Unbelievable was an understatement to describe the event that followed what could be considered the end of a Kingdom... or should have been the end.
While the forces of Vale came forward to fight the darkness that threatened to engulf everything, and the masses sought shelter to protect themselves until help arrived, Bullheads went against orders and any protocol by selfishly flying over the area to record the coming attack.
Worse yet, there was the audacity to broadcast in real-time, something destined to nurture the panic and fear of others, and consequently worsen the disaster about to happen.
Perhaps that was the exact reason they decided to do it. Given the present extreme situation, what difference would it make to aggravate the masses? Not one, since the potentially catastrophic outcome, would remain the same, and Ozpin hated the logic behind such a conclusion.
That was no different than skepticism where there was no hope at all in the assembled force ready to die protecting life.
However, this was the broken world that Remnant was, inhabited by sentient beings just as broken and only a miracle could remedy the situation caused by yet another of his mistakes... or the most dangerous gamble of his many lives since he decided to trust Salem and tell her about the relics.
Uchiha Sasuke, the unknown young man who came out of nowhere and has shaken hearts and minds around the world, partly without even knowing it.
His good looks and peculiar eyes were a delight to the female public and this was a good thing, helping to keep away the negativity so common among young people, even if it was only a temporary fever.
There was one thing, however, where this young man possessed the strange ability to instill fear in those around him. An ability... worrisome, to say the least, and should be considered dangerous, especially with the considerable reach and absurd effect resulting, having experienced it on his own skin when interrogating this young man at the police station.
Had it been James in his place, the General would certainly have locked the boy in a cell at the same second... or failed trying, possibly paying with his own life, given what happened later.
Still, even knowing all this, Ozpin wanted to believe in this young man's potential and desire to join his school, where he could keep an eye on him.
Then, Ozpin felt his heart sink when animosity so intense and dark that it filled him with fear to believe from the bottom of his heart that a Fragment of Darkness had decided to reveal itself after so long, or even worse, the God of Darkness himself had returned to unleash chaos.
In fact, Ozpin couldn't even remember the last time he felt his heart sink, and on this day that unpleasant feeling resurfaced in the worst way.
He immediately took the initiative to calm himself, as did Glynda who was with him and trembling for good reason, contact James for help and mobilize all available forces, for he already knew what was coming, and conduct an emergency transmission to try to contain the mass panic that had been generated.
The transmission definitely had the intended effect to the extent possible, but the media made it worse by showing the calamity advancing toward the kingdom with the addition of a Wyvern that was already catastrophic by itself.
Who could have imagined that such a thing was lying dormant so close to Vale?
Salem certainly had a hand in this little big surprise, seriously leading him to consider whether that young man was really involved with her and this was all part of a plan to bring down yet another kingdom.
Not this time, he recalls thinking as he held The Long Memory, considering using all the power stored in this weapon to prevent such calamity and even giving this life in the process if necessary to make up for yet another mistake in an almost endless list.
Fortunately, it was something that proved unnecessary soon after.
On the walls of Vale, where the frightened defenses were focused to receive the wave and all its destruction, a hooded figure stood atop the central watch.
Ozpin, who was doing his best as Headmaster, could only see these events via transmission and so, like everyone else, he couldn't see the face or clothing worn beneath that black cloak adorned in red clouds, but thanks to his sensitivity to magic, he could sense who or what it was.
It was not a Fragment or the God of Darkness, but Uchiha Sasuke.
Seeing the one causing all this ruckus standing there watching the results of his sick work, made Ozpin's blood boil in a way, again, long forgotten.
Boldness and disrespect could not even describe the attitude of this young man he let walk out of the police station without any punishment for destroying a store and inflicting fear on those around him.
Worse yet, soon after, scaring an entire kingdom and set in motion its downfall.
However, Ozpin was never so happy to be wrong before in his life.
The boy, or whatever he was, possibly some kind of divine entity that didn't belong in this world given his choice of words in referring to Remnant as a foreign place, did the impossible by changing the dark nature of his soul into something benevolent and creating great metal stars to rain down upon the Grimm, controlling them with deadly precision through wires illuminated by black lightning that wasn't provided by Dust, yet being different from the magic he knew, much more similar to the power used by the Gods Ozpin had the misfortune to meet until he obliterated each of those things with absurd ease.
Although more and more questions came up, it seemed that none of it mattered when even that Wyvern was being torn apart until there was nothing left.
What should have been a catastrophe had become a blessing in disguise.
The Grimm, every single one of them that surrounded Vale for generations and beyond, were exterminated without exception in a matter of seconds!
Thousands of these creatures, an amount that could not be destroyed even in dreams, ceased to exist all at once!
Out of nowhere, Vale had become the safest kingdom in the world!
This time, the gamble had not only paid off, but had compensated for many of the mistakes made, and with good reason.
Now the initiation would really have to be different than usual. Possibly the last initiation, if Ozpin could get this Uchiha Sasuke to work on his side.
With a fighting force like that, the world could be cleansed of the Grimm to the point that those born in the Land of Darkness could never grow in numbers to become a threat again!
Even the Fragments, those things created by hand by the God of Darkness, could be destroyed!
That way, Ozpin had just the right place for the next initiation to take place if Uchiha Sasuke kept his original intent, which he believed to be the case considering that the peculiar young man had concealed his identity during the correction of the mistake made.
If all went well, during this upcoming initiation, an unprecedented problem and threat to this age devoid of magic could be solved without the need for the power stored in his weapon or, as a last resort, risking one of the relics by bringing it back into the world.
Soon, after yet another dangerous gamble that Ozpin would not hesitate to place his chips on, the world itself would become a safer place and who knows, the purpose of his cursed life will come to an end.
Amidst the darkness of a place desolated since the beginning of time, screams and more screams echoed along with the thundering display of rage from a woman who hated anomalies as much as she hated being contradicted.
On this day, both came to pass when some unknown entity appeared to demonstrate enough darkness to make her mistake its existence for that of one of the gods who had cursed her!
All she wanted was to be able to tear this bastard apart!
Her Grimm, all the creatures under her control around Vale, that she had taken the trouble to accumulate over the years while waiting for the right day to attack, went mad all at once in front of the unmeasurable temptation of the darkness provided by a single being and fled from her control!
If she couldn't sense the Aura; the soul present, Salem would be certain that at least one of those cursed Fragments, certainly one of the most powerful, had decided to do something after so long.
Only one of those things could remotely demonstrate such a level of power and obscurity.
As an answer to her theory, the essence of darkness in her black veins pulsed harder and she rushed to a window of her castle, shattered by her anger, and focused on the Grimm pool that was bubbling with activity from that which still dwelled in its depths.
This thing wasn't just a Fragment of Darkness, rare as they were, but the last Grimm created, made in the very image of the God of Darkness and currently the most powerful entity in the world whose power could only be rivaled by that stored in a Relic... or should be.
The greater the hatred and frustration displayed by this foreign Aura, the more and more the pool bubbled up in response, just as Salem's anxiety grew at not knowing what to do about any of this.
Surely, if this thing decided to wake up and walk upon the earth once again, its siblings would follow it closely and her plans would come to fruition by putting humanity in a situation where gathering the relics was a must and this would result in the return of the gods. Considering the state the world was in, full of discord and resentment, the judgment given by the brothers of light and darkness would be one, and destruction of everything would be the punishment, so the death she so desired would be right there, but not her revenge against them for all they had done to her.
On the other hand, these things, the Fragments, each of them were sentient entities that chose to remain dormant until the predestined return of their creator and the one inhabiting the Grimm pool wasn't just the most powerful, but also the most loyal and obedient.
The pride of darkness, Luciel, what are you going to do? Salem asked with closed fists, feeling even her morbid heart beating in her chest as never before from the anxiety provided by no longer being in control of the events of this world. That's because if there was a reaction from Luciel, however small, it was the same as recognizing that the owner of this Aura really did resemble the God of Darkness, or as a threat. So what the hell are you waiting for?! She pierced pure rock from the castle wall with her fist to spill blood and release magic from her body in waves of increasing irritation. Wake up once and for all and confront this usurper!
Then everything changed.
Salem, through the remaining connection with her out-of-control Grimm, could feel that intoxicating hatred and anger diminish; change to the point where it baffled her. Reaching a point of neutrality was one thing, almost impossible, but compared to going from blind hatred to love?
What in the name of the gods was this thing?!
The nature of a soul could change with time, usually for the worse, Salem herself was an example of this, but like this, in seconds, and from darkness to light?!
There was no such thing!
This was no different than feeling the God of Darkness transform into the God of Light!
This was disgusting!
She and her Grimm could not stand such contradiction and anomaly as much as the positivity demonstrated, even more so when it was all provided by the same twisted source!
A soul darkened by hate and illuminated by love, what kind of broken entity was this?!
The turmoil in the Grimm pool still existed, yet Salem could feel within herself the conflicting change provided by the confusion of the undecided Fragment.
Understandable, there was nothing and no one with an iota of logic who wouldn't find themselves in that position.
However, Luciel was not a nothing, much less a nobody. This thing was literally a piece of the God of Darkness, created to assist its creator in a possible fight against the opposing light.
Luciel, like the other Fragments, were literal weapons made to fight a god!
So why was he hesitating to confront this anomaly?!
Suddenly, a terrifying answer was given to her question.
The Grimm who were advancing amidst madness and rage to destroy the light of the soul that should be dark; the lost supreme meal, began to vanish one by one at an incomprehensible speed.
The army beyond her control, formed on a scale she could only dream of having, much less control, was disappearing!
In a matter of seconds, thousands of Grimm ceased to exist, and Salem could understand the reason for Luciel's hesitation.
The power of this unknown entity was beyond measure!
This thing was on the level of a god!
One wrong move and the worst result could happen, even for a proud weapon like Luciel.
The bubbling of the pool reluctantly calmed down, yet the uneasiness was still present.
Wait and see, Salem could almost hear this line of thought resonating through the essence of darkness that coursed through her veins and hated to have to agree.
Things just changed, all plans needed to be revised and information gathered before any move was made.
Having the power of the maidens became a must, as did the relic of knowledge.
Really, Salem hated anomalies like those silver-eyed bearers as much as being contradicted, but fortunately, she knew how to be patient and hold a grudge.
Under the setting of a reddish sun, the land that once contained life had become barren, covered with dry plants, and of the water reserves, nothing remained. On this death-stained horizon, only bones of what once lived were there to remind the presence of the entities responsible for this outcome.
"What a boring harvest," Momoshiki had the skull of one of these pathetic creatures in hand, unable to provide enough nutrients for a mere meal. "And a waste of time... again."
Shattering this useless piece of bone, this god was tired of these snacks.
When was the last decent meal he had? A decade ago? Or a century? It was difficult to keep his perception on such a futile subject as the passage of time, relevant only to mortals.
"A thousand pardons, my lord," Kinshiki was on his knees not far from his master, embarrassed by yet another poorly done job. "Without the stolen information, finding life-rich planets is getting... complicated."
Momoshiki paid no attention to the incompetence of his only servant, pondering what to do next, especially when there was truth in what was said.
Kaguya and Isshiki were traitors who disappeared for well over a few centuries, taking with them the location of tasty planets that had been marked for harvesting previously. Although this god and kinshiki could not locate them, almost as if those two had disappeared, he was sure they were still breathing freely, enjoying their mediocre lives by being too far away to be relevant when there were other stops to be made.
That was, until now.
Besides, those two knew that Momoshiki was not the forgiving, much less the forgetful type for unfinished matters. He could imagine the fear holding their hearts for all this time, always waiting for his imminent arrival but which never happened.
Imagining this kind of torment befalling them for a millennium was satisfying to the point of distorting a smile on his face.
"Who knows, maybe it's about time we put an end to those two?" On this day, Momoshiki was finally able to sense, even vaguely, the presence of that woman in a distant dimension. "She seems to have stopped hiding like a coward after all."
Isshiki, on the other hand, still remained missing, which was odd, but he could imagine why.
Betraying simply was in the nature of traitors.
Exactly why there would be no absolution and the punishment would be a fate worse than death by becoming the sacrifice to grow a divine tree.
Yes, a decent meal. Momoshiki's mouth watered just remembering something so succulent and long since tasted, he couldn't wait. However, before he could give the order to begin a long journey to Kaguya, the cold touch of a morbid Chakra washed over him. "Ohh~"
How long had it been since something delicious and familiar like this had shown itself by its own free will?
"Lord Momoshiki," Kinshiki said cautiously, watching his master's reaction and begin to plot a route to the source of this powerful Chakra.
"Yes, I felt it too," Momoshiki couldn't help but smile even more as he got to his feet. "How interesting. It looks like one of us, but at the same time, it's different..."
"A half-blood, perhaps?" It wouldn't be the first time a Clan member got involved with sentient beings from another world, Kinshiki knew.
"Something like that," Momoshiki didn't pay much interest to that detail, more focused on the power demonstrated. "Who knows, perhaps an addition to our numbers, or..." he licked his lips, "a tasty meal?"
"A change of plans, my Lord?" a rhetorical question, yet necessary to receive the command that would result in Kinshiki's chance to redeem himself.
"Yes, that would be ideal, given the proximity of this Chakra," Momoshiki would change the order of things, leaving other worlds for later, as well as, "Kaguya will have to wait a little longer for her punishment, don't you agree?"
A question Kinshiki didn't dare answer, not when his opinion was irrelevant.
"Kinshiki," Momoshiki made up his mind, hardly being able to wait! "Begin the preparations for our departure immediately!"
"Yes, my Lord!" Kinshiki disappeared along with his orders, treating to execute his duty as soon as possible!
"Soon, bastard descendant of my clan," Momoshiki opened his hands with a pair of blood-red Rinnegans, distorting his smile to the level of madness as he exhaled his own Aura composed of the cry of all the lives consumed over millennia. "I will show you what darkness truly means!"
He would show it to all the worlds that were destined to become a part of him!
About the Fragments of Darkness, You guys don't have to worry about Ocs, because I know that nobody likes them. These Grimm, which are based on the seven princes of hell and deadly sins, are meant to create more challenging enemies and make the story more interesting, both to write and to read. How? this you will have to wait and see.
I hope you understand.
As for the complaints, which have a certain amount, mainly made by the same guest, I am making a note to answer everything as best I can and will post it as if it were a chapter or leave it on my profile, I don't know yet, but I will. Because, contrary to the pessimistic expectations of some, I listen to what you say and consider it.
As for the next chapter, it will be on the last day of the month.
That's all I guess, so review, and if you want to support me and read ahead take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
Until the next one.