Prologue
Nick opened his eyes.
All he could see around him was a vast expanse of white, which seemingly blended into the ground itself. Jolting his sight towards his feet, he realized that he wasn't standing on anything solid, and couldn't feel his own weight. The floating sensation felt nothing like the countless hours he had spent gliding. In fact, it made him feel calmer; more relaxed - with no ground to eventually touch down towards, he felt like he could keep floating forever. And that is just what he decided he wanted to keep doing - float, float, float without a worry in the world and simply close his eyes.
...
Nick opened his eyes.
After a few moments, he realized he remained in what he personally dubbed 'the void'. Same emptiness, same feeling of weightlessness. His mind felt dull and unfocused, and it took some effort to move his limbs. For a moment, he considered exploring to see if his surroundings changed at all. Deciding to act on that thought, he tentatively put a foot forward and tried to push his body to essentially walk on nothing. Yet no matter how much he struggled, Nick found himself unable to move from his initial upright position. With a tired sigh, he gave up that endeavor and simply chose to close his eyes once more.
...
Nick opened his eyes.
Nothing changed since he last closed his eyes. This time, however, Nick willed himself to stay alert and focused, refusing to be overcome by the feelings of drowsiness that plagued him ever since he found himself in the void. Yet no matter how much thought he put into it, he simply could not understand how he ended up here. Thinking back on his last actions didn't help either - all he could remember was setting out on a mission with his mentor to answer a distress call. Any other memories were hazy, and every time Nick tried to focus, a suffocating feeling of lethargy washed over him. Giving up on that particular train of thought, Nick suddenly registered that despite being able to move his arms and legs, he couldn't feel his wings. With dread creeping up his spine, he looked over his shoulder, only to discover that his wings, normally resplendent in a rich orange hue, were reduced to little more than charred stumps. For one, fleeting moment, Nick's mind went blank - and then a wave of stray recollections crashed into him.
The fire. The woman with black hair. Two other figures, relentlessly chasing him. Running, without pause, through a wall of fire. A hand clamping down on his face. Grimm, closing in from all sides. A trail of feathers. The crackle of leaves and branches, burning. An inferno behind him, a fireball in front. A conceited laugh. Surrounded by fire, FIRE, FI-
Nick closed his eyes.
...
Nick opened his eyes.
His heart raced, and every instinct shouted at him to run. And yet, he was still stuck in the endless void of white. Letting out a strangled sob, Nick took a few deep breaths and did his best to process his latest memories. Doing so made him come to a chilling conclusion. Opening his mouth and testing his voice for the first time, he whispered, "Am I dead?"
No one answered him. Nothing changed. Balling his fists, he suddenly felt something smooth, yet tough in his right hand. Bringing it up, he saw that he held onto Dusk, one half of the pair of chakrams that was the last thing his father handed him. Taking a closer look to inspect for any possible alterations, Nick was relieved to find it the same as ever. Colored a deep sea blue that faded out to a lighter, sky blue shade at the edges, the rear half curved inwards and contained an unassuming black leather grip along with a small chamber that housed gravity dust, while the front half was shaped like a crescent moon, containing serrated edges and having lost specks of color from use. Finding his weapon, albeit only one half of the full set, helped Nick control his turbulent thoughts. Tightening his grip, Nick cleared his mind and focused on using his semblance, fighting tooth and nail to overcome the now-familiar lethargic feeling. After what seemed like an eternity, Nick finally allowed his eyes to close, and felt some of his aura drain out.
...
Nick opened his eyes.
Immediately he recognized the spectral figure floating in front of him. Mirroring Nick's upright stance, the apparition was a few inches shorter, and most of his body was covered by an over-sized cloak, with only its right hand clearly visible and holding onto an identical copy of Dusk. Staring silently at Nick, its whole body was devoid of color with the exception of its eyes, which shone with a marvelous shade of azure blue. No words were spoken, as Nick and the cloaked figure looked unblinking at each other, until finally the silence was broken by soft words.
"Father."
No response.
"Father, I'm sorry. I don't know where I am, and I don't know what I should do. But," a pregnant pause filled the endless void, "I failed. I couldn't do anything, and Meredith," Nick's breath caught, and he could feel his eyes watering up. Yet he held the tears back, and continued. "It was an ambush. We should have known, but I was too eager. I didn't— I didn't know." He finished lamely.
Still no response.
"Can you forgive me? I should have done better, it was my fault." The tears finally came, flowing freely, and Nick's voice cracked with his next words. "I just want to see you and Mom again." Nick couldn't form any more words, and silently cried his heart out, while the ghost of his father looked on; still unmoving, unblinking. When he was too tired to cry anymore, Nick closed his eyes and slacked his grip on Dusk. Just as he was about to drop the weapon, he felt a presence tightly grip his arm, reflexively forcing him to hold onto Dusk with his fingertips.
...
Nick opened his eyes.
He saw nothing.
...
A.N: I don't like doing these, so I'll keep it short. This is my first attempt at fanfic, so I would always appreciate comments, feedback and reviews. This has AU elements post V3 but aims to stick to the core of RWBY as much as possible. The focus of the story is OCs, so I apologize if you came looking for main cast actions. However, secondary and tertiary canon characters will show up. Hope you all enjoy this!