Unexpected Incarnate (RWBY Ozpin Incarnate SI)

This is not him…

Zack's not one to act like this…

Weiss watching above could feel her body grow colder than she should have been, despite it snowing. She felt her breath tightening from everything from sudden changes to the maniacal laughter that lacked any of the warmth she was familiar with, to the sheer unhinged behaviour displayed and utter recklessness that had everyone stunned silent, with some watchers even retreating from the front seats for their own safety.

Gone was the fox Faunus who showed any sort of compassion or familiarity.

Now replaced by a Kitsune Faunus who appears to be wearing his skin, or is it more focused on the aspect of Zack losing control? Whatever the case, seeing her infatuation acting with reckless abandonment and without restraint scares the Schnee ex-heiress as were Nerium as well as Fenrir's court who all were stunned at the sudden change Zack undertook while losing himself in a frenzied state.

"By the Gods! This is beyond everything I expected!" Weiss picks up one of the older court members gasping in shock while Nerium herself silently watches with her eyes narrowing down. All while down below, Fenrir barely manages to dodge the utterly inhuman speeds and counters back, only to hit nothing.

Every time Fenrir tries to pull some Dust over to him to use, Zack immediately shuts that idea down by wrestling control over any Dust before assimilating them into his tails, which just made them somewhat bigger and longer.

Even more alarming for all was that the Kitsune Faunus had shimmering red energy seemingly pulsing all over his body and all over Oathkeeper which was now tainted by blood-red energies that gave it a malevolent feeling for all witnessing. Furthermore, the glowing lines that typically glow velvet to match his aura on his jacket had been displaced by the gleam of maligned red instead.

And as if to drive it further, every attack clearly hits harder than ever before, another dodge of an attack by Zack left a crater meters wide which quickly had pure Dust crystals the size of a fully grown man immediately begins growing out of the crater, as if his very attack on the ground was causing more Dust to form out of the ground.

"Aww… What's the matter? Cat got your tongue now I start to show my power? You wanted this, didn't you?" His voice seemingly echoes loud enough for everyone to hear before a ball of energy can be seen gathering over his free hand, which he lifts in front of his face. "This show of ours isn't over yet! Not when I have so many things to share with you…" Just the way Zack seemingly says it sends a wave of unease down Weiss's spine before she stands up and draws Myrtenaster from her belt.

She has to intervene in this duel! Zack's not himself, and he could hurt not only himself or his uncle, but the countless onlookers watching accidentally. Though many of them have the right idea to leave, with some beginning to clear the area.

"Schnee! What are you doing?"

One of the elder court members yelled out, which earned everyone's attention. "You are a guest here and this rite, no matter how unexpected it has become, should not be interrupted! Refrain from intervening on this matter." He orders, but Weiss immediately counters it with her own glare.

"You have to be joking! Zack's not himself down there. And whatever that happens to him, I need to stop it before he hurts himself or you Khan in that state!" She points back on the stage to see the ongoing clash between the last two Arakans on Remnant, it became clear how much the tide was turned against Fenrir and how hard Zack had placed him on the back foot.

Even more, the crazed Kitsune Faunus has already begun throwing bolts of pure magic at his own uncle without any care that they could have killed him in the slightest! Though it is clear that it was only through instinct that the Khan of the Arakan Clan avoided any of those bolts from hitting him. Even if a couple of them were glancing hits on his Aura.

"Out there, he is affected by something causing him to behave erratically like that, and he COULD kill your Khan in that state! Doesn't that concern any of you in the slightest?" Weiss could only question as some among them began giving uneasy looks, especially from the younger generations who seemed just as eager to intervene, but tempered by the elder's refusal to do so.

All the while, Nerium watches her curiously, as if patiently waiting for her next words before acting.

Taking a breath in despite the continuous battle in the background, Weiss speaks again with more confidence in her voice than before. "I understand that it is part of your culture to respect this rite of ascension. But please… As a Huntress, people's lives are at stake here and your Khan's life is also at risk with my friend going out of control out there. Just this instant, let me intervene on this before anyone gets killed. I beg of you"

Weiss finishes off with a hint of desperation before getting a response from Nerium of all people when she steps in and holds the microphone in hand. "Say what you will about the rite and its religious importance to our people. But right now, her boyfriend is not himself, and unless you want to suffer some unneeded collateral because of his unstable state, an intervention is needed right now." Her eyes narrow upon everyone as if challenging the idea of sitting out. Though, hearing this made the ex-heiress' mouth gape, with her cheeks exploding into a shade of red for obvious reasons.

"She's still under the assumption that we're in a romantic relationship?!" In fact, if it wasn't for the serious problem right now with the boy, she'd have fallen for going awol right now, Weiss was pretty confident that she would have objected to Nerium for saying that in the open. Especially the fact she said it in front of Fenrir's court members, who would no doubt have an opinion on that.

"As his sword and second, I want all of you to organise an evacuation of the arena with the help of the guards, while our Schnee guest and I will head down and assist our Khan in dealing with this unexpected event." As if proving her point, several explosions echoed through the arena and made everyone flinch except the Sword of the Khan, who simply glanced towards the bangs before looking back and expecting an answer.

Though it looks like some of the court members were about to protest, they hesitate soon after because it is a well fact that it is unwise to challenge the second-strongest person in this place they call home. Well… Supposed third now upon seeing how that boy has turned out to be, especially this moment with the whole nine-tailed fox Faunus and being absolutely erratic and in need of stopping before some gets really hurt.

With a simple nod from the eldest among them, Nerium quickly tosses the mic at the nearest member of the court, before turning towards Weiss. "Leave it to them to deal with getting our people out of harm, now let's go. We're wasting enough time here." And without even waiting for a response, the sword of the Khan turned and broke into full speed as she leapt off the platform before chains can be seen flying out of view and wrapping around anything they can before Nerium herself can be seen swinging off.

"Seriously? Again? I swear, it's difficult to get a grasp on what she's thinking. But I should be glad that Nerium's at least willing to agree with me and have them organise an evacuation. From how those people are and their distrust, I doubt they'll listen to a Schnee."

Weiss could only sigh internally at her family's infamy before giving Fenrir's court a nod before she turns and jumps off after Nerium before pointing Myrtenaster down in front of her and using her Semblance to generate enough Glyphs to skate down onto the arena while muttering softly. "Hang on, Zack. I don't know what happened to you, but I'll stop you before you hurt yourself and the others as well."

While all that was going on, one of the court members' voices echoed throughout the entire colosseum. "Brothers and sisters! Due to the unexpected outcome of this rite of ascension, we advise all of you to leave the premises for your safety while our sword and guest intervene! All guards are to assist in the evacuation immediately before quarantining this place until further notice."

A wave of uncertainty washed over the crowd, with much of them departing in an orderly manner, though not all chose to obey the announcement. While some humans chose to stay out of curiosity about how this will end, besides the fact, some are entertained by this change of events and willingly choose to stay. While others, especially Faunus, felt something else, a connection to something long forgotten and they were witnessing its full glory.

Even then, many chose to stay out of the possibility of witnessing something grand in scale.

And grand it was.

Down below, despite all the odds now against him, Fenrir still stands and fights against his nephew who is clear as day, blessed by the gods with his new features with most importantly, his nine tails, though seven of them are made from pure Dust. In fact, despite it all, he still manages to send a devastating blow that launches Zack flying back.

If only for a moment before the Kitsune Faunus appears to slow down without any care that he took a hit.

In fact, he just looks even more eager than he was moments ago. "Hah! Nice hit with that! Unfortunately, that won't st-" As swiftly as they came by, the rattling of black chains echoed the arena before they interrupted the Kitsune Faunus before they began wrapping around his limbs and tails before dragging him to the ground.

Seeing what had befallen before his eyes, Fenrir could only feel glad and annoyed. While he did hear the announcement earlier that his second and that Schnee girl would be coming to assist and glad they did choose to intervene, it still irks him that they chose to in the first place since the Rite of Ascension is considered sacred and no one can intervene on it.

But knowing how things had got out of hand when his nephew went wild, Fenrir would look the other way, for now at least. "I figured it's only a matter of time before you would show up again. You and I have some business to settle." Zack lets out a feral growl before Nerium walks to her Khan's side as she addresses him with her hand still out.

"Normally, I wouldn't." She clipped back. "The Rite of Ascension at this rank is sacred, and I will never intervene on the matter. However, the situation has changed, and now our people could be hurt as collateral by your… transformation…" Yet, the Kitsune Faunus simply barks in laughter again before scoffing dismissively.

"As if that matters. Besides, these chains will not hold me, unlike my weak pathetic old self you know." Just like that, Zack started resisting those chains off himself with small cracks beginning to from all over them while Fenrir nodded at his second before charging in with a burst of speed with hope to get his nephew out of his crazy state. Unexpectedly, however, despite being ensnared and distracted trying to break out, one of the Kitsune Faunus's Dust tails abruptly shot out from behind him and took hold of the Khan's arm, much to the dismay of all watching.

"What?" Zack responds with a mocking grin. "Did you really think I'll just let you hit me while I'm pinned here?"

And just like that, the Kitsune Faunus throws his own uncle aside like waste paper with his tail before tearing the chains off him with such ease that it stuns Nerium momentarily from how fast he broke free from her binding. Yet, the sword of the Khan didn't have enough time to react before she found Zack's palm in her face as he slams her into the ground.

Within the next half a second, the Kitsune Faunus maniacally laughs again as he drags Nerium through the ground and leaves a crevice behind before tossing her aside as well.

"Zack!"

His fox ears twitch in response to Weiss' cries upon reaching the ground near him, all while displaying worry all over her face. While she could only have a glance at his transformation, being this close only revealed how much Zack had changed upon losing control, and everything about him now scares her. Because the more she scanned the finer details of him, the more she realized how much he had been altered and how abnormal he looked. Even when compared to how a normal Faunus would look, with his eyes almost swallowed by red and the nine tails he now sports on his behind, as well as the other observable changes.

In fact, seeing these changes reminded her of the conversion the fox Faunus had with everyone back in Mistral weeks back. Zack in this form is no longer a fox Faunus. "He's a Kitsune Faunus now…" She could only conclude before calling out to him again, hoping that he was still somewhere underneath whatever took over him. "That's enough! There's no need to fight any more!"

However, in an almost unexpected twist, the Kitsune's eyes widened just for a moment and spoke much softer compared to how he was a moment ago. Perhaps he can be talked down? "Weiss? What are you doing here?" The shock in his tone gives away that he never expected her to come and stand in front of him, though it is temporary, since immediately after, Zack continues speaking again, but much more aloof than before.

"If you are here to stop me from my fight against them, then you better not. I am not done just yet. Not. By. A. Long. Shot. So don't make me turn my blade on you."

The Kitsune Faunus says with his teeth slightly grit teeth which expose his elongated fangs and tails swaying almost hypnotically, but what happened earlier just proves that despite it all, the fox Faunus she knows is still somewhere in there. "Please, you have to stop this before you go too far, Zack. You're not yourself right now, and I don't want you to make a mistake you'll regret. There's been enough fighting already."

"Or what? You'll raise Myrtenaster on me?" The Kitsune Faunus asks with his eyes staring at Weiss's weapon with his brows furrowing down right as he looks back up into her eyes as the ex-heiress felt a shiver travelling down her spine upon making eye contact. "Even if you do, you can't hurt me, Weiss."

Zack softly says as he began walking towards her until he was barely a foot in front of her, all while she could only bring Myrtenaster back up while in addition to taking a step back. But what followed next stunned her.

"Besides, I have no thoughts of harming you anytime soon. Not when I intend to claim you as my mate someday in the future..."

He whispered fairly smoothly into her ear before giving a teasing smile before turning his back and with eyes still looking at Weiss, who could only freeze solid with her eyes wide as plates and cheeks as red as they possibly can upon the realization hitting her.

He…

He just admitted to wishing to make her HIS in the future!

Furthermore, he's also so… bold! Where did this sudden boldness come from?!

Weiss's mind was stuck in a torrent of thoughts about the predicament. Was that Zack bluntly telling her that he'd fallen for her as well, despite losing control of himself? The fact that he seemed restrained around her and not going off the rails as much seems to suggest it to the point of bearing no intention to harm her. Or is it just a way to tease and make her let her guard down?

Whatever the case was, it worked because the Kitsune Faunus was long gone before the ex-heiress could snap out of her stunned stupor and had already resumed fighting not only Fenrir but Nerium at the same time.

"Wha-? Hold on for a moment! Get back here!" After blinking in place like a fool for a couple of seconds, Weiss squeaked out as she joined the fight.

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Fenrir POV

"Well… this has gone beyond my expectations."

I could only quietly come to that conclusion upon taking a step back and avoiding Tail's claws as they missed me by an inch before I retaliated with mine, only to hit air as soon as my claws passed through him? No… That's not him… That's an illusion! "The hell you are hitting at? I'm over here!" I felt a jolt of pain on my cheek before I was thrown away, before sliding back onto my feet to see him standing still with Oathkeeper on his shoulder.

Not only that, but I don't think he realises the significance of that sword. Oathkeeper isn't his father's sword, as he so thought from what I can observe, but my sister's. I recognise the design works of it all and its familiarity to me. Just as how her sword was called Oathkeeper, mine is called Oathbreaker for a rather fitting reason to possess such a name. Though before either of us could continue clashing, the revving up sounds of a minigun caught our attention as our ears twitched before Zack responded first.

Instantly, he hunkered down close to the floor with his tails covering his entire body before a purple bubble of energy appeared around him before a hail of bullets rained in from my second. I see, it seems that in this state of his he has gained more abilities beyond what is known and delving into the myths. Besides the magical bolts he threw at me earlier. The question is how long will that barrier last… Though it appears that not for long before he… vanished?

It is another illusion!

"Come on now! Where are you even shooting at? I'm right behind you!" I see… I'm starting to understand a pattern here; it seems my nephew's had switched tactics and begun using more deceptive tactics instead of the brute force he did against me. That just makes things trickier, since I don't think any of us can predict what cards he can pull onto the table. Speaking of which, upon realising that she was shooting at an illusion, my second instinct was to turn and retaliate behind her while I moved in.

Or, at least, if it wasn't for the fact Tails saw that coming and parried it before seemingly bending down and letting his tails grab Nerium by her limbs before slamming her, rather painfully mind you, on the ground before tossing her away to parry my strike with my claws. Though, in the midst of our clash, I noticed cracks beginning to form on Oathkeeper as he shoved me back and began again and again in a flurry of blows without rest, all while taunting and mocking me.

Either he doesn't seem to notice or care about it, Oathkeeper will break soon at this rate!

"Come on now! Where's that bravado and will to see how strong I am now?! Where is it?!" Tch, he's just toying with us. Breaking away with my heart pushing ever closer to its limit, Zack swiftly took advantage and thrusted Oathkeeper towards my neck and I would have taken a painful hit if it weren't for two factors. One which is Nerium bringing her semblance to bear again to subdue him and it wrapping around his body once more.

The other instance involves our Schnee guest creating a pure white glyph in front of me to obstruct the impact. This must be their inheritable semblance, I learned about through my eyes I have installed in the Kingdoms.

CLANG!

With a final clash against his companion's glyph, Oathkeeper could no longer bear any further as it snaps and shatters into pieces, with all of us stunned at its end. Even my nephew in his madness appears bewildered at his sword giving out. Though, as much as it pains me to admit, this should make this fight somewhat more in our favour, even though it's my sister's sword that broke into fragments.

However, to my surprise, he instantly recovered from the shock of his shattered weapon and is instead focused on his companion who is approaching, while I take the opportunity to regain my composure. The next second, he seemingly turns into his fox form, though with nine tails unlike earlier, and scampers off at inhuman speeds before turning back into his Faunus form and glances at his sword while our Schnee guests walk up to us.

"Are you alright?" I heard her asking me, while I could only offer a nod before my second arrived as well.

"I am well, young Schnee. Though I disapprove of your intervention, it is appreciated." She nodded at me before bringing her rapier up, while I turned and looked at my nephew, who was more interested in his broken sword more than anything.

"Well, what a waste Oathkeeper has been…" He did not just insult his mother's legacy unknowingly! Just hearing him say that nearly made me lash out at him, but a quick rein was all I needed to stop a mistake from happening and making a mistake. "Oh well. A sword is like any other tool, if it is too weak and unable to fulfil its purpose, then why bother keeping and fixing it then?" Zack mutters dismissively before he outright drops what's left of Oathkeeper without any care.

Though it appears that his Schnee companion has some serious issues with that sheer disrespect. Which I approve, even if our reasons are likely different. "Zack, how could you?" She sounded heartbroken by his actions. How curious… "Don't you remember how Oathkeeper used to belong to your father as a last gift? How could you just drop it aside like it didn't mean anything to you?" She points out while I subtly raise an eyebrow at her…

"Tch, what good is a broken weapon here?" He shot back before he began tutting at us while shaking his head. "And besides, I have already warned you not to intervene, and your actions have shattered Oathkeeper. So, who's really at fault here?" Tails asks back. To be fair on her part, with how he's swinging my sister's sword more like a club compared to earlier on, of course Oathkeeper's going to break with how he uses it!

That sword is decades old!

No matter.

I can have my artisans fix that up, maybe even improve it further.

"I know. But I promise myself I will bring some sense back to you, whatever it takes." Yet, hearing this just made my nephew burst out laughing, as if whatever she just said was the funniest joke he heard.

"Really now? Well, you better back it up with actions instead of words, my dear friend. For there are consequences for not hearing my words. So, get ready. All three of you!"

"What are you planning now?" I could only frown silently before Nerium, I and our Schnee guest swiftly got into our stances because whatever Zack is about to do, it'll likely take all we got to hold him back. But to our shock, he was suddenly engulfed in what, I believe, was red magic before it suddenly began to grow at an alarming rate before it disappeared to reveal a massive nine-tailed white fox that I suspect is at least several meters tall and more across.

As if to drive in the point that this was unexpected, several of my people who foolishly chose to stay here and watch let out gasps, with a couple of them even taking photoshoots, or I suspect recording the whole thing.

Of course, right now, the major issue is that he is huge, and he began growling at us while his tails swayed all over the place with blood-red eyes glaring into us. I never knew he could do that and many others before that. "Well, this is new…" Was that your conviction wavering, I pick up Nerium? That's not a sentiment I appreciate from my second, but an understandable reaction to voice from this situation.

"Yeah… Zack had transformed before, but… not to this size… He's massive!" So, he has transformed before in the past, huh? Judging by our earlier conflict. Though I suspect not to an extent like this nor in the presence of so many eyewitnesses I imagine. Nevertheless, the gods are watching us, and if it is by fate that this must happen, then so be it.

With a single growl as our only warning that he was going to do something, he then pounced on us while all three of us had the right incentive to move out of the way before his massive paws to crush us while we spread out. "My Khan, what are our orders?"

"Spread and contain him, his size alone makes him a big target so you shouldn't have any trouble hitting him, and he is by himself. He cannot bring his attention to all of us at once. Attack from all sides, and just perhaps we can wither him down just enough to subdue him, and watch out for the tails too." My second swiftly nods her head as she moves in, while I turn my attention to our Schnee guest, who was in the midst of cautiously observing the situation.

"Weiss," She perked up and looked at me with surprise. I suppose she's reacting this way since this is the first time I addressed her by her first name. "While I know our interactions haven't been the most cordial at times and no doubt my fight with him today has likely soured your opinion of me and my people, your assistance will be greatly appreciated. After all, you Schnees pride in your skills and semblance, yes?"

"Yes. But let me make this clear, I am not doing this for you, I'm working with you for Zack's sake. Is this understood?" Weiss addresses me rather sternly, which I didn't mind at all. You and him do appear to share an interesting bond, if what my second says is true, that you could be in a close or possibly romantic relationship with him. It would explain the closeness between the two of you from what I observed.

Giving a soft grin, I swiftly respond back with a swift grunt. "Understood. Now the time for talking has ended, time for action." And thus, we moved in to assist my second to apprehend my nephew, who was struggling for the most obvious reasons. Though it should be observed that he seems to be steering clear of attacking his companion while maintaining focus on me and my second.

Even more clear when he even ignores her when she's exposed for a clean attack.

He must really desire no harm to her, even in his maddened state.

But all battles come to a close when two more individuals appear to have intervened who are much more important than anything so far, besides my nephew being blessed by the gods my people worshipped for eons as far as I know. In the midst of our fight, he managed to corral us in a suitable trap for us with the use of his tails which lash like whips without us realising it.

And by the time we noticed what he had done, all three of us were suddenly encased in pure Dust crystals, binding our limbs and body in place.

And what looked like our impending defeat, as he began charging up a powerful magical attack in front of his muzzle, with his tails acting like conduits that fuel its power. Even before we could have taken, an attack I'm sure would kill us or severely wound us.

She showed up.

A woman, covered in a cloak of white and gold, suddenly came out of nowhere from behind us with the wind blowing with her and without any time for us to react, she punches Tails in the nose with such speed and velocity that it cancelled his attack entirely and send him flying which by itself was an achievement by of itself.

But it was the feeling I felt in her presence when she looked at us that was…

Breathtaking…

Skin pale as our Schnee guest, irises glowing in a mixture of green, orange and silver. And her hair ash-grey. It is impossible for me to ignore this motherly feeling resonating from her and washing over everyone that this is the goddess we worshipped.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am not mistaken due to her physical appearance.

Her features.

Every one of them matches the almost exactly like statues my people prayed and offered offerings to for as long as I can remember. "Fret not, children, leave it to me and my sister to deal with our champion. How are you feeling, by the way? Nothing too severe, I presume?" She asks softly in a way that reminds me of a caring mother worrying over their child. Reminds me of the tales my father once upon a time told us when our mother gave birth to me and my twin sister before passing away soon after from some post birth complications…

Also, sister? There's another Goddess we missed out besides the one who stands before us?

If it wasn't for our Schnee guest uttering out soon after, I would have continued to be lost in my thoughts, pondering over many questions brewing in my mind. "AWOR… You must be her, Zack mentioned you before all months back…" AWOR… An interesting name for our goddess to possess… I wonder what's the meaning behind it, and why she chose to name herself that.

"Yes. It is I and making our presence known. For now, at least." She acknowledges before waving her hand glowing a shade of light green over us and I feel renewed upon feeling its light washing over me. All my exhaustion, aches and pains in my bones and muscles, even my severely depleted aura. All of it was replenished by her divine light. I can see that the same can be said for my second in command and Weiss herself, looking in awe at the reinvigorating feeling coursing through their bodies.

But before any of us could bring more questions, a snarl was all we heard before we turned to see Tails barrelling towards us without stopping while causing small earthquakes that shook the ground with every step! But before any of us could get ready to resume the fight, AWOR held her hand out as if bearing her desire for us not to defend ourselves.

"Ease your worries, my child, no harm shall come to you this instant. Besides, it appears that my sister has finally arrived." She softly says while eyes at us before a thunderous roar from above draws all our attention, and we see it. A purple-pink fireball descended from the heavens before slamming into the ground between us and my nephew in a roaring boom that throws all the snow, dirt and everything else aside.

It was only moments later that I finally laid my eyes on the AWOR's sister after much of the debris settled… The second goddess, who apparently made her appearance in the grandest of ways.

With a colour scheme of black with metallic silver and glowing blue-purple accents, giving an almost celestial appearance that resembles more like the darkness of the night with twinkling stars that watch us. Her hair was a shade of pink tied in a braid that seems to go down to the floor and with a metallic headpiece resembling a floating halo or crown hovers above her head, and a high off-the-shoulder collar that frames her neck.

Interestingly enough, the collar seemingly transitions smoothly into the rest of her outfit, leaving her shoulders bare and her main body is covered by a form fitting dress that doesn't cover her shoulders and is made from an unidentified material. In addition to that, the dress has long slim sleeves that have a long cut into it, and it is held together loosely by belt buckles and uncannily enough, the left portion of her arm I can see has almost crystal-like cracks in them.

Moving down from there, around her waist are surprising amounts of detail on them that swiftly transitions into the lower portion of the skirt and over all, the entire dress has gems on them as they split off into various layers of fabric that forms the skirt. And speaking of the skirt, it's asymmetrical, just like my outfit with various layers on it with the inner layer either dark blue in colour or purple.

All made from a fabric I am not familiar with.

Though hers has a prominent front slit or cut out exposing part of her thighs, in addition to a full short of her legs. And just like before, her left leg seems to be covered in cracks that glowed purple underneath them. And lastly, she is wearing form-fitting heeled footwear that has a design like the rest of the outfit and a black-and-metallic colour.

"Sister… I presume you can deal with our champion with no issue?" AWOR asks rhetorically before her sister turns to us and I see her eyes. Sliver. But a very light shade that almost borders on pure white that blends in with the rest of her eyes. In addition, they seem almost empty…

Unnerving even…

"Do you even need to ask? I'll have him out of his madness soon enough." She calmly says before looking back, and I picked up her cracking her knuckles and then, she was gone. Little did I realise that she teleported behind my nephew before kicking him right in the…

Ooohhhhh!

Oh, no...

Goodness, me. I hope he is okay from that, very few people deserve to be kicked over there. Little less my own nephew, which I bear no grievances for despite his moment of insanity.

Besides hearing him yelping in pain and me and the others wincing at where she kicked him at, the force was tremendous enough to send him flying at us before she teleports again and with a single palm, she grabs him by the snout and slammed him onto the floor head first and straight up knocking him out while leaving a substantial crater among others in this ruined arena.

This would no doubt take weeks to clear and repair it...

"Zack!" I heard Weiss calling him out as she was the first to break into full sprint towards Tails, who soon was engulfed by magic again before reverting into his Faunus form, while I soon followed her briskly. Despite everything that happened and learning about him, I've grown concerned about him.

Yes. I am responsible for him going out of control. But it still doesn't change that we were the last Arakans in the world, as far as I know. And frankly, he has a bigger role not just as the champion of our gods, but of our people too. Especially now that it is clear as day that our gods do exist and are watching us.

"Must you do that, Ishmael? It was unnecessary to strike him where it hurts". AWOR points out with what I can tell was disapproval before her sister gave a swift response as if aware of what her sister was going to say.

"Say what you will about my actions, it is the most efficient way to knock him out, sister. You cannot deny it, despite how painful that was for me to do that to him. Nevertheless, now that our champion has been neutralized, you can soothe his soul less he wakes up again in his frenzied state."

"Ishmael? So that's her name. I must take note of that…" I made a mental note while my eyes were on our goddesses talking out before bringing my attention back to my nephew, who was now being cradled by his companion. In addition to that, Nerium soon approached me while holding the shattered remains of Oathkeeper.

I'm pleased that she knows the significance of that weapon.

Taking the remains of my sister's sword into my hands after retracting my claws, I thanked her. "Thank you, Nerium. Now, you may leave and inform the other that things are under control now. I need to check up on my nephew and speak with our gods for the first time."

"Understood my Khan." Nerium bowed before making her departure, before my eyes returned to my goddess kneeling before my nephew and his companion as she rested her thumb on his forehead and brushed it. All the while, his companion expressed concern and worry all over her face about the whole thing.

Soon a glow of light washed over him and whatever madness that had consumed him began to recede as did the changes on his body. The marks on his face slowly begin to retract and fade away, leaving what was already there. The Dust tails he seemed to receive began to dissipate into particles and began condensing together, interestingly enough. How curious, it appears that while he had lost most of his tails, the Dust that made most of them began to condense into a third tail and alongside that, his claws seem to shorten but remain intact unlike before where they didn't exist.

Most fascinating…

"There." AWOR calmly said as she stood up while her motherly eyes remained fixed on Weiss while I stood by and watched silently. As much as I'd love to seek my questions answered by our goddess and know more about Zack and our long-forgotten heritage, there is a time and place for that.

Right now, is not the time for that.

"He should be much better now." She continues while I watch as Weiss lets out a sigh of relief before she looks up with joy in her eyes.

"Thank you, AWOR. What happened to him earlier, if I may ask?" She asked while I found myself unconsciously nodding my head while I glanced at her still in her cloak. Though she did not answer as it was her sister Ishmael who answered it upon walking up to us.

And what she said dearly concerns me.

"His soul has grown unstable, young Schnee. The combination of our magic and the Brothers within him had produced an… unintended side effect. What you witnessed recently is a symptom of that side effect." Brother's magic within him? It feels as if I am missing the whole picture here… "My sister had managed to sooth his unstable soul and heal them for now, but heed this. If our champion finds himself in any situations that push him beyond his limit again in the future, he may lose control once more."

I see…

So I did push him beyond his limit and made him lose control…

That I must accept that I did. But… The magic of the Brother Gods lies within him? How is that possible? And their merger with our god's magic caused that to happen? It is clear as day that I am missing much context than I should have been. I must speak with them both later and clarify my questions as soon as it is time.

Though before that happened, we all picked up a slow groan emanating out of my nephew with his hand slowly reaching up towards his forehead while his companion swiftly called out to him.

==================================================================

Zack POV

Ugh… Damn my head… What… What happened? I can't remember anything before I blacked out… Or did I actually do that? My head's a mess, and the pounding feeling in my skull isn't making them any better. Gods… And it's not only just my head that's feeling fucked. For some reason, my tails feel stranger than they should have been and…

Why does my pelvis feel sore?

And the feeling of my hand on my forehead…

I'm pretty sure I had my nails trimmed and not elongated to the point where I could scratch someone with them.

Wait a minute…

"Zack!"

Weiss?

"Can you hear me?" Her voice rang out again, though muffled a bit, but I got it. I think she can tell me what happened during my fight against Fenrir. It's still rather difficult to grasp that I'm not the last Arakan after so long, and how he happens to be my uncle in addition to ruling over an entire society. I still have so many questions that need answering, but a recap on what happened after my blackout would be great.

Speaking of which.

"Ozma are you there?" I ask in my mind while I slowly push myself with my eyes still shut off, something lean holding on to my back. That must be Weiss holding me, but my major concern is Ozma and wherever happened to him. Ultimately, it only took a split second to understand that whatever that happened to us, it either silenced him or temporarily put him unconscious, as it seemed to always do.

"I hear you. But everything hurts…" I found myself groaning as her arms assisted me in sitting on the ground instead of lying down. Even before I could speak next, I felt two very familiar presences that I've learned to recognise after a handful of times around them, all thanks to my connection to them.

AWOR and Ishmael.

And as if proving my suspicions, I heard AWOR calling out to me. "Champion, it is good to see you again, and better now I suppose?" She asked me. Better… Yeah, I guess you could say that, but I don't remember anything after that. Letting out a groan before opening my eyes, I see them. Both AWOR and Ishmael are kneeling before me in the flesh! How? Did they manifest themselves here, and what is with Ishmaels looks?

Jeez! Her eyes are creepy, you know that?

"What happened?" I couldn't help but blurt out before I looked around and holy shit! What the hell happened to the arena! It looks like a war zone sparked out here and obliterated everything in sight! "And what happened to the whole arena?! It looks like the whole place was bombed to bits!"

"You don't remember?" My ears twitch in response before I glance at my hands to see claws! They're not long, but those are definitely claws! Where did those come from? My nails were shorter, last I remembered before I blacked out! Okay! I… I just need to get my bearings in order and everything will be revealed to me.

Looking away from my hands and back towards Weiss looking worryingly at me, I slowly nodded my head at her. "No. All I remember was my fight against my uncle before something overtook me from the inside, then… nothing. After that, I woke up here with a splitting headache and everything hurting." My eyes drew off to the side before I noticed something about my tails.

"I- I have a third one now? I don't think I'm at that point of evolving again, so how did I get it?"

But before I could bring up the topic that I now suddenly have a third tail, which was surprising since I had only gained a second around a month ago, I heard my uncle speaking next. Oh, I didn't notice that he was just there watching by the side. Though it would be a lie to say that I am glad to see him.

"You went berserk after that." He says while still bearing worry on his face and tone. "I, with my second and your companion, we tried to stop you before you could cause too much collateral damage or hurt anyone in the process. Thankfully, the latter didn't happen."

I… went berserk? Then if so, I'm the one cause call this. Did I?

For a moment, my mind was on overdrive trying to process the information I had heard. If I were this destructive earlier on, then what happened to me? Because I know for certain that in my last moments, I felt this maddening urge to go all out and let go all my restraints to go all out. Was that what happened? I went wild and messed up this entire place?

"Calm yourself, child," Ishmael snapped me out of my stupor before I brought my attention to her. "While it is true that you have no doubt many questions, this is not the place to talk about such things. Meet us at your designated room assigned by your uncle, we'll talk more there." And just like that, both Ishmael and AWOR stood back onto their feet before vanishing into nothing to the shock of my uncle, while I slowly got back up onto my feet despite all the pain I'm still in.

"So, what happens now?" I couldn't help but ask my unc- Fenrir now. Yet, I still possess a bit of bitterness about that match earlier on. Wanting to see which is stronger and ended up making me go nuts. Talk about that test of his to see how strong I am against him going horribly right.

"Now? Getting some rest is a priority as soon as we can. But right now, I owe you an apology for this trial." An apology? This quick? Then again, me going absolutely apeshit and wrecking the place might have played a part in his decision. "My original intention was to see how capable you are when I first heard that you were coming over here. But the moment I saw your face, and sword, I knew you were related, and I desired to push you beyond what you can do."

"For what reason do you put him through all that?" Weiss asks as soon as she is by my side, all the while giving a disapproving look at him. Again, with her acting all protective over me. Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment.

"To see if he is worthy enough to take my place."

Wait, what.

…

"What?" I blurt out. He wants me to take his place as Khan of an entire society I don't even have the slightest connection to? The worst part was that I can tell that he was being completely sincere in handing the ropes of leadership to me. "You want me to take your place?"

"Indeed."

"Why?" I found myself asking softly.

"Because unlike you, I was sterile when I was born, so as far as I could tell at the time, the legacy of our bloodline dies with me when I eventually fade into dust. But when your origins were revealed to me and the others, I knew at that moment that there is hope for only for our bloodline, but for our people as well." The way he's saying it. Everything about it clearly tells me that he's telling the truth. But…

Where's my say in this?

"You can't be serious!" Weiss barked in outrage over what she heard. "All this entire rite is just to see if Zack will take your place as Khan? Have you ever considered his thoughts on this? You can't just throw your burden onto him, all because he happens to be related to you!"

Yeah. Weiss just reinforces my thoughts on this. I'm already carrying a burden on my back. Must I bear another of an entire society I bear no connection to because of my mother's origins, coming from here? This isn't fair. But life's not equal, no matter what some say, some of us will get the bad end of the deal. Just like Ozma and Salem having to fight for eons at this point.

Obviously recognising the frown on my face, Fenrir drops the topic. "But that can be addressed another time, there's another issue that needs to be dealt with first." And then he pulls up Oathkeeper. Or… what's left to it. Little did I realise that I took a step back in shock that my father's sword was shattered into two and several other smaller fragments.

"Did… Did I do that? Did I shatter Oathkeeper?" I gulped.

"You weren't yourself when that happened." I felt Weiss's arm gently rubbing on my shoulder in an attempt to sooth my shock, which I gave an appreciative look at her. "Though it was, partially, my fault that it shattered. I created a glyph between you and your uncle just as you were about to stab him through the neck, and Oathkeeper gave out upon contact with it." Weiss stopped me from stabbing my uncle in the face and, in the process, shattering Oathkeeper?

"So, I did shatter it…" That. That was my father's sword, one of the very things I still had of him. And I broke it?"

"Not father. But mother's." Sorry, what?

"What do you mean by that?" My companion frowned suspiciously at Fenrir before looking back at him as he resumed.

"Oathkeeper's origins came from this place, just as my sister once did. Your grandfather made two swords for his children. Oathkeeper for your mother, and Oathbreaker for me." He explains before taking out his sword and yeah. I suppose I can see the similarities between the two. But that only brings up a question.

"Why? Then why did she give it to my father instead of keeping it for herself?" I asked soon after.

"That, I do not know. But I do know that it is tradition for some of us to give something we cherish most to our devoted ones out of trust, and love. I suspect that your mother gave Oathkeeper to your father because of that reason, and he took that sword as his own." He explains before sheathing Oathbreaker while giving what remains of my sword back to me.

"But enough of that, we can talk more once we are back in your sleeping quarters. Our gods await us there." He says as he turns and picks up his wolf mask off the ground that somehow survived all this mess before putting it on and giving a simple signal through his head to follow him.

"I guess that's all for today, huh?" I mutter just loud enough for my companion to hear as my tails sway from the cold winds as we look at each other. "Later, when we're back in our room, can you tell me the details of what happened to me there?" I ask. Though, upon hearing my words, her face suddenly turned to a shade of red as if thinking of something incredibly embarrassing, and it took less than a second for Weiss to turn her head away from me.

Okay… I must have said something earlier to cause her to get all red and embarrassed…

"S-Sure thing, I can do that."

Whatever the reason, we soon followed my uncle back to our sleeping quarters and things were hectic after we had a moment to wash ourselves up before the finer details about what happened earlier were explained alongside AWOR and Ishmael who chimed in with their observations for about an hour. Apparently, I straight up became a Kitsune Faunus if temporary. Furthermore, during this state, I gain some more tails among other new features and even have my ability to turn into a fox form upgraded and apparently becoming massive.

At least, that's what Weiss and my uncle told me.

As for how they stopped me, they did not, and instead it literally required divine intervention to stop me from causing more havoc. AWOR and Ishmael literally intervened all because me going crazy wasn't supposed to happen and the cause for all this was apparently due to both my and Ozma's magic intertwining within me and messing with my soul directly.

As if my merger with Oz needed more complications…

For how they snapped me out of my madness.

Ishmael kicked me in the nuts before slamming my face into the ground. That explains so much why my crotch feels numb, as did everything else… I am not pleased by this, not one bit, since that makes me probably the only person in reality to be kicked in the balls by their own goddess!

Literally!

What the fuck!

Feeling my right eye twitching violently as were my tails and ears from learning how they bring me back to reality, I huffed while Fenrir, Nerium, AWOR and Ishmael were in my and Weiss's sleeping quarters while we were resting on our bed. "Well… Thank you for knocking some sense into me again. But please don't hit me down there ever again."

"No promises."

"Well, that's reassuring…" I thought sarcastically. Though, AWOR did give a disapproving glare at her sister's nonchalant attitude to my request and soon after, she continued. "Besides snapping you out of your madness, there's another thing we are here to tell you." Tell me what exactly? That and I suddenly have an awful feeling that what's next will be horrible for me, mainly because of her sister, AWOR. Her attitude suddenly changes from disapproving of her sister's comments to worry with her eyes squarely on me.

And what came out of Ishmael's mouth shocked my whole world.

"Not too long ago, our champion, we discovered that your soul merger with Ozma comes with a contingency plan by the Brother Gods. A plan that will activate and instantly kill you as soon as the merger between him, and you, is done. Its origins stemming from the old wizard's magic and ours merging inside you."

"What?" I felt my breath hitching at this revelation. I'm going to die as soon as our merger is done? Hah hehe… They couldn't just let me spiritually die eventually when Ozma consumes everything that makes me though that incarnation, cycle? Now they gotta go further than that, and now I will physically die as well?

"Why would they do such a thing?" Weiss barked out while everything's starting to become muffled to the point of me unable to pick up anything while at the same time, everything's becoming blurry and cold. All that doesn't seem to compare how sick to the stomach all this made me feel. The feeling that I was about to puke made me cover my mouth while I could only ponder what can I do now? I'm fucked anyway! Even if Ozma were to take me over, at least there's some assurance he would do everything he can in my body to end this war.

But with this?

Me dying as soon as we merged completely, then… then… it would mean that everyone had to go and find Oz's new incarnate all over again. And that short period of time, Salem can do freely without me, without us to stop her. All my hard work and powers which I possess, all my attempts to guide and change what could happen in the future to our benefit…

Don't get me started that the brothers planned my death. How else could I explain it? Having my soul in one of the last Arakans in Remnant and having me becoming the Sister's champion before having this contingency kill me off?

I'm just a pawn…

A fucking chess piece meant to stop the Sisters from taking back Remnant from them…

And all of this just makes me feel that all is all for nothing.

Everything I worked for will be for nothing because of this.

For that moment, I felt as if my fate and that of everyone I cared for grows ever dimmer.

I was screwed over from the start.

Wasn't I?

==================================================================

While Zack was lost in his mind, with everyone else too stunned to pay heed, Fenrir was the first to bark out furiously to the point of catching everyone, including his own second in command off guard. "WHAT?! As with what our Schnee guest had said, why do the Brother gods do such a thing? And who is this Ozma who is merging with my nephew from within?!" His glare never fading before his eyes turned furiously towards Weiss, who felt a chill down her back.

"You! You better have some answers to tell me or else-"

"Calm yourself, Fenrir." AWOR raises her hand before the wolf Faunus before he could do something rashly. "While your worry is understandable for various reasons, now is the time not to lose your patience. Let us explain what happened beyond your ears."

"And away from this place into your chambers privately to give our champion some time to meditate on everything he learned, he is not taking what I had said well." Ishmael chimes in, and just like that, everyone could turn their eyes and feel a pang of sorrow in their hearts. In truth to the Goddess of the moon's words, Zack had become a visible mess upon hearing how he's doing to die.

His ears were now clearly flattened on his head and 'pinned' towards the back of his head and a hand clutching onto the side of his face. The fox Faunus was breathing erratically while muttering about something foreign to everyone except for Weiss. It was obvious to all that he was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, with his golden eyes unfocused and tears slowly building up by the second.

In addition to that, he didn't respond to anyone who called out to him.

Out of everyone in the room right now, Weiss was the first to act. "Zack… Please… speak to me." She begged him as she gently took his free hand into hers. Just seeing him in this state breaks her heart and while it is true that the fox Faunus can be an idiotic dolt at times, seeing him falling apart this fast is still painful to witness and accept.

"Let us leave this room and give them some time alone." AWOR softly sights before she and Ishmael vanish into nothing, while Fenrir silently nodded his head with dejection and left the room as well. Yet strangely enough, Nerium took moments to stay to offer a look of pity at both of them before making her own departure to follow her Khan.

==================================================================

Weiss POV

Zack…

I still couldn't believe that the Brother Gods would do this to you… We were all aware to an extent of the fate that awaited him, but to now learn that he will now die upon the completion of his merger with Ozma all because of a secret contingency plan with him.

This is too much.

All of this just to stop the sisters from taking back what's theirs? Yes, I am still sceptical behind the scenes over their true intentions with Remnant and what they will do once they fully recover all the four Relics, but right now? With this revelation dropped right on top of us?

It is still tricky to grasp the whole situation dropped on us and… I… It shakes me to the core and I can't help feeling a pang of pain in my heart and mind. I can't imagine what it must be like for him to learn that he's going to die.

That time wasn't on his side.

Back in the forest, when the Bloody Hidesman was so close to taking his life. It felt like my whole world was about to fall apart. And now learning that the Brothers had placed a ticking time limit on him, that very same dreaded feeling's back. But what can we do about it?

No. We still have time to deal with that.

He needs help now.

My help.

"I'm so fucked… Everything I have done will be for nothing…" Zack choked on his own breath, with tears beginning to pour down his cheek.

"No, it's not you dolt! You've done so much for us all! You can't just give up because of this! I refuse that!"

Another pang of pain washed over me while I clutched onto his hand more tightly than before, hoping that that would calm him down. This is the first time I've heard Zack sound so defeated. I remembered he told us that he'd accepted that Ozma will take over him, but learning this? I suppose even that was too much, even for him.

"No. Zack. I refuse to accept that everything you've done for us is for nothing. So, look at me. Please…" I begged again. But to my dismay, he didn't and continued to be lost in his thoughts. I need to take more drastic action. Not for my sake, but for his. Letting go of his hand, I reach over and gently pull him closer to me for a hug. I'm not like my partner, but I refuse to let him give up now. "Listen to me. You can't just give up now. I'm sure that with time, there is a way to stop you from dying."

But to my shock, my infatuation shoves me back and snaps at me with fury. "There is nothing you can do about it!" I felt something stuck in my throat while I stared stunned at his brash action with tears in his eyes. "You heard what Ishmael said! The moment my merger with Ozma is done, I am dead! I was under the assumption that my body will still live on when that day finally comes, but this?" His voice cracks and I see despair in his eyes.

"I believed that day that the Brother gods brought my memories here to help change the fate of this world and save it from the future I saw…. Now I learned they fully intend to end my life, all because this body is one of the last Arakans on Remnant and now so I happen to bear the sister's mark and be called their champion!" Another pang of pain washed over my heart again while I could only sit silently and listen.

"Was that all part of their plan to put me here just to get rid of a resurging opponent in hindsight? Am I just a disposable pawn that they're willing to put Remnant at risk as a whole to stop the Sisters of Twilight from taking back what was theirs?"

My infatuation mutters out before resting on the bed again with all the life seemingly burned out of him with his hands clutching onto his head. Hearing his rant makes me wonder just how ruthless the Brother Gods are and how much of what we knew about them were unfounded. "I don't want to die, Weiss…" Zack sobbed before I slowly brought him into my arms while he continued muttering. "I don't want to die… I don't want to die… I don't want to die… I don't want to die…"

But as I hold him close to me, I feel my own tears starting to pour from my eyes. Zack in my arms isn't the same young man who was originally reluctant to help us who is an excellent cook, nor a reckless dolt who nearly lost an arm due to his experiments with a new gauntlet, all while training with and having fun with us as the weeks went by.

He isn't the same boy who gave as much as he could to give us a chance to stop Salem and nearly paid the price to stop what was seen, such as Cinder piercing my chest with a spear, or even doing all he can to change the future he saw. Not only that, but he's not just as part of an ancient bloodline of Faunuses called the Arakans while also the champion of the Sisters of Twilight while bearing their mark on him.

The Zack I see right now, is just a young man who is afraid of dying. One who just learned that time wasn't on his side.

But with him crying in my arms, and after everything we've been through so far? This war we found ourselves in and agreeing with Ozma to do what we can to end it? It made me realise that some of us might die in the process of seeing it end. It's terrifying to think or comprehend what if my partner dies while fighting against Salem. Or how we would feel if we lost the rest of my team, JNR or even Mr Branwen himself.

Even Neopolitan.

She has become part of our team, as much as I wish to deny it.

With all that, the very thought of losing Zack was the most painful to imagine and knowing that time is not on our side. I know what I must do. Even if it seems inappropriate for the moment. "Zack… No matter what happens, I won't leave you to this fate, no one will."

"Then what? There's nothing that can be done to stop this. Stop this fate… My fate." His ears sank again before I made sure that he could see my eyes before I placed my lips on his forehead and kissed him. And the reaction was instant, beyond his puffy eyes, they had visibly widened in response to me.

"Listen to me. I know everything seems like the end of the world, but I promise you this. So as long as there is time, we will find a way to stop this, and give you a chance to live a full life. I refuse to give up on you now."

"Why?" He asks, still in disbelief, before I feel my cheeks warming and me giving a small smile in return.

"Because despite the short time we knew each other, Zack. I realised something after all we've been through." I pause for effect for a moment to gather my bearings. And then, I leaned closer into his face and kissed him on the lips with my eyes closed.

Wow…

The tenderness and warmth of his lips sent a shiver of pleasure down my back, and as of right now, the world I'm in doesn't matter to me now. This was my first time and I can never describe the experience fully to anyone else, and at this moment of passion, I felt Zack pushing his lips back into mine.

The taste of them, the scent of lavender he always seemed to have all over him, and the warmth I felt radiating from his hands and lips. We both wanted more of it. More from each other. And we continue to share our mutual tenderness before it quickly becomes more intense, which is becoming addicting than I care to admit. Even with my mind lost in the passion of it all, I know in my heart that this isn't one I would regret for as long as I live.

This is not only our first kiss, but a kiss that belongs to the both of us. Despite my desire for it to continue, we eventually had to separate our lips to take a breath.

As a whole, this kiss we shared was… Wonderful.

And then, I finally said it softly after holding it for some time.

'I love you. I love you, Zack."

And in his eyes I see relief, regret, fear, and many other emotions. With a gulp coming from him, I silently awaited his response. "Weiss, you know that I likely only have maybe a year or two max to live before Oz takes over, and I die from the Brother's plan for me, right? So why? Why are you willing to fall for me, when you know that Oz will take over me?"

"I am aware of that. But after everything I've seen so far, and everything you've done for us. I couldn't help but to fall for you, Zack. You deserved to be happy too. And I want to enjoy every last moment with you because, I do know if either of us could die any time right away with us going up against Salem." I explain while holding his hands in mine.

Yet, despite my explanation, Zack seems to be unconvinced. "Weiss, are you sure you wish to go down this path with me? Because that's hell you're walking into just for me, you know?"

"I know." A knowing nod was all I gave him. "But I fully intend to live my best with you until the day that time comes, and remember. You are not alone here, me and everyone waiting for us at Argus will be with you until we find a way to stop your merger with Ozma from happening. I swear it." I reaffirmed.

Just like that, Zack let out a sigh of relief before descending into laughter with joy, and then, with sobs coming from him, he wraps his arms around his shoulders alongside his tails wrapping around us.

And I finally received the words I had been anticipating.

"I Love you too, Weiss."