"Man, you won't believe how long Author-san has been waiting to write this thing. He's been chomping at the bit ever since Code Vein was first announced. By the way, this is slight AU, but it's easy enough to follow."

(-)

My name is Grey. At least, that's what I think it is. My memories from the war are blurry at best, and anything prior to it is non-existent. I can't even remember if I was conscripted, applied, or if I was just another corpse they brought back to help fill the ranks. Not that any of it really matters at the end of the day. Regardless of how I got to this point in my life -if it can even be called that anymore- I am still myself. My past be damned, I was mostly content to fight on and do what I thought was right. And even if the person I used to be no longer exists, I resolved myself to cast away any doubts I might have held.

But there is still one thing that I vividly remember from the war. The unfortunate girl whose life I so mercilessly stole from her, and the promise I made to her as she died in my arms...

A promise I failed to uphold...

(-)

"Yo! Grey!"

The young man began to stir from his slumber upon hearing his name being called, along with someone jabbing him in the ribs with their boot.

"Kuh!"

Pale red eyes squinted open as the man was greeted by the sight of a smirking face. The same face that belonged to the person currently administering his rude awakening. He ran his gloved hand through his hair and brushed the few strands out of his vision. Even with the glove he was wearing, he could feel how dirty his hair was from the resistance it put up. It had been about a week since the last time he was able to wash up, and now his light-brown hair was clumping up despite its relatively short length.

"Geez Yakumo... Do you have to be so painful in waking me up?"

His crimson-haired friend snorted in amusement. "Only when you sleep in. I've been at this for a good five minutes now." the man answered cheekily. "Time to switch. You're on watch now."

Grey stifled a yawn before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "And I was having such a nice dream too." the man remarked dryly. "You finally threw out your voice and managed to shut up for once."

"Hmph, jackass." Yakumo responded with a grin before kicking Grey in the side again. "C'mon. I want to get my share of sleep already."

Slowly sitting up, Grey rubbed the back of his neck to work out the kinks in it. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it."

As Yakumo removed his jacket and climbed into their shared tent, Grey threw his own coat on and stepped out and into the chilly night air. Even though revenants aren't as susceptible to colder temperatures as humans are, and there are also those who possess Gifts that can rectify such problems, Grey enjoyed the cozy feeling he got when lounging near a fire. He took a knee next to the pit and began prodding at the smoldering branches with a larger stick. By allowing more oxygen to flow in as a result of his probing, the fire regained some strength. A few more twigs were tossed on for good measure, and the blaze reached a respectable size just as Yakumo's snoring could be heard emanating from the tent.

"Note to self; procure new earplugs asap." Grey remarked as he sat down on a log that the group was using for a makeshift couch.

He remained still in the silence of the night, the only noise to accompany him being the crackling of the fire. The flames continued to dance in his view as he became lost in thought. It had been roughly two weeks since he and his friends had departed from the Crimson City -formerly known as the Gaol of the Mist- and began their travel across the land in search of any signs of civilization. The entire first week was spent slinking through the region referred to as the Dead-Lands, a hellscape devoid of any forms of life aside from the Horrors that roamed the land. But they persevered and managed to travel beyond that dangerous territory while keeping contact with the Horrors to a minimum. They held no doubts about the possibility of survivors living in a place with such a serious threat of Horrors wandering around, so the group was more than eager to keep their momentum going. And as they made further progress away from the Dead-Lands, life began to return to the environment.

Grass had taken root in fertile ground, birds and other small animals would occasionally enter their peripherals, and the air became clean enough for them to remove their masks. Reaching the forest for the first time was an enjoyable experience, as no such biome existed within the land they called home. The vibrant greens of the trees were more than enough to brighten their spirits, finally giving them a sense of actual progress. When they eventually encountered their first river, Murasame had dropped all her gear and stripped down to her underwear before throwing herself into the refreshing liquid. They were lucky enough to have had a hot spring directly next to their home base back in the city, but most other water sources were either heavily contaminated, or they needed to be carefully rationed for the surviving humans. So when they spotted the river, Murasame let loose her inner-child and took advantage of the opportunity. Not that she was the only one to do so.

But as they continued their trek across the land, they noticed something curious. The Horrors were getting progressively smaller and weaker by comparison. They were still eager to attack on sight, but their appearances were gradually changing. Not that any of them were complaining, as it was a much welcomed respite from the usual dangers they faced. The beasts were also a reliable source of ichor, some providing even more than the Lost.

Grey could feel his thirst slowly creeping up on him, and reached into his bag to grab a blood bead. Pulling out the tear-shaped object, he was momentarily lost in thought as he gazed at the crimson liquid. When the Queen was first slain, Karen essentially sacrificed her life in order to seal away one of the more powerful Relics that remained. And by becoming the Successor of the Heart, she was able to manifest her Crypt as a tree of blood with roots that spread throughout the Gaol. It was only because of her sacrifice that revenants were able to survive as long as they have. The roots would emerge from the ground as mistle and eventually bore precious blood beads, the lifeline of the populace. And yet her duty was not meant to last eternal.

Through the machinations of Mido, the lives of everyone within the Gaol were thrown into great peril. A peril that Grey was more than willing to sacrifice his life for in order to prevent it. He was to slay Silva, obtain his Relic, and inherit the responsibility of maintaining the veil that protected the city. His life in exchange for everyone within the Gaol. And maybe, by doing so, he would finally fulfill his promise to Cruz. However such an outcome was not meant to be.

Every Successor had a reason for why they willingly sacrificed themselves to spend the rest of their days in unimaginable agony until they were warped both in body and mind by the power they were tasked with sealing. Nicola offered up his life in order to create a safer world for his sister, Emily gave herself over in order to shield Yakumo, and Karen cast aside her future in order to ensure the survival of all revenants. The Successors were content with their sacrifices so long as doing so was enough to protect those they cared about. But that didn't mean those who were left behind were happy with the situation.

Love is an unpredictable emotion. Whereas anger makes us do rash things, and sadness makes us do desperate things, love makes us do irrational things. Emily wanted to protect Yakumo from Mido, but Yakumo just wound up going after the madman to make him pay for forcing a Relic upon her. Karen wanted to protect those who she held dear in her heart, yet Aurora became a Successor in order to build a fortress with her Crypt to protect Karen at the center. As for Grey, the one person he wanted to protect the most chose to take his place as the keystone to keep the city safe.

Io gave her life to seal away all of the Relics inside of her. With the power she possessed, she transformed her body into the Weeping Tree, and became the true savior of the Gaol. The remainder of the surviving Successors were returned to their original forms, and Io inherited the duty of both providing blood beads and maintaining the barrier that protected the city from Karen and Silva respectively. So even now she was still hard at work protecting them all and providing a steady supply of blood beads.

The girl who was always at his side, that he swore above all else to keep safe, had taken it upon herself to save him at the cost of her own life.

Grey blinked away the tear that was threatening to form in his eye. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

He bit down on the blood beads 'stem' and began sipping out the contents. It is hard to describe just what the liquid tastes like, as it seems to differ from person to person. Regardless, it is still the only thing aside from human blood that can truly slake a revenants thirst, and that was enough for anyone to enjoy the taste. But even so, just knowing who had given their life in exchange for them was enough to sap any potential satisfaction Grey could muster.

Dropping the now empty vessel onto the ground, the young man looked up at the night sky, and the shattered moon that hovered there. It was still a few hours before sunrise, and the broken sphere would serve as his only company until then.

(-)

Sitting at his desk atop the tallest spire in Beacon was a man. To most he was simply the Headmaster of Vale's most prestigious academy for training future Huntsmen and Huntresses. But to a select few, he was the wizard from a legend that most thought to be little more than myth. Cursed with his pseudo-immortality, he has seen more than his fair share of death and ruin during his existence. However for all that he witnessed alongside former friend and family, there is still one tragedy that only he was privy to. Well, him and her...

Many believe that Remnant has only ever had the four Kingdoms; Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas. But in reality there was a fifth. A Kingdom that was erased from the world to the point that even its name was lost. It was the first time since the beginning of the entire mess that Ozpin is part of, that the Brothers actively intervened with the world. And their intentions at the time were most definitely filled with malice. To this day Ozpin has yet to find out why they brought ruin to not just any Kingdom, but the largest and most prosperous of them all. Although there would be no way of knowing the exact numbers, Ozpin had to estimate that roughly one-third of the worlds population was lost when the Kingdom fell, which just goes to show how important of a bastion it was for humans and faunas. Ozpin was actually living in that Kingdom at the time, his identity back then being Oswald, a student who was enrolled at the Huntsman Academy, which was run by Headmaster Gregorio Silva. So it came as great surprise to him when one day, without absolutely no prior warning the earth cracked open, and Grimm the likes of which had never been seen before began pouring out across the land and absolutely decimated the Kingdoms forces. These monstrous Grimm quickly came to be known as Horrors, for that is all one would feel in their presence.

Ozpin needed to know why such an unprecedented attack was taking place, but it appeared that the Brothers had other plans. A massive Horror erupted from beneath the Academy, and quickly tracked him down and killed him. He did his best to cling to life as long as he could, but he only lasted until he witnessed Gregorio decapitate the horrid creature. After that, his 'reincarnation' took somewhat longer than usual. And by somewhat, he meant a little over twenty years. Once he was back, he immediately began research into what happened to the Kingdom, as it seemed that something in the city had earned the Brothers absolute ire. But it came as great surprise for him to find out that not only was the Kingdom gone, but nobody remembered that it even existed. No reports of distress signals emanating from the area, no records of commerce of any sort, gone were any books or other data forms pertaining to the Kingdom, the entirety of the Kingdom and anything that had to do with it was erased from the world. Now the location was known as the Blood Scar, a region so dangerous that it was deemed forbidden to even approach. Still, that wasn't enough to stop Ozpin from snooping. Not that it did him any good though.

The land surrounding the former Kingdom was barren of life and instilled a sense of dread just by traversing it. Horrors regularly patrolled the area, and fortunately seemed content to remain there. It wasn't until Ozpin finally reached the city limits that he realized why the land was aptly named the Blood Scar. A massive crimson barrier that was comprised of an unknown energy was keeping the Kingdom sealed away. The barrier was a prison and the Horrors were now its guards. None could go in, and none could come out.

It was with many reservations that Ozpin relented from further investigations, as they would end up being a waste of time, resources, and life. Besides, he was the only one left who knew the truth, so it was unlikely he would have been able to gather any support. So all the cursed-man could settle for was keeping an eye on the area in case the Horrors made a move. And it just so happened that unusual activity was recently reported in the area. For a short duration, the Horrors on the outer edge of the land had retreated further in, almost as if something had garnered their attention.

'Perhaps the barrier has finally fallen...' Ozpin thought solemnly as he looked out over the horizon. Even if the barrier was gone, the Horrors were still a serious threat that remained. Any survivors were likely killed off by the beasts, and Ozpin wasn't keen on sacrificing any of the pieces he still had on the board just to satisfy his curiosity. That, and the timing was not very ideal. The Vytal festival is just around the corner, and now James has practically invaded Vale with his troops.

"Something big is coming. I can feel it in the air..."

(-)

"Are we certain that there are humans out here still? 'Cause the only infrastructure we've come across is a bunch of old ruins. Maybe the Gaol really was the last bastion for survivors."

"Yakumo, what would you call what we're walking on?"

"It's a dirt path. Your point?"

"Dirt paths don't just make themselves. There has obviously been foot traffic going through here."

"Could just be a bunch of animals passing through. An old road that got overgrown by nature and this is all that's left."

Grey shook his head in slight annoyance. "Are they really bickering over this?"

Louis gave a shrug from his position next to Grey. "It would seem so."

"You'd think they would stop at some point."

"They're just bored." Murasame piped up from behind the two men. "Guess they figured arguing would be a good way to pass the time."

"I fail to see how they would come to that conclusion."

"Well you're our groups resident genius. Feel like giving them a lecture on roads?" Grey remarked as he ducked under a low-hanging branch.

"Unfortunately my majors weren't in construction. So I doubt I'd be of much help."

Murasame nodded in agreement. "True. But they are correct about one thing."

"Yeah, we still haven't seen any proper signs of civilization." the former Successor spoke in resignation. "Even finding a bottle-cap in the dirt would be worth celebrating over at this point."

"You think Coco would be willing to buy it off you?"

"Don't think so. She needs to make a profit somehow, and I don't see how a bottle-cap would be of any value."

Louis chuckled softly beneath his mask. "That would be a ridiculous idea though."

"What would?"

"If we somehow get to a point where we start using bottle-caps as currency."

"Sounds like something out of a crappy post-apocalypse story."

"Now hold on Grey. I think it might work and even be a little charming for the first few books of the series,"

Grey turned to give Louis a deadpan look.

"but the author would probably screw it up somehow by the sixth installation."

"Kind of like one of those stupid games where you spend one type of currency just to get another type to use with a specific vendor." the orange-haired girl added.

"I'd hate to be the sucker who got involved with that mess."

"We say these things, yet we ourselves use haze and crystals to barter with."

"This conversation is weird. Can we change subjects?"

"Please do." answered Grey. "I can feel my head hurting already from this nonsense."

Before anyone could speak further, they heard a faint 'bang' in the distance. Soon followed by the sight of numerous birds taking off.

"Heh, if that isn't a sign of human activity then I don't know what is."

"YES! Finally we have some progress!" Yakumo cheered as he hefted his sword over his shoulder.

"Weren't you the one who was just saying otherwise?"

"Let it go Louis, that's a losing battle you're about to start." Grey remarked as he took the lead. "Let's pick up the pace! That could be trouble up ahead."

Almost as if on cue, several more gunshots went off in the same direction.

"That's confirmation on my trouble theory."

Grey quickly cast a Gift to enhance mobility and the group of five took off at inhuman speeds.

"Mia, Yakumo, when we get there, I want you two to defend anyone who's in trouble. Murasame, you stick with them. Louis and I will be the vanguard."

"Whatever you say boss-man!" the red-haired man replied as he adjusted his mask.

Soon enough they managed to break through the treeline and enter a large clearing with a pond in the center. Shifting their heads towards the source of the noise, they spotted a several humans who were in the middle of combating the smaller Horrors. One of them was on the ground with an injury while the rest were trying to hold off the beasts in the hopes of retreating.

"Go!"

Rushing at the nearest monster, Grey swung his arm out and launched several blood projectiles into its back. As the Horror began to topple over, Grey and Louis leapt over its already dissolving body and descended upon the enemy. Unclipping his weapon from his back, Grey bisected one of the wolf-like Horrors as he drew the blade. His primary weapon of choice was the Memento, a blade he had custom-made with Murasame's help. It had a resemblance to a standard katana, but with a slightly wider blade that had a seam down the center. Due to an as of yet unidentified anomaly in his blood, Grey has always possessed a superb control of blood related Gifts, which is why Memento was built with that in mind. By squeezing a trigger below the guard, the blade splits into two segments, allowing for him to channel his blood down the length of the weapon to alter its capabilities.

Louis was quick to join the fray, his body turning to mist as he rushed forward. His target hadn't expected their claws to pass right through the scholar, but such errant thoughts were pointless as the man buried his blade into the creatures heart. One of the larger Horrors charged at him from the side, only for its movement to be halted by several ichor bullets that punched fist-sized holes through their chest. Mia had already taken up position near the group of humans and began providing covering fire. Louis gave a nod of appreciation before lunging towards his next target.

One of the craftier beasts managed to circle around and flank their position, and one of the humans brought up his arms to brace for the imminent attack. But before the creature struck, a faint red barrier formed around the man, and the Horrors claw bounced off harmlessly. Not wasting the opportunity that was presented, another man stabbed the beast in the chest with his weapon. Tenacious was the beast, as it still clung to life and backhanded the man across the face. As he tumbled down, Yakumo took his place and countered. The Onislayer cleaved the creature in half with little effort.

A sudden surge of heat assaulted the group as Grey unleashed one of his more powerful flame-based Gifts on the enemy. The mob of Horrors were scattered apart, many of them still burning as they flailed about in panic. By now the humans had gained their second wind, and concentrated on mopping up the survivors with small-arms fire. A handful of the beasts managed to retreat back into the forest, but were unlikely to return.

Activating a sensory Gift, Grey was able to confirm that the enemy had fled.

"We're clear."

"Yet another impressive display of skill." Louis opined as he sheathed his blade.

"You guys were awesome as always!" cheered Murasame.

Humming in approval, Yakumo hefted his sword over his shoulder before addressing one of the humans. "You guys okay?"

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, one of the men nodded. "Thanks to you guys we are." he answered before turning his attention to the injured member of the group. "How's the leg Tanner?"

The man groaned slightly as he continued applying pressure to the wound. "Hurts like a bitch... But it sure beats dying."

"Olive, get the bandages. We need to dress that wound and get moving back to camp."

"You guys need any help heading back?" asked Mia. "No telling when those beasts plan on returning."

The man who was evidently the groups leader looked a little conflicted for some reason. "Don't worry. We wouldn't want to put you in harms way."

"The only ones in harms way are those uglies when their on the end of my blade." remarked Yakumo. "It's not a problem for us to give you a little escort. Besides, we're kind of lost as it is."

"Well... I guess..." the leader seemed to be fumbling for the right answer.

Another member of the group pulled him away for a second and began whispering harshly to him. Unfortunately for them, they were unaware of the revenants heightened senses being able to hear them.

"What do you think you're doing? You know we can't bring back outsiders."

"Listen, they saved our asses just now. It's the least we can do."

"I get it. But it goes against-"

"I know it goes against the law! Still, I ain't abandoning these guys in this damn forest, especially after they helped us."

"You know she'll be pissed about this."

"I already figured that much out. I'll just take the heat and hope for the best."

"You better start praying that she's in a good mood."

Yakumo whistled to grab their attention, pretending as if he hadn't heard their whole exchange. "You wanna fill us in on something?"

The leader waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing important. Once we get Tanner back on his feet, we'll get going."

'I wonder how this'll turn out...' Grey thought to himself.