Patterns [RWBY X DEMON SLAYER]

Revealed

When he came to the first thing he noticed was his lack of legs.

Where once powerful limbs laid were two bleeding stumps tightly wrapped with bandages. His eyes lazily swept across the new environment. To his left and right were walls of rock and stone, the only thing illuminating them were the rows of lamps surrounding him.

The lamps formed a pathway forward into darkness, abruptly cutting off before a human sized opening in the rock.

"I've gotten myself into quite the pickle haven't I?" the man mused to himself. He attempted to sit up, the sudden sharp pain of his fresh wounds quickly put an end to that.

"Don't move around too much, we don't want you bleeding to death." a voice spoke to him from the darkness. The man craned his neck up to observe the new arrival. Upon viewing them he was able to recall how exactly he had come here.

"Are you related to the one who brought me here?" the man asked. The figure in the darkness continued to walk forward. "Yes, 4 is my younger sibling and the person who took your legs." they answered in the same flat tone.

"Ah, I must've passed out from the pain."

With little effort the man was lifted off the ground, this eliciting a pained groan from the legless man. After being placed on the creature's shoulder, he was hauled off into the darkness, only the occasional lantern lighting the way.

"May I ask where we are going?" he questioned. Upon hearing this his captor picked up the pace dramatically. Now they were blasting down the hallways of this intricate structure. Thankfully the man had placed him facing backwards, meaning he wouldn't have to deal with all the wind blasting in his face.

It was quite amazing really, the creature's raw speed was so high yet his feet were were making no more noise than the wind around them. He tried to recall his fight with "4" but came up blank, he felt as if he would've at least recalled such impressive speed, but came up blank. The entire interaction was a blur to him, 4 sliding into a stance with a large blade in hand before they engaged in combat.

They came to a stop, the creature sliding across the ground to nullify the whiplash the man suddenly experienced. The man noticed a uncomfortable wetness to the air they now resided in, paired with the sound of something making a sickening squelching noise.

He was turned around and lifted into the air, getting a full view of what exactly the creature had taken him to. It looked like a heart. But black and bleeding.

It pulsated every couple seconds, sending red streams of energy throughout its entire body. This included the root-like extensions that filled half the room. An unmistakable thrum of power could be felt with each pulse, sending chills down the man's spine.

"This is our mother." the creature softly spoke. "She gave us all new purpose with her unmatched strength." they continued.

"What do you need me for? It seems you've got everything figured out." the man asked, still disappointed in his apparent loss.

He continued be held up "4 brought you here to become one of our siblings. The process cannot be completed if the subject is dead." the creature bluntly answered.

"I see."

Silence filled the air, save for the rhythmic thumping of the "mother". Slowly the man extended his arms "I accept your blessings, mother."

The creature holding him slightly twitched. Like runaway snakes, tendrils slowly extended from the mother, wrapping around the man and pulling him in to the mass.

It was like being submerged in warm honey.

He could feel the mother changing his body, recreating him in her image. The feeling of his legs returning was a welcome one. With that a burning pain erupted throughout his entire body, his veins strained themselves as something was strongly injected into his body. But he still did not resist, accepting the sensation for what it was.