That day played on repeat in his head ever since it occurred.

It was a Saturday, a weekend like any other, two years prior to present day.

Cenn had devoted the entire day to training with Kairi. He left early in the morning, wanting to get in a little extra time before Kairi arrived. He'd always done this. To his uncle and brother, whenever he wasn't at singing lessons or the academy, Cenn was training. He'd tell them that there was always room for improvement, even if to them they didn't see any. He was always pushing himself to be better.

This wasn't a new occurrence. He'd done this since he started school. For years, he tried and tried to perfect a style, but for some reason, it didn't feel right to him. Yes, he was doing everything right, but it didn't feel like it was his. He made sure to learn everything he was taught perfectly, but he couldn't find himself in those teachings. But if this was what it would take to become stronger, he would do it. He would do anything.

He couldn't let anyone else get hurt.

When Kairi arrived, they began their training session. They practiced for hours on end, with Kairi taking small breaks in between. But Cenn never stopped. When he wasn't sparring with Kairi, he was practicing on a tree, and when that tree eventually fell, he moved on to a different one. This was just routine for him, but Kairi never got used to it. She'd always try to convince him to chill out every now and then, but knew her efforts were futile.

And she understood why.

Cenn still remembered the exact number of trees he went through that day in between sparring with Kairi. Twelve. It was a new record for him, at least according to Kairi. He never usually kept track of the numbers.

It wasn't all that special of a day.

At least until later.

Cenn ended up getting home later in the afternoon, at around two o'clock. He had his claymore strapped to his back and a few pouches tied around his waist. He was wearing his normal clothing, at least for at the time. A green tee shirt, one slightly darker in color than his own eyes, brown cargo pants, and black combat boots. He wore a breastplate over his tee shirt. Much simpler than his current armor set.

He remembered the walk up to the gate of his Uncle's manor. There was a slight drizzle. It wasn't fully raining yet, but Cenn could tell that anytime soon, it would start pouring. The sky was dark with clouds and thunder rumbled in the distance.

He came up to the gate, but he instantly recognized that something seemed off.

It was open.

Not just slightly, either. Wide open.

"Warner?" He called out for the butler. "Are you there?"

Cenn walked through the gate and looked around.

He heard a groan to his left.

"...Master Cenn..."

It was the frail voice of an old man.

He snapped his head to the source of the voice, and saw Warner, the family butler, lying on the floor and struggling to stand back up. Cenn felt his heart jump.

"Warner!" he exclaimed, running over and helping the old man to his feet.

"What happened?" Cenn quickly asked as he sat Warner down on a bench near the entrance to the manor. "Where's Uncle Flick? Kane?"

"Master Cenn..." Warner said, "you must...go help..."

He pointed towards the manor.

Cenn looked over, and in the distance, he noticed something strange. It was a large group of people, all clustered near the middle of the courtyard. He looked back down at Warner and nodded, then went to go see what the issue was.

As he approached the mob of adults, he felt the rain start to come down on harder. He sped up to a power-walk. He heard their voices grow louder as he drew closer. He began to make out what they were saying.

"Where's the freak?"

"Yeah, tell us where he is!"

"Kill the freak!"

Cenn's eyes widened as he realized what they were talking about. Him. They were talking about him. He felt himself freeze for a moment.

That was when he heard a familiar voice.

"He's not here! You're wasting your time!"

Kane.

Oh god, Kane.

Cenn felt himself begin to sprint over to the mob. He felt the rain pelting his face as he ran. He drew his claymore, then stopped as he came close enough to the mob. He felt himself yell out.

"LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!!"

The hubbub in the crowd suddenly died and he felt dozens of pairs of eyes fall onto him. The glares of Vale's most Faunus-hating adults pierced Cenn's very being, and he was scared. But he remained vigilant and stood his ground. The group suddenly began to open up and reveal what was going on in the middle.

Kane was on his knees with another, taller man standing above him. Kane had blood running out of his nose, and bruises were already beginning to set in. They had already got through his Aura. Kane was never one to fight back, so there was no doubt in Cenn's mind that he had just let that man do this to him.

As for the man himself, Cenn didn't know what it was, but there was something familiar about him. He had a slim physique, and jet black hair that was gelled back and shaved on the sides. He had strong, dark onyx eyes and a mischievous grin. He also had a full beard.

"Kane..!" Cenn exclaimed quietly to himself, shocked at Kane's condition.

Cenn heard voices surround him.

"There he is!"

"The hybrid!"

"Get him!"

As the voices began to grow louder, he heard one shout above the rest.

"SILENCE!"

They complied. Cenn saw that the voice had come from the person in the middle standing above Kane. He stepped away from Kane, and turned to face the direction Cenn was in.

"Hello, hybrid," the man said with a smirk, "So you finally showed yourself."

"What is this about?" Cenn asked, "Who are you people?"

"What does it look like we are?" He said with a chuckle, throwing his arms open and spinning around. "We...are your worst nightmare, freak."

Cenn's grip on his sword tightened.

"So you're going to kill me..." Cenn said, taking deep breaths.

The man looked around at all of the people. Silence overtook the crowd for a few moments. The man in the middle of the crowd finally turned back to Cenn. He had a wicked grin wiped across his face.

"No," he said.

Cenn felt someone push him from behind. He stumbled forward, then looked behind him. The mob had closed in behind him. He was completely surrounded with nowhere to run. He looked back to the man in the middle. The man finished his sentence.

"We're gonna do something worse."

~——~

Cenn awoke.

He awoke to a world unfamiliar to the one he knew. This was because of one simple observation:

There was nothing there.

It was an empty black space, devoid of any physical attributes. Just a void.

He looked down at himself. He could see himself perfectly fine, as if it were broad daylight, but there were no discernible light sources in the space he was in. He could feel the coldness of the surrounding air, but it didn't seem to affect him in any way. It was just...there. Breathing down his neck.

He felt the weight of Éileamh on his back, the familiar sensation of the strap pressing his black hoodie into his shoulder. He couldn't feel any air movement, not even a slight breeze. Everything was completely still. Uncomfortably still.

'So...you finally decided to confront me.'

It was that growl. The one he heard whenever his semblance was about to activate. Except it wasn't just a voice in his head anymore. It was coming from behind him.

Cenn turned around, and what he saw would be forever burned into his mind.

It was a monstrous creature.

It looked like a Grimm, but putting it in that category of beast would never have even began to express the pure hatred radiating out of the creature. It was gigantic, almost ten times larger than Cenn himself. It's body was one that resembled a Beowolf, but with a few key differences. The skull on its head was far more jagged and covered underneath its jaw. Two pairs of glowing red eyes pierced through Cenn's very being, and it flashed rows of fangs from its agape jaw. Two pairs of horns protruded from out of the outer skull, one pair that curved below the jaw and another that crested above the creature's head. It's fur was a deep, blood red. A pair of feathery wings adorned its back, and two tails stuck out from its back. It walked on all fours, looking down at Cenn with a malicious look in its eyes.

Cenn immediately drew his sword and held it out in front of him. He heard a deep, booming laughter emit from the general direction of the beast, but he never saw its mouth move.

'You honestly think that your puny little weapon will do anything to me? Please.'

Cenn felt his grip on Eileamh's handle tighten.

"I have to try..." he said, "I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

Cenn felt the beast glare straight into his eyes.

'You're persistent,' it growled, 'I'll give you that. But I'm afraid you're too late.'

Cenn suddenly felt a shift, and before he knew it he was looking through the eyes of himself in the real world. He couldn't control his body, but he could see through his eyes. A fiery red aura was surrounding him, and he was snarling and growling like a wild animal. But it was what he saw in front of him that caused a pit to form in his stomach.

It was Mal and one of the redhead girls from earlier, Kyrie. Mal was trying to approach him, his hand held out in front of him.

"Cenn..?" he heard him say, "You in there, partner...?"

Cenn tried to speak, to tell him to not come any closer, but it was no use. The beast had full control over his body. As Mal drew closer, Cenn suddenly felt his muscles tense up. He pounced towards Mal, raising a clawed hand in the air. Before Cenn was able to witness the aftermath of the attack, he was immediately brought back to the void, standing where he was before the beast had made him watch.

"NO!!!" Cenn yelled out.

Cenn glared angrily at the creature in front of him.

"Don't you dare hurt them!" he exclaimed.

The creature laughed again.

'I will do as I please,' the creature answered, 'I am controlling your body, after all.'

Cenn felt himself begin to breathe heavier. He suddenly flapped his wings, using them to propel him forward as he charged toward the beast towering over him.

'Tsk,' the beast said, 'please.'

The beast swiped a paw in front of him, hitting Cenn with an immense amount of force. Cenn felt himself lurch to the side, the pain in his side setting in as he tumbled across the translucent floor of the void. He skidded to a halt, on his back, his sword sliding slightly past him. Cenn rolled over onto his knees and tried to stand back up, but fell back down.

That was when he heard it. A voice.

Mal's voice.

It echoed across the void.

'I am...the shield that stands firm...'

Cenn had heard that chant. He never finished it in front of Cenn, but he knew what it meant.

Mal was trying to activate his Semblance.

'Oh well would you look at that,' the beast said, 'your small friend is trying to fight back. Mal was it? Weak child.'

Cenn began to try and stand again. He couldn't let Mal use his Semblance, not when he knew what it meant for Mal's health. He couldn't let anyone else die because of him. He came to his feet, grabbing his sword off the ground and letting the end of it rest. It screeched as the sharp blade scratched the metallic, translucent floor.

Mal continued.

'Gold is my heart...and steel is my resolve...'

Cenn began to trudge forward and slowly accelerated to a full sprint, still dragging his sword behind him, sparks flying. As he drew closer, he suddenly whipped the sword around using only one hand, and let go once it reached near his front, sending it soaring blade-first towards the beast.

'I have crafted thousands of weapons for the sake of defending...'

The sword bounced off the beast's hard outer skull. It began to laugh.

'Are you daft?' the beast said through laughter, 'Did you really think tha-'

The beast was suddenly interrupted by blindness in one of his eyes. Cenn had flown himself up to the beast's face and landed on one of his four eyes. Cenn cried out in rage and slammed a closed fist right into the beast's eye.

'GAAH!!' the beast roared out in pain, 'YOU LITTLE SH-'

Then, darkness.

And silence.

~——~

He felt his eyes begin to open once more.

He felt...exhausted.

The lights above him seared into his eyes, blinding him temporarily until his eyes adjusted to the light. He felt someone holding his left hand, albeit very slightly, since his limbs were either numb or in pain.

Cenn groaned.

"My...entire body hurts..." he said.

He felt the person to his left flinch in surprise, then squeeze his hands.

"Cenn! You're finally awake!"

It was Alice.

Cenn moved his head to the left slightly and looked up at her. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, a relieved smile on her face. He hadn't seen her smile in such a long time.

Cenn chuckled, then tried to sit up by himself, but to no avail. Alice helped him but putt a hand on his back.

"How long was I out for..?" he asked her.

"About four or five hours," Alice said, making sure he was comfortable. He recognized his surroundings as the school infirmary. It seemed like just yesterday that he was in here after that first combat class...

He then realized something. His heart jumped. He looked at Alice in the eyes, fear beginning to take him over.

"Mal," he said, clearly worried, "is he okay?"

Alice rolled her eyes.

"As good as he usually is..." she said, trying to get a laugh out of him, but Cenn wasn't amused. Alice sighed. "He's okay. He was already exhausted from coming out of his Semblance, but he ran after you anyway. Weiss tried to stop him, but he just...took off. One of the redheads followed him. She made sure he was okay. He's passed out from fatigue right now."

Cenn sighed in relief. He didn't get hurt.

"Good..." Cenn said, nodding to himself, "thank god..."

"Cenn," Alice asked, "if...if you don't mind me asking...what did you mean before you ran off? About..."

Cenn immediately knew what she was talking about.

"I..." he said. He knew he couldn't hide it any longer. And if there was anyone he trusted with this information, it was Alice. So why was it so hard to just say it..?

"You probably remember my...my brother."

"Yes, of course I do," she said with a soft smile.

"Well...a couple of years ago...he..." He felt a lump form in his throat. "He passed."

Alice's facial expression dropped.

"Oh..." she said, "I...Cenn, I'm so sorry."

She put a hand on his shoulder. Cenn clasped his hands together. He didn't look up from his lap. Cenn felt tears start to run down his face. He tried to hold it in, but he couldn't.

"I'm a monster..." Cenn whispered to himself.

"Hey, don't say that," Alice said gently, "you're not a monster. Having an unstable semblance doesn't make you a bad person." Cenn's hands tightened their grip on each other. "It...it wasn't your fault-"

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW, ALICE?!" Cenn snapped and looked up at Alice, anger and despair in his eyes.

Alice recoiled, shocked that Cenn had raised his voice at her, or rather, at all. Cenn kept looking at Alice, then looked back down at his folded hands.

"I understand that you went through something similar...with your old teammates..." he said. Alice looked down at her feet. "But...but there's one key different between us..."

Alice looked back to Cenn.

"What do you mean?" She asked, anticipation leaking out of her voice.

Cenn was silent for a moment before answering.

"You watched your teammates die...But...But I..."

~——~

"You kill your brother."

The man with the black hair kicked Kane in the back, sending him face first into the courtyard's stone floor. Cenn felt his heart start beating faster.

"W-What?" Cenn managed to stutter out.

"You heard me, hybrid," the man said, beginning to circle around the ring of people surrounding the three of them. "You kill your brother. However, your efforts won't go unrewarded."

"What are you even talking about?" Cenn asked, exasperated.

The man crossed his arms and stood still.

"You kill your brother," he said, "And we'll leave you alone. Every single one of us. You won't hear a peep about you and your...heritage."

Cenn began to shake his head.

"You're an absolute psycho if you think I'm going to take that deal," Cenn said, holding his sword up in front of him.

"Oh," the man said, putting a hand to his chest, "It's your choice, freak. But if you don't, we'll make your life an absolute living nightmare."

"Like hell I'd-"

"Cenn..."

Cenn felt his heart jump into his throat. It was Kane. He was standing up, facing Cenn.

"Kane, I-"

"Cenn...just take the deal..."

"What?!" Cenn yelled out, "are you crazy?! Why would I do that?!"

"Little brother..." Kane said, his dark brown hair in front of his face, breathing heavily, "all I want for you is a life without stress...I want you to be yourself without any consequence...and if I have to give up my life for that, I gladly will..."

"No..." Cenn said, shaking his head and starting to cry, "No I can't. Kane please..."

"You've always tried your best to become stronger for me," Kane began to walk forward towards Cenn. "For Uncle Flick. Please...let me be strong for you this time."

"I can't live without you..." Cenn said through sobs, letting his sword drop to his side. "What am I going to do..?"

Kane crouched down in front of his brother. He put a hand on Cenn's shoulder and another on the back of his neck. Cenn looked into Kane's eyes. They looked tired, sad. It was then that Cenn realized that he couldn't talk Kane out of it. He saw himself in the reflection of Kane's eyes. His own eyes kept flashing, changing color between their normal, cobalt blue and a glowing, crimson red.

"Then don't live with me..." Kane said with a soft smile, "Live for me."

Cenn saw that face every time he closed his eyes. He saw the same face in many different instances, but it was that specific face that burned itself into Cenn's mind.

"I..." Cenn couldn't even speak.

Kane went on both knees and looked up at his brother. He guided the blade of Cenn's claymore to his own heart. Cenn couldn't stop the tears running down his face. He couldn't stop shaking. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want this to happen. But there was no way out.

"I love you, little brother," Kane said with a sad smile.

"I love you too, Kane..." Cenn said through sobs. He began to breathe even heavier. Faster. Faster. Faster. He clenched his eyes closed, and screamed out in emotional agony.

Then, he felt himself thrust his sword through Kane's chest.

~——~

Alice had her hand covering her mouth. She was absolutely speechless. Cenn kept his head hanging, his hands gripping each other tightly. He expected this reaction from her. What would she even say?

This was the truth.

Cenn was forced to murder his own brother.

"So...you see..." he said, "that's why I can't let anyone else die...it's because I've already lost so much...and I don't want to lose more...because if I do..."

He looked up at Alice with tears running down his face.

"I don't think I would be able to live with myself."

Alice stared at Cenn for a moment before leaning in and pulling Cenn into a tight hug.

"It wasn't your fault, Cenn," Alice said, "there was nothing you could do...I'm so so sorry...you're not a monster...you're not..."

Cenn felt himself begin to sob again, this time letting out all of his pent up emotion. He cried harder than he had ever cried in years. He hugged her back as tight as he physically could, which wasn't much because of how weak he was. And they just sat there, while Cenn cried into Alice's shoulder.

And there they stayed.

~——~

Hey guys! I'm baaaaaaaack!! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry this took so long. This one was a big one, so I wanted to make sure did everything right! That, and I've been busy doing stuff to move along my career as an actor! I hope you all can understand. Thanks again for reading all the way through! Love you guys! -Cenn51903