Chapter Text
Constantine had been in many desperate situations before.
Several trips through Hell, owing his soul to three different demons, surviving three Crises, the invasion of the Dark Multiverse and sleeping a night on the streets of Chicago.
But overcoming all those apocalypses hadn't made him any less fearful of seemingly "minor" things. You could die from a spell gone wrong, a bullet aimed at you, a stab in the ribs, or, in this case, from a massive 600-pound dog trying to rip your head off.
Constantine lay on the ground, holding the jaws of a Beowulf trying to sink its teeth into him. Its sand-like aura protected him from harm, though he still felt pain. The mage felt the rush of adrenaline, forcing him to stay focused. It had all happened too fast.
First Penny died at Salem's hands, then the Grimm invaded the academy. And if that weren't enough, more guests had arrived at the party. Someone had taken control of Atlas's automatons, directing them against their allies. Meanwhile, a group of masked faunus had joined the massacre. In the chaos, he had become separated from Weiss and Blake, but he came to know who they were. The White Fang, a group fighting for faunus rights that had become dangerously radicalized because of one of its members, Adam Taurus.
The mage mentally reviewed his options. He could cast powerful spells, yes, but he needed to reserve resources to kill Cinder. On the other hand, he couldn't kill her if she died right there. He looked around, visualizing the situation.
Weiss and Blake had retreated with the civilians to the evacuation zone, protecting them. The slowest had been himself and some Atlas soldiers. Right next to him, there was a fallen soldier, his chest slashed open by an Ursa claw. Beside him was his rifle.
Constantine's eyes turned black, but not empty. It was a completely unnatural dark light.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
The rifle was covered in that same dark light, flying at high speed toward the Beowulf. The impact threw it away from Constantine, who pulled the rifle toward him. The mage began firing, but his accuracy with firearms had never been the best.
"Fuck!" Angrily, he shouldered the rifle and started running while searching his pockets. He had to have something that didn't consume much power so he could destroy those bastards.
He pricked himself on something inside his trench coat. It was a commemorative pin from the Vytal festival; he'd thought of giving it to Robyn as a souvenir.
An idea struck him. It was crazy, but it might work. That pin represented a promise, and promises held arcane magic, something that dated back to when God cast Morningstar out of the sky. He pulled the pin from his pocket, concentrating on it.
As he ran, an Ursa approached him head-on, growling angrily as it charged at Constantine. The mage focused on the pin, on the promise of seeing his friend again, trying to shape it.
When the Ursa was practically upon him, Constantine opened his eyes. The pin was covered in a yellow light, transforming into something new.
A European-style sword appeared, brandished by the mage. That seemingly simple blade sliced through the Ursa with ease, killing it instantly. Constantine stopped to look at the weapon. It didn't seem to be any ordinary sword; he could detect magic from the Arthurian era.
"The Round Table... Yeah, I like this better." Constantine took a quick look, visualizing the guards who were still alive. "Get the hell out! Everyone to the evacuation zone!"
Together, they formed a platoon and began advancing, mowing down any Grimm that crossed their path. Taking advantage of the safety of his new group, Constantine began inspecting the rifle. He removed the magazine to inspect the ammunition, and then realized something he should have guessed.
"Dust... of course they use bloody Dust." He made a quick circle with his hands, which hovered in the air. Without hesitation, he dropped the ammunition magazine inside.
A Beowulf crossed the perimeter, heading toward him. Constantine raised his arm, forming a pistol shape with his hand.
"Bang!" A ball of light shot out from his finger, killing the Beowulf instantly. Constantine began to laugh like a madman; he hadn't used that spell since he and Mister E took down a techno-magical cult.
They were almost at the evacuation zone when Constantine heard a desperate scream. It came from one of the burning buildings. Constantine wanted to get to safety; he didn't want to die there.
He cursed himself as he ran to the rescue. When he arrived, he saw a scene that made his stomach turn. Blake Belladonna was lying on the ground, a wound in her abdomen, too close to her intestines.
He was trying to protect another unconscious person; his arm had been severed. That person was Yang Xiao Long.
Above them, poised to bring his sword down, stood a red-haired, horned faun, his mask looking more elaborate than the rest. It was possible that this was the Adam Taurus he'd heard about, but that didn't matter.
"Bang!" Without warning, Constantine went for Adam's head, seeking a quick kill.
However, to the mage's misfortune, the faun reacted quickly thanks to his keen fighting instincts. His aura mitigated the blow greatly, but Constantine's magic was still powerful.
The right side of his mask exploded, revealing a hateful eye. The faun glared at Blake resentfully. "How many of your friends are you going to make me kill, Blake?"
"Run, Professor! Please!" Blake begged, frightened.
The wizard kept his hand pointed at Adam, while gripping the sword tightly with the other. "Listen to me, lad, because I'm not going to repeat it. Run, or I'll kill you right here."
"Brave words for an old man."
"Oh, okay, now you've really messed up, asshole."
Constantine began firing bullets in his direction, which were reflected by Adam's sword. The faun seemed puzzled by something, constantly looking at his sword as if waiting for a reaction.
When they got within close range, Constantine swung at him, easily parried by his katana.
The faun's blade began to glow with a slight red hue, setting off Constantine's alarm bells.
He continued attacking, wielding the sword with both hands, but every blow was blocked.
"Constantine, stop! That's his semblance!" Blake yelled desperately.
With his sword flashing red, Adam lunged at Constantine.
The mage didn't know if it was luck, clumsiness on the part of his rival, or that after so many breaks into Ra's al-Ghul's chambers, he'd acquired some skill with the sword, but he managed to block the blow.
Adam smiled, activating his semblance. A wave of energy formed on the sword, about to slice Constantine in half. Or it would have, if Constantine's sword had been a normal sword.
As soon as the wave of power made contact with the blade, the magical runes began to glow, creating a shockwave that sent Adam several feet back, knocking him off balance.
Blake made a huge face of surprise, as did Adam. Constantine stared at his sword in astonishment; it was the first time an improvised spell had worked so damn well.
He couldn't kill Adam; he simply wasn't a match for him one-on-one. So he decided on another route.
He fired a few more magic bullets, forcing Adam to block. The sword transformed back into a pin, and with his free hand, he grabbed a large piece of burning wood. It was heavy, but he was able to wield it thanks to the adrenaline rush.
The blow descended on Adam, who sliced the wood in half with ease. Constantine had him right where he wanted him.
The mage hissed, and his eyes briefly became reptilian. The burning pieces of wood changed in the blink of an eye, now becoming furious fire snakes. The snakes launched themselves at Adam at full speed, biting and scorching his skin.
"What is this? Who did it?!" The faunus tried to shake the snakes off with his sword, but they attacked mercilessly. His aura protected him from mortal wounds, but not from burns.
Constantine adjusted his trench coat, pointing his hand at him.
"Bang."
The last bullet hit him square in the chest, throwing him out of the building with enormous force. It should have shattered his aura, all he had to do was finish him off. At that moment, the building began to shake; it was about to collapse at any moment.
He had to finish that bastard off, but the first thing he had to do was get the students to a safe place.
"Blake, Blake, listen to me. Can you walk?"
"Yes..." she said, holding her abdomen, still staring at the gap Adam had left.
"Okay, grab Yang and let's get out of here now. I didn't fight that madman just to die buried in the ground."
Blake leaned Yang on his shoulder and started running. Constantine followed them when he saw something that caught his attention. It was Yang's arm. The mage had an idea, a terrible and quite possibly illegal idea. He quickly grabbed the arm, then helped Blake carry his friend.
The situation was still as disastrous as it had been a few moments ago, but at least now they had organized a resistance. Weiss led a huge group of students who were repelling the Grimm and Atlas's automatons, fighting tirelessly.
When she saw them approaching, her eyes filled with concern.
"Yang! Blake!" the girl in white ran toward them, accompanied by of a blond faunus with a monkey tail wearing an open T-shirt. "No… no no please."
“Blake! Blake, tell me something!” The blond faun took her hand, clearly worried.
“Sun… It was Adam. He's here.”
“Please rest. Medic over here!” Sun shouted. The faun looked at Yang's arm in pain. “Her arm…”
“This can't be happening.” Weiss was in shock; two of her friends were on the verge of death.
“I have her arm” Constantine said, picking it up.
Weiss screamed, jumping into Sun's arms.
“Dude, what's wrong with you?”
“Calm down, kids. I've got this.”
A huge explosion shook the area; it seemed to be coming from Beacon Tower. Constantine felt a tightness in his chest, his head began to spin. He didn't know what had happened, but the explosion had clearly been of magical origin. Cinder…
“Can I have a fucking break?!” Constantine felt the need to scream, to vent all his frustration. “Where are the teachers?”
“Defending the city,” Weiss answered.
“And Ozpin?”
“We don’t know, we haven’t seen him.”
Constantine thought quickly. He had to go after Cinder right now, stop her before she did any more damage. But he also had to protect the students. They alone could take on the White Fang and the Grimm, but the automatons were too many, and they would eventually win due to exhaustion.
He looked at Yang’s arm; the thought he’d had before seemed increasingly necessary. He looked at Yang, who was unconscious, with a sad expression.
“Sorry, kid.”
Using his severed arm, Constantine began to draw a circle of blood on the ground. He didn’t have to worry about the amount; there was still plenty left on the limb.
Weiss felt like throwing up. "What the heck is he doing?"
"Hunter stuff, now shut up and fight." Constantine extended his hands toward the circle, breathing to concentrate. "By the dark forces of the nine circles, yadayada... Come on, you fucking orange ass!"
Those might not have been the most accurate summoning words Constantine had ever uttered, but magic was often about intentions. Besides, the demon in question knew him too well by now.
The circle of blood burst into flames, and from it emerged a huge, beastly figure, wearing ancient armor and a threadbare cloak.
Etrigan, as usual, had a sour face.
"Constantine!" the demon yelled. "I warned you not to summon me again!"
"Grimm!" Weiss yelled, drawing his rapier.
"How ugly it is!" Sun readied his staff, ready to strike the demon.
"Who are you calling ugly, ape?!"
"Everyone stop yelling, blast it!" Constantine had a vein about to pop in his forehead. He approached Etrigan, putting his arm around him. "Listen to me, the situation is bad. I have to go to that tower to take out a very dangerous sorceress, and these kids are having an attack" he continued. "See the one-armed girl? I used her blood to summon you."
"Ha! Then there's justice to be served."
"Exactly, you got it. Now do me a favor, or these kids are going to go crazy. Have Jason come and say his Semblance is transforming into... well, you."
"What the fuck is a Semblance?"
"Just do it, the ape boy is about to shit himself."
Etrigan growled, moving away from Constantine. A spiral of fire engulfed him, giving way to the red-haired man known as Jason Blood.
"Okay, guys, first of all, stay calm. My name is Jason. My Semblance is that monster you saw. When I use it, I'm very powerful. I'm going to keep you safe."
Jason looked at Constantine, who gave a thumbs-up. The man transformed back into Etrigan, who drew his sword.
"Whoever wants to touch these children will have to kill me first!"
Without thinking, the demon launched into battle with any enemy he found.
"Okay, guys, stay here, I'm going to the tower" Constantine said, rummaging through his jacket.
"Professor... What are you?" Weiss asked. "Everything you do is as if you have multiple Semblances. How do you do it?"
"I'll give you two answers, Weiss. The first is that I'm a mage; everything I do is thanks to my knowledge of magic. The second is that my Semblance is extremely powerful, allowing me to steal people's Semblances and keep them for myself. Choose one, Ice Queen."
Weiss was shocked. "A Semblance like that... its user would be the most dangerous person on Remnant."
"Then it's lucky I'm on your side." Constantine winked at her, pulling out the book she was looking for. It was a fantasy story about a boy riding a powerful dragon to fight evil. Constantine had left his youth behind many years ago, but it would have to do.
He placed his index fingers together, one hand on top of the other. He moved them in opposite directions, creating a line of magical light. With a twist, it transformed into a magic circle with complicated patterns. He opened the book, whereupon the pages flew out toward the magical inscription.
On the other side of the circle, hundreds of thousands of pages began to emerge, more than had entered. The pages flew, joining together and forming something larger.
Once the circle disappeared, everyone present in the area looked on in shock; they had never seen such a picture. Weiss, for a second, thought the correct answer to the professor's choices wasn't the one she had given.
Before them, a majestic paper dragon roared to the sky, claiming its place in the world. Constantine climbed onto the beast's back, snatching up its wing. Once mounted, he transformed the pin back into a sword, pointing it at the tower.
"Come on, beast, we have to finish that... Holy shit!" The dragon took flight without wasting a second, scaring Constantine with its sudden speed as it headed straight for Beacon Tower.
Pyrrha was going to die. She knew it, she'd known it ever since she'd kissed Jaune goodbye. As she rode up in the elevator, she kept thinking about him. She was sorry, so sorry, but she had to try to finish Salem off. She thought about the blond boy who had caught her eye from the start for an absurd reason: he didn't recognize her. Thanks to that, she was able to feel like a normal girl. She also thought about her other two best friends, Ren and Nora. She loved spending time with them, laughing and enjoying each other's company. She hoped Ren would realize how Nora felt about him, or that she'd have the confidence to confess.
Love was complicated, and considering she'd only confessed knowing he wasn't coming back, she wasn't the best person to lecture.
She readied her spear and shield, ready to jump into combat. The elevator arrived at Ozpin's office, and she stepped out determined. She assumed a fighting stance, staring at her enemy.
Cinder Fall. She had killed the previous maiden, she had killed Ozpin, and now only she remained. She floated in the air like a deity, looking down at her with a mixture of amusement and contempt.
The maiden attacked first, launching a column of fire at her, which she gracefully dodged. She blocked the next one with her shield, recoiling slightly from the force. She took advantage of the moment of zero speed and propelled herself forward, spinning around in an aerial attack aimed at Cinder's neck.
The maiden caught her spear in midair. Pyrrha didn't have time to be surprised before she hurled her into the wall with a sharp slap to the stomach. Her weapons fell off when she landed, but Cinder wasn't about to let her rest. She charged at her, flying, which Pyrrha took advantage of. Using Cinder for support, she propelled herself off the wall, putting her in a headlock.
Cinder tried to gain distance with some flips, but Pyrrha had already closed the gap. She slashed quickly, barely scratching her aura. Cinder parried, though that didn't stop her from continuing to harass her. She threw her spear and shield, forcing Cinder to deflect them. With the maiden occupied, she lunged to tackle her. She managed to grab her back and retrieve her spear, bringing it close to Cinder's neck to end it all.
The maiden gripped the spear tightly, using her newfound powers to break it. Then Pyrrha saw it: the Grimm dragon was about to charge at the tower. That's when her spear gave way to Cinder's hellfire, shattering into pieces.
Pyrrha braced herself for the blow, but then something strange happened. The dragon turned in mid-flight, turning its back on them and roaring in defiance. Something roared back.
Cinder headbutted Pyrrha, followed by a kick that distanced them again.
"What are you doing, inept creature?" Cinder said. "Come here right now."
Although Cinder got what she wanted, it wasn't as she thought. Something hit the dragon, something large. The dragon crashed into the tower, knocking Cinder off her feet in the process, who had been too confused to call for help.
When the smoke from the disaster cleared, she saw a strange sight. Her dragon seemed to be fighting another beast of its own size, a rival dragon, but one made of paper. She hadn't heard of any such semblance.
Her instincts warned her, and she placed her hands in the air to defend herself from an aerial attack. The sword descended upon her, striking her with enough force to send her flying, her aura damaged.
Pyrrha struggled to her feet, trying to see her new ally. On the ground, struggling to get up after his fall, was a man wearing a brown trench coat and carrying a sword. He stood up with a grunt accompanied by the creaking of his bones. He recognized that defiant face and those sad eyes, though he never thought she'd see them in battle.
"Professor Constantine?"
The man looked sternly at Cinder; there was none of the arrogance he always displayed.
"Cinder Fall" he said in a deep voice. "This ends here."
Constantine's whole body ached. To be fair, tackling the dragon hadn't been his idea; that damn creature he was riding had decided on its own. All he knew afterward was that he had jumped, so he decided to try and hit the maiden as hhe fell. The plan had worked out partially, if not for the incredible impact he'd taken upon landing. He forced himself to look tough; he couldn't let his enemy know how bad things were. Or worse, his student think he was a loser.
"You've given me a headache, love" the wizard said, tapping his head. "All this... paraphernalia has worked well. Although it's a little sad that you rely on children to do the job, I know Hazel wasn't particularly pleased."
Cinder looked surprised; that man shouldn't know who her partners were.
"Who are you?"
"John Constantine, darling, pleased to meet the maiden." The wizard bowed exaggeratedly, glancing surreptitiously at Pyrrha.
"Run," the wizard seemed to be signaling. But Pyrrha forced herself to stand up, increasingly determined.
"Constantine... I don't know that name. We're supposed to know all of Ozpin's allies."
"Well, old Oz was a little embarrassed by me. When he get here, you can ask him."
Cinder smiled, letting out a soft laugh. "Oh, pathetic hunter, I'm afraid that won't be possible. But don't worry, I'll send you to him."
Constantine froze. Ozpin had died? That left him without a potential ally for the fight, that meant one thing. It all depended on him.
"Well, that's a shame then, but I won't say no to a date just you and me." Constantine smiled, appearing confident. "Pyrrha, darling, why don't you let us adults talk? Things could get heated."
Cinder's eyes lit up with flames. "You have no idea, hunter."
"Pyrrha, go." Constantine wasn't playing anymore; he couldn't afford to put her in danger.
"No, Professor. I can't do that. This is what I must do; it's the right thing for me to stay and help you."
"Pyrrha, this isn't a practice fight, she's not a Grimm. She's a crazy woman with powers she doesn't understand."
"I don't understand?" Cinder's hands began to burst into flames. "I understand this power perfectly; it's my right; I've earned it!"
A huge blast of fire shot toward Constantine, who remained still.
"Professor!"
The flames hit Constantine. Or so it seemed. Cinder noticed something was wrong, halting her attack, and then she saw it.
Constantine remained standing, his hand facing the fire. It began to spiral, being absorbed by something. As the fire was about to go out, he could see what it was.
The last flames entered Constantine's lighter, which he clicked shut.
"If you're going to offer me a light, at least let me take out the cigar first."
Surprise appeared in Pyrrha and Cinder's eyes. The latter revealed another emotion, a very subtle one that didn't go unnoticed by the detective.
Fear.
"What kind of Semblance is that? Are you the hunter Ozpin used to fight maidens?"
"Listen carefully, Cinder. That power you wield isn't made for you. Magic isn't wielded in fury, it's wielded with patience and knowledge. You're a disgrace."
Cinder's eyes lit up with anger. "It's my power! I'm the one who commands it! I'm its owner!"
Constantine looked at Pyrrha, still determined to stay. He couldn't change her mind, so at least they could coordinate.
Constantine scolded her with his finger. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don’t try to fool me, darling. If you really mastered this, you’d know that what just happened was a simple absorption of elemental magic, a basic principle. Mark that down on the test” he said, pointing at Pyrrha. “When you throw water into the ocean, you can’t expect to break it, just as if you throw a match into a burning house, the house eats the match.”
“Ha.” Cinder gave a dry laugh. “Are you implying that that lighter is more powerful than I am?”
“What can I say.” Constantine poised his finger over the lighter. “It’s a very good lighter.”
Cinder lunged at Constantine, attempting a melee attack. The mage simply opened the lighter.
A pillar of flame more powerful than the one Cinder had thrown erupted, striking the maiden, who screamed in agony.
“Grab, Pyrrha!” The mage threw the sword at her, and the student wasted no time getting to work.
Using her magnetic powers, she attracted both her shield and Constantine’s sword. He didn’t let Cinder recover from the assault, attacking with her sword in a quick aerial combo using her shield as a platform.
The mage ran through the now-uncovered, gear-filled area. He made a quick analysis; his paper dragon was still fighting the original, but the spell probably didn’t have much left.
“Where the hell are these people?” The mage could only wait for reinforcements; the more to take down the maiden, the better.
Cinder struck Pyrrha, sending her tumbling to the ground. She tried to hit her with a fireball, but Constantine appeared quickly to absorb it.
The maiden grew frustrated, throwing more balls while screaming.
The exorcist looked at his lighter, worried; it was too much magic. Then he felt something on his finger; it was a small tentacle touching him.
"Shit!" Constantine closed the lighter, taking a ball of it in his chest and defending himself with his aura. He put it back in his trench coat, a sudden worry washing over him. He couldn't keep using that tactic, although fortunately he had others. "Pyrrha, I need you to immobilize her."
"Okay, Professor, buy me a little time."
As if that were easy, Constantine thought. He didn't want to admit it, but he had underestimated Cinder. The power he detected in the communications tower was half of what he was now feeling in his own flesh.
Either she had grown stronger in that short time, or something else had happened to increase her power.
"We're not so chatty now, are we, Raggedy?"
"I was just thinking, give me a second to find a good insult. I know, how about this one? Rash!"
Constantine launched a magic ball at Cinder, which she blocked effortlessly. Using his Dust reserves, he summoned magic circles in front of him.
"Satanus's Chains!" Bone chains appeared like snakes, attacking Cinder and forcing her to cut them with her crystal sword. The mage didn't stop, approaching her as fast as he could now that she was nearing the ground. Using some of his gravitational dust, he applied a spell to his fist. "Liverpool Fist!"
The wizard's hook emitted a shockwave as it sent Cinder flying. The exorcist waved his hand; the aura had reduced the recoil damage, but it still hurt.
"Leave a visible gap!" Constantine barked at Pyrrha, who was concentrating. She could see the gears floating around Cinder, who was still confused by the blow. "I need to hit her in a vital spot!"
"Heard, Professor!" Pyrrha brought her hands together. The giant gears swung together, trapping Cinder in an aerial iron prison. Her bare chest could be seen.
Constantine quickly drew a card, a card he'd long saved for just such an occasion.
"Death."
The deadliest card in Constantine's arsenal shot out, aiming for Cinder's chest, ready to end her life. But like everything in Constantine's life, it quickly went down the drain.
The paper dragon, which had proven no match for the Grimm, was flung towards Ozpin's office in a giant ball of paper. It struck Pyrrha square on, shattering her aura and knocking her against a pillar.
This caused the gears to fall apart, freeing Cinder. A split second was all it took for Salem's maiden to block the attack with her hand.
Cinder let out a sharp cry of pain, staring at her hand. Her skin was gray, devoid of any life. The rot was creeping rapidly up her arm; she could feel the life draining from her. Taking drastic measures, she created one of her cutting swords.
Constantine watched as the maiden severed her own left arm, using a burning hand to cauterize the wound. The Grimm dragon landed on the tower, roaring menacingly. The situation was desperate, and Constantine had few resources left. Pyrrha used the mage's sword to walk beside him, attempting to swing it.
"Okay, kiddo" Constantine smiled, sweating from the effort. "I think we're a bit at a disadvantage."
"Constantine!" Cinder shouted, frantically. "I'm going to burn your body to ash!"
"You're a natural with threats, love." Constantine stepped in front of Pyrrha, trying to cover her. "Pyrrha, please get out of here. It's best you don't see this."
Pyrrha stared at the back of the man who had arrived just a few days ago. He had spoken to her about destiny and had displayed extraordinary abilities. Abilities that could save Remnant from Cinder. She could see several metal fonts inside his trench coat.
"Professor... I'm sorry."
Constantine was slightly surprised, then felt a sharp tug. His trench coat moved on its own, throwing him forcefully over the edge of the office.
"No! Nooo! Pyrrha, you idiot! Stop!" Constantine yelled, trying to stay on the platform, unsuccessfully resisting Pyrrha's magnetic pull.
The girl smiled, looking at Cinder as she leaned on Constantine's sword. "Do you believe in destiny?"
The last thing Constantine saw before falling into the void was Cinder screaming as she placed her remaining hand on Pyrrha's face. The maiden's hand began to burn, drawing a cry of pain from the heroine. Her body was reduced to ash before she could do anything.
"PYRRHA!"
A high-pitched voice called the girl's name. A silver glow filled the sky, erasing the dragon from the map and causing Cinder to scream in pain.
That voice... it was familiar to Constantine. Yes, it must be Ruby's voice. As he fell, he remembered what Ozpin had told him about the silver eyes. She had unleashed her magic. All at Pyrrha's expense.
"Fuck! Shit!" Constantine cursed with tears in his eyes. He hadn't been able to prevent another death. He turned in the air, watching the ground approach.
Using what little gravitational Dust he had left, he summoned several black magic circles along the way. He passed through them one by one, gradually reducing his speed.
When he had no more magic left, he covered his face with his arms, activating his aura to the maximum.
That was going to hurt.
Constantine didn't remember the blow, he didn't even remember how he'd gotten there. Although "there" was perhaps a misnomer. He was in a completely dark space, with nothing but himself around him. He began to walk, intrigued by whatever awaited him there.
In front of him, a red-haired girl in bronze armor appeared, lying on the ground.
"Pyrrha?" The mage approached slowly. However, something unexpected happened.
A young blond man, only a little shorter than her, which was no small feat, approached the warrior's body. He was wearing chest armor and jeans, with the hood of a sweatshirt peeking out from around his neck. Constantine recognized him; it was the leader of Pyrrha's team and one of Ruby's friends, Jaune Arc.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried, on the verge of tears. "I'm here, please hold on." The girl turned to ash in his hands. The boy began to cry. "Please... Don't go..."
The scene blurred, disappearing with grains of sand.
"What the fuck?" Constantine was confused. These were very personal feelings, and he had never spoken enough about them with the Arc boy.
The scene changed again; now it was Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, Pyrrha's companions. They were wandering around what appeared to be the ruins of Beacon.
"Nora!" Ren shouted. "I can't see you!"
"Ren! Where have you gone?!" Nora started running, passing Ren, but unable to see him.
They searched for each other for a while without success, gradually falling into despair.
The scene changed again, and now the protagonist was another. On a cliff overlooking a beautiful green field, Ruby was kneeling in front of three graves. On the left, Pyrrha Nikos's grave. On the right, Penny Polendina's grave.
And in the center, towering over Ruby like an existence that overshadowed her, the grave of a person Constantine had never heard of.
Summer Rose.
The scene blurred again in a swirl of sand, leaving Constantine with questions. None of it made sense; he was seeing the inner feelings and thoughts of those kids. It was almost like seeing their dreams. Their dreams...
"Oooh..." Constantine said. "Oooh! Of course, John! How could I have been such an idiot?"
His sand-like aura, the presence that seemed to be hovering around him, and the fact that he'd started having dreams again—there was only one person who could be responsible.
No, calling him a person would be a grave insult; he didn't deserve to be compared to something so base.
He was a being that existed before the first civilization in the universe, a concept as powerful as Death itself. He was the one where gods were born and died. He was the being responsible for giving sentient beings hope.
In front of Constantine, a figure began to materialize through the sand. It was a tall, incredibly pale figure. His clothes were black and night-black with full sleeves, giving him a gloomy yet beautiful appearance. His shaggy black hair gave off a sense of familiarity that should be impossible with such a powerful being.
And his eyes… anyone would be mesmerized looking into them. They were two pitch-black sockets, illuminated by a bright white point. If you If you got close enough, you could see the star exploding inside.
Anyone would surrender in the presence of such a being. But not Constantine. Constantine had a very different reaction. The wizard smiled warmly, looking at his old friend.
"Dream... I've missed you, good friend."
Dream of the Eternals bowed his head in respect; few primordial beings loved humanity as he did.
"𝔍𝔬𝔥𝔫 ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔢. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔢, 𝔬𝔩𝔡 𝔣𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔡." The being extended his arm. "𝔚𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔞𝔤𝔞𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔶 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔪, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣 𝔞𝔱 𝔥𝔬𝔪𝔢. 𝔄𝔣𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔩𝔩, 𝔴𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔪𝔲𝔠𝔥 𝔱𝔬 𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔠𝔲𝔰𝔰."