour? *

What the fuck is with all these questions?! Either way, I guess I will answer them. Not like there's anything better to do." For the animal, my answer is the desert fox. As for the colour, I could never decide between white or red."

*That'll do for the answers! Before I send you on your way, do you have any questions? *

"Well, I know what haki is since I've watched One Piece with my son, but I'm pretty sure my daughter watched RWBY. Could I communicate with her through the screen? "

*HA HA HA, absolutely not! Its not like you'll literally be in a TV show, you'll just be sent to the world its based on. And you don't need to worry about your family. Since they'll prove to be a distraction, I'll be muting your memories of them. We can't have your emotional anguish hampering you in your next life after all! *

Wait, what!? What the fuck do you mean?

*Adios! *

"STOP, PLEASE! I'D RATHER REMAIN HERE THAN FORGET MY FAMILY, I DON'T CARE HOW LONG I'M STUCK HERE FOR. PLEASE!"

It seemed my pleas fell on deaf ears since the presence I had felt had vanished, only to be replaced by a pulling sensation. I was being pulled everywhere at once, in all directions and none of them. I felt myself expanding into infinity and then contracting into the infinitesimal. I no longer had the ability to vocalise now I had left that beings presence, so there was no way for me to express the agony of what I now feel, yet I tried all the same. The very emotions that were inextricably linked to the people and places I had loved were being removed from my mind, yet I could still feel. I just couldn't feel anything anymore when it came to them. For that, I chose to mourn for them now, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to truly mourn for them later. I did so until I felt myself vanish.

I think I may have fucked up slightly. He shouldn't be able to cling onto his old ties so strongly during the rebirth process, yet I forced him through anyway. How exciting! How will this affect him? Will he be an emotional wreck, a numb stoic, or something completely different? I've no idea! This investment is already proving itself, all I need to do is sit back and grab some popcorn. He'll certainly be an interesting one.

It all came back to me, everything I saw before I came here, just as I'm on the brink of death once more. I barely even have the strength to move my head to the side. I simply stare at the ceiling above and feel my blood pool around me, the whip marks on my skin and the Grimm kisses on my limbs providing an ample opening for my life force to slip away. With my new perspective, I realise that this life had been far shorter than I had briefly assumed it would be in that dark place. I'm only twelve after all. Plus, I doubt that figure has found my life entertaining, unless they're a major sadist. Which is a possibility I shouldn't discount, since they did send me here.

In this life, I look much like I did the first time around, except for the colour of my creamy white hair and ruby red eyes. The blasted creature that dragged me here seems to have a sense of humour, at the very least. I had also been born into a nomadic tribe that wandered the deserts of Vacuo, with the very small difference of not being a human this time around. I myself have a big honking pair of fox ears on my head, just like my second pair of parents once had. I wouldn't have paid them any mind, except it seems that most of the humans here do. It was fairly common for groups of them to attack our tribe, looking for people to put into chains and do whatever sick things satiated their desires. The lucky ones would end up in some far-flung dust mine, while the unfortunate ones would end up in a place similar to mine. Even so, we held strong until the end.

I think back to the last and final attack on my tribe, where droves of mercenaries, bandits and hunters sprung up out of the dunes, hungry for new flesh to peddle. They had been eager to get their hands on us, as we fennec foxes are barely ever seen outside of the dunes we call home and covetous humans wanted to get their hands on us for their collections, whether it was to die underground, warm some lechers bed or fight and die for entertainment. Many of us fought and died there, and many more of our assailants' blood stained the dunes, yet that wasn't enough. We were simply out manned and out gunned, plus we had never seen aura restricting items before. We never even thought that there would be mechs and bullheads to compete with, yet we fought them all the same. In a weird way its almost flattering, that we were so desperately wanted for our features alone.

That is, almost.

I've spent three years as a slave, yet my bonds have never tempered my rage, not even on the worst of days. All of the blood I spilled, my own and that of the other faunus I had to kill, simply fed it, watered it and allowed it to grow. Yet, I know this emotion isn't normal. Even in my first life, the white-hot rages I had felt at my angriest moments didn't compare to the simmering anger that bubbled within me at every waking moment. I've changed somehow. Perhaps the faunus are capable of greater anger than humans, yet given the broken spirits of those stuck here with me, I'm more inclined to believe that the creature did something to me. It did say it wanted entertainment. What better way is there of doing so than turning me into this?

The thing did leave me some gifts though. I'd call it a liar; except I can feel it within me. A dormant spark. My semblance. And the other gift, which the prick locked behind my semblance. I've given it almost as much kindling it needs, but because of the constant presence of the aura restricting shackles around my arms and neck, I am still in need of one last push. I've tried thinking of my previous family, but those memories hold no more significant weight for me. I've already mourned for them, after all.

"…Osman, …help me…"

I strained my ears to hear that gurgled plea for help, and I smiled. Not because my younger sister, the only family I had in this world, was on the brink of death herself. No, now that I had regained my memories, and know what I'm capable of, I know that hearing that whisper is the key. I can finally protect the last one dear to me.

I feel a pulse from within my chest, and the blood pooled around me begins to rise, my wounds healing in the meanwhile. The human guards' cries of concern no longer concern me, as I'm enveloped in red. This will all be over soon.

At least I got to keep my name from my first time around.