It's been a long time hasn't it everyone? I apologize for the major delay in updating this and I appreciate your awesome patience. I even made this chapter longer than all my other ones. Also, because of the high demand for new chapters for my Evolve story, I've decided to end this story here which is why this chapter is so long but I hope you guys enjoy it!

Alistair cursed when a shadow walker charged towards him. He blocked its claws with his staff and blasted it away with lightning. Yang punched one in its abdomen and kicked it into another one. Ruby leaped over her sister and sliced a shadow walker in half with her scythe. Weiss skated through a group of them and froze them all as she passed. Zwei rolled into a ball and Yang threw the small dog into the frozen enemies. They shattered into pieces from the impact as he dog ricocheted off each of them. Scott's wicked smirk never left his face even though his small army was being slaughtered. He drew his katana and attacked the retired huntsman. Alistair blocked the purple blade with his staff and glared at him.

"Do you realize what you're doing by reviving Zariah?!" Alistair shouted.

"Remnant will be consumed by darkness and the creatures of Grimm will rule for a thousand years, blah blah blah." Scott said.

"So why are you doing this? Revenge? Power?" Scott leaped back and cackled.

"I'm not so petty as to bring back Master Zariah for such a thing as revenge and the power is only a bonus. What I want is much more!" Alistair narrowed his eyes.

"And that is?"

"Oh I'm not gonna tell you that just yet. You'll have to figure it out yourself or wait until Master Zariah arrives to know that! But I guess I'll be the generous one and give you a hint." Alistair blocked another attack from Scott's katana and watched as he leaned in. Then he said one phrase in Rivarren and the mage's eyes widened when he heard it. Scott's grin grew wider and he moved his head back.

'Venixian delas Remnant...Rebirth of Remnant. What the hell does that mean?' Alistair thought as Scott back-flipped and summoned three clones of himself.

"You shall not defile this sacred temple any longer!" The voice from the statue shouted and its eyes opened completely. They started glowing a bright blue and the other statues in the room suddenly came to life.

Blake and Aedan continued to follow the butterfly towards their destination. The half-beowolf had progressed even further again. Bone-like plating covered the top half of his face like a half mask, his voice was deeper and rough, wolf ears appeared on his head, black fur grew even more on his forearms, and his black hair was now shoulder-length. He also had paw pads on his feet now. Aedan stopped walking and stared off into the distance. Blake stopped walking and watched his eyes narrow.

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"I sense a lot of dark energy from there." Aedan said pointing west. The butterfly was fluttering around in the same direction the half-breed was pointing in. The cat faunus noticed that his hands were shaking slightly and she didn't know if it was out of fear from his human half or excitement from his beowolf half.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked as she gently grabbed his hands to keep them steady. Aedan dropped to his knees as more bone-like spikes and black fur grew. Now, he was just a couple steps away from becoming a full Grimm. He could still think and see the difference between friend and foe but wasn't sure how long that would last. Blake carefully placed a hand on the warm grey skin of Aedan's bicep and he looked at her.

"Are you still yourself?" The hybrid nodded and whimpered. Blake knew what that meant. He had little time left before he lost his sanity and turned on her. She didn't want to kill him but soon she won't have a choice. The butterfly fluttered around their heads frantically. They really needed to hurry. Blake helped Aedan up to his feet and they broke into a run.

'I'm getting much too old for this.' Alistair thought as he used his semblance to push back several shadow walkers. The mage noticed that Ruby was surrounded and he used his semblance again to shoot himself forward and a stream of fire poured out from his staff. The Grimm behind Ruby were burned to a crisp and Alistair placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Alistair asked and Ruby nodded. Yang uppercutted a shadow walker and stepped back.

"There's too many of them." Weiss said as she spun around and decapitated another Grimm. Alistair barely saw a blade out the corner of his eyes and blocked it with his staff though it was a close call.

"How did you move so fast?" Alistair asked.

"Because I have now taken control and the shadows cloak all." Alistair's eyes widened.

"Z-Zariah."

"I have grown impatient with the progress my so called servants are making. It is time I intervened and put an end to your foolish attempt to stop my resurrection." Alistair turned his head to the girls.

"Grab the jewel and run. I will hold them off." The girls' eyes widened.

"We can't let you do that!" Ruby shouted. Alistair pushed Scott back and set up a rock wall between them. The girls ran over to the wall.

"Don't worry about me! Hurry and grab the crystal!" The girls looked at each other. Ruby clenched her fists while Weiss and Yang turned to the giant statue. Ruby climbed up and the barrier around the jewel disappeared. She grabbed the item and raced over to her team. Then Scott's katana pierced straight through the wall.

"We need to make an exit." Weiss said but before anyone else could say anything, a shadow walker crashed through the wall and laid unmoving on the ground. Suddenly, a cross between a human and a beowolf that wasn't completely covered in fur and wore shorts burst through the rock wall with Blake next to it. The ninja rushed over. "It's about time you two got here."

Out the corner of his eye, Aedan saw movement in the shadows on the floor and growled. Then red and black flames appeared from the ground and Scott's body rose from the shadows on the floor. His eyes were glowing and tendrils wrapped around Aedan's wrists, ankles, abdomen, and neck. Zariah was holding the box that contained the shadow crystals. Team RWBY rushed over and started slashing away at the tendrils holding the half-beowolf. Even Zwei was biting at them. More tendrils appeared and smacked the girls and dog away.

"I have been patient long enough. The final pieces of my puzzle are gathered here at this moment." Zariah said.

"Let go of me!" Aedan shouted as he struggled within the grip of the tendrils but it was futile.

"However, you mortals have given me some amusement in this race against time so here." Aedan sank into the shadows on the floor and Zariah summoned a ball of dark energy. It slowly spread out and revealed an image of a castle surrounded by a huge army of Grimm. "My resurrection will happen here. Come and face me there if you truly value this corrupt and broken world."

"What about Aedan?" Blake asked and Zariah chuckled.

"Oh he will be there as well. We shall see if the prophecy that old seer predicted will bear fruit." That was all Zariah was going to say and he teleported away. The rock walls came down and Alistair walked over with a few cuts and bruises.

"What happened?" Yang asked and the old mage sighed.

"I was fighting both Zariah and the shadow walkers along with the guardian statues but he managed to steal the crystals while I was occupied. I'm definitely not as fast as I used to be."

"Then he must want you alive." Blake said. The others looked at her and Alistair nodded in agreement.

"He must. Though I don't know why he would spare me at this moment." Alistair said.

"But why take Aedan?" Ruby asked and the retired huntsman narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know. Zariah shouldn't need him for anything. Unless he just plans to use him for something. Hopefully we'll get him back before he becomes a full beowolf." Then Alistair turned to the giant statue. "Can you please continue with what you were saying? Who's compatible with the jewel?"

"Certainly." Then a blue beam shot out of the statue's eyes again and harmlessly scanned over Alistair, Zwei, and Team RWBY.

"You. You are the one. The one called Yang Xiao Long." The statue said and everyone looked at Yang.

"Wait, me?!" Yang pointed to herself and the blue beam vanished.

"Yes. You who gives off the energy of the sun within your aura. There is a fire that burns within your heart that matches the same solar flare within the jewel. Only you can unlock the energy and use it to its full potential. Be warned, as great of an aura you have, even you can still fall victim to the jewel's greed as it feeds on your aura and you may die." Ruby looked at the jewel and walked towards Yang. Once she was close enough, the jewel started to glow slightly. When the blonde's eyes met the object, the purple in her eyes turned red and her hair started glowing slightly. The others looked in awe as they watched. Yang slowly reached for the jewel. It was somehow calling out to her and she couldn't help but move closer. She grabbed it and the jewel released a pulse that calmed Yang's fiery features; returning her hair and eyes to normal.

"Whoa." Yang said. Alistair took out a pouch and handed it to her. She put the jewel in the pouch and placed it in her pocket. The statue's eyes closed fully and Alistair turned to them.

"Now we know where Zariah's resurrection will take place." Alistair said. "He obviously wants us to try and stop him."

"But that castle was surrounded by an army of Grimm. We don't stand a chance." Weiss said.

"No need to worry. Kira can help us with that." Alistair said with a smile and Blake was the first one to figure it out.

"Illusion. Her semblance is illusion." Blake said and the other girls caught on.

"Would she be able to disguise us as Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"It's definitely possible but for how long is the real question. The illusion won't fool Zariah though so we need to hurry." Alistair said and his thoughts wandered to his son again. If the Drake wanted Aedan dead then he would've done it here. Did he need a sacrifice? Or is it something else?

At the castle of Grimm, Aedan was sitting alone in a dark corner with Zariah still possessing Scott standing in front of him with a neutral expression. Aedan was glaring at him and both their eyes were glowing.

"Why did you bring me here?" Aedan asked and an amused smirk creeped onto the Grimm's face.

"Is that really your greeting towards your father young beowolf?" Zariah asked and Aedan narrowed his eyes.

"Let me guess, you're possessing my father so that makes you my father too."

"Foolish boy. I am your true father." Aedan furrowed his eyebrows and Zariah chuckled. "The only reason you even exist is because of me."

"What do you mean?" Zariah sighed in annoyance.

"Use your brain, wolf. Or what's left of it." Aedan glared at him. "No matter what the human Scott did. It is impossible to successfully create a hybrid like you. So I had to interfere."

Flashback

Scott stared at the computer screen that was showing him pages upon pages of data. His eyes were bloodshot and he gripped his head in frustration. Nothing that he tried had worked! The specimen just wouldn't stabilize! He couldn't figure out what he was missing. Cinder had told him earlier that a group of huntsmen and huntresses were coming after him soon and he needed to hurry. Scott narrowed his eyes as anger gripped his heart at that thought. They have no idea how important his mission was and were on their way here to destroy all his research! He was on the verge of tearing his hair out from the pressure. Then he heard a voice in his head.

"Would you like some help mortal?" Scott looked around frantically for the sound but he didn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" Scott asked with some fear in his tone. The voice laughed.

"Just follow the sound of my voice." The voice said and the scientist stood up slowly from his chair. The voice continued to guide him over towards a steel door. Once he opened it, he walked down the stairs and his eyes widened when he saw a shadow crystal floating in the middle of the room. Scott slowly moved closer and when his fingers made contact with the jewel, dark energy swiftly shot towards him. He cringed in pain as it entered his body and his eyes were now glowing red. It finally subsided and the voice appeared in his head again.

"Much better." The voice said with amusement in its tone.

"How did you-" Scott asked but the voice cut him off.

"It is thanks to you. The anger, frustration, fear and most importantly, hatred. Those emotions gave strength to one of my crystals and allowed me to communicate with you."

"H-How can you help me?" The voice chuckled.

"It is impossible for mortals to create the hybrid that you want. The Grimm DNA will eat away at the human DNA as quickly as acid. Fortunately for you, I am here to make it possible."

"You didn't answer my question." The voice sighed.

"Patience. Grab my crystal and bring it to your workstation. I'll walk you through the process and use my power, but I will need you to find one more of my crystals."

"Why?"

"Simply put, one crystal is not enough to fulfill your desire. It doesn't house enough of my power to do it successfully." Scott now had a determined look on his face.

"Alright. Who are you by the way?"

"You have many questions I see. No matter, the mortals who sealed me away gave me the name, Zariah."

End Flashback

"I guided Scott through the steps and used my power to bring you into existence." Zariah said. "Prolonged exposure to my crystals caused the negative emotions to magnify and the human eventually became what you know him as today."

"Insane?" Aedan said and Zariah chuckled.

"That is what happens to all mortals who are exposed to my power."

"All you really did though was delay the effects and changed the outcome. Instead of dying, I turn into a full Grimm."

"You say that like it is a bad thing." Aedan growled.

"Because it freakin' is!" Zariah raised an eyebrow. "I'll be a savage and mindless beast!"

"I take offense to that." Aedan rolled his eyes at the Drake's falsely hurt tone. "Who told you that?"

"It's not hard to figure out. I'm even losing my memories." Zariah bent down to the half-breed's level.

"You know, I like you wolf. So, I will be the generous one and give you a little hint that even you can figure out with the mental state you are in." Aedan narrowed his eyes as Zariah moved closer and whispered. "That is because you are allowing it to."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come now Fenrir, you do not expect me to tell you everything do you? Besides, telling you now would be a waste of breath."

"Fine. Then why are you keeping me here?" Zariah stood up and folded his arms.

"I have my reasons. Also, we still have our bet. I still expect your full effort, otherwise it would be much too easy and boring." Aedan growled. "So, prove me wrong. If you can."

Alistair and Team RWBY were riding on the mage's giant bird towards the castle. The girls were looking over their weapons and preparing for the upcoming battle. Blake was lost in her thoughts about Aedan. Was he alright? Did he progress further into his Grimm form? She flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Yang with a small smile, though concern was present in her violet eyes.

"Thinking about him Blake?" Yang asked though she knew what the answer was already.

"Of course I am. I'm worried that Zariah will somehow speed up his progression even more and he'll be a full Grimm before we even reach the castle." Blake said.

"Oh I wouldn't worry so much about him. He's a fighter so I'm sure he's still himself."

"I hope you're right." The cat faunus said but she was still worried. She saw how Aedan looked when they rescued him from being executed. She saw how broken he was and a human did that to him. She could only imagine what Zariah will do to break him. 'Just hold on a little longer Aedan.'

Scott was now back to normal and he placed the crystals into position along with Cinder. Emerald and Mercury were drawing the rest of the ritual seal and Scott cackled with glee.

"Now that we have everything we need, we can summon Zariah!"

"But he also needs a sacrifice." Cinder said while folding her arms.

"Oh, no need to worry." Scott waved it off.

"Is that why we have the hybrid?" Emerald asked but Scott shook his head.

"No, Master Zariah has another plan for him." Scott said and he walked to the middle of the circle.

"So who is it?" Mercury asked. Suddenly dark energy swirled around Scott as he turned to them with his eyes glowing a deep crimson.

"I am." Scott spread his arms out wide. "Master Zariah, Lord of Shadows and King of Grimm! Your crystals have been gathered! Your sacrifice is ready and willing! Arise once again and remake this world anew!"

Tendrils that were an inky black color wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and neck. Red and black flames surrounded him and black liquid started to ooze out of his eyes, ears, and mouth. His skin started to burn away. Scott screamed as the flames burned his body to ash and a glowing black and red portal appeared on the floor. Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald backed away just as a huge clawed hand emerged.

Aedan's eyes shot open as his meditation was interrupted. Shivers of foreboding and dread ran up his spine as he sensed huge amounts of power.

'Oh no.' The half-breed thought.

Alistair's eyes widened when he sensed very powerful dark energy emerge. He felt the feathers on the eagle bristle and he petted it in an attempt to keep it calm. He looked back at Team RWBY and saw that they could feel it too. The sky started to turn red and the shattered moon was now whole but colored a pitch black. The fur of both Blake's cat ears under her bow and Zwei's body bristled. Ruby and Weiss gripped their weapons tightly in their hands. The jewel in Yang's pocket started glowing slightly and so did her hair and eyes.

"What's happening?" Ruby asked but part of her already knew.

"It's Zariah. He's here." Alistair said and a swarm of butterflies appeared next to them. They reformed into Kira and she waved at them. Then they heard a loud roar.

"Well someone's cranky from his dirt nap." Kira said and both her and the giant eagle stopped as they say the huge black scaled hand with bone claws rise. It landed on the ground and another matching hand appeared, also doing the same thing. Then a dragon head rose out of the portal. It had two sets of horns that curved inward. The top half of his head was protected in a bone mask with red markings. He had huge fangs that were visible even when his mouth was closed. Then his huge wings spread out to their full width. They were black and the webbing was red with white claws on the tips.

Ozpin and Glynda watched as the sky changed and they could feel the dark energy pour into Remnant. Ironwood walked through the door with a couple of his soldiers.

"Ozpin, that Grimm has awakened. We need to go and destroy it." Ironwood said.

"I'm afraid you and your soldiers are nowhere near strong enough to take it down." Ozpin said and Ironwood glared at him.

"Are you saying that my army and I are weak?!" Glynda turned to him.

"That's not what he's saying Ironwood." Glynda said. "This Grimm is more powerful than any other in all of Remnant. Without a clear reading on how powerful, it's best not to underestimate it."

"Besides, I have faith that Alistair and Team RWBY will be able to defeat it." Ozpin said.

"You're talking about an old and retired huntsman with a team of first-years." Ironwood said and Ozpin took a sip of his coffee.

"Don't underestimate them. I believe they can do it."

Aedan was leaning against the wall breathing heavily as his Grimm blood boiled in his body. His vision was starting to get blurry and he grew a full snout. He was almost gone mentally and sweat ran down from under his bone mask as his claws slowly raked against the floor. Feeling Zariah's power made his beowolf half want to go wild. He couldn't let it, but it was getting even more difficult by the second. Maybe he should give in. All the pain that he endured in his life would disappear and once a huntsman or huntress killed him, he would finally be at peace. His vision was starting to cloud with a haze of red as he slowly continued to transform. He hoped Team RWBY would forgive him. Then his thoughts wandered to Blake as he closed his eyes. She was the best thing that ever happened to him and he deeply regretted leaving her like this but it was for the best.

"Are you really giving up wolf?" A voice in his head asked and his eyes shot open.

'Was that, Zariah?' Aedan thought and he could feel the Drake's presence in his head.

"How disappointing. Here I thought you would give everything you had against me." Zariah said. "But here you are. Wallowing in your pathetic sorrow instead of fighting to the last of your breath. Even our savage and mindless brethren are more stubborn and better than you."

"You're actually comparing me to them?!" Aedan growled at that and he could feel the Grimm smirk.

"I am. If you can not prove to me that you are different then how can you even think about proving it to those weak little humans and faunus?" Aedan narrowed his eyes. Was Zariah really trying to encourage him? Then a group of black tendrils wrapped around his entire body until he was encased in what looked like a black egg. The half-beowolf now found himself back in his mind where his Grimm half resided. It was larger than last time and even had bone-like armor on his shoulders, forearms, chest, back, and knees.

"You've returned by the grace of Lord Zariah. You know what you must do." The beowolf said.

"No, I don't." Aedan said and the Grimm growled furiously.

"Then I will kill you and take your place. Your precious humans and faunus will die and Remnant will be bathed in darkness."

"I won't let you!"

"Get ready!" Kira shouted and she burst into a swarm of butterflies. The swarm surrounded Team RWBY, Alistair, and the giant bird and they started glowing pink. They flew past the Nevermores and other Grimm completely unnoticed. Zariah pulled the rest of his body from the portal and roared again. The humans and faunus covered their ears as the Grimm army raced off towards an unknown destination. Meanwhile Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald were standing on the highest part of the castle next to the dragon. The King of Grimm locked his eyes on them and turned his head.

"What do you think Cinder? Will our plan succeed or will they defeat us?" Zariah asked and Cinder smirked. She folded her arms and shrugged slightly.

"Who knows? They have a lot to prove to us. If they fail then that's all on them." Cinder said. "They've remained ignorant of the truth and that'll be their downfall."

"Indeed. Then let us begin." Zariah said and he roared once more, causing red and black flames to appear on the sides. Zariah sensed the presence of a few intruders and his red eyes narrowed slightly. "It appears we have people who wish to rise up to our challenge."

"Shall we go?" Cinder asked and Zariah chuckled.

"No. If they want to challenge me personally then so be it."

"What about the half-breed?" Mercury asked and Zariah grinned so widely that every inch of his fangs were visible.

"He has problems of his own to deal with. If he cannot deal with that then he has no hope of facing me. We will see if he becomes savage like the lesser Grimm." The three humans watched as the Drake spread his wings and flew off.

"So we don't have to do anything?" Emerald asked and Cinder shook her head.

"Not right now. If Zariah wins, then yes." Cinder said.

Alistair landed the giant eagle and everyone hopped down. The butterflies reformed into Kira's body and she gave them a small smile.

"Good luck guys." Kira said.

"You're not coming with us?" Ruby asked and the butterfly faunus shook her head.

"I wish I could but I can't. I'm not really fighter and my illusions won't work on Zariah."

"But those Grimm from earlier, didn't you kill them?" Weiss asked.

"That was also the work of my illusions. I just made them attack each other."

"Go with her Zwei." Ruby ordered and the dog whimpered. She smiled at him and petted his head.

"Don't worry, we'll come back." Yang said and Kira picked him up. Zwei let out another whimper before Kira flew away with him in her arms. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

As if to answer her question, Zariah landed several feet in front of them with a huge thud that even shook the ground. Team RWBY glared at the King of Grimm and readied their weapons. Zariah grinned. "Oh, such scary faces! The mortals who wish to stand in my way are an old man and four young girls. This should be interesting."

"Where's Aedan?" Blake asked and Zariah chuckled.

"The half-breed is busy at the moment. You will have to deal with me in the meantime."

"Fine with us." Yang said and she moved to take the jewel out but Alistair stopped her. She looked at him in confusion.

"Don't use it yet Yang. The jewel is powered by your aura so if you use it too early then you'll die before we defeat him." Alistair said. Yang looked down at the pouch and nodded. "Let's take this Grimm down."

"Got it." Yang said with a smile.

Aedan crashed through a few trees and quickly scrambled to his feet. His beowolf half growled as he closed the distance between them. Aedan blocked a punch, only to get kicked into a boulder.

"You are such a pathetic weakling. I'll be more than happy to take your place." The beowolf said as he picked him up by his throat. This Grimm was too strong for him to handle and Aedan briefly considered letting it happen. He couldn't do it. He wasn't strong enough to defy his Grimm half and he closed his eyes.

'I'm sorry mom, dad.' Aedan thought as he gave up trying to escape the beowolf's iron grip. 'I'm sorry Ruby, Weiss, Yang. Blake, you deserve someone better than me.'

'Come now Aedan, you shouldn't give up so quickly.' A voice said and Aedan opened his eyes to see a raven sitting on a branch in one of the trees.

'That voice..Claire?' The raven's eyes glowed in acknowledgment. 'How are you here?'

'That's not important now. Remember the dream you had at my house?'

'Yes.'

'That dream is the key to getting out of this.'

'H-How?'

'Think back to what you learned from your Grimm half and you'll figure it out.' The raven disappeared after that. It was hard for Aedan to concentrate with the beowolf choking him but he did.

"Accept me!"

'Is that it?' Aedan thought and he opened his eyes. He lifted his hands and gripped the beowolf's wrist. "You..said before..that...you want me..to accept you. What..do you mean?''

"That should be obvious." The Grimm threw Aedan to the ground. "You have spent almost two decades denying me yet you use my power to your benefit. I'm a part of you yet you act and do things as if you were fully human. So, I decided to take things into my own hands."

"By forcing the conversion to a full Grimm on me."

"A necessary step." Aedan looked down at the ground. It was all true. He forced his beowolf half away and tried so hard to pretend it didn't exist. He was running away from himself constantly because he believed he was an evil abomination. An epiphany struck him like lightning and he stood up. The beowolf watched curiously as his eyes made contact with Aedan's determined ones.

"I-I understand now. All this is happening because we were rejecting each other. I get it now." Aedan said and the beowolf's eyes widened. "My negative feelings towards you caused this conversion to happen."

"Indeed."

"No more now. You're me and I'm you." The beowolf was silent and Aedan continued. "What happens when we become one?"

"We become something more. Something that we were meant to be." Aedan's eyebrows furrowed at that cryptic answer. He took a deep breath and nodded. Then the beowolf burst into red and black flames and swarmed around Aedan's body for a few minutes until it entered him through his ears, mouth, nose and eyes.

"Who are you?" A voice asked and Aedan's eyes glowed brightly as dark energy swirled around him.

"I'm Aedan Fenrir. And .GRIMM!" Then he let out a howl.

Blake dodged a large stream of fire and continued shooting the dragon. However, her bullets weren't doing much damage. It was the same for the other four, even Alistair's magic. The King of Grimm flapped his wings and the wind knocked them back several feet. Once they hit the ground, Zariah shot another stream of fire at them. Alistair held up his staff as he rolled onto his stomach and the fire hit a blue and white shield. The shield shattered just as the fire stopped and the Drake chuckled.

"You are not doing so well human. If that shield of yours can not handle my power then you will not last." Zariah said.

"You've got to be kidding me." Weiss said. Then everyone heard a loud and chilling wolf howl and sensed a strong but dark presence. The Drake shielded his head with one of his wings just in time to block a red and black fireball. Once the smoke cleared, Zariah, Alistair, and Team RWBY saw Aedan walk towards them but he looked different than when they last saw him. Much different. He was back in human form wearing only his cargo shorts. His hair was still black and his eye color was still red but now he had red jagged stripes on his face. One on each side right under his eyes. He had black tribal-like markings on his biceps and shoulders that intertwined together and ran down towards the middle of his chest. They also ran down his back and stopped in the middle. The most shocking thing though was that he no longer had a tail. If it weren't for his eyes, fangs, and claws, he would look human.

"Aedan!" All of Team RWBY shouted and Zariah grinned.

"Oh, so the beowolf has finally decided to join us." Then Zariah narrowed his eyes. "When did you gain the ability to use my dark flames?"

"You created me remember? Your power allowed me to exist using beowolf DNA as a conduit. It's only natural that I'd get something from you." Aedan said and his voice was back to normal. "Looks like I truly am your son."

"I see." Zariah watched as the now full beowolf walked over to Alistair and Team RWBY.

"Glad you're back to normal Aedan." Ruby said but both Blake and Yang weren't so sure that 'normal' was the correct word. Yang could tell because of the jewel in her pouch. It was reacting to his presence. Blake could sense it as well but it was probably because of how close she was to him. Plus she was sure he didn't have those markings before.

"No Ruby, he's different." Alistair said and Zariah flexed his wings.

"That is quite enough for now. You mortals have a world to save do you not?" The Drake said and they glared at him. "Then come on! Show me the strength you possess!"

"Gladly!" Yang shouted and she raced forward alongside Aedan. Alistair and the rest of her team soon followed.

Alarms sounded throughout Vale and civilians were being evacuated as thousands of Grimm poured into the kingdom. Ironwood and his army, along with several huntsmen and huntresses, were fighting them all in the streets but were having more trouble than usual. Not because there were so many of them, though that did play a part. It was actually because of the fact that the Grimm were much stronger than before. They were even blocking and dodging attacks! Several teams from Beacon had arrived and joined in the fight. Then new Grimm burst through the walls. A couple Goliaths and a few Darkrunners. The Darkrunners were velociraptors with the same bone-like plating and spines as the other Grimm but they had acidic saliva that was strong enough to burn through steel. Several people screamed in pain as the Darkrunners sprayed their acidic saliva on them. Suddenly, Team JNPR landed on the ground from an airship and joined the fight.

"Does anyone know what's going on?" Pyrrha asked as her spear pierced an Ursa. She ducked under a King Taijitu's fangs and used her shield to bash its head in. A Darkrunner lunged at her and she swiped at it with her spear, only for it to leap over it and tail sweep her legs from under her. The Darkrunner lunged at her again but its fangs were blocked by her shield. The dark yellow-green saliva slowly escaped from its jaws and it started to burn through the shield. Then the beast was knocked away by Nora with her warhammer and she smashed its head into paste. Jaune was having the same trouble, if not more. A Darkrunner lunged at him from behind but was knocked back by Sun and his bow staff.

"These thing are tough!" Jaune shouted. Neptune stabbed a beowolf but was tackled into a wall by a Boarbatusk. Nora slammed her warhammer on a Goliath's head but was smacked away by its trunk. The teams were starting to get tired but they continued to fight. So many more Grimm poured into the Kingdom but Vale wasn't the only one. The other three kingdoms were going through the same thing. The Grimm were overrunning all of Remnant.

Aedan was knocked back by Zariah's tail and hit the ground. Even though he gained his fire abilities, he lost his super regeneration. He could still heal pretty fast but not as fast as he used to. Zariah took a deep breath and shot a large stream of fire at Team RWBY. Alistair jumped in and put up another shield. The fire hit the shield and the mage winced at how much stronger the attack was.

"Should I use it now?" Yang asked as she gripped the pouch in her hand.

"Not yet." Alistair said and the shield shattered again. He spun his staff a few times and slammed it on the ground. A silver colored pulse sprang out and four giant hands made out of rock shot up. They gripped the dragon by his limbs and Zariah's eyes widened slightly. "Wait until he's been weakened first."

"Impressive old mage. You still have a few tricks up your sleeves." Zariah said and he broke the grip of the rock hands. "However, you will have to do better than that."

Then Aedan hopped on Zariah's back and transformed. He looked exactly like his beowolf half that he fought with in his head but now with red and black flames. They shot down the middle of his head like a mohawk towards the middle of his back. More flames circled around his neck and shoulders like the fur collar of a coat, they covered his claws and ran up to his elbows. His feet were dipped in flames and they reached his knees. They circled around his waist like a belt and the tip of his tail was covered in them. His eyes were glowing and he snarled as he started ripping into the dragon's wings. The King of Grimm roared in pain and jerked his body from side to side. Blake started shooting along with Ruby and Yang. Weiss shot spears of ice at his head and Alistair shot bolts of lightning at his wings as well. Zariah used his tail to grab Aedan and tossed him back to the ground. Then he shot a stronger blast of fire at them. Alistair summoned a rock wall and put a shield around that. The fire hit the shield and it shattered after a few minutes then hit the rock wall. The retired huntsman dropped to his knees and held onto his staff for support. The fire stopped just in time as the rock wall crumbled away. Ruby ran over to him.

"Alistair! Are you alright?" Ruby asked and the mage was breathing heavily.

"I'll be fine. My aura is low though so I won't be able to help much anymore." Alistair said and he looked at Yang. He gave her a nod and she returned it. The blonde brawler took the jewel out of the pouch and, as if sensing the situation, it started glowing. Yang's eyes turned red and her hair started glowing. Aedan and Zariah watched in surprise as she stepped forward.

"I see. So there is someone who is compatible with it after all. Well then, let us see if you last as long as the one who used it before." Zariah said and Yang glared at him. Aedan stood next to her and growled. "I am glad to see that playing around was a mistake on my part. Now, I shall get serious."

"Bring it!" Yang shouted.

"You will wish I had not." All of a sudden, Zariah's injuries started healing rapidly. The membranes in his wings were stitching themselves back together and new scales replaced the damaged and missing ones. The others looked in shock as his wounds fully healed.

"Of course he can heal that fast." Blake said sarcastically and the Drake's eyes flashed. Then he stood up on his hind legs with his tail helping to keep him balanced.

"Grimm can heal quickly remember? Did you honestly expect me to not be able to do the same?" Zariah teased. "Do you still want me to take you seriously? Or shall we play some more?"

Aedan and Team RWBY raced forward only for Zariah to use the shadows to forcefully pull them in. He gripped them in one hand and Team RWBY's weapons in the other, except Yang's. The Grimm threw the objects to the ground and started to juggle the five of them like a circus clown.

"I'm getting sick." Ruby said covering her mouth and the dragon relented after a few minutes by throwing them to the ground. They landed with a big thud and a large cloud of dust.

"Do you even know how to use that artifact human?" Zariah asked as he stared at Yang. However, the blonde brawler didn't need to. The jewel started glowing brighter and it was as if it was speaking to her. It started floating and broke itself in half. Then the pieces each went into Ember Celica and her weapons were now glowing. Yang shot a blast of gold energy and Zariah blocked it with his wing, only to roar in pain as it burned a large hole into it. Yang shot a couple more blasts and the Drake continued to roar in pain as he was pushed back. He glared at the human girl and dropped back down to all fours. He swung his tail at her but it was caught by Aedan with some difficulty. Zariah healed his wing but it was slower than before. He took off into the air with the beowolf hanging on to his tail. Aedan yelped in pain and looked down to see Yang holding on to his fur and fire covered tail.

"Sorry." Yang said and they both proceeded to climb up the Drake's body. The King of Grimm did a series of aerial acrobatics in order to get them off but the human and beowolf continued to hold on. They grabbed onto his spines and Yang blasted everywhere she could reach on the dragon's body. One blast hit one of his wings. Zariah started falling from the sky but activated his healing and he quickly soared back up.

"Yang needs to hurry." Alistair said as Blake and Weiss walked over to him and Ruby.

"You mean her aura right?" Blake asked and Alistair nodded.

"The jewel has been activated already and will continue to absorb her aura in order to be used."

"Just like something that runs on battery power." Weiss said.

"And that battery power is Yang's aura." Blake said. Then they saw Zariah fall out the sky again and crash into the castle.

"Yang! Aedan!" Ruby shouted and the rushed towards the crash site.

In the castle, Aedan and Yang coughed the dust out their lungs and looked to see Zariah laying on his side with tons of rubble on his huge body. He growled in pain from his injuries. The duo approached him and the Drake looked at them.

"I admit, I have underestimated you human." Zariah said and he looked at Aedan, who was now back in human form. "You however, I did not."

"You knew I'd end up like this?" Aedan asked and the King of Grimm smirked, with a few fangs showing.

"Of course, you are my son after all. Do you feel any different?"

"It's strange not having my tail in human form anymore but I feel normal otherwise."

"Like you are no longer at war with your Grimm half?" Aedan nodded. "That is because you are not. You are full Grimm."

"What? How is he full Grimm?" Yang asked as she gripped the jewel tightly. Aedan placed a hand on her shoulder and she calmed down.

"All the Grimm you have faced until now are not the only types out there. In fact, they are the weakest of our kind."

"And Grimm like the Goliaths are stronger and more intelligent." Yang said.

"Exactly." Zariah said. "You might meet them in the future. Grimm who have lived for centuries that reside far outside civilization. All Grimm are my children but you Aedan, are my favorite. I took a more active role in your creation than any other."

"I thought Scott created him."

"In a way, but it was mostly me. Scott an his partner supplied the beowolves and human DNA while I handled the rest. I took it upon myself to fulfill his dream."

"And what dream is that?" A voice asked and the three turned to see Alistair and the rest of Team RWBY appear.

"That dream was to create peace between the mortal species and Grimm. I helped him try to achieve that by creating Aedan." Zariah said. "Scott knew the truth."

"Why did Scott revive you? He told me it was for Remnant to be reborn." Alistair said and black smoke smoothly eased out of the Drake's chipped nose.

"He believed that I would be able to remake Remnant into what he imagined it to be. Unfortunately, I cannot do such a thing. Wiping out the mortal races and recreating them for the better. I may be powerful as the King of Grimm but even I have limits. I on the other hand, lost faith in you mortals."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"As I was sealed away in those crystals, I witnessed so much death, destruction, and despair that was caused. I watched the struggles during the Human-Faunus War. I fed on the negative emotions throughout the ages and sought to destroy you all. Killing the most savage of my children I did not mind, but if such hatred continued then the world will fall to ruin."

"Why should you care? Doesn't that benefit you?" Weiss asked and Zariah snorted.

"Indeed it would, but that does not mean I should allow the world to crumble just because you cannot see the bigger picture. But maybe you're right and I should sit back. After all, where do you think Grimm come from?"

"What do you mean?" Alistair asked and the Drake chuckled.

"Grimm are the souls of long dead humans, faunus, and other animals who housed strong negative emotions during their time of death. The vengeful spirits take on darkness and revive as Grimm. I...am the largest hive of them."

"So that means that you can keep coming back as long as there are such spirits. Wonderful." Aedan said sarcastically. "So what now?"

"Well, you have proven that your desire to preserve this world is strong and I commend you for it. You can destroy my body all you like, but I will still be around thanks to the huge quantity of Grimm in Remnant, but know that I will be watching." Zariah stood up; causing the rubble to slide off. "Now, show me the power you possess!"

"Got it." Yang said and the King of Grimm grinned. Though the blonde brawler looked ready to fight, Zariah could sense she was getting tired. Even though she wasn't using the jewel right now, it was still activated so it continued to drain her aura from her. Zariah leaped out of the castle ruins and landed with a huge thud that shook the ground. Team RWBY and Alistair exited the ruins and the dragon immediately blasted a stream of fire at them. They dodged and Aedan shot a fireball at him but Zariah swatted it away. Ruby slashed at his arm with her scythe but it didn't cut. In fact, it felt like her weapon came in contact with something made of steel-like armor.

"Your blade cannot pierce me. My scales are as strong as steel." Zariah said. Ruby jumped back and moved over to Weiss.

"Ice Flower!" Ruby commanded and the two partners shot their combined attacks at him. Alistair, who managed to recover more of his aura, shot a blast of lightning from his staff. Blake and Aedan looked at each other and nodded. The cat faunus started shooting at the dragon and Aedan combined each shot from Gambol Shroud with a fireball of his own. The combined attacks caused Zariah to growl in pain and be pushed back. The five spread out and attacked again from different angles. Zariah swiped at them with his claws and tail but they dodged. Then Yang took a step forward. She shot gold beams from her gauntlets. It hit the Drake square in the chest and he roared in pain. However, Yang was now breathing heavily and she shot another beam at Zariah. Another roar of pain escaped his mouth and Yang dropped to her knees. The rest of Team RWBY stopped their attacks and ran over to her. "Yang!"

"Her aura won't last much longer." Weiss said and she and Blake helped the blonde up.

"How will we defeat Zariah now?" Aedan asked and Alistair walked over.

"It seems we have no choice. Yang will die in this fight unless something can be done." Alistair said and everyone looked at him.

"What're you suggesting?" Blake asked and Alistair took hold of one of Yang's hands.

"I will transfer my aura to her for the jewel to absorb."

"Can you even do that?" Weiss asked and the mage nodded. "How?''

''An trick I learned after letting Aedan absorb some of my aura countless times."

"But you'll die!" Aedan shouted and Alistair looked at him.

"We don't have a choice. As long as Zariah is out, the Grimm will continue to overrun the kingdoms and more will lose their lives. Besides, I have no problem with sacrificing my life." Alistair said and Aedan was silent. He lost his mother and would now lose his father. Blake rested a hand gently on his shoulder and the beowolf sighed. He knew this was the only option left since Zariah can only be defeated with the jewel. The problem was could he live without the guidance of his father? Then he made eye contact with Blake and the rest of Team RWBY. Maybe, maybe he could. He nodded and Alistair ruffled his hair. "I'm proud of you son."

"Thanks dad." Alistair tightly held Yang's hand and the other four continued their attacks. Once they found an opening, Yang shot a gold beam that was more powerful than the last. Zariah roared even louder as his scales were burned away. The beam continued and Yang felt her aura drain a little slower than before. The Drake's roar grew louder as it burned a large hole through his body. His red eyes widened when he saw a golden dragon fly towards him from within the beam and it was the last thing he saw before his body was completely destroyed.

"You have proven your worth." Zariah's voice echoed before the beam stopped and the sky returned to normal. Yang's vision started to blur and Aedan caught her before she collapsed on the ground.

"Is Yang okay?" Ruby asked.

"She's unconscious but alive." Aedan said and the jewel reformed outside Yang's gauntlets. He attempted to grab it but dropped it instantly. The object had burned him and he put his injured hand on the cold ground to cool it. "I can't pick it up."

"I'll do it. We should give it to Ozpin." Weiss said and Aedan glanced at Alistair's unmoving body laying next to them. He moved towards the corpse while carrying Yang on his back and bent down.

"Bye dad." Aedan said and Blake walked over. She picked up the late mage's staff.

"Do you want to keep this?" Blake asked and the beowolf nodded. He stood up and they saw Kira and Zwei on Alistair's giant eagle flying over.

"Let's go home guys." Ruby said with a smile. In the distance, Cinder and her team watched them leave.

"Shall we attack now?" Emerald asked but Cinder shook her head.

"No, but we will keep an eye on them. As Zariah's observers of course." Cinder said and her eyes started glowing from gold to red.

At Beacon, Team RWBY were meeting with Ozpin. Oobleck took the jewel for safekeeping and studying. Yang was still asleep in the dorm recovering her aura and Glynda stared warily at Aedan. He was now wearing his usual black sleeveless shirt but with navy blue jeans, black and red gym shoes, and a sleeveless burgundy leather vest with a fur collar. He still had his wolf head pendant around his neck. Both Ozpin and Glynda were told about him being full Grimm now and that he was different but how different was the question.

"I see. So Alistair is dead then." Ozpin said and they nodded. "We'll have a funeral prepared for him."

"How are the kingdoms?" Ruby asked.

"Major damage has been sustained and a lot of lives were lost but we're currently rebuilding."

"I'm sorry. This happened because of me." Aedan said but Ozpin smiled.

"No need to apologize Aedan. Besides, you helped save us all. You actually aren't much different than you were before. Well, minus the tail of course." Ozpin said and Aedan gave a small smile. "Anyway, what will you do now?"

"I don't think I have to worry about becoming savage anymore so if it's alright with you.." Aedan trailed off as he looked at Blake and his friends. "I'll stay here at Beacon."

"Very well."

"This is the first time we'll have a Grimm enrolled at this school." Glynda said and Ozpin took a sip of his coffee.

"First time for everything I suppose. Anyway, classes will resume Monday." Aedan and Ruby groaned. They walked back to the dorms and found Yang finally awake in her bed. They rushed over.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked and Yang smiled.

"I'm good, tired, but good." Yang said.

"We're glad you're alright." Weiss said with a genuine smile and Yang looked at Aedan.

"I'm sorry about your dad Aedan." Yang said and Aedan gave her a small smile. He shook his head.

"You don't have to apologize. I don't blame you and it's what he wanted." Aedan said and Yang sighed in relief.

"Class resumes Monday by the way." Blake said and Yang groaned loudly as she flopped back down on her bed.

"Someone summon Zariah again." Everyone laughed.

Back in Aedan's room, the beowolf was happily making dinner with his new girlfriend. Blake watched him mix a few ingredients together.

"So, do you plan to become a huntsman now?" Blake asked.

"Maybe. I'm not entirely sure if I can be one but if it's possible then I'll give it a shot." Aedan said.

"I think it's possible. Unless, you're getting lazy now." The Grimm snorted. He looked at the playful smirk on her face and grinned. Then he gave her a quick kiss, to which she returned.

"Is that a challenge, kitten?"

"It might be, wolf." Aedan chuckled as he chopped up some vegetables.

"Alright then. Challenge accepted." Blake giggled and she leaned her head on his shoulder. She was glad that Aedan was no longer suffering under his dark half. He was a full Grimm now but maintained his mind. He was still himself and she was grateful for it. Then there was a loud knock, or banging, on the door and Blake sighed.

"One day she's gonna break that door down." Blake said. She went to open the door and the rest of Team RWBY and even Team JNPR poured into the room. Aedan sighed but smiled at the presence of his friends. Friends. He never thought he'd have them. He grew up with only the company of his parents and the wilderness as his home away from home. He was a hybrid with no place among humans, faunus, or Grimm. Now, not only was he a full-blooded Grimm but he had friends and now lived in Vale. He looked at Blake who was smiling as she talked with Yang and softly smiled in her direction. He also had a girlfriend now and as he finished making dinner, he silently swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to protect them. No one saw his eyes glow but instead of rage, it was determination.

Thanks everyone for sticking around and reading my RWBY story. I deeply appreciate it and hope you guys enjoyed it! See you next time! :)