Darkness Rises, Shadows Fall: Chapter One

What this is: This is set in time before Blame and Burden and years before Team RWBY existed. This will follow the story of our OC, Shadow, up until the end of B&B. If you have not read that story, I suggest you do as it will give some insight on what is going to be happening here. Now, without further delay, I present Darkness Rises, Shadows Fall!

Hydar observed his surroundings upside down. Trees, fallen logs, an old fashioned lantern lay here and there. The air smelled of smoke, meaning his cabin was nearby. The sun had gone down a few minutes ago, contributing to his current predicament. The faint outline of a man resting against an old tree was within his vision.

"You know," Hydar calmly spoke, hanging by his ankles, "You could have found a better way to keep me on my toes than to have me in the air."

"And you could have learned to not be overconfident in your abilities." The man retorted.

"Thanks dad. You'd think after a few years of this, you'd know by now that I slip up once every so often. I'm human too."

"So what is the goal here, be your punching bag or sleep upside down for another night?"

"Well let's see," His dad moved into the faint light of a lantern. "You have your semblance, your weapons," He looked up, "The tree is fairly old, I say you could break the branch with a little effort. You're hanging by wire, and your blades could make short work of it."

It was true. His weapons alone would be enough to get him down: A combat suit of finely woven carbyne, a carbon based material known to be one of the strongest and lightest fibers in existence. It was made like an armored body suit with full plating and lined with tactical equipment. His favorite part however, was the joint blades. They were rigged with neural sensors, allowing him to trigger a blade to spring from any one of his major joints. The suit was crafted by both of his parents: his mother, a tailor, and his father, a master weapons designer.

His dad moved closer, keeping his eyes trained on his son. Hydar assessed his features quickly, even though he had seen the man every day for his entire life. He had to be cautious, making sure no tricks were being played. Bald head, wrinkled forehead, plain grey shirt, loose blue jeans, black combat boots, tall, muscled, same old worn out military look.

"Nothing obvious…" Hydar thought, slowly swinging in the wind.

"I know how to get myself down, I just want to know if I should be prepared to defend myself afterwards."

"Find out."

Hydar narrowed his eyes. A plan came together easily. He hung several feet in the air, just enough time to activate his semblance after getting free.

Without breaking eye contact, Hydar sprung a blade from the underside of his wrist and sliced the wire with an effortless swipe. A quick midair flip brought him to the ground in a crouched position. Looking up at his father, he smiled, awaiting a strike or order.

"Well," His father said returning the smile, "It looks like we're done for the day; it's too late to be out here messing around."

Hydar stood up, his smile changing to a disappointed frown. "Oh come on…" He muttered, turning around to begin the short walk back home.

A tingle went down his spine and he activated his semblance out of reflex, dissipating into thin air. Reappearing a few feet away, he looked back at his father with an aggravated scowl and held up two knives that he had snagged.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to slip up and you'll kill me doing that!" He called out in an irritated tone.

His father simply walked toward him, took the knives, and kept walking towards their cabin.

The lanterns lit the way back, which wasn't all too far from their training grounds. The two reached the clearing in only a few minutes. They lived in a modestly large wood cabin that Hydar's father had built when he was only a baby.

Hydar walked in the front door, leaving it open for his father who walked in after him. He stopped to take another look at it. The inside was beautiful. Polished hardwood floor, a fireplace, and hand crafted chandelier made the building look as though a king lived there. It was all crafted by Hydar's father, who was a skilled blacksmith, mason, and weapons maker. Two beds sat against the far wall with the fireplace in between them. A dining area was set up to the right of the door, and kitchen to the left. It was truly home sweet home.

"Tomorrow's your big day," His father said, "You may want to get some rest." His father said from behind him.

"Yeah, I know." Hydar replied, yawning. He went to the kitchen and pulled out a cookie. "It's going to be a sleepless night…" He thought.

Indeed it was. Fading in and out of consciousness, Hydar was soon lulled to sleep by the sound of crackling fire and the smell of burning wood.

"Why is it so cold out here?" Hydar thought. His own words echoed inside his head and faded.

"What is going on?" His thoughts continued on.

The scene in front of him was empty. Not just black, but a void. It seemed to be calling out to him, drawing him closer.

"Soon..."He had heard the word like it had come from his own mind.

Light began shifting from the nothing that surrounded him. Slow images began shaping, but barely visible.

A wispy voice came from all around.

"Shadow, you do know the mission was a failure, correct?"

A much more hollow voice spoke it's response.

"Yes sir, I do."

Hydar was instantly realized the scene was of the two men who were speaking, but they were phantoms against the void. Then a cold breeze blew by, scattering the scene.

"Wait!" Hydar called out. "Who's Shadow? What mission?"

Dead silence was his only answer.

A force hit his shoulder. Hydar jumped, looking around for the cause. Nothing. Another hit. He closed his eyes. A large shove and he opened his eyes.

"Who in the hell is Shadow and what is this mission you were yelling about?" Hydar's father questioned.

"I... Don't know."

A/N: So Here we go! This is the embodiment of all Proto and I's hard work (Yes, it doesn't seem like much, but believe me... There's more) and dedication over the past few months. We're kicking it off slow and it's just going to gain momentum as it goes! By the end, it's going to be pretty hard hitting.