Chapter Text
Ruby was nervous. She tightly clutched the book she brought with her to her chest. Today would be her third day with Ashen. It also happens to be the first day she would truly be alone; there would be no Zwei today or Dad hanging around nearby at the top of the cliff or Yang sparring with him in the clearing leading up to the cliffs.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. It wasn't the idea of being alone that had her on edge; it was what she was planning on proposing to Ashen today that did. They had finished going over her map of Remnant yesterday. While she wasn't able to tell him much about Atlas or Mistral, she had a lot she was able to tell him about Vale and Vacuo. She did have to admit that a lot of her information on Vacuo was from stories Uncle Qrow told her, but she trusted them.
Now that they had finished with that, it left them with not much else to talk about. She was certain that Ashen had plenty of stories to tell, but he didn't seem to be in a sharing mood. Ruby spent all night racking her brain for an idea. It was only when she nearly tripped on one of her old books did inspiration strike her.
As usual, Ashen appeared out of thin air as he sat, waiting for her. He hasn't told her how he was doing it, but she was certain that, after she gained enough of his trust, he would. Maybe he might even show her how to do it herself. She greeted him with a wave and a smile.
"Morning."
"Good morning to you, as well," he replied as she took her seat next to him. "I see that Zwei has not accompanied you today."
Technically, he was supposed to, but she didn't want to wake him from his nap, and her dad and sister were out grocery shopping.
"He's getting some rest, so it's just the two of us today."
Ashen nodded before he gestured to the book in her arms. "What did you bring with you?"
Ruby's face flushed red as she pulled the book from her chest to display the cover to him. It was an old bright, pink A-B-C book. She still kept it around, after all these years, because the drawings in it were too cute for her to get rid of it.
"Looks colorful," he commented. She could barely make out a tinge of amusement in his voice, which did nothing to help with the burning sensation growing on her face.
“I brought it for you,” she stated.
"A gift? I appreciate the thought, but unfortunately, as you should already know, I can not read your language."
"That's why I brought it. This is a book that's supposed to teach you to read. I thought it could help you."
"You want to teach me how to read?" Ashen asked, surprised.
"Y-Yeah," Ruby stuttered. Her face was now glowing. Here she was, a child , offering to teach him, an adult, how to read. "You couldn't read the map I brought, and it made me think about what you would do if you didn't have someone around to help you."
Ashen stayed quiet. Ruby wished he would take off his helmet—it would be easier to know what he was thinking if she could see his face. She hoped that she hadn't offended him.
"So, you wish to become my teacher? Very well. It will not be the first time that I served as a student, but it will be the first time that I have been taught by someone so much more… smaller than me."
"Hey!" Ruby cried in indignation. She crossed her arms in a pout, causing Ashen to chuckle.
"It was only a jest. Now, how do you want to begin?"
Ruby had Ashen start off by going over the basic alphabet. At some point, he picked up a stick that he would use to write down letters in the dirt. She made a mental note to herself to bring a pencil and some paper for him. Thankfully, all the words in the book were basic. It wasn't that she thought he was stupid, he was in fact very sharp and was adapting quickly. She was just concerned over what she would do when they got to more complex words and how she would explain them to him. When they hit the word “car”, the best description she was able to come up with for him was a wagon that drove itself.
For now, Ruby was enjoying the time she had to bond with him. She even learned a bit more about him from some absent-minded comments he made. From what she could understand, he had a lot of teachers that trained and taught him throughout the years. One of them appeared to have been a traveling scholar who researched the soul. Considering how amazing Aura was, she wasn’t surprised. She wanted to ask questions, but restrained herself. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him to withdraw into himself. It was something she learned from watching Uncle Qrow help her dad.
Before she knew it, the alarm on her Scroll was going off, causing Ashen to jerk in surprise. Ruby silenced it with a frown. Time always seemed to move far too quickly when she didn’t want it to.
“I assume it is time for you to go home,” Ashen commented. She nodded. “Then we will have to continue tomorrow. Do you think you could bring another book with you? Perhaps something more… complex?”
“Sure,” Ruby responded with a faint blush of embarrassment dusting her cheeks. “I’ll ask my dad if he knows any good ones that could help us. He is a teacher after all.”
"Your father is a scholar?"
"What? No. He's a teacher at Signal. It's a prep-school that people go through if they want to attend a combat academy like Beacon," she explained.
"I see. I guess it would be safe to say that you intend to join this Beacon Academy."
"Yep. My parents and uncle all graduated from there. It suppose to be the best academy in all of Remnant. Me and my sister are both planning to go there as well."
"Has your father done anything to prepare you for your chosen path?" Ashen asked.
"Not yet," she replied, "he said he'll start training me in a few years like he's started doing with Yang."
"Usually, if a person intends to train a new warrior they would start the individual off as young as possible," Ashen commented. "It takes time to properly train a person up to standard. Years of harsh training to build the body up to a warrior's physic and to engrave the muscle memory of various combat techniques."
"Is that what you went through?" Ruby asked.
Ashen snorted. "I went through a baptism by fire."
“What do you mean?”
“While I may no longer remember my childhood, I still have a few memories of my youth. From what I can still piece together, my home was a village on the edge of the kingdom. Most of us were farmers that spent our days toiling the fields to provide for ourselves. We had a craftsman, a blacksmith i remember fighting with. There were walls built to protect us with a small contingent of guards. It would not be enough though.” Ashen chuckled. “I did not want to spend my life farming the same patch of land. I wished to travel and lead a life of adventure. I got my wish.”
Ashen hung his head and went silent. Ruby reached over and slipped her hand into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze. After taking a deep breath, he continued.
“Death was overtaking the land. Villages were falling left and right. Suddenly, the defenses we had were not enough to protect us. It was decided that every able bodied man would be trained to fight. I was more than twice your age when a blade was first put in my hand. I was trained for half a year. Half a year before I received my first taste of combat.”
“Was it the Grimm?”
“Worse. It was marauders. My village was attacked, not by beasts, but by our fellow man. It was the first time I had ever seen a man die. It also became the first time I had killed a man… I killed two that day… I believe nothing, but dumb luck and the favor of the gods saw me through that day. We lost many. For those of us left, our training had come to an end. We had to man the walls with the little experience we had earned to fill the vacant posts. I had to learn everything else through trial and error. Every mistake was paid for in scars, failures… and comrades lost." Ashen released a wistful sigh as old faces flashed through his mind. "I will defer to your father's experience and trust that he knows what he is doing, but do not let your time be wasted. Time is valuable, but also fleeting. The more time you have to train, the more prepared you will be to face hardship."
"I will be," Ruby whispered. She leaned over and gave him a hug. It felt like he needed one. "Does-Does it hurt… remembering everything?" she asked.
"I wished it did. So many memories have become so faded that I no longer feel a thing. Some memories are nothing, but sensations. Despite it all, I will continue to endure. Do not waste your concern on me. I have made it this far and will continue to live on." He patted Ruby on her shoulder. “You should run along now before your father grows concerned. I will see you tomorrow.”
"Okay," Ruby responded as she gathered her things. "I'll bring something to write with tomorrow. Stay safe."
The trek back was quiet. It gave Ruby a lot of time to think. An unpleasant feeling churned in her guts as she thought over what she had learned. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have to face the Grimm with no training. Even worse was how bad guys attacked his home. Why did they still have to deal with bad guys when they already had enough trouble fighting the Grimm. It wasn't fair.
She wondered if Ashen blamed himself for what had happened. There had to be something more she could do to help him. Ruby stopped walking as she gazed through the tree branches at the clouds. There was only so much she had to do to help him read. All he really had to do was memorize the characters and the spelling of words. Considering how sharp he was, it didn't seem like that would prove to be much of a problem for him. There had to be something else she could do for him.
Ruby glanced down at the book in her arms. What else could she help him with? As she stared at the letters on the cover, her mind drifted back to when Ashen showed her the strange characters carved into his knife. Perhaps she didn't have to teach him something. Maybe he could teach her. He did mention that the language was almost forgotten. She could help make it less... forgotten.
Ruby nodded, impressed with herself. After she was done teaching him her alphabet, he could teach her his. It was a brilliant idea and would increase the time they got to spend together. She still hadn't forgotten what Ashen had said about eventually leaving, so she needed to stretch out their time together to delay that from happening as long as possible. This was just a single step toward helping him. Every hero deserves a happy ending and she was going to do everything she could, so eventually Ashen would get his. It was as her dad and Uncle Qrow would say; "Take it one step at a time."
(Line break)
The next day went by without a hitch. Her dad had given her a dictionary and one of his lesson books to borrow that he used for his youngest students. She had even brought a notebook for him to write in. Ruby, unfortunately, didn't learn anything new about Ashen. He kept their discussions focused on the material they were covering, no doubt, in an effort to avoid sharing anything else about himself. While she did wish that she could have learned more about him, she was not going to push. She did notice though how he swapped out his gauntlets for a pair of leather gloves. It was curious why he didn’t just write with his bare hands, but she decided not to question him over it. At the end of their second session she decided to leave the dictionary with him so he could practice on his own.
It was the third day that Ruby had decided that she would ask Ashen to teach her his forgotten language. There wasn’t much for her to teach him. All it really came down to for him was to memorize the spelling of words. She could help explain certain things that he probably never had encountered, but not much else. Ruby couldn’t help, but groan out loud when she remembered that school would be starting for her in a few weeks. Why couldn’t summer be longer?
She came to a surprised stop when Ashen didn’t appear in his usual spot. There were two books sitting there instead. One was the dictionary she gave him while the other was an unfamiliar, dusty-looking, leather bound one. Her curiosity drove her to take a peek inside. To her lack of surprise, she was unable to read anything that was written inside. Ruby was surprised to notice that certain letters were the same while the majority looked completely foreign. The longer she stared at this writing, the more she couldn’t help, but feel off. There was something about the characters that were giving her a tingling feeling. They felt special somehow.
Ruby shook her head before closing the book. She glanced around, but couldn’t find any trace of Ashen, which beg the question; where did he go? She doubted that he left the books sitting out here all night so he must have been here until recently. As if to answer her question a howl pierced the silence around her. It was joined by a few more. There was no mistaking the howl of a Beowolf as Ruby took an unconscious step back away from the noise. The howling was quickly answered with an explosion. It was soon followed by a few more, black smoke snaking away above the treeline.
Ruby swallowed as butterflies danced in her stomach. There was no doubt in her mind that Ashen was the one currently fighting that Grimm pack. The smart choice would be for her to wait here until he finished. The safest choice would be for her to return home. Despite how obvious it was what her dad would have her do, she really wanted to see him fight.
She was not running toward danger. This was simply a fast and cautious jog. Ruby darted between the trees with her head on a swivel. The last thing she wanted was to run into a Grimm by mistake.
As the sounds of battle grew louder, Ruby slowed her pace. It proved fortunate as an Ursa plowed through the trees next to her causing her to jump in fright. Its body was folded over in half from the force as black wisps of smoke poured from its body. Ruby peeked her head out and her eyes widen in amazement.
Standing in the middle of this newly formed clearing was Ashen. She could still make out flickering flames licking the scorched ground at various spots. There were charred trees that had been cut down and the occasional stump. At least a dozen Grimm corpses were scattered around in various states of dismemberment. The remaining Grimm, a few remaining Beowolfs, circled around Ashen. Despite being surrounded, he stood tall in the midst of the carnage. Shield in one hand, sword in the other and cape billowing out behind him.
Ruby's breath escaped her as she stared in awe. No book or movie will ever be able to capture the sheer presence of this moment. She watched as the remaining Grimm rushed Ashen in a last ditch effort to overwhelm him with their remaining numbers.
Ruby gasped as a Beowolf lunged at him. Ashen sidestepped it as his sword struck out, splitting the beast into two. Another lashed out at him with claws extended. He simply raised his shield to block the blow. She could hear the sound of claws and bones shattering as the Beowolf's arm impacted against the shield. Ashen's arm did not bulge a single inch. The Grimm stumbled back, howling in pain, when it was abruptly cut off when Ashen decapitated it.
The rest of the fight carried on with much of the same brutality. Any Grimm that dared approach him were cut down with no hesitation or remorse. At one point he intercepted a Beowolf's jaws with his forearm. Ruby could see it's teeth shatter on Ashen's armor before he swung his shield down and caved it's skull in. She squealed in excitement.
Watching Ashen reminded her of a movie she saw not too long ago. There was a scene where the hero and his companions had to face off against a giant of a man. Even against their combined might the giant was able to shrug off their blows and strike back twice as hard. It felt like a reenactment of the same scene, only this time the positions were reversed. Unfortunately for the Grimm, it did not look like they would receive any last minute support to turn the tide.
Ashen had already cut down half of the remaining Grimm and he did not show any signs of tiring. She had yet to see him take more than a single swing to cut down any of the Grimm. It was when Ashen was dealing with a last few Beowolfs that Ruby noticed a black sphere approaching from the trees behind him. She gasped. The last minute support! Ruby stepped out from tree she was hiding behind to warn him.
"Look out!" she shouted just as Ashen slew the last Beowolf. He turned toward her in surprise, leaving his back exposed. Realizing his mistake, Ashen planted a foot forward, bracing himself. There was a loud crash as the sphere impacted, the noise punctuated by a piercing squeal. Despite the force of the impact, Ashen was able to keep his footing. As far as Ruby could tell, it barely budged him.
Now that the sphere had stopped moving she could see that it was a boar-like Grimm. It's tusks and small amount of bone plating lay shattered around its dissolving corpse. Her dad had mentioned this type of Grimm before, but for the life of her she could not remember its name.
"Ruby." Ruby jumped when she heard Ashen address her. She didn’t need to see his face to know that he was not happy to see her here. The way he slammed his sword back into its sheath erased any doubt that he wasn’t. “What are you doing here?”
Ruby gulped. She recognized the tone he had used. It was the same tone her dad used when he caught her doing something she wasn’t supposed to, like taking extra cookies from the cookie jar.
“I-uh-I heard all the noise and wanted to see what was going on.” She shifted nervously as he approached. Ashen glanced at the bowled over trees behind her.
“So, you thought to endanger yourself again,” he said. She winced in response.. “You’re fortunate I didn’t hit you when I threw that beast your way.”
Ruby chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. “But you didn’t. And you killed all of the Grimm, so it’s all fine now.”
Ashen sighed in frustration. “That is no excuse for your actions. Do so again and I will consider our relationship over. Have I made myself clear.” Ruby nodded. Ashen waved her along as walked past her. “Good. Let us return, lest we attract more of these creatures.”
Despite her scolding, Ruby struggled to keep the spring out of her step. Just thinking about the fight made her want to squeal in excitement. She thought her uncle was strong, but after seeing Ashen fight she was now pretty sure that Ashen was the stronger one. The way that he wouldn’t be bulged, even by that boar-like Grimm -got to ask dad what the name for them was again- was more amazing and cooler than Uncle Qrow, even on his best day.
Once more the two took their usual seats next to each other. Ashen picked up a black feather that Ruby had missed the first time around that had been laying on the log. It was when Ashen pulled out a small bottle filled with what looked like ink that she realized what it was for. She didn’t think anyone still used feathers -right Badlands. How could she have forgotten to leave the pen with him. Ruby barely managed to restrain herself from face-palming as she mentally groaned.
“Before we begin, there is something I need to bring to your attention,” Ashen spoke up.
“What is it?” she asked. From his tone it sounded important.
“Your uncle, he is still searching for me,” he responded. "If possible, I would like you to speak with him and ask him to cease his attempts."
"Why?" Ruby was confused. Was this why Uncle Qrow was still against all of this? "Is there a reason why you can't talk to him like you did with my dad?"
"It is not my place to say what it is that he does, just know that I am familiar with his line of work. It is the kind that can get me involved in a mess of things that I would rather avoid. I have also overheard him using that… Scroll of his to speak to the one that employs him. They are interested in my secrets and need not tell you how I feel about divulging any of them."
She nodded. She had not forgotten the promise she made about his friend's graves and the secret wall they were hidden behind.
"You're not going to fight him, are you?" Ruby asked, hesitantly.
"Only if he attacks me. I would rather it not come to that which is why I am asking you to speak with him. Should things continue as is, we may eventually come to blows and I can not be held responsible for the outcome."
"I will." Ruby hesitated before asking, "Can you promise that you won't start a fight with him? I know that he can be very difficult to get along with. My dad says so all the time."
Ashen chuckled. "Very well. I swear on my name that even should your uncle draw his blade against me as long he does not strike me, I will not engage him in combat."
"Thank you." Ruby gave him the most sincere smile she could muster. Ashen ruffled her hair and Ruby couldn't help, but bask in the heat that radiated from it as it soaked into her skull.
It was something that she had become more aware of over her last few encounters with him. Despite the fact that he was completely covered in armor, she was able to feel a heat -she did not know how else to describe it- emanating through his armor. It was unlike anything she had ever felt and made her feel… complete. The sensation was so similar to what she felt that night weeks ago when she woke up. The only missing facet was that feeling of motherly love that enveloped her at the beginning.
She could feel the warmth erase any tiredness from her body wherever it seeped through and left her feeling refreshed and relaxed. Her aura tingled in a way she could only describe as good. While Ruby wished she could feel that same sensation that was so similar to one of her mother’s hugs, she was happy with this. She mewed in disappointment when she felt Ashen pull his hand away.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Ruby jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice and blinked rapidly. She hadn’t even realized that she had closed her eyes. “You were smiling. Is there something you want to tell me?” Ashen teased.
Ruby flushed a deep scarlet in embarrassment as she babbled gibberish in an attempt to come up with an excuse. Ashen chuckled as he handed her the dictionary, giving her an escape from her predicament.
“Are you ready to continue our lessons?” Ruby nodded vigorously in response as she hide her still flushed cheeks behind her book. He opened up the journal he had been writing in previously before the Grimm had interrupted. “Good. There were a few words that I had come across that caught my interest and I was hoping you could better explain to me what they are. Let us with this one; electricity, if I am pronouncing it correctly. What is that exactly?”
“Oh-um, that’s a bit tricky to explain,” Ruby responded. She rocked her head back and forth as she tried to come up with a good description for him. “So, basically…”
They continued like that for the next hour or so. Ruby did her best to answer any of his questions and describe things to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, there were some words that she was absolutely clueless about. He was not put off by her lack of knowledge on more advanced things, but it still stung her pride. If only she were older and knew more. One thing she did realize while speaking with him was how much she took her current life for granted.
It was only through her conversations with him that she was truly beginning to understand just how far behind the badlands were when it came to technology. She couldn’t imagine life without electricity,TV, video games or cookies. He barely seemed to know what Dust was. Admittedly she barely did herself, but still; Dust was one of the strongest weapons that a Huntsman could wield against the Grimm. The fact that he went most of his life, barely relying on it said a lot about how strong he was. No doubt what she saw earlier was a fraction of his full strength.
Eventually their conversation trailed off until there was only the scratching of Ashen’s quill in his journal. Ruby couldn’t help, but stare as he wrote. Under every sentence he wrote down so far was a copy rewritten in his native language. As much as she wanted to ask him about it, she did not want to interrupt him.
“Something on your mind?”
Ruby jumped with a small ‘eep’. He really had to stop scaring her like that.
Ashen chuckled. “You look like you want to ask something. Well, go ahead. I do not mind.”
“O-Oh, okay. I was… I was wondering if you would teach me how to write in your language?”
“Oh? What brought this on?” he asked with a noticeable tone of curiosity.
"I remembered that you said that your language is mostly forgotten and I thought to myself that if I learn it then it will be less forgotten. That and… " Ruby trailed off as she fidget nervously in place.
"Go on, do not be shy. I am not here to judge you."
"I feel funny when I look at it," Ruby admitted. Ashen straighten up.
"Can You explain that for me?" he asked.
"I'm not sure how. When I took a peek in your journal earlier I felt funny. It doesn't feel bad, but I can't say that it's good either. It feels…"
"Right," Ashen supplied.
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Why though?"
Ashen paused to consider the question. He knew from his discussions with Ruby that most, if not all knowledge pre-dating the Age of Dark was lost. It was to be expected of course, but even through the many cycles, the fall of kingdoms and the loss of knowledge with them, there have always been whispers that survived it all and continued to be past down through the ages. His next question would confirm, to a degree, if any knowledge had survived to this age. Ashen found that a part of himself did not want to know.
“What do you know of the gods?”
Ruby blinked in surprise at the perceived change in topic.
“Do you mean the Two Brothers? My mom told me the story once, but I don’t really remember it. Is the story important?”
Ashen took a moment to absorb the information before continuing, “Have you ever heard the tale of Lord Gwyn?”
“Who?”
He leaned back and took a deep breath. If the tales of the gods did not endure, what chance was there for anything else. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ruby glancing around nervously, no doubt worried that she had upset him somehow.
“My village practiced a more… obscure religion,” Ashen said as he flipped to earlier pages in his journal before handing it to Ruby. “It taught that it was the gods who gifted us humans with language. They shared with us their sacred language to aide and raise us and we in turn had praised and revered them.”
Ruby stared at the pages in front of her, a faint glimmer in her silver eyes as she soaked in the ancient and sacred writings of Anor Londo.
“Do you feel it?” Ruby nodded. “There is power in those words. You may not understand a single word that is written, but regardless you can feel the divine energy that resides in those characters.”
Ashen drew another coin from one of his pouches. Unlike the one he gave her, this one was made of silver. He flipped it over and set it on the journal. Just like the one he gave her, there was writing imprinted on the back. Ruby glanced between the coin and the writings in the journal as she realized that the characters were the same.
“It was common practice where I am from to engrave words of prayer on the back of our currency. Small words of faith to boaster our spirit. This way we would always carry a piece of the gods’ blessings with us.”
“It’s the same,” Ruby commented as she picked up the coin and held it up in the air. “ I didn’t really pay attention before, but I feel the same as when I looked at the one you gave me. Its weaker than the book, but I can still feel something.”
“Interesting,” Ashen muttered. “It seems that there may be more to you than what appears at first glance.”
“What do you mean?” she asked as she returned his coin.
“Only those of devote faith can sense the strength in the small phrases, while most others are unable to sense anything,” he explained. “For the few exceptions who do, it is weak enough that it can be mistakenly passed off as some other sensation.”
“But what does that mean for me?”
“I could not tell you,” Ashen admitted. “It could simply be that the gods favor you or it could be something unique to yourself. In the end do not concern yourself over it.The old faiths are all, but gone now so it is unlikely you will ever encounter these sensations outside of interactions with me.”
Ruby frowned as she crossed her arms. She hated it when he brushed away his losses like they were nothing. It’s okay to be sad.
“Are you sure you want to learn the sacred text,” he asked, cutting into her thoughts. “I do not believe they will serve you in any purpose and you have already spent quite a bit of time here helping me.”
She nodded. “I do. Don’t you want to protect it so it doesn’t end up lost forever? If you teach me then you can rest easy because no matter what happens you’ll know at least one person hasn’t forgotten it.”
Though she could not see it, Ashen was smiling at her beneath his helm. “You never cease to amaze me with how compassionate you are.” He glanced upwards. “It is getting late. Any lessons will have to wait until another day.”
Ruby glanced up as well and saw that the sky had taken on a golden hue. Further confirmation from her Scroll told her that it was late afternoon. She really needed to get home. Any later and she wouldn’t hear the end of it from her dad. Ruby huffed in annoyance as she had back his journal. The days were too short.
“I guess I’ll come back tomorrow,” she said as she rose from her seat while dusting her skirt off.
“Are you sure that will be okay?” Ashen asked.
“Yeah, it’s no problem. My dad is fine-”
Ashen raised a hand, cutting Ruby off.
“I was not referring to your father,” he elaborated. “Recently I have been contemplating the frequency that you have been visiting me had it has me growing concerned.”
“About what?” Ruby panicked. “Did I do something wrong? Is it about today? I promise that I won’t-”
Ashen stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Calm yourself. I am simply worried that you are neglecting your family to spend time with me. Surely, you can not be coming here every day like this. Do you not have chores or other duties you must help your family with?”
“Well yeah, but I finish most of it before I come see you. Besides, I’m still on break so I don’t have to worry about homework.”
“And what about your family? Have you not been sacrificing time that you could have been spending with them.”
“I spend plenty of time with them. I…” Ruby trailed off as she remembered Uncle Qrow’s offer to take her and Yang to the towns arcade today. He would be leaving after today on some important mission so they wouldn’t hear from him for days, maybe even weeks. She hadn’t even thought of that as she turned him down as she walked out the door. “Oh.”
“Now you see. As much as I enjoy the time we spend together, you have your own life to live away from me. Do not sacrifice it on my behalf.”
“But what about...you said…” Ruby frowned as she gazed up at him.
Ashen cupped her cheek. “Do not concern yourself with what I said about our arrangement. I told that I would give you ample warning before it ends.” He chuckled. “I also do not believe that your life is so cheap that it is only worth a few days companionship; is it?”
Ruby couldn’t help a small giggle before she shook her head. “No.”
“Then that’s that then,” he said as he stepped back. “Go home and live your life. I have already lived mine, so there is not much else you can do for me. I will remain here and watch over the forgotten graves. Your life does not revolve around me, so do not let this old man steal away time that could be better spent on yourself. ”
“Okay.” Ruby fidgeted nervously. “If there’s nothing planned and I’m free would it be okay for me to come by tomorrow?”
“If you are free, then come. If not, then come another day.” Ashen returned to his seat. “It is as simple as that.”
“So, I guess I will see you soon then?”
“I guess you will. Oh, do not forget to speak with your uncle.”
“I won’t.” Ruby gave him a smile that felt crafted from the sun’s rays. “You take care of yourself until I get back.”
Ashen chuckled. “I will. May the Fire guide you Ruby Rose.”
Ruby was momentarily taken aback by the phrase, but she shook it off with a wave as she began her trek back home. Ashen watched her until she was out of sight. He turned his gaze toward the unlit bonfire before him. The coiled sword was resting inside the shrine and he contemplated retrieving it. In the end he decided against it. With the First Flame burning inside him, it would still work regardless of the fact that the age was long gone.
He would be the only Undead bonded to it. The last Undead to be bonded to a bonfire. Funny how he didn’t feel anything at the thought. Ashen turned his attention to the forest. Before he knew it he had drawn his sword and was marching out once more. It would be best to ensure that no other packs are drawing near the shrine. The hunt would serve as a nice distraction. No need to ponder about the past and what had been lost with it. An Undead simply pressed on; after all, what else could an Undead do?