42 Chapter 36 - "The One You Will Come To Love Someday" (1/2)
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A few weeks ago, Jens was summoned to this majestic, yet amazing world, and a girl named Angel helped him out to meet up with the love of his life, Emilia. Together they had defeated the Blood Hunter, Elsa Granhiert. Right now, that girl, Angel was standing a few meters away from Jens, and like that, she ran towards Jens and gave him a hug.
Angel : ”I am so glad you're alright.”
Jens widens his eyes and gives her a hug back. After a few seconds, they let go each other and Angel looks around, noticing familiar faces.
Angel : ”Jens… Even Yang? Such an amazing reunion. I never expected you all to appear here.”
Jens : ”What are you doing here Angel?”
Lisa : ”It appears my message was perfectly timed, wasn't it Kanade?”
Angel nodded.
Melissa : ”What are you talking about Tattletale?”
Angel : ”After the Conquest against the Witch Cult, Tattletale appeared at the Camp meeting, and I was standing there as guard. She informed the other camps about this Event, and other kinds of information. Once I heard that the Barrier was collapsing, I knew that Emilia would be there, and now that I see Jens alive, it means you did a great job protecting each other.”
Lisa : ”Mhm! It's basically my fault that she came here.”
Joking around, Tattletale puts her hands behind her hair and whistles.
Melissa : ”So you entered the Barrier, just for the sake of Jens and the ones you know? Quite a Lugnician Mage you are.”
Angel : ”I'm not an Angel Human. I am a human, so entering and leaving the Barrier wouldn't be a problem.”
Melissa sighs and looks towards the ground. Seeing this, Angel decides to interfere with the current situation.
Angel : ”So what are you all planning to do now? Repower the Barrier?”
Yang : ”Well, Kanade, as you might've noticed. We got some… Minor problems to deal with as well.”
Angel looked behind the group, and noticed an unconscious Damsel of Distress in a Yang Prison.
Angel : ”People are attacking the—”
Then, after looking more around, she noticed corpses and spray's of blood on buildings. She narrows her eyes slowly and twitches her tongue.
Jens : ”Yeah… We should head towards Temple, and deal with the ones that are standing in our—”
??? : ”Can I have you attention please!”
Suddenly, a loud, piercing voice flew through the ears of everyone in the area. It was the voice of a familiar one, but Jens couldn't figure out who it was.
??? : ”Prepare for a great battle! A majestic one! A phenomenal one! Team History is attacking the Sanctuary! The Blood Cloud is here as well, but oh well! Come out, Come out! Wherever you are! Come and face the real King at the Temple, or else your maiden will be very sad, or even dead!”
The Blood Cloud, an organization loyal to the Washuu King and Regulus Corneas, and only them. Why are they doing this? No… Why would they follow one of those two?
Angel : ”The Blood Cloud…”
Lisa : ”According to my Semblance, the Maiden being Emilia is very small… In fact, it's close to ten procent. Are we really going to risk it?”
Melissa : ”Do we even have a choice though? There's no way we can let Emilia die, can we?”
Yang : ”You're right. Jens, it's up to you. What do you think?”
His mind was racing. He didn't know what to choose. Either the safety of Emilia, or the safety of everyone else? Either way, he could potentially choose to go, and if he'll die, Return by Death— No… He hasn't experienced of death in weeks. It would be more terrifying than actually dying.
Jens : ”We… Should go and investigate the surroundings of the Temple.”
Lisa : ”That sounds like a plan. Yang, did you recognize that voice?”
Yang : ”M-Mhm? It did sound familiar… but I don't really know who it was.”
Lisa : ”Yeah, I got the same problem. Even my Semblance doesn't fill the spot. Perhaps we haven't seen her in ages? It has to be someone from the Warrior and Warden times for us.”
Angel : ”Warrior and Warden?!”
Lisa : ”Calm down Angel, we aren't Warriors or Wardens anymore. However, the ones who still are, must face a battle against us. They should leave those organizations immediately.”
Angel : ”Alright… So, are we going?”
Jens : ”Yeah… Let's do this!”
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Dashing through the valleys. Sprinting like never before, Jens rushed through the village, and the group followed him. Something was off however, there were barely any people fighting anymore? Could the loud, piercing voice scared the civilians away? Why was it this peaceful right now?
Melissa : ”Hold on!”
Hearing this, the group stopped, and so did Jens. Yang activated her gauntlets, Melissa looked at Jens, Angel, Lisa and Jens stood there, silent.
Melissa : ”The enemies. The ones causing this, is this just the Washuu King?”
Lisa : ”Perhaps. However, as we already know, the Blood Cloud and the Clowns of V are here as well. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Slaughterhouse Nine appeared as well. But, that would be a very, very ugly situation.”
Yang : ”Does that even matter at the moment? We need to hurry, and help that Maiden. Remember?”
Lisa : ”Wait, Melissa has a point. Now that I think about it, we're literally going in against all the odds. A triumph with zero deaths… is below ten procent. E-Even succeeding the Trials is extremely difficult.”
Jens : ”Yeah, so? That doesn't mean we should stop right here, right? We cannot allow that mother fucker to run away with this! Destroying the world?! Fuck no!”
Lisa : ”That's not the point I'm trying to make. Perhaps a new methodology is required for this operation. We're… Facing something we do not have any information of.”
Melissa : ”People fear what they cannot understand, is what Nathan would say… Anyway, that's what I was trying to say yeah. Heading towards the Temple is brainless as hell. We should explore the Village more, and group with other groups as soon as possible in fact!”
Jens : ”I see… I'll head for the Temple my self then–”
Lisa walked towards Jens and grabbed his shoulders, shaking them.
Lisa : ”Stop being fucking edgy! Listen to us, this is a matter of life and death! Are you fucking stupid? Heading towards the Temple is literally a Trap. Who knows who we'll be facing. The ones causing this will do whatever it takes to stop us. Do you understand now?”
Yang : ”Even though I don't like the way Tattletale put that in words, she has a point. We cannot lose anyone, especially not you. You're strong, but that doesn't make you invincible. We all want to bring back Emilia, IF she even is there.”
Melissa : ”What about–”
??? : ”Firecracker? Jens?”
An pretty mature voice came from behind Jens. Everyone turned around, and grabbed their weapons. However, something like that was unnecessary for an encounter like this.
It's a man with close to black hair, but still gray. He wears a red cape, and has a great sword on his back. His facial hair and facial features are quite handsome for a man of his age.
Yang : ”Uncle Qrow?!”
Qrow : ”Oh god, it really are you two…”
Looking at him, Jens does not recognize him what so ever. However, as Yang runs towards his arms, and Qrow embraces her with his, he quickly realizes that he must've been someone regarding the past of the Warriors, perhaps an old friend of his.
Qrow : ”It's good to see you back, Sunny Little Dragon.”
Yang : ”It's great to see you as well, you old man.”
He snickered. He didn't laugh out loud, and soon after looked straight into the eyes of Jens.
Now Jens knows exactly who this man was. Back in the Capital, when Weiss started to cry, Jens saw visions of the past, or something like that. He saw this man talking with Raven Branwen in a bar. The two talked about him, about his Amnesia.
Qrow : ”It's good to have you back as well, King.”
The man forms a fist and wants to give Jens, who he called the King, a box. Quite iconic, isn't it? Calling someone a King, and then saying hello with a fist bump, ironic in fact. Jens fist bumps Qrow, and he smiles at him.
Yang : ”What are you even doing here? At the Sanctuary? I thought you were staying away from this for a while, no? You said that you would leave Jens alone!”
Qrow : ”That's what I was planning, until I got attacked by Glory Girl and Neo.”
Lisa : ”Hey old man, how is Glory hole doing?”
Qrow : ”She seemed to be a tad different from before the disappearance of Jens. But still the old Glory hole.”
Lisa : ”Hahahahahaha. Still the old Glory hole.”
She laughed out loud. Melissa however, felt a bit excluded from the conversation, just like Angel.
Jens : ”It seems the three of you knew each other a while back, didn't you…?”
Qrow : ”Well, if I may be honest, Firecracker and Tattletale have never seen each other before until after your reappearance of the Legacy. I mean, I knew Firecracker–”
Jens : ”Stop right there, reappearance of the Legacy?”
He interjected.
Qrow : ”Yeah, you regained your powers, right? The swords? Those powerful weapons?”
Jens : ”Yeah, I know those, but what are they? As in, why am I the one that is the keeper of such an powerful power?”
Qrow : ”God, I wish you'd explain that to me before you lost your memories. You only told it to some people… With one of them… Not being around anymore…”
Jens : ”Who?”
It was a deadly silence. They could hear everything, but not a single voice. Until,
Qrow : ”Summer Rose…”
Yang : ”Ruby's Mom… She died that day…”
Jens : ”O-Oh… I'm sorry for mentioning. I… shouldn't have asked it what so–”
Qrow : ”No it's fine.”
Like that, nobody had the courage to either say something, or to do something. Yang looked at the ground, and Jens noticed sorrow in her eyes. Qrow looked at his arms, as if he lacked the power to regain the courage to fight. This Summer Rose was a dear person to those who knew her.
It really is painfully to lose someone you care about. Every single memory you shared with that person is scattered, and remembering those memories makes you nothing but sad or nostalgic to the good times.
A depressing aura was hanging around everyone. Even Angel and Melissa were sad to hear it.
Lisa : ”Alright old man! Are ya ready for the Masterful Fucking Thinker Plan?”
Qrow : ”Sure… Go for it little bird.”
Lisa closed her eyes and then clapped them. She pointed one hand to the sky, and the other one at Jens.
Lisa : ”Fuck! I can't fucking wait to kick their asses! We have the one they want, Jens. Now that we've Qrow and Yang… I have an AMAZING PLAN!”
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Tattletale throws Jens at the hard ground. Jens, who is embraced by a very right rope, is incapable to move what so ever. Yang has her gauntlets ready, and aims them at Jens. Qrow has his Great Sword in his hands, and points it at Jens. He was treated like hostage. Tattletale stood there, like a leader, like her heart was burning with flames of a Lion.
Tattletale : ”Show your faces! We've the one you want!”
They're at the Temple. There seems to be no one there. But that can't be the case what so ever. It was a mossy ruin, with stairs in the middle. They headed up, and then downstairs, into the abyss of the ruin. There were trees surrounding the ruins as well, and beautiful golden flowers.
From the abyss of the Sanctuary, a Man with a mask walked towards the hostage and the group. However, he took a distance of around seven to ten meters.
――――It was Masquerade.
Masquerade : ”Oh My? Oh My! What kind of event is this?! Qrow?! Yang Xiao Long! Tattletale? Oh, and my dear dear dear Jens! What is this? Who's birthday is it? HAHA!”
Listening in disgusts, Qrow instead smiles at the one with the mask. Even though this all is an act, he has to act nice.
Melissa and Angel however, were no where to be seen. Perhaps they were watching at the show from afar, waiting for a moment to assassinate the one scheming all of this?
Lisa : ”Listen up Washuu King. We've got the King here. Who is this 'So-Called' Maiden you have there? Oh and please, don't be such an asshole, please get her immediately.”
Masquerade : ”Oui Oui madame!”
He swung both of his arms, and created nothing but a flash. It was a blinding flash, and after a few seconds, the flash disappeared, and Weiss Schnee and Emilia were in his hands, unconscious.
Yang formed a fist out of her hands, but she had to stay calm. This plan was impossible to fail. They must succeed.
Emilia : ”A…Ah….”
Masquerade : ”Please tell me, why the fuck would I believe that you are betraying Jens? What would it benefit you?”
Lisa : ”I hope you don't actually think I'm that stupid. Because I hate when people call me stupid. You've a great leader, Washuu King.”
Masquerade : ”Do I? I don't think you know a single thing about my leader what so ever.”
Lisa : ”In fact, I know everything about your leader. Because of that, every single wish of ours can be granted. Yang wants her Ruby back. Qrow wants to see Raven again. And I――”
Unable to say it, she struggles really hard. She blinks her eyes twice, but no words leave her mouth. Is she even able to say something personal here, right now?
Lisa : ”――The suicide of my brother… I want him back… More than anything.”
Masquerade : ”Wonderful! You all are nothing but――”
Suddenly, everything before the eyes of Masquerade became black. He had no vision what so ever. A pitch black shadow was keeping him from seeing anything. Did someone curse him? Did his hair come infront of his eyes?
――Jens appeared in front of Masquerade, summoned his sword, and swung it. He swung it as hard as he could to cut his head off.
Even though the rope was tight as hell. The legacy of Leo allowed Jens to summon daggers, and cut the rope easily. It's something which is easy to forget.
Masquerade : ”WUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”
It actually hit. Jens cut his eyes, and he cracked his mask. Masquerade however―― No, the Washuu King however, turned around immediately, and ran into the stairs, heading towards the abyss of the Sanctuary. Emilia and Weiss collapsed and lied on the ground.
Lisa : ”Fuck! Jens! NOW!”
Jens dashed towards the stairs, but was stopped because of a Forcefield. He landed on his back, and noticed that his nose started to bleed. He grabbed Emilia and Weiss, and dragged them towards the group.
――Footsteps.
――Footsteps were approaching them.
――Footsteps were approaching them from the abyss of the Sanctuary.
―――― Roswaal L Mathers appeared. He was standing on the top of the stairs. Next to him, a girl with light green hair, brown complexion and red eyes. To his other side, there stood a woman in a suit.
Emilia and Weiss slowly regained consciousness. They looked around, and analyzed the surroundings. Jens already summoned his sword, and stared at Roswaal with full disgust in his eyes.
Roswaal : ”Yooooou knoooow, I really need something to lose. There was something bothering me for over a few days. You know Jens, you really aren't that amazing. You've failed many times in your life. Even when the two of us were acquaintances, you still were a shit bag. However, as you were an idiot towards me, I've something in exchange.”
The Clown grabbed a black book. A gospel.
Roswaal : ”The Book of Wisdom. I've had this for over a year now, and I knew everything which would happen these weeks you were with us. Even I, it was me, who send the Blood Hunter towards you all. Because you all are those disgusting people that FUCK EVERYTHING UP FOR ME!”
Jens : ”W-What…. You KNEW ALL OF THIS?!”
Roswaal : ”I fucking knew that the Witch Cult would attack Nastra. I KNEW that you will fail today as well! Because you know what, there is someone here as well! Honey, coooooome here!”
――Footsteps, again.
――It were heels.
――An extraordinary beauty appeared on the top of the stairs. Black hair, purple eyes. Purple outfit, the Blood Hunter, Elsa Granhiert from Gusteko stood in front of them.