Akashic

Chapter 133 - The Thief

"MMMM! Helff!" the muffled shouts of a young girl resounded through the alleyway of Vale where Arthur saw the young child get abducted.

"Shut up! I don't want to hurt you, I just want to take you to your new family" The thug who grabbed her from the street said, looking annoyed at the girls constant struggling.

"Helpppphhhh!" she continued to scream as the thug covered her mouth, the girls flailing sending her fist into the man's eye"

"Gah!" the man recoiled and released the girl, his hand going to his eyes which had begun to water.

The girl fell to the ground and quickly began to crawl away, "Oh, you bitch" the thug grunted as he grabbed her legs and dragged her back towards him, "Why would someone want a brat like you!" he shouted and flipped the girl over, his fist rising and quickly brought down towards her face.

His fist hitting and making a meaty thwacking noise, "Huh?" the thug grunted in confusion as he saw his fist not connected to the girls face but held in a pitch black hand, looking up he locked eyes with the white eyes of Arthur who had stopped the man before he could injure the girl.

"I believe that is enough" Arthur said, his words coming out just faster than his mouths movements making them near unnoticeable if you weren't paying attention.

"Ah?" the thug snorted, "Let go of me brat, I'm not interested in you" the thug tried to pull his hand out of Arthur's grasp but failed as his hand didn't budge in the slightest.

"And I'm not interested in you, I don't swing that way" Arthur chuckled and tugged on the thugs hand and threw him towards the alley way, "Now, either leave and hand yourself to the authorities, or I will personally take you there myself"

Arthur gave the thug a wide smile, "Oh, and I should mention, even if I were to break a few bones of yours I wouldn't be in much trouble, a perk of attending Beacon"

The thug froze at Arthur's words and looked up to him in horror, "Look man, it was just a joke, I was going to let her go after messing with her a bit" he began to scoot away from Arthur.

"I'm sure you were" Arthur growled in response and began to take steps towards the thug who took that as his chance to get up and bolt away out of the alley way and around the corner, never to be seen by anyone in Vale or Remnant again.

"well, that's done" he chuckled and turned around, kneeling next to the girl whi was sitting on the ground, tears in her eyes.

"Hello there, it's okay, he's gone now" Arthur rested one arm atop his left leg as he gently spoke to the girl who was wiping her eyes.

"I know" he smiled and began to dig in the satchel on his hip pulling out a red apple and holding it out to the girl, "Take it, I always find a snack helps the pain go away"

"The girl hesitantly looked between Arthur and the apple, after seeing that he didn't seem to want to hurt her she slowly reached out for the apple.

But as she grabbed it, her body flickered away as Arthur felt an impact on the back of his neck, knocking him out, "Hmph, too easy" Emerald chuckled as she looked down at Arthur's unconscious body, yet she also felt something was wrong, it felt too easy, and when she hit him it felt… delayed.

Looking around the alley she found nothing had changed there was no one else there, "I'm thinking too much" she muttered and pulled out her scroll, opening it up and just when she was about to contact Cinder to tell her that she had him she heard someone speak.

"You know, I was expecting you to at least be able to tell an illusion from reality" she quickly turned around her eyes darting around the alley as she pulled out her two convertible revolvers and began to point them every which way searching for who said that.

"I mean really?" she fired her revolvers above her towards the fire escape where she heard the voice again, only hitting black smoke that quickly dissipated into nothingness.

"You couldn't even see through the lip syncing?" she pointed her revolvers to Arthur's 'unconscious 'body', watching as it dissipated into black smoke, filling the floor of the alley with the smoke while rising to create a wall blocking the exit.

"Or even the apple? Come on! Remember this?" the voice said as the smoke covered the rest of the alley, Emerald still spinning on the spot and firing in ever direction she heard the voice.

As she was about to fire again the area around her began to change the walls of smoke converged into figures as the sobbing of a child filled the air.

Turning around once again Emerald was shocked when she saw a young child, the same she had used to try and lure Arthur sitting in the centre of a dirt path next to a fence and her fallen tricycle, while another figure formed from the smoke, a woman riding atop a white horse, with a green cloak on.

The horse stopped as the woman got off of it and walked up to the girl, kneeling in front of her, a smile on her face as she held an apple out to the girl, at which the scene froze, leaving Emerald staring in shock at the familiar scene, but not muttering a sound.

"Poor Amber, she just wanted to give a little girl an apple, instead she got and arrow to her back and her powers stolen" the scene fast forwarded, revealing Mercury and Cinder had also joined the fight as well as her maiden powers, until Cinder shot her in the back and when Emerald and Mercury held her up for Cinder to steal her powers using a special beetle grimm in a glove that siphoned her powers and gave them to Cinder, and leaving the scars on her face.

"Who are you!? stop hiding!" Emerald shouted and fired once again to where she heard the voice, getting more and more frustrated the longer this went on.

~How'd she do that!?~ Emerald froze once again and spun around the scene having disappeared only leaving black smoke until it reformed, leaving Emerald standing outside on the street.

~How did you do that?~ Emerald heard Cinder's voice behind her, her hands trembling when she saw the scene that was now transpiring.

It was her, standing at the end of an alleyway once again, her hair tied into two pony tails leaving only a bit dangling just in front of her gemlike red eyes, her posture defensive as she reached behind her back to grab the handles of her two earlier versions of her revolvers, which didn't have the mechashifting capabilities yet and looked like flintlock pistols.

In front of this Emerald stood Cinder calmly staring her down, ~Don't, unless of course, you want them to hear you~ Cinder said as the voice of a man and running could be heard from outside the alley.

Emerald realising it would only make it more difficult for her released her revolvers, ~What do you want?~ her voice annoyed as she stared angrily at Cinder.

~I've already told you, and I don't like repeating myself~ Cinders voice faded away as the scene froze once again.

"Must be quiet wonderful, reliving this memory, your first meeting with her, the woman who fed you"

~Follow me and you'll never be hungry again~ Cinders voice filled the darken alley once again soon followed by Emeralds own.

~Thank you…~ she said.

Emerald was becoming increasingly erratic as these visions tormented her of her memories.

"Stop this! I will kill you!" She shouted rage appearing on her face as well as nervousness, 'just how much did this person know about her'

"Yes, I'm sure you would, but how would she think about that?" the shadows merged together infront of her forming the body of Cinder, anger on her face her hand raised up as she threw a slap towards Emeralds face, but cinders palm dissipating into smoke as the sound of her hand colliding with Emeralds face filled the alley.

Yet, not the real Emerald as it instead hit another Emerald who formed from shadows and fell to the ground next to her, Cinder standing over her, ~YOU FOOL!~ Cinder's anger was palpable, even if she wasn't real.

~she wanted him alive! And now you went and killed him!~ Cinder screamed as another formed to the right of Emerald as this one repeated its words.

~She wants you dead~ the new Cinder said, ~And quiet honestly, I have to agree with her~ Her eyes looked down on Emerald with scorn.

"Stop it!" Emerald placed her hands atop her head trying to ignore this Cinder she knew wasn't real.

~You've forgotten your place, Emerald~ another Cinder formed behind her as the previous repeated its words and actions.

~You've destroyed everything I have built!~

~I never should have fed you~ Cinders words became harsher and harsher

~Good riddance~ the growling of grimm filled the air as it sounded like they lunged at her.

~Petty little thief, even the rats can listen to orders~

~You're a disappointment, Emerald, I had higher expectations of you~

"Shut upshutupshutup yournotrealyournotreal, Your not real!" Emerald fell to her knees, her eyes trembling as her weapons fell to her side, the unbearably loud chattering of dozens upon dozens of Cinders ceasing as she said that, "She would never abandon me…" she muttered trying to keep her reason in this torturous place.

~Wouldn't I?~

Emerald blinked once, the darkness disappearing revealing the alley where Arthur was still lying on the ground unconscious, Cinder standing across from Emerald, one of her feet atop Arthur's back.

Her expression turned more relaxed and happy that Cinder was there, and the darkness had disappeared, revealing what she thought was the truth, ~I mean, you are just a thief, there are many more like you, I only saved you because your semblance interested me~

"What?" Emerald felt tears trickling down her cheeks as she heard Cinder's words, "No, I-I am so much more! I-I can track! I've found everything you wanted! I can trick people into believing anything! I can be so much more for you!" Emerald crawled towards Cinder's feet as Cinder stomped down onto Arthur's back causing him to disappear into smoke once again.

~Don't, touch, me~ this Cinder muttered in disgust as she puffed into smoke, reappearing further away from her as the ground between them cracked creating a large ravine between them.

"You're nothing but a puppet, Emerald, can't you see that?" the boys voice appeared next to her, attracting her gaze as she turned her head to the side, seeing Arthur's face sitting next to her, his legs dangling off the side of the ravine.

Arthur leaned over the ravine, seeing the dozens of red eyes staring up at him, all connected to various different types of grimm, "Just like them, puppets in a marionette show, pawns in a game of chess and you're one of them"

Emerald followed his gaze seeing the grimm as well.

~Mercury, do it~ Emeralds eyes rose to the ravine showing Emerald dangling over the edge of the ravine, her appearance becoming more wooden as she was held up by strings that were connected to a wooden cross that Cinder was holding.

~On it~ Mercury chuckled and grabbed the strings of the Emerald marionette and pulled out a knife, beginning to cut through the strings, each one cut causing one of her limbs to fall, all whilst the marionette Emeralds mouth kept chattering as it pleaded with Cinder, tears falling from it's eyes until the final string was cut causing it to fall into the pit, it's mouth wide open as it left a trail of floating tear droplets in its trail before landing in the conglomeration of grimm and was torn apart.

"They don't care about you Emerald, she only sees you as a tool, disposable when she doesn't need you any more" Arthur looked to her, a weak smile on his face.

Emeralds eyes had gone blank as she starred emotionlessly down the pit where the eye of the marionette was quickly pecked out by a small nevermore and devoured.

"She wouldn't do it… she wouldn't do it…" she began to mutter to herself, trying to convince herself that it was all a lie, her mind forsaking the thought of this being an illusion as It felt much to real for her.

"Emerald" her eyes slowly trailed up to Arthur once again, seeing him staring at her, "You don't need her approval, you don't need to please her, she is not the most important thing in your life, the path you are on now will take you somewhere dark" From the smoke rose a small stone path that diverged into two different pathways.

The pathway on the left had the figure of Cinder standing at the end of it, but the ground around it had crumbled and fallen away, at the bottom of which numerous bodies and skeletons laid, the path also having begun to crumble.

"The first, is perilous, you will follow her to the ends of the earth, following her every order, but it will become more and more fragile the longer you follow her"

"While the second, is dangerous, she will hunt you down for your betrayal, but you might not be alone, if you decide to go down this path, you will meet people, people who will become your true allies" Arthur stood up and walked forwards, turning around to look at Emerald who was still sitting blankly staring at him and the crossroads, which disappeared into smoke along with the rest of the walls of smoke around her, revealing Arthur standing at the end of the Alley, looking at her, the illusion having finally dissipated entirely.

A woman appearing next to Arthur who looked about ready to pass out as she too disappeared into nothingness, returning to Arthur's soul to rest up after this long and exhausting illusion.

Staring down at the blank eyed Emerald, Arthur couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt, "I went to far" he muttered and walked up to her falling to his knees in front of her as she stared up at him emotionlessly.

"I am sorry for that, Emerald, but I do not want you falling to someone else's schemes, you can still come back from this" He softly said to her, while grabbing her hands and resting the on her knees.

"What you saw, is who Cinder truly is, don't let her control you forever, Emerald" Arthur whispered to her giving her a small hug, hoping it would help with the shock of what he did to her.

As he released her he saw her eyes flicker as her body leaned to the side and collapsed onto the ground, but Arthur quickly catching her, "I really went to far…" he muttered after catching her, his guilt evident in his voice.

"I can't do that again" he sighed to himself and lifted Emerald up in a princess carry, not seconds later did he get a message from the Tome.

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Challenge Complete: A mind broken

Rewards: {Title: Mind Breaker} {Ability: [Suggestion]

Oh good god, Arthur, what have you done?

I suppose I should be happy you didn't go the other, more risqué way of getting this challenge done.

But holy crap what have you done?

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Alternate Chapter names: [No, no Ahe] [Emerald Sustrai: Far Form Home]

Okay, let's try this again, I started an Original story [Currently only on ]

#The-Beasts-that-Make-us