When Y/N's eyes opened, he didn't recognize the ceiling above him at first. Then again, the only ceiling he had ever really bothered to look at was the one above his bed. He sighed, his energy sapped. He laid there, and he listened to the sounds of students going about their day.
... Students?
He sat up. He nearly let out a cry of shock. He was sitting in the hallways of Beacon Academy. All around him, students moved down the hall, some chatting away happily.
Only it was all wrong.
The students looked as if they were put together by a demented doll maker. Facial parts were in the wrong places, limbs moved at awkward, unnatural appearances, hair grew in abnormal areas, everything about them was wrong. Even the way they spoke was wrong; their language was grotesque and guttural, a thick soup of unintelligible words and clicks.
It didn't stop with the students. The hallways flickered and shifted, unstable with the fractured Reality. Y/N felt terror building in his chest. His head hurt. His eyes hurt, just looking at those things that wore the uniforms of his old school.
There was an awful sound from behind him. It sounded like the squeal of tires on the street. Y/N flinched, turning around. The color drained from his face.
It was Weiss. Or at least, that was who Y/N thought it was supposed to be. It wore her clothes, it held her appearance. The only difference was that it's skin flickered like a broken television. It didn't have any facial features, just a smooth surface. It's skin would never flicker to human skin. Just a mess of blue, pink, red, white, yellow, and black. In fact, the only reason Y/N suspected it even was Weiss was from the way it stood.
"W... W-Weiss...?" Y/N could feel his heart throb. The creature let off another shrill shriek, its hand moving calmly, as if it was having a normal conversation.
Drip.
Y/N's eyes felt hot. Was he crying? When he reached his fingers up and touched his face, he didn't see the sparkle of tears. He saw red. His eyes were bleeding.
Drip.
He didn't need to touch his nose to figure out that was bleeding, too. He looked back at the creature, tasting the coppery taste as the blood trickled past his lips.
"A-ah... Ahh..." Y/N's screams came out as nothing more than a soft sigh. His head felt like it was splitting into a million pieces, his mind unable to comprehend what he was staring at. His knees wobbled, knocked together, and with a soft thud he collapsed.
The creature stooped down, letting out another loud screech. It held no hostility in the way it stood, and its flickering hand reached down for him. Gently its fingers ran through his blonde locks, caressing him affectionately. A wave of comfort washed over Y/N, the hero looking back up at it. There was no more doubt in his splitting mind. It was Weiss's Soul, corrupted from Salem's Reality. And yet it made no move to attack him. That was when he realized - when the Souls were not being used, they were their normal selves, despite being a physical mess.
Slowly and gently, the creature helped him to his feet, carefully wiping away at the blood that obscured his vision. It stepped away, beckoning him to follow with another high pitched screech. Y/N didn't see any other option; after all Salem's Soul was nowhere to be found. He was beginning to question if it even had a Soul. Then again, if it didn't then he wouldn't have been able to enter its Reality.
As he followed Weiss down the flickering and shifting halls, he decided to ask a question that had been on his mind. "Erm... Weiss?"
The jumbled mess of flashing lights turned to him curiously.
"... Where is Salem?"
Immediately Y/N regret asking Weiss anything. She let out another high pitched screech, bringing the katana-wielder to wince and cover his ears. Weiss seemed to realize he couldn't understand her, and pulled out a notepad. It quickly scribbled something down, turning the pad so he could read it.
[Salem is deeper inside. Since you're here, I'm guessing you went and fought it after I told you not to. Dolt.]
So that was what Weiss was trying to tell him before she died. Y/N felt guilty. "... Sorry..."
[Don't be. You made it this far. That's what I like about you - you always push through.]
They walked further down the halls, passing by their monstrous schoolmates. As Y/N looked, he noticed that some were different from the others. One was even a duck wearing a hat, and another a frog leaning on a cane like a gentleman. He looked back at Weiss. "... Is Vao here too?"
Weiss shook her head. [I haven't seen him. At least I don't think I have. Everyone's hard to recognize. I did see Jaune, though.]
"Jaune?"
Weiss nodded. [Jaune Arc, the boy who was eaten when Salem was possessing Ruby. He looks like an egg.]
Now Y/N remembered. He hadn't talked to Jaune very much. Weiss stopped at a door - Team RWBY's door. She twisted the handle and pushed it open, revealing the swirling purple mist on the other side. Without hesitation, she stepped through it. Y/N bit his lip, following after her.
To his surprise, when the mist cleared he found himself in a completely different area. Instead of RWBY's dorm, he was at the Vale Mall. Furniture and potted plants hovered in the air, and the escalator was nonoperational. When he looked through the store windows, he could see everything on the opposite side of the glass was upside down, defying gravity. The walls were purple, and the floors were pink, and every time he moved his body left behind a blur that faded away. It was as if Y/N had taken drugs. "Why does everything look so..." Y/N struggled for the right words. In the First Timeline, Vao's Reality had a hellscape of blood, gore, and the tortured Souls that lived in his schizophrenic mind. He had expected Salem's Reality to be equally, if not more horrifying. "... Strange?"
Weiss shrugged, scribbling down something in her notepad before turning it to show him. [I don't know. This place doesn't follow any sort of realistic pattern; doors lead to weird places, and everything is weird, like the stores and the colors.] She tilted her head before turning the page and writing something else. [But it's not so bad here. Some of the Souls have even found peace in this odd place.]
"Peace? In Salem's Reality?"
Weiss nodded. [I guess when you're here long enough, you just... Grow used to it?]
It seemed Weiss didn't think too much about it. Which was probably for the better. Trying to comprehend what was going on in Salem's Reality was incredibly difficult. As they took their first step on the broken escalator, the step shifted, breaking away from the main system and floating through the air, carrying them to the top. Y/N was both startled and amazed.
The second floor was busier than the first floor. Souls in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes moved about in conversation, some walking into shops, others lounging about. Y/N followed Weiss into a restaurant, letting out a gasp of surprise when the world flipped. Now everything outside was upside down, and he was upright.
[Don't panic. Let's just grab some food, okay?]
"Y... Yeah..."
Weiss walked up to the counter, waving at a lizard wearing a jacket standing behind the cash register. Y/N guessed it was the store owner. Weiss let out another high pitched, unearthly whine that nearly gave Y/N a headache. But the lizard seemed to understand.
"Yeah, coming right up. Pick a table" the reptile growled. Y/N was shocked it could speak. Weiss took his hand and guided him towards an empty booth, sitting down next to him. It wasn't long before the lizard man came back with two plates. Y/N stared at the food questionably. It looked like meat and fruit, but he couldn't be sure. The meat resembled steak, but was purple and pink. The fruit looked like an apple, but was banana yellow with purple splotches. The inside of the fruit was green. Weiss scribbled something in her notepad.
[It's fine, just eat it.]
Y/N was hesitant at first. But if Weiss said it was okay, then it couldn't have been bad, right? He took a bite of the fruit, feeling the sweet taste dance across his tongue. It was surprisingly tasty, and the juice nearly dripped from the fruit. Oddly, the juice wasn't sticky. He took another bite. Weiss had already started on her meal, a red fish thing. Y/N didn't even know how she was eating, given that she didn't have any visible mouth. But he decided not to question it.
„¿ǝɹǝɥ ƃuıop noʎ ǝɹɐ ʇɐɥʍ ¿u/ʎ„
Y/N jumped in his seat, his head snapping towards the direction of the voice. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that it was Yang. But just like everything else, she had her abnormalities. For one, her face was upside down, and her hands were on the wrong sides of her body. Weiss let out another squeal, nearly deafening the hero. Yang sighed, sitting down across from them.
„˙˙˙ƃuıɥʇǝɯos op oʇ ǝןqɐ ǝq ʇɥƃıɯ ǝɥ uǝɥʇ ¿ǝʌıןɐ ןןıʇs s,ǝɥ os„
If Y/N tried hard enough, he could sort of understand her. She was talking upside down, which he honestly should have expected by looking at her face. Come to think of it, he didn't even know it was possible to speak upside down. Yang looked at him, giving an upside down smile and leaning on her backwards hands. „¿ɥnɥ 'dıɹʇ ƃnɹp ƃıq ǝuo ¿ǝɔɐןd sıɥʇ ʇnoqɐ ʞuıɥʇ noʎ op ʇɐɥʍ ˙˙˙„
Drug trip was an understatement. "It's... Not what I was expecting at all," Y/N admitted. "Isn't this supposed to be Salem's Reality? If I'm not seeing its memories, then this is how it views the world. I would have thought it'd be the supreme ruler or something, given how it viewed the world as its property... Not whatever abstract painting this place is."
Yang shrugged her shoulders, reaching over and stealing a piece of his food. To Y/N's disgust and horror, she pulled up her shirt to reveal a toothy mouth underneath where her stomach was supposed to be. She threw the food inside and chewed before lowering her shirt. She caught his stare and flashed him an upside down smirk. ,,¿ʍou ɹǝʇsᴉs ɹnoʎ ʇno ƃuᴉʞɔǝɥƆ,,
Weiss let out another high pitched screech, pointing her multicolored flickering finger at Yang. The upside down party girl just laughed. Y/N cocked an eyebrow. "What did she say?"
,,˙ʌɹǝd ɐ ƃuᴉǝq ɹoɟ ǝɯ ʇɐ pǝllǝʎ ǝɥS,,
Y/N thought back to what Yang had said, scowling in disgust. "Ew, you're my sister. You're the last person I'd ever check out."
,,¡noʎ uɐɥʇ ɹǝᴉʇʇǝɹd ɯ,I snolɐǝɾ ʇsnɾ ǝɹ,no⅄,, Yang laughed.
Y/N ignored her comment, instead focusing on a question he had previously asked Weiss. "... Have you seen Vao anywhere?"
Yang hummer, drumming her reversed fingers against the table. ,,'ʇ,uǝʌɐɥ I ˙˙˙,, Yang admitted quietly. ,,˙pǝssǝɹdǝp puɐ ʎzɐɹɔ ɥʇoq 'ʎʇᴉlɐuosɹǝd sᴉɥ sʇᴉɟ oɥʍ ǝuoʎuɐ ʇǝɯ s,ǝuo ou ʇnq 'ɹǝƃuol ǝɹǝɥ uǝǝq ǝʌ,oɥʍ slnoS ǝɥʇ ɟo ǝɯos pǝʞsɐ I,,
So not even Yang saw Vao, Y/N realized. Where was he? He'd have assumed Vao would've been one of the first people he would meet. He was beginning to wonder if Vao's Soul had somehow escaped. But that would be impossible. Salem would have made sure to take it.
They finished their food, Y/N catching Yang and Weiss up on the recent events. Weiss had returned to writing in her notepad, something Y/N was grateful for. Eventually, they stood up and left the restaurant, a wave of nausea washing over Y/N as the world flipped again. Yang and Weiss guided him to the restroom, pulling open the door to reveal nothing more than a light blue light. He followed them through it, wondering where they would end up next.
The world reformed around him to reveal the streets of Vale. The sidewalk was purple, the buildings pink, and the sky was yellow with puffy, off white clouds drifting above. The sun was a white ball, shining down on the streets.
"... It looks like someone blew up a bag of Skittles," Y/N muttered. He looked around at the Souls that went about their day, an assortment of monsters, animals walking on two legs, and people with deformities like Yang. There was one man with a smooth head, his face stuck on his bare chest as he talked to a bipedal cat wearing a hat and boots. And on the other side was a talking donkey and an overweight green man entering a building.
,,¿lnoS s,ɯǝlɐS ɹoɟ ƃuᴉʞool s,ǝɥ ʇᴉ ǝʞɐʇ I oS,, Yang suddenly said. Weiss nodded, leaving Yang to scratch her upside down nose. ,,˙˙˙ɹǝɥʇᴉǝ 'ɯǝlɐS uǝǝs ʇ,uǝʌɐɥ I 'ʇᴉ ɟo ʞuᴉɥʇ oʇ ǝɯoƆ ˙˙˙,,
"What do you mean? It's Salem's Reality," Y/N asked in confusion. "You haven't seen it?"
Yang shook her head. ,,˙ʎllɐǝɹ ʇou 'oN,,
Lovely, Y/N thought. Just lovely. No one knew where Salem was. The trio walked into a telephone booth, the doorway taking them to a frozen village. Despite the snow falling around them, the air was very warm. It was as warm as a summer day on Patch. That, and the snow wasn't falling down - it was falling up. Y/N looked around in confusion.
"Okay, what the fuck?"
Weiss scribbled something down in her notepad. [What's wrong?]
Y/N gestured at their surroundings. "It's snowing, and half the village is an ice cube. Why is it so warm?"
,,¿ɹǝʍsuɐ ǝɥʇ ǝʌɐɥ plnoʍ ǝʍ ʞuᴉɥʇ ʎllɐǝɹ noʎ op,, Yang asked. Y/N hated that she was right.
He supposed he shouldn't question it. What he did question, was when the snowman started talking.
"Well, good morning to you too!"
Y/N paused for a moment, staring the snowman into his charcoal eyes. He would recognize that voice anywhere. "... Dad?"
The snowman waved his stick arms happily. "Hey, you recognized me! I knew you weren't so-"
"Dad, I swear to Dust-"
"Cold."
Yang snickered, hiding her grin when Y/N glared at her. The hero turned to his snowman father sighing quietly. "Dad, you're dead. How can you be taking this so lightly?"
"Well, because I'm a snowman, duh," Tai answered. "Alright, seriously though? I thought it was lights out when Salem ripped my spine out of my mouth. Next thing I know, I'm here. I'm just happy I can keep sorta livin' and tell my awesome puns."
Well, at least Tai was being positive. Y/N didn't know how to feel about that. He felt he should be crying right now, but after being exposed to Salem's weird Reality, he felt like nothing could really faze him anymore. Had he finally snapped, he wondered? Tai rocked in place, his stick arms breaking the laws of physics and bending where his elbows should have been. "Anyways, you're off to see Salem, right? Can I come with you?"
"How will you even walk? Your lower half is a giant snowball," Y/N pointed out. Tai's pebble mouth curled into a goofy grin.
"Well you see, Y/N-"
"Dad, please-"
"It's snow problem for me. Just get some snow and make me some legs."
Yang lost it, giggling through her fingers. Weiss flipped up her notepad. [It really wasn't that funny, Yang.]
"Oh, come on now," Snow-Tai started. Y/N let out a pained groan, dreading when his father would finish that sentence. "Don't be such a snowflake. Get it? 'cause it's snowin'."
[I can see who Vao got his intelligence from.]
"HEY!"
Y/N just quietly began working on constructing his father's legs, packing down the snow. The white powder was warm to the touch, yet showed no signs of melting. He didn't have to make them very large, either. When he finished, Tai stood up and checked himself out.
"Aw, you didn't define my muscles?" He whined. "... Ah, whatever. It's cool."
[But it's hot outside,] Weiss wrote.
"Snow is supposed to be cold," Tai muttered. "I was trying to make a funny..."
"Something you and Yang have never made in your lives," Y/N grumbled. "Sorry to burst your bubble on that one."
Tai snickered, tapping his carrot nose. "Say what you want. I don't carrot all, sport. I'm a cool dude like that."
Yang was giggling so hard her stomach-mouth had begun quivering under her shirt. Y/N tried to erase the memory of watching Yang eat as best he could. Weiss let out another high pitched shriek. Y/N assumed she was just sighing, given how his snowman father and backwards sister reacted.
With SnowDad joining their party, telling awful puns along the way, Y/N slowly found himself growing used to the odd sights around him. He even passed by a few conversations among the Souls, who just went about their day like normal. It didn't seem anyone needed to work.
"Hey, mister?"
Y/N paused to look around before his eyes fell to his feet. There was a tiny blue kid in a parka looking up at him. And by tiny, the kid wasn't any taller than Y/N's finger. He squatted down. "What is it?"
The blue kid shuffled in place, tilting his head to the side. "Why do you look like that?"
Great. Another question Y/N couldn't answer. He doubted the kid would understand that he still looked human because he was alive. Snow-Tai was on top of things, though. He squatted down next to Y/N, wrapping a stick arm around his shoulders and pulling up his sleeve, exposing his prosthetic.
"See, he's got his strangeness, too!"
Y/N yanked his sleeve back down, shooting his father a dirty look straight into his charcoal eyes. "Dad! I'm sensitive about that! Don't be so..." Y/N trailed off when Tai smirked.
"So what?"
"... Cold..."
Y/N felt disgusted with himself. Tai was rubbing off on him, and he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. The tiny child seemed amazed, though.
"Woah, so you're half-robot?"
Weiss looked down thoughtfully. [... I feel like we called Vao the same thing,] she wrote.
,,¡ǝlddᴉɹɔ ɐ ɯᴉɥ pǝllɐɔ ǝʍ 'ɥɐN,, Yang laughed.
The tiny kid eventually ran off, leaving Y/N to scold his snowman father about showing off his son's injuries.
The icy, yet warm village was peaceful. And yet Y/N had a question; he was having a lot of those. "Where... Is this?" He asked after a moment.
,,¿ʇǝƃɹoɟ noʎ plnoɔ ʍoH ¡ɥɔʇɐԀ s,ʇI,, Yang exclaimed. Y/N looked around again. Sure enough, he could recognize some of the buildings beneath the snow and ice. He might've had an easier time recognizing his hometown if everything wasn't pink, purple, yellow, and cyan.
Suddenly, the voice called out to him. Soft, quiet, yet unmistakable.
{"T... T-tow... Wer..."}
It was Salem's voice. Y/N turned around to look at his family and friend, but they had no reaction. "Did you... Hear that?" He asked.
[Hear what?] Weiss wrote. Tai gave another pebbled grin.
"This place driving you nuts, kiddo? You get used to the color scheme after a while. But as for me, I got used to it in a heartbeat! Have I... Colored you impressed yet?"
[I will melt you,] Weiss scribbled angrily. She even left a frowny face at the end of her sentence. Tai stopped smiling.
"Aw, c'mon. My puns are fun. If I still had a heart, you'd be breaking it."
,,¡ʇno llᴉɥƆ ¡ssᴉǝM ɥɐǝ⅄,, Yang exclaimed. Weiss slapped a multicolored hand on her faceless, multicolored head, flickering furiously like the walking CRT TV she looked like.
Y/N shifted his focus away from them, straining his ears in an attempt to hear Salem's voice again.
{"Tower... H... H-help..."}
Did it mean Beacon Tower? Y/N highly doubted that. Weiss would've known where Salem's Soul was if that were true. He turned back to his father. "... Do you know where I can find a tower?"
"On Patch?"
"... Fair point," Y/N muttered begrudgingly. He pried open the door to a portapotty, staring at the swirling yellow mist that filled the doorway before stepping inside.
When they emerged, they were in a completely different place. Slabs of cobbled stone formed a path into the starry void, furniture floating in the distance. They were all amazed by the sight.
[I... Don't remember seeing this place,] Weiss wrote. Yang nodded in agreement. ,,˙˙˙lnɟᴉʇnɐǝq s,ʇI ˙˙˙ɥɐǝ⅄,,
"It looks like space..." Tai began. But Y/N was quick on his feet.
"Dad, stop it with the jokes. Please," he begged. Tai's pebbled mouth curled into a frown.
"I wasn't going to make one. It's really pretty."
Well, now Y/N felt like a dick. Still though, he never could have imagined he'd see a place like this. Nevermind being accompanied by a living snowman, a woman with a mouth on her stomach and an upside down face, and a girl who looked like a broken CRT TV's color palette. They stopped for a moment to stare over the edge, into the seemingly endless void. Above them, a bed drifted past. In that bed, an egg was waving at them.
[Oh, it's Jaune!] Weiss scribbled. Y/N immediately covered his ears, hearing Weiss's muffled screeches as she called over to him and waved. The egg reached under the pillow and fished out a sharpie, drawing a smiley face on its front and giving another wave. They waved until the bed floated away, and the egg was out of sight before they continued on their way.
At the end of the cobblestone path was a door. There were no walls attached to it - it was just the door frame and the door itself. Curiously Y/N pulled it open. Sure enough, a light blue mist swirled on the other side.
{"Through... There..."}
His lips tightened as he stepped through. As the mist parted, he stopped. The green grass crunched underneath his feet as his friends stepped in with him, their eyes following his gaze.
Ahead of them the tower loomed, almost silhouetted by the blue sky. The wind slowly drifted past. A sudden wave of unease washed over them, rooting everyone to the spot.
It was the tower, Y/N realized. This was the tower Salem's Soul was hiding in. He turned back to his odd friends.
"... This is it..." He whispered softly. Tai looked at him with his pebble frown and his charcoal eyes.
"... Do you want us to come with you?" He asked quietly. Y/N shook his head, his hand resting on the handle of his katana.
"No... If something happens to you guys, it... It'll be your Souls that get destroyed... I'm going alone."
,,˙˙˙N/⅄ 'lnɟǝɹɐɔ ǝq ˙˙˙,, Yang's voice was uncharacteristically quiet. But Y/N flashed her a reassuring grin.
"Hey, I made it this far, didn't I? I'm starting to think I'm invincible..." He looked at his snowy father, his smirk growing. "... There's snow way that's possible, though..."
Tai and Yang returned the grin. Y/N looked to Weiss. The heiress didn't have a face that he could read, but he could see her body language. She was uncomfortable about him going alone.
[... Seriously... Be careful, you dolt,] she wrote slowly. Y/N sighed, leaning forward and giving her a quick peck on the forehead.
"I'll be fine... I'll be back. I promised Cardin I would," he whispered. He turned, beginning to approach the tower. And when he reached the door, he turned back to give one last look at his friends. Snow Tai gave a small wave with his stick arms, while Weiss held up her notepad. She had drawn a heart. And Yang...
Yang had lifted up her shirt again to expose the toothy mouth that took place of her stomach. Y/N winced, still not used to seeing the body horror. Weiss seemed to catch onto his expression, turning back to her upside down teammate. She let out another high pitched screech, catching Tai's attention.
"Yang, put your shirt back on! SnowDad demands it!"
Y/N closed the door behind him, staring up at the long, winding spiral staircase that led up the tower. He was grateful his legs were artificial - if they weren't, this would have killed his knees. As he ascended, Salem's voice spoke to him.
{"H-hurry... It hurts..."}
He didn't know what could possibly hurt something like Salem. Salem was an eldritch horror, immortal with its only weakness being his magic. He figured it was just rambling. He didn't pick up nor slow down his pace as he ascended.
{"Y-Y/N... Help me..."}
He found it funny, in a twisted way. That Salem would ask for his help after everything it had done to him. He gritted his teeth. He felt like it was mocking him. Nevertheless, his legs began to move a bit faster. As much as he believed it was taunting him, the feeling of dread was growing with each step climbed. Something was wrong.
{"P-please... Don't... D-don't let it eat me..."}
He felt his heart skip a beat, his blood running cold. He didn't expect Salem to say something like that. Finally he broke into a run, his footsteps making no sound against the stone. His hand never left the handle of his katana as he ascended, and reached the top of the tower. In front of him was a large set of double doors, oak wood painted white with gold finishing. Gently he pressed his hand against the door, and then his ear.
{"H... Help... It..."} Salem's otherworldly and disembodied voice trembled for a moment, a sharp, pained gasp reaching his ears. {"It... H-hurts..."}
Creeeeeaaaaaakkk...
Nothing could have prepared him for what lie beyond that door. Nothing he could ever have seen would have prepared him for it. It rooted him to the spot, filling his heart and mind with such an intense fear that he couldn't even think. He couldn't even feel the front of his pants grow wet, urine trickling down his leg and leaking from his pant leg, pooling around his feet. His very Soul shivered at the sight, his mind coming dangerously close to permanently breaking into pieces.
Salem was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor - the real Salem. The human Salem. Her blonde hair had been stained the black sludge of the eldritch influence, her one visible eye wide with eternal torment and agony, running wet with tears. Her arm, thin and emaciated, stretched out towards him, her lips parted in a soft, weakening plea.
"H... H-help me... Y-Y/N..."
His eyes shifted towards the thing that had been absorbing Salem. That horrible, awful thing. It turned its faceless head towards him, the hairs that dotted its skin quivering in the air like motion detectors. And finally it stopped.
It saw him.
The thing was pressing into Salem, feeding from her Soul. It pushed off the ground, carrying the Soul with it as the thing rose to its full height of four-hundred and fifty-seven centimeters tall. It bore a resemblance to a humanoid figure, except twisted. Y/N could see its bones through its thin body, an array of patterns that betrayed its inhumanity. The thing was silent - it just stared at him.
Y/N never could have imagined that Salem's Soul was being controlled by one of these things. It explained so much. It explained why she had a humanoid appearance in the First Timeline. It explained how it could be so cruel. It explained why Ozpin had told Y/N that Salem had been human once.
This thing was feeding off Salem's Soul. Y/N remembered Tyrian and Vao's Realities in the First Timeline; they had been plagued by something similar. Something had fed off their Souls, twisting them into monsters. To think Salem had been suffering the same was a terrifying thought.
The thing bent down, its smooth and featureless face peering into his as it slinked forward without a sound. Its wings unfurled from its back, large and bat-like, its horns glistening in the light. Y/N gripped his katana tighter, his legs instinctively moving his body backwards, away from the thing. His body wouldn't move. He couldn't think. He could barely breathe.
He could run, he thought. He could leave Salem's Reality, and kill her in the real world. After everything Salem had done to him and his family, why should he even bother to save her?
He lowered his gaze back to Salem's Soul, still half-absorbed by the thing. When his eyes met hers, he could see it.
The Salem he had been fighting was not her. He could see the unfathomable guilt in her one visible eye, the pain she endured in her own Reality. She had never wanted this. She had never wanted to commit the hellish things she did. He looked back up at the thing, his eyes beginning to itch, his head beginning to ache.
He wanted to do the right thing. But what was the right thing? It was justifiable to abandon Salem's Soul, wasn't it?
... He didn't like that. He didn't know what the real Salem was like. If he left her to be eaten by this horror, he could be letting an innocent woman die.
Shing.
And he'd be damned if he was going to let that happen. His katana glistened in the light, his heart thundering in his chest. He was terrified. He had never been so scared of something in his life. His prosthetics rattled where he stood, his body unable to stop shaking. But he still stood, his eyes locked into his target. The thing almost looked amused. Its skin began to split, a scythe-like grin spreading across its face, three forked and serrated tongues flicking in and out between its razor sharp teeth.
C-C-CRAAAAACK!
Reality was beginning to tear around them in their standoff. The walls crumbled to dust to reveal the endless black void of madness beyond, until the only place to stand was the tower's floor. Y/N slipped his katana back into its sheath, recalling his training. The thing stepped forward, its clawed toes scratching deep into the ground as it lunged.
SLASH!
In an instant Y/N leapt forward, drawing his weapon in a slicing motion. His weapon, infused with Light cut through the monster's flesh. Y/N shot out his free hand, seizing Salem's arm. She looked up at him, her lip quivering.
"H-help..."
Y/N gritted his teeth. He knew his eyes were bleeding. His mind felt like it was splitting apart. He knew he was beginning to go insane. He stabbed his weapon into the thing's body, jerking the blade as hard as he could. Black blood sprayed over his body like a hose, the demon shrieking in fury. It's very voice pushed Y/N closer to the edge, hallucinations reaching his ears. Voices of the past, of the First Timeline. But they were muffled, indecipherable.
Y/N let out a scream, ripping his katana out of the monster and transforming it into a rifle. He squeezed down the trigger and fired a spray of Light infused bullets into its body, pulling at Salem's arm.
R-rip...
He could feel her Soul coming loose. The bullets stopped, the last of his ammunition used up. He transformed it back and gripped the weapon with his teeth, spit washing over the blade as he grabbed Salem and pulled her with both hands.
R-rip... RRRRIIIIIIIIIP!
He was thrown back when he tore Salem out of the demon, the two crashing into the ground. Salem was shivering in his lap, her body convulsing violently. He couldn't even begin to imagine what hell she had seen. He gently rested her on the ground, standing back up and pulling his katana out of his mouth.
"S-Salem," he hissed shakily. He turned on his heel, facing the horror that smiled at him. "I... I-I'm gonna..."
He trailed off, gripping the side of his head, pulling at his hair. Blood dripped from his nose, his eyes, his lips, his ears. A soft giggle escaped the depths of his throat as he stood up straight, staring at the nightmarish demon.
"I'm going to save you... Even if it kills me!"
He rocketed forward, his giggling exploding into laughter. His blade cut through the demon, the creature sharing his laugh and beating its wings into the air. In an instant it had flown above him, watching intently. Y/N's knees wobbled, the hallucinations growing worse. He could see the images of his past life flashing through his mind. Memories of watching everyone he knew and loved be killed and devoured by his older brother. He remembered watching Ruby jump from the roof, her mangled body lying below, and being stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. He remembered watching Neo push him out of the way, only to be decapitated by Vao. He remembered watching Summer break down when she gouged Vao's eye out.
For all of that, he had blamed Salem. He blamed Salem when it wasn't her fault - it was that winged monster that plagued her Soul. He stared up at the flying demon, lowering his katana, setting it back in the sheath. And with one swift movement, he drew it as quick as lightning. The Light blasted from the blade, spiraling up and cutting through its wing. The demon swerved in the air before crashing back down with a shriek.
In an instant, Y/N had already stepped in front of it. His katana moved through the air like a hot knife through a warm stick of butter, cutting through the air with ease. At first he could only leave light scratches on its flesh, even with his magic. But as he kept swinging, kept digging, he slowly began to tear the creature apart. The eldritch horror let out an ear-piercing shriek, unable to stand back up after Y/N hand cleaved its arms and legs to bloodied chunks. His katana cracked through bones, ripped through flesh. He didn't stop until the thing was nothing more than a pile of mush.
His breath was raspy, flooded with exhaustion. The horrific monster twitched once, twice, and then stilled as the Light slowly spread across its body, its scythe-like grin never leaving.
Thump.
Y/N had fallen to his knees. He couldn't stand anymore. He was tired, relief washing throughout his sore muscles as they received their long-deserved rest. It was over. It was finally over. He had saved Salem's Soul. He didn't know how he felt about it. He certainly didn't feel happy. Salem had killed everyone he loved. And yet knowing Salem had no control over that, he knew it wouldn't have been right to kill her like he had wanted.
His mind slowly beginning to repair itself, he turned his blue eyed gaze to her Soul. She was still trembling on the ground, choked whimpers escaping her lips. He couldn't imagine how she felt, having to watch herself ruin so many lives, absorb so many Souls. Still on his knees, he shuffled towards her, his katana falling to the side before he lifted Salem into his lap and brushed the hair from her face. She looked up at him, her eyes growing wet.
"Y-Y/N... P-please..." She whispered hoarsely. "Please... K-kill me..."
Y/N was still for a long while. He thought about the people he watched die. Many of them he had watched die twice. He reflected on how he felt about Salem. He used to hate her with every cell in his body. But now he wasn't sure. He didn't know who she really was when she wasn't corrupted.
What would Vao say, he wondered to himself. Despite being a complete idiot, Vao knew right from wrong. He even openly admitted being in a mafia was a bad thing. He was a thief, an asshole, and a drunk. But Vao was still a good person. He didn't want to hurt anybody, and he even gave up drinking for Verde. It took a lot to give up a lifelong addiction, and Y/N knew that. He thought back to the First Timeline.
Vao had been nothing more than a delinquent, like he was in this Timeline. And yet he changed when he was corrupted, and became a sadistic killing machine who ate his own species. In the First Timeline, Y/N had found himself standing over his murderous brother, faced with the option to save him, leave him, or kill him. Y/N had cast aside his hatred and anger. He delved deep into Vao's twisted, hellish Reality to save him, despite all of the horrendous crimes he had committed. Despite eating nearly their entire family, even going as far as to dig up Ruby's corpse to feed. And Y/N still found it in himself to save Vao from Salem's Blood.
... Salem wasn't any different. She had been controlled by a strange creature, just like Vao had. He looked into Salem's eyes, blue meeting turquoise. Finally his lips parted, and he gave his answer.
"... No. I'm not going to kill you."
Salem's eyes widened, silently pleading with him. Her shaky hands gripped his shirt, her knuckles turning white and her teeth showing. "Why...? Y-Y/N... I-I deserve it... Don't I...?"
Y/N's response was to pull her closer. He was hugging Salem. Y/N felt it was hilarious, in some twisted way. His sworn enemy, he was comforting. Salem shivered under his gentle touch, her mind addled.
"... I used to think the same about Vao in the First Timeline," Y/N whispered softly. "I used to think... He was nothing but a deranged serial killer. But when I realized he was corrupted, when I saw his Reality, I realized it... He was innocent. Just a bystander who had gotten caught up in something out of his control... Just like you."
Hot tears trickled down Salem's cheeks, staining his metal shoulder. Y/N was a true hero, she realized. To cast aside his own personal wants for the sake of someone else was a rare trait that defined Y/N. Salem's slender arms wrapped around him, a broken wail escaping the depths of her heart.
Y/N reflected on his personal feelings once again. He did want to kill Salem. And yet he knew it wouldn't be right. Justified, but wrong. Just like how he wanted to kill Vao was justified, yet wrong.
Y/N finally let it go, shifting the blame into the monster he had killed. Salem wasn't to blame - she had no control over her body.
He finally found it in himself to forgive.
The world brightened around them. Y/N and Salem pulled away from each other, looking around warily. The bright white light engulfed them, warming their bodies. When Y/N looked back at Salem, he was surprised to find her missing. He was alone. Alone, until the three figures stepped through the fog.
A glowing humanoid shape with the antlers of a deer, and a shadowy humanoid shape with the horns of a ram stood in front of them. And next to the dark figure was someone Y/N had longed to see for two years.
"V-Vao!"
He swayed to his feet, his smile falling. Vao didn't look happy. He was playing with his fingers, averting his scarlet gaze. He looked nervous, sweat clinging to his brow. He met Y/N's eyes, but quickly looked away.
"... H-hey, mate... You alright?" He laughed quietly. The God of Light cleared his throat.
(["We congratulate you, Hero of Light. Once again, you have saved the world. You found it within yourself to forgive your bitter enemy, to do the right thing despite your personal beliefs and feelings."])
{["Yes, indeed,"]} the God of Darkness agreed. {["For that, you deserve a reward. But first... You appear to have something on your mind."]}
Y/N looked back at Vao, his eyes growing wet. "V-Vao... He's here..." He whispered. Vao didn't respond. He looked away in shame. Y/N found that odd, but his happiness stopped him from thinking too much about it. The God of Light laughed.
(["He is. When Vao's time came, we took his Soul before Salem could devour it."])
So that was why Y/N never found Vao in Salem's Reality, he realized. He was already beginning to like the Gods. They were friendly and kind.
It is now clear that while Y/N remembered the First Timeline, he didn't remember all of it.the specific part he didn't remember was when he first met the Gods. Something that Vao did remember. And yet he remained silent, his own fear keeping his mouth shut.
{["Your reward,"]} the God of Darkness continued. {["We will grant you one wish. It may be whatever you like."]}
Y/N thought about what he wanted, casting a small look at his brother's Soul. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to return to the day Vao was born, so he could live out his life normally. Finally Vao spoke.
"O-oi, m-mate-"
The God of Darkness sent Vao a sharp look, startling the femboy. Vao's lips quivered into a false smirk, his eyes growing wet. "... L-love you... B-bruv..."
Y/N smiled happily, a lump growing in his throat. "... I love you too, Vao," he whispered back. He turned his gaze to the Gods once again, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. "I wish-"
Finally Vao snapped. The entire time he had been fighting himself, torn between staying quiet and unharmed by the Gods, and telling Y/N the horrifying truth. His lips curled down, a terrified scream escaping his lips. Y/N flinched, startled by the sudden outburst.
"I-I c-can't do it again!" Vao shrieked, pulling at his hair. "I can't live through that again! Y/N! They're lying! The reason the Timeline reset, it was them! They're the ones who corrupted Salem! It was their fault, all of it! The First Timeline, the Second Timeline! The Gods are lying to you!"
Y/N's eyes snapped back up to the Gods, his mind running wild with terror. His earlier judgement was correct; Salem wasn't the enemy. The true enemy was the last enemy Y/N ever wanted. Two literal gods.
{["You traitor!"]} The God of Darkness shrieked. With one swift movement he had backhanded Vao's Soul to the ground, leaving a dark red handprint. Y/N drew his katana, his eyes lighting up with fury.
"I-it was you...?" He hissed. The God of Light chuckled, rising to his full height.
(["Insolent worm. You dare to stand against a god?"]) He growled. (["Do you really believe you stand a chance?"])
Y/N charged forward with a scream, his katana prepared to cut through the glowing figure. But the God of Light only lifted his hand.
BOOM!
Y/N bounced across the ground when the shockwave hit him, his prosthetics being blown to pieces. The Gods stood beside each other, staring down at Y/N and Vao.
{["You have attempted to attack a god,]} the God of Darkness snickered.
(["Such dire consequences for such an offense,"]) the God of Light agreed. He had already begun laughing. (["Y/N Marigold Rose and Vao Dusty Branwen. We will strip you of your memories, and twist your lives again. The world of Remnant will be no more! All of its people are to be sent to a new world of our creation! Your lives will be hell forever! The Gods have willed it so!"])
"You bastards!" Y/N screamed. But he couldn't do anything, not when he was missing his legs and an arm. The white light around them shimmered and twisted, the Gods fading into nothing. But their laughter still echoed. The pain ripped through Y/N and Vao's bodies, bringing them to a shrill scream. It felt like they were being burned alive from the inside. Y/N's eyes rolled into the back of his head, slowly beginning to forget everything.
Cardin, Verde, Sasha, Weiss, he was forgetting all of his friends, his family. He was forgetting it all, his memory forcefully being wiped clean. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Salem sprinting towards him, her turquoise eyes filled with horror. She was trying to save him, he realized.
But it was far too late. The world shimmered, and then everything went black. Despite the nothingness, the Gods still laughed...
[To Be Continued...]