Child of Omens: Ruination Part 2

Chapter 20: The Beginning Or The End

Author note: Before you begin, I'd first like to apologize. Looking over what I've written before now, I realize that I may have been a bit too lenient with the way the character has been acting. The point of this story was to take the original character from my first story and make a small change and show how much it can change them. Unfortunately, it seems that I may be unintentionally writing him back in the other direction, which wasn't my intention. With this chapter, I'm going to redirect him back to his intended path. That's it; I apologize for the delay.

Three weeks since the last chapter

Team HVRN accompanied by V is currently making its way through a small ravine inside the Vacuo desert. The bullhead they had acquired before was forced to drop them off at a small harbor town on the kingdom's edge due to fuel issues. But this wasn't a concern for them as they could easily walk the distance; their only genuine concern was the Grimm that could attack. During their trek, V gave each of them much insight. Both in real-world lessons and what Hawk was capable of. Hawk was a demon, but unlike more common ones, he had what no others had, morality. As the sun began to set, they found a small camp area they could set up in; Hawk chose to take first watch as sleep wasn't something he didn't need much of now.

Ren: "Has Hawk seemed...more distant than usual?" The four looking over to see Hawk sitting on a rock 20 or so feet away.

Nora: "Yeah, he seems more anti-social than when he first came to Beacon." Cleaning the sand off her hammer and of Rebellion.

Pyrrha: "He has a lot on his mind, that's all. No need to worry."

V: "While your faith in Hawk is admirable, miss Nikos. Do not let your love for him blind you; Hawk only has one thing on his mind at the current moment." Running his hand over Shadow's back.

Pyrrha: "And what might that be?"

V: "When I first met Hawk, he was a young man seeking acceptance in a world that chose to cast him out at the very beginning. He sought it from his adoptive mother and the clan he called family. When he finally achieved that acceptance, the world chose to take from him again. Now he suffers a curse...the curse of loneliness."

Ren: "But he's not alone. He has us."

V: "Yet look from his perspective, he isn't human anymore; how can a monster be accepted when he grew up in a world that chooses to hate monsters. But instead of living in solitude, he offered each of you the chance to be like him so that he could feel some form of company. So he wouldn't have to be alone. And why is that, hmm? It is because each of you is exactly like him. Each of you has been wronged by the world you wish to protect. Nora and Ren, you were both made orphans at an early age, but you had each other, and you have never left each other's side since. Pyrrha lost her chance at life when she was made into a trophy, but she chose to still be kind. A rarity in such a cruel world. But Hawk had no light in his darkness to help him, except you. In his darkest moment, when he lost everything, he chose to hold onto the one thing he could still have, that being his team. But deep down, Hawk is scared, scared to lose you three, like how he lost what he had before. Because of his fear, he only has two options in front of him. One, to convince the three of you to become like him, so he can ease his mind that you would be able to protect yourselves. Or two, he pushes you away so when the eventuality of death takes you, he won't be crippled by it."

The three sat in silence for a very long time. As much as they wanted to disagree with V, say that Hawk would never push them away, so their deaths wouldn't matter to him. But the more they thought,  the more his words rang true; since their talk on the boat about the vials, Hawk has slowly been distancing himself from them, first at Patch, now during their trek through the desert. The realization finally hit them, because they refused his proposition. Hawk was beginning to plan for the worst, preparing for the day when they would perish. And a thought, so frightening, entered their minds, like a flash. What if? One day he pushes them away so far that he sees them as an obstacle and removes them.