BLCK

XV

The next day was uneventful, except that I paid Weiss a visit in private and gave her a lecture/friendly talk about Faunus subjugation, I made her understand that that, while people's actions defined them, their mistakes did not. She nodded and promised to make it up to Blake. She gave me a thankful hug as I left, but that was all.

Cinder nodded, "excellent news, Brutus, I have to report this, your pay just went up. However, that means I'm going to need you to babysit tonight." She completed indicating Mercury and Emerald.
I groaned inwardly, "is that an order, miss Fall?"
"Consider it one."
"Your will be done."
As their handler left, I turned to the assassins son and the pickpocket and angled my helmet towards the door, they shrugged and began to follow  as i strode out the door.
I wished to show them something.
"What are your thoughts on the Faunus?" I queried.
Mercury shrugged whilst Emerald elbowed him and opened her mouth to speak, "I think the Faunus are fine, their current state is only due to the laxness of their leaders in Menagerie. People like the White Fang should be applauded for their courage."
I chuckled at this.
"Courage, you say?" My soul-sight was brought back into play as we reentered the city proper. "What about the consequences of their actions? What about the fear they incite?...what about the anger they garner? And the hate they cause?" We finally neared what I had been searching for.
"What consequences? The Faunus are gaining respect! It's more than the previous leader managed!"
I growled, through my helmet I sounded like a creature of Grimm. We reached an alleyway and stopped. I pointed in and spoke.
"The last leader of the White Fang Stopped this from happening."
As we watched, three men were beating a small girl, about ten or eleven. Her short brown hair was matted with blood, and her pale skin was covered in cuts and bruises. She had two wings the same colour as her hair, one of which was obviously broken. She was screaming and begging at the men to stop, but they only laughed and continued, insulting and threatening her.
"That's what you evil Faunus get!"
"You're lucky we let you sleep on our streets! If it were up to me, I'd have cleaned our streets of scum like you ages ago!"
"Yeah! You like that bitch!? Try think twice before you mess with humans!"
I turned back to my followers, Emeralds mouth was agape and there were tears in her blood red eyes, whilst even Mercury was silent, his sarcastic smile faded, only replaced by shock at the atrocity.
I smiled grimly behind my faceless faceplate.
"This is the world that we live in, where the murder, rape and lynching of the Faunus is a social norm. Just because it happens away from the eyes of our rich leaders and corrupt politicians, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
I then walked languidly into the alleyway.
"Good evening you spineless bitches, your mums must be so proud of their little bastards. Tell me, do lot even know which one your father was? I'm guessing it was the thirty eight or something..."
They all roared and charged me, slowing as they neared and actually saw me.
"It's a pity if you never found out," I continued, stepping forward, "because you'll never live to know."
The things I did to those three in the next fifteen minutes were numerous and painful to say the least. They were broken, gibbering wrecks by the time I was done.
I strode over to the little girl, her amethyst eyes regarded me as I drew closer. She curled up in a ball, and I heard her whimper, "please no..."
I sighed and took her in my arms.
"It's alright little one, I only do that to bad people. What's your name? And where are your parents?"
The little girl pointed into the darkness, where I could make out two humanoid shapes on the ground.
I was too late.
Again.
I felt the girl weaken and she collapsed onto my chestplate. I switched to my soul-sight and saw her essence was weak. I turned to regard her parents and I saw no life at all. Their lights were extinguished.
I sighed, no help from there, I could have given her the remnants of their souls, boosting her life force and saving her. I turned back to the dead men, but immediately turned back. As far as I knew, some memories of the donator would go to the receiver, and the last thing I needed was to scar this girl with memories of what I did to the men. Shocked though they may be, Emerald and Mercury would be no help, they were still criminals, but it was worth a try.
"Emerald, Mercury, could I borrow some of your souls!?" I called down the alleyway. But they were long gone. I had scared them off. Typical. This left me with only one option.
I turned back to the girl and focused on the few good things in my life, and the few good things about me. I focused on Ruby, on Weiss, on the empathy I felt for this girl. I held me hand over my own heart, my own soul, and tore it in two.
I roared at the sky.
This pain was unbearable.
But I wasn't done.
I then forced my soul onto hers, merging them and darkening her aura from a calm chestnut to a dark brown, almost black, in colour. I picked the girl up and walked back to the house with her in my arms. Her wing, alongside all her other injuries, had healed, and she now slept contentedly in my arms.
As I opened the door to my room and lay her on my bed, she awoke. And she had a silver eye.
"Hello, Brutus." She chirped. I did a double take, she knew my name?
"My name is Peregrine, Peregrine...Maul. Seeing as I'm technically your daughter now."
"How do you figure that?" I sat on a nearby chair, arms folded.
"I have a silver eye now, I saw it reflected in yours, my body now contains some of your genetic material, hence, I am your offspring."
"That's not how that works..."
"True, but are you really going to tell people that you split off some of your soul and put it within me?"
The girl had a point.
"Right! I'll live here, you can go back to your dorm, and I'll see you tomorrow, bring your team this time as well, I'd love to meet them personally."
"What...are you?"
"I am the culmination of all the good in your life, all Moulded into a little girl and given a personality."
"I see..."
"No you don't, but I'll accept the lie anyway, Father, you look like you could use the rest, goodnight!"
And with that, I left, returning to my dorm and falling immediately asleep. The next day, I introduced Peregrine to the rest of the team, she was welcomed rather well, but something felt off. I would usually feel happy. But now I felt...empty.
I watched Peregrine wince as I thought this, and turned towards me. I needed to have a proper talk with this girl.