The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 40: Questions

Y/N wandered aimlessly down the halls of Beacon, with no destination in mind. He didn't want to do anything in particular; especially not apologizing when he felt he was in the right. In his eyes, he had every right to be angry. He sighed, quietly sliding his hands into his pockets as he passed by familiar sights. The halls were empty; students were in their classes, living their lives quietly - normally. Something Y/N desired, but knew he could never achieve again.

A row of lockers was to his left. This was where he and Vao would sometimes hang out between classes. It was also the hotspot for Vao's drug dealing, as much as it got on Y/N's nerves. But now... He missed that.

And here in the hall he walked, he would sometimes chat with Weiss about their next assignment, with Verde correcting them on mistakes or things they didn't write down in the previous class. Those were the days Verde was still alive, and Y/N and Weiss were on good terms.

He stopped at a window, staring into the Beacon gardens below. Down there, he'd relax among the flora every now and again with Sasha. But that was before he discovered she was a child soldier.

He realized how much he missed his earlier days of Beacon. Back when things were lively, exciting. When the world was much more colorful, before he had been exposed to the horrors of the abominations, before his best friend, his brother, was blown to pieces for a reason he didn't even understand. He sighed again, a lump growing in his throat. What did Salem want with him? Verde said something about revenge. Revenge for what?

He turned and leaned against the window, reaching for his cigarettes. But when he opened the box, he found it empty. He stuffed the trash back into his pocket. Maybe he really should quit smoking. He was already finding himself craving for another smoke. He rolled up his sleeve, staring at his prosthetic.

Could he even use his magic with it? He focused on the artificial limb, relaxing his breath. And soon, a faint glow appeared at his metallic fingertips. At least that eased his mind. If what Verde said was true, then his magic was the only thing that could hurt Salem without the need to consume it's Blood, or to become an abomination himself.

He slumped against the wall until his metallic backside touched the floor, sitting alone in the empty corridors. His thoughts were racing. Would his magic really be enough? Sure, it had been effective against Verde's abominations. But would it be the same against Salem, something that wasn't even human? The sheer weight of it began to sink on his shoulders, crushing him into the floor. This wasn't like the Grimm he trained to fight when he attended Beacon - this was something worse. So, so very much worse.

He thought back to the abominations Verde had created. He remembered their awkward, unnatural movements. Something like that shouldn't exist - biologically it was impossible for them to even be alive. He remembered what Verde did to Dove, to animals. Changed their entire appearance and internal functions into grotesque mockeries of life. His head was beginning to hurt just remembering them, just thinking about them. He let out a soft whimper, his hands moving to the sides of his head.

He felt like he had gone through this before. Why? Why did Salem sound so familiar? Even Vao had a distinct reaction whenever the name was uttered - he always complained about an odd sensation in his left eye. Did Salem do something in the First Timeline? With how important Verde had made the First Timeline sound, why did he and Vao forget?

On his own little rock of ignorance in the black void of the unknown, Y/N was beginning to drift away into the blackness, pondering the existence of the abominations, of Salem. The tendrils of madness began to take hold of him, squeezing with a gentle force, and then releasing the pressure on his mind only to repeat the cycle. Y/N hadn't even realized he had stood up and walked away, to the place he and Vao had gone with Weiss once two years before.