Chapter 4. A Terrible Day For Rain

You know what are the worst kinds of days? The days where you keeping thinking, "Could it possibly get any worse?" and it does. You see, karma is a fickle mother. She doesn't like to be tested, and her patience is very thin, so listen to me when I give you this piece of advice. Never ask that question, because It can always get worse. Take for example my current situation. Right now, I'm unwillingly participating in a staring contest with a creature twice my size, while being stuck in the body of a stranger, on a different continent, in the burning remains of the town I had woken up in only half a day before, with no idea where my care taker was, let alone if he was still alive. So of course, the moment I asked myself if my situation could be anymore misfortune than it already was, it starts raining as though mother nature herself decided to say "Fuck you in particular" on this already shitty day. I could only stand there and wonder, how did everything go to hell so quickly?

Sebastieyn's P.O.V

2 Hours ago.

After having finished dinner, Maes had left the house. He said he had to go patrol the town perimeter until the next shift took over. Before he left, he donned a large black trench coat with red trimmings, as well as a large, double bladed war axe. The war axe was as black as night, with a sheen over it, showing that it was recently polished. It easily stood as tall as me, with a large handle. It seemed that there were no secondary functions, whether due to the fact that Maes didn't want them or that he didn't need them, I couldn't tell, but even with his kind eyes he was quite the menacing figure. Actually, the eyes made him seem even all the more frightening. I would almost pity any Grimm he may find tonight...Almost.

Before heading off, he instructed his children to get their work done (I assume for school), before heading to bed. He then told me he should be back within a few hours, and with that he took off into the ever growing night.

Not wanting to be bored, I asked the kids if they needed any help with their work, though they gave me a look as though I crazy. Either this Eton fellow wasn't the kindly type, or he wasn't all that bright. Given how Maes said the kids loved him, I went with the latter and passed it off as a joke. That seemed to work...not sure if that's a good thing but I guess it didn't really matter. After they finished up, they headed off to bed without any fuss. Honestly, my siblings could learn a thing or two from these kids, my older brother especially, the big man child he was.

30 Minutes ago

With nothing else to do, I took a seat at a near by window and looked out to the rising moon. It was fully shattered, signifying that the Sun Season was near it's end. Soon it would begin the process of becoming restored as the Wind and Snow Seasons passed, until it was the Rain Season once more. However, looking on the moon tonight, rather than the usual calm that I would normally feel, there was an ominous feeling, as though like with me, something had changed in the night. A shiver suddenly ran up my spine, it seems that I felt what came next, before I even heard it.

If you asked any of the survivors after what took place which came first they would not be able to tell you. Was it the deep, bass-y growl, the kind that made your hairs stand up on end? Or was it the blood curdling scream, the sign of some pour soul meeting their end, a very brutal and messy end if the screams were anything to go by. What we all could answer though, it was only then that everything well to hell.

Even from the house, I could hear the signs of battle. The ringing of gunshots, the roars of apex predators, the clang of steel, the shattering glass, the splintering of wood. And of course, the screams of death and fear. I didn't need to hear anymore. I ran to the children's room and found them awake and terrified. I told them to get dressed quickly, and no sooner had they done so, than a large crash came from the room I had just been in. Telling the kids to get under the bed and stay quiet, I went to investigate. I may have only known them for a short while, but like hell I'm gonna just run on them.

With my aura, my previous training, and the fact that Eton kept his body in shape so he could be a hunter, I was confident I'd be able to handle a Grimm or two, even bare handed. So expecting the worst, I entered the room cautiously, to be greeted with the one thing I didn't expect. Maes, missing an arm, on his knees while still holding his axe in his remaining arm. In front of him was a contingent of Beowolves, and as luck would have it, there was both an Alpha and Omega leading the pack. The Alpha had the signs of age upon it, white bones protruding from it's skin, standing twice as tall as a normal Beowolf. The Omega was in an entirely different class altogether. Where there were white bones on the Alpha, great blood red bones took their place, and instead of black fur, it was replaced entirely by white. Omega class Grimm were rare, but well known for their great intelligence and skill.

"Sebastieyn, take the kids and run!" Maes shouted at me. Ignoring his words, I ran to Maes's side, and took his axe from him. "What the hell are you doing?! You need to leave!" He had shouted, but it was lost on me. Memories of my past flew through my mind, remembering the incident that lead to my accident, the reason why I trained so hard in the first place, and the face of the only person I had ever cared for. Even as two lesser Beowolves jumped at me in my moment of stillness, I needed no more than an instant to act. With a single arm, I swept the axe across, and decapitated both creatures without hesitation.

I looked to Maes, "I'll handle this, take your children and run." He looked as though as he wanted to protest, but looking into my eyes, he saw the grim determination within them, and he also saw the pain and hunger for blood. "Kid, I don't know you or your past, but I do know that you're dead set on fighting. Take care, both for me and for Eton, I like to think he'd want his body in the one piece." I quickly glanced back him, giving him a small smile, the first I had given in years. And then, before the creatures decided to stop being cautious, I jumped into the fray.

15 Minutes Ago

The battle against the Beowolves was arduous. When I felled one, another took it's place, a seemingly endless horde. I could only thank the fact that I had enough aura reserves to last three people, that and how ridiculously long Mae's War Axe was. With it's long reach, and wide blade, I was able to swiftly cut down any of the creatures brave enough to jump at me. This made them cautious, giving me chances to rest in between, but even with all of that, it would only be a matter of time before I would start to feel fatigue. I could already feel the axe growing heavier in my hands, though all things considered, it actually weighed a ton to begin with. It didn't help I wasn't trained with such a weapon, so half the time, my cuts were too shallow or clumsy, allowing some of the creatures to get away unharmed and making me waste energy. During the entirety of the battle, The Alpha and Omega stood in the back, allowing their pack to wear me down, no doubt so they could finish me off once they felt I no longer posed a threat.

I needed to end this before they stopped being patient, that meant I had only one choice. I needed to use my semblance. I could only hope Mae's and his kids got away by now, otherwise they'd get caught in my attack. In order for this to work I would need more space, so looking at where the pack was thinnest, I rushed forward and decapitated the few Beowolves that stood in my path. Using my aura, I enhanced myself and jumped over the rest and took off running, the creatures hot on my tail. During my run I saw the the town was ablaze, houses and buildings on fire, corpses littered the ground, and I could see no one else who may have been alive. I wished I had taken the chance to go out into the village to have seen the locale, but after this, I doubt there would be much left standing.

With the pack still running after me, I barely ahead of them, I finally found what I needed. There was a clearing, a large circular area, judging by the decorative fountain and the surrounding shops, it was most likely the town center. Here I would be able to use my semblance to it's full extent. I quickly turned around to attack the oncoming Beowolves, striking the few that had been right behind me, but one of the wolves got lucky and hit me, slamming me into the fountain. Biting back a number of curses, I quickly stood up only to be surrounded by the beasts on all sides. I had no where to run, and I dropped the axe after I had been hit. I suppose now was as good a time as any to bring out my trump card, and as paradoxical as it was, I was extremely thankful for the raging fires all around, it would make the next part all the easier.

The Alpha and Omega neared, thinking they had finally defeated me, and were about to strike me down when I summoned all my aura, becoming covered in gray. Then in an instant, they were skewered by the oncoming spikes from underneath them, even with all their speed an intelligence, once one lowers their guard, it doesn't matter how strong they were, they'll fall just like anyone else. My semblance, Ash Manipulation, allowed me to create anything I could think of using ash, and with all the raging fires, there was more than enough ash for me to use so that is exactly what I did, turning the town center into a bloody field, impaling the Grimm and turning it into a rather macabre sight. Manipulation Semblances, or semblances that allowed the user to have complete control over an element were notoriously powerful, but were also very unwieldy, add in the fact that I hadn't used it in years, I guess I should have expected to be pierced by one of my own spikes. Man I felt so stupid with the damn thing in my thigh pinning me down, but at least that cares of the pack. And then an Ursa Major appeared. Great, no aura, pinned down, possibly bleeding out, with no one to help. Could this get any worse?

And then it began to rain.

Present

Well shit, I had to open my big mouth, I thought to myself as I winced in pain. The Omega wolf howled, in pain, anger, and despair, for all but losing the entirety of it's pack. And then it turned its eyes on me, those bleeding red eyes staring into mine, as though it would tear away at my soul like it would no doubt do to my body. Ursa, it always has to be an Ursa. Is this a running gag or something?! Meh, whatever, as deaths go, I guess taking out an army of Grimm with you isn't too bad. Wish it wasn't in someone else's body, kinda feel bad Eton will have to deal with mine. Better alive than dead I guess. The Ursa neared me, it's every intent clear. It looked pretty damned hungry and I was it's meal served on a silver platter.

Resigned to my fate, I laid there, blood seeping out and dirt matting my hair, looking up to the moon once more. Even shattered, it looked quite beautiful. The Ursa was now above me, ready to strike. I closed my eyes, and hummed a little tune to myself that my best friend had taught me so long ago. As the Ursa brought it's claw down a sudden Shing cut through the air. I open a single eye, still thinking the Hell Bear was ready to kill me, when I saw that it was now headless.

"Um...What?" I asked to no one in particular.

And then no one in particular answered, "Are you okay?!"

Sitting up as much as the damned spike in my leg would allow me to, I saw what I'd probably describe as the most terrifyingly thing I'd ever seen in all my life. A young girl with a Scythe twice her size, and a red hood stood above me as I wondered if the reaper herself (always thought it was a he, go figure) came to claim my soul. But then she removed her hood and became what I would describe as the most adorable girl I'd ever seen in all my life. Looking into those silver eyes of hers, I answered the only way I could.

I blacked out.

Chapter 4. End

BAM! Buncha shit at once! Now let me take the chance to do some Q.A, or at least what I imagine would be the questions that will be hitting me.

Q. Isn't three times the normal amount aura OP as fuck!? What were you thinking?!

A. He doesn't actually have that amount, my way of explaining, because he hasn't used his aura is such a long time, it's simply been stock piling. But after today he'll have pretty normal levels, I would say equivalent to Yang or Phyrra, not Jaune level though.

Q. What's Ash manipulation, how does it work, and is it OP?

, Ash manipulation allows the user to generate and control ash, which is burnt or charred matter. Like any manipulation ability, it is limited simply by imagination and the amount of power the person has. I won't reveal all the moves Sebastieyn will use, but some basic ones would be using aura to generate ash, or creating weapons out of ash like the spikes. Another thing to note, Ash manipulation users also have immunity to fire, since ash can't be burnt anymore than it already has, it forms a perfect defense against it unless it is Ultimate Flame which can burn anything no matter what, including the fabric of time.

It also gives the user some thermal manipulation, allowing them to compress the ash to create explosions, as well as being able to melt ice, so it gives some resistance to ice as well.

So yes, it kinda is OP. Perfect fire defense, and decent Ice defense, whilst being able to create physical weapons, as well as many unsaid applications with a bit of imagination. That being said, I don't plan on having alot of these things hold true. I'll leave the decent defense against Ice alone, but Sebastieyn will not have perfect defense against fire, other wise it'd make things to easy. I also plan on limiting it in other ways.

Q. But we saw him take out a freaking army of Beowolves in an instant, including the Alpha and Omega!? He's still too good!

A. Nope. That was circumstance and luck. As I said, the town was ablaze, meaning there was plenty of ash to go around, so he didn't have to waste any aura creating his own ash, and as I stated in the fic, it doesn't matter how strong or bad ass your are, the moment you lower your guard, you're as vulnerable as anyone else.

Q. What the fuck is this dudes past?

A. Who knows? - ke ke ke ke

If you have anything else I may have missed, feel free to ask, and I'll be happy to igno-I mean answer to the best of my abillity!

Also, sorry I was really late on this one. I've wrote this chapter last monday...then rewrote it last tuesday...then did the same thing everyday afterwords till today. I really wanted to kick off the first meeting with the action it deserved. I'm happy with how it turned, and I hope you are as well. Finally, I do hope you figure out the true reason for the title. Ozpin's speech was half of it, and Sebastieyn have Grey Aura and Ash manipulation is the other half. I'd like to think it was ingenious, but hey that's me.

Key note, if none of you have understood the multiple Full Metal Alchemist references by now, you severely dissapoint me.