Stained Grey

I Silva am surrounded by two members of the Branwen tribe while Raven looks from afar. It has been a little over a month since I saw Yang and Ruby. Now the bandit chief is still dishing out her punishment for following her, triple training, cleaning additional tents aside from Raven's, and collecting various plants for tea. This brings me to my current situation of being surrounded. I am sparring against multiple armed opponents while being unarmed, aside from my claws, that is.

The bandit with a short wooden sword went at me. First, he swung his sword down, and I barely dodged by a hair, then tried to get in his guard to claw at him, but I was knocked back by the other bandit equipped with a blunt spear with a hit to my left flank. The sword came at me with an upward slash, and I rolled away, then got on all fours, but only be knocked down again by the spear.

As the sword came next with a downward slash, I rolled to the side as it struck the ground and aimed for the bandit's legs with a tackle knocking him over, then hit him in the gonads, making him curl up in pain. I got a swift kick to my side, which sent me tumbling from the spear-wielding bandit, and he did not let me rest as he swung his spear overhead. I made it through the attack range of the spearhead and lifted my arms to guard against the strike. My arms stung from the blow and freed one of them to throw dirt at the bandit's eyes.

As the bandit rubbed his eyes, I picked up the wooden sword the other bandit dropped and swung it at his knee, making him kneel. As he was at my level now, I swung the wooden sword at his head like a baseball bat, but he blocked it and punched my gut after wiping the dirt from one of his eyes. He proceeded to beat me while I was down, and Raven called out after a minute of my beating.

" That's enough for today; you are dismissed."

" Yes, chief!"

Both of the bandits replied with respect, then left me as I pulled myself up and glared at Raven, then said feeling tired from constantly having my ass handed to me by adult bandits the past month as the other kids my age are no challenge for me because I can plan my moves like an adult but lack the body to be a real threat in direct confrontations.

" I hate you..."

Raven shrugged me off and went into her tent, and I soon followed to treat my bruises and make sure I didn't have any fractures. I dug out the first aid kit and applied some ointment to soothe my new bruises, and applied some pressure to see if anything was fractured, but it looks like I am good today. I laid down to rest while Raven was fixing herself some tea but overall, knowing really changed in our relationship after she did not deny Qrow in calling me her littler brother as she put it at the time. She then ordered me.

" Get up! We need to talk."

I groaned as I got up and sat across from her at the small table. As she poured tea for her and me, Raven told me.

" Qrow has done something foolish again while he was more drunk than usual."

" And this affects me how?"

I asked her, not feeling at all surprised at Qrow causing trouble between him being drunk and his Semblance, Misfortune adding to the mess that is his life and choices. Raven sighed and told me the issue.

" He told Taiyang about me replacing Yang with you and has locked himself in his room for the past week, not even coming out once."

"Crud..."

Raven nodded in agreement and continued explaining.

" While my brother has been keeping an eye on Taiyang, he can't continue to do so for much longer as Ozpin needs him for several missions soon, and he reached out to me to keep an eye on things. But as you know, I can't because my presence would likely cause Yang's father to go off the deep end."

" So I am what? Ruby and Yang's babysitter, despite the fact I am the same age as your daughter."

I looked at Raven incredulously as she took a sip of her tea then replied.

" Basically, yes, you have shown far more responsibility than my brother and Taiyang combined, and I trust you more than them right now."

I narrowed my eyes at her and made an observation.

" You really don't like your ex-husband, do you?"

Raven sighed and then told me, looking slightly bitter.

" I never wanted to be a mother, and the only reason I got pregnant in the first place is that I wanted to be drunk enough to forget what I learned about some disturbing secrets that Ozpin has been keeping hidden."

While I know about Ozpin and Salem, that's due to my past, and no one has told me anything yet, but since the subject has been brought up, I can use it as an excuse to learn more and not have to explain the fact I have memories from my past life.

" Who's Ozpin? And what secrets made you want to get drunk enough to wind up getting pregnant?"

Raven looked into my eyes, trying to decide whether or not to tell me anything, then shook her head and told me.

" I will tell you when you are older, but for now, I need you to watch Yang and Summer's daughter, Ruby, until Taiyang gets his head out of his butt."

All things considered, this works to my advantage, but Raven does not need to know that, so let's see how much I can milk this situation.

" Okay, but not for free; working for free is for suckers and volunteers!"

Raven gave me an approving smile then said.

" State your payment."

" I want my Aura unlocked."

Raven sipped on her tea, and then she told me.

" I was planning on unlocking it when you turned ten, but now is a good time as any. Anything else?"

" A Scroll to check out the Cross-Continental Transmit System and a bank account for you to fill with Lein, so I can get what Ruby and Yang need."

Raven nodded in agreement to my demands and told me.

" Let's unlock your Aura for starters, and I will have everything else ready later."

Raven got up and gestured for me to stand in front of her. I complied, and she placed her hand on my head and chanted.

" For it is in survival that we achieve strength."

I felt something enter within me but not in a physical sense, but I lack words to describe what I am feeling. Raven continued as I felt something... more.

" Through this, we weather against adversity and be unbound by death and not be shackled by limitations."

The thing I felt before it reached deeper in me and touched something I did not even know I had, and it resonated with me.

" I release your soul, and by my hand, set you free."

Something clicked and rushed forth as I felt everything that made me, me. My desires, my fears, the scars I still carried from my past life, the things I have forgotten but not truly, and why I want what I want. My Aura covered my body, black in color but mine nonetheless, free but still linked to me. I sighed as I gave myself a good hard look inwardly and saw how I really am as my Aura stopped me from lying to myself right now as it surged. Raven then commented on my Aura.

" You definitely have more Aura than the average Huntsman and Huntress, but it's not that out of the ordinary. For now, start packing your things and get ready to leave tomorrow."

" Sure..."

I wonder just how far I can push my aura, and I better make a list of spiritual powers from various animes, novels, and games for reference. Plus, see about getting some books on the uses of Dust, old and new. So much to do and only ten less than ten years left until the start of the canon if I don't wreck it, that is.