Author's Note:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone. It has been unacceptably long, hasn't it? To get to brass tacks, the reason why this chapter took so long to be released was due to several factors. The first was my wishing to complete Book II before doing so. The second was that it required a great deal of research, which took far too long to complete—easily three times longer—not to mention the constant revision of the chapter itself for fear of errors. Dovetailing with that is the third factor, that being that I was constantly distracted by work and my personal life. And lastly, there was a low-grade anxiety about the subject matter discussed, which grew (alongside the notes) to a fever pitch, before finally breaking. I placed a warning at the start of the section of notes in question, and I will let the cards fall where they may. I can only hope you will understand the significance and importance of it, as well as enjoy the chapter itself.

I am so sorry for the delay. I was trying to get it done for the summer, then for September, then for December; and it is only thanks to the unexpected time off this Christmas season that I was able to put in the extra time required to complete it, staying up till 5 in the morning often. I pray that I will be able to release chapters sooner.

Chapter VI: In the Beginning

The day had barely begun for Oscar, despite it being just past seven o'clock. His forced early departure had not solely been due to the pressing danger, but that he needed to reach the nearest town, Orla, which was roughly ten miles away. Unable to ride a horse or drive a truck, the farmboy had no choice but to travel by foot. It was, however, hardly wise to travel by night in the more rural parts of the world, especially given that the Grimm much preferred to move about at night. This naturally made Oscar keep his head in a swivel, though lucky for him, he now had three pairs of eyes instead of one.

The trip was far from a quiet one, not only due to Sam and Heidrian's conversations with the boy, but the nocturnal wildlife. Owls, coyotes, and other creatures could be heard throughout the forest, which was a perfect indication that the Grimm were not in the vicinity. There would always be a deafening silence that would arise whenever a Grimm would emerge, and it was a very important sign taught to both civilians and Huntsmen. Oscar decided to consider it a blessing despite his terrifying situation, and asked no further questions.

When they finally arrived in Orla, Oscar headed for the train station, taking great care to avoid being noticed by anyone who was out and about. He was, after all, sneaking away, and the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. Thankfully, the station was quieter than he expected. He rarely went into town as it was—perhaps once or twice a month—but he knew that it was usually busier than this. The only explanation was the heightened tensions since the attack on Albion, despite nothing like that occurring since. A small town was a small town after all, and the more secluded nature of Orla gave her residents a certain peace of mind…a piece of mind that had been suddenly taken from Oscar. That was in part why the boy was being so careful, for why should his neighbours suffer such a rude awakening as he? Misery certainly did love company, yet that did not mean said misery had any right to invite them.

The train station was a quaint one, being made mostly for freight and small passenger use. The building was single storeyed, with half-timbered white walls fixed with many rectangular windows, a reddish-brown brick base, a hipped roof with green tiles and a few dormers, with its stand-out piece being a clocktower in the left-side corner. It stood at fifty feet, half of which being made of brick, with the upper half being a cupola with a clock on each of its sides and topped with a finial, both of which sitting atop a four-way half-timbered "watch room".

Approaching the portico entrance's green wooden double doors, he reached and opened the right one and turned the knob, causing a small bell to chime. The inside of the ticket office was furnished in the expected semi-rustic style, with polished wood-tiled floors, ornate wood walls and doors painted in the same shade of green as the entrance, and a white ceiling. Benches lined the walls for passengers to sit, though this was utilized far more during extreme weather and the winter months. Overall, it was a nice station, and Oscar had some fond memories here chatting with people, or simply listening to their stories.

"Bless me, is that you, Oscar?" came a voice from the opposite end of the office.

Behind the ticket window sat an old man with silvery-white hair, matching lengthy Van Dyke mustache and beard, and blue eyes set in a thin face behind round teashade glasses. He wore his uniform—that of a station master—which was a bluish black suit and matching waistcoat with special silver buttons, where a chain for a pocket watch hung across, a red tie, and his railway station master cap hanging on a hook to his right. The man was clearly in the process of eating his breakfast as he read the morning post, and had been about to take a sip of his coffee when Oscar entered the station.

"Yes, Mister Becker, it's me," the boy replied with a mostly genuine smile, "and good mornin'."

"And to you. Now, what in the blazes are you doing here, lad? And at this hour?" The old man then squinted at him. "You wouldn't be thinkin' of purchasing a ticket now, would you? You must be, being all packed and all."

"You figured me right," Oscar confirmed as he walked to the booth. "I'd like one ticket, please. To the capital."

"The capital?" the station master echoed in shock. "Now why would you be wantin' to go there for? You've never been out of Orla proper in your life, Oscar, yet you're goin' alone? What's brought this on?"

This was the nature of small communities, for it was nearly impossible to do anything without someone catching wind of it, not to mention wanting to know the ins and outs of their neighbours. They would learn of it anyways, of course, so if it was something of interest, they would certainly wish to learn more of it. None of this was due to everyone being nosey and hungry for gossip, however, but rather out of concern and curiosity. If someone in the community required a hand, people would gladly offer it, even if the person in question had never asked. Helping one's neighbours was always the right thing to do, and since everyone knew everyone, it would be quite rude to not aid them in their time of need. Community was, after all, very important in Remnant, and even more so in the rural parts of her Kingdoms, not to mention that friends were the first to aid one another.

"I've been working on some special personal projects, sir," Oscar lied. "I've done all I can here, so I need to go to the capital to have some master gunsmiths help me finish them. I got in touch through my magazine subscriptions, and we've set up some meetings."

"Really?" Becker remarked, eyeing Oscar's pack and rifle slipcase, slowly sounding as if he was being convinced. He was well aware of the boy's passion for gunsmithing—as well as his talents—and this seemed plausible, if a bit extreme. "But why not send your rifle and pistol by post? It would be less of a hassle and a fair bit cheaper."

"I know, but I'm not comfortable sending them away, plus there's no way to easily check up with the gunsmiths unless I stay in town and use the library's internet. If I go to Helike, I can get that and other stuff done to make it worth my while, especially just before things get real busy here. I'm cutting it real close, I know, but it's either now, or I wait till next year."

"Hmm. You're not thinking of entering the gunsmithing academy are ya, boy?"

"No, no," Oscar deflected, waving his hand, "I'm just interested in getting better at smithing and fixing my collection, nothin' more. I could never leave Aunt Em for so long."

That last line caused an unpleasant sensation in his gut, as if a knife had been shoved in and twisted, for that was exactly what he was doing. Had his aunt already found his letter?

"Well…if ya say so. Right then, one ticket to Helike, comin' at ya now. Will you be wanting a return ticket, or get one there?"

"I'm not sure when I'll be done, even though I have a deadline, but either way, I'll get one there, thank you."

"Alrighty then. Here ya are. Train should be here in twenty minutes or so, if nothing's happened, which, as far as I know, is running on schedule. Say now, it just occurred to me, how did ya get into town? You didn't come in that little truck of yours since you ain't drivin' back. Don't tell me ya walked."

"I've done it before," Oscar replied honestly.

"Not at this time of night—which means you haven't had breakfast yet I reckon. Yes? Well, not a good one I bet. Anyways, have a cup of mornin' jolt at least, while it's hot. Moreover, you mind yourself in the city. As beautiful as she is, she ain't Orla, and can be dangerous if ya let it. The traffic alone can be a killer."

Oscar did his best to suppress his laughter, as a city was nothing compared to what he had learned in the past twenty-four hours.

"Will do, sir. Is the coffee strong?"

"Not strong enough to float a colt, but it'll do the job—'specially given your size."

With ticket and coffee in hand, he walked through the side door of the ticket office, and made his way across the platform to one of the benches provided for awaiting passengers. Since it would take a while before the train arrived, he might as well make himself comfortable. Selecting one roughly in the middle of the platform, he placed his heavy pack upon it, before taking a seat himself, dropping onto the bench heavily.

'I warned you that it would be bothersome to carry such a heavy load,' reminded Sam with concern.

'And I said I'd be fine, sir,' Oscar returned, pushing up the brim of his hat with his left index finger. 'I'm used to carrying heavy things and slinging packs. Maybe not for ten miles first thing in the morning, but I'll live.'

'Now that brings me back to my youth,' remarked Heidrian nostalgically. 'I would start my mornings tending to my Lord's horse, rushing to feed him and clean his stall, all before the sun rose, for it would also be my duty to serve him breakfast.'

'I know all about that for sure.'

'Be that as it may,' continued the Huntmaster, 'since the train will not be arriving for nearly half an hour, you should take the opportunity to have a small nap.'

'Yeah, maybe, but I don't feel that tired. I can wait till we board the train—not to mention it'd probably be safer.'

'Most wise, Master Pine.'

Glancing up at the large clock that hung between the vaulted roof that covered the platform, Oscar decided to keep himself occupied if sleeping was off the table. Reaching into his pack, he produced a small but thick green three-quarter leather-bound book. Accompanying the fine green leather was the gold tooling inlay to create a dentelle boarder and a bursting star embossed in the center. Upon the spine, between four raised bands, were embossed the words Prásino Vivlío, and Oscar opened it, removing the gold ribbon from where it was placed, and began to read from the beginning.

'Forgive me, Oscar,' began Sam.

'I just thought it'd be appropriate, ya know, given what we're doing and all,' he replied, guessing what the Huntmaster was insinuating. 'Plus, I feel like I could use the wisdom right about now.'

'No doubt, but what I was going to say was that you will not find any information of the Maidens or Salem with the Green Book. The Prásino Vivlío was divinely dictated and inspired nearly four thousand years ago, and the Maidens were gifted to Remnant much later. As for Salem, nearly none know of her.'

'Somehow I knew you'd say that,' Oscar replied with a sigh. 'I mean, I've read the Green Book cover to cover many times, so I thought it was weird I'd have missed something important like that. Then again, it's more of a fairy tale, which is why it's not included, like you said. Still, it relaxes me to read it.'

'As it does for all Children of Light,' the Paladin remarked with a small chuckle. 'However, as I said before, I know that the Gods are with us.'

'I'm praying so.'

The Prásino Vivlío was the Holy Scripture for Vóreios Astéras, the religion of Remnant. As Sam had said, the early prophets had been touched by the Gods to write down what teachings remained that the Gods themselves had not given them during the short time that they walked the earth together. How the world was made, what form the Gods took and which domains the Gods and Goddesses ruled, and how mortal Men were to live moral lives. There were many tales penned in the Prásino Vivlío, and as one would expect, the first chapter contained how the world came to be.

In the beginning there was darkness. The world known as Remnant, the Middle Realm, was originally consumed by an impenetrable blackness. Then there was Light, and from that Light came Heylel, the Shining One, and He created the Heavens, the Land of Light. Here came forth eight other Gods, who grew strong and mighty, and aided Heylel to complete the Land of Light. Then, after long council, they descended upon Remnant, ready to bring Light to the Darkness. They shone brightly, piercing the Darkness like brilliant swords, revealing all before them. Within that blackness was a barren wasteland. No life was upon it. No grass, no trees, no rivers or seas, no animals, no Men; simply cold, dead rock. Henceforward, each God and Goddess set about Their tasks, creating the grass, the flowers, the trees, the animals, the mountains, the valleys, and the fields. Remnant grew brighter with each passing day, separating the Light and the darkness, and They were glad in their work, for it was good.

However, the brighter They and the world shone, the darker the shadows formed across the land. From them was spawned the first of the Grimm, and within them was a hatred for all that was Bright. They sought to destroy what the Gods had created, to keep Remnant in Darkness and under their dominion. The Gods fought them, wishing to protect their creations. Remnant was not ready for Their greatest children, so they waged war against the Darkness. Thousands of Grimm fell to the might of the Gods of Light, but the Darkness did not leave.

Leaving no other option but to deliver a decisive blow to keep these monsters at bay, Heylel, God of the Sun, Sky, Knowledge, and Wisdom, the All-Father, flew high into the sky, and drawing forth all of his power, brought forth a light that could never be extinguished. Raising his great spear, named Gallicinium, his great cloak of eagle feathers fluttering in the wind, cried, "Let there be Light!", and there was, for he shone brighter than any God ever had, and brought into the world the Sun. It bathed Remnant in light and splendor, and the Gods rejoiced in its majesty, seeing that it was good. The Grimm shrieked in terror, for they had never seen such Light before. They scattered in fear, searching for any dark crevasse or pit to shield themselves, but the Gods gave chase. To flush them out, Harðvéurr, God of Thunder and Lightning, with his friend, Muiredach, brought about a mighty storm. Harðvéurr swinging his mighty warhammer, Óvinabrjótur, and Muiredach swinging his mighty trident, Clach-mhara, brought the first rains upon Remnant, as well as giving Muiredach his domain to bring streams, rivers, lakes, and the oceans to Remnant, for he was the God of Waters, Sailers, and Fishermen. His waters flooded the land, allowing him freedom to strike with his trident and for Harðvéurr to throw lightning at the drowning Grimm from his warbow, Eldingakastari. The others joined them, until all were destroyed or were swept away into the sea.

The battle was won, and now the Gods could continue perfecting Remnant, when Harðvéurr noticed Heylel falling from the heavens. He flew to catch him, and was shocked to find that he had aged, for before he appeared as a young man, and now seemed to be in middle age. Laid to rest beneath an evergreen, the Gods watched their leader sleep, unsure of what was to come. The Goddess Amynta, robed, hooded, a bejewelled shortsword hanging from her girdle, and wearing a mantle of hawk feathers, who was much skilled in healing, could find nothing wrong with Heylel, nor could she rouse him with any herb or weed. Their concern only grew as the new Sun began to set, bringing about Darkness once more. More so, Heylel was continuing to age, leaving his fellow Gods to fear that he would die, something that They did not believe could happen to Them.

Knowing They could not return to the Land of Light until their Great Task was complete, and fearing of a retaliation by the Grimm, Seléna, a Goddess with hair and skin of ivory, with the help of Harðvéurr, his brother, Hildebeorht, the greatest craftsmen of all, and Muiredach, began to craft a second Sun. While skilled in craft, they could not create a Sun, but instead the Moon; smaller than the Sun, though whilst full, shone brightly in the night, for it was made as white and pure as Seléna herself, who poured her magic into it.

As they worked, Honos, a tall and mighty God clad in armour, and wielding a mighty warsword, Pax Factorem, and a shining shield, Pax Custos, defended them from any Grimm that dared to draw near, making it clear to all that he was truly the God of War. He bought his fellow Gods time, and upon its completion, and with great haste, Harðvéurr pulled it into the sky by a hook and chain of Muiredach, for he was strong of body, more so than any other God, even more than Honos. And yet, in his haste, he pulled out his chain from the Moon, shattering it. It produced light, but not as greatly as the Sun. He toiled all night in vain to repair it, but even he, nor Seléna, nor Hildebeorht, could not mend this creation. Returning to Remnant, Harðvéurr stood on guard before Heylel, shoulder to shoulder with Honos to defend him even at the cost of his own life. They watched the Moon sail on the same path as the Sun, and feared They had failed in their Great Task.

By the morning, the Gods rejoiced to see the Sun had returned, rising in the east as the Moon set in the west. They rejoiced further when they saw Heylel had rejuvenated to his original youthful form, and awoke at last. The other Gods told of what had occurred, and he reassured them that they were not to despair in their actions. In order to create the Sun, Heylel had expended his essence into it, making it so that his body would change form with the position of the Sun. This was why Heylel could sense that Harðvéurr, Seléna and Muiredach had placed Their essence in the Moon, and They would be connected to it forevermore. All waters would ebb and flow, push and pull, in accordance to this Moon, and Seléna and Muiredach its parents.

Now rested, the Gods continued their work. Îmblânzitorul, a God broad of shoulder and tough as old tree roots, with short, earthen-brown hair, a long-sleeved tunic, leather gloves and apron, a large ax called Házépítő at his waist, and a large drinking horn adorned with gold and silver, brought forth animals that flew, ran, crawled, and swam, and watched them multiply. For he was the God of Farming, Woodlands and Trees, Brewing, animal husbandry, and the animals themselves, which Heylel watched and said that it was good. Muiredach joined Îmblânzitorul, and together they made many creatures that swam in the waters; some that could breathe within, and others that needed to surface. Then Honos came to his brother and asked of him to make a beast of great nobility for times of peace and war. Îmblânzitorul thus made the horse, and they ran wild through the lands and to all four corners. From them Îmblânzitorul made twin mares with immaculate coats, and gave them to Amynta and Seléna, to which Amynta gave them wings. Their names were Hierochloë and Argyróchorto. The God of Farming then made a stallion of great height, whose coat shimmered in the Sunlight, and was calm and steady, and he gave him to Heylel, who dubbed him Itan. Harðvéurr, though admiring these horses, wished for a different steed, thus Îmblânzitorul bred him a sheep of great size and might, with horns that curled like clouds and wide like the horizon. Its thick coat was grey like storm clouds, and no matter how many times was sheered, would never lessen, resulting in the purest of wool to be woven by the Goddesses, protecting all who wore them from the elements. Harðvéurr adored his mount, and named him Skýjastökkvari. Yet none of these horses or other beasts suited Honos, and asked Îmblânzitorul again for one that befit him.

At last, Îmblânzitorul made a stallion for Honos, and it was a horse like no other. It was red and black, with eyes of gold and hooves of silver, ran like the wind, and hoofbeats that boomed like thunder. Other horses yielded to him, and to the Great Horses that were his siblings, he showed them respect, and they in kind. This was a horse to Honos liking; yet when he mounted him, the horse would not bear him. In a mighty clash, horse and would-be rider grappled for control, neither succumbing and neither resting. After a full day, the stallion did not throw his rider, and Honos dismounted, so that he could look the beast in the eye. Therewithin, he saw its indomitable spirit, and he stroked its neck with pride; and he called him Illabefactus.

Whilst these and other beasts came to be, Heylel and Harðvéurr set about on a special task of their own. Heylel informed him that in his sleep, he had foreseen some dangers for the arrival of Men, and they would need more than what gifts the Gods and the Light would bestow them; that the Grimm, and what more lay beyond, would be impossible for them to face without Their protection. Harðvéurr suggested they would need weapons, and he would teach them to craft them, and Honos to wield them, and Hildebeorht to build strongholds. Heylel agreed, but that would not suffice, and They began to ponder on what gift They could give the race of Men. Soon Their brothers and sisters joined them, and They began to debate on what new gift would benefit Man, for They knew the plans for them were already set.

The Sun had set once more and so rose the Moon. This caused Heylel to look up at the shattered Moon for the first time, and he admired it. But then he was stunned. Now that the Sun had set, he could see the darkened heavens were not the same as they had been when he first arrived upon Remnant. The Moon was indeed bright, but it did not light up the night sky as his Sun did. Instead, the heavens were dotted with Stars, shimmering like gems surrounded in flame. Heylel laughed.

"Even in thine haste, my brothers and sisters, thou hast created something more beautiful than even I could craft with all of my might. Indeed, for it was due to thine haste that thou shattered the Moon, and from it was born its children that cover the heavens. Alas, my great Sun, would pain the eyes of mortals to look upon, but thine Moon and Stars, all could gaze up at them for as long as they wish. I envy thee, for whilst my creation provides comfort in the day, yours doth so at night, for only then can they be seen and marveled."

The Gods were touched by Their brother's words, and began to thank him. It was then that Heylel began to smile with a new eagerness, and he asked Harðvéurr to fetch him one of the Stars. Harðvéurr did so, and handed Heylel the small ball of light, and Heylel marveled as he turned it in his hands.

"My kindred," he said, "I now knowith what we shall grant mortal Men as a gift, and I thank thee for illuminating me. Harðvéurr, Hildebeorht, and Seléna, my brothers and sister, thou hast crafted many forms of earth for Men to craft into tools and weapons, as well as gemstones to be given as gifts and to be worn. But now we must form another earth; a new element unlike any in this world, and will bear the splendor of all colours. Smooth as glass, brilliant as gemstones, and fine as Dust."

It was here that the Gods crafted Dust, and many forms did They make. Once complete, They set about burying them in the earth as if they were seeds, for Dust was unlike any other stone, as it could return and grow from the earth. Harðvéurr wish for all of his creations to replenish, yet their excess could be corruptible in the hearts of Men, and thus he tempered his wishes.

Then the Gods rested, for Their work was at last complete. They walked through their world, enjoying all of its majesty and splendor. Thaleia, a Goddess whom had remained silent and cloaked, revealed beneath she wore a dress of many colours adorned with jewels and ribbons; rings on her fingers and gems in her hair. She began to sing, and with her skilful hands began to craft all sorts of musical instruments, and mastering them one by one. The Others joined her, and she sang. She then crafted gifts for each of Them: two masks for Heylel; two drinking horns made from great rams for Harðvéurr; a great saddle for Honos; a circlet of silver, moonstone, diamonds, and pearls for Seléna, and one of silver, morganite, amethyst, aquamarine, emerald, and rubies for Amynta; rings of many gems for Hildebeorht, who in turn made scale armour for Muiredach, which she studded with many sea gems, as well as pearls and sapphires; and for Îmblânzitorul, she made him a bejewelled beer stein. They thanked Thaleia with great praise and song, to which she danced barefoot through the dew-covered grass and flowers, with laughter that sounded like music, for she was the Goddess of Music and Artistry.

Yet They knew that one final Task remained. It was now time for the race of Men to enter the world.

"Let us make Man in Our image, male and female, according to Our likeness," said Heylel, "They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on Avalonia."

With the might of the Light and all the Gods combined, They brought Men into Remnant, each taking part in the sculpting and forming, making Men in Their image, and then breathed life into them. Men looked up in awe at the Gods that made them and listened to Their decrees.

"We, the Lords of Light, are thy Gods, who created the Heavens and Avalonia, and made thee, Our Children, in Our image. Thou shalt not have other Gods besides Us, for there are no others, nor shalt thee worship idols not of Us. If there be those who emerge to claim dominion, or thou perceive it, thou shalt not bow down to them or serve them, yet those that do, shalt bare the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject and hate Us if they doth not repent, and shalt be shown kindness to the thousandth generation of those who loveth Us and keep Our Laws, for We are the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Thou shalt not carry Our names in vain, for We shalt not hold those guiltless who dost evil in Our names, as They grant no shield whence born falsely. Six days thou shalt labour and dost all thine work, yet the seventh, the Day of Sun, shalt be Holy and thou shalt keep it Holy. For in six days We made the Heavens and Avalonia and the seas, and all that is in them, and We rested on the seventh day; therefore we blesseth the Sun Day.

Honour thy father and mother, as thou honour Us, thy parents from Above, so that thou may long endure on the land that We, thy Gods, assign to you. Be fertile and increase, fill Avalonia and master it, and rule the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creepeth on Avalonia. See, We give thee every seed-bearing plant that is upon Avalonia, and every tree that hath seed-bearing fruit; they shalt be thine for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creepeth on Avalonia, in which there is the breath of life, We give all the green plants for food, and give their flesh to thee, and to beasts whom hunt. Yet never may a Child of Light eat the flesh of another, for they shalt be cursed and suffer Our Judgement, for thou hadst sinned in the most grievous of manners. Thou shalt not murder, yet thou art permitted to defend against murder, and punish murder with death. Thou shalt not commit adultery, for the union of man and woman is Holy, and are made before Us. Thou shalt not steal—not life, not property, not honour, not dignity—nor shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house: thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife or husband, or livestock, or anything that is thy neighbour's. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour, a fellow Child of Light, for it shalt be as if thou have done so against Us. Thou shalt not keep any Child of Light in bondage, safe only when they have sinned grievously and broken the Laws, to be judged before the Law. And thou must hate evil and the Grimm; to hunt them and slay them in Our names and the Light, and keep the Darkness at bay—so sayeth We, thy Gods, who made thee and love thee."

And it was so. And the Gods saw all that They had made, and found it very good. They gave Men speech and tools and wisdom, guiding them to build their first settlements, how to cook, how to build weapons and armour, and all that they would need. They walked with them as they built their homes and towns and the first cities, and dictated to them how They made the world and the rules they were to follow, commencing the writing of the Prásino Vivlío.

At last, the Gods decided that it was time to return to the Land of Light. Before They did, Heylel held up the star that Harðvéurr had brought him, and poured his essence into it. He then threw it into the heavens, and told Men that even in Darkness there would be hope, and for them to look upon the Star when they felt hopeless, and to have no fear. They left Remnant behind them, leaving the race of Men nevertheless fearful, for they knew that the Grimm would attack them. But that night, they saw the Star that Heylel had thrown, and shone more brightly than any other.

It was because of this that this Star became the symbol of Vóreios Astéras, and it was, as Heylel assured, the guiding Light for the race of Men; the remnants of Their love for Men and the world They created for them. And Men would love their Creators, and would uphold their vows to Them, hunting the Grimm and keeping the Darkness at bay in every way they could.

Oscar frowned, and he tapped the sides of the book in unsettled thought. How many times had he read this chapter and felt awe and inspiration? He had lost count; yet for the first time, he felt a new weight on his heart.

'What's wrong?' asked Sam, sensing the boy's emotions.

'A scary thought,' he replied honestly. 'Not all the Grimm were killed at the start, right?'

'No, clearly not.'

'…Is Salem one of those who survived?" Oscar asked after a few moments. "From then till now, I mean. Is she what the All-Father warned might come?"

'I have given that very thought my attention as well. Alas, it may very well be possible, albeit giving us no more insight on who and what she truly is—or rather, what she became. Moreover, if she is Grimm, then she is woman in form only, possibly in mockery of Amynta. Sadly, I would not recommend pouring over Holy Scripture for an answer to that question. As vital and full of wisdom the Prásino Vivlío is, it cannot provide us answers to the most pressing of enigmas we seek. After all, it does not tell us of the origin of the Faunus, other than some clues, and there was no foretelling of the Gods sending the Maidens.'

'…Point taken.'

'However,' said Heidrian, 'if thou wish to learn what we do know, allow us to tell thee everything I learned and preserved from my time within the original Order, and for Sam and I to share what we have gathered since.'

'I have a feeling there's a lot.'

'And less than we'd hope,' Sam replied with a sigh.

'Every bit counts. Have at it, sirs.'

Just before the lore masters could begin, a bell chimed throughout the station. Understanding its purpose, Oscar turned to look eastward for the approaching train. Slowly, he could hear it drawing near, and, at last, came into view: a beautiful black locomotive akin to the diesel types of the 1950s, with a single headlamp in the front like a nose, and gold stripes on its side. He rose to his feet, shouldering his pack, tossed his paper coffee cup into a trash can, and stood before the designated line as he waited for the train to come to a complete stop. As expected, none descended from the train, allowing Oscar to board without issue.

Trains were an integral part of the world of Remnant. The Kingdoms of Vale and Mistral were very large, the latter being the largest in the world, with Atlas, Menagerie, and Vytal Island, able to fit within it with room to spare. For centuries, the horse and carriage were the fastest way to traverse these large expansions of land, which would be perilous enough if not for the danger of Grimm. It was with the invention of the steam engine that changed the world forever, as massive locomotives were built to pull everything from food, to supplies, to livestock, to Dust, and, of course, people. Lengthy train tracks were laid across the three major Kingdoms of Vale, Mistral, and Atlas, and much of the growth and development of those Kingdoms was owed to the railways. Towns and cities could now be connected, reached, supplied, and grown at a rate never before in history. And speed was indeed key, as not only were trains able to pull their freight and passengers for far longer if not faster than a team of horses, but outrun most common Grimm. More rural parts of the world could be crossed with less worry of attack, and even traveling by night became less foolhardy. Even Vacuo, with the help of Vale, were laying tracks to better connect the towns and settlements that were severed from the shattering of the southern Kingdom.

It was the innovations of the previous era that truly solidified the importance of the train. Carriages were reinforced with armour plating, as were the locomotives themselves. Whilst this was originally done to protect supply trains from the Grimm, these concepts were refined further to defend from enemy bullets and cannon shell during the Great War. It was here that the innovations in armaments took center stage, as the idea to build gunnery positions into the trains sprang into the industry. Turrets with .50-caliber or larger heavy machine guns were installed in the roofs of the carriages, along with gun turrets at the rear and the front of the train, nowadays making use of auto-cannons. These were meant as the last line of defense if they could not outrun the Grimm, and were very important to kill or ward off airborne Grimm that could keep up with the trains—especially when fully loaded with freight. Of course, this was becoming rarer by the day, as trains were now incredibly fast, reaching two hundred miles per hour, and always keeping to over one hundred, even at their maximum travel weight.

Huntsmen and soldiers were still deployed to accompany these trains, though modern arms technology was more than sufficient. Unsurprisingly, it was Atlas that had the most advanced locomotives and carriages, as not only did they possess the mightiest military technologically, but were overall more advanced to deal with the climate. The locomotives themselves were built with a special device called a wedge plow, which cleared the snow and ice from the tracks, and gave Atlassian locomotives a naval appearance; the plow sharing features that of a modern ship's bow but flipped upside-down. Vale and Mistral also had locomotives with such plows, though they were usually designated snowplows, whereas Atlas had no choice but to permanently implement them. In that same vein, the carriages were built to handle the elements, for if there was ever a situation where the locomotive were to break down, the carriages could shelter the crew and passengers for as long as a month if need be.

Whilst the previous era had given birth to commercial aviation, as well as cars in major cities, rail was still the cheapest and fastest mode of transportation on land. It was certainly a marvel, and one that showed no sign in being replaced.

Given that this was the first time that he had ever been on a train as a passenger, Oscar looked about the empty passenger car with curiosity. It was surprisingly spacious, as the walls that would have formed individual cabins were missing, instead having the backs of the seats against one another. In between the four seats was a single table that was connected to the wall, with flush-mounted sconces in between the windowpanes and carpeted floor, giving the car a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

Selecting one of the window seats, as well as placing his pack on the seat in front, given there was no need to shove it into the overhead compartment, Oscar sat patiently for the train conductor to check his ticket. After doing so, he was greeted by a steward, who asked him if he wanted breakfast. Oscar was about to politely decline, when Sam reminded him he had not eaten since the night before, and it was better that he ate something. After all, it was included in the ticket. Conceding, he ordered a simple meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, and buttered toast, and having already taken his coffee, chose a tall glass of orange juice instead. Oscar was surprised to discover how hungry he actually was. He normally ate earlier, and was used to working up an appetite after completing his morning chores, but given the stresses of leaving home for who knows how long, even a long march had not been enough to bring him to consume anything other than water and coffee.

Mopping the remaining morsels with his toast, Oscar brought his plate and tray to the kitchen that sat in between the passenger cars. This caught the staff by surprise, and gave away that this was his first voyage. Nevertheless, the staff was appreciative of his politeness and thanked him, to which he returned with a cup of hot chocolate for his deeds.

Able to properly relax at last, the farmboy sipped his beverage with anticipation.

'As relatively little as we've learned over the years,' began Sam, causing Oscar to notice from the corner of his eye that he had materialized in the window, 'there is still a lot of information for you to digest. Therefore, we will divide it all into more manageable portions. You remember what we told you at your farm, correct?' Oscar nodded. 'Good. The Maidens served a special purpose in the days of old. Whilst we had warriors who could wield Aura and awaken Semblances, Men and Faunus still possessed little to defend themselves against massive Grimm hordes or Grimm of the more powerful classes such as Lesser and Great Wyverns. The Maidens would fight against such creatures, for otherwise, it would have cost us thousands of lives. Outside of the Hunt, the Maidens would do everything from advising and crown Kings, hold court, officiate religious ceremonies—the days of Solstice especially—teach magic, marry couples, conduct funerals, and many other roles. They were once a predominant part of our society, until the Order was driven into hiding, taking the Maidens with them, to continue their original purpose in secrecy: to be the Hammers of the Gods. And with the Grimm growing in number and activity in this current age, we need those hammers more than ever. Whilst we have grown strong since, and that was, in part, what played in the diminishing of the role of the Maidens, our might, as was made clear at Albion, is not enough any longer.'

Oscar swallowed a mouthful of hot chocolate audibly, understanding at last the severity of the Maidens' importance.

'They're more powerful than modern armies?'

'At full strength, a Maiden is an army in and of herself,' answered Heidrian. 'Each is a force of nature, and united, a storm that will shake the heavens and split the ground.'

'I guess that's why this Salem she-creature is afraid of them. So, if they're so important, why haven't I ever heard of them before? The Four Maidens fairy tale is nothing like what you've told me.'

Sam laughed in a tired manner, and even in the window glass the farmboy could see his dejection.

'Pyrrha Nikos asked me the very same question. Like any event or person in history, they transition from common knowledge, to history, to legends, to fairy tales, and then antiquated knowledge on the cusp of being forgotten—if we allow it. Time, as always, is our enemy, and when allowed to slip further and further into the recesses of our minds and libraries, things fall between the cracks. Moreover, wars have a nasty habit of destroying history; or to be more generous, misplace. Too much knowledge of the past has been lost. Furthermore, as you are well aware at this point, with the Order going into hiding—first as a natural and gradual receding, then into legitimate hiding—along with members of the Order, they took care to safeguard that history by taking it with them.'

'Safeguard indeed,' huffed Heidrian bitterly. 'We were caught completely flatfooted, losing nearly all of the archives, wiping out nearly everyone, safe for the Maidens, their families, and some Knights escorting them.'

'We do not know how Salem and her agents found you and the Order, so it is best not to shoulder too much blame—plus what's done is done,' Sam retorted, having heard the Paladin's lament on such matters before. 'Now, as time went on and the original Order destroyed, there was no one to maintain the training and protection of the Maidens. Their powers continued to transition from one generation to the next at random, possibly without the transferee even being aware of the Changing of Seasons occurring. The previous Fall Maiden, Amber Calico, was not aware of her power until we found her, for example. Our mission once restoring the Maidens' Ring, was to locate the current successors of the Four Maidens, train them if they were young and healthy enough, or protect them if they were too feeble until a new successor could be found. And after years of searching, we finally found one of the Four: Miss Amber Calico.'

Oscar nodded in comprehension, seeing how the erosion of time would remove the Maidens from history. At the same time, how could something so important as this be so completely lost?

'There has to be more evidence that the Maidens' existed than a very watered-down story, right? What about history books, paintings, statues, and all the normal stuff?'

'Indeed...at least that is what I initially thought,' Sam admitted. 'As I said before, wars and time have a nasty habit of erasing history if we remain idle, so I thought the best place to commence my search was to see what was considered lost during the Great War—which, to give credit to our forefathers, was relatively little, albeit too much for my liking. That sadly produced little fruit, as archives and inventories were themselves lost, and what remains—sculptures, murals, paintings—if any, without their proper context, are meaningless. It would require venturing around the world myself, heading to the most remote of locations, and finding only crumbs of the larger story. I can only assume that what remaining evidence of the Maidens which existed was hidden or destroyed by the original Order, or has been erased by Salem's meddling. As to the evidence being hidden, I suspect that it was so well concealed that only those who hid them—now long since dead—could locate them…safe only them leaving clues for future generations to discover. Indeed, I have found a number of those relics and artefacts you asked for...which now are buried beneath the school.'

'Including my tome of lore,' Heidrian reminded. 'I can only hope that the Lady Glynda hast recovered it and thy collection.'

'I pray so too.'

'I can see why your job's been so hard, sirs,' Oscar remarked apologetically, looking at himself in the reflection of his cocoa, before something crossed his mind. 'Is the fairy tale of The Seven Witches of the Rainbow part of the Maidens' story?'

'Partially, though there are only four Maidens, not seven. Speaking of magic, that is a lengthy conversation in and of itself, and most certainly worthy of it. To pare it down for the time being, the magical powers of the Maidens have been interpreted no differently than other sorcerers and sorceresses throughout history: Huntsmen with misunderstood abilities. This, in hindsight, is utterly laughable, though in defence of the orthodox historian and theologians, the Prásino Vivlío makes clear that Semblances developed from 'sorcerers' by the hands of the Gods. To any who stumble across the Maidens, they are simply yet another wisewoman and sorceress, or even a form of ladies-in-waiting—which is a truly insulting minimizing of who and what they are. Magic, in and of itself, is a horse of a different colour to Semblances, as are the powers of the Maidens, yet all come from the same source.'

'So…' Oscar asked at length, 'what…are the Maidens then? I mean, you explained what they did and how strong they are, but not really what they are. They're women, but a lot more than Huntresses, so…'

'They are Angels,' Sam replied with reverence. 'No, that is not me being poetic or taking creative licence; the Maidens are indeed Angels. Whilst they are at the very bottom of the Angel hierarchy, they are undeniably Angels sent from on high, serving as messengers and hammers of the Gods, as they had done before in the younger days of the world. And it is for that reason, amongst others, as to why what Cinder Fall and Salem have done is so grievous, Oscar. An Angel was murdered and her powers are now in the clutches of a pawn of evil incarnate. This injustice must be righted, as well as locating the remaining Maidens before any other blasphemies are committed—or worse.'

The trio remained silent for a few minutes, mostly due to the lore masters giving the farmboy time to digest, especially given that Sam had placed a tad too much on his plate, and they could sense him being more than a little shaken. At length, and after taking another sip of his hot cocoa, Oscar set his cup on the table.

'So, how is the world going to react when they learn about this?' he asked measuredly, which was easier to do in his mind than if he had done so aloud. 'I mean, I didn't exactly take it super well, so it would scare the living daylights out of everyone.'

'Now that is something we've been giving a great deal of thought for the past decade, if not two,' Sam replied with greater optimism in his voice. 'The revelation of Salem's existence will horrify the world over—that is a given. What I am hoping for, is that the return of the Maidens will be the beacon that saves the people from hopeless despair. I am nearly one hundred percent certain that the High Temple will support us, and that it will only be Salem's servants who will dare resist the decrees of His Holiness.'

'Or some on the Council.'

Heidrian burst out laughing, so much so that Oscar could have sworn that his ears were ringing.

'Gods be praised! The lad is a treat! But hark, if we do not hath the Maidens to lead mortal Men and Faunus against the hordes of Darkness, we need one that can. Indeed, that was partially our stratagem; that whilst we sought the remaining Maidens, that he would ascend–'

'That,' Sam interrupted, 'may not be an option...at least not for the time being. And that, my old friend, is something that must not be uttered—even to our gracious host…for now.'

'Aye. Forgive me, my dear, Sam, I allowed my tongue to wander.'

'I'm...sorry?'

'Oh, fret not, Master Pine. Thou art guiltless in this. Forgive us for boggling thee.'

'It's alright, sir, though I kinda have a headache.'

'I fear that might be due to the lack of sleep,' Sam remarked sympathetically. 'It will be a long journey to Helike. I would strongly suggest that you sleep while you can, Oscar. Having to rise early and march to the station on little sleep was exhausting enough, but now that you must carry us within you, it will only compound on your fatigue. Sleep now, and we shall watch over you. You are safe here.'

As curious as Oscar was to hear more about the Maidens and the Order, not to mention somewhat fearful, he had to be honest that he was rather tired. If he had gotten more sleep, or at least went to bed when he normally did and without so much on his mind, then waking up a bit earlier would not have been such an issue—forced march or no. Nevertheless, a nap would do him some good, and he accepted the Huntmaster's suggestion. Whilst the train did have sleeper rooms—nearly all trains did—Oscar saw no need to search for one. Instead, he turned his coat into a makeshift pillow by rolling it up like a bedroll, and placed it against the wall. It was warm enough within the train that he did not need it as a blanket. He laid his head onto it, and used his hat to shield his eyes from the light, placing his hands on his chest. In under a minute, he fell into a deep sleep.

Author's Notes:

At last, we return to Oscar, and despite it being a rather short chapter—relatively speaking—it is immensely dense with heavy expositional worldbuilding. This was a long-time coming, especially given that I began to introduce this new religion in DDCT. As always, pieces of exposition such as these would have greatly served the story better if they had been introduced far sooner—in the first Volume, in fact—yet we all know that such things were never planned, let alone to the degree in which I have envisioned them. Just as it was with DDCT, there is only so much I can passively change or introduce without it driving a massive wedge or fork in the road, with the only true solution being to rewrite the entire show and establish each facet incrementally. And since that is not possible either, I am left with no choice but to introduce and establish these elements when they can be and in their proper (enough) place. The result, we get lots of exposition rather than action, which will no doubt be boring for some. As I have said many times before, this is the consequence of procrastination and lampshading, which, as it turns out, is what Monty and CRWBY did for years, hence the retconning fabricated to fill in the gaps, instead, widened them.

I just hope, as I always do, that you appreciate and enjoy these additions, for they are ultimately to enhance the story. With all that said, let us begin.

All Abooooooard!

Something that crossed my mind when I first began to think of a full rewrite of RWBY, was how do people get about in the world of Remnant? If there are monsters running through the wastelands—or presumedly any place in which people do not live, though how were entire cities such as Mountain Glenn destroyed?—you cannot just go on a hike without reasonably expecting to be in danger. It is similar to the days of old where there was always a chance of highwaymen, animals, or hostile natives could threaten or kill you. In this context, it is far worse with evil monsters, yet that is right at home with the Fantasy genre. That then raises questions of how this world came to be if it is that dangerous beyond the borders of civilization, something that the show had originally stressed, including that travel between the Kingdoms was limited, but let us leave that aside for now. The level of technology presented shows us that the automobile is around and in wide use; however, having an interstate highway system seems like asking for trouble. Within the high walls of a major city, there is no question of its validity, hence their implementation and use, yet it is clear that cars are not safe enough modes of transportation beyond the city, especially when they inevitably get stuck, run out of room to run, or simply exhaust their Dust tanks, and then getting torn apart like a tin can. We also see that there are ships, which is to be expected, for all peoples and civilizations near or had access to a substantial body of water will make seacraft to capitalize on them, as well as seeing the people of Remnant flying airships—very advanced ones in fact. Naturally, one would expect for them to develop the ability to fly, yet there is a large technological gap between traveling on horseback to taking to the skies. And then it clicked.

Trains are a fascinating piece of machinery. I have had a surface admiration of trains since I was a kid, no doubt fuelled by my love of Westerns, as well as the 1994 North Pole Toy Shop Animated Christmas Train No.5301 that my family would set up around the Christmas tree, and the way trains shaped our world is too vital to ignore their potential in RWBY. As I said in the chapter itself, trains can offer the protection that only the military could, but in the hands of the free market, as well as the freedom to run in a long era of peace, we have the trains expedited to greater heights in Remnant than even we have achieved. It seems that, by some strange moment of clarity, this is the case in the show, with gun turrets of cannon and machine gun—which they also used on a cruise ship—but certainly not to the degree I envisioned. Furthermore, since I am not limited by budget and animation, I can go into all the detail I wish, adhering to the demands of the world I am writing for and about. Here, I can play up the Fantasy element by combining trains from different eras to create something actually cool, and not the clinical "style" we tend to get with our modern rail.

Moreover, we actually had armoured trains in our world before the tank was invented, going all the way back to the American Civil War. Two of the most famous armoured trains were the Russian Zaamurets, built in Odessa in 1916, and the Polish Śmiały from 1914, with the Slovak Štefánik and Hurban as honourable mentions. Of course, there are the railway guns, the most famous being the Schwerer Gustav, built by Nazi Germany in the late 1930s, as well as her twin sister, Dora. And for those that think that such things would be obsolete, they are still in use today, with the current Russia-Ukraine War having several of them in the conflict, they being the Yenisei, Volga, Amur, Baikal, Terek, and Don—all Russian.

Whilst the notion of using trains for direct combat is admittedly a bit too farfetched—good luck trying to lay track towards the enemy, or even parallel, without drawing fire—it does not lessen the truth that trains are and would be immensely versatile and useful in the world of Remnant. I do not think anyone will disagree with me on this point, though I suspect that some might be annoyed I wasted this much time explaining something so mundane, and no doubt, for some bizarre reason, I shall be considered "autistic" for it. In any case, there is actually something more to this discussion of modes of travel, but we shall save it for later—for better and for worse.

Religion: The Hope of the Masses

Warning: the following section deals with topics of faith, civilization, morality, and political strife, and can be seen as offensive to some people. It is not my intention to insult anyone decent, yet I can only speak to what I think is true, as well as what is vital for this story and RWBY. Therefore, reader discretion is advised.

More important than the trains which link the settlements of the world, is the glue that binds Men and Faunus together: the Prásino Vivlío, which is the Holy Scripture of the primary religion of my version of Remnant, Vóreios Astéras.

As I revealed in DDCT, I invented a proper religion for the world of Remnant. This was not done merely to supplant the Brothers, however. In actuality, I had practically forgotten that they even "existed", fading to the cobweb-laden recesses of my mind in favour of more pressing matters. It was only when I began turning my attention fully to the question of religion in RWBY, which was a constant low-grade interest since early 2015, did I remember them—and remembered why I was so dismissive of them. This enigma of religion has baffled me just as strongly as the lack of standing professional armies in Remnant—and for just as long. How can you have a series about monsters of Darkness being hunted by warriors wielding magical powers gifted to them by the Light, yet religion does not play a major part in the world and story? I do not mean a slap-dashed retcon by Miles Luna (yes, it was not Monty Oum's idea[1]), I mean part of the world day one. The people of Remnant recognize that Aura comes from the soul (as made clear by Pyrrha in Volume I Chapter VI "The Emerald Forest Part I"), so how could there not be Divinity and religion? Given that the super materials and abilities of Remnant were not cemented before the show was syndicated, along with the Faunus, the Huntsmen, the academies, the Kingdoms, and the plot, why would religion be? Because of that oversight (or more accurately, ignorance), we end up with the danger of someone like Salem not being as threatening as it should be, just as the Maidens are not as important in and to Remnant as the show claims. In a fairly close comparison, we treat Saints with more reverence and have done so for far longer than the Maidens have in Remnant.

I remember it as if it were yesterday—what Glynda ("The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history, religion"), General Ironwood ("No one would want to believe us. It would cause an uproar"), and Ozpin ("It would cause panic") said[2]—to which I shouted at my laptop in response, "How? How exactly? You never even told us what religions are around". (One would think the Faunus would cause greater conflict for being a second race, entering the world centuries, if not millennia, after Men, than these easily forgotten Maidens.) Indeed, by that point in the story, there had never been even a hint of one religion, let alone multiple, with only a vague spirituality provided to us by Pyrrha—and only slightly. (This is why to this very day, characters in the show, art, and fan-fiction, alternate in saying God, Gods, Brothers, and, bizarrely, Dust—the latter having yet to be explained to me why it is used and so prevalently in fanworks.) Thus, Pyrrha and the Inner Circle's warnings were platitudinal, without any meaning or weight, leaving us with far more questions than answers—and that has not changed. Worse still, given what was later told to us about the Brothers and Ozma, it would be prudent to assume that the Inner Circle were simply lying to Pyrrha—ergo us—or to be more generous, Ozma lied to the Inner Circle, and they are just repeating his lies, which explains everyone turning on Ozma and going insane. The heroes, ladies and gentlemen!

Of course, the truth of the matter is that Monty and co knew nothing, so the characters knew nothing, and that is unacceptable. Instead, I decided to structure a proper religion that is very important to the world, as are the Gods of said religion. I do not know how long ago it was, but an image of the Gods carved out of marble standing before the characters materialized in my mind—a scene that appeared in DDCT and will again in this story—and I knew I had to follow through with the idea. Of course, I am not so creative that I could completely invent a religion from the ground up without drawing inspiration from others. Thus, I decided to choose the best qualities of the Gods from multiple religions, though mainly Greco-Roman, Norse, and some Celtic, with the structure and teachings of the Judaeo-Christian Bible and faiths, for I cannot think of a better example of morals, principles, and wisdom than the Torah and the New Testament. Certainly, there are good tenants and doctrines in other faiths, yet the concepts of Law and Ethics—and wisdom—that I see in the Old and New Testaments are the strongest and most logical I have ever studied. (I have been studying religion for two thirds of my life, all the way to the university level.) Even at the peak of my anti-Christian bigotry as an Ásatrú Pagan—hence why Mjölnir has been my avatar's charge for a decade—I had to be intellectually honest and admit that the Ten Commandments were good, as were Jesus' teachings. Further, there is a reason why you never hear of pagan "values" and "morals". Any that can be found are contemporary inventions, mere mimicries of Judaeo-Christian values, with the nonsensical neo-pagan syncretism known as Wicca, being a quilt of contradictions—which was the dilemma that began my disillusionment, and eventual return to the Church. Thus, Vóreios Astéras' Pagan veneer is to adhere to a Fantasy world, with the core being the faiths that built the West—ergo what produced the fairy tales that the Brothers Grimm and others compiled or wrote. It also saves me a tremendous amount of time.

(Nota bene that the name "Remnant" is utterly awful. One of my editors and beta-reader, Knight-of-Wings, remarked, "Remnant makes it sound as if it's either the leftovers of something great, or the diminished remains of what was once a great realm or kingdom". Comrade's Lament, another beta-reader, said much of the same: "'Remnant' is that its supposed to be the, well, remnant of a once great empire". This was precisely what I thought from the very beginning—and what Remnant and the show truly was in the end. This, along with "Semblance", should be changed, yet I refrained from doing so here in order to avoid causing greater confusion to the reader—safe for older texts. Avalon was on the table for many years, and I have yet to find anything better.)

With all that said, we still have not touched upon the burning question as to why I went to such lengths, nor as to why CRWBY—and Monty—did not have a formal religion for the world of RWBY, rather than this secret and primitive Dualism ("the religious doctrine that the universe contains opposed powers of good and evil, especially seen as balanced equals") and/or Manichæism ("a dualistic religious system with Christian, Gnostic, and pagan elements, founded in Persia in the 3rd century by Manes (c. 216–c. 276). The system was based on a supposed primeval conflict between light and darkness. It spread widely in the Roman Empire and in Asia, and survived in eastern Turkestan [Xinjiang] until the 13th century"). These errors, as well as others, have resulted in the Brothers (and what is attached to them) becoming more convoluted and self-defeating than what appears on the surface. Undoubtedly, this is due to it being unplanned, yet, like all things RWBY, there are greater and more disquieting issues that lie beneath, layer after layer.

This, my dear readers, is where this conversation gets "ugly". Prepare thyselves.

It goes without saying that even the agnostic and the secular understand that a world such as Remnant, with all the supernatural factors in play, would have Divinity, and therefore, would have organized religion, and it be very active in the world, thus producing a more pious people. That is the nature of such stories within this genre of High Fantasy. Looking towards our own history, especially in North America and Europe, communities would be built around the church, with them growing into towns, and then cities, hence why there are so many in cities such as Montreal, New York, and Boston. As the boroughs and counties grew, they would unite and form the cities that we know today. It should go without saying, but the Church was an institution, a pillar that built and upheld the West, and had been for nearly 2,000 years. Governance, law, literature, education, academia, philosophy, medicine, finance, economics, architecture, art, music, early science, moral guidance, order, and peacekeeping, are a mere handful of what the Church gave the Western world, serving as a foundation for all. (Nota bene that the so-called separation of Church and State does not mean there cannot be religion in the state, but rather that there cannot be a state/national religion that overrides the religious liberty of the people. A single, forgotten line from Thomas Jefferson's letters—not the Constitution—which was in favour of religious liberty, has been grossly misshapen and mistaken as fact, and turned into a club to be used against millions. Europe, of course, has its severe failings in this arena [the Church of England and the Crown's percussion of Catholics, Protestants, and vice versa, the Inquisitions, the back and forth with Jews], yet the use of said failings as an excuse to throw out all religion, the good along with the bad, has proven disastrous for the continent, as is their refusal to apply the same standard to Socialism, Communism, and radical Islam.)

So, why is it that Monty and CRWBY did not have religion in RWBY from the beginning, especially with where things went? Was it simply because it was far too intimidating a concept for them to tackle? To an extent, yes, yet they did go through with it in the end, albeit barely and horrifically, and shackling the "plot" to it. Why?

The true answer, from what I can gather after being a fan of theirs for eleven years, as well as hearing them and their ilk speak on such matters, is that they not only lack comprehension of religion—specifically Judaism and Christianity—but that they outright loathe it. They avow that anyone who believes or even values religion (living with "Cultural Christianity") is stupid, infantile, bigoted, insane, and even evil, to which even having someone pray for them is intolerable.[3] Given the country that I live in, I know of this hatred first hand. Two examples of such positions have remained transfixed in my mind for many years. The first was Geoffry Ramsey, one of the founders of Rooster Teeth, recounting on the RT Podcast a vacation he took with his now second ex-wife, Griffon, to Italy, where upon visiting the Vatican, were told by security that Griffon could not walk about dressed obscenely, and was given a skirt to wear. She then proceeded to get into an altercation with security, screaming at them "What? Cover up the legs God gave me?!". Yes, Griffon, God gave you legs, as He did your breasts and vagina, along with rules to not flash them willy-nilly, nor to sleep around, just as He did with giving Men free will, and instruction to not abuse that gift. I very much doubt that she would have tried to be so transgressive in a Mosque. To inform the reader, Griffon believes she is now pansexual, and sodomized Geoff with a strap-on, resulting in him curling up in the fetal position and incapable of copulating with his then wife—all of which was openly shared on the same podcast, or Off Topic, which went off the air one year before the time of writing this passage. The second example was from another Founding Father, Gus Sorola, where he spoke of his wife, Esther, who said to him that if she were to ever see a ghost, she would instantly believe that she had gone insane, regardless of the state of her mental faculties. No rational theorizing of what she had seen—immediately to the psychiatric, mind-altering medicine. Very rational.

CRWBY (and their ilk) are not at all capable of separating fiction from reality (broadly speaking), so even in a Fantasy setting such as RWBY, they cannot get past their biases and write the story with religion being important and good in Remnant, even though the "heroes" are fighting against the unholy monster that is Salem. (From The Lord of the Rings, to The Chronicles of Narnia, to The Once and Future King, to Star Wars, Fantasy has always had a strong emphasis on fighting for a Higher Power against a supernatural Evil.) This is why I choose to go further and call them "disbelievers" and anti-Theists, for even my agnostic friends recognize the importance of faith—in and out of (Fantasy) storytelling. It is that same disdain as to why CRWBY did so little research on firearms and the military for RWBY, for their anti-gun and anti-military prejudices would not allow it, even in a world where keeping and bearing arms, as well as a strong military, are undeniably valid. Is it any wonder things kept falling apart morally and institutionally?

But why are they so fanatically defiant, even in the face of the facets and realities of RWBY? There are many reasons. To concede that there is a good God or Gods, even in a fictional world like Remnant, would destroy so much of CRWBY's own worldview and positions, for they, as I said previously, see religion—rightly or wrongly—as the barrier to their way of life and the "progression" of the world into what they want it to be. This is why I am skeptical of the insistence by people like CRWBY that they cannot believe in God because there is no evidence of Him, for it bears the insinuation that if there was definitive proof, they would believe and worship Him. Rather, I would suspect that they would more than likely go insane, as Esther Sorola made clear. I would go further to mention this explains their willingness to accept paganism (along with witchcraft), as such religions explain the evil in the world—from the "good" gods and the bad—in a much more simplistic manner, as well as their love of the God of War series, the Assassin's Creed series, and The Binding of Isacc. Further, paganism offers far more libertine freedoms than Judaism and Christianity, which is the main appeal, along with the nature and animal worship, which further explains the pro-Faunus and anti-Human racism. (To quote G.K. Chesterton, "There are those who hate Christianity and call their hatred an all-embracing love for all religions"; to which I would add "regardless of their validity".) Therefore, they cannot write the story with accordance to a Higher Power, for it makes points that they may not want to give credence to, hence why RWBY was never written accordingly. To provide a personal example, my own sister is a certified theologian with a master's degree, yet she is a devoted anti-Theist, hoping to turn people away from religion, to which she admitted that she and her coworkers mocked Yeshiva students for their faith; and when I thought she internalized my pointing out of her deifying the planet as paganistic (in spite of her secularism), she then dressed up as "Mother Earth" for Halloween. More confirmation that degrees and "education" do not equate to respect, knowledge, and wisdom.

I should also mention that the Brothers have been portrayed as dragons—amongst their other forms—with the God of Light as an Asian lung/loong, and the God of Darkness as a European. This was done purposefully, as CRWBY followed the school of thought that "Eastern dragons are seen as wise and benevolent, while Western dragons are depicted as malevolent and ruthless".[4] This is rather embarrassing, for there are many examples of evil dragons throughout Asia (Jiaolong, or "flood dragon" in China; Yamata-no-Orochi, Uwibami, Yofune-nushi, and O-Goncho, the white dragon of famine, in Japan; and black dragons in Korean lore), not to mention that the dragon has been perceived as both positive and negative in the West—Wales has entered the chat—with them growing in positive popularity for the past few centuries, to which they are universally beloved today. Whilst this is yet another example of CRWBY's disdain for the West and their romanticization of the East, I can only shake my head at how out of touch they are. And yes, the fact that my name is "DragonoftheEastblue" had something to do with me mentioning this. Also, there seems to be a translation issue with Loongs not actually being dragons, but rather that they are serpents—according to the Chinese. Make of that what you will.

It is here in the "ifs" that we see the conflicts for CRWBY. If there is a Higher Power, and it is clearly good, then that means there is objective morality; a morality that cannot be determined by individuals and their so-called consciences, and therefore, are answerable to an authority that cannot be swayed by earthly means—materially, emotionally, or ideologically. (To quote a British atheist bus campaign slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life".[5] I do appreciate the hint of doubt in their inclusion of "probably", as well as the tacit admittance of the broader point that without God to hold us accountable, all is permitted.) This means that there is a clear definition of good and evil, ergo there is morally good and morally bad behaviour—id est sin. Since CRWBY have constantly shown mercy to the guilty and cruelty to the kind, wanting for us to have pity for murderers, criminals, terrorists, traitors, racists, and even devils (Salem), this could not stand in the face of Divine Judgement. A religion, and therefore a God(s), that judges people based on their behaviour and quality, not the things they say or their station, would not look favourably on the behaviour CRWBY endorses ("Those of you who love God—hate evil" [Psalms 97:10]). To be held to a standard is something they hate above nearly everything, and in the arena of morality, where they think they are above all, they cannot accept the realities of such things. CRWBY are believers of moral relativism, and do not believe in traditional concepts of good and evil (the "everyone is basically good" nonsense), even though they paradoxically define things as good and evil. They simply use their personal definitions, regardless of their validity or consistency. Worse still, they see that categorizing the world between good and evil is naïve and infantile, and it is "better" to see the world between rich and poor, strong and weak, white and non-white—id est, nonmoral divisions. In the words of Viktor E. Frankl, author of Man's Search for Meaning (1946), "There are two races of men in this world, but only these two—the 'race' of the decent man and the 'race' of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people". That alone would cause CRWBY and their ilk's heads to explode, especially if we look back upon the Faunus and what they have done since Volume I.

Further, this is precisely why so many series today have heroes behaving like villains, and vice versa—and RWBY is a perfect example of this. This moral relativism stems from Human nature, before being "refined" into secular schools of thought, and is echoed in all religions, safe the Judaeo-Christian. To quote the late Reverend Edward H. Flannery of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, "It was Judaism that brought the concept of a God-given universal moral law into the world…the Jew carries the burden of God in history (and) for this has never been forgiven."[6] In that same vein, Sir Winston S. Churchill wrote in 1920, "We owe to the Jews a system of ethics which, even if it were entirely separated from the supernatural, would be incomparably the most precious possession of mankind, worth in fact the fruits of all wisdom and learning put together. On that system and by that faith there has been built out of the wreck of the Roman Empire the whole of our existing civilization."[7] Spot on, as always.

If there is a God(s) that made Man, and therefore, made Faunus, bestowing upon them the same magical abilities that confirm the soul and the ability to reason, then CRWBY cannot have their racial allegory, for the "humanity" of the Faunus would be a forgone conclusion. The very fact that Humans and Faunus can have children with one another is proof enough, yet it is the fact that Faunus have Aura, as well as can awaken Semblances (and can see in the dark), that not only makes "racism" a "nothing burger", but that it can synonymously be seen as blasphemous and evil to deny their "humanity"—which is precisely what I did in my version of RWBY. An incredible fumble by Monty and co. Comparatively, in our world, where we are not certain if there is a Higher Power, the evils of racism—that a Human can be considered not a Human, thus not possessing rights, and can be treated as an animal or as property—can get around the objective morality of good religion, as well as the undeniable facts of biology. Conversely, the anti-slavery teachings in the Bible were the driving force that ended that barbaric institution in the West, and a serious push to end it in Africa and the Middle East, with mixed results for the latter.

In that same vein, the confirmation that people have souls (Pyrrha's explanation of Aura in Volume I), and thus are made in the image of God or the Gods, inadvertently means that abortion is murder, which CRWBY could not and would not tolerate, for they see religion as the only argument against abortion—accurately or not. Simone de Beauvoir, the patron saint of Feminism, was very much of this opinion, and I cannot help but remark upon the humorousness that this line of thinking inadvertently argues that one does require a God to not murder—something in which CRWBY and their ilk typically mock…as they call for the death of the children of the people whom they disagree with… The only way to get around this unintended Kafka-esque trapping with a Higher Power in play, is to make it paganistic ("If God had required Abraham to go through with the sacrifice of Isaac, biblical religion/Judaism would have been just another pagan religion, differing from other religions only by having one god rather than many. But the difference…is in the moral nature of the Torah's God versus all other gods. Prohibiting Abraham from sacrificing his son exemplified the triumph of ethical monotheism over paganism"[8]), for all pagan religions had some form of Human sacrifice, with certain African peoples still performing child sacrifices in the 21st century. In that vein, I cannot help but think of what was done to Pyrrha and Oscar, and now see it as a form of child sacrifice, though this would also apply to every character under the age of twenty that has been murdered—literally and figuratively—for the sake of Ozma and ideology.

However, in order for CRWBY to do so, would go against their moral relativism (and be unsure whether this celebrates or demonizes non-Judaeo-Christian faiths), so they simply reject established religious doctrine and invent new ones to "support" their positions—no differently than Confederate preachers in the ante bellum South, and other contemporary "reformation" revisionists. As was stated previously, it was the Jews that introduced the revolutionary concept of ethical monotheism, resulting in an enduring hatred towards them. Whilst Reverend Flannery made that statement in the 20th century, I knew that truth before hearing his words on the matter, for one of my favourite quotes from the ancient world is by none other than famous Roman historian and anti-Semite, Publius Cornelius Tacitus: "The Jews regard it as a crime to kill any newborn infant".[9] The context here is that outside of Judaism—and then Christianity—it was the right of every parent to murder their children if they thought it beneficial, especially if the child was deformed or weak—de Beauvoir was particularly bitter about that, and other "fiercely antifeminist Jewish" traditions. How "ableist". Also, I should mention that given the existential crisis the Grimm present (not enough to avoid world wars and universal racism apparently), I cannot believe that abortion would be a concept in Remnant, unless all logic and morality is thrown away—which is the typical wont of this series. I have heard the claim that "We are not a post-Christian society; we have reverted to a pre-Christian society", and I must say that I agree.

If there is a Higher Power, then there is such a thing as "Divine Right" or "Divine Rule", meaning that there should be monarchies in the world of Remnant, not merely empty Kingdoms, crowned by a man of the cloth. This would go against CRWBY's anti-patriarchal views, despite the often-ignored fact that RWBY is a Fantasy, and monarchies and the noble class are baked into the cake, hence Monty choosing to call Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo Kingdoms in the first place, as well as CRWBY retconning Remnant's history so that it was the last King of Vale who founded the Huntsmen Academies after the Great War—yes, all of them. I have much to say on that topic, but that will be discussed in its proper place. What I will say is that this classist mindset not only explains the lack of monarchy in Remnant, but also the hatred of the upper class (the Schnees)—both in reality and how they function in Fantasy.

If there is a Higher Power that judges, and is Itself or Themselves just, then there would be a path of redemption—within reason. CRWBY, as shown in RWBY, do not believe in redemption, especially not in the sense of repentance and striving to do good. Blake never repents or renounces her beliefs, nor is she shown to be wrong, even if she holds the same beliefs as Adam Taurus—whom CRWBY quietly support, as it turns out—and has never been punished by the law for her crimes. Ilia, Emerald, Hill, and other criminals are welcomed to the other side without repentance or punishment, or even feeling regret, and instead are presented as "sympathetic", along with Cinder and Salem. Adam Taurus, Lionheart, General Ironwood, Jacques Schnee, Dr Watts, Hazel, and others, however, are put to death—rightfully and wrongfully.

We can explore this concept for days on end, and we will return to them at intervals throughout this story where applicable, so let us instead get to brass tacks by comparing how RWBY (and therefore CRWBY) is antithetical to the scripture of the religions that shaped and defined the West: The Bible—specifically the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament, or Torah; for whether one likes it or not, it is the most important book ever written.

I. I am the Lord, thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: Since religion has no presence whatsoever in Remnant, there is no God that made Their presence known to the people They created. For clarification, the Jews refer to the Ten Commandments as Aseret Ha'devarim ("Ten Words" or "Ten Declarations" from Exodus 34:28). Also, another English name of the Ten Commandments, "the Decalogue," means the "Ten Words"—from the Greek words deca (ten) and logos (word). It should also be mentioned that "Because this verse does not command or prohibit any specific action, Christians enumerate the Ten Commandments slightly differently than Jews always have. As noted above, the Torah's name for this document is the Ten Statements, not the Ten Commandments. Consequently, technically speaking, a Jew would regard this verse as the First Statement (followed by nine commandments), whereas Christians count the next verse, Exodus 20:3, as the First Commandment."[10] That notwithstanding, my point that there is no God(s) that made Themselves known to Their creation holds true, despite the fact that the "main characters" are meant to carry out His will and in His name, presumedly before Salem's attacks, for they are to protect all peoples from the Grimm. Instead, the Brothers only made themselves known to an unworthy few. This makes no sense whatsoever, for, as I said, this is a series that is allegedly about blessed warriors hunting monsters. (This further torpedoes the claims about Jaune being a Paladin.) Moreover, this means there was never anything akin to Matthew 28:19, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Perhaps this is due to their issue with God not making His presence definitively known and allowing evil to occur, which not only makes utterly no sense in context to RWBY, but why then repeat the same "mistakes"?

II. Thou shalt have no other gods besides Me: Literally, it means that Jews and Christians will not worship any other God than Him, but in its full context means to not worship things that are not of the Covenant. Simply put, do not make and/or worship false idols—the golden calf being the most famous example. In RWBY, the characters will worship anything, whether it be "new" radical ideologies, or even themselves, so long as it gets them what they want. This is not at all a stretch, for nearly anything can be made into a false god or idol—education, art, love, reason, science, even religion and faith itself—nor is it in any way new, which explains quite plainly what CRWBY prioritize and deprioritize, and why. This is especially important, as "one God means one moral standard for all people. If God declares murder wrong, it is wrong for everyone, and you can't go to another god for another moral standard."[11] Thankfully, the Gods in my version of Remnant are of one moral standard. This is also why I decided to not have multiple religions, with the Valian Paladinism being a minor sect—in terms of scripture deviation—though I am beginning to regret classifying it as a "separate" faith.

III. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain: Taking the original Biblical Hebrew, rather than the later translations, "take" (tisa in Hebrew) means "carry". What this means is doing evil acts or justifying evil acts in God's name—"God wills it!" and Allahu Akbar for example—is one of the worst sins imaginable. This, quite obviously, makes much more sense than the general Christian interpretation—I have no idea when this started—that saying "God damn" and other such phrases, or using His and Jesus' name, as blasphemous. (If one is God-fearing, you would thoroughly agree when people say "God damn that murderer/rapist/kidnapper, et cetera", would you not?) That said, I do enjoy The Jerusalem Bible: Reader's Edition's translation ("You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it"),[12] for the intent is much clearer. With RWBY, the cast claim that what they are doing is to save the world and follow the God of Light's will, yet they have done nothing but brought misery and death. That said, I must point out that there is nothing that definitively proves that the God of Light is a good, moral god, hence why I cannot help but see the near one-for-one echoing of Davos Seaworth's remarks in Season 8 Episode 4 "The Last of the Starks" of Game of Thrones ("Lord of Light. We play His game for Him, we fight His war and win, and then... He fucks off. No signs. No blessings. Who knows what He wants?"). Either way, the cast only do evil acts and will find any excuse to justify them.

Also, I would be remiss to not point out the fact that CRWBY, at least until Volume VII, continuously claimed that everything they were doing was in Monty's name and fulfilling his vision, stating "He'd be elated to see what our team has accomplished."

IV. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy: Since there are no holy days in Remnant—which speaks volumes in and of itself—this Commandment cannot apply. However, there is something to be said of the fact that all the characters appear to do nothing but lounge about and never do any work, thus being unworthy of a Shabbat (rest day). Sipping tea as innocent civilians die is not exactly ennobling, nor is it appropriate, yet they did it—despite Kerry Shawcross' own reservations—not to mention Ruby actively running away from her troubles and responsibilities. This is, quite obviously, different than the Biblical context, where everyone, including strangers, slaves, and animals, are to rest after working for six days, which was utterly new in the ancient world. (Ancient Israelites having indentured servants rather than slaves certainly played a part, as did the suffering under true slavery of the Pharaohs, not to mention the global African slave trade, and sadly enduring Arabic slave trade.) Conversely, CRWBY and their ilk wish for four-day workweeks and shorter shifts for greater pay. That "workaholic" enthusiasm truly came through in the show, clearly.

V. Honour thy father and thy mother: I fully admit that this is the Commandment in which I have a great deal of trouble with, for like anything else, honour is something I believe must be earned. To be fair, God said to honour your parents, not love them, and in the vast majority of cases, parents are stern, not evil, yet I cannot help but be resistant. Be that as it may, this Commandment is very applicable to RWBY. There is no love or respect for adults, let alone parents, and this only grew worse as the series went on. Blake abandoned her parents for five years, to which Ghira and Kali never cared to find her or petition other governments on the matter; Jaune never contacts or speaks of his parents (only that they see him as a failure); Ren's father is only important in his small flashback in Volume IV and Volume IV only; in Volume VIII, CRWBY retcon Nora's backstory insomuch that her mother had abandoned her (her father, naturally, is never mentioned); Ruby and Yang went from loving to openly hating—out of the blue—their father and uncle, with Raven abandoning Yang for good measure; Weiss' father is a traitor (and one-time abuser), her mother is a drunk until an unearned "redemption", and her grandfather is left to die off-screen; Mercury murders his father; Cinder has an "evil" stepmother(?); Salem and Ozma's children all die; CRWBY invent yet another unwanted novella that Neo was hated by her parents for having multi-coloured hair and eyes (in a world where everyone has abnormal hair and eye colour); the tranny terrorist's parents called it out, the list goes on.

The point here is that there is no honouring of ones parents, even if they are worthy of it, for it all comes from CRWBY's worldview that anyone over the age of thirty is not to be trusted, combined with the truly idiotic and immoral "Adults Are Useless" trope. Whilst I have my reservations, I fully understand the greater importance of honouring ones parents. As theologian and Torah commentator Dennis Prager explains, "Yes, there are parents who are so evil—not just annoying, obnoxious, or ill-tempered, but actually evil—it is impossible for their child to relate to, let alone honor, them. But in the overwhelming majority of cases a parent's failings do not amount to evil",[13] and "Yet another reason why honoring parents and a long enduring civilization are connected is strong families form a major bulwark against totalitarian regimes. A standard feature of totalitarian regimes is the shifting of children's loyalty and obedience from their parents to the state. One of the first things totalitarian regimes seek to do is weaken parental authority and replace it with the party or state. In such countries, children are encouraged to inform on their parents if they make critical comments—or even tell jokes—about government leaders or about the dominant ideology (in the modern period, that would almost always refer to communism, Nazism, or radical Islamism). Consequently, parents would often fear to speak openly in front of their children."[14] I hope you can see the applicability and the parallels here.

To toot my own horn for a moment, this is why I wrote it in DDCT that Jaune's antagonism with his family is in his mind, blinding him to the love his family has for him. I wanted to go against the rotten grain, as well as provide a bit of wisdom…to mixed results, though at least his cousins were popular with my readers. Moreover, this is also why I wrote the parents and grandparents of the cast as I did, all to challenge CRWBY and their ilk, and to do better.

VI. Thou shalt not murder: Arguably the most misunderstood Commandment, and all because of a single mistranslated word, either intentionally or by error. In the original Hebrew, which has not changed in modern Torahs (Old Testament), the specific word rֶtsah or ratzach, meaning "murder" is used, not lahֲrvֹg or harog, meaning "kill". Why the King James Bible (1611) translation made this error, no one is certain—my copy of The Jerusalem Bible also translates the Fifth Commandment as "kill", as do most English-language Bibles—though I tip my hat to the Protestants for having it in the original phrasing. Nevertheless, it has been a major point of contention with religious and secular people alike, with rather disastrous consequences. For example, when I heard the infamous "joke" by George Carlin on the matter years ago ("It's about who's doing the killing and who's getting killed. It's negotiable!"), I found it deeply repugnant, infantile, and intellectually dishonest; and yet, he is worshiped as an "intellectual", and his "insights" are taken as Gospel. Ironic. (It is the same reason as to why I stopped liking Batman and other superheroes, for their position of never killing—equating the moral killing of a murderous villain with the murdering of an innocent civilian, that they would be "no different" if they [or any law-abiding citizen] killed to defend their life or others—was as dangerous as it was morally untenable.)

Regarding RWBY, there is a lot of murder—unsanctioned at that—committed by the "heroes" as often or even more so than the villains, along with little thought or recognition to the act or the immorality of it. (Amber was the first warning sign of this dismissal of life, quickly followed by Pyrrha, and then Oscar.) The reason for this, as it is with everything regarding morality in RWBY, is that CRWBY have no moral compass. It simply boils down to the primitive and tribalistic view that outsiders are not people, and therefore, can be destroyed, and those within our tribe are always "justified". Is it any wonder that CRWBY could not understand why Weiss assaulting a drunk civilian in Volume VII was met with criticism from the audience? (The Huntsmen were originally portrayed as extensions of the law, so what legal power do they have, and what laws are they enforcing or failing to enforce? Also, no police brutality concerns?) The entire point of the Ten Commandments is that they—safe for the Sabbath—apply to all peoples, not simply the Israelites, which include how Jews treat non-Jews (Jacob condemning his sons Simeon and Levi for avenging the rape of their sister, Dinah, by killing not only her rapist, but all the male inhabitants of Shechem, who were innocent). But what kind of barbarian requires a God to tell them not to murder, eh? After paying attention to the news for the past ten years, as well as reading history, my answer to that question has irrevocably changed. Moreover, I cannot help but notice that it is the lack of respect for God and faith which explains why CRWBY lack all respect for the dead—as much as the living—hence their treatment of Pyrrha, which is also a reflection of how they treat their real-life opponents (attacking them as soon as they die—old and young.)

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery: Since marriage means nothing in our modern world, so is the case with monogamy. Let us not beat around the bush: Blake and Yang are committing adultery against Sun, and this is celebrated as the holy of holies. This is not a shock, for if their voice actresses (Arryn and Barbara) sell erotic pictures of themselves on OnlyFans whilst being in relationships (as does Meg Turney, the voice actress of Neon Katt, who shockingly married Gavin Free), not to mention that the Rooster Teeth Company is filled with adulterers, perverts, and predators, of course it comes through in the show. What is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh, as they say.

I should not have to explain this Commandment, but since we live in this debaucherous era, I must: monogamy protects women and children, as well as channels men's urges into something deeply honourable and productive. You can see how RWBY Zealots are baffled by the fact that I am a Jaune fan who is cordially against him having a harem. Given that their ilk is pro polyamory, I do not understand their rebuking of the equally wrong perversions of certain Jaune "fans"—other than their general irrational hatred of the man, along with one or two, shall we say, amusing reasons. Moreover, RWBY R34 is replete with cuckoldry, regardless of the characters and relationships in question, as well as attacking ships via cuckoldry, with the humiliation of Jaune, Ren, and Ghira being the most common. A very nice and mentally-sound community, truly. Then there is the can of worms that is homosexuality and its offshoots (with regard to morally permissible behaviour), yet I think that is self-explanatory enough for the time being.

VIII. Thou shalt not steal: CRWBY have believed—at all times—that there is always a justification for breaking rules, no matter the context, and stealing is no exception. They have, on many occasions, stolen from the community without giving credit, as well as stealing from other series without understanding the deeper meaning, let alone how it coincides with what is in the show. After all, RWBY is not theirs to begin with, having stolen it from Monty (even before his death), as well as from Shenna and Shane, for in their minds, all is fair in love and war. (It is also why Luna and Shawcross have referred to RWBY as "theirs", slowly refraining from even mentioning Monty's name, or that he was even involved with creating it.) I should note that this Commandment extends thievery beyond property, which includes the stealing of peoples (kidnapped and sold into slavery), stealing their reputation, dignity, and trust (slandering a person's good name), and corruption (paying off officials to get better deals or change verdicts in courts, hence stealing justice).

When you look at how CRWBY have treated this show and its characters, you can see how little they care. Furthermore, the characters of RWBY, regardless of their execution, are from stories and properties that are not theirs, yet CRWBY possess not an ounce of respect for them or where they came from.

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbour: In the simplest terms: tell the truth and do not lie, for despite what people say, the root of all evil is not money, nor is it power; it is lies. This concept is impossible for both CRWBY and the show to comprehend, let alone adhere to. CRWBY have lied from the beginning of what Monty created, what was pre-planned and what was invented on the spot, what has been retconned and what is canon, what has happened and what will happen, and why they make the decisions that they do. (Then there is the uncomfortable fact that the very concept of RWBY was a lie, in that the show was not about hunting monsters, but rather a shitty marriage and political allegory.) Only when they say something so self-wounding do I believe it as the truth, for they do not know the implications of their statements, or they are convinced that there will not be consequences either way. Ask the same question to each writer without the other one knowing, and they will each give different answers, as we can verify from their statements over the past decade.

In RWBY, the "heroes" will shame others for lying, and then do it themselves immediately afterwards without acknowledgement, self-awareness, condemnation, or consequence. Moreover, just as the spreading of lies about the Jews resulted in their suffering (and eventually the Holocaust), and of the lies of the inferiority of blacks resulting in their suffering, and the lies of the superiority of Communism resulting in the deaths of over 100 million people, Blake and other Faunus maintain the lie of Humans oppressing Faunus, whilst they themselves commit acts of evil, including Illia lying about her past and her parents.

In the words of Gina Carano, "Don't try to ruin my life with lies, when your life can be ruined with the truth."

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house: thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbour's: In the simplest of terms, it is to not selfishly desire for things you cannot have, such as material wealth or another's lover or spouse. (This is the only thought-based Commandment, whereas the others are behavioural.) Recalling that Rooster Teeth is full of adulterers and divorcees, they also have a deep greed and jealousy of the rich, hence their constant Marxist commentary with Weiss and the Schnee Dust Company—Karl Marx loathed Judaism and Christianity for this very reason—as well as their unoriginal misunderstanding of Robin Hood, and the deifying of the poor. This can be extended by the natural popularity that some characters have (Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Sun, Roman, Taiyang, Kali, and to a degree, Weiss) in comparison to the characters they want to be popular (Ruby [somewhat], Yang, Blake, Team CFVY, Emerald, Neo, and any criminal off the street). Then there is the lusting CRWBY have to appear "virtuous" to their peers, wanting to "break boundaries" and "glass ceilings" as other series have—utterly ignoring their context and results, good or bad, of course. Their ilk does this often, and thus reveal their true colours when they complain that they were not showered with praise for changing yet another long-established character, or introducing a new DIE replacement. It is also why they were slowly trying to take control of RWBY whilst Monty was still alive, to which, upon his death, began to undo everything he had created (to the point that they claim entire ownership).

In the modern day, this commandment, that is to say, the opposite, is the holiest of mantras, for it is the core of so many people's worldview, including CRWBY's, as well as their Zealots. In fact, if we were to examine each of the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride), they are all treated as virtues, whereas the Seven Holy Virtues (Kindness, Temperance, Charity, Self-control, Humility, Diligence, and Patience) are held in deep contempt—charity especially, if we recall the Schnee fundraiser in Volume IV. A most thorough iconoclasm, which runs through every facet and vein of RWBY, as well as other contemporary series. As always, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20), and "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author. It does much more than that, it tells us the truth about its readers; and, oddly enough, it tells us this all the more the more cynical and immoral be the motive of its manufacture" (G.K. Chesterton).

Is it any wonder that RWBY, along with so many other franchises, became what they did?

Now, the point of all of this, despite what it may appear, was not to proselytize or convert the reader, or even to Bible thump, but rather to explain why there is no religion in RWBY when there clearly should have been (I was once very much like CRWBY in my hate for Christianity, so I can identify these things well), especially with what was in the show from the beginning. Magic, souls, and monsters are the reality of Remnant, so to not see any religiosity, even if it is a forgone conclusion as it is in The Wheel of Time, Shadow of the Conqueror, and other series, rends the world and the verisimilitude apart. In fact, it is the reality that it is a forgone conclusion that its absence is most felt. (I was floored by Qrow's baffling statement, "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real.") The very afterlife was confirmed—how was it not already before?—yet it does not affect the characters, let alone Team JNPR, in any way. The revelations of the Divine mean nothing to them, hence why Team RWBY—Ruby Rose worst of all—shirk responsibility in favour of their own wants and desires. They are fighting a holy war, and the holy has no significance whatsoever. (Has anyone even seen someone pray in this series?) Blasphemy does not even cover it—not by half—for this is also gross incompetence.

This is not unique to RWBY, however. The Harry Potter series, despite having an abundance of magic—including necromancy—as well as ghosts, never discusses religion. Even when Harry is hoping to see Sirius Black again after his death (as a ghost), there is no discussion or inquiries about the afterlife—and all we get is a bizarre "afterlife" presented as Platform 9¾ in The Deathly Hallows (2007). Is God real, or are the Old Gods real, given that this is magic? Spells are cast in a form of Vulgar Latin, yet Latin being the official language of the Catholic Church does not confirm that God and Jesus are real, for Latin was the language of the Roman Pagans first. If the spells were in Hebrew or Aramaic, then we could assume God is real, though this would raise pertinent questions ("You shall not tolerate a sorceress" [Exodus 22:17] and "Let no one be found among you…who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead" [Deuteronomy 18:10-11]).[15] In that same vein, if British magicians cast spells in Gaelic, French magicians in Gaulish, and Bulgarian magicians in Old Bulgarian, this would suggest that the Pagan gods are real, and are governing their own dominions. And yet, there is nothing in the books themselves on this matter…because Rowling had no interest in such things, with a possible argument being that she is simply writing children's novels, and such topics are too much for children to handle. I think that is patently absurd, though to be clear, this is simply my assumption of a possible argument, not me quoting of an official one. I am also unaware of anyone pondering upon this topic either…probably because Potterheads are too busy using the series to support their personal political agendas—Left and Right.

An example where it was handled better, albeit in a single scene, is in Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest (2006), where Pintel and Ragetti (the two comic relief pirates from Barbossa's crew) discuss that with them no longer being immortal, they have to care about their souls. When Pintel remarks, "You know you can't read", Ragetti replies, "It's the Bible. You get credit for trying", causing Pintel to shout at him, "Pretendin' to read the Bible's a lie! That's a mark against…" and repeatedly points to the Heavens.[16] Even if the heathen gods have some power, God is the One Above All, and these comic relief characters are reacting accordingly—for the most part—if not the rest of the cast

Let me be abundantly clear: I do not care if CRWBY believe in a Higher Power or not. What I do care about is that they care enough for the story and world it takes place in to do what is required of them, given the subject matter. RWBY is about warrior monster hunters blessed with divine powers to kill said monsters of Darkness, whilst the Queen of those monsters wants to destroy the world, as well as capture the four holy Maidens to use them against the Children of the Light and God(s). Ergo, Huntsmen are holy warriors, and they are to fight a Holy War against the Devil, or and evil sorceress who, as Maleficent said in Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959), "Now shall you deal with me…and all the powers of Hell!". CRWBY and their cadres can think religion is bunk all they want, for that is their right, but that belief cannot compromise the show they are writing. To cite an example, I am (at the time of this writing) reading the works of Father Montague Summers, they being treatises on vampires, werewolves, witches, and demons, all of which he believed as undeniable facts of life. Whether he was sane or not matters little, for if you are interested in such things and want to learn more, either for pleasure or to use as resources for your own works, you will appreciate the man's sincere dedication. Notwithstanding, CRWBY should have simply treated RWBY as a job and done it properly. No more, no less. Not sure how one does that when they do not truly care—there is a reason why CRWBY and their ilk much prefer sci-fi over Fantasy—but never mind. Instead, they treated it as a platform to virtue signal and to extend their paycheques before the company went under, thus delaying the inevitable of being forced to seek a real job again.

Alas, as I have covered in detail, for them to do what was needed would go against their own religion of Self (a false idol), as well as their utter misreading of John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667)—because you just know they would—which is why they, amongst other reasons, are so sympathetic toward Salem. They called her Salem for God's sake. For the record, the Salem Witch Trials were not what the public zeitgeist claims they were—did you know there were two Salems beside one another who hated each other, which heavily played into the accusations?—especially given that so many of the people responsible repented and denounced what they did, not to mention it was viewed relatively quickly as a tragedy by Americans in the very colonies where these trials occurred. Moreover, there were judiciaries involved that fought against the "spectral evidence" as proof of witchcraft ("It were better that Ten Suspected Witches should escape, than that one Innocent Person should be Condemned"; Increase Mather, President of Harvard College at Cambridge, and Teacher of a Church at Boston in New-England, October 3rd, 1692)[17], and men were accused and executed, not just women, including a Reverend. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850) was never written neither, I suppose. In fine, there are a thousand doubts about the guilt of those accused and murdered in those trials; there is none with Salem, so what argument is being made here? She was a woman, so she had her reasons? Par for the course.

I must also remind everyone that the Maidens were a last-minute concept they put into the story after Monty's death, where the Relics were the original plan, then were replaced by the Maidens in Volume III, and then the Maidens, the Relics, and the Vaults, were slammed together, thus CRWBY having to retcon on the go. And people have the gall to claim everything was pre-planned and that CRWBY knew what they are doing—especially when CRWBY openly said that they had no bloody clue. Also, they are called the Relics, not the Artefacts, and no one corrected me throughout the entirety of my writing of RWBY fics. Everyone cares deeply about the lore, you can tell.

Lastly, there are two points to raise with regard to this anti-Theist rejection by CRWBY, with the first being that it is also an affront to the very fairy tales that RWBY is allegedly based upon. When one takes the time to read the Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm, one will very quickly notice that religious piety is very present throughout all stories in one form or another. The separation of good and evil is presented via Judaeo-Christian morality, where the heroes are pious and God-fearing, and the villains are wicked, where even the Devil himself appears to create mischief. In my version of the Household Tales (1884 translation by Margaret Hunt), Jesus is only mentioned twice by name, yet God is mentioned 210 times, which does not include the use of "Lord" to identify Jesus and God, as well as Saints and Archangels being characters in a number of stories, and other Christian-related themes, terms, and rituals (Christendom, christening, Christmas, praying, et cetera). Then at the end of the Household Tales are the Children's Legends, which include St. Joseph, The Twelve Apostles, Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven, God's Food, The Three Green Twigs (about sinning and redeeming), and others, all of which are about God, piety, sinning, and redemption. Even in the Disney retellings, historian Paul Johnson explains, "By weaving animal characters into a moral tale, which was itself underpinned by the Judeo-Christian message of the Decalogue and the Sermon on the Mount—[Walt] Disney invented a new form of miracle play, a quasi-religious subculture which translated morally based fantasy into screen reality."[18] Things have obviously changed since Mr Disney's death, and that of his son's, Roy Edward Disney, which is quite reminiscent of what occurred with The Lord of the Rings after the deaths of Professor Tolkien and his son, Christopher.

The point of this deeply-intrenched inclusion of Christianity is, obviously, to instil good moral lessons in children at a young age in easier-to-comprehend stories than the Gospels, or even their parents scolding them when they do wrong. Since we all now know how immoral CRWBY are, it is not at all surprising that they would ignore this crucial element of European fairy tales, not to mention religion more broadly, but also how the most pious of heroes from said fairy tales (Cinderella, Snow-white, S. Jeanne d'Arc) are portrayed in RWBY as the parallel opposite via their in-spiritus incarnations—though Jaune, in spite of everything, bucks this injustice confusingly well. It is bad enough CRWBY reject heroism in Fantasy and storytelling whole cloth, but there is also the insult of doing so given the source of the morality of fairy tales (God), which only further enforces the reality that the Grimm Fairy Tales are nothing more than a veneer—hence Barbara's idiotic comments about Volume IX "going fairytale".

To be clear, this is not at all an argument that RWBY should have been a Christian work in the same way The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia were. However, regardless of ones own religious beliefs and feelings towards such concepts, if the characters of RWBY are based on good and moral heroes from these stories, who adhere to a good and moral God(s), then it should have been emulated here, especially in the face of the alleged plot. And no, this is not some demand to have the characters be a one-for-one copy from the fairy tales, but at least an attempt to have them be recognizable, rather than antithetical to the source. Alas, I am arguing in favour of morality and heroism to people who loathe and revile it, and who spend every waking moment worshiping themselves—and every genocidal bastard imaginable. Why, oh why, did they even bother to craft such a self-loathing show?

The second point regarding the Grimm Fairy Tales and religion, is about the Brothers (gods) themselves. As I said before, it is nothing more than a Dualistic slapdash "religion", which, in the grand scheme of things, has shockingly no significance to the story. (Why bother with it then?) That notwithstanding, it turns out that there is indeed a fairy tale in the Household Tales aptly called The Two Brothers, which, I suppose, is where CRWBY got the idea from. It is one of the longest stories in fact, giving it a proper plot and over-all development, as well as a much larger host of characters, who also have their time to grow and progress. "What is it about?" you may ask, for it is not at all one of the common tales we see and tell, and what did CRWBY take from (or ignore of) it?

In short, it is about two brothers, one rich and the other poor. The rich one was a goldsmith and evil-hearted. The poor one supported himself by making brooms, and was good and honourable. The poor one had two children, who were twin brothers, and were as like each other as two drops of water. When a golden feather was found, as well as the egg of the bird whom it belonged to, the rich brother wanted the golden bird itself. He knew what it was, and that it was "so wondrous a kind that whosoever ate its heart and liver found every morning a piece of gold beneath his pillow." When his wife roasted it, however, his starving nephews ate the heart and the liver when they fell from the bird, to which their aunt, upon learning of this, killed a young cock for its heart and liver and put them into the golden bird. The goldsmith ate it none the wiser. However, when his nephews woke up to discover gold under their pillow, and their father mentioned this miracle to his brother, he was outraged. He then told his brother, "Thy children are in league with the Evil One, do not take the gold, and do not suffer them to stay any longer in thy house, for he has them in his power, and may ruin thee likewise." The father feared the Evil One, and painful as it was to him, he nevertheless led the twins forth into the forest, and with a sad heart left them there.

The two brothers were then found by a Huntsman, who took pity on them as much as liked them, decided to adopt them as his own, and to apprentice them in Huntsmanship. Once they were old enough and passed his final trial, they decided to go into the world, for they "have now finished learning", and "must prove ourselves in the world." In doing so, they met a series of animals, who each gave up two of their children to save themselves. Taking pity on them, each brother took one as his own—a hare, a fox, a lion, a bear, and a wolf. They then went their separate ways for over a year, to which the younger brother decided to casually rescue a Princess by slaying a seven-headed dragon whom she was sent to as a sacrifice—aided by his animal companions.

Alas, whilst resting after the battle, a cowardly Marshal sneaks up on them and murders the Huntsman, forcing the Princess to attest to her father that it was he who slayed the dragon, all in order to marry her. When the animals awake, they find their master dead without his princess, and must find a magical root to revive him. Upon succeeding, the Huntsman, not knowing what else to do, traveled the world for a year, to which he at last arrived at the kingdom where the princess originated, and learned that it was her wedding day to the Marshal. With the help of his animals, he plans to enter the wedding by coordinating with the Princess, to which he reveals before the King that the Marshal is a liar, for the Huntsman had taken the tongues of the dragons as trophies after he had killed it, which the Marshal did not know when he took the heads as proof of "his" deeds. With the Princess confirming the truth, and very grateful of her requesting to wait a year and a day before marrying the Marshal to save her honour, the Marshal was sentenced to death by quartering, and the Huntsman married the Princess.

It was then, after a time, that when the Huntsman-King camped out during a hunt, he and his animals were turned to stone by a witch. It is then that the elder brother finds the magic knife they were given the year before, where one side has rusted, indicating that his brother is dead, but not forever, for the other side is still pristine. Searching for his brother, he learns of what has happened (that his brother is missing), and decides to impersonate him to learn more (and assure the Kingdom that their King is not dead), before setting off to find his brother's trail. He succeeds in luring in the witch, and seeing through her deception, tries to kill her. When lead bullets fail, he melts his silver buttons and brings her down, forcing her to return not only his brother and animals, but all the others she tricked and captured, back to life. Together again, they return to the palace, and they, as well as their father and foster-father, lived happily ever after.

So, as you can see, CRWBY followed this fairy tale very faithfully…and why I have never reconsidered my "erasure" of the Brothers—not even once. Also, for the sake of thoroughness, there are many brother-tales in this book, including The Three Brothers, The Four Skillful Brothers, and The Twelve Brothers, as well as a strong emphasis on siblings more broadly throughout the omnibus. Far more ancient examples are an Egyptian narrative called The Tale of the Two Brothers, which was written on a papyrus manuscript dated 1225 BC—though it is very much suspected to have been an oral story first, and bears no similarity to RWBY—as well as the tales of strife between Cain and Abel, Issac and Ishmael (to a much lesser extent), Jacob and Esau, Moses and Aaron, and even between sisters such as Rachel and Leah, in the Torah/Old Testament. That said, I must stress that I do not believe for a moment that any of this played into CRWBY's commixture.

From beginning to end, RWBY amounts to nothing.

To end this segment, I honestly hope that no one was insulted by what I have said—if you are not a believer, why would you care?—and you understand that my argument is against the problems with the show caused by CRWBY's anti-theological wonts—an iconoclasm that includes the entirety of the West—as well as Monty's lack of foresight. I saw it as impossible, and even irresponsible, to not explain the how as well as the why to this religion issue with RWBY, given the subject matter of the show itself. Furthermore, as I mentioned previously, I was likeminded to CRWBY once, being very bigoted against Christians for many years, "converting" to Ásatrú paganism to be "spiritual" without proper religious commitment, and being a proper asshole to Christians online, especially Americans. In my defense, I was still honest about the importance of the Ten Commandments and other Biblical teachings, nor did I become an anti-Semite. It is because of this shameful past of mine that, in part, drives me to polemically chide CRWBY in this exegesis—morally and intellectually—just as strongly as I do because I am a fan of Fantasy and of RWBY itself. I know many will not see it this way, but what else can I do but be honest and true to what I believe?

Whatever your religious belief—Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, Mormon/LDS, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikhism, agnostic, atheist—I just hope you understand the mechanical issues, as well as the moral, and that my solutions are appropriate and done well, in order to achieve a strong verisimilitude. Amusingly, even the skeptic community, as well as the most infamous militant anti-Theist, Richard Dawkins, has admitted that the destruction of Christianity means the end of the West, and he now calls himself a "Cultural Christian". Funny that. Voltaire, the selective fool, who said, "I have no morals, yet I am a very moral person", also said "I want my lawyer, my tailor, my servants, even my wife to believe in God, because it means that I shall be cheated and robbed and cuckolded less often. …If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him", meaning he too realized that without God, chaos reigns. Who would have guessed such a thing? Moreover, as the English atheist theologian Don Cupitt wrote in 2008, "Nobody in the West can be wholly non-Christian. You may call yourself non-Christian, but the dreams you dream are still Christian dreams",[19] which explains why people resonate with such themes in the West, as well as why people like CRWBY utilize Judaeo-Christian structures, albeit deeply perverted forms. As always, they desire the semblance of something, rather than the essence of it, which is why their Wokeism is their new religion. To use an often-repeated quote attributed to Chesterton, "When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything."

Also, I am well aware that I have a surprisingly high number of Christians of many denominations (Baptists, Catholics, Protestants, and others who have not defined themselves) within my readership, so I suspect that they will not be against what I have written. You know who you are.

Lastly, and I dare say this is the most important point that must be reiterated and stressed, the schwérpunkt of JADA is religious in nature, for Jaune and the rest of the heroes are facing the greatest of evils in the name of the greatest good—the alleged "plot" of the show. Jaune, whether he is happy about it or not, has had a mission thrusted upon him from on High, as is the case for Oscar, so I hope that the strong religious undertones do not come across as sudden and out of place—the first chapter should have made it clear enough to the reader.

I must say it was a weird experience in trying to write a Bible, but hey, that is what is required when you decide to write Epic High Fantasy. I wish someone had told Monty and CRWBY that. Also, in order to write this chapter, I reread the Bible for the first time in fifteen or so years. Let us just say that it caused me to take pause and reflect.

Post Scriptum: In Chapter IV and V, I touched on the plot and moral issue with Ren and Nora not being taken in by an orphanage, as well as there not being a system to look after gifted children in Remnant. Since we are on the topic of religion, I wanted to now include a verse I stumbled across: James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being stained by the world". Christians have always been the most motivated to look after orphans and babies given up for adoption, for they believe that they are instructed by God to do so. Makes complete sense to me, as well as why it is missing from Remnant.

What Happened to the Damn Moon?

Yes, I gave an explanation as to how the moon was shattered in RWBY. If there was one question that everyone was asking since the beginning—or at least I was—it was "what the Hell happened to the moon?" And with every passing volume without it being answered, the more pressing it (seemingly) was to find the truth. And you know what? I cannot recall why I and others cared so much. Also, I am aware that CRWBY did indeed at last answer that question...but I have not bothered to look, for I can only tolerate so many headaches at a time, and I frankly do not care.

The reason for such a decision on my part, is that when you take so long to answer a question like that, it makes the answer far from satisfying, and rarely validates the hype. Please believe me when I say that I thought long and hard on what the cause of the shattering could be, and nothing I could think of felt good enough. I did think of connecting it to Paladinism (my Valian sect of the Starseeker religion) and Salem, but I found it caused too many issues for the plot. In the end, I stuck with the theological route—going back to the making of the world, rather than a more recent development—and I think it worked out nicely. Not only does it explain how the moon shattered, but also how the stars and Dust were made, though it does not mean that Dust is purely natural, even if it came from "the sky".

I can only hope that the reader will enjoy this change, even if it is, admittedly, a peccadillo, yet I felt it notable enough to make note of it.

In Conclusion

Before we go, I would like to reiterate that I never intended to insult anyone decent of any religious affiliation with this chapter, though I always knew that the likelihood was quite high. Clearly, it was not enough to stop me from writing it, for the truth and importance of it to JADA and RWBY was too great to ignore any further. As I explained in "Religion: The Hope of the Masses", the degree to which this absence of religion in RWBY effects the story, went beyond the issues of the genre and the world of Remnant itself. It is in my view that to explain the "how" whilst avoiding the "why" in all things, not just when discussing RWBY, is both negligent and self-defeating, for not asking "why" is precisely why this show has become what it has. I fully recognize that it is not fun to do, as well as the subject matter being difficult to discuss without causing heartburn, or any other discomfort—for myself and for the reader. As G.K. Chesterton perfectly put it—in 1936—"Religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free to discuss religion. In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it." Nevertheless, the truth is the truth. If you can acknowledge and accept the "how" (the importance of faith in RWBY given its story of divine good against evil in a High Fantasy setting), then you must do the same for the "why" (CRWBY's exclusion of it and their disdain for it due to Leftist anti-Theism). You do not have to be religious or of a different political persuasion to see that the lack of religion in RWBY is a problem, nor in order to see that CRWBY allowed their biases to get in the way of telling the story properly. If you cannot, then in the words of Immanuel Kant, "If the truth kills them, let them die".

To those who appreciated this correction and the accompanying explanation, regardless of religious and party affiliation, I thank you for reading this chapter, and to those who were too insulted to continue reading, then I thank you for reading for this long. Since convincing people is virtually impossible when they are closeminded, I now strive for clarity over agreement. Saves us all time and the headache.

Rooster Teeth Is Gone for Good

As announced on May 16th, 2024, Rooster Teeth said goodbye for good. The cockatrice has been slain by the virtue that there were no more innocent victims to consume, rather than meeting its end at the point of a hero's spear. They literally hated themselves to death, destroying or hiding their own legacy, until there was nothing left. The wheels of justice move slowly and remorselessly upon their path, but they reach their goal eventually, grinding the treacherous exceedingly fine. I suppose I will have that glass of Iceberg vodka on the rocks now.

RWBY Bought by VIZ Media

"Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again."

—Gandalf the Grey, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 2 "The Shadow of the Past"

On July 1st, 2024, RWBY was scrubbed from Crunchy Roll, and it was assumed that at long last, it was gone for good. After some radio silence, the official RWBY Twitter account simply tweeted "Soon"—as in the bizarre emoticon. This could have meant anything—Ice Queendom Season 2, yet another unwanted comic, game, Manga rewrite, or overpriced merchandise—but as I always feared, it was the announcement that RWBY would survive: the rights for RWBY were purchased by VIZ Media.

I would like to take this moment to state two very important things:

I. To any who think that this is a good thing, I demand for you to explain to me as to why. VIZ Media's reputation has been deeply sullied these past several years, so why people are "excited" over this I do not know. The Japanese (VIZ is American) cannot fix RWBY, for all they would do is sexualize the female cast…and that is it. I have honestly become quite disillusioned with Japan, especially with Anime and Manga, which are riddled with plot-holes, toxic relationships, and more tropes than archetypes, as well as being replete with some rather untenable cultural differences. The Shonen genre has honestly been in shocking decline since the turn of the millennium, with Naruto being patient zero. All the reasons that drove me away from Western media to Anime, have now driven me back to the West; akin to a long-suffering sinner back to his church, seeking repentance. One of the major reasons as to why I fell in love with RWBY was that it seemed to take the style of Anime and combine it with superior Western storytelling, yet what we got was the worst of both on four counts (Japanese style and storytelling, and Western style and storytelling). Also, just so all are aware, Rooster Teeth and VIZ have been partners for years, going back to, at least, 2019.

II. RWBY is irreparable. Whilst I am happy that the majority of people now recognize that the show must be rebooted from the start, something I have been telling anyone who would listen for over five years, too many are ignorant of what that actually entails. I have lost track of how many "fans" wish to preserve so many of the elements that killed RWBY, even if they are advocating for the purge of all Rooster Teeth members, including the troika (Luna, Shawcross, and Rivas). I have even seen people include the disastrous Volume III as part of the "Monty canon", despite it undoing so much of what he set up, as well as being a catastrophe from stem to stern. In the main, the lack of comprehension of all the severe enormities of RWBY, as well as the degree of knowledge and experience required to write RWBY correctly—all of which were missing from CRWBY and the audience (Zealots and fans)—is why I go to such lengths to write my stories as I do, including the voluminous notes.

Allow me to say this sharply—because I see no value in being so neglectful as to resort to using blunt instruments: RWBY was dead to begin with. It was never developed beyond the initial concept, to which everyone involved, including Monty Oum himself—by his own admission—flew by the seat of their pants, stumbling every step of the way, and never recovered. There was no planning whatsoever, where nearly all basic tenets were flawed or missing, as well as RWBY being fundamentally flawed on all fronts. It rejected Western Canon as much as it did Eastern, which is precisely why it never had an audience, for CRWBY's deep contempt for what makes Western Fantasy and Anime is severely intrenched, thus present in every frame. It was and is unpopular, hence it never breaking even, let alone reaching profitability. Everyone involved joined for political and sycophantic motives, mainly to massage their own egos, never once wishing to tell a genuine story; for, to quote Miles Luna, "I think it could be interesting and really important to have a show with you know, some segregation, and let's talk about racism and minorities and stuff". This show was pitched as Harry Potter crossed with monster-hunting Anime and European fairy tales—none of which we got passed a few episodes during the first two volumes. The truth comes out eventually, though it hindsight, the signs were there. And whilst CRWBY are fully guilty for making the show so much worse, Monty is deserving of far more of the blame than any one of us—myself included—were willing to attribute to him. He was not a storyteller, and went about RWBY the wrong way, every single time, including the Faunus, whose sinister political purpose was Monty's invention, whether we like that fact or not. The characters are not the embodiment of legendary characters and figures combined with their own unique characters traits, but rather are nothing more than self-inserts by unqualified work-friends and work-girlfriends (and ex-girlfriends and ex-wives). Every aspect of this show was either born from ignorance, or for politicking and virtue-signalling (or a combination thereof), rather than storytelling, and the vast majority of these cogs are so untenable that they must either be heavily refitted, or thrown out wholesale.

This is why I am so frustrated with people's reactions to RWBY being bought, as well as RWBY as a whole, for they are engaging in the same retconning as CRWBY and the Zealots have. Volumes I and II are deeply flawed, with Volume I Chapter VI "The Emerald Forest Part I" having Jaune torpedoing the show by asking questions about Aura that should have gotten him thrown out by Pyrrha herself, as they utterly undermine everything about the show—concept, magic system, the characters, the Huntsmen more broadly, and the world—thus truly killing RWBY in its cradle. Yes, RWBY in concept is fantastic and has many tools at its disposal for greatness, but lying to make ourselves feel better aids no one. The level of research needed to make RWBY work is practically Sisyphean, yet everyone who knows RWBY—CRWBY, Zealots, and fans—are so uninformed about RWBY and the giants that it sits upon (Western literary classics, Anime, Fantasy, history, et cetera), that they cannot fully grasp what is wrong with it in the first place. I do not say this out of arrogance, for when people wish to keep the Faunus "racism" subplot, keep the villains, keep the Relics, keep bloody Yellowjacket, not to mention avoiding acknowledging how guilty CRWBY are for ruining characters like Jaune—who is still considered more controversial than Blake…the character whose very existence ruined the show, hence my referring of her as bête noire—I get massive headaches. I have seen great critical analysis and repairs to RWBY over this past decade, yet they are few and far in between, and the majority fall terribly short of what is truly required, including r/RWBYCritics, HeroHei, Adel Aka, HBomberGuy (total wanker), Celtic Pheonix, Coeur de Lion, and whoever else.

This misguided belief that RWBY has been "carried by fan-fiction" is preposterous, for not only is the vast majority of it terrible—keeping to "canon" and inventing one's own being both self-defeating ventures—but the "canon" that so many believe, including false assumptions made of both Monty and CRWBY's, was entirely invented by fan-fiction, thus clouding everyone's judgement. And for the record, a story that cannot carry itself is not worth anything. I cannot even say that I am the one to fix RWBY, for despite the many things I am proud of and will fight for, I cannot ignore the major problems that I either turned a blind eye to rather than fix (Dust and the Vytal Tournament), or came up with solutions that I know have emotional merit, but not objective intellectual merit (Ren and Nora's backstory). To do this right, we are looking at a conservative estimate of ten years of preparation, followed by another ten–fifteen years of animation, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. The only other viable option is a novel series à la The Wheel of Time, and, to a far lesser extent, as a Manga/graphic novel series, though the preparatory requirements remain effectively the same.

As I have said before—in previous chapters and stories—RWBY was dead on arrival, but in reality, it was dead before it even began. That is why it refuses to go away; for if it was never alive, it cannot die. It is not a "zombie show" as everyone likes to refer to it as, but rather a Frankenstein's Monster; dead parts stitched together and forcibly brought to life by its creator(s), to which the realization that it was nothing more than a soulless automaton, resulting in it lashing out at everyone, and loathing its own existence. But instead of its creators seeking to destroy it, it would become the Peter Cushing interpretation of Dr Frankenstein, ceaselessly believing that it can work, burning every bridge, hurting so many others, and running from safehouse to safehouse, all to keep the dream alive. The moral of the novel by Mary Shelly was that Victor Frankenstein embraced debunked, nonsensical "science" rather than sound, traditional reasoning, in order to, as Colin Clive exclaimed in his portrayal of "Henry" Frankenstein, "know what it feels like to be God!". To make a now "safe" joke (this was written after the June 27th debate), RWBY is like Joe Biden: dead from the start, held up by lies and a complacent media and sycophants, who defamed those who held genuine concerns, and all will suffer in this game to maintain this charade, despite 80% of people knowing the emperor has no clothes.

To those who are now thinking that I am being overly defeatist, and that we can at least get an ending to the story, I have but one question: what bloody story? I have been asking that one for a few years now, and I have yet to be provided with a single response. RWBY going forward unchanged will be throwing gasoline onto smoldering ashes, and a full reboot will, given the nature of VIZ and RT's continued involvement, be brutally disappointing at best, and completing the desperate dream of retconning all that Monty set down at worst—id est CRWBY's bête noire, Yang and Blake's heterosexuality. Hooray.

Alas, all I can do is continue to write my stories, and provide thorough notes. I know that the latter enrages my detractors, and that my "hate" is insane or "too mean" to handle, I have but this to say: if RWBY was made with contempt, it shall be annihilated with contempt. All I must do is make it entertaining, as well as provide a better alternative. If I don't, who will?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all next time. Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year.

Post Scriptum: Kerry Shawcross guested on the Morning Somewhere Podcast (never heard of it), informing them that there is no RWBY news, and that VIZ is "working on stuff", though have spoken to him, leaving him "still feeling good about things". Nice and vague, and could very well be blind optimism or fibbing, yet I am hoping VIZ's slow walking is due to them reconsidering this venture, realizing that it is not at all viable. Then again, the economy is poised to rebound, so they might chance it, as did many other studios from 2016–2020.

What is far more shocking, however, is Burnie Burns wishing to return to the series, and desiring a "14-episode Taiyang arc in V10". That is ludicrous, and the only viable explanation is that Burnie wants (or needs) a paycheck, for why else would he want to return and ruin his character further, given how he and his company were treated. Notwithstanding, I greatly suspect that the man has no idea how much the community hates Taiyang after the events of Volume IV (where Taiyang acted near completely in character, as did Yang, in that particular scene). I can only see this going poorly, especially since he is demanding something that CRWBY were unable to achieve with any character over the course of nine volumes, and will only ruin Tai further—which I am also certain he is unaware occurred via CRWBY's malice as well. And if, by the grace of God, they do write something good for Tai—which I have no faith in them achieving—it will only hurt the previous volumes, not uplift them. I am personally insulted, as I very much like Taiyang, respected Burnie as a person—especially his comments and understanding of his character—and because I have great plans for Taiyang in this story. Alas, this could all be Stockholm syndrome for him, which is a terrible curse for all of us who care for RWBY.

I suppose this only serves as further encouragement for me to keep writing. God help us all.

References

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