The bushes rustled as Cinder pushed her way through the thick undergrowth, an annoyed scowl on her face as she swatted at the mosquitoes. Once again she sprayed her can of bug spray, but she wasn't sure if it was even working. She was still being bitten.
She recalled bitterly how Watts mocked her for leaving for the jungle in a sleeveless dress. She wished she had listened, but she'd never admit it, that she was wrong.
"Where the hell is he?" She growled. "I want to get out of this dump..."
The First Vao was proving difficult to track. Since that night he fought against the Grimm for the first time, he had become more nomadic, always on the move. He never stayed in the same place for more than a night, and covered his tracks. From Salem's Seers, he still ran into the Grimm, but he killed each and every one before moving again. He wasn't even building shelters at this point; he didn't need them given how little sleep he got.
She stopped when she reached a clear patch, the dirt freshly disturbed. Kneeling down, she sifted her hand through it, finding the remains of a campfire that had been buried. He had been here, but she wasn't certain how recent. The dirt covering the burnt wood masked how old it was. It could have been from earlier, or days ago. Not more than a week, however.
She swatted at a mosquito that landed on her shoulder, scratching the spot furiously. Standing back up, she continued her search, contemplating just burning everything out of her path before deciding against it - Salem would be furious if she burnt down the First Vao's training grounds. Not only that, but a sudden wildfire without any obvious reason would alert Mistral, and they'd no doubt investigate a cause, likely finding the First Vao in the process.
She pushed through the bushes again, the occasional slap of her palm against the mosquitoes that bit at her skin bouncing off the trees. It wasn't long before she came across another clear patch. But this time, a campfire was lit in the center, and someone was sitting at the edge, the flames keeping the mosquitoes away.
The First Vao held a stick in his hand, a freshly cooked reticulated python skewered on it. The fire had burnt the scales off, leaving him free to eat the snake however he wanted. Next to him was a small pile of dead snakes; pythons, cobras, a tree frog, and even a viper. He only looked up at Cinder for a split second as she approached, before silently returning to his meal. Cinder crossed her arms, glaring at him angrily.
"Do you know how many hours I spent looking for your stupid butt?" She snapped. "Can't you ever stay in one spot?"
The First Vao didn't answer. He took another bite, gulping it down hungrily. His silence only angered Cinder further.
"Hey. You deaf or something? I'm talking to you!" The First Vao swallowed, turning a sharp glare at her.
"And I'm eating. You blind or something?"
She wasn't too fond of his mockery. She resisted the urge to kick at his campfire, instead sitting down in front of it. She didn't want to kick out the only thing keeping the bugs away. "I think you forget who I am," she snarled.
"I don't care who you are, you annoying bint."
Cinder blinked in surprise before she grew angry again. "Excuse me!?"
The First Vao didn't respond, resuming his meal. Cinder watched as he finished it before tossing the skewer to the side, grabbing one of his cobras. She felt sick as she watched him cut the head off and suck the blood from the serpent's body, his throat throbbing as he gulped down whatever he could get before taking a bite. He glanced back up at her again. "Want some?"
"N-no thanks... That's disgusting..."
The First Vao shrugged. "Your loss, mate."
He certainly seemed braver than before he was left in the jungle. He didn't seem willing to put up with her crap. Cinder figured it was a result of constantly being in danger. Besides that, she was growing annoyed with waiting for him to finish. "I am supposed to be evaluating your progress," she growled. "Can't you hurry it up?"
The First Vao finished off the snake he had eaten, glaring at her silently before tossing the skewer to the side. They rose to their feet together, raising their hands. Stepping away from the campfire, they circled one another, analyzing each other's movements. Cinder smirked.
"Well... You seem to have been practicing. Normally you'd just charge headfirst."
The First Vao didn't return the smirk. He didn't even answer. Cinder waited for a little longer, waiting for him to strike. When he didn't move, she did. She stepped forward, jabbing at his face. With surprising speed and precision, he had grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, Cinder gasping in surprise. She stomped down on his foot and elbowed him in the side of the head, throwing him off balance. And with one swift movement, she slammed him against the ground, watching as he tucked his chin to protect himself.
"You've gotten better," she commented. "But you don't think like your enemy. That's what you're missing; you need to think ahead, think about what your enemy will do to take you down. Now stand back up and take a stance."
The First Vao grumbled something, obeying her direction. She didn't wait this time, stepping closer to clear the gap. But once again he surprised her; he was quicker on his feet than she expected. He moved his head to the side, avoiding her punch and slamming his palm into her chin, stunning the Maiden and catching her off guard. The feeling of both palms crashing into her ears disoriented her, and he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, his arm wrapping around her neck in a chokehold.
Cinder dropped her full weight down and stepped backwards into him, throwing the First Vao over her shoulder in an instant. The moment he hit the ground she brought her leg up to stomp his chest, but as it came down he pushed her ankle out of the way and punched her knee in, bringing her down with him.
They grappled on the ground, struggling for the advantage, rolling across the clearing. Cinder knew she wouldn't beat him in terms of raw physical strength. She hooked her leg over his and pulled his arm out from underneath him, driving her opposite hand into his shoulder and flipping him off of her, scrambling to her feet.
THWACK!
The stick snapped over the top of her head, the First Vao delivering a swift kick to her solar plexus and knocking the wind out of her. Gasping for breath, she glared at him. "S... Stick!?"
"Weapon of opportunity," the First Vao rasped. "CQC... Close-quarters combat. There's no rule against weapons. It's hand-to-hand and a bit more, right? It was in that book."
Cinder staggered to her feet, a small growl escaping her throat before she grinned. "... You're a quick learner when it comes to this, aren't you?"
The First Vao stared silently, watching her every move before nodding his head. "... Fighting was all I was ever useful for," he almost whispered. "It was the only thing I was capable of doing right... Except I'm not the same as I was in Beacon. I know you're capable of taking me down. Even the smallest thing can be a threat. Take those snakes for example."
Cinder furrowed her brow, looking at the snakes he had been eating. "... Snakes?"
The First Vao nodded. "Snakes are small. But one bite could kill a man. Just becoz they're small doesn't mean they aren't a threat. A better example would be the poison dart frog native to this jungle; harmless, but still capable of killing a full grown adult. Humans are the same way; just becoz they seem weak doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Treat everything as if it were a threat to your life, and you'll have a higher chance of survival."
Cinder gritted her teeth. She owed Hazel money; she had been betting that the jungle wouldn't teach him anything. But that was exactly what it had done for the First Vao; it taught him how to be wary of every opponent - a philosophy that would keep him alive far into the future. He wasn't as cocky anymore; he was careful.
This time he made the first move, catching her off guard again. He shifted his left hand as if he were going for her face, a bluff she fell for. The moment her hands moved up he drove a closed fist into her stomach and then her chest before kicking her in the thigh, bringing Cinder to her knees. Before she could begin to stand back up, his finger wrapped in her hair.
SLAM!
The back of her head was driven into the dirt, stars flashing before her eyes. Cinder blinked, watching as the First Vao took three steps back, keeping his distance to avoid retaliation. She rolled back to her feet and quickly closed the distance again, pushing towards him. The First Vao stepped back as he deflected her blows, Cinder twisting away from his fingers before he could grab ahold of her wrists. She kicked out, the First Vao twisting his body to block her leg with his, his cold stare burning hot into her body. She could tell he was trying out her suggestion, trying to think more like her.
She swung again, but this time he didn't try to grab her wrist. He pushed her arm away with his forearm, grabbing her shoulder and stepping forward. His leg wrapped around hers, and with a hard shove he flipped her over his thigh, bringing her to the ground again. Cinder picked herself up, flashing another smirk. "Damn it," she growled. He was humiliating her.
She rolled to her feet and charged, losing her temper, intent of making an attempt to flip him this time. But the First Vao was ready for it. He drove his palm into her chest, pushing her back before pulling a hook straight into her temple, stunning the Maiden. In an instant he spun her around, his hands gripping around the front of her dress. She couldn't break his grip; she wasn't nearly as physically strong as him. She tucked her chin to brace herself for the fall, but the First Vao moved quick on his feet.
He moved his hand to her wrist, his other grabbing her hip. And with his foot planted in front of hers, he threw Cinder over his hip, her back smashing into the dirt. Before she could even move he dropped his full weight into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as he fell.
CRACK!
Scarlet stained his elbow when he drove it against her nose, following up with a quick punch to the mouth. As Cinder recovered, his arms crossed and his hands snatched the back of her collar, pulling her face into his chest. His forearms pinched her carotid arteries like a pair of scissors, cutting off the blood flow to her brain. Within two seconds she could already feel herself getting lightheaded, pinned underneath him with no way to get out. She quickly tapped on his shoulder to tell him she had enough, but the First Vao didn't let go. Her eyes widened in realization as her vision began to grow blurry and grey.
He planned to render her unconscious. He wanted to win. The last thing she saw before everything faded to black was his lips curling into a small smirk.
...
Cinder's eyes fluttered open, her head pounding as she stared up at the sunlight that fell through the treetops, dappling her body with a warm glow. Holding her forehead she sat up with a pained groan, looking at the dying campfire to see the First Vao sitting next to the embers. The pile of snakes were gone now; he had eaten them while she was unconscious. There was only one left, stuck on a skewer next to the fire, cooled since the flames started to die. His eye kept closing for a few seconds before snapping back open. He seemed to be struggling to stay awake.
Cinder rubbed her forehead sorely, raising an eyebrow. "... You knocked me out," she growled. "A blood choke... You could have killed me, you know?"
The First Vao turned to her, shaking his head. "If I held it longer," he rasped. "Three to eight seconds to knock someone out. Longer, and there's permanent brain damage. Longer than that, it's fatal."
Cinder hummed, tilting her head. "... Hazel didn't say he taught you that."
"It's in my book."
"So you've actually been reading it?"
The First Vao nodded. "I've finished it seven times. I've been rereading it, making sure it stays in my mind forever," he replied. He grabbed the snake skewer and held it out to her. "Eat it. You'll feel better."
This time Cinder wasn't going to turn it down. She took it from his hands, hesitantly opening her mouth and biting down into it. As she chewed, she took in the flavor, furrowing her brow. It didn't taste bad at all. When she finished, she tossed it to the side and looked back at him, taking in his features. The bags under his eye had grown darker since the last time she saw him. "... When was the last time you slept?"
"Three days ago," the First Vao muttered. "There is no time to sleep. I have to train."
Cinder frowned. Hazel had helped the First Vao out by giving him the book. Was there something she could do? There was time before she had to leave. "... Get some sleep."
The First Vao glared at her. "No."
Cinder scoffed. "What use will you be when you can barely stay awake talking to someone? I'll wake you if there's any danger or when I have to return to the Mistress," she growled. The First Vao stared back at the embers.
"... There's something I need to report," he said after a long while. Cinder crossed her arms.
"I think sleep is more important right now," she muttered. The First Vao shook his head.
"That's the thing; you don't need to wake me. Something else will."
That caught Cinder's attention. "What are you talking about, Vao?"
The First Vao heaved a sigh through his nose. She could hear how exhausted he was. It only showed just how much he had learned in six months, to be pushed to his limit and still be capable of taking her out.
"... This... Voice will do it," he said finally.
"V... Voice?" She echoed in confusion. The First Vao nodded.
"I've been hearing a voice," he explained. "It tells me when there's danger. When I'm fighting, it lets me know wot's going on behind me."
Cinder stared at him, wondering if he was hallucinating from the lack of sleep, or if his Blood was growing more active. With his current state, it could have been either, though she was leaning more to the Blood; hallucinations weren't supposed to see things he couldn't. Glancing back at him, she raised her brow again. "Anything else?"
The First Vao shook his head. "Just a cough. Sometimes some black gunk comes out, but it's never bothered me too much. Are there any illnesses in the jungle like that?"
Cinder scoffed. "I don't know. I didn't get this training," she growled. "Now get some rest."
But the First Vao didn't lie down. Instead he stood up, stepping on the embers of the campfire and snuffing them out before looking up at the sky. "... No. I need to move again," he rasped. "I already spent the night here."
"You're moving again?"
The First Vao picked up his weapons, sliding Misery into its sheath and clipping Grimm Demise to his belt. "Always staying on the move keeps me alive. It makes me harder to find. It keeps me alive."
He kicked a pit into the dirt before pushing the charred remains of the campfire inside and burying them with his foot, making his way to the jungle.
"And I have to stay alive. I have a purpose to fulfill. A warrior without a purpose is sure to die; to lose sight of it is even worse."
Cinder watched in silent shock as he disappeared into the thick jungle, quickly disappearing from sight. She had never heard him sound so determined before. She sat in the clearing for a moment longer before she stood up. A Seer drifted from the treetops and stopped in front of her, watching intently. Cinder stared back, her gaze hardening.
"Mistress," she said in a low voice. "I think he might just make it."
Back at Castle Evernight, Hazel chuckled. He sat at the conference table, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair. "Told ya," he said. "You'd have to see it for yourself."
Watts was seething at losing support for his claim. "That's preposterous!" He snarled. "Willpower alone does not ensure survival!"
"Except he's getting more experience," Hazel argued bluntly. "He's already learned the basics of CQC faster than you did, and he's even taken it upon himself to start learning advanced techniques. I still remember you losing to Cinder when we were all learning it. He beat Cinder on his first attempt. You took seven."
Watts looked like he was about to explode at the assumption that anyone was better than him, his pride wounded. "Mistress, please let me do the evaluation in three months!" He begged. Salem looked at him in surprise from the head of the table.
"You? But I already arranged for Tyrian to make the journey."
Tyrian nodded angrily. "I've been blue-balled for the last six months," he snarled. "Don't even try getting in my way."
"I don't care about your sick fantasies!" Watts snapped back. "Mistress, please!"
Salem seemed to be on the fence about the idea. "Arthur... Are you certain about this? You aren't very physically fit, and Vao has been improving at a steady pace. By the nine month mark, he could hurt you."
"I'd like to see him try," Watts growled. "He isn't close to being nearly intelligent enough to win against me."
"Smarts aren't everything," Hazel said. "He's not academically smart, but he knows how to fight, and he's good at it. I never even see you in the gym."
Salem held her hand up, silencing the table. "... Very well. Arthur, you may evaluate him in three months," she said.
Watts looked grateful. "Thank you, Mistress-"
"Only because I want to see him mop the floor with you. Maybe then you'll lose that annoying ego."
Watts looked devastated by her insult, but he didn't dare talk back to her. Staring at his folded hands, Salem turned back to the Seer, locking eyes with Cinder. "How is his Blood coming along?"
"He says he's been hearing voices that guide him in battle," Cinder reported. "I believe it's the Blood, but there's also a chance it isn't - he's mentioned in the past that he's heard voices since the Vytal Festival Incident. Watts diagnosed him with schizophrenia last year, didn't he?"
"I did," Watts confirmed. "It's a surprise he's able to function, I'll give him that much..."
Salem hummed, nodding her head. "I see. Cinder, return to Castle Evernight immediately."
"Yes, Mistress."
Salem drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully as the Seer's connection cut away. The First Vao was turning out to be quite the catch. She knew the Blood was growing more active; the First Vao wouldn't have brought up voices if it was what he normally heard. But regardless, he was still proving to be competent, something Salem liked. Cinder was by no means a pushover, but he still took her out. And what she liked most of all was he didn't listen to Cinder when she tried to tap out - he ensured his victory.
"Hm... I wonder...?"
She was interrupted from her thoughts when Watts stood up and bowed. "Mistress, I must be going. I have preparations to make."
"Begone then."
Watts bowed again, spinning on his heel. It wasn't until he was out the doors that he smirked to himself, returning to his laboratory.
He wasn't settling for an evaluation. He always hated the First Vao; he was young, stupid, and in Watts's personal opinion, inferior. But because he had Darkness, he stole the spotlight. Before he arrived, Salem would regularly seek Watts's opinions and calculations on matters, but those moments had dwindled as she focused more on the First Vao, seeing him as her personal weapon. For someone willing to help destroy the world just because his science was turned down, Watts wasn't taking it very well, even if Salem still considered him a valuable asset.
He wasn't going to evaluate the First Vao. Watts wanted to kill him.
...
A month had passed since Cinder's evaluation. The rain fell through the treetops, the ground having become muddy and treacherous.
The First Vao walked through it, his mouth in his elbow as he coughed. His eye focused ahead on his goal; a mountain that poked through the jungle. There was only the benefit of getting a better view of his surroundings, but he wanted to climb it to help himself think. To reflect, in a way.
His hands gripped the slick rock, feeling for a spot he could grab. And when he found it, he began his ascent. He nearly slipped a few times, but kept his hold with the help of his magic. After a few hours of silence, he was nearing the top.
(("... Be careful. It's a long way down."))
He yelped in surprise, nearly falling again. He turned his head to his left, but as he expected he didn't see anyone there. With a groan, he focused on climbing the mountain again, trying to push the shock from his mind.
(("Ignoring me?")) The voice asked.
"You're... Real?" The First Vao rasped. He could hear the voice chuckle.
(("Of course I am. Are you real?"))
"I... Wot?"
He didn't quite get the voice's humor. He was certain he was real. Sure, he had seen some crazy and unbelievable things these past five and a half years - magic, monsters beyond comprehension, and an immortal witch. But given that he never woke up from this nightmare, he was certain it was real.
The rain lessened as he pulled himself up the summit, standing on top of the mountain that overlooked the jungle.
The grey clouds hung low over his head, the wet trees shining with a soft gleam as the raindrops struck the ground in a soft rhythm. Far in the distance to his north, he could see the many mountains of the continent and the vast, almost endless stretch of jungle woodland. To the south the terrain was flatter as it met the deep blue ocean, the waters now dark from the weather. East and west contained more jungle. There truly was no escape, he realized. The nearest civilization was far out of reach.
He thought back to the month before when Cinder had evaluated him as he sat down cross-legged on the mountaintop, feeling the fresh air fill his lungs.
Had it really been seven months since he was dropped off here? That meant his training was slowly reaching its conclusion.
He couldn't wait until he could take a shower again. He was beginning to smell really bad. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the half-eaten snake he had cooked before it started raining, chewing on it silently as he stared over the cliffs, almost in awe of the serenity of a land untouched by human hands.
(("It's peaceful. But you aren't a very peaceful person. Why did you come all the way up here?"))
"... To take a break," the First Vao lied. The voice chuckled.
(("Really? Or is it because of your guilt?"))
"Don't know wot you're talking about." The First Vao finished the snake, rubbing his stomach. He still felt hungry.
Grrrroooooowwwwlll...
He winced, his fingers curling into his skin. That was another reason he came all this way to clear his head and think about things. Strangely, he always found himself hungry, even after eating a big meal. He was certain he wasn't starving - his body wasn't shrivelling up. But he still felt the pain of hunger.
Grrrroooooowwwwlll...
(("Is that your stomach?")) The voice asked curiously. The First Vao nodded, looking around the mountaintop for something he could eat. He found a berry bush, plucking the blackberries from the branches and tossing them into his mouth as he answered.
"Y... Yeah. I think I caught something in the jungle," he replied. "I was going to have Watts check it out after training..."
(("I see..."))
The First Vao bit his lip, looking to the invisible source of the voice. He couldn't see anything, but he knew the voice was talking from his left. "... You... S-sound really f-familiar..."
A disembodied hum of confusion. (("Do I?"))
The First Vao nodded, unable to bring himself to say it. The voice, without a shred of doubt in his mind, belonged to Summer. But Summer died five and a half years ago - he did it with his own hands, the very axe that hung off his belt. He knew about his schizophrenia, of course; was it creating this hallucination to mock him? He fell silent, not saying a word. The voice was silent too, but broke it soon.
(("... Is everything alright? You're quiet now."))
The First Vao was grateful that it was raining. It hid his tears better. He still wiped at his face with his sleeves, however. "I... I-I'm f-fine," he rasped. "J-just c-cold-"
(("Liar."))
He looked up at the direction it came from, confusion in his one red eye. The voice laughed lightly, bringing back more memories of her.
(("You're not being honest with how you're doing,")) the voice continued. (("But you've always been like that. I'm always here for you!"))
On the rainy mountaintop, the First Vao had a flashback to a distant memory, of his time in Beacon.
He had skipped classes for the day to party, not wanting to listen to Oobleck lecture him about his drinking habits. That day when he was supposed to be in class, he ran into someone he feared above all else in the world. If he had just gone to class like those three, Yin, Roman, and Neo demanded of him, he'd never have encountered Summer in those halls, the huntress on the prowl for a chance to meet either Yin or himself in between classes.
Of course the moment he saw her he ran away with her chasing after him, locking himself up in his room. It was at that moment so many years ago, when he was still building up the nerve to jump from the second story in an attempt to escape.
Amidst the merciless knocking at the door, he heard her broken voice call out to him. "Vao, please open the door! I-I just want to talk!"
The First Vao, young at the time, had already opened the window and slung his leg over the windowsill. He had stopped when she spoke, turning back to the locked door. His thin and feminine body shook with fear, an icy sweat rolling down his body as he stared at the wooden obstacle with the face of a prey animal cornered by a predator. In the heat of hearing something that, to him, sounded like the most obvious lie, a complete and utterly ridiculous mockery of a lie, he responded to her for the first time since he was eight years old.
"T-talk...?" He croaked. "M-my eye... Y-you t... T-took my b-bloody eye... I c... C-can't... Talk...!"
It was difficult to even think about her. Speaking was one of the hardest things he had done at the time. From that day when he was eight years old, she had become a major figure in his life - someone he always saw in his nightmares, someone he saw behind his eyelids when he blinked. He couldn't even hear her name without freezing up for a moment. He could hear her break down behind the door. It sounded like she was scratching at it now.
"P-please, Vao! I want to... I want to make up for it! P-please! Let me have another chance to be a mother!"
He gulped, looking back at the ground far below. "D... Damn good bloody actor," he whispered to himself. "O-one... T-two... Oh, wot came after that... F-four...?"
Before he gave up counting and jumped, he heard her voice again.
"I... I-I understand," she whimpered through the door. "P... P-please at least g-give it a thought? I..."
She trailed off, the First Vao sitting on the windowsill silently. And finally, she spoke through the door again.
"I... I-I'm always... Always here f-for you..."
That was the memory that washed over him on that rainy mountaintop. A memory of a woman who, until the very end, was a mother. A mother who had everything taken away from her, something he never realized until he saw it in her eyes the day he killed her in a fit of PTSD. Never realized, until she used the last of her strength to hold him one last time, and use her dying breath to say the one sentence she had wanted to say for so many years. A sentence that haunted him more than anything.
(("Huh? Seriously, are you going to be okay?"))
The First Vao choked on his own breath. He hadn't even realized he had broken down while thinking about his past. He didn't respond this time - every time he heard the voice, he remembered her. He remembered his biggest fear, and the one he was trying to bring back. He couldn't reply to the voice. He just picked up his things, beginning his long trek down the mountain.
He tried looking for the source of the voice again. But he couldn't see it. It had disappeared entirely this time, and he wondered if he'd even hear it again, or if he imagined the whole thing.
He bit his lip as he stepped down, his eye watering as he recalled Summer's final words to him before she died holding him.
"I... I-I l... L-l... L-love you t-too... Au-Auntie..."
...
The morning dew dripped off the leaves as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. Across one of those leaves, a colorful frog sat in silence, hopping away as frogs tend to do.
Because of the rain, no campfire had been built. But even still, the First Vao was nowhere in sight. He, after eight months of surviving in the jungle, had vanished without a trace overnight. Where was he?
He was sleeping for the first time in six days. Having buried himself underneath dirt, sticks, and leaves so he could blend in and stay hidden, he had finally managed to drift into sleep. But he was far from relaxed. Even now his muscles were tense, his breath shallow and quick, yet still soft.
The light, warm breeze blew gently through the trees, disturbing his mass of black hair that helped him blend in, the leaves in the trees shaking before one came loose, drifting down to him. And when it landed on his cheek, his eye shot wide open, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream of horror.
Cli-clunk!
SMASH!
The tree began to fall as the axe cleaved through the thick trunk, the First Vao's eye wild as he stared around, his knees trembling. He flinched when he heard the voice in his ear.
(("What's your problem? I was trying to take a nap..."))
The First Vao looked around, his hand pressing over his racing heart. Each beat ached - for a moment he was worried he was about to have a heart attack. He hesitantly lowered his weapon, taking a deep, shaky breath before letting it all out.
Another nightmare. And just like all of his nightmares, it had felt far too real. It was difficult for him to separate his dream from reality; every detail from that day had been there.
He could still see her hand reaching for him, her silver eyes shadowed by the fluorescent lights behind her. He remembered the sound of cracking bones, of meat being ripped in two before he felt the hot, wet scarlet dye his front.
He didn't bother covering his tracks this time, clipping his axe to his belt he began to trudge through the jungle, intent on clearing his mind. The voice whispered into his ear again. (("Hey. What's wrong?"))
"N... N-nothin-"
(("You're beginning to irritate me with that half-assed excuse. You woke up screaming and immediately swung your weapon. Talk to me about it."))
The First Vao tried to find a reason not to. He couldn't. Watts wouldn't show up until tomorrow. It was just him and the voice. And with how similar it sounded to her, he dropped his guard.
"... I h-had a nightmare," he rasped.
(("About what?"))
The First Vao wiped at his eye, chewing on his lip. He was hungry. "A... About my... M-my Auntie. F-five years ago, I... K-killed her... I h-have nightmares about that day..."
The voice was silent. The First Vao took a deep breath, letting it all out. "... You s-sound like her... S-so it was m-more intense this time..."
(("... Do you regret it?"))
The First Vao could only nod. He turned to the source of the voice, trying to see something.
Just very faintly, he could make out the shape of someone. Someone he feared.
But someone who he didn't realize how much he cared about until she was gone.
...
With the sun high in the sky, Watts trudged through the jungles, his eyes scanning the area carefully. Behind him, five people armed with assault rifles followed, their eyes peeled for any signs of movement. The disgraced scientist grumbled under his breath.
"Goodness sake... Cinder wasn't wrong when she said he was hard to find," he muttered.
"Oh. There you are, Watts."
The sudden sound of the voice nearly made Watts shriek in shock, the group spinning around to stare him in the face. They hadn't even heard him approach - he had become so familiar with sneaking that he hadn't made a sound, not even a crunch of the leaves or the snap of a twig. The First Vao looked at them curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"... I thought it was supposed to be just you," he rasped. "The Grimm aren't that dangerous..."
Watts was quick to recollect his bearing, his right hand reaching into his pocket and his left hand giving a snap of his fingers.
Chack.
The First Vao froze when the Cultists raised their rifles, aiming them straight at him. "W... Wot are you doing?"
Watts chuckled darkly, pulling the revolver from his jacket pocket and pulling the hammer back, pointing it straight at his forehead.
"Of course you wouldn't figure it out without being told," he snickered in that condescending tone. "To hell with an evaluation. We're here to kill you."
"K... K-kill me...?"
Watts nodded, moving his head towards the Cultists that had their fingers on the trigger in anticipation. "Of course. As it turns out, you're not very popular with them, either. You're whiny, you cry at night, and you mope around. As for me, I just don't like how someone like you has taken priority."
He stepped closer, pressing the cold steel of the barrel against the First Vao's forehead.
"I'll deal with the consequences later. Your corpse is still useful to the Mistress, after all," he growled. "I was disgraced in Atlas. I won't be disgraced here-"
In a sudden burst of movement, the First Vao had snatched the hand that held the revolver and spun Watts around, the razor sharp blade of Misery pressing against his throat. Watts let out a shrill shriek of terror as the First Vao wrestled the revolver from his hand, the Cultists taking aim.
The First Vao jerked Watts in front of him, the armed men immediately freezing up in hesitation. The First Vao was using Watts as a human shield, his finger squeezing the trigger as he counted the shots out loud.
"One."
BANG!
The forty-five calibur bullet struck the first Cultist in between the eyes, the back of his head exploding as it lodged into a tree behind him.
"Two."
The second bullet shot through the neck of the next victim, the man slowly drowning on his own blood. Three, four, and five came next. As the Cultists dropped dead one by one, the First Vao stabbed Misery into Watts's shoulder, his leg wrapping around his. And with one hard shove, he slammed Watts down on his back and took three steps away, the revolver trained on the scientist.
Watts clutched his bleeding shoulder with a shrill yell, staring down the barrel of his own gun. The First Vao stared back with a glare, his eye burning with hostility. The murderer pulled the hammer back, glancing down at the revolver.
"... Single action army," he rasped. "It only has six shots, forty-five calibur rounds. I've shot five times. These engravings though; they give it no tactical advantage wotsoever. It just goes to show that you're full of yourself. Give me one good reason I shouldn't take your fucking head off."
Watts was rooted to the spot, the First Vao circling him, staying out of his reach.
"... Thought you'd be smarter than that," he growled. "Standing so close to somebody defeats the purpose of the gun."
His finger began to squeeze, the cylinder beginning to turn. His smirk grew as Watts began to shake, his sights settling for the scientist's nose.
(("Stop."))
The First Vao's finger stopped just short of discharging the revolver, his eye shifting to the invisible voice to his left. "W-wot? But he tried to off me!"
(("Think about it,")) the voice continued. (("If you kill him, Salem will be furious. He's still useful. If he tries a second time, then kill him."))
"But..."
The First Vao had begun to argue with the voice in his head, Watts looking at him in silent fear. Watts couldn't see nor hear the source of the voice - from an outside perspective, it looked like the First Vao was talking to himself. There was only one thing he knew for certain.
If the First Vao got his way, he was going to kill him.
(("I'm not saying you can't teach him a lesson,")) the voice growled. (("But kill him later if he tries it again. With his intellect, he'll be useful for strategies in the future - in the meantime, you could watch him and learn how to do that! How to make plans, coordinate your own attacks! He still has his use alive. Don't kill him yet."))
The First Vao turned his glare back to Watts, his finger dangerously close to pulling the trigger all the way down. With a sigh, he began to lower the revolver. Watts pressed a hand to his chest, breathing in relief.
BANG!
Watts let out a horrible scream when the revolver fired into his crotch, the scientist writhing on the ground as blood spurted from the hole in his pants, the First Vao blowing the smoke from the barrel before spinning the revolver on his finger.
"Have that as a reminder," he rasped. "You pull that again, it'll be your other head I shoot. Now give me your shit."
Watts didn't even hear him. With tears in his eyes he had curled into a ball as he cradled what was left of his genitals. The First Vao scoffed, and kicked him as hard as he could in the side. The sound of his ribs breaking into pieces echoed through the clearing, followed quickly by another shrill scream from Watts as the First Vao sat down on top of his chest, pinning his left arm underneath his knee and holding his right by the wrist.
"Oi, fat arse. I said give me your holster and every last round you have. When someone asks for it, you give it."
SNAP!
Without hesitation he pushed Watts's index finger back and twisted until it broke, leaving it at a horrible angle. The scientist was nearly foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back in his head as he struggled to pull his arm away from the First Vao. His heart pounded in his chest when the murderer moved onto his middle finger, his cold fingers wrapping around it.
"W-wait! Okay! I'll give you everything!" He wailed. The First Vao stared at him for a couple seconds before standing up, letting Watts undo his holster and toss it on the ground. Digging his good hand into his pockets, he fished out three boxes of bullets and set them down next to the leather strap, backing away when the First Vao stepped forward to pick them up. He watched as the murderer reloaded the revolver before spinning the cylinder, spinning the gun on his finger again.
"... I'm keeping this. Doubt I'll ever use it," he growled. "But it might come in handy if I ever don't have my axe or dagger for some reason."
Watts shivered on his knees, looking up at him with a slight hint of hope. "I... I g-gave you what you wanted... I can go now, right?"
The First Vao glanced down at him, his lips curling into a small smirk. "... Wot makes you think that?" He rasped. Watts let out a whimper when he raised the gun again and unloaded five of the bullets, spun the cylinder, and pointed it at his leg. "Here's wot you'll do. You'll start begging. Beg me not to put a bullet in your leg. How many tries you'll get... Well, that's a surprise. Part of the fun."
He didn't even get to pull the trigger once before Watts was on his knees sobbing, knowing full well by now that the First Vao wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. He looked at the scientist in disgust, spinning the revolver into its holster.
"Ugh... You're pathetic," he muttered. "Go on then. Get out of my si-"
Grrrroooooowwwwlll...
The sound made Watts halt in his tracks. For a moment he thought it was a bear. But when he looked back at the First Vao, he saw the femboy doubling over, clutching his stomach.
"H-how...? I just a-ate... N-not too long ago," he rasped. His stomach growled again, louder this time, more painful. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days, despite having eaten enough snakes to last him into tomorrow.
Grrrroooooowwwwlll...
"N-nnngh..."
The voice returned, as smooth as silk, almost seductive. (("Oh... You're hungry..."))
The smell washed over him, a smell that was sweet, meaty. A smell that was delicious; like seeing a holiday feast. The First Vao turned his head to the source, his stomach plummeting.
The smell was wafting from one of the corpses; a Cultist whose head was blown off by the single action revolver, drawing his attention. Corpses shouldn't smell the way this one did. The First Vao tried to tear his gaze away, to get away from the aroma. But when he took a step back, his stomach growled again.
Grrrroooooowwwwlll...
The pain had become unbearable now. He could barely even stand, his breath ragged and hoarse as his feet unwillingly began to approach.
He dropped on the ground next to the dead Cultist, his mouth beginning to water as the smell grew stronger, tears welling up in his eye. It had become a mental struggle to resist it now. A battle against an enemy that the First Vao had no idea about.
In the First Timeline, he wasn't aware of his Blood the moment he had gotten it. It wasn't until much later, when Salem admitted to betraying him at the very end of the First Timeline that he even knew it existed. But from the moment he had been taken under Salem's cruel care, she had slipped the Blood into his food, resulting in the creature growing stronger inside him. And now, nearly six years after he first began to ingest it, the symptoms were coming. Against an opponent he didn't even know existed, the First Vao would never have won.
Watts covered his mouth when the First Vao began to eat the corpse, a wave of nausea washing over him. With his knife the First Vao sliced off strips and chewed them, confused and broken cries escaping his reddened lips between bites. The scientist ran away as fast as he could, never daring to look back.
The First Vao's body moved on its own until he had devoured the Cultist's arm, leaving behind the bone. Only then was his hunger satisfied, and he regained control of his limbs.
He fell back in horror, clutching at his overgrown hair as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. "A-ah... A-aah..."
(("Well... I suppose you've always been a bit of a freak, after all."))
The First Vao flinched, looking around for the voice wildly. "N-no...! I didn't!" He snarled. But the voice laughed, its cackle echoing inside his skull.
(("But you did! You went and ate them! You haven't changed one bit in these last few years, have you? You're just the same villain as you've ever been."))
The First Vao drew the revolver, the barrel moving across the trees. His eye was wide with fury, his pupil constricting into a scarlet pinprick. His finger squeezed the trigger, firing the gun at the invisible force.
"You don't even know who I am!" He shouted angrily. "You don't know anything about me, you cunt!"
(("Oh, but I would disagree..."))
A hand rested on his left shoulder, the First Vao spinning around and pressing the barrel against the figure's forehead. But the moment their eyes met, he froze. He froze in cold, raw, unfiltered horror.
His hand trembled, the revolver falling to the ground with a clack. Those two silver eyes burned holes into his head, staring at him with a cruel smirk.
(("After all... Look what you did to me. You enjoy this stuff, don't you Vao?"))
His one-eyed gaze travelled down to her chest where the gaping hole was, watching her exposed heart beat inside her chest, tears beginning to fall from his chin.
"Au... Au-Auntie...?"
...
Salem walked through the jungle alone, her cloak left at the castle. After all, why would she need it if there was no one around to see her?
The year had reached its end. Watts had met Salem's expectation at the nine month mark - by being a complete failure, that is. Currently he was locked in his lab back at the castle, having been severely punished for trying to kill her weapon. But he wasn't important. Salem had come to bring him back. His training was finished, and his final CQC exam would take place in Castle Evernight.
Unlike Watts and Cinder, she didn't have much trouble finding him. She could detect the Blood, following the invisible trail into a small clearing. The trees surrounding her were scratched and damaged, deep scores cut into the thick trunks of wood. The underbrush had been ravaged and torn. And in the center, frantically gulping down a snake, was the First Vao.
"There you are."
He jerked his head in her direction, jumping to his feet. "M... M-Mistress..."
There was no doubt in her mind that the jungle - and the Blood - had changed him. He seemed much more aware than when she abandoned him here a year ago. His eye was wide and alert, and he watched her every move. His eye held a deep fear, a trauma that couldn't be reversed, laced with his own growing psychosis. He seemed on edge at all times; just how Salem wanted him to turn out. After one year, he was closer to being a suitable weapon - her own personal supersoldier. All that was left was his final CQC exam, and then another year of training in espionage and magic, something Salem had left for the last portion of his training.
She leaned down to look him in the eye, her lips curling. "... The year is finished, Vao. Aren't you happy?"
The First Vao didn't reply, Salem's hand cupping his chin and tilting his head to look up at her. With a strong gust of wind that nearly pushed him over, the jungle vanished and the halls of Castle Evernight came into view, the black obsidian walls with the violet crystals jutting out surrounding them. The First Vao looked around warily, his heart thumping in his chest.
It was Salem's private quarters. No one was typically allowed in here unless she specifically ordered it - which was nearly never. It was just as you'd expect of someone so full of themselves - the bed, the desk, the carpet, the table with her notebooks strewn across the surface, everything was grand. Salem released her grip on him and turned, taking three steps away before turning her head back at him.
"Not many believed you had what it took to survive. It was only myself, Hazel, Cinder, and of course, Tyrian, who knew you'd live," she said. The First Vao felt himself tense at the mention of the scorpion Faunus's name, but he didn't say anything. Salem sighed, smoothing out the front of her dress. "Though it was not planned for Watts to enact on his own like that. I am glad you refrained from killing him; he's still needed. I'd have made you wish you succeeded in your first suicide attempt."
(("Told you,")) Summer snickered. Unlike before where her voice would vanish, she stayed behind him, hovering over his left shoulder. The First Vao gulped, refusing to answer her. Salem sighed, standing at her full height - much taller than him.
"... It is time for your final exam," she growled huskily. Your final CQC exam, that is. Are you prepared?"
The First Vao bit his lip, his voice coming out as a shaky, quiet stammer. "I... I-it w-wont be Tyrian...?"
Salem shook her head. "No. I am evaluating your progress myself," she answered. "You and I will do battle together. Now, take your stance."
The First Vao felt a freezing cold sweat break out on his neck. Salem hadn't taken a stance, she didn't even raise her arms to protect her face. She just stood there casually, waiting expectantly. He couldn't read her motives through her expression, either. He had no doubt she was confident in her skill. If she wasn't, then she wouldn't be so relaxed.
He went full throttle, clearing the distance between them in less than a second. But when he tried to grab her wrist to throw her, he only snatched empty air.
CRACK! THWACK!
Pain shot through his head and back as he was knocked to the ground, blood trickling from his lip and a piercing ringing echoing in his ears. Salem stood behind him, the woman smirking at him.
The First Vao shook, much more hesitant to charge her again. He hadn't even seen her move. And not only that, but she had hit him hard enough to knock him down - it felt like he had been hit by a car. Salem tilted her head, staring at him curiously.
"What are you waiting for? Again."
He kept his eye trained on her this time. He wasn't going to let her move like that again. He stepped forward, Salem standing unmoving. He swung his leg in a kick, putting his entire body behind it. Salem chuckled, closing her eyes.
It was faster than anything the First Vao had seen before that day. He didn't even get to see her arms move before she punched him in the throat and swept his legs out from underneath him, and then drove her heel into his chest, breaking skin and puncturing his body like a nail.
The First Vao choked on a mix of his own vomit and blood, scratching with weakening strength at her ankle. Salem shook her head disappointedly.
"The entirety of a year to yourself without many distractions practicing CQC in the jungle, and this is all you have to show for it?" She muttered. "I must say, I expected more from-"
Without warning his hands tightened around her ankle, Salem's eyes widening in surprise. The First Vao twisted her heel from his chest and pulled it tight to his body and rolled, dragging her to the floor. Salem's hands shot out to break her fall, her head spinning around.
THWACK!
The First Vao's knuckles drove into her waiting hand, the dark mistress catching the blow just in the nick of time before driving her palm into his chin, and then his sternum to drive him back. The First Vao recovered much faster, the scent of the Blood wafting through the air as he attacked again. Salem redirected his forearm with hers and drove her knee into his hip, doubling him over and leaving his face open.
With a sickening crack she slammed the same knee into his nose, sending him to the ground in a crumpled heap. She nodded her head approvingly.
"Hm. So you faked a loss to win," she commented. "That is more like it. If it weren't me, you would have landed that punch. You didn't hold back, either; my hand almost aches from catching you. You have improved."
The First Vao staggered to his feet, swaying unbalanced on his feet. He swung again, this time more uncoordinated. Salem sidestepped the blow and tucked herself under his arm, her own arm wrapped around the front side of his chest as her foot moved behind his. And with one swift movement, she threw him back to the ground. Even when he tucked his chin, she threw him with enough force to send his head backwards, smashing into the floor.
His vision faded in and out, the First Vao struggling to stay conscious. Salem stepped closer, kneeling down next to him and grabbing his forearm, pulling so his face was closer to hers.
"You're pretty good."
The First Vao stared in silence, his red eye locked with hers. It was rare she ever complimented him, moreso for her to praise him. In fact, this was the first time, and would almost never happen again. He grabbed her forearm, his shaky free hand raising from the floor. His ring finger and pinkie curled, his index and middle finger extending into the shape of a finger gun as he echoed her words in disbelief.
"P... Pretty... Good..."
His eye rolled back in his head, the First Vao finally losing consciousness and going limp in her grasp. Salem stared at him for a moment, her head slightly tipped to the side. She lifted him up, carrying him from the room and into the halls.
Tyrian leapt from the desk when she entered the room he shared with Vao, bowing dramatically. "Goddess!" He shouted flamboyantly. "Did he fail? Should I punish him?"
Salem nodded. "Yes. While he has made considerable progress, he still didn't land a single blow on me. Once he awakes, you're free to do whatever pleases you."
Tyrian giggled maniacally, already working on his belt as Salem left, closing the door behind her.
The witch walked down the halls, her heels clicking against the obsidian as she glanced down at her palm, where she had caught the First Vao's fist. Her lips twitched, curling into a small smirk before going along her way.
...
The wind blew over the devastation of the barren ashen wastes of the First Vao's Reality, Salem and the Heroes opening their eyes.
They were silent. They had seen another of his memories, from the days of his training. The year that his sanity began to slip away from his as the Blood grew, manipulated him. They saw how he met the Blood. Salem turned to Mono, approaching the maid.
"Mono... I..."
Mono waved her hand in front of her face, interrupting the princess. "Just... Be silent," she mumbled. "As long... As long as we save him... As long as you aren't the same as then... I won't forgive it, nor will I forget it. But I will put it in the past for now."
Jasper nudged Salem's earlobe, lowering her voice to a whisper. "That's the best you'll get from her," the fairy said. "Don't bother apologizing. It's taking Mono a lot not to end it here."
Salem nodded, bending down to pat the shivering Sapphire's head as the doll let the ash shift through her fingers, the five walking deeper into the ashy wastes. As far as the eye could see was ash - they couldn't even see the great tree from before.
As they crested a dune, they came across an archway shrouded in thick fog. The heroes stared at it for a moment, almost awed. And with a gulp, they stepped through to their final confrontation.
They had finally reached it.
The final battle to save the First Vao's Soul.