The light of early morning trickled through the east-facing window, painting soft gold across the wooden desk.
Kael groaned.
Wiping his face with his sleeve, he blinked the sleep from his eyes and stared at the chaos surrounding him.
Books.
Stacks of them.
Some neatly stacked, some toppled over like fallen towers, and more than a few were scattered across the floor. Kael rubbed his temples, trying to remember exactly how many he'd managed to conjure before his body gave in to exhaustion.
The memories came back to Kael as he remembered the long hours, the scrape of quill against paper, the smell of ink, light blue words going into the book. And then? Darkness. His semblance had burned through him like a wildfire, leaving only many books completed.
"...A hundred and forty copies," Kael whispered with disbelief. "I really went overboard."
He staggered to his feet with a stretch, joints cracking like dry twigs. His satchel was in the middle of the bed, which was untouched. His black cloak hung lazily over the chair. With a practiced hand, he pulled both on and slid his cane into its hidden slot inside the bag.
That's when the books caught his eye again, a literal mountain of them. No way he could carry all this on the road to Mistral.
Ding!
System Notification:
"User, you may store any number of self-created books in your Inventory. Copies of a single volume do not count against your space limit."
[Activate: Inventory Storage?}
{Y/N}
Kael blinked, then sighed.
"You're telling me this now?"
He exhaled with a half-laugh and tapped the blue screen in front of him with two fingers. "Y."
The books shimmered faintly before vanishing in a swirl of amber light, drawn into the system's inventory with efficiency only possible in games or fate-touched worlds like this. A small pop-up confirmed:
140 Copies of [Volume 1 of the Chrysos Heirs Flame Chase Journey: The Holy Maiden of Janusopolis: Tribios] added to Inventory.
[Inventory Capacity: 2% used]
With his load now weightless and his mission clearer than ever, Kael approached the door of the room, casting one last glance behind him.
He stepped to the window, letting the morning air sweep against his face, eyes scanning the skyline of Vale for what might be the last time in a long while.
"This chapter ends," he murmured, voice quiet, "and another begins...I don't know when I'll be back, but I hope it's on good terms. Who knows, maybe during the canon storyline or...Stopping Summer from leaving."
With that, Kael stepped out of the inn after paying, checked out the room with the old lady, and left into the world, the quiet weight of words and futures tucked neatly inside his cloak.
Quest Log Updated
Main Quest: The Next Page
Objective: Travel to the Kingdom of Mistral
Progress: 5%
Bonus Objective:Draft Volume 2 – Chrysos Heirs: The Last Prince of Castrum Kremnos, Mydeimos
Progress: 0%
Reward:
New Story Unlocks: Jeanne D'Arc, ???, ???
After a few hours of walking the road out of Vale was quiet.
The morning sun still clung to the edges of the dirt world in the forest. Kael's footsteps echoed faintly, the only sound aside from the occasional rustling of leaves stirred by a lazy wind. His black cloak flapped behind him, and the cane tucked into his satchel jostled softly with each step.
He was alone. Truly alone now.
And for once, he welcomed it.
The silence wasn't emptiness to Kael, it was space. Space to breathe, space to think.
System Link Active. Voice Communication is enabled.
System: "Good morning, Kael. You've recovered 78% of your aura and stamina. Estimated time to full recovery: 3 hours, 17 minutes."
Kael smirked. "Morning to you, too, you overly polite, slightly condescending System that hasn't talked to me until now."
He wasn't surprised that the system could communicate with him; after all, in some light novels and manga, the main characters' systems either engage in conversation or remain silent. However, he wouldn't pretend that he didn't feel a little spooked by it.
System:"Politeness is a default setting. Would you prefer sarcasm?"
He chuckled. "Tempting, but I'd rather not deal with a sarcastic system at the moment."
As he walked along the path that would eventually lead through forested ridges and winding trade routes toward Mistral, Kael allowed his mind to wander.
"So… be honest with me," he said aloud. "How far can I go with this?"
System:"Clarify your inquiry."
"I mean," Kael waved a hand vaguely toward the sky, "Canon. The big events. Ozpin. Salem. The Fall of Beacon...Summer leaving. The deaths that were supposed to happen. Can I change it all?"
There was a pause. Then—
System:"Yes. To a degree."
Kael stopped walking. "To a degree?"
System: "This version of Remnant exists in a state of flux due to your arrival. Fixed points such as The Relics, major soul-bound fates, and entities like Salem remain tethered to their timeline anchors. However, individuals, outcomes, and order of events are susceptible to influence based on your interactions, stories, and the emotional resonance you leave behind."
"So, the butterfly effect. Got it." Kael said, aware of the butterfly effect, which means that small things can lead to significant changes.
System: "Incorrect. Butterfly effects are subtle. Your existence is more akin to a meteor crash."
Kael stared at the road ahead, wind brushing through his hair.
"Well… at least I'm not a pebble in the stream."
He resumed walking, the system's words repeating in his head.
You are a meteor crash.
That meant every story he was going to write… every person who read Tribios or the next volumes of the Chrysos heirs… they were like echoes in a cave, bouncing further than he could see. He wasn't just recording history. He was about to change many destinies, potentially reshaping the very mythology of Remnant.
A thread of worry tugged at him.
"If I do this wrong… If I save people I'm not supposed to… does it break the world?" Kael asked.
System: "There is no 'supposed to.' Only what you choose, the world will react and reshape itself. You may cause pain. Or hope. Or both."
Kael sighed and kept looking at the road ahead of him.
"I'll take that gamble."
He reached into his inventory and summoned a single copy of Tribios. The book shimmered into existence, warm with a faint aura. Kael traced the edges of the crimson cover.
"A story can change someone's life. That's what they taught me back home." Kael mumbled while remembering giving the book to Summer.
He put the book away again in his inventory.
"Then I'll write the kind of stories that light fires in people's hearts. And if that changes canon… so be it. I'd rather tell a new tale than let people die just because someone wrote it that way before I showed up." Kael said that he had already accepted his position at that point.
System: "Path confirmed. Morality alignment: Hopeful-Reformer.
Kael tilted his head, brow lifting. "Hopeful-Reformer, huh? Sounds like the name of a side character that dies halfway through a revolution arc."
System: "Would you prefer a new alignment classification?"
"Nah," Kael said with a grin. "It fits. I do want to change things… just not with fire and fury. More like... stories and choices."
He adjusted his satchel strap as he followed the dirt road between sparse trees and grassy hills. The rising sun painted his shadow behind him, but he kept his eyes forward.
"This walk to Mistral's is going to take a while," he muttered to himself.
System:"Estimated travel time to Mistral via foot and occasional rests at night: Three to Four Months."
"Exactly what I thought," Kael muttered. "Back during RWBY Volume 4, Ruby and the others took more months to get there, too, due to what happened after the Fall of Beacon, and they had Qrow following them from behind and later half-carrying them between death matches."
He glanced down at his cane in his satchel, pulling it free for support. It clicked with each step.
"And here I am, a book-writing cripple of a noobie teacher wannabe with more quills than arrows. Yeah… this is going to be an odyssey." Kael said while insulting himself since it was true.
The road sloped downward into a valley, and the wind picked up, carrying distant birds singing and the faintest trace of spring wildflowers.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"There's a lot I need to plan. I can't just think about getting to Mistral. Canonically, all kinds of events happen before then. The Fall of Beacon is still distant by many years. Pyrrha still…" He trailed off. "Still meets her fate in the future, unless I do something about it."
System: "Warning. Temporal disturbances may result from attempts to subvert Fixed Fate Nodes. Proceed with narrative caution."
"I know. I've watched enough time travel stories to know how that usually ends." Kael said as he also had to be careful with changing things since it could be a domino effect, and maybe even something more dangerous could get out to replace it.
He stopped where he was and looked around him, only to see the road going forward in front of him.
"But I'm not changing things selfishly. I'm not trying to become some chosen hero. I'm writing a new way forward. A softer world, maybe. Or at least one where people like Pyrrha or Penny or even Summer get another chance." Kael thought as the more he thought about it, he needed to do things first for himself before he could do anything about it.
System:"Detected rising emotional resonance. Want me to activate a log to write down for your emotional biography in the future also?"
He rolled his eyes. "You really are dramatic."
System:"You chose 'Hopeful-Reformer.' Drama is required."
Kael smirked, then went quiet.
A new thought tugged at the edges of his mind, unexpected, but strangely persistent.
"…System, question," he said slowly. "What happens if I fall in love with someone tied to canon? After all, that was an option for romance with Summer before she left." Kael asked, since that option still lingered in his mind, if he had to accept that option, what would have happened to Ruby?
System: "Romantic entanglements with canon-bound individuals are permitted. However, the level of temporal tension generated depends on the subject's narrative importance and their role in the established timeline."
Kael's brow furrowed. "Narrative importance?"
System: "Correct. High-impact characters such as Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, or Raven Branwen and Qrow Branwen are deeply interwoven into the core timeline. Relationships with them may create high-risk alterations, especially regarding canon-linked events or soul-bound fates. For example, if you romantically pursue Summer and alter her departure or death, it could ripple through Ruby's growth arc, destabilizing key moments of canon."
Kael exhaled, long and slow. "So… if I fall for Summer, I'm dancing on a live wire. Got it."
System: "Correct. That wire, however, can be rerouted. With care, narrative tension may be redirected into new resolutions. It is not forbidden. It is merely… complex."
Kael nodded slowly, weighing the risk. Then, a different thought crossed his mind.
"Then wait, why did Summer know me from Beacon? When I was transmigrated here, I figured out I was a year ahead of her, and she mentioned that Qrow told her I dropped out. This means I must have some relationship with them, even with the memory fragment [Beacon Days] reward from the quest, I only got memories with Summer, not the rest of Team STRQ." Kael asked since he hardly knew them, only Summer, since those memories of Beacon are coming slowly, one at a time.
System: "You are correct. The memory fragment [Beacon Days]—unlocked via your first major interaction with Summer Rose contains incomplete emotional residues and visual associations tied specifically to her. Memories related to other figures in Team STRQ remain sealed due to a lack of interaction."
Kael frowned. "So… I did exist here before. This body had a life. A presence. People knew this version of me. But I don't get to remember it all right away?"
System: "Correct. The Mentor System assimilated your past identity into this Remnant iteration. You are both Kael Zafkiel and Kael Ardent. Full memory restoration is needed for interaction triggers, quest completions, and emotional resonance."
Kael let out a quiet breath. "So Summer remembers me… but I don't remember her the same way. Not fully. That's… cruel."
System: "Cruelty is subjective. The system prioritizes emotional weight and character alignment. Your memories with Summer hold the strongest lingering tether; therefore, they were unlocked first upon progression of the quest."
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And the rest? Qrow, Raven, even Taiyang, if I ever knew them?"
System:"Latent connections exist. However, without catalysts, they remain sealed. Think of memory as a story buried beneath layers of ink. Only by turning the right pages will it emerge, or even a simple action from them will unlock."
Kael's eyes grew distant, flicking up toward the sky, then sighing since he was basically a barely written walking page at this point.
"Let's just talk about this later. Why don't we get back on what we were talking about before, like the effects of character? So, for instance, Roman Torchwick, in Roman Holiday, he's supposed to be around Mistral when he's eighteen, right? And Neo… she's later, but if I time things right…"
His brain fired up with ideas.
"What if I found him young? Not the criminal mastermind he becomes, but the raw clay. Train him early, give him tools and ambition, maybe even keep the cane look going. Let him choose his path instead of being shaped by crime."
System:"High-impact divergence. However, if presented as a mentorship and allowed to unfold naturally, canon behavior patterns may still manifest for cover purposes, especially if the goal is to be a teacher to Roman and Neo as infiltrators within Salem's group."
Kael tilted his head. "So… fewer explosive ripples if I decide to teach them both, but with the mentor system, the timeline would just patch it up?"
System: "Precisely. The mentor system with peripheral or original individuals allows emotional development without catastrophic timeline tension unless your influence elevates their importance over time."
Kael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So with my idea, it could change things in a direction."
System: "Correct. You are a meteor, Kael Zafkiel. Even harmless soil shifts when one lands."
That metaphor stuck again, like a thorn pricking the back of his thoughts. He wasn't a pebble. He wasn't passing through. He was changing things by just being here.
"Okay…" Kael murmured, his eyes focused ahead. "So I just have to deal with the consequences myself and not let them get hurt in the process, then."
He imagined it, a future where Roman pretends to be the same thief in Volume 1, keeping to canon just enough to stay unnoticed. And Neo, his partner in crime, uses her illusions not for mischief, but to gain information.
"Play the long game," he whispered. "Let them act like villains, only to stab Cinder in the back when it counts. That way, canon still flows just enough to keep the world from collapsing… but we gain allies."
System:"Acknowledged. Potential future questline: The Journey of the Fool – Operation The Fools. Objective: Recruit and repurpose canon-aligned characters for future divergence resistance."
Kael stopped walking, hands on his hips, as he took a moment to let it all sink in.
"…That gives me about 25 years before Volume 3's Fall of Beacon."
He exhaled.
"Plenty of time to sell books, build income, create a home base, and prep for Roman's arrival. When I find him… I'll make him more than a thief. I'll make him a character worth following. Same with Neo."
He smirked.
"Let's transform them into heroes in disguise. Actually, no, let's call them The Troupe of Masked Fools," Kael said with a smile.
After all, they would be labeled fools, rejected by society, but they would be strong and ready to help those in danger. Together, they would unite and form a troupe determined to one day expose the truth hidden in the kingdoms of their disgusting corruption.
Kael could already see it: Roman Torchwick leading the Troupe of Masked Fools, accompanied by Neo and other members. After all, he would be guiding them, and it was the perfect role for them. But what could he do? Just write the path for them and make them heal remnant for start after all, Roman has potential, he knows it.
System: "User, you are starting to smile creepily, and it also looks like you are about to laugh maniacally. I suggest you visit a psychiatric hospital before getting near children."
"...Ouch, that hurts...also I'm not a creep!" Kael yelled at the system.
System: "Sure...=)"
Kael's eye twitched in annoyance, but he didn't argue since it wouldn't make a difference talking with a system like this.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hours had passed since Kael's long monologue with the system. The sun had already dipped low, bleeding streaks of gold and crimson across the horizon as night slowly claimed its place over the forested trail.
He had managed to find a small clearing beside an old, dirt road, just wide enough for a campfire and not so exposed that grimm or bandits would easily spot him. With practiced ease, Kael stacked wood into a simple pyramid, ignited it with flint and dry bark, and watched as the flames eagerly licked upward.
The fire's warmth was soothing after the day's walk. His cane rested beside him, its polished handle catching the light of the flames. The black cloak draped over his shoulders felt normal. His satchel sat beside him, within arm's reach.
Kael exhaled and could feel the cold air in the night.
Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out his scroll.
No notifications.
He scrolled through it again, tapping to check the message log, still no new messages from Summer.
"Of course," he sighed. "Signal's garbage out here can't even look at the previous messages if I wanted to."
He closed the scroll and slipped it back into his bag, leaning back slightly as he gazed up at the stars starting to pierce through the trees. The shattered moon hung above him like a silent reminder of how real this was.
The fire crackled gently.
"Even if I wanted to hear from her… I doubt she'd get a signal where I am," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Summer... I hope you're enjoying the book, though."
He shook his head and sat upright again.
System: "Current mental fatigue level: 62%. You are stable for creative activity."
Kael smirked. "Good. Then let's get some work done."
He stretched out his hand, and with a familiar shimmer, Inkwell materialized. The pink feathered quill settled into his grasp, as if it had been waiting to be summoned. A blank book, summoned by the Mentor System's [The Hero's Journey: Fairy Tales Across Worlds], floated gently in front of him before landing softly on his lap.
"Let's begin," Kael whispered.
The quill's nib hovered briefly before moving in smooth, flowing motions as blue letters started appearing around Kael.
Chrysos Heirs: Volume II: The Last Prince of Castrum Kremnos: Mydeimos.
The words then flew and glowed faintly on the cover of the blank book before settling into the paper like ink. Kael flipped to the first blank pages and began writing with his semblance. As he wrote, more and more words started to appear around him, floating toward the book and imbuing the pages with text.
------------
Kremnos, the mist-shrouded city of chaos and war! Its royal lineage is tainted with patricide, and its god bears the name of calamity.
The undying Mydeimos, the lion, apart from the rest. Chrysos Heir, who seeks the Coreflame of Strife, must suffer a thousand deaths, be bathed in blood on the path home, and bear the madness of fate alone.
Kingslayer be king, godslayer be god. Iron-hooves pound across the wilderness for the campaign, and must eventually soak in the blood of their homeland.
------------------
Kael paused briefly, a soft wind passing through the clearing as though the forest itself was listening.
"Not every tale starts off with a good one." Kael mused softly to himself. "Sometimes the worst monsters wear crowns like the father."
Kael could almost feel the weight behind the words. Mydeimos wasn't some heroic underdog, nor a villain driven by malice. He was the consequence of a legacy, the living demigod born from betrayal and cruelty. Someone cast into the Sea of Souls as an infant left for dead by a king terrified of prophecy, only to rise from those cursed waters, reforged a thousand times.
He is the result of someone tempting fate, attempting to erase another person, and ultimately failing.
The quill then moved again.
----------------------
"In the ancient legends of the coastal city-states, the Sea of Souls is said to have birthed beings as mighty as gods. Fishermen speak of a king of the seas who appears among the waves as a young child, with a fierce countenance and bluish lips, bathing in the bone-chilling waters of the Sea of Souls, wrestling with its savage beasts, thirsting for blood, and devouring flesh and bone.
It is said that each time they sink to the seabed, they soon resurrect from the Sea of Souls. Over approximately nine years, they reforged themselves no less than ten thousand times, ultimately tearing apart a giant monster, staining the sea red for miles, yet no flesh-eating sea creature dared approach.
Legends speak of how that the king of the seas could sweep countless fish and shrimp onto the shore with a flick of the tail. Once, shipwrecked fishermen praying for salvation were rescued by the king alongside his crew. As the tales grew more fantastical over time, fishermen started painting the king on their boats, in the hope it will grant them safe voyages.
Rumors have emerged claiming that this so-called king of the seas is the vengeful spirit of the crown prince Mydeimos. Terrified by the prophecy he carried, his father, the former king, cast him into the Sea of Souls at birth. His life cut short, the child died with his grievances unredressed, vowing to scour the Sea of Souls. However, the writer believes this is merely the cunning Kremnoans trying to glorify themselves, for three reasons:
First, though the Kremnoans traditionally engage in father-son struggles where the victor becomes king, why would they throw a newborn crown prince into the sea?
Second, even if King Eurypon of Kremnos, grown old and senile, believed the prophecy and sacrificed his heir to the sea, how could an infant possess the divine strength to battle giant monsters?
Third, even if such a child existed, he could hardly be Kremnoan. Why would a Kremnoan, known for their selfish and brutal nature as they are, assist fishermen struck by disaster?
---------------------------------
"This one's... different from the first volume with Tribios," he murmured quietly to himself. "It's more myth than history, but sometimes that's exactly what people need. A legend wrapped in tragedy, drenched in enough mystery that it keeps the reader hooked."
His fingers gently drummed against the edge of the book. The idea of Mydeimos, child of a royal, tossed into the sea yet somehow reborn as something more, was both tragic and powerful.
"A child cast into the Sea of Souls by his own father. Whether it's truth or myth, it's fitting for Castrum Kremnos, but the people in remnant will not be able to figure that out; only I know that answer. But, it captures everything about the previous king who only had power, fear, and paranoia in his mind." Kael whispered.
He scratched his head.
"And yet… I like the contradiction, being of both vengeance and salvation. It's what makes him feel real. Even if it's exaggerated, even if it's a fabrication from desperate fishermen trying to glorify their city, it says more about human nature than any simple record of history."
The wind rustled through the trees as Kael let out a dry chuckle.
"Stories like this aren't about whether they're true. It's about what people need to believe. Mydeimos gives them a protector, a warning, and a symbol of their own survival. That's the power of myth."
His quill hovered again, ready to dive back in.
"But more importantly…" Kael's eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful, "This will serve as a mirror. For some readers, Mydeimos is someone who overcame the impossible. For others, a person who grew from vengeance. Both are valuable."
System: "Progress: 20% drafted. Active Skill: Emberscribe — aura echo detected within the draft."
System: "Emberscribe skill presence: High. This volume may trigger minor aura echoes for Faunus that read this volume, accelerating their protest for their rights faster than in canon."
Kael grinned. "Good. That's exactly the kind of echo I want. It might also give me some chances to create revenue in Menagerie."
He continued writing late into the night, only pausing briefly to feed the fire or sip water. The forest whispered around him, but Kael's plan was going to set into motion.
Every page, every sentence, it was all part of the plan.
Books weren't just stories.
They were seeds.
Seeds that, when planted in the hearts of the right people, might one day bloom into the strength he would need to change the world.