RWBY - Child Of Light

Chapter 1: First Night In Vale

Peace.

I drift within a realm of pure, boundless peace, as if my soul is wrapped in a mantle of warmth and hope, shielding me from all cold and doubt. My memories, my awareness, my sense of self—they stand on the edge, slowly going away. I blink, though I have no eyes, slipping in and out of consciousness like a fish breaking the water's surface, then diving back down, only to rise again. There are fragments in my mind I can still grasp, enough to remember that I had a life—a life that ended, it seems, in tragedy.

And yet, this thought doesn't bother me.

I lived, and I died, giving the best of myself. Whatever or wherever I am now, it feels strangely right, like a final acceptance of the natural course of things. Change is inevitable, after all. All living things transform, no matter how tightly they cling to the past. And just as I begin to settle into this strange comfort, the sense of calm shifts, almost as if some unseen force is pulling me away.

The world seems to spin around me, or perhaps it's me who is shifting out of place.

Suddenly, I collide with something familiar—water. I dive into it, and a spark of panic flares within me. Kicking, gasping, I thrash to the surface, desperate for air, even in this strange, formless state.

When I reach the surface, I drag myself up onto a small platform, encircled by a beautiful garden of golden flowers, and confusion overwhelms me. Something has gone deeply wrong. My soul senses it, resonating with unease.

"Human," a voice echoes, low and powerful, rippling through the air. "Arise."

At the sound, I feel my strength return, energy gathering around me. I am no longer a formless essence, I now have shape. I glimpse myself in the water's surface—a figure of pure white, humanoid yet plain, stripped down to the essence of a being.

But there's no time to appreciate this new form, as my gaze lifts, drawn to an immense creature hovering over the waters. A golden dragon, scaled and radiant, fills my vision, and I am forced to sink to one knee in awe of its sheer presence.

"You're..." I whisper, hardly daring to breathe. "God?"

"A god," the golden dragon corrects calmly. "One of many you know of. Perhaps the only one interested in your mortal soul."

I raise my gaze, gritting my teeth against the weight of its radiance. "Why?" My voice trembles. "Why me?"

The being's form shifts, an ethereal motion that mirrors itself in the surface of the lake as he slowly steps down from the heavens, until it takes on a shape more like my own, a human silhouette crowned with long horns. With this shift, the oppressive force around me lightens enough for me to rise. I do not.

"Knowledge," it replies, stepping toward me with a graceful, otherworldly calm. "I require a servant to act in the mortal realm. One who can fulfill a purpose long neglected."

Recognition dawns on me, chilling and surreal. This god, this being of light, is indeed something I know of—a character of fiction, his existence no more likely than that of any other cartoon. Yet here he stands, and I am helpless within his grasp. But at least, I can imagine what he wants.

"Salem..." I murmur.

My recognition seems to please him. "That woman must be dealt with, by any means necessary."

"What about your brother?" I ask before I can stop myself, remembering all too well the fate of the last man caught between these two gods.

"My brother need not know of you. The pact I made with him is binding, honest, and pure." His tone holds a kind of resigned reverence. "Should you fail, I will honor my promise to end this world. This is my final attempt to grant your kind a path toward redemption, my way to tip the scales in your favor. Remember that."