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Chapter 63: New Mission

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Just a warning. Scene contains Attempted Rape.

The change did not occur in an instant, but the speed was so fast it had felt like such. A chill ran over both Robin and Raven's bodies. In response to the change, both of their Essence flared out instinctively to protect their respective bodies. Robin suddenly felt the Essence in his body increase.

Essence of Chaos detected! The natural order of the world has been disrupted, filling the area with Essence of Chaos.

= What?... =

The emotions that Robin had felt in his surroundings vanished.... No... Rather than vanish, it would be more accurate to say they stagnated. They still existed, and Robin could feel that they did, but it was as if they were frozen in time. It was then Robin noticed.

The unnatural silence. There was no hum of the air conditioning. The soft breathing of anything living had stopped. They all stood, laid, or bent in whatever positions they were in previously, completely still like statues.

“What the fuck is going on?!” Robin exclaimed.

“I-I have no idea.” Raven replied. “This feeling is without a doubt Essence, but I've never felt this type nor something of this magnitude before! It feels.. different from the one I have.”

She sucked in her breath.

“It's so thick that the entire atmosphere is filled with it.”

Questions filled Robin's head. So much was happening all at once.

= Essence? So like me and Raven? Who does this Essence belong to? No, the more important thing is, what's happening right now? =

He got out of bed and walked to a random student. No matter how he moved, the student didn't seem to respond to him.

“Hey, you okay?”

The student didn't respond. It was as if they were encapsulated in ice, frozen in place, but..without the ice. The gears started to turn in Robin's head. However, while he was contemplating, a warm sensation permeated throughout his body. Essence of Chaos has started to enter his body. Slowly, but surely, it started to influence his mind.

= They're all frozen? Frozen? Time? Raven's hot. Why can we move but they can't? What about my friends? Is everyone okay? I can skip hospital fees. Fucking Diane. Fuck. Blake's hot. Raven's hot. Fuck Raven. Fuck Blake. Fuck. Fuck! =

What started out as serene, deep thoughts gradually became more unorganized and primal. The amount inside his body began increasing. As more was absorbed, the light, purple color that glowed off his body began turning into a darker shade.

Robin's mind wandered from concern to his surroundings to concern for his comrades. As the images of them went through his mind, so did their features. His thoughts naturally steered towards Blake's attractive body which in turn went to Raven who had an even more attractive one. If the Essence was like a pool of water, then Robin was the drain. The more that entered his body, the more quickly Robin lost his sanity and became primitive. With a sudden jump, Robin lunged himself at Raven, his mind filled with simple thoughts full of lust and intent to rape her.

Surprised by the assault, Raven was pushed against the ground with Robin on top of her. Robin tried to rip off Raven's clothing, but she would never let him do such a thing. She stopped both of his hands with hers. Unfortunately, Robin then locked his lips with her own. Her eyes widened with shock. This motherfucker....

The vanishing of all the negative emotions around her had left her dazed. The thought of another being with Essence had occurred to her, but never had she imagined she would come in contact with two at the same time. Moreover, Robin had a sudden spike in negative emotions due to losing his sanity. The lack of emotions suddenly turned into a concentrated dose full of lust. This motherfucker had tried to assault her while she was worrying what powerful entity was causing this mess in the first place. Emotions full of rage boiled inside of her.

-250

Raven kneed his jewels without hesitation, causing him to squeal in pain, and then she followed the action with a headbutt to his face. With a single motion, she rolled the two of them over, effectively reversing who was on top.

Essence of Darkness: Item Creation

Two daggers formed from Black Dust appeared in her hands. She drove them into the palms of both of Robin's hands. Robin's thoughts were simplistic, the complete opposite of his normal demeanor, so he was only thinking about the enormous pain coming from his genitals. Thus, he didn't react to the attack.

-130

-129

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooww!!” he screeched.

“You biiiiiiiiitch!!”

Raven started to stab vehemently at Robin. Robin responded by punching her with his bloody fists, hitting her with a headbutt, or even biting her with his teeth. Raven inflicted pain onto him, so he retaliated back while his mind filled up with rage. Their positions eventually changed from on the ground to standing up. The worst thing was that Robin wasn't the only one losing his mind.

Stab. Get Stabbed. Feel anger for the pain. Hate her for the pain. Negative emotions filled Robin, and Essence of Darkness subsequently was being formed and absorbed by Raven. Her mind was then affected, becoming more primitive and violent in the process, thus forming an infinite cycle. The only way for it to stop would be if Robin somehow restrained her.

However, Robin had already.. lost consciousness so to speak. His logical and calculative mind was broken, leaving behind nothing more than a shell. Due to the influence of Essence on his mind, he became nothing more than a beast. Even his initial cursing had become nothing more than growls and howls of pain.

With their minds crippled, there was only simple logic governing their actions. Their merely responded directly to outside stimulus. The surroundings were filled with only the sounds of their struggle until a breath of wind entered the room.

Woosh

As the gentle wind entered the room, the still papers that were on desks lifted slightly due to it interacting with one another, but they soon settled, demonstrating the delicate control of the user's speed. His cane tapped softly against the floor as Professor Ozpin rested both of his hands on the handle.

The two that were previously fighting stopped and observed the old man. The origin of the Essence of Time was definitely coming from him. If they were in their normal state of mind, they would definitely ask what was happening, but that wasn't the case. Professor Ozpin looked at the two of them with a worried expression.

“Raven?...and the boy from yesterday....To think the two of you were the source of the Essence I had felt...”

“Grrr..”

The two of them separated. Robin bended over the ground and got on all fours. Raven flipped in the air and perched herself on a cabinet as if she was a bird. Both individuals assessed the situation. Was this new individual a friend or foe?

“Do you not even recognize me anymore? It seems that without my knowledge, you had already approached the Awakened state. I had assumed this would happen eventually, but nevertheless, this comes as a surprise.”

Raven silently looked at Professor Ozpin, not reacting at all to his words. It was as if the words didn't register in her head. She tilted her head in confusion. Did she know this man? How come his voice sounded familiar?

“I see some remnant of your mind is still persisting.”

She didn't even notice him move. Professor Ozpin's cane smacked the back of her head and knocked her unconscious. He returned to his original position so quickly Robin also didn't even register he had attacked Raven. Professor Ozpin glanced at Robin with questioning eyes.

When Professor Ozpin ran into Robin previously, Robin only struck him as a very intelligent and motivated individual. Who would have thought the young man in front of him was a holder of Essence? And more importantly, it wasn't just any kind of Essence, but the Essence of Chaos. That was not a good sign.

“Who are you and how did you acquire this power?”

“Grrrrrr...”

“So it seems my words fall on deaf ears. Figures. I don't know who you are or what your goal was, but you must have absorbed too much Essence that your body cannot handle. Your mental state must have already shattered into pieces. It is truly regrettable. I wanted to ask you some questions about your origins. Now, what should I do?” Ozpin pondered out loud.

He spoke out to no one in particular. From what Ozpin could tell, Raven was also in the process of losing her mind. It was still possible to save her though. That was why he knocked her out so quickly. Robin on the other hand..

Bloodlust

Robin finally noticed Raven was knocked out. Thinking that Professor Ozpin was the cause, he misinterpreted this as meaning that Ozpin held malice towards him. Robin growled menacingly at Professor Ozpin.

“No need to be so impulsive. This old man was simply pondering knocking you out. Although, at this point, I don't believe there is a doubt about whether you can even understand me.”

“Roaaaar!”

Robin jumped on instinct as well. It told him Ozpin meant him harm. Harm meant he was an enemy. Enemies must be eliminated.

Essence of Chaos: Aura Limbs

The Essence of Chaos affected his skills. Instead of two silver limbs growing, six purple limbs were now formed. Each one originated from a different point on his body.

Essence of Chaos: Aura Spear

The ends of the limbs transformed from hands into spears. It's appearance looked more like tails than limbs. Each spear had enough destructive power to drill through thick metal plates as if they were butter. Professor Ozpin stood still as the spears approached from every direction. Although his mind was no longer present, Robin's sense of battle was engrained into his body. The moment the spears got close, the air around Professor Ozpin shimmered as he moved.

Each spear, which held the power to blow a hole up on a mountain, was destroyed instantly with each swing of the cane. Professor Ozpin accomplished this so quickly that his afterimage look as if he had not even moved from his spot. Robin couldn't see it, even with enhanced vision. That was the kind of speed Ozpin had. He was in an entire different league.

Robin jumped back since his initial attack failed. His instinct told him he should not get in range of the cane. If he did, it meant certain defeat.

Essence Blast

Robin opened his mouth. Essence of Chaos began gathering in front of it as he used a new skill that he never had before. The Essence became so concentrated that it became visible to the normal eye.

“Essence Blast!!!”

Ozpin sighed in displeasure. He did not want to kill the boy unless absolutely necessary, yet if he pulled this move out in a medical room, there would be no doubt that there would be casualties. He could no longer do this the easy way. In fact, there was a huge mistake that Primitive Robin had made. Merely just backing off did not put him outside of Ozpin's range of influence. Professor Ozpin slowly raised his cane into the air with one hand as one would with a sword.

Aura Sword

Powerful Emerald-colored Aura covered his cane in its entirety. No excess Aura leaked off the edges like other people's blades. It did not glow so brightly that it was blinding, nor did it give off an impression of something abnormal. It was just a cane. A simple cane filled with Aura.

Robin unleashed the condensed energy, causing a beam of purple light to fire towards Ozpin. The man shook his head in disappointment. If he went through with the strike, he was well aware of the injuries he would inflict onto Robin. However, Robin's actions gave him no choice. Just when he was about to swing his cane... a message window popped up.

Stop, Oz.

Ozpin raised his eyebrows in shock. Of all the people who ever lived, there were only a select few who called him using that nickname and without any honorary title. However, the warning came too late, if he didn't take any action now, Primitive Robin's blast would kill everyone present. The cane was swung, and a collision of the two forces caused the building to shake.

Boom!....

The cloud of rubble began to settle. Professor Ozpin stood there holding his cane with one hand in front of him. There was a slice mark on the ground in front of him. Also on the ground was a pool of blood and a severed limb. When Ozpin swung his cane, all the energy he gathered exploded outward and disperse the blast of energy Robin had fired. The result was that the building was ruined and Robin had one arm cut off from being so close to the collision, but the kids were safe.

“What is the meaning of this?”

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

Darkness. Complete and utter darkness.

“...Where am I?”

Robin turned left and right in confusion. He was standing on nothing, surrounded by nothing. No answers came from his surroundings, so he began indulging in his thoughts. A calming sensation overcame him for some reason as he recollected what happened.

When Primitive Robin took over, Robin acted without control, yet all of the events that occurred were definitely seen by “Robin”. Thus, Robin remembered. From the moment he went insane, to the moment Professor Ozpin cut Robin down. Robin held his head with both hands. His mind, although calm, was thoroughly confused.

= ..What have I done? I...I tried to rape her.. Why? What came over me? What the fuck is going on? =

The seconds ticked by..or so Robin figured. There was no way to see the time since his watch didn't work. He pondered and pondered, and two main questions persisted in his mind. No matter how one looked at it, this must have started because of Essence. Thus, the obvious question was “What is Essence?”.

The second question was an even more immediate question than the first. No matter how he tried, Robin could not recollect any memories past getting sliced by Ozpin. Moreover, he showed up in an empty dark void. A sense of fear crawled into the depths of his mind.

= Could I... possibly be dead? =

He immediately rejected the notion, not out of logic but out of fear. Could it really be over, just like that? Without warning? Without understanding why he died? But if he didn't die, where was he?

“You are inside a space inside your mind created by the connection between our souls.”

A voice resonated behind him. Robin turned around to find the source of the voice that called out to him just when he was beginning to feel despair about his situation. He was relieved to know he wasn't dead, yet that only made him more skeptical about what that implied. Filled with such thoughts, he instinctively grabbed the air for the dagger that would come out of his Inventory, but no such tool came.

Certain now that he could not use his tools, Robin silently looked and found a middle-aged woman wearing a purple dress. No, he couldn't see her clearly. Her figure was faded and fuzzy as if he was looking at a low quality image. From what he could tell, her hair and iris color matched with her clothing, and her face had a cold expression.

“Excuse me?” Robin said confused.

“You are inside a space inside your mind created by the connection between our souls.”

“Yes, I heard you the first time.”

“You show signs of confusion.”

“Of course I am!!” Robin retorted.

“You seem agitated. Please calm down.”

Robin laughed, his state of mind no longer tranquil.

“Calm down? 30 minutes ago, I was just another patient in a medical room. Then, I came face-to-face with one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen! But not even a minute passed that event before I suddenly became able to sense other people's emotions?!”

He didn't notice, but the space began heating up around them the more angry he got.

“Never mind the migraine that came with that, but then time just FUCKING FROZE. Now, I have to deal with the fact that I just committed sexual assault on one of my friends while going insane, so I APOLIGIZE if I feel a little overwhelmed at the moment!!”

“...”

“Ha..ha..ha..”

“Are you done?”

“Who are you? What did you mean by a connection between our souls? How and why is there such a connection? And why the hell am I suddenly thinking straight when moments ago I had lost my mind?”

“Concise and specific questions are signs of a stable mind that was preserved thanks to the actions I took in order to save you.”

A vein popped on Robin's forehead.

“My name is Cortana, and I am the reason you are here, Mr. Cunningham.”

Goosebumps ran over Robin's body.

“What. The. Fuck.”

She ignored him and continued.

“The bond was formed when I dragged your soul into this world. I created this bond in order to monitor your progress and provide a certain level of protection in case you needed it. I withdrew your conscious into this state when your mind was being influenced by Essence of Chaos. Because your mind was preserved successfully, you can now think normally.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a moment please.” Robin held up a hand as if to motion her to stop. “You're only making this more confusing.”

“That is because you asked specific questions. If you had let me tell you everything from the beginning, you would not be confused.”

Robin grinded his teeth. The questions he asked were definitely specific, but it also couldn't be help since any normal person would want the answers to such questions first.

“I am sensing irritation. Does my diction bother you?”

= Fuck you. =

Robin said in his mind, but he had the tact not to say it out loud. He needed information, and he didn't want to offend the woman before getting it.

“Your profanity is unnecessary, but your sense of manners is appreciated even if it has ulterior motives.”

Robin squinted his eyes and stared at her.

“..You can read my mind?”

“Our souls are connected.”

“Great. Fantastic,” Robin said sarcastically. He wanted to complain, but doing so would solve nothing. One thing he learned growing up was that usually it was better to take care of the immediate situation first, and leave complaints and opinions for later.

“I believe that was the correct decision.” Cortana said with a bland voice.

“Stop reading my thoughts. You're going to drive me insane.”

“Well, technically-”

“Don't psycho-analyze me.” he interrupted.

“...What do you know about Remnant so far?” Cortana asked, moving the conversation forward.

“Shouldn't you know that best?” he retorted.

The fuzzy outline of her face made a very obvious mocking smile.

“You asked for meaningful answers, yet you continue making irrelevant comments.”

“..It's a world filled with danger and racism.”

“Indeed.” she agreed and began to expand on it.

“Among all life that are born in this world, humans are the only race that Creatures of Grimm choose to attack. When they attack other animals, it is mainly for disputes over territory. What is more disturbing is the basis for their attacks on humans.”

She paused, implying for Robin to answer.

“They are attracted to negative emotions.” Robin answered. “Fear, jealousy, lust, hatred, and loneliness to name a few.”

“Correct. Even harboring ill intent is enough to attract Grimm. Thus, humans have adapted their cultures in order to minimize the magnitude of such emotions.

For nomads, they promote calm and serious natures in their children. Early training from a young age is a must in order to culture a body capable of combating Grimm while at the same time preventing panic that would inevitably lead to villages being overrun by Grimm.

For citizens within Kingdoms, the majority of citizens don't hold a gun even once in their life. Thus, they went with the next best idea. They created Grimm dolls and told stories of heroes and villains rather than stories of Grimm. This ended up effectively downplaying the threat of Grimm, and subsequently, the risk of panic, while happiness within the Kingdom remains at an all time high.

This is consistent with your experiences with fighters from inside Kingdoms thus far. The thoughts of training are far from being the priority of most teenagers or adults inside the Kingdoms, which explains why in, terms of experience, they are far beneath you.”

“I don't understand.”

“Was there something I said that was unclear?”

“Hardly. It was very concise, and it made a lot of sense.”

“Your reasoning is contradicting. Please elaborate.”

“What I mean is what's the point in saying this? Maybe if this was fifteen years ago, your explanation would make sense to me, but I've lived here for fifteen years now. I already know all this.”

“Then did you know that Grimm were originally human?”

“..What?”

“Or that you were not the only one to be pulled into the world of Remnant? No? Then I recommend you silence yourself and let me finish.”

“...”

“It is common knowledge that the method to combat humans have developed is the usage of Aura and Dust. But what are they? Aura, as you know, is the manifestation of our soul. Dust, however, is the manifestation of Essence, and Essence is the manifestation of nature. There are many things you need to know about Essence, but I have neither the time nor patience to continue speaking with you about it. You will learn it from Ozpin anyway.”

= Ozpin? What does he have to do with anything? =

Robin did not say aloud his questions this time. Although Cortana would prefer he never even thought of them since she could still hear them, she left it alone since he did not speak this time.

“To put things simply, Creatures of Grimm are humans with corrupt souls that manifest physically using the Essence of Darkness. But the main reason I bring this up is because this has no longer been happening naturally.”

Robin waited for her to continue.

“Someone has been forcefully corrupting the souls of humans and creating man-made Grimm. The scale of their operations is not small, and should they not be stopped, many more souls will be jeopardized.”

“So what, you want me to hunt them down and stop them?”

“Normally, I would either leave it to Ozpin, or I would do it myself. However, during my investigation, I came to realize that the leader of their organization is a Divine Essence wielder like myself.”

“A what?”

“Another term that Ozpin will teach you.” she said as if that explained everything Robin needed to know.

“Not long after I came to know of their involvement, I learned they were cultivating a disciple. This disciple was how they were able to keep an eye on their organization's movements. They planned to use the results of their research to increase the power of their disciple before using their forces to take over the world.”

Robin looked at her with skepticism.

“You don't believe me?”

“Hardly. Can't you read my mind?”

“My time runs short. I can not maintain this state for much longer. I read your mind earlier in order to process your memories. Please elaborate.”

As if to prove the truth of her statements, her figure faded in and out of different levels of clarity like an image out of focus.

“You keep talking about criminals and war. We're in a time of peace. The last news feed I read about conflict was about the White Fang attacking a shop that refused to serve faunus, and I should know. I planned the attack myself.”

Cortana shook her head.

“What you understand about Remnant is only the information that exists on the surface. Your enemy is not only just some group of humans that hate the faunus.”

“So where do I fit in all this?” Robin inquired.

“Due to previously existing chains, nearly all Divine Essence wielders have been, to put it bluntly, sealed away except for some individuals including myself. The only way to combat them was to get disciples of my own. The best and quickest way to nurture a disciple to the same level of the enemy's was to use an individual with an exceptional soul. Because as you know, the stronger the soul, the stronger the Aura.

However, their disciple had progressed much too far already. Thus, I and two others reached out to gather souls from other worlds. If we could combine... together... possible... stronger than anything...”

“Are you ok?”

Her speech got fuzzier, and at the same time, her figure faded in and out.

“Not much... left......I must rest...until next time.”

“Hey! You didn't explain everything! I don't understand anything yet!”

“I left... permanent message....altered your body....Find the others... Raven Branwen.....Forgive me.. I'm sorry...so sorry.”

With the vanishing of Cortana's figure, the world flashing in a blinding white light. Robin raised his hand to cover his eyes....

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

When the light dimmed down, Robin found himself faced with a cane centimeters away from poking his eye.

= !! What the fuck! =

“...”

Ozpin stared at the young man in front of him. After confirming something, he silently withdrew his cane. The first thing he said to him was..

“Are you alright?”

Robin checked myself physically and mentally. He was certainly mentally sane right now. The most puzzling thing was his body. His clothes were ripped to pieces. His pants existed only from the knee up on both legs, as if something cut off his legs, but he somehow regrew limbs. The same could be said about his shirt.

= …!! =

Then he saw his surroundings. He was not in the medical room. Somehow, he had arrived at the stadium. The stage was a mess. Chunks of the earth were either missing or overturned. Many holes and slice marks were scattered in the area. Blood and severed limbs were as numerous as the number of holes, leaving Robin even more confused as to what occurred.

“Yes, I'm fine. What happened here?”

“Hm..You don't remember?”

Robin shook his head.

“You did this.”

= ….Huh? =

His eyes scanned the damage once more. Robin couldn't believe it. How did he do this without remembering it himself. Even when he lost his mind, he remembered Ozpin fighting him.

“Cortana took control of your body. Do you know who I'm talking about?” Ozpin inquired.

“Yes, sir.”

= So, we weren't just talking in my mind? She was manipulating my body this entire time? What else has she done to it? =

= …...........................................WHAT. THE. FUCK. =

-Robin S. Wolfheart-Race:Faunus (Wolf)*Class:MercenaryLevel:40Experience:12/1060Semblance:Bloodlust (Evolved)Essence:Chaos

Health:1795/1795Aura:2355/2355

Strength:400Dexterity:450Agility:305Endurance:350Vitality:450

Inventory57/∞

Cortana:Sleeping. Don't bother me.[+]Inbox:1

MercenaryYour Aura has given insight to your true nature as a person. Thanks to your past experiences, you tend to doubt others and closely examine their purpose for getting close to you. Thanks to this, the only things you can trust is money and a few people whom you know very well. As a mercenary, you enjoy using all forms of weapons and can grasp how to use them very quickly and efficiently. This results in extra bonuses depending on the weapon. Furthermore, you are able to learn general skills of any kind.

Current Bonuses: (+10 Active) Martial Arts Master, (+10 Active) Sword Mastery, (+14 Inactive) Dual Sword Mastery, (+16 Inactive) Axe Mastery, (+10) Sharpshooter, (+10) Knife Juggler, (+15% Exp) Rivals Forever, (+10% Active) Lone Wolf, (+10 Bonus Stats) Infinite Growth, (+10% Bonus Stats Inactive) Primitive State

Current Skills: Identify, Enhance, Detect, Lockpick, Helmsplitter, Aura Sword, Defuse, Hack, Aura Limbs, Aura Shield, Disguise, Piercing Bullets, Dust Creation, Aura Spear, Essence of Chaos, Reset

Author's Notes: It has been a long time. Here you go. If Cortana's speech seems to be contradicting in terms of how she speaks, then I did it right.