Elizabeth smiled at the living legend, resting peacefully in the chair before her. She silently laughed trying to imagine the face of her brother and sister if they saw her now. Who would believe the story of a boy sleeping at the edge of the world, protecting humanity from their own desire for death? But he was here now, sleeping soundly in the velvet room. She allowed her gloved hand to trace the boy's defined cheekbone before stepping back. She wished she could just stop time here, allowing the boy of miracles to rest for just a little longer. However time was of the essence and her master did not like to be kept waiting.

"Minato-sama, please wake up."

Silver irises immediately came into view, as Minato awoke. His eyes scanning the surroundings wildly trying to process where he was. Finally they settled on Elizabeth and for the first time in over a millennium the boy spoke.

"Elizabeth?" Minato wondered aloud as he allowed himself another cursory glance of the velvet room. "Am I…in the velvet room?" Confusion clearly colored his voice.

"All will be explained young man so please do be patient." The blue attendant stepped aside revealing her master, Igor, calmly watching him from across the room. "It has been quite a while, young man."

"I suppose," Minato replied hesitantly. He didn't know how many years had passed since becoming the Great Seal. "So how is humanity doing? With my soul here, I can only assume that Erebus is no longer a threat." The silence that met his question was chilling. The attendant refused to meet his face and even Igor's smile seemed to droop.

"I will not lie to you," Igor began breaking the silence. "After your sacrifice, humans lived from another 1000 or so years until they were overrun by shadows." Minato took this information like a blow to the chest.

"How? I thought that with my sacrifice the dark hour would end and Nyx would be kept safe." Minato questioned once he gathered himself.

"I am sorry to say that is not the case." Igor replied solemnly. "Although you stopped Erebus and Nyx's decent, humans still called for death. They refused to face the truth or were chained down by their desires. True, other persona users appeared across the generations trying to fight the shadows, but…" Igor trailed off unwilling to finish.

"So because Erebus was no longer a threat I was released from the seal." Minato hypothesized and Elizabeth nodded from beside him.

"Using the power of my awaked Fool, I was able to reverse the effects of the spell you cast." She supplied. "I figured it was the least I could do for you seeing as the Seal no longer held a point." Minato nodded his thanks to the attendant who responded with a bow.

"So what now?" Minato asked. "I can't exactly return to earth, seeing as humanity is gone."

"How about a second chance?" Minato leaned forward interest piqued from Igor's suggestion. "We can't turn back time if that is what you were hoping. However, we can reincarnate you into another universe, one that has not yet fallen to shadows."

"There are shadows in other universes?" Minato questioned. Igor nodded.

"As long as humans are alive shadows will exist alongside with them. Sometimes they do not take a corporal form, but they exist all the same. In the world we have chosen for you, the shadows exist as Grimm, huge beasts whom have devoted their lives to bring destruction."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Minato asked repressing a shiver.

"Most of your persona as well as your abilities will be taken from you. The transfer to another universe is quite taxing on the mind." Igor warned. "The only persona you will possibly retain is Messiah as he is the only one strong enough to survive the trip."

"Please refrain from using it." Elizabeth begged. "Without the use of an evoker, the strain of summoning a persona is tremendous. Along with the strength Messiah holds, there is a high likelihood you will die." Minato nodded taking in the information given to him. He looked between the two waiting for someone else to say something, he was met with silence however.

"Is it time?" The hollow question rung out as it left lips. Elizabeth brushed away a stray tear and Igor gave a solemn nod.

"I wish you the best of luck young man." Igor spoke as Minato was hit with a wave of drowsiness. "I can only hope your next life is fulfilling."

-Ω-

"You did it Laura, we finally have a son." A man's voice brought Minato to reality. Where was he? Minato was acutely aware that he was no longer in the velvet room. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. A baby's hand met his gaze. As he tried to reach for it, he watched as the hand moved farther away from him. It took Minato a moment to realize that it was his hand. He had been reborn as a child. It seemed that his reincarnation had worked. Minato immediately searched inward looking for potential persona that survived the trip. To his dismay he only felt the weak pulse from Messiah deep within him. He had only managed to retain a single persona and even it was in rough shape.

"He hasn't given a single cry." This time a woman's voice caught his attention. Her statement was met with a hearty laugh.

"Of course not, he is my son after all. He is strong willed and won't cry over small things. Minato felt as his body was lifted to face the woman who now held him in his arms. Blue hair spilled down her head in beautiful locks. Her chocolate eyes twinkled lightly showing her joy.

"Welcome to the world Minato." The woman, who he assumed was Laura, smiled. Minato stared back, silver irises flashing into view. A gasp escaped Laura as she gazed at him. "Anthony! Our child! He has… silver eyes." The last part was said like prayer. As a blond man came into his vision with an expectant look on his face, Minato began to sleepily close his eyes. He could sort this out later, he wanted to rest first.

-Ω-

"Honey, I am leaving for Scorch. I will be back by three." Anthony called out as he slipped out the door. Laura yelled her own quick goodbye, before returning to Minato who sat in the gathering room, a children's book placed before him. His parents had been overjoyed when they learned Minato could read at such a young age. They had excitedly shown him all the children's books they had and went as far to borrow some from the nearby town to allow Minato to read.

"Minato, I am going to tend to the garden. You stay here and enjoy the book all right?" Minato only nodded in response pretending to be absorbed in the reading material. His mother laughed and exited the house leaving him by himself. Finally, free from prying eyes, Minato stood and shakily made his way to the bookcase. He grasped the largest tome on the bottom shelf. The tome easily moved with his strength and Minato once again thanked Messiah for augmenting his abilities. With it he could perform feats that normal children could only dream of performing.

It had been two years since his birth into this world. Minato has gathered that he lived in a small cabin about a mile from the nearest town named Scorch. His small family consisted of only a mother and a father and himself. His father, Anthony, was a mere hunter, killing game for food and selling the skins in the town. His mother, Laura, stayed at home with him, but was always tending the garden in hopes of gathering useful vegetables for the coming months.

Over his two years Minato learned of the terror of Grimm. Although they were a rare occurrence they still appeared from time to time. The few that did appear were easily killed by the local hunters or were scared off. In the case of a pack of Grimm, a call was sent to Vale for a Huntsman to come and eradicate the threat.

The tome in Minato's hands, named Aura and Semblance, was his current "reading material." He had already out grown listening to his mother's stories of the four maidens and heroes of old and began to read on his own. Not about childish tales of princes and princesses, but about the world he was in.

If he was honest he was fascinated with the differences between this world and his original one. Dust was the first major difference being an energy source for this world. Grimm, this world's shadows, were also different, representing animals more than freaks of nature. An irrational hatred for humans and a temper to match was only the tip of the iceberg. They also left no remains, which Minato would have felt was creepy if he was not already used to the fact.

Another factor was the Faunus. Minato had never met one personally, but his father said there were several in town that he met with regularly. Apparently they looked human but held some animal traits, such as ears or tails. He silently sighed to himself on how Junpei would reacted to seeing a real life cat-girl. Minato shook his head to chase away the distracting thoughts.

The last differences were Semblances and Aura. The uniqueness of each individual's semblance had surprised him at first. Minato had reminded himself though that each of his party members had a unique persona and he had over one hundred. He yearned to learn his semblance, but it seemed futile. The book recommended training to not only control one's semblance, but discover it as well. Apparently one's personality was the major factor for their semblance. That or something that affected the person greatly, like a trauma or major experience. He had tried all his spells from his past life, but it seemed that the four elements he manipulated, (fire, wind, ice, and lighting) were beyond his abilities. Other spells from his previous life yielded similar results. Healing and aliment charms held no effect along with his enhancement charms. He had even gone so far as to try to freeze time like the Dark Hour, but it remained fruitless.

Minato however was persistent if nothing else. He reasserted himself to the book before him. Unfortunately, the sunlight that streamed in through the window had shifted from the book to Minato's eyes. He would need to find somewhere else to read. The tapping of glass caused him to look at the window behind him. His mother gave him a cheerful wave from outside and he returned the gesture, the sun to his back. His shadow mimicked his gesture and his mother returned to gardening. Minato let out a sigh. The only other major thing that affected his life were the creatures of Tartarus. The unholy abominations that lived to kill mankind. The…Minato dropped his train of thought as he gazed at his shadow stretched across the ground. He concentrated and slowly, the arm of his shadow extended. Minato stared in fascination as his shadow slowly waved to him like some deranged puppet. Maybe he didn't need the book after all.

-Ω-

It had been three years. Minato was outside attempting to stealthy practice his skills. His personal semblance was shadow manipulation. He could use and freely control any shadow within three meters of his person. Between three and seven meters his shadow would stay solid, but could not be controlled. At a distance past ten meters however his shadows fell apart, thus it was not usable at long distances. When fully utilized the shadows rose up from the ground becoming like grains of black sand. He could form this 'sand' anyway he wanted.

While his shadows could form solid and sharp structures they were costly to maintain. Unless he was touching the shadow directly, it cost extra stamina to hold it together. For example, Minato could create a bow and arrow, but shooting the arrow and keeping it solid would cost extra energy than keeping a sword in his hand. Shooting five arrows had the effect of causing him to be at a loss of breath. Trying to choke someone with a shadow was impossible as he would run out of stamina within half a minute.

He practiced in secret, trying to keep away from his parent's eye. Anthony had left for town, intent on selling some of the fur he had collected a few weeks prior. Laura was working on the garden, but she had sharp instincts.

"Don't wander too far Minato!" She called out to him as she spied him inching further into the forest. While Grimm were rare, wild animals still were among the woods. Most were shy and would flee on sight, but other animals would find her son to be a tasty snack. Minato obeyed slowly making his way back to the premise with a loud growl split through the air.

Laura stood, panic gripping her heart as a large Ursa stumbled into the clearing. It breathed deeply as if tracking a scent as Minato stood frozen examining the creature. It slowly looked up locking its eyes on its new target. Time stood still until it gave a roar and began to charge forward at Minato. Laura took action and ran for Minato. She reached him with only a few seconds to spare. Doing what she could, she covered him protectively hoping to shield him from the worst. She waited with baited breath for the pain, but it never came.

"Mom, let go." Minato muffled voice gently ordered her. She slowly released her son who looked completely unfazed at the attack of the Ursa. Realizing that the strike had not come Laura turned around on to see the Grimm on all fours growling at her. However, there was a barrier between them. A layer of black particles floated gently before Laura shielding Minato and her from harm.

"What is this?" Laura asked aloud reaching forward to touch the particles.

"This is my semblance." Minato spoke from behind her. "Shadows." He walked past her as the black particles condensed forming a short sword. He grasped the weapon giving it an experimental swing. Seeing that the barrier was gone the Ursa lunged forward. Laura screamed, but Minato lazily stepped to the side avoiding the attack by inches. As the beast passed, Minato slashed with his weapon leaving a large gash on its side. The Grimm growled in pain and stumbled away from Minato. Refocusing itself the Ursa rose on its hind legs and slowly approached Minato keeping a wide distance. Minato narrowed his eyes at the beast's change in nature. It was being more cautious.

"Look out for its claws!" Laura shouted a warning. Minato leapt backwards as the Ursa swung its paw at him. He silently cursed as he realized the reason for the monster's distance. His short sword's range paled in comparison to the Grimm's striking range. Minato avoided two more strikes before deciding to change his strategy. The sword in his hand exploded into a cloud of dust. The particles hung for a moment before reconverging into the shape of a spear. New weapon in hand, Minato thrust forward piercing the chest of the surprised Ursa. He was able to pierce the beast again before it recovered from its shock and leap back.

Deciding to fight another day, the beast turned around and began to run. Minato realized its plan and held his arm forward as if aiming. If he was to kill it, he would need to get some range. The shadows changed again forming a bow with a shadow arrow already notched. He drew back the arrow and fired. The shot was true, but before it struck its target the Ursa ran beyond the boundary of his range. The arrow blew apart allowing the Grimm to escape. With a silent curse Minato allowed the bow to fade from existence. Laura watched as Minato looked to her, face carefully left blank. He was trying to gauge her reaction to his actions. In seconds she closed the distance between them and enclosed him in her arms. He smiled. It seemed regardless of how unique or different her child was; she would always love him.

-Ω-

After the incident, Minato revealed that he had not only known about his semblance, but had been actively using it for about six months. He also expressed his want to see the world, instead of staying within the premises of the house all day.

Thus he asked for permission to leave the house during the day. Unsurprisingly, Laura didn't want to hear another word about the idea, but Anthony came to his defense. After proving his skills with his semblance and his expertise in eliminating Grimm and other animals alike, he was finally given permission to wander as long as he returned by sun fall.

Thus at the age of four Minato found himself wandering the woods, three miles from his home. The scenery was beautiful, but he needed to concentrate while in the forests. Who knew what was hiding nearby, waiting for a chance to strike. A far off explosion echoed in the air catching Minato's attention. Using his shadow to form a claw like grappling hook, he reached up and pulled himself up to a tree branch. Now at a higher angle he was able to see where the explosion had come from. A small pack of Grimm, four beowolfs, were being fought. Minato quickly made his way closer to the battlefield, using his shadows to quickly jump from tree to tree.

As Minato arrived he was finally able to discern where the explosions were coming from. A young girl was throwing fire balls at the Grimm, attempting to hold them off. The attacks were effective at keeping the creatures at bay, but they suffered no damage from the flaming projectiles. The silver haired girl gave another shout as she threw another ball at a beowolf who had begun to creep forward. If the girl's panting was anything to go by, she was on her last legs. Minato decided to step in, leaping to the ground in one bound. His arrival startled the Grimm and they lost slight interest in their current target to discover the source of the noise. Seeing another human, one of the beowolfs howled and charged Minato. It was thrown back as it ran into a wall of shadow. Taking use of the opening, Minato reformed the wall into a rapier and dashed forward. He delivered a flurry of stabs, the last causing the monster to disintegrate. The beowolves watched gauging their next move. In their hesitance however a fireball landed on another of the wolves disintegrating it in the flames. The girl apparently had some fight left in her. Decision made, the beowolves leapt, one to each target. Minato quickly changed weapons back to a sword and drove the weapon in to the attacker's chest. It stumbled for a moment allowing him to dealt a deep gash across its chest finishing it. The girl was not so lucky as the beowolf had managed to close the distance to the girl faster than she expected. A claw swipe held true and the girl gave a hiss of pain as blood dripped from her arm. Another explosion resounded and as the smoke cleared the silver haired girl was left panting, no Grimm in sight. Minato allowed his sword to disintegrated sensing no more Grimm in the area.

"Are you alrig-" Mianto's question was cut off as he narrowly dodged a fireball aimed for his head. He shot a look to the girl who already had another fireball in hand.

"Go away!" The girl panted out, the fire in her palm flickering dangerously. However, the blood leaking from her wound was clearly noticeable and the effect it was having was obvious. Minato watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open, as the physical exhaustion and aura exhaustion took its toll. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she had nothing to fuel her.

"You need to get that wound checked." Minato calmly argued withdrawing the roll of bandages he kept. He had had his own fair share of injuries on his little "excursions" from the house. Her blood loss, while not massive, could lead to complications if not treated. "Just allow me to bandage you and I will leave."

"I can't trust a human, there are just as bad as Grimm!" the girl declared throwing the ball she held. Her accuracy was off however and the attack landed far off target. Instead of creating another ball, she clasped her free hand over the wound, wincing as she did so. She couldn't trust a human? What was she talking about? It was only then did Minato notice the small fox ears peaking up from her silver locks and the small tail hanging from her backside.

"You're a Faunas." He intoned, more out of interest than surprise. His declaration was met with a sharp glare.

"That's right, and you're a filthy human my parents have warned me about." She responded with a growl. Minato narrowed his eyes. While he knew of the tension between the two races, he was a little off put at the bluntness of the fox girl's statement. He had hoped that he could at least speak to her without hostility, but that seemed impossible. Still he wasn't going to allow her to bleed out when he could have helped.

"Then patch yourself up." He called throwing the roll to the girl. "If you don't need my help then I am leaving." The surprise on her face as the bandages landed before her was priceless. She looked between Minato's retreating form and the roll expecting some sort of ruse.

"Wait!" The faunus girl immediately covered her mouth as Minato turned back to her questioningly. They took a moment look at each other before the girl slowly removed her hands from her lips. "Why?" The single word carried so many questions. Why did you help me? Why did you give bandages? Why aren't you attacking me? Why are you so… kind? Mentally Minato knew the Faunas war was still fresh in the minds of people regardless of how long it had been. This girl was probably a byproduct of the tensions. She was probably told by her parents, that humans were the same as Grimm or perhaps felt the persecution herself. Still Minato returned her question with a smile.

"Faunus and humans aren't that different. Treating Faunas different from humans is a bit childish don't you think?" The girl's only reaction was continuing to stare at Minato as if he was some freak of nature. He sighed and decided to leave before it got too awkward. "Once you're done with bandaging yourself, leave the extra by the base of the tree next to you. I will come pick them up tomorrow." With that Minato left resisting the urge to look back.

-Ω-

Minato was relatively sure she wasn't going to listen to him. She was a four-year-old Faunas that hated humans. His roll of bandages was gone and for all he was concerned he was wasting his time going back to the sight of the battle. Therefore, one could imagine his surprise when he found not only the roll of bandages but the fox Faunas as well, waiting for him at the base of the appointed tree. As he approached the girl's ear perked and leap up whirling to face him. Confirming that it wasn't some sort of Grimm she relaxed, but kept the roll tightly in her hand. Minato finally stopped a few paces before her waiting for her to give him the item. His expectations were dashed as she began to speak.

"Who are you?" The question caught him off guard. He blinked before letting out a sigh.

"Why do you care? Just give me the bandages and I can-"

"Answer the question, or I am going to burn your stupid roll!" The fox-girl practically shouted, crushing the said item tightly. Minato remembered that one's semblance reflected a person's personality somewhat. If her semblance was fire that spoke leagues about her character. This certainly didn't bode well for his item. Well it wasn't like he was expecting to get it back anyway. However, he had traveled five miles and his item was being dangled in front of him like carrot on a stick. He would not be treated like a child, when his time could be spent more efficiently.

"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself first? Or is that just a human thing?" Minato countered watching the girl's face twist in anger.

"I am the one asking the questions!" she shouted again, but Minato lost his patience. A shadow claw reached for the girl and dragged her toward him until her face was inches from his.

"I not only saved you from Grimm yesterday, but gave you bandages for you wounds after you threw a fireball at me." He spoke with a menacing tone. "The least you can do is give me what is mine so I can leave." The claw around her collapsed and she dropped to her knees releasing the bandages. Minato scooped up the bandages and made to leave until a sniff filled the surroundings. He gave a look back at the girl who had tears spilling from her eyes. Her ears had drooped and she looked as if she was holding back from completely breaking down. Maybe he had been too harsh? She was only four years old, so perhaps losing his temper to such an extent had been a bit much. Besides if his mother heard about him making a girl cry he wasn't going to get off easy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry." Minato apologized as he knelt down before the crying girl. He reached for her and she flinched back slightly. He continued though and pulled the girl into a hug. She was hesitant but eventually nuzzled into his shoulder and sobbed. "If you want to talk we can, but you can't be so threatening." He continued to whisper comforting words to her, drawing what he hoped to be comforting patterns on her back. He didn't have much experience with crying woman and he prayed that it stayed that way. Finally, the muffled cries stopped and the girl's tail began to swish back and forth alerting him to her elevated mood.

"You alright?" he asked as he removed her from his soaked shoulder. She only nodded as she rubbed her eyes. "Alright, would you like to start over?" Another nod. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"M-my name is Kira Ryusei." She quietly muttered. She looked to Minato gathering her courage. "Uhm…what's your name?"

"Minato Arisato." He replied with a small smile. Technically this was untrue as his official last name was Buren, but he doubted that it would matter. Kira nodded seeming to accept his answer. She seemed to be muttering it under her breath trying to memorize it. "Where do you live?" His question startled her from her endless chanting.

"Oh! I…live in Ion. I think it is about a mile from here." Minato nodded in agreement. Scorch and Ion are about five miles apart. The town is small much like its neighbor. It focuses on fishing as it is much closer to the sea. He is brought out of my internal musing by Kira.

"Where do you live?" Minato briefly wondered if she was just going to parrot back his questions. He decided to ignore his slight frustration and answer.

"I live a mile from Scorch, it is a small town around five miles from here." He added in case she was unaware where Scorch was. If the question of why Minato was five miles away from his hometown without any guardians appeared in Kira's mind, then she didn't show it. They talked for a while longer taking turns asking questions and answering them. It turned out Kira's father was killed by humans, when she was only a year old. Her mother had fled from the city and settled in Ion try to live a new life. While her mother did not advocate violence or hatred to humans, Kira felt that is was unfair. Thus her act of anger towards me when we first met. In turn Minato told her about my peaceful life in Scorch. About his father's job and his mother's garden. The questions and stories began to wane as the sun slowly descended on the horizon.

"It's getting late." Minato stated bluntly noticing the sun's location in the sky. "I need to get home soon." Kira stands from her position beside him. She has opened up over the course of the day, but is looking at him hesitantly. Before Minato can ask what is bothering her, she blurt outs what's on her mind.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Her face matches the crimson of the sun as soon as she realized what she has said. Minato decides to take pity on her and answered the question.

"If you want to." Minato replied with a gentle smile. Kira's ears perk up and a delighted smile lights up her face. She catches herself though and schools her face to be more normal, her tail however gives her away as it is swaying contently.

"Alright I will see you tomorrow. Don't be late." With that she runs off immediately in the direction of her home. Minato only can shake his head in laughter.

"She told me not to be late, but we didn't agree on a time." He sighed. He began his long walk home feeling content. At least he had something of interest tomorrow.

-Ω-

This took way too long to workshop. When I decided to write the story, I had characters, team names, semblances and weapons all in mind. Than after a talk with my editors, I was left with just characters... Fun fact, Minato's original semblance was the Dark Hour and he could freeze time. That idea got shot down real fast. Hopefully this story will be update just as frequently as my other story, New Beginnings, but seeing as I missed the deadline for that don't count on it.

In all seriousness though, New Beginnings will be updated in a week as all my focus was on this story. Hopefully I can have a story updated every week between this one and the other.

A huge thank you for my beta Mingyu for reading the chapter at such short notice. Also to my editors who read this at 4 am so I could find any errors to correct.

Please consider giving a favorite follow or review, though I can't really force you. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.